# Pregnancy & Text Buddy - July 2011 - Seattle, US Area? Between 19 and 25 years



## airbear

Hey Ladies!

I'm looking for a pregnancy and text buddy! I am 20 years old, as well is the DB. He will be 21 after the baby is born and I will still be 20. I am looking for someone in the Seattle or surrounding area's in Washington state. Our bump is due mid July 2011 and would like someone close to the same due date! I am also hoping for someone close in age, if possible. I don't know how many Seattlites are on here but thought it couldn't hurt to check!


----------



## airbear

bump:)


----------



## krys

Hi! I'm 19, and my baby is due July 16th, four days before my 20th birthday! I'm from Las Vegas, my mom lives in Bellevue, WA :)


----------



## airbear

I'm so excited! I was hoping to find someone close to in age on the west coast so they could be in the same time zone, as well as have being a young mom in common! I saw a couple of your other posts about telling your mom the news, have you told her yet?!


----------



## krys

Ahhh yes, I wrote her a long letter, I was way too scared to actually call her! She was really upset at first, mostly because she doesn't live here and she was bummed that she couldn't be here for everything, so she felt really left out! She got over it though, and now she's really stoked! She already went out and bought baby stuff and gave it to me when I saw her for Christmas. Now she's trying soooo hard to get me to move out there! How did your parents react when you told them? :)


----------



## airbear

Well congrats on the pregnancy and that your mom is excited! My mom had her first baby at 22 so even though I'm a bit younger than she was she knows what its like being a young mom. She's been very supportive and was excited since the day I told her. She's been buying baby stuff and wanting to plan the nursery. She's a little sad that we don't want to find out the gender though. She loves babies and I think that since I've been with my boyfriend for over 4 and 1/2 years it helped her not worry so much. I don't really talk to my dad much, very rare in fact but I did tell him the news. In a facebook message.. I was surpised how well he took the news I thought he'd be very disappointed but he wasn't! My boyfriends mom took the news a little hard but warmed up within a month and already started buying baby stuff!


----------



## airbear

Oh, and have you had your first ultrasound yet?! If so do you have pictures?! I had mine January 12th and thought I was at 13 weeks and got put back to 12 week (so my ticker's a week off). Which I was a little disappointed by since I was so excited to be in 2nd trimester this week!


----------



## krys

That is so funny, pretty much the same thing happened to me! I went on January 5th, and got put back a week. It was really cool to see the baby, he/she was jumping all around, it was super cute! I did get pictures, but I haven't got around to scanning them yet. I took a picture of one and its my avatar thing on here now, its kind of blurry, but you can totally tell its a baby! Did you get pictures? :) Oh and I think thats pretty sweet that you guys aren't gonna find out the gender. I would love to wait, but I'm terrible with surprises, I wish I could know right now!


----------



## krys

Oh, and what is your new due date? Mine is July 24th!


----------



## anj0427

hi girls! :) my name's alyssa. I'm 25, from california and my due date's july 16th. This is my first, it's really exciting!


----------



## airbear

Hey Alyssa! Welcome! Have you had your first scan yet?

I have pictures but they are more blurry than yours. I'll upload one in a bit as I'm at work. Yours looks much more clear! I got put back to July 25th! :)


----------



## airbear

Welcome Alyssa! I had thought I had responded to this thread and it must not have posted? How's your pregnancy going? Have you had your first doctors appointment?

My ultrasound picture isn't as clear as yours, but I can definitely tell there is a baby, even a little hand waving. I'll try and upload a picture! My due date got pushed back to July 25th:)


----------



## krys

Hi Alyssa! That was my due date before they changed it :) Congrats on your pregnancy!

The picture I have on here is sooo perfect! The other ones aren't very clear, but at least I got one really good one! Have either of you felt anything or started showing at all?!


----------



## airbear

Looks like it did post! Oh well. Here's my picture! :)


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/2011-01-12164020.jpg


----------



## airbear

I also have bump pictures. I started taking them at week 11 (when I thought I was week 12) when I started noticing a bump. Here they are:

Week 11:

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/springpad-photo-1.jpg

Week 12:

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/2011-01-11101106.jpg

Week 13:

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/2011-01-19151137.jpg

Week 14:

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/springpad-photo-1-1.jpg


Sorry the pictures are so large! Do you ladies have bumps? I feel like I'm already showing so much so early!


----------



## anj0427

thanks girls! 
i love the pics :) 

i'm not really showing and i haven't felt anything at all but i cannot wait for either.

i've had my first appt. it was amazing seeing baby wiggle around, it brought tears to my eyes. and hearing the heartbeat, my bf's face was priceless! :)

i have my next appt on the 11th of feb. i'll be 17 weeks by then. i'm hoping to find out the sex of baby at that appt. might be too early though, but i can't wait!

how are your girls' symptoms so far?
i still have the usual morning sickness and feel nauseous when i'm hungry and haven't had a chance to eat. eating little snacks so often is somewhat new to me, i was accustom to just eating 2 maybe 3 times a day. every now and then i get headaches and slight lower backaches but it's nothing some water and a little back rub can't get rid of.


----------



## airbear

I can't wait to feel the baby kick or move!

My boyfriend didn't get to go to the first appointment because of work and the doctors office is only open M-F until 5pm which makes it difficult for us to go together. However my next appointment is also February 11th! I'll be 16 weeks and set the appointment for 4:30 so that hopefully we'll both be able to go. He wanted to hear the babies heartbeat and see the ultrasound so bad! Let me know if you do get to find out the sex!

As for symptoms major morning sickness left around week 11/12 but I still feel exhausted and quezy. I tend to eat smaller snacks throughout the day rather than large meals because it seems to help me not feel sick. I am definitely more emotional. I get headaches and backaches often. I have scoliosis, so my back hurt before pregnancy too. I had sore boobs earlier on. Now they're just large. I use to wear a 34A before I was pregnant but got sized at a 32B since I just had guessed on what fit. Then just yesterday I went to victorias secret to get sized and a new bra as I was completely falling out. She said I was still a 32 around but that because I was 14 weeks along she suggested getting a 34 for room to grow and I'm a whole cup size larger - a C! But I am loving the new purchase and feel like my girls are held in again!


----------



## krys

Aww your pictures are super cute :) my bump is getting more noticeable, but I haven't felt any movement. I think we should start feeling flutters soon though! I am so excited. 
My symptoms were pretty bad at first, I always had headaches and morning sickness! Lately they've gotten way better, and I got my appetite back, yay! The only thing that has been bothering me lately are occasional backaches! And my crazy hormones, haha does that count?


----------



## krys

My boobs grew too, a whole cup size! I am now a 32B :) my next appointment is Feb 9th, but for some reason they don't do ultrasounds at my doctors office, (they send us somewhere else) so my next one isn't until March 3rd :(


----------



## airbear

I think those definitely count as symptoms! Morning sickness really is the worse. You feel terrible and it is so distracting. I'm glad it's not as strong as it use to be. My mom had it up to 15 weeks.

My mom had toxemia with both me and my sister, even had caution tape on her hospital door after giving birth to me, so I am a bit nervous I might develop it later on. Also during my first ultrasound I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa which is when the placenta grows over the cerfix and is only fatal if you have complete placenta previa at the time of birth. The placenta can come detached and be fatal to the baby. I read that usually the placenta will move up with time especially during second trimester but I'll be sure to have them check each time I go into the doctors to see if anything has changed.

Have any of you been diagnosed with anything?


----------



## airbear

I hope we do feel flutters soon! The family I nanny for's mom felt flutters at 16/17 weeks. I think we should definitely feel them by week 18!

At least our growing boobies give us a reason to pick new cute bra's. Mine is coral pink with white polka dots and the straps have light pink lace.. I love it! :)

Oh no March feels like forever away! I thought February felt far when I first got my date. Hopefully the time will go by quickly!


----------



## krys

I actually just learned about toxemia and placenta previa in school! We've been learning about pregnancy for the last three weeks and its scary to see all the things that can go wrong!! The only thing they've said about me is that my blood is Rh- which means that I am negative for a certain protein, and if my baby's blood is Rh+ and our blood somehow touches then my body would try to treat the baby as an infection and try to get rid of it! So I have to get a Rhogam (I think thats how you spell it?) shot at 28 weeks, or if I have any spotting or injuries to my belly! I was really scared when they told me this, but I asked on here and a bunch of girls said they were Rh- and they were fine. So that was a huge relief! 

I thought I felt flutters earlier, but I think its probably all in my head. Soon enough though :)


----------



## airbear

I know! There are so many things that if we worried about all of them we'd make ourself sick. There is nothing we can do, we have to trust the doctors and let them do what's best. Still that sounds very scary but having others who've had the same thing and made it through definitely makes it more reassuring!


----------



## anj0427

I haven't been diagnosed with anything since i've been pregnant but I have yet to have bloodwork done. Bloodwork's done after my next appt. Not sure why that is because I thought bloodwork was one of the first steps.
I am a hemophilia carrier though, *it's a blood clotting disorder.
If I have a boy there's a 25%-50% chance baby will have hemophilia. My sister is a carrier as well. When she found out she was having a boy she was extremely worried & refused to have a amniocentesis done. This was her first child at the age of 36 and at her doctors office a woman who was pregnant, mid 30's with first child as well, had a amnio & lost the baby to later discover that the baby was*healthy :( My*nephew is healthy with no hemophilia but he couldn't be tested or receive any shots until he was about 2 months old, in fear that he may of had it.
My bf really wants a boy and that would be nice but I do worry what the outcome will be if baby is a boy. Overall, I don't care if baby is a boy or girl, I just want baby to be healthy :)
sorry, I don't mean to be a downer.
i'll change the subject to boobies! I don't think mine have gotten bigger but they itch like crazy sometimes!! I just feels good to rub them lol
Have you girls had any food aversions or cravings?
I cannot stand chicken anymore. Smell, taste or even the sight of it. As for cravings, I don't really have any.


----------



## airbear

That is definitely scary. Hopefully either gender you get is healthy and happy!

My boobies itched earlier on too. Now they're not having any symptoms other than being large.

I love strawberries. I eat one carton in one sitting. I loove them. Fresh though, frozen aren't nearly as good! I definitely had a huge change in appetite earlier on between weeks 6 and 11. Nothing sounded good to eat but when something did that was the only thing I wanted! I loved chow mein from Panda Express! I eat a lot of toast too! I eat at least 2 slices a day! I did eat chicken though. It helped my tummy sickness at dinner time.

Do you guys have a gender you are hoping for? My boyfriend and I before we were pregnant always said we wanted 2 boys, but we don't care as long as they are healthy. I keep having this feeling we're having a girl! Which I would be really excited about. So I still want two kids, one of each would be perfect! But again, as long as they are healthy! Have either of you thought about names?


----------



## anj0427

a few years ago, I never imagined myself being pregnant or even had the desire to have a child, until I met my boyfriend :) I really want a girl! I thought having a boy would be perfect but i've helped raise my nephew for the past year so I feel like i've already raised a boy. I'd be happy with 1 child, my bf on the other hand wants 2-3! I laughed at him the first time he told me that. I already have my baby girls name: Leeah Rose. I love it! The bf likes Rose and I like Leah/Lea. My step dads middle name is Lee. He has no children but raised me like his own, so I decided to put a double 'e'. We've tried coming up with boy names but can't agree on anything, yet.
do you have your names picked yet?


----------



## airbear

Adorable! I absolutely love the name Rose, especially as a middle name. I think its sweet you added the extra E for your step dad:) I assume you pronounce it Lee-ah not Lay-ah?

I've picked Elsie Mae. Might changed the middle name to Elaine as its my moms middle name, or even change it to something else, I'm open. I found the name when my boyfriend and I went camping with our puppy in Oregon and passed a road named Elsie. I think my boyfriend only likes it because I love it so much. He likes Ellie better but I prefer less common names.

Finding a boys name is much more difficult! We only ever agreed on Oliver and Benjamin and we're not in love with either!


----------



## krys

I can not even LOOK at cheese anymore...

As for names, we haven't chosen a middle name for a boy yet, or first name for a girl yet! We like Rhyder for a boy, and the middle name Clover for a girl!


----------



## airbear

Those are great names. I think Clover as middle name is adorable. Finding a perfect first name to go with it would be hard, but I'm so picky with names! I've only settled on the one and haven't found any others I like!


----------



## krys

I know its hard! Everyone likes the name Maddison, because my boyfriends last name is Murphy. It would be Maddison Clover Murphy or Maddie Murphy for short... I can't see myself naming my daughter Maddison though! Its too common!! Elsie Mae and Leeah Rose are such pretty names!


----------



## anj0427

hi girls! How was your weekends?
my bf and I moved into my parents house this weekend. I definitely love being home but now the heels of my feet are KILLING me I think I may have felt some fluttering going on in there this weekend but i'm not sure if it was actual fluttering or just me wanting to feel something so bad that I was imagining things. 
btw, I love Elsie & Rhyder. They're both cute names. Even Maddison is cute! I like Maddie as a nickname, even as a first name too.


----------



## krys

I had never thought about Maddie for a first name! I really like that :) I feel the same way with the fluttering, I think it might be in my head. I can't wait until I know for sure! My weekend definitely could have been better, my bf's mom has been such a jerk lately. She is totally over stepping her future-grandma boundaries! I could go on about her for a long time, but I'll leave it at that, haha! Are you still in California, and if you are, what part? :)


----------



## anj0427

that's a bummer about your bf's mom. Tell her to 'back off'! Haha! No, that'll probably just make things so much worse. I hate when you sometimes get those people in your life that you just wish you could tell off. I know for me, if someone keeps pushing me, they're eventually going to get told off & it is not pretty. Especially these days, with all those hormones rushing through the body. Ugh! I actually have someone like that in my life right now & i'm almost at that breaking point.... I don't mean to rant about that. I'm sure your bf's mom means well, maybe she's going through some stuff too at the moment. I do hope things get better though :) I am in california! Central california, Los Banos to be exact.


----------



## krys

Yeah, ever since I got pregnant I've always been annoyed by her, especially when it comes to baby stuff... I hate these damn hormones!! I hope things get better with whoever is making you crazy too :)


----------



## airbear

Hello Ladies,
Sorry to hear about your weekends! Sometimes my mom feels like she wants to make decisions that I feel should be more of my decision! She keeps insisting that we know the gender before the baby is born but we want to wait to find out. Now she's kind of moving in on deciding the theme of the nursery. Luckily she's not pushing us too hard on either subject. 

We moved into an adorable rental house on January 15th, so I know what you mean about your feet killing you! This weekend we finished getting all of our stuff out of the apartment and cleaned it up and turned in the keys. Feels so great to never have to go back! 

I know just how you feel about hormones! Mine are going crazy! I am so emotional at the most insignificant things! I'm getting somewhat frustrated because I feel that my boyfriend just won't understand! I've tried explaining to him how I wish I could control my feelings but I can't. When I get upset, or sad, or frustrated he'll listen but end up getting upset with me. I have anxiety which I use to take medication for but felt it made my emotions too extreme and stopped taking them. I worked on the anxiety by myself and felt like I had it under control, but now with my hormones it's making it difficult again!

My next doctors appointment isn't this Friday but next Friday the 11th. I'm already getting so excited to go! I can't wait, next week is going to feel really long! I think I'm so excited because it's the first appointment my boyfriend will get to go to!:)


----------



## airbear

Oh, and I don't think I've felt any fluttering. It's hard to tell because I can feel my own heart beat throughout my body. It's so strong I can't focus on my tummy because my heart beat over rides anything small I could possibly be feeling.


----------



## krys

I feel the same way about my boyfriend! He just doesn't understand. I was at lunch yesterday and there were crumbs on the table when we got there, it was cold, and I couldn't decide on what I wanted to eat...... I STARTED CRYING!! I feel like such a freak, but my hormones are making me crazy. 
I'm excited for my appointment too! Mine is Wednesday, so I don't have to wait quite as long :) My boyfriend just got a new job, and he has a week long orentation so he can't go :( I'm nervous to go alone! I'm more excited for the 12th though, my mom is coming in from Washington and we are getting a 4D ultrasound!! I know its early, but they might be able to tell us the sex, and if not then you can go back for free later on! 
Do you have any ideas for your nursery yet? I really like monkeys for a little boy, they have such cute monkey things at babies r us! I want like the most girly room ever for a little girl! I want it to be pink and zebra print and sparkely!!! Haha :)


----------



## krys

Gosh, I just read my last post and I was bouncing all over the place, haha sorry!


----------



## anj0427

yay! my next appointment is on the 11th as well. i wish it was on Wednesday that way i wouldn't have to wait so long haha it's only a couple of days but still. oh my gosh you two have thought about nurseries already?! it hasn't even crossed my mind but now the wheels are turning. i haven't had any crazy emotions....yet. my bf's probably going to freak out when it does happen.
oh! off subject but i was finally able to eat chicken. it was delicious! annnnnd ROOT BEER FLOATS! i am addicted to them.... typing that right now makes me want one.


----------



## krys

Lol, yeah it is definitely way early to be thinking about nurseries! My boyfriend and I went to babies r us and he decided on monkeys, so that was all him. If I have a girl, I want her to be in tutus and leggings everyday, and I want her to always have huge bows in her hair! So she needs a pretty princess room to match :) 
I'm addicted to chocolate all of a sudden! I rarely ever ate anything chocolate before I got pregnant. Now I'm all for brownies, chocolate ice cream, banana splits with hot fudge, and my favorite-HOT FUDGE SUNDAYS! Omg. I'm drooling right now. Yay for you eating chicken! I almost ate cheese today, I made my brother cheese and crackers and they looked so yummy!


----------



## anj0427

awww that's so girly! i can just picture a baby girl all dressed in pink with legginga and a big ol' bow in her hair haha
brownies sound yummy. actually all of the food you listed has my stomach growling.
i thought about making rice krispie treats today but decided not to. i think root beer floats and rice krispie treats is going a little over board :/


----------



## airbear

I'm so excited about all of our appointments! I can't wait to hear updates. That's so exciting about a 4D ultrasound, especially since your mom will be there. You'll have to share pictures. I also hope you get to find out the gender!

I haven't thought about the nursery at all! My mom got a couple things for it but nothing so big I can't change. What she got was a blanket my great aunt made that has baby jungle animals. It's so adorable! Since I'm not finding out the gender early I can't decorate until after the baby is born, or decorate neutral. I really want a pink girly room for a girl. I think that idea about pink and zebra print and sparkles sound adorable! If I have a girl I'm going to be the same about dressing her. She's going to end up being my alive doll! I think if it's a boy I'm going to let my boyfriend do a lot of the picking. I'll definitely be there to make sure it's not to manly and cute, too:)

Root bear floats, brownies, banana splits, hot fudge sundaes, rice krispie treats.. my baby bump's gonna turn into a fat bump with all these sweet talks. I love sweets though and with my appetite back it all sounds so delicious. I've been thinking about rice krispie treats all week because I know we have a large box of rice krispies in the car, as well as a unopened bag of marshmallows. I just haven't made them yet! I also have had a huge craving for brownies since I got my appetite back too. I hadn't even thought about banana splits, but once you mentioned it I told my boyfriend I wanted one and he said we don't have any ice cream, but I told him we do have a car! So I might be making a trip to the grocery store later tonight! :)


----------



## anj0427

so girls, i weighed myself today and i have gained 4.5lbs in 3 weeks. lol I probably should cut back on those delicious root beer floats :/ and despite that weight gain i can't help but think about what I am going to eat for dinner. there are so many food options popping into my head and i want them all!


----------



## airbear

I've gained 3lbs according to my scale since I went to the doctors January 12th. My bump seems to have gotten even bigger since last week! I haven't taken any photos to compare but I can definitely tell a difference. My belly button is slowly starting to flatten out already! Its much wider and more shallow than before. Wonder how long I'll get away with my current navel ring for!

I still never got around to make any sweets. I did bring in the box of rice krispies but now they're just sitting on the counter. Too funny as I type this my boyfriend suggested I make them! He must have known what was on my mind:) Luckily I've been snacking on fruit and veggies! I'm the worst at coming up with any yummy good ideas, however. I use to eat prett plain before and was the type to eat the same thing everyday until I got tired of it and then find something new and repeat the process. Any food suggestions would be great! :)


----------



## krys

I'm always hungry, but nothing ever sounds good! Yesterday I cut up mangos, cucumbers, and a fresh pineapple and mixed the chunks up in a bowl. Then put a little lime on it and this mexican fruit seasoning! It was sooooo good, this girl in my class gave me the idea! Oh my gosh, I don't even want to know how much weight I have gained! Luckily I'm pretty tiny, so a little weight won't hurt. I just don't wanna think about hitting the gym once the baby is here, but I'm gonna want my body back asap! I want a root-bear float now by the way! Mmmmmm :) I just sent my boyfriend to get chocolate covered almonds, I guess thats a little more healthy than a whole pan of brownies haha! I was never really in to chocolate before! Its so weird what pregnancy does to you!!
Off subject, but I wish I wasn't going to be nine months pregnant in the middle of summer in Vegas. I'm gonna die! It gets sooooo hot out here :(


----------



## anj0427

oh my gosh! mangos, cucumber and pineapple - that sounds so good. i m going to the store today and i think i am going to buy that. i love fruits and veggies so much! lol
for awhile, about two weeks straight, my boyfriend and i were hooked on steak burritos. we'd buy tortillas, grill some steak, but what got us hooked, i would make a mixture of chopped onion, tomato, jalapeno/serrano peppers, avocado and cilantro - sooooo yummy and a little spicy. i may have to make this for lunch now haha
i totally know what you mean about being massively pregnant in hot weather. the highest it"s gotten here in the past is 113F. it probably gets hotter in Vegas but still i'm so not looking forward to going outside on those hot days.
i hope you girls are having a good weekend :)


----------



## krys

Omg, those burritos sound soooo good! Do you guys ever eat at Chipotle? Mmmm they have the yummiest burritos and bowls :) I weighed myself yesterday after I wrote to you guys and I haven't gained a SINGLE POUND! Four weeks of eating like a crazy person and I haven't even gained a pound. How is that even possible?? 
Oh and yeah, 120 degrees is totally normal here. Can you say m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e? :(
I hope your weekends are going good too!


----------



## airbear

Oh the fruit salad sounds delicious, as well as those steak burritos. I absolutely love fruit and steak! We went to the boyfriends parents for the super bowl and had tables full of amazing food. My favorites were the ribs and chocolate covered strawberries! 

I feel so bad for you two. I was thinking about that the other day, how summers in California and Arizona are going to be brutal! Here in Washington summer doesn't even warm up until after the 4th of July and it rarely gets above 90 degrees! Even then I'm worried but it will only be a month worth of heat, I'll eat lots of popscicles and go swimming! Or the mall where its air conditioned!


----------



## krys

Hi ladies! The 4D was amazing!! We got about 45 pictures, and a 15 minute video! We also found out that we are having a little girl!!! Madison Clover Murphy, she's beautiful :) I'm on my phone, so I can't upload any pictures just yet! I will probably put them up on Tuesday when my mom goes home. I'm so excited! As soon as we found out, my mom, my bf, his mom, and I went shopping! Then we got home and my dad had gone shopping! It was soooooo cute, he picked out the cutest girliest outfits. My step mom and my grandma also went shopping, so Madi now has more clothes than I do :) it was such a great experience all together! We also registered at Babies R Us since my mom wanted to be a part of it. Ahhhhh so exciting!! Anyway, I hope you two have had a great week! Let me know how your doctors appointments went :)


----------



## anj0427

aww yay for you having a girl! I want a 4D soooo bad! I can't wait to see the pics :) my doctors appointment went good. Unfortunately, it was only a check up and the doctor wasn't going to do a ultrasound BUT because my mom went with me this time he did a quick one. Baby looks so adorable, a lot more defined now. Had the ultrasound been clearer we probably could have known the sex because baby gave us a nice bottom shot with legs wide open. My mom & I are thinking possibly girl because it looks pretty flat in that area. I can't wait until March 9th! That is the day we will find out for sure. Are you girls having more movement? I definitely am. I have felt baby moving all week and I love it!


----------



## babybumped

Hi girls! I am 23 and due on July 20th. 4 days before my birthday! I was really excited to find this post. Our due dates are all so close. I live in TX so not so close, but dang I need friends. We just moved to the middle of no where and I don't know anyone.. Have ya'll found out the sex yet?


----------



## anj0427

hi and welcome! I don't know the sex yet. I was hoping to find out on the 17th but I won't find out until march 19th. It feels like the month's going to go by so slow. Do you know what you're having yet?


----------



## babybumped

Oh by the way, my names Katie. No I find out on March 1st. I know what you mean by the month going by slow. I found a place that does 3d ultrasounds pretty cheap so I am hoping to go and have them tell me what I am having before then. But it all depends on what I make at work this week. The next two weeks are going to be really rough on me bc he has to stay in the barracks for the next ten days. This house gets really small when you are alone.


----------



## airbear

Congrats on the baby girl and the 4D ultrasound! My appointment was just a check up too. They gave me the results from when they drew blood last time and everything looks great. Heard the heartbeat, which was the first time my boyfriend got too but he didn't get to see an ultrasound. Our next appointment is March 11th I believe. They said we'll get an ultrasound then with a DVD.

Welcome Katie! I hope your pregnancy is going well! How are your symptoms? Hopefully you'll get the 3D ultrasound and find out early! Let us know if you do! You can always chat with us on here during those two weeks to help them go by faster! Or if you need a texting buddy while you're alone you can always PM me and I'll send you my number:) 

I haven't felt much movement. If I do it still feels very light and I have so much digestion and gas movement, its hard to tell! I'm hoping this week I'll notice the movement more. I've been getting some growing cramps under my bump that have been somewhat uncomfortable. I'm also coming down with a cold and have a sore throat. All our babies can hear us now! :) My boyfriend said he better stop swearing then! Haha

How were your ladies Valentines day? Did you do anything special? If not did you have a relaxing, stressfree day at least?


----------



## babybumped

Nothing special really for v-day. He brought me home three roses and a card which made me smile, but also the news that he had to move there til he gets out on the 25th. So how was ya'lls? I was really lucky with my pregnancy. No sickness or anything. Just tired a lot in my first trimester. I almost would not have believed I was pregnant had they not had found a baby on the ultrasound. I have not felt any movement yet. Which makes me kinda sad bc I really want to so it will make this more real to me. I don't really have much of a bump either. Just gained some weight. That's really good that your bf at least got to hear the heartbeat!! Mine missed that appointment but will be going to the ultrasound. My doctors office is weird, they schedule you to one place on a day to do bloodwork then another place another day to see the doctor, then another city all together for your ultrasound. It is a real pain. My next doctors appointment is next tues. Does anyone else have to do that? I am about to get ready for work, so hope you all are feeling well!! I do want your number but don't have the pming thing down.. Lol


----------



## anj0427

my vday was okay. The bf & I didn't do anything or really get each other anything. I'm not really into vday in that way but my bf did tell me 'everyday's valentines day for me'. I thought that was really sweet!
I think it's amazing that our babies can hear us now! I was talking to my bf about that last night. We watch a lot of anime so I told him it'd be funny if the baby came out knowing Japenese. Haha impossible, I know, but just the thought of it is funny. 
my doctor office is like that. Appointments and ultrasounds are at the office, bloodwork at another office & the really good ultrasounds at the local hospital. I'm use to it being that way but when I told my bf he thought it was weird. I guess that's a small town for you. But you'd think that since it's such a small town everything would be in one place. Whatever! Haha
we should all exchange numbers! Sometimes I just want to chat about pregnancy & don't want to bug my bf or anyone else about it because they just can't relate. Plus sometimes i'm not sure if people are tired of me talking about it :/
oh, have any of you watched 'One Born Every Minute'?


----------



## airbear

Usually both my boyfriend and I don't do anything or Valentines day and we've been together for almost 5 years but this year he went all out and got my a vase of a dozen red roses, two big valentines balloons, a new bra (our dog chewed my new one! So he replaced it for me), new panties, a pedicure, dinner, and my favorite - a tempurpedic pillow which he said any new mom deserved! :) I didn't want him to spend that much! 

Katie I agree about wanting to feel some movement! I keep forgetting come July I'll have a real baby! It just seems like a dream to me so far. I'm still so excited though:) I have a little bit of a bump.. can't remember if I posted the pictures on this thread or not. I also gained 6lbs from January 12th to February 11th! My boyfriend missed the 12 week appointment which had the first ultrasound, but made it to the second which had the heartbeat. Is your ultrasound next Tuesday? That will be so exciting for both of you to get to see your little one! Will you get to find the gender out then, too?

That's so sweet that he said everyday is Valentines day! I think it's kind of a silly holiday since you should show you care about each other everyday anyway. But it was nice getting a whole day dedicated to me. But I'm not use to it and didn't do anything for him so I just felt bad in the end. He said well you are carrying my baby for me! That would be funny if your baby came out speaking Japanese! I listen to a lot of country music and thought it would be funny if the baby was born loving it haha. Now we need to start singing lullaby's and talking to our little ones! :) I think it's weird that you both don't have everything for your doctors visit in one area. But probably just means that doctors office didn't have room for an ultrasound room, too.

We should change number's. My boyfriend doesn't mind talking about baby stuff but he can't relate at all so then I just feel silly! I'll PM you! Katie, I don't know if I can PM you because you might need to start 5 thread's first. 

I haven't seen 'one born every minute' yet because we moved and shut off the cable and haven't decided if we want to get it back yet. We're thinking about getting a laptop and then just getting internet and streaming TV that way, because it will be cheaper than paying for cable and internet. However the family I nanny for has FiOs but OnDemand never updates so I don't think it has any recorded episodes yet:( Do you like the show? I've been able to DVR and record Teen Mom 2 each week though! :) Ooh maybe I'll see if I can find recordings online for One Born Every Minute tomorrow and watch them?!


----------



## babybumped

No ultrasound next tuesday. Just a doctors visit. My ultrasound is on March 1st. That's really cool that you guys had a good vday. I will be back on in a bit, I am dead tired.


----------



## airbear

I'm excited for us to all see our babies in March! :) 

I had the worst dream last night! I was giving birth but believe I ended up having a c-section (which I'm slightly more scared about), and I had a beautiful baby boy. Now, since it was a dream I for some reason left him at the hospital and went baby shoping. Someone who I knew called from the hospital saying the baby wasn't doing well and he had to be hooked up to all these tubes and such. I then started freaking out and got even more scared because I couldn't remember how much the baby weighed when I gave birth or anything! So I rushed to the hospital to see him and he had shrunk and looked all skinny and they kept telling me he had some problem. I kept saying he didn't he was born healthy! That they were making him sick. So they did more tests and realized it was something they were doing to him that was making him worse. They had like an information card on his bed and his name was Micah and I had never even told them what name I had picked. I would never have picked Micah because I have a cousin with that name and don't want repeating names! I was so mad that they were taking over him! Then one nurse grabbed his arm and streched it and was like I don't even think it's in his socket. I was so mad they were torturing my baby that I took him from all the tubes and ran away with him and he immediately started getting healthier. I have no clue why but my emotions during the dream were so strong that now I feel like being pregnant is much more real. I was so relieved when I woke up. But I'm happy to know that I'm even more excited for the arrival of my little one!:) I just hope everything goes smoothly and I have a healthy baby!


----------



## krys

What an awful dream!!!! I've been having weird ones about Madison too. Oh and I have seen One Born Every Minute, and I watched it online! Just go to the lifetime website :) 
Katie, its so funny because I'm due July 24th, but my birthday is July 20th!! Weird! I also used to live in Texas, I lived in East Texas in a little town called Jacksonville. My doctors office is kind of similar, I have to go downstairs to get my blood work, and to a different location for my ultrasounds. 
Waaah I feel like I'm bouncing around to a bunch of different things, but I haven't really been on here lately so I have to catch up! Ugh so I have to rant just for a second...I went to school to be a medical assistant, which is basically the person who rooms the patient, takes their vitals, etc. I'm also trained in phlebotomy, injections, EKG's, and a bunch of other things. Anyway, it was basically just something to do to get into the medical field before I start nursing school. Well I finished school a couple of weeks ago, and on Feb 7th I started my externship, which is basically me working 270 hours and not getting paid. Well I got placed at an OB/GYN! I thought that it would be great, seeing as I'm pregnant and all, WRONG. Do you know how hard it is to look at dopplers and ultrasound machines and not be able to play with them and hear/see your baby?!?!? TORTURE! Haha anyway, they were really mean to me there :( They didn't let me do anything, and they kept yelling at me and rolling their eyes at me, jerks. So I quit and now my school is mad at me, wooops. So thats why I'm on babyandbump when normally I would be working 8-5 and driving in rush hour traffic for an hour there and back. If they don't find me a new extern site by Monday I have to go back to school until they do, thats pretty embarrassing, especially since my GPA was a 3.9 and everyone knew how smart I am. I don't even care though bc I would much rather go to school for three hours a day then work for 9! Ughhhhh thats all.. :)


----------



## krys

This is my absolute favorite! It looks like Madi is hugging me in this one :)


----------



## airbear

It was a horrible dream! I woke up in such a bad mood because I was so upset with the hospital! But I was so relieved to know it wasn't true. 

That's funny both your due dates and birthday's are swapped! 

Congrat's on going to school and doing well!! I probably would have done the same thing! I can't stand when people treat me like they are better than me or just rude in general. Especially if you are working for free! Definitely going to school for 3 hours a day sounds better than 9 hours a day plus a long commute! It would be so so difficult to see everyone getting to see their babies and not you! I am dying to see our little one again! I can't wait until March! 

Your 4D pictures are gorgeous! I'm so happy you are having a little girl! I keep thinking I am having a little girl, although we are not finding out, and I think it would be funny because in our house it's me and our two dogs and cats and they are all girls! I think it would be funny since my boyfriend would be the only boy. All our pets end in IE or at least that sound, and we like the name Elsie so she would fit right in:)


----------



## krys

Awwwh that would be so cute if all of them had IE names!! She would fit in just fine :) 
I asked my boyfriend like every single day if he thought we were having a girl or boy and he always said he didn't know what to think. After we found out, he said that he had a feeling she was a girl all along! He wanted a boy though, so thats why he wouldn't say! He was really excited when we found out though! Its so cute seeing him pick out girl clothes, we were at Target and we walked by the baby section and he was like "AWWW LOOK AT THAT LITTLE DRESS!!" haha adorable :)


----------



## krys

Okay so we bought a plastic set of drawers to keep some of Madi's things in until we set up her room! I just wanted to show you guys some cute stuff that we got and show you her clothes!










P.S. Alyssa, I am so excited for you feeling all the movement!! Has anyone else felt anything?? :)


----------



## airbear

Oh my goodness she is going to be one lucky girl! I love the little white hats with the pink flowers! It's so adorable that your boyfriend is getting excited about having a little girl. So exciting to start picking out baby stuff. I can't remember, have you picked out your nursery theme or boughten any nursery bedroom items yet? I do wish a little bit that we were going to find out the gender so I could start calling my little one by its name and picking out outfits and toys and baby things!


----------



## airbear

Oh and a fun idea I thought I would share. The family I nanny for used black chalkboard paint on the bottom half of their son's wall. They said it comes in other colors. I don't know which colors, but I though it would be fun to use when our babies get older and they start wanting to draw all over the walls anyway. This gives them a safe spot to do it in that isn't permanent and they can change what they draw as they grow! I haven't looked into any other colors yet but I thought even black painted in fun polka dots or something on the walls would work without making the room so dark! :)

Edit: This is the list of colors for Folk Art Chalkboard Paint - Red, Orange, Brown, Purple, Hot Pink, Camouflouge (a mossy green), Green, True Blue, Slate Grey, Black, White. 8oz for 8.99 or so.


----------



## krys

I love that! In my kitchen, our pantry wall is actually painted with chalkboard paint! My brothers and sister love it, and my step mom will use it to let us know what's for dinner, when baseball tryouts are, etc. Thats a really good idea to use that paint in a little ones room!! Especially since it comes in different colors, ours is just black. It will be so much more exciting once he/she gets here! When you hear "It's a beautiful little boy/girl" it is going to be amazing and well worth the wait!! Oh and that hat is my favorite!!!! My mom picked it out :) 
My original idea for her room was zebra, pink, and sparkles! I kind of changed my mind though, and put another theme on my registry. Here are the links :)

night light- https://www.toysrus.com/product/ind...fromRegistryNumber=46550330&product_skn=94401

lamp- https://www.toysrus.com/product/ind...romRegistryNumber=46550330&product_skn=285804

lamp shade- https://www.toysrus.com/product/ind...istryNumber=46550330&product_skn=94576mobile- 

mobile- https://www.toysrus.com/product/ind...romRegistryNumber=46550330&product_skn=776419

bedding- https://www.toysrus.com/product/ind...romRegistryNumber=46550330&product_skn=775544


----------



## airbear

We have this perfect spot in our kitchen/dining room that I want to paint in chalkboard paint so that we can write dinner or activities, especially when the baby gets older! 

I love the links, that's so cute for a newborn girl. I think the pink, zebra print, and sparkles is so cute too, but you could always change it to that theme once she gets a bit older! They have hot pink chalkboard paint that I though would work great for that!

We don't have a theme yet. It's easy to do gender neutral, but in the end I would only like it for a boy, since if I have a girl I want everything to be so cute and girly rather than neutral. So I'm a little bummed. But once the baby is here I can go all out then:)


----------



## airbear

Krys - these reminded me of you!

https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4176189

And 

https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4176184

Just because when I was browsing what I could do for a theme I came across these right next to each other!


----------



## krys

Oh my gosh, those are so cute! I added the pink and brown ones to my registry :) 

It is going to be really fun for you to pick everything out once he/she is born! You will have a better idea of their personality! 

So I am in a bit of a dilemma. My dad (who me and my bf live with now) got offered a job in Michigan, and he TOOK IT!!! So now I am being forced to move, either there or to Washington with my mom. She lives in an apartment in Renton now, but she said if I go there her and my step-dad would buy a house somewhere around that area. Either way, I am going to have to move :( My boyfriend just started working with an ambulance company (he is an EMT) and I am still trying to finish school, we can't really move out alone on such short notice. It sucks though bc if I go with my dad, I am going to have to drive my car all the way there in June, by myself when I am suuuuper pregnant. If I go to Washington, my mom will fly out here and drive with me, since I drove with her when she moved there. Regardless, I am so bummed out that I have to choose. Especially now that there is a baby involved. Either way, she is going to be without one of her grandparents, and I am going to be in a different state with no friends. Such a sucky situation. 
Hah, so have any of you ever been to Michigan???


----------



## airbear

I thought you would like them! I thought it was funny that they had them in both the themes you liked! 

I was kind of playing around with theme idea's and I think I finally picked one! I think I'm going to paint the nursery walls yellow and have a moon and stars decal placed on, as well as the phrase: I love you to the moon.. and back again. Because my mom always says that to me! Plus I just love the moon and stars:) I was thinking the decals in white and then once the baby is born picking the the corresponding colors to add more stars, and then pick all accents in either pink or blue! So I can start getting the nursery ready now and get excited but still being able to make it girly or boyish once the baby is here! Here are the decals I found that I liked (this website makes really awesome decals - personalized too!) :

https://www.tradingphrases.com/item_2867/Love-To-The-Moon-Wall-Decals.htm

https://www.tradingphrases.com/item_537/Moon-Stars.htm

That's such a tough situation you are in! I don't know what you would want to do! Maybe you could visit Michigan beforehand to see if you like it there! I've never been so I can't help there! :( It would be crazy to have to move right in the middle of the pregnancy, especially if you had to drive so far alone once you were far along! Plus you'll have to readjust to a new life somewhere else, and like you said you don't have all your old friends with you! Let us know what you decide!


----------



## krys

That is really funny that they were right next to eachother!
I love that idea! Those decals are sooo cute, and I think its really cool that it's based around that phrase that has sentimental value :) I also love that its neutral, but there is so much room to incorporate gender appropriate accents! Ahhh its all getting so exciting!!!
Speaking of exciting, have you felt any movement? I've been feeling more and more every day! It finally hit me that there's a baby in there, now that I can feel her squirming around!!


----------



## airbear

I still haven't really felt any movement:( sometimes I think I do but can never be too sure so I can't really get excited about it yet. I want to so that it can feel more real! Congrats on all the movement though! :)


----------



## krys

Thank you! She moves a lot when I'm hungry, or when I'm laying down :) You should try drinking orange juice, I heard that makes them wiggle!!


----------



## airbear

I should try it! I love orange juice. I did just get back from the store though so I'll have to get it the next time I go! I sent you a facebook friend request. My name is Ariel .. I don't know if I ever wrote that on this thread.


----------



## krys

Awwwh sweet! I accepted you :)


----------



## airbear

Yay thanks! I'm not posting any pregnancy things on facebook yet because I still have a few people I need to tell, and a few people I don't want to know until the baby is born. I want to just suprise everyone with baby pictures:)


----------



## krys

Yeah, I didn't tell people at first, but I posted ultrasound pictures so everyone knows now! I won't give your secret away :)


----------



## airbear

Thanks! Do any of you girls play Wordfeud or Words With Friends? They are basically the same game, which is scrabble but you can play against anyone with a screen name and it's so addicting!


----------



## krys

Yeah! I love words with friends! My name is Krystal_KLM :)


----------



## airbear

I'm not very good but we'll have to play! I'm crazyylittlegirl lol


----------



## krys

Haha, I'm not very good either. My mom always beats me, and I made a comment about it so the last time we played, she let me win!


----------



## airbear

Haha too funny! I've only played one game with my boyfriend and I won. But I had the Q and googled words so he said I cheated. We're on our second game agains each other name and he got the letter Z and googled it and got as many points as I did for the word I used with Q so I suppose its fair now:) We haven't finished this game yet -paused to make dinner- but so far he's in the lead!


----------



## krys

I play it with my mom and my best friend, and they're both really good at it...like annoying good haha.


----------



## airbear

Haha I can never come up with clever words. My boyfriend got Cloned and I was like wow that's a good word! I just blame it on the letters I get hahah


----------



## krys

Yeah, my mom will use words that I've never even heard of, then I'll be like mom what the hell is that?? Haha I think she just puts random letters up there and sees if they'll work!


----------



## airbear

I totally did that once! I got Yeti! Then on our second game I wrote Yet and when it was his turn he said 'you should have expected this one' and he added on I to the end haha. When we get stuck or are trying for more points when keep putting letters up trying to make words haha. So far not any good ones though.


----------



## krys

My mom got like 50 points for "curvy" so I added an S and made it "Scurvy", then I only got 12 points?? I don't really understand how those things work, but I still like the game :)


----------



## airbear

Oh she probably went through one of those colored blocks with (DL [double letter points] TL [triple letter points] DW [double word points] TW [triple word points]) double or triple word and got extra points. It only works once but it's nice to add one letter and get all the basic letter points. I always add S to the end and make the words multiples lol


----------



## krys

I do that too! Or I'll try to add "un" to the beginning of a word, or "ed" to the end!


----------



## airbear

I never even thought about adding 'un' to the beggining! I just got a triple word for 33 points and put myself in the lead with the word Nifty haha We're at the end and I have 3 letters left and one is a Q


----------



## airbear

Krys - When I was playing that game with you the other day it said you beat me but we hadn't gotten far into the game. This has happened with quite a few other people I've played with and we don't get more than 5 words in. I play WordFeud more so I don't know if Words With Friends is different but do you know why this is?

How's everyone been lately? I almost don't feel pregnant at all! I feel no movement and hardly any symptoms at all! Hoping I get some movement soon.. How are your bumps?


----------



## krys

Hmm thats weird, because on my phone it still says that I'm awaiting your turn! Stupid app :dohh: I don't really feel pregnant either, pretty much all my symptoms are gone. My boobs don't hurt, I haven't been getting sick, and I'm able to eat cheese again! I do feel her though, so that reminds me that there is still a baby in there :) I hope you start feeling yours soon! 

How has everyone been? None of us have really been on for a while!


----------



## anj0427

hi girls!
oh my gosh, it has been awhile. i had to go through 3 pages of updates! 

krys - madi's pictures are SO cute! it really does look like she's hugging you :) you have a lot of baby girl items already. i feel like i should be stocking up on stuff. 

ariel - your dream is frightening! i hate having those odd/awful dreams and it seems they've gotten more frequent since pregnancy. last night i had a dream or nightmare that i was at my 20 week scan. i saw the baby on the monitor, baby looked fine and was moving around, i was really happy! then the nurse says 'one of the arms is backwards', caught off gaurd, i look closely at both arms and notice the left arm grew inwards. (sorry if i suck at explaining this but it was like if you put both arms down at your sides, the elbow was inwards and the palm of the hand was outwards) i start crying because then the nurse tells me that once the baby is born, baby will be taken away from me that way they can perform surgery to correct the arm. - UGH! i woke up and my heart racing. i think maybe i've been reading too many sad stories about pregnancy and i also watch teen mom 2. i think i need to lay off a little bit.

we received our first baby stuffed animal from my manager the other night. it's a little giraffe, in neutral colors, it slightly moves and plays 'twinkle twinkle little star'. it's really cute and soft but it made being pregnant a little more real. 
my mom suggested that we buy a pack of diapers per week from now on, that way we'll be stocked up on them. 
i still get sick every morning because i have a empty stomach. baby moves when i am hungry too. i'm still waiting for those hard definite punches/kicks that way my bf can feel the baby. he's been wanting to feel the baby because every time i feel the baby move i get really excited.
i kind of like being pregnant. it is so amazing and it trips me out that i have a person inside of me! a little person that is half of me and half of my bf :)


----------



## krys

Awww I feel the same way about being pregnant. Its getting more fun now that its getting more real :) and thank you! Her pictures are really cute, I can't believe that beautiful little thing is actually inside of me!!
That is an awful dream!!! Last night I had a dream that this girl kicked me in the stomach so I called 911, and my bf was working and he was on the ambulance that picked me up to take me to the hospital! It was a terrible dream :( 

When is your scan? I bet you are so excited!


----------



## anj0427

scan is on march 9th and yes, i am super excited! i can't wait and once again it feels as if the days are going by so slowly.
i went shopping for my niece last weekend. i decided to buy her some outfits and oh my goodness, it was so fun! i loved it and can't wait to start buying baby clothes.


----------



## krys

I know its so much fun picking out baby things!! :) My next ultrasound is Thursday, and it feels like its taking forever to get here!!!


----------



## airbear

I've heard that dreams can be more vivid during pregnancy! Before being pregnant I could hardly ever remember my dreams, now I'm having more vivid dreams I remember! Most aren't about being pregnant but I guess we each get our share of scary pregnancy dreams! They are awful! Since I don't feel baby move and since I don't feel pregnant I have been getting so worried and I am just waiting for my 20 week scan on March 11th so I can see my little one!

Aw Allysa! That's so exciting to be getting baby gifts! Giraffes are so adorable! I love being pregnant too, even after all the morning sickness! It's been so much fun and I get so happy every morning I wake up. Instead of dreading another day of work I get excited for another day of pregnancy! I went to Babies R Us twice this weekend looking at clothes and bedding and strollers and everything and I've been getting so excited! 

I watched the first 4 episodes of One Born Every Minute and I just about cry every time one of the babies are born! Especially the episode with one family who already had 3 boys and she was hoping for her 4th baby, who they left as a suprise, to be a girl. I am still nervous for birth especially since I would like to do it without the epidural (which I'm sure I'll be begging for and get anyway), but after seeing all those babies being born I wish it was July already!


----------



## anj0427

i almost cry too every time a baby is born on that show! haha 
i want to give birth without the epidural as well. my mom doesn't want me to have one. she thinks every girl/woman should experience what natural birth is like at least once and i agree with her. my sister-in-law had a epidural when she gave birth to my niece, almost a year and a half ago, and she still experiences numbness. i just don't like that at all. i'm not against them and i know every case is different but i already have arthritis and scoliosis, to possibly add something else to that, i'd rather not. 
i'm signing up for childbirth classes. it's 6 weeks long! are any of you going to attend a class?

oh! have you girls experienced those 'growing pains' or 'ligament pains'?? i had them all day yesterday! they didn't really hurt but they were annoying because they would not go away. my tummy is definitely bigger today :)


----------



## airbear

I have scoliosis as well and have read that the epidural might not work as well if it isn't put in correctly for your spine. I also agree that everyone should experience it at least once! My mom had three children without an epidural, which wasn't by choice as it was too late each time for her to get one, so I feel like if she can do it, more than once, I can do it too! I want to be able to say I went through it! But I may change my mind once I feel those contractions! 

Oh I would like to take a class! I haven't looked into many classes other than prenatal yoga classes which I couldn't find many I though were worth it. But I should start looking into childbirth classes, too! Is there a recommended week you should start the classes? I know you have to sign up early but do they start the classes more when you're in 3rd trimester?

I get ligament/growing pains all the time! For the last couple of weeks I'll get them randomly throughout the day! I just felt some earlier today! They aren't too painful, they just feel tight and uncomfortable! I love your bump picture in your signature! :)


----------



## anj0427

i'm not too sure about the classes. i was supposed to call today but it was a super lazy tuesday for me... i didn't even finish my laundry haha i'm going to call tomorrow and ask because there wasn't a start date listed. i'm excited about it though, it should be very informative.
i watched this short video of what it looks like to have contractions and the separation of the cervix during each centimeter. it gave me the willys! lol
i look huge in that picture!! i couldn't believe it when i looked in the mirror this morning! i'm glad i only look like that because i'm growing a human being inside of me and not just because i'm getting fat.
that's the first bump picture i've taken since i've been pregnant. have you girls taken any bump pictures? if so, post them because i want to see! :)


----------



## airbear

I'll definitely have to start looking into classes. I would love to take one!

I thought I had posted some bump pictures on this thread but I have no clue if I ever did! Here is my most recent bump picture taken today at 19W2D :)

Side View:

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Pregnancy%20Bump%20Pictures/IMG_20110302_125213.jpg

Front View:

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Pregnancy%20Bump%20Pictures/IMG_20110302_125608.jpg

Anyone else have bump pictures?


----------



## krys

Cute pictures guys!! I need to take some because my belly is definitely growing :) I had my ultrasound yesterday, she was opening and closing her mouth, it was sooo cute!! My OB offers free childbirth and breast-feeding classes, I think I'm gonna sign up for them!


----------



## krys

Not the best picture, but my boyfriend didn't feel like taking any more :sad1:



For comparison, I added a picture of my tummy from a few months before I got pregnant!!!


----------



## krys

I know I just posted twice, but YAYYYY! My boyfriend got to feel Madison kick just now!!! She was kicking so hard, and he put his cold hands on my tummy and BAM, she started kicking him!! I'm so happy, I know he felt left out because I could feel her and he couldn't! :)


----------



## airbear

Lovely bump Krystal! My tummy was flat like yours before I was pregnant so I started my bump pictures at week 11 because I started noticing it then. 

Such a cute ultrasound picture too! She's absoultely beautiful! My ultrasound is next week and this is my second ultrasound and my boyfriends first. We are so excited! 

I think I finally started to feel little kicks today. Definitely not as strong as Madison where your boyfriend could feel her kicks. I mostly feel them when I'm laying down and the first time I felt it was when I was eating and apple so I told my boyfriend maybe baby likes apples! We ran out of orange juice so I went to the store and got some more, so I'm about to try and see if I'll feel lots of kicks! I heard that smaller women should feel kicking sooner so I was a little bummed I didn't feel any kicks earlier but I am still so happy as everyones pregnancy is different. I am loving second trimester with no sickness and lots of new excitement! However I have been getting a ton of back pain:/


----------



## krys

Awww I'm happy that you felt something!! At first when I thought I felt her, I was in denial. I was like no way, that is NOT my baby....now its the same feeling, but stronger and I know that it is definitely her :) 
That is so exciting that your boyfriend gets to go to his first ultrasound!! At my ultrasounds, my boyfriend is so cute! As soon as the baby comes on the screen he always gasps and he's ooohing and ahhhing with the biggest smile on his face the whole time! I think that its special when they get to go because we get to have baby in us all day, but when he gets to see it he gets to be apart of it! And thank you, I think she is beautiful too :) Its crazy how much more developed she looked in just a matter of weeks, I could see her spine this time and her little face moving!!


----------



## krys

Hi ladies! I have a picture of my belly now :) excuse the bags under my eyes, I didn't sleep the night before!



My boyfriend is riding quads at the sand dunes with his dad today, so he booked me a prenatal massage! I'm so excited!!! It's supposed to help with headaches, leg cramps, back aches, and some other joys of pregnancy!


----------



## airbear

When I felt fluttering around 16/17 Weeks I really wasn't sure because it was so hard to tell. What I felt Friday (which I still wasn't sure about) is definitelt kicks because I kept feeling them yesterday and at one point I was sitting down and I could feel them and I told my boyfriend so he came rushing over to try and feel and he couldn't. I was surpised because when I tried feeling from the outside with my hand I could, but I think it was easier for me to tell since I can feel it from the inside too. This morning I definitelty felt some kicks again! I am so excited that I can feel them now! I think soon my boyfriend will get too, too!

Your boyfriend sounds so sweet. I think it is great they get to see the baby at ultrasounds and I think it would be really exciting for them because like you said we get to carry them all the time! I think its just so special to see our little ones on the ultrasound! I think its crazy how fast they develop from Week 12 to Week 20, my doctor said they usually book the second ultrasound at Week 20 because that's when you can start seeing more features and everything! I am so excited to see my little one.

Your bump picture is so cute! That dress was prefect for showing it off in the picture! And how sweet of your boyfriend to book you a massage since he was going out! I bet you'll really enjoy it. I've been thinking about getting one because my back is killing me. But at least my boyfriend gives me massages whenever I want :) Of course the prenatal massage will do wonders! I've also been thinking about going to the chiropractor but I'm going to talk to my doctor and see what she recommends first.


----------



## krys

I wish my boyfriend gave me massages whenever I want! He'll rub my feet for like five minutes and then "his hands hurt", I guess he'd rather just pay someone else to do it haha. He is really sweet though, I'm a lucky girl! My back has been hurting all the time lately, so I hope this massage will help!
I am so happy that you can feel kicks now!!! Its gonna be so amazing when your boyfriend gets to feel them too :) at first, I could feel them with my hand and he couldn't, but I totally agree that its because we can feel it from the inside too! He knew it right away when she kicked him hard, he was so excited!! She kicked him like five times before she moved :)
So we're all halfway done with our pregnancies! How exciting!! I think its going by really fast, what do you guys think?


----------



## airbear

How was your massage?!

I can't wait for him to feel the baby! He's so excited to be a dad. Everyday I come up with something knew I want to do with our kids. I'll tell him how excited I am for halloween, or going on a picnic, or to the zoo, etc. Since we weren't planning on having children so soon I was worried he'd get nervous the closer we got to our due date, but so far he's been getting more and more excited! I can't believe we're already halfway done with our pregnancies. First semester I felt like took so long but I think that's because we were sick and there wasn't any baby bumps or kicks! Now it's just fun and feels like it's flying by! Is 3rd trimester around 27 Weeks (I hear so many different things for how the trimesters are broken up!)? If so we're only 2 months away! I feel like the time in between appointments goes by quickly, even though the last week and a half before my appointment I get so tired of waiting! 24 Weeks is V-Day which I can't remember what the V stands for, but that means after that point if we go into labor they will try their hardest to save the baby so it can be born! We're so close! :)


----------



## krys

My massage was okay! The lady that did it was 18 weeks pregnant, so she talked about pregnancy the WHOLE time. I couldn't relax, which kind of sucked. I would try to stop talking and she'd just keep it up, it was frustrating. I kinda feel like I was cheated out of my relaxation. I didn't tell my boyfriend that though! I didn't want to hurt his feelings... I mean, it would have been great if she wasn't blabbing the whole time.
I feel the same way about my boyfriend! I'm like okay he's gonna freak out any day now, instead he just keeps getting more and more excited! I think the V in V-day stands for viable? Not positive though! That is so exciting for me!!! I feel like once I get to 24 weeks I won't have to worry so much. I'm such a worrier :( 
I can't wait for halloween and christmas and birthdays!! Having a baby is going to be so much fun! I am so excited for her to get here :)


----------



## airbear

Oh no! I'm sorry! That's terrible, I would want to relax with nice smelling oils and relaxing music! I've gotten massages before in the coulples room so my boyfriend and I could be together and we both were discussing how some couples might like the room because they can talk to each other but we thought that was weird and not very relaxing! It was still very sweet of him to make the appointment for you:)

I'm glad our boyfriends are excited, hopefully the second half of our pregnancies don't change that! I get so excited for the holiday's with the new baby! I always talk about birthday's too. How July is so perfect so we can have outdoor parties, since here it rains most of the year! I'm just so excited!

I looked it up and I am pretty sure the V definitely stands for viable. I can't wait either because I worry so much, too! Every time before my doctors appointment, especially a week and a half before or so, I get so worried that when I go in for my appointment their won't be a heartbeat or something else will have gone wrong. I was so excited to feel kicks but since my appointment is this Friday I'm still worrying!


----------



## krys

My appointment is on Wednesday! I can't remember if I told you guys this or not, so if I did I'll just tell you again :) I signed up for something called "centering pregnancy", instead of regular doctors appointments, you go for two hours and you're with a group of other pregnant ladies. The doctor pulls you aside and checks the baby's heartbeat and then you all get in a group and just talk. I liked it at first, but not really any more :( Its cool to get to talk to other pregnant ladies and sometimes they'll ask a question that I forgot to ask, or it will come up for me later and I'll already know the answer! Everyone is a lot older than me though and they're all married, I feel so out of place! I'm only nineteen and not married yet, so I feel like they think less of me. I know they probably don't, but thats just how it seems. I'm also embarrassed to ask certain questions, I'm not gonna talk about discharge in front of five other girls and their husbands. My boyfriend also has to work during the appointments, so I had to go alone to my last one, and I'm gonna have to go alone to this one. I just want normal doctors appointments again :/ blahhhh, it just sucks that I don't get excited for doctors appointments now! Ultrasounds, yes. "Centering pregnancy", no.


Anyway, have any of you thought about what kind of labor you want? Like natural, water birth, etc. ?


----------



## airbear

I don't think you have told us that yet, but I'm sorry hun! I would feel so out of place too! That's why I started this group looking for bump buddies because I felt like second trimester had a lot of older married women, and teen pregnancy had a lot of younger girls. I almost felt like I was right in the middle. It is nice that they come up with some questions you may forget to ask or don't think to ask, but it would be nice to have private time with the doctor, too! Are you able to opt out of it? I went to my first appointment by myself and I didn't want to go alone either! I like when my boyfriend can come because he's just as much apart of this as I am! But our ultrasounds will be so exciting this week! Especially since my boyfriend hasn't gotten to see baby yet! 

I haven't put a lot of thought into my birth plan, I just know I don't want an epidural if I can help it but I think once I start feeling contractions I'll be screaming for one! How about you?


----------



## krys

I'm not sure if I can get out of it, I think I'm gonna talk to my doctor when I go Wednesday! I'll just say that with my job its not realistic to go to an appointment from 2-4...

I would love to do it naturally, but I'm sure I'll be begging for an epidural. I'm such a baby :( everyone is always like "girl, get the drugs" umm don't tell me what to do lol. I know I'm most likely gonna get them, but its probably because everyone has scared me! Not one single person has told me that I should try to do it natural.

p.s. the next time someone asks "how I'm feeling" I'm gonna scream. Does that bother anyone else??
.....I'm such a bitchy hormonal pregnant woman hah.


----------



## airbear

That's a good idea! My regular appointments are 30 minutes and ones with an ultrasound are an hour. Then they might have to do something different for you if you simply aren't able to go!

I feel the same way! Everyone keeps assuming I'm going to get it without really asking my opinion and now I'm at the point where I don't even want to tell anyone because they'll just give me their opinion! I did tell my mom and she was the most positive about me thinking I'd like to try and not get the epidural, but she had 3 children without one!

I actually don't get that one a lot, but I am definitely a hormonal pregnant woman! I got so annoyed when I went to a rated R movie and we got carded when we bought the tickets and then again when we passed the person taking tickets! You have to be 16 to not be able to go alone.. I'm 20 for gods sake! I get annoyed when my sister talks about my pregnancy and acts as though she knows better when she's younger and never been pregnant. I also get really frustrated whenever my mom goes shoping and see's baby clothes and insists on texting me and saying she just must know the babies gender so she can start buying things for it. Why can't she just respect my choice? Definitely a bitchy hormonal pregnant woman!


----------



## krys

That would frustrate me too. Everyone is so opinionated when it comes to pregnancy! You're so lucky that you don't get that a lot.... my boyfriends mom texts me every day asking how I'm feeling, uh I feel the same as anyone else, I just happen to have a baby inside of me! I also got annoyed with my "friends" (aka people that hadn't talked to me in months/years before they found out I was pregnant) asking to see a picture of my belly! I finally got fed up and posted a picture on facebook. The whole age thing pisses me off! I also get asked for my ID at movies and things like that. A couple of weeks ago, I went to pick my brother up from school early and the lady laughed at me when I told her why I was there. She was like um how old are you??? Well lady, I'm old enough to pay taxes, vote, and have a child in my stomach!!!

Your appointments are 30 minutes?! Mine lasted like 10 before I started doing them like this. They'd ask if I had any questions, listen for the heartbeat and be done! They were in 15 minute increments at the OB/GYN I was working for too, so you're pretty lucky :)


----------



## airbear

People are very frustrating and opinionated about pregnancy. Too bad its my baby! My boyfriends mom will always text me when she wants to know things about him like if he's set up our computer, but then texts him when she wants to know things about me like if I work when it snows. It's really frustrating! I purposely only told certain people that I was pregnant because I didn't want certain people to know because I didn't feel I was close enough with them and they didn't try to be my friend so why should they get to know my exciting news?! I would be so mad if someone laughed at me like the lady at your brother's school did! I work, live on my own, pay bills, taxes, vote, and am going to be a mom - sorry I just did it all earlier than you! Haha that's how I feel sometimes.

I've only had two appointments though.. 12 weeks for everything - medical history, heartbeat, pap smear, blood drawn so they could take tests, flu shot, and ultrasound. Then 16 weeks for a follow up, the results of the tests, and more blood drawn for testing for downs syndrome. This will be my 3rd appointment which will probably be listening to the heart beat, the results of the test, questions, and an ultrasound. I think some of the 30 minute appointment was me waiting in between the nurse and doctor! I have to book the latest appointment they have on a Friday so both my boyfriend and I can go so I feel a little bad!


----------



## krys

Last night I SAW Madison kick!!! I was looking at my stomach when she was kicking, and I saw two kicks! It was so amazing, you guys should look at your tummies when the babies are kicking :)
I can't remember how many appointments I've had. I know I've had three for sure, and I have another tomorrow!


----------



## airbear

Aw how adorable! I'm so excited for when my baby's kicks get harder. Right now they're still pretty light to where only I can feel them. I hope they get stronger soon! I love baby's little kicks! I feel baby rolling around almost more than kicking! 

How did your doctor's appointment go? Mine is tomorrow. I originally had the ultrasound first and doctors appointment second because I wanted the latest possible appointment since they're only open when I work and its easier if its later. But the doctor had a surgery when I was schedule to be wituh her, but luckily she was able to see me before the ultrasound which I actually like better anyway because I like leaving and the last thing I got to do was see baby! I am getting so so excited and can't believe its almost time to see baby again!


----------



## krys

It happens really fast, her kicks were tiny and then all of a sudden they got really strong! She kicks so much when I'm laying down, I hardly ever feel her when I'm standing up. I wonder if thats normal? Yesterday my doctor was like, "so you're feeling a lot of kicks by this point, right?" That kind of bothered me. I don't really know why, but I guess its because I don't feel them all throughout the day, just sometimes. My appointment was good though! Nothing really exciting, I did get a flu shot. I figured that it would probably be best since I spend eight hours a day taking care of sick patients! 
Let me know how your appointment goes! Hopefully the baby is cooperating and you get some really good pictures :) Madison was being stubborn during my last ultrasound, the ultrasound tech had to keep pushing hard on my belly to make her move. My boyfriend and I didn't really like that, it seems like that would hurt her! 
Wouldn't it be cool to have an ultrasound machine at your house?? I would just look at her all day long!


----------



## airbear

I hope they get stronger quick! They make me worry less. I have to lay flat on my back (well mostly I can have my head up) to feel them usually. Sometimes I can feel them when I'm laying on my side. I will also feel them sitting but not as often. My kicks are really low! I was surpised by how low they are. About 3 inches below my navel. I think it's normal to feel them only while sitting or laying in the beginning. I've read a lot of ladies saying that on the forum, as well as mostly feeling them at night. Once we're farther along we should feel them standing and moving too. If I'm laying I can almost always feel them any time of day. Especially after eating! When I was at my 12 week scan my doctor pushed hard on my stomach to feel the size of the baby and I felt so worried! She said it was hard to feel because of my ab muscles so she pushed even harder! I lay on my tummy when I sleep a lot and I am so worried about it but I can't help it when I'm dead asleep! I'll wake up and move to my side. I think the baby is probably pretty protected in there but when someone is pushing hard like that its scary! I got the flu shot too because I am a nanny and those kids are sick almost all of the time I swear! Smart for you to get it too with everyone being sick around you!

I'll let you know how my appointment goes tomorrow! I hope I get good pictures but I have a feeling I'm going to have a stubborn baby, too! I would love to have an ultrasound machine at my house! I wouuld be looking at baby all of the time! That would be so much fun!


----------



## krys

Awww I'm glad that its normal to feel them more at first when you're laying down. I never really thought about it before, but I do feel her a lot more at night. Sometimes when I lay down she goes to one side or the other and it gets really hard, almost like she is pushing out. My tummy looks really lopsided when she does this, its so funny! 
Are you still going to nanny once the baby is born? I don't think I want to work for a while after she gets here.


----------



## airbear

I can feel baby rolling around when she's not kicking! My baby isn't quite as strong but I'm sure once it's stronger my tummy will be lopsided too! It does feel hard sometimes when I'm standing like she's pushing her whole back out toward my stomach! I haven't completely decided. I told my boyfriend I wanted to save up enough money to be able to take off 3 months of I chose to do so. But my job is really easy, mostly I drive the kids to school, make easy meals, and sit and watch tv. In the summer it will be even easier since they'll run around outside and I won't have to drive them anywhere. But I also don't know how I will feel after the birth or if I would like some time with just baby and family. But the family I work for did say I could bring my baby to work with me!


----------



## krys

Thats nice of them to say that you could bring the baby with you! I don't think I'm gonna work for a while after the baby gets here. I don't want her to have to be with a babysitter all the time! Have you thought about whether you want to breast feed or formula feed? I really want to breast feed, so it would be hard to go back to work right away. I don't want to have to pump all the time! 

Off topic, but ugh! I wish I would have been like you and not told everyone about being pregnant. People are sooo annoying, especially on facebook. I posted something about Madison kicking me, and my old boss was like "Ummmm. I wasn't aware you were expecting." I just copied and pasted that. Don't you think thats kind of rude?? Especially the way he said it. If anything, he could have been like "oh I didn't know, congrats though!" or something! Maybe I'm just hormonal? That bothered me though. I just had to vent to someone else that is pregnant lol.


----------



## airbear

I wrote on the thread but when I went to post it, it said I had a bad connection or something and it didn't post! I basically said:

I am really lucky I can bring my baby with me, other wise I would definitely take time off for bonding purposes, as well as getting accustomed to being a mommy! I still might want to take time off but it kind of will depend on how I feel after the birth.

I would really like to breast feed too! Since I am bring baby with me to work I hope this will mean I won't have to pump quite as often, though I know I'll have to see that someone else can feed baby.

I can't believe your boss said that, especially the way he did! It was very insensitive! He should have definitely been much more positive about the way he said it to you! A lot of people, I feel like, just don't understand pregnancy - especially for the mom! Sounds like your boss is male, so maybe he just really has no clue about the way he said it!

I had been wishing I could post ultrasound pictures, bump pictures, and status updates about my pregnancy, but I know in the end the responces I would get from people would frustrate me! But I was already somewhat hormonal before pregnancy, and have quite a few old friends who like to create drama or be dramatic. I even had an old friend - which I can't remember if I already told you this- that I hadn't really talked to since October and in January she writes me a message wanting to know why we don't talk, and that she heard 'rumors' and was upset that I didn't tell her myself! I was so upset because I haven't even told my grandparents or my brother and I had this old friend telling me she was mad that I didn't tell her MY news! She kind of made me stay true to the fact that I originally didn't want to post any baby news on facebook because I just didn't want to deal with people like her!


----------



## krys

Wow, I can't believe she did that!! That would have made me pretty mad. I would have told her off! I used to be a lifeguard at a casino pool, and my dad is actually the general manager of the casino. This girl that I used to be really close to still works there, but we had a pretty bad friend-break-up and hadn't talked for months. Well, she text me the other day basically telling me that there was a rumor going around there that I'm pregnant. It was pretty annoying because I hadn't talked to her in so long, and she definitely wasn't being nice about it the way she said it, she was trying to start drama like she always does. And yeah people knew, but only because my dad was excited to be having his first grandchild, and told them. She made it seem like it was a dirty little secret.

I wear scrubs to work, so my bump isn't as obvious as it would be if I was wearing a regular shirt. So none of my patients knew that I was pregnant... Until today :) I roomed one of my patients and when I went back to give her an injection she said "I hadn't noticed your baby bump before." Ahhh it was pretty exciting for me, because she was the first person to notice my bump and say anything about it, and it shocked me that it happened when I was wearing a scrub top! 
Has anyone asked you yet??


----------



## airbear

I get very frustrated when people say they heard a 'rumor'! My baby isn't a rumor! But I also understand why, I just don't think they need to say it that way. They should just say they heard we were expecting, congratulations! If it wasn't true we would tell them it was a rumor! I love that our parents are so excited that they tell everyone! My mom couldn't help but tell people on Thanksgiving when we visited family and that was only 4 days after I found out! 

I usually have to buy my clothes in extra small, but when I found out I was pregnant even only at 6 weeks, I bought all my clothes in a size medium. I mostly wear sweatshirts right now because I wanted clothes that would last a few months of the pregnancy, so I hardly look pregnant to anyone right now. It would be so much fun for people to notice my bump, I bet you were so happy when someone noticed! My medium sweatshirts are now getting smaller and smaller to where in just a week or two you'll definitely be able to tell. I can't wait until it gets warmer here so I can wear cute tops instead of being all bundled up!

I had my doctor's appointment which went well today, baby tests came back negative for downs syndrom! Heartbeat is good and strong:) I loved the ultrasound because it was much longer than my 12 week ultrasound! We were able to get a short DVD of the ultrasound which I've literally already watched at least 10 times since my appointment. It's just a little bit shorter than 4 minutes though. Baby is laying all cuddly with it's arms all princess like (we still have decided not to know the gender, though I don't know how long I will last!), like you would sleep with your hands together tucked under your pillow at night. Got to see babies cutest little feet too! It felt so weird not finding out the gender because the ultrasound tech had us look away so she could look at the gender. Before it felt like it was just genderless but now that someone in the world knows the babies gender is feels weird that I actually have a son or daughter instead of just 'baby'. I accidentally called it a she during the ultrasound and felt so silly because when we refer to baby we say she and he back and forth just to give it some gender even if we're not sure which!

Here's our pictures! :


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Pregnancy%20Bump%20Pictures/IMG_20110311_201535.jpg

Side profile with elbow. (Elbow is the circle right below babies chin!)


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Pregnancy%20Bump%20Pictures/IMG_20110311_201607.jpg

Baby face towards 'camera' and two arms tucked under left side of face. Elbows/Arms two lines below face.


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Pregnancy%20Bump%20Pictures/IMG_20110311_201635.jpg

Face on right side. Two eyes and mouth. Arms cute and tucked. Tummy on left.


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Pregnancy%20Bump%20Pictures/IMG_20110311_201654.jpg

Arms, face right of picture pushing it's head back, lots of belly to the left.



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Pregnancy%20Bump%20Pictures/IMG_20110311_201747.jpg

Side profile with spine.


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Pregnancy%20Bump%20Pictures/IMG_20110311_201812.jpg

Cute feet and toes!


Sorry that the pictures come out so large. I'm using my cell phone to post them and can't resize them :(


----------



## airbear

Oh and also at my ultrasound the tech said the machine was putting me back at 19 weeks 6 days instead of 20 weeks 4 days. Which is so frustrating because in total I've been put back 12 day's! She didn't say she changed my due date, just that it gave us a week to play with. I was so upset though because each week is a whole new milestone to me and to keep getting put back is frustrating. Maybe my baby is just small?! I know I should just be happy baby is healthy, which I definitely am. 20 weeks was the halfway mark and now I'm just feeling like I can't be excited at any milestone - like Vday! Do you know how often we can schedule an ultrasound? I had one at 12 weeks and another at 20 weeks. The doctor never really told me how often I should schedule one. I have insurance through the state so that my medical bills are paid for through the state insurance, so I don't know if that effects anything. I want to schedule another ultrasound at 24 weeks at my next appointment April 8th just to see how far along they think baby is then!

I had a feeling I would get my date pushed back because you were only due a day before me and kicks earlier, and now even harder kicks and I had barely gotten any. Of course I know everyone's pregnancy is different, but I just had a feeling.


----------



## krys

Your baby is so cute!!!!!! Oh my gosh, I love that he/she was laying like that! It makes it so much more real to see it doing normal baby things, doesn't it?? I'm glad your appointment went well! How did your boyfriend react when he got to see baby for the first time??
They scheduled my next ultrasound for when I'm 32 weeks (I think). So thats like, forever away. I don't really know how it works. I don't even do my ultrasounds at my doctors office, I have to go to a place that specializes in them. I wish they had a machine at my doctors office, I would ask them to do one sooner. When I had my last ultrasound, I was looking at this computer screen once the lady walked out. She had put all the info in and I saw that the baby measured small, but only by two days. They didn't even mention it to me, if I hadn't been creeping I would have never noticed! So they didn't change my due date again or anything, which is good because like you, I would have been a little discouraged. 
I have a pregnancy app on my phone, and it has a countdown and gestational age and all these other facts that are week by week. Now that I'm past 20 weeks, the gestational age is higher than the amount of weeks left on the countdown, which is so exciting to me!!! For example, today the gestational age 20 weeks 5 days is and the countdown is 19 weeks 2 days! I can't believe that I am more than half way done :) that WE are more than half way done!!!


----------



## airbear

It definitely is so cute to see them doing normal baby things! My boyfriend was all smiles. He was so worried before the appointment that he wouldn't be emotional enough. I told him he wasn't expected to cry! That I didn't even cry (though of course came close to!), but just to be excited to see the baby! He just kept saying how amazing it was that he could see our baby right there on the screen! He's actually really jealous that I get to be the one to carry our baby. He say's it was so crazy how when we were wacthing the ultrasound you could see me breathing because my tummy would move up and down and so would the picture on the screen. He said it must be crazier for me to watch the ultrasound and know that there was a baby inside me! The cutest thing he said was when we were home and I had already watched the DVD countless times, we then decided to watch a movie and before he put the movie in he started the ultrasound DVD and I wasn't looking at the screen so he said 'best previews ever' and then I looked up and smiled because it was our ultrasound DVD! Really is the best previews ever!

After getting my frustrations out about being upset over my dates being pushed back yet again, I'm starting to feel better because I know every pregnancy is different and we still have half a pregnancy to go and my dates could get completely changed again. That a due date is called an estimated due date for that exact reason, it just helps you plan your life and isn't a deadline! I'm just happy I get to watch my little one wiggle whenever I want to now that I have my DVD and I'm starting to feel kicks more often and while I'm sitting too. So soon I'll feel much stronger kicks and so will my boyfriend and then I'll be over the moon with joy. Plus I was just really happy that baby still has a heartbeat as I worry about that just about everyday and I have no clue why!

I can't believe we are half way either! I think I have a really similar or the same application and I am so happy to see my dates be farther along and the weeks left getting shorter! My boyfriend and I also like to call our baby by the new fruit of the week. Whenever I leave notes instead of saying love, ariel I write love, mango or love, cantelope. Whichever fruit it is this week. When he's checking in on us he'll ask how his little cantelope is doing. I feel like after today's ultrasound we are even more excited! It's starting to feel more real!


----------



## krys

Aww that is so cute! I think our babies are bananas right now, that app tells me lol. That is so cool that you guys got a DVD! I have the one from my 4D, but they don't give them out at my normal ultrasounds. 
Ahhh today it was SO nice out, I went swimming :) I went to the pool where I used to work, and ironically, the girl I was telling you about yesterday was working! I was kind of self conscious to be in public wearing a swim suit, especially around people I know! It is definitely obvious that I am pregnant now!! So if I had been hiding it, the secret would definitely be out. While we were at the pool Madison started kicking and I got to show my boyfriend and my dad :) I was pretty excited, and lucky to be wearing a bathing suit when she was kicking so hard! One time she kicked my belly button, its starting to get more flat so it was definitely weird to see her kick it.


----------



## airbear

Haha my application won't update and still says mango for week 19 and week 20 but my mom went to a website and saw that it said banana and I saw some tickers on here for 20 weeks as a cantelope! I think we'll probably get a 4D ultrasound at 24 or 28 weeks. I found a place in bellevue that does them, comes with DVD, black and white pics, CD of colored pics, and a free diaper bag with cooler and breastfeeding booklet. They have massages there too! How much were your 4D pictures? Even though we said we weren't going to find out the gender I've just been bummed not being able to buy baby stuff or be able to call baby by a name so we might find out at the 4D ultrasound!

Aw, I want to go swimming! It's been so rainy and stormy here :( I would be self concious in a bathing suit too though! I already feel weird when people ask to see my bump! Mostly because my boyfriends mom will pull up my sweatshirt herself to show everyone and I kind of feel violated! Pretty funny that girl was there! At least you're not keeping it a secret. I can't wait for my baby to get that strong! Soon enough though I'm already feeling more kicks and a little bit stronger, so I'm sure soon my boyfriend will be able to! But even just hearing about Madison is exciting! You're going to have such a cute little girl! It's awesome you get to see her little kicks now!


----------



## krys

I'm not positive, but I think my 4D ultrasound was around $100 all together, my mom paid though so I wasn't really paying attention. That place in Bellevue sounds so cool! My mom wanted to have another 4D, and I'm going to visit her in a couple of weeks so maybe I'll go to that place while I'm there!! Whether you choose to wait until birth, or a 4D, I know you are going to be so excited when you find out the baby's gender :) 
I'm sure you will start seeing your little cantalope/banana kick soon, I think its just a matter of looking at your stomach when it happens! It is very exciting though. Before kicks the only time we got to really know for sure that there was a baby in there is when we were at an ultrasound, now we have little reminders! 
I think I would feel violated if my boyfriends mom did that too. I don't like it when mine insists on touching my belly. I know its her granddaughter, but its MY belly! 
Thank you!!! I think she is going to be cute too, and so is yours! We are going to have the cutest little babies in a few months!


----------



## airbear

The one in Bellevue I think was about $200 but that isn't so terrible. Hopefully you'll get another 4D ultrasound because that would be really exciting! We still haven't decided if we're going to find out the gender or not. I've been upset because it's making the pregnancy a bit more difficult for me by not knowing, but I didn't want to find out the gender because I know my boyfriend really wanted it to be a surprise. But he can see how hard it is on me and insists on us finding out, he says he'll be happy either way, it's just hard for me to want to find out and have his chances of the gender being a surprise get ruined. I still have very light kicks though I can tell they are getting a little stronger because I will feel them while sitting now instead of just laying, so maybe once I feel strong kicks I'll feel a little better about the whole pregnancy and being able to connect with baby and then I won't need to find out the gender.

I do find it weird that she always touches it or shows off my bump. I feel like that's kind of my thing to do, I understand she's excited but if she even just asked for me to show everyone, rather than doing it herself I would feel better. She's the only person other than my boyfriend who even touches my bump. So maybe I'm just not use to it yet. I just feel like it's still my body! She wouldn't do that if I didn't have a baby haha

We are going to have the cutest babies and every day I have been getting more and more excited for the time in which we'll get to meet them! I just can't wait!


----------



## krys

Ahhh I've had a pretty eventful week/weekend. Thursday I went to a clinic because I thought I had a UTI, I was right. They put me on antibiotics though, so that wasn't really a problem. Then Friday I went to urgent care because I hadn't really felt the baby move in like three days! They found her heartbeat on the doppler, but they made me go to labor and delivery. I got there and they put me into a triage room and I had to get into the bed and everything and they put these monitors on my belly. The monitors were hooked up to a machine that read the baby's heartbeat and something about my uterine wall, I think! Then they just made me lay there and wait, I could hear the baby's heartbeat, so that was a big relief. I hadn't been there for 15 minutes before she started doing karate and somersaults! She was going crazy, and since I had the monitors on, you could actually hear her moving! They gave me this button and made me push it every time I felt her kick or move. Even though I was feeling her, they made me wait so they could monitor her for an hour!!! I had worked all day and gone straight from work to urgent care and then L&D, so it was late and I was so hungry and tired by then, I just wanted to go home! I was so worried about her though, so I was so glad to find out everything was okay! I think I just had been going and going non stop, so I didn't have time to notice her moving. It was really scary though :( I'm so glad my little girl is okay! 
It was kind of surreal being in labor and delivery! I could hear the other moms in there (we were only separated by a curtain) talking about their contractions and all that stuff! I was just like wow, in four months I'll be here getting ready to have my baby!!!!! It made me so much more anxious for her to get here. 
Anyway, how have you been? It has been a few days since we have talked! :) have you decided if you're going to find out the gender or not?

p.s. have you gotten any new pregnancy symptoms? My feet have started to swell, its pretty bad when I get off work! I've also been having heartburn, back aches, and I think the baby is pushing my diaphragm up and squishing my lungs because there are times when I just can't breathe!!!! I feel like an old lady with all these problems haha.


----------



## airbear

That does sound like a very scary and eventful week/end! At least your baby girl is okay, and definitely good you went to L&D just to be sure. 3 days would be so scary! It would be crazy being in L&D! It's amazing to think we'll be there so soon! Hopefully the next time you go will be to see Maddison in person! :)

I've been doing well! It has been a couple of days since we spoke! I think we probably will find out the gender because my boyfriend keeps asking when we're going to get our 4D ultrasound and I tell him I want to go around 26ish weeks, and he says or whenever you're ready to find out babies sex! I keep telling him I feel bad because I know he wanted to wait, but he keeps on insisting since he knows how badly I want to know. However my mom and other extended family keep telling us we just have to find out because they want to know, and that makes me so frustrated because this is OUR pregnancy and OUR baby. They act like we should find out just for them! 

I haven't noticed my feet swelling but I did have bad heartburn one day and haven't had it since, but I definitely have horrible back pain. I live for my heating pad on my back so when I'm at work it always feels terrible. I also am a lot more short of breath, one day my boyfriend was worried because baby must have just been in the right position and I was so short of breath talking was difficult! I find it hard to get up when I'm seated too. I am definitely noticing this extra baby weight while walking around for longer periods of time!

I went to the mall this weekend because I needed new clothes since I literally had 3 outfits I could fit into and was getting really discouraged by only being able to wear the same baggy sweats and sweatshirts, so my boyfriend offered to take me clothes shopping. It was horrible though! EVERYONE was staring and it definitely wasn't in an approving way, even a pregnant lady who looked like she was about to pop stared! It was so uncomfortable, it's nice to know I look really pregnant, but not to get the looks I was being given. People would look at me, look at my belly, then look at my boyfriend. Plus we went to the usual stores I would shop at and I didn't find anything I wanted because I knew my tummy would just get bigger and bigger! I even started crying because I was so frustrated looking at clothes and having everyone stare! Then we decided to leave and I was still crying so my boyfriend googled good pregnancy clothes and it suggested really stretchy clothes and looking in the maternity section. So I finally agreed to go to target and found some cardigans in the womens section and a couple of cute shirts in the maternity section. I love them because they fit well now but are stretchy and long so they can definitely last throughout the pregnancy, and they don't feel old lady-ish either. I feel better now that I have a few other options, and I hope next time I won't feel so uncomfortable with everyone staring!

Oh! And my boyfriend felt his first baby kick. It was just one, but it was very exciting. I would say my baby is still not as strong as it sounds like Maddison is but definitely getting a little bit stronger each day:)


----------



## airbear

P.S. Any word on your living situation? I know you mentioned your dad moving to a different state for a job offer but I haven't heard since how everything is going!


----------



## krys

Awww well if you do find out, I am excited to know! Do you have a feeling its a boy or girl? I thought I was having a boy for sure! 
Ahhh I am jealous that you got new clothes! I have just been wearing tank tops and stuff, but they're getting more and more uncomfortable. I definitely need to get some maternity clothes, or stretchy shirts! I am sorry that those jerks made you feel like that when you were shopping! Maybe they just assumed you were younger than you really are? That what I feel like happens to me at least, it is so frustrating! 
Ugh my living situation pretty much sucks right now! My dad moved to Michigan last week, and my step mom, brothers, and sister are leaving in June. So we have to figure out what we're doing asap!! I am still on my externship for school, I work 40 hours a week there. I finish in the first week of april, but by then I'll be like 24 weeks pregnant... thats not really the time I want to start looking for a job! It would be pretty hard to get an apartment now though on just one income.We could do it, but money would be tight, and I don't want Madison to come into the world while we're struggling! We could move to Michigan because my dad makes more than enough to help us out, and is in the process of buying a house that has another house on the land that would be ours. My boyfriend is being a pain in the ass though, and doesn't want to leave! Ahhh I was totally just venting and rambling on haha. Its a pretty shitty situation though, and it seems like no one is on the same page, so no one knows what is going to happen. :/

Yay for your boyfriend feeling a kick!!! Has he felt anymore?? And have you seen kicks yet? It wasn't very long after I felt them that I could see them. I think it just depends on whether you're looking and paying attention or not! I see them everyday now :) I think thats my favorite part about being pregnant!


----------



## airbear

We still have to schedule our 4D scan but if we do find out the sex of the baby we should be finding ouut then and I'll definitely let you know!

I got two stretchy shirts, one dress, and four cardigans. So I mostly wear tank tops, but luckily they're actually pretty comfortable. I love the ones from victoria's secret because they are long and stretchy so they feel more comfortable rather than night and I am still wearing my extra small ones! I do need to find new bottoms to wear as I only have a few pairs of sweats/yoga pants that fit! I know I do look a bit younger than most people think so I suppose it is understandable that I may get some odd stares. Plus even though I definitely look pregnant I do have some loose shirts that make it hard to tell if I'm actually pregnant or fat! 

Sounds like a very stressful situation! 24 weeks is a difficult time to look for a job because in just a few months you'll be having Madison and will be needing quite a bit of time off! I know just how you feel about not wanting Madison coming and you two to be struggling. I'm a bit nervous because we keep having things pop up that we need to pay for. We're in the process of buying a second vehicle since my car no longer works, and we owe about $800 to our old apartment to replace the carpet, as well as I just saw my boyfriend still owes $200 on his credit card. I think we'll be fine but it's stressful knowing soon we'll have a baby who needs things too which is another expense, as well as we still have a ton of things to get before the baby even gets here! The idea of moving to Michigan with your dad sounds nice since you'll have a place to yourself as well as a parent living close who is able to support you, but I can understand why it might be difficult for your boyfriend to just up and move as it's a big life change. Funny how life works sometimes, isn't it? We never though this is where we would be! What about living with your mom? I thought you mentioned earlier that might have been an option? It does sound as though everyone is all over the place and it seems very stressful since you have a little one on the way and you have to make some big decisions quickly! 

He hasn't felt anymore, and I am getting a bit concerned because most kicks are pretty light. I did get to SEE one kick, but just one. The time my boyfriend felt the kick, and when I saw the kick were a couple of stronger ones, but I really haven't felt strong ones since. In fact they are very light almost like when I first started feeling them, rather than getting strong! I just wish I could feel nice strong kicks all the time. Maybe I'll make my 4D scan sooner than planned so I can get another good look at baby:)


----------



## krys

I have thought about moving with my mom, but who knows! I don't even want to deal with it, I keep brushing the whole situation off, which is gonna bite me in the butt pretty soon! I know I need to figure it out, I just don't want to!
The whole debt situation kind of sucks for me right now! I got a credit card right when I graduated from high school. I was working full time, and making good money and I wanted to establish credit! It was fine when I was working, but I quit my job and I owed almost $600! That isn't that much money, if you have a job! I started school though, so I haven't been working for a long time. I also took out a student loan for $5,500 and I have to start making payments in October. This also wouldn't be a problem, if I wasn't having a baby! I'm gonna want to take time off from working, so I won't be ready to start paying in October. Ahh its pretty stressful, but I'm lucky to have my boyfriend! He takes care of me when it comes to stuff like that.
I still don't really feel kicks unless I'm laying down. Occasionally I will feel them when I'm sitting, but never when I'm standing up or anything! I wouldn't worry just yet, it is still early. As long as you're feeling some kicks, then I'm sure baby is fine! If you are worried though, maybe you should call your ob? If anything, they might want to schedule an ultrasound and you'll get to see your little one even sooner!! One of my patients commented on my "little surprise" haha my belly is finally noticeable! Also, a drug rep that has seen me a few times over the last month asked if I was pregnant today! She was like, I've been meaning to ask, but I didn't want you to kick me if you weren't. My belly has gotten to the point where its just always big, before it would come and go, but its definitely here to stay now! I am so excited. I actually feel like I am far along now :)


----------



## airbear

It would be very difficult to chose the best place to movie, it's such a big decision! When do you have to decide?

The debt does sound stressful. I was never able to get a credit card because I didn't have enough credit hsitory which makes no sense to me because wouldn't that mean I should never be able to get one? Oh well at least that helps from getting me into debt! But $600 is a lot if you don't have a job.. not too bad when you're working but your situation is different! School loans are so tough, I'm not going to school but I mean $5,500 is a lot of money! Definitely an inconvienent time to have to start paying it back too! Right after a new baby and right around the holidays with your new baby! Sounds like you do have a very sweet boyfriend though, we are very lucky girls! I'm so happy I get to have my baby with my boyfriend, I couldn't have chosen a better person to create a precious life with! 

I started feeling more kicks! I'm definitely relieved. I can feel them quite a bit now when baby is active and I'm sitting or laying, I don't feel them when I'm standing or walking really though. My boyfriend's gotten to feel a lot of kicks and see them too now!

I life that we finally look really pregnant. I love showing off my baby bump and when people comment on it! I can't help but always rub my belly either or rest my hands on it even when I'm walking around the store. It's like my baby hug:) I agree my belly is definitely a belly now! Before it just felt fat and kind of like a belly plus bloat but now it's a pregger's belly:)

We're just one week from V-Day! :) Plus we should have appointments coming up soon! Though we probably won't get to see little one, but we're still going to do our 4D ultrasound so I'm excited for that too but need to set the appointment up!

How have you been feeling? I get pretty bad back pain, otherwise not too many symptoms. I can tell baby is really growing! It's suppose to starting growing even more the next couples weeks! I always check the scale and get surprised by my weight. Luckily I'm not seeing it anywhere besides my growing baby belly:)


----------



## krys

I have to decide pretty soon, my step mom is leaving in June, so before then. Even if we stay here we have to find somewhere to move! Such a sucky situation right now :(
I agree, I am also so happy that I get to have my baby with my boyfriend! He is going to be such an amazing daddy :))) That is so cool that he started feeling kicks and that you can see them now!! Last night we were going to sleep and Madi was kicking, so we just cuddled and he had his hand on my belly and we fell asleep feeling her kick. It was so cute! I do the belly hug all day too! I love it!
I am also surprised when I check the scale, I weigh myself everyday at work, even though I don't feel like I'm gaining weight I am. It is definitely only in my belly! My recorded pre pregnancy weight at my ob was 97, and I weigh almost 108 now! I have been feeling really good lately! No nausea or anything like that. Just back aches and swollen feet at the end of the day. Nothing too bad! Ugh except I still have a freaking UTI! We do urinalysis at my work, so I took one of the urine sticks home and dipped my urine, and I still had leukocytes! Which means my UTI is still there :( I want to make a doctors appointment with my primary doctor, but my stupid extern isn't over until next tuesday, and I want to go sooner! So I think I'm just gonna call my ob tomorrow and ask if she can get me in for a quick urine check and prescribe me some more antibiotics or something. That way I can just leave a little early, or take a long lunch break sometime this week. I hope it goes away though! I take a lot of bubble baths, so I think thats why I got it in the first place. It sucks because I just want to come home and relax in the bath, but now I can't :(
I have an appointment on April 13th, I think. What about you? When do you think you're going to schedule your ultrasound for??


----------



## airbear

That is very soon! It is a very sucky situation. I hope whichever you pick works well for you! I'm so sorry! 

We are so very lucky to have such great supportive boyfriends:) That is so cute he got to fall asleep feeling to her kicks! I'm so excited because my baby has been very active the past couple days so I can finally relax and not worry so much! 

You're a little tinier than me. I weighted roughly 105lbs before pregnancy and I'm at 121 when I went in on March 11th. That's with my clothes on and everything. When I weigh myself on the scale before I shower it says about 122 now, about 124 with clothes! I can't believe it! Maybe I've eaten too many sweets! My doctor said I'm on track for my weight but then they pushed me back 5 days so I figured I have a small baby or in the end baby is still small even if its not as far along so its not all baby weight! The few pounds I gained since my last appointment are baby though because I can tell baby has gotten bigger! 

I am rarely on my feet and I rest a lot so my feet aren't swollen and I think it's helped with a lot of my pregnancy symptoms. I was reading up UTIs and I had read that taking a lot of baths can cause them! So that's probably why you got it, but bubble baths sound so nice! Hopefully your doctor will be able to squeeze you in and give you something to help! 

My appointment is April 8th, I was thinking about doing the ultrasound Saturday the 16th because my boyfriends 21st birthday is the 17th so I thought that would be fun to do for his birthday, or maybe to it on Friday the 15th because it's cheaper on the weekdays. But I'll have to call and see what they have available!

I am loving my pregnancy and getting so excited for our babies! I love looking actually pregnant and having more people get excited. My mom's 50th birthday is next Monday so I'm throwing her a surpise party this weekend and there will be family and friends so I am hoping for a lot of supportive comments about my pregnancy instead of negative comments. I just sent out pregnancy announcements to tell my grandma and brother since I felt uncomfortable telling them in person. They should get them later this week. However my brother is in between moving and doesn't have an address so I'm trying to figure out a way to get it to him without having to basically tell him about it. I sent them out to family who already knew because I made the announcements cute so they're kind of a keepsake:)

I already feel like I have to walk funny and definitely have to get up off the couch differently because of my growing belly! I think I'm just going to cave in and find out the babies sex because I would be so much more excited to be able to give my son or daughter a name and call them by it! :) Plus I can go shopping and feel more prepared for baby's arrival.


----------



## krys

That would be really cool to do it for his birthday! Its gonna be so exciting for you to see your baby again, I know I can't wait to see mine! :) My 4D was so amazing, I really want to get another one! Its not like at the doctors office where they're measuring and stuff, its all about the experience and you getting to see your baby! 
I had never thought about announcements! That is such a cute idea, and really cool that you'll have them as keepsakes. Luckily everyone my family members have big mouths, so I didn't have to tell anyone myself! I'm glad they found out on their own, because I probably would never have told them!
I already have to walk funny and get up funny! Sometimes its almost like I'm waddling, and I'm just like wow I have four more months, its only gonna get worse!! I pretty much always have to ask my boyfriend to help me up. Especially if I'm sitting on the floor or on a deep couch. We just got a new bed, and its way higher than our old one and its definitely gonna be a problem getting in it soon! My boyfriends truck is also lifted, so its getting harder and harder for me to hop into it. Oh the joys of getting a big belly :)
I went to the pool yesterday and everyone was commenting on my belly! It is already obvious when I am wearing clothes, and I was wearing a bikini! I liked the attention though, which surprised me because sometimes I get uncomfortable when people talk about my belly! After we went to the pool we went to my boyfriends dads house, and I've probably only seen him twice since I got pregnant. He hadn't seen my belly yet and was like, "wow krystal, do you have two babies in there?" jerk haha.

Are you going to take any birthing classes? I was talking to some girls at work today and they said they wish they would have before they had their first. It made me want to do them!


----------



## airbear

I can't wait to see my baby again! It feels like it's been forever and it's been maybe 3 weeks! I am excited for the 4D ultrasound, it sounds so nice! I am hoping it will be a good experience, of course I love seeing my baby at the doctors office, but they don't make it extra special or anything. 

Both our families have pretty big mouths so most people knew, but no one really wanted to tell my grandma because she's just going to give me a big lecture and no one would want to give her that kind of news! My brother is fairly socially awkward and so I don't think anyone felt comfortable telling him either. But I sent out announcements to everyone anyway because it was more of a keepsake. I already picked out my favorite ones to save:) I agree it was nice most people got told by our parents so we didn't have to tell them. Well I suppose that goes for my family, my boyfriend chose to tell his family on Christmas Eve when they get everyone together and he announced it himself. It was so funny though because he was so nervous to tell his brother that I had to start the conversation by saying Travis has something important to tell you! 

Haha oh my goodness I feel the same. My boyfriend even noticed my 'waddle' it's that bad! I don't notice it because I just walk whatever feels comfortable but he noticed and laughed! I had him help me off the couch today because I had just cleaned the house and I already have terrible back pain so my back was basically frozen. Getting up from a lay down position is very difficult! I can't imagine what we're going to look like once we're even bigger! 

It's too cold here to swim but I would hope I would be excited about my bump. After my first incident at the mall I'm a little nervous I'll get emotional again. But my bump is definitely a prego bump and not a 'i can't tell if she is pregnant or just fat' bump. I can't wait to go swimming though! My boyfriends parents have a really nice pool in their really pretty back yard. I think I'm going to have to spend May - July there! They have this huge deck with tons of lounge chairs and a BBQ and they always feed us, and this huge pool and even a hottub which I won't be able to use. I just love surprising people with my bump, too! For quite some time I hid my bump because my grandma didn't know and all I had were sweatshirts that fit. Now that I have maternity shirts everyone is getting to see my bump and they all are so surprised. The parents of the kids I nanny asked if their kids had mentioned anything because one day I just showed up with a big bump! Oddly enough the kids haven't mentioned anything.. they must think I live off pure doughnuts! 

I have thought about birthing classes and breast feeding classes but I haven't really looked into them. At first I was thinking I didn't really need them but since those girls at your work mentioned they wish they had taken them, and I have heard other ladies say the same thing, I think I might want to take some!

I still can't believe we're going to be mommy's! My boyfriend asked early on if I was prepared to be nameless and to be known as mommy! He also asked the other day if it felt weird knowing someone would think I was a mom. I said I hope everyone thinks so because I'm going to be one! He said he meant that our baby will see me as a mom, look up to me. It was kind of crazy thinking about it, but I am so excited. The little girl I nanny's 7th birthday is tomorrow and she's having a princess birthday party and it made me so excited that soon I'll have my own little one and I'll get to plan a whole bunch of fun parties! I am so excited we're having summer baby's. Most of my family is born in fall, winter, or spring. I am excited to have outdoor parties at the pool or have a BBQ or water balloon fights! :)


----------



## krys

The whole "mommy" thing hasn't hit me yet! I don't think it even will until she gets here. Its soooo weird to me to think that I am going to be someone's mom! That is a lot of pressure now that I think about it. I hope I know what to do, like how to raise her! I am very excited though, and I just want it to be July so I can meet Madi and be her mommy :) Summers are so much fun when it comes to birthday parties! My birthday is July 20th, so I always got to have pool parties and fun bbqs! I can't wait to plan all of Madisons parties!!! 
Is it weird that I am excited for labor??? Haha, I watch all these labor shows and stuff and I am so jealous. Especially ever since that day that I went to labor and delivery. I want it to be my turn already!!! I want to get to hold my baby, and take her home!


----------



## krys

Today is my v day, and tomorrow is yours!!!!! Yay!!!!!! :)


----------



## airbear

Ah I know! It's still crazy to me that I'm going to be a Mom and there is going to be a little person who looks up to me, and who expects me to have all the answers, and who sees me as the most important role model. It makes me a little nervous but I am also so excited it kind of overrides the nervousness! We'll both be great moms. I had my mom's 50th surprise birthday party yesterday and there were 4 kids! A few month old baby, a 6 month old, a 2 year old, and a 4 year old. They were all so sweet and adorable! My boyfriend went outside with the two older girls and he played whatever their imagination came up with. It was so adorable I was watching inside and smiling so big! He's so nervous if we have a baby girl he won't know how to play or raise her, but I know if our baby is a girl she's going to be the biggest daddy's girl! If we have a little boy I think he's going to turn out just like my boyfriend! I can't wait to meet our little ones! :)

I watch One Born Every Minute and it makes me nervous but very excited. I am almost always in tears whenever a baby is born and it makes me impatient to wait for my little one! I still hope I can make it through labor all natural, but we shall see. I think I've been getting some braxton hicks contractions that aren't terribly painful but somewhat uncomfortable! How have you been feeling? My little one is very active lately, I've felt one or two light kicks while walking around! Mostly I feel them when I'm sitting or laying down but I was excited when I felt them while standing and walking around! :)


----------



## airbear

Oh, and HAPPY V DAY! I can't believe we're already there! This is so exciting! :)


----------



## krys

That is so cute that he was playing with them! My boyfriends nephew is 1 1/2, and he is so good with him! It makes is so exciting, I can't wait to see how he is with our baby! I watch one born every minute too, and I get sooo emotional! It makes me so anxious :) 
When did you start having braxton hicks? That sucks! I thought I had them a while ago, but I'm not sure if thats what it was. I had been feeling good lately, until this morning! I had waffles for breakfast, and I got sick. It was the first time I've gotten sick in a long time! Except for a couple of weeks ago when I had a cold. My boyfriend has been working 12-16 hour shifts all weekend, so I have been SO LAZY!! I've been feeling more kicks too! I have been feeling them throughout the day, where before it was mostly at night. She has been waking me up in the morning with her kicks, that is my favorite way to wake up! :)
I changed my nursery idea! Heres the link, what do you think? https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11330448
I like it because it is more girly! I looked at the other one I had picked out, and it was so boring! I looked everywhere for cheetah, but I could only find it on websites that I had never heard of. I went through babies r us over and over and couldn't find it, but then I typed in cheetah and it popped right up :dohh:
I also found a really cute website!! Its called https://www.thecouturebaby.com/ they have girl and boy stuff, I love it!! Everything on there is pretty over the top, but thats what I like about it! I even made a registry, I know I probably won't get a lot of things because who is gonna buy a $50 hair bow set? but hey, I can dream! :) It has exactly what I've been looking for though, huge bows and the girliest clothes ever!

I can not believe it is our v day!! We only have 16 more weeks!!!!!! :happydance:
I remember you telling me that you had been thinking of names, but have you decided on any yet?


----------



## airbear

Our boyfriends are going to make the best daddies! :)

I've mostly just gotten them this past week. I was reading a couple of other ladies threads/posts about what they felt like when they had them or what they were feeling and other ladies were saying it was probably braxton hicks but of course I can't be too sure.

I'm sorry you're feeling sick! I've felt a little sick lately but not enough to throw up or anything! I hope you feel a better soon and maybe it was just a silly thing this morning! Those shifts sound long! I'm sure I would be lazy too, I've been pretty lazy whenever I'm not at work or cleaning up! 

I love our kicks, they make me so happy! My boyfriend and I are laying in bed and whenever he talks the baby kicks! It's so cute, so we were sitting there talking to baby watching it kick about! Then my boyfriend said he kind of wanted a baby girl! Even though this whole time he's been worried about having a girl and wants a boy! He said the girls he was playing with yesterday were soo cute he just couldn't help but want a little girl of his own. Plus we both feel like we're having a little girl, too. However I want one of each and would prefer the boy to be older but we can't be choosy. So we'll be happy with whichever we get! :) 

I love the new nursery you picked out! It's similar to the one you had picked before but definitely more your style and what you're looking for, for Madi! I haven't checked out the other site yet but I am going to as soon as I post this! It sounds amazing though, I love to dream and I'm sure I'll have a whole list of things I'll be just dying to have! 

I can't believe its basically our V Day either! I think the next 16 weeks are going to fly by, we'll be surprised by how soon July will be, although I'm sure we're both ready for our little ones to be here now and would rather not wait at all!

I think we're pretty set on Elsie for a girl, and we like Benjamin for a boy but we haven't decided 100% yet for a boy. We haven't found anything else we both really like, hopefully we'll find a boys name we love!


----------



## airbear

Our boyfriends are going to make the best daddies! :)

I've mostly just gotten them this past week. I was reading a couple of other ladies threads/posts about what they felt like when they had them or what they were feeling and other ladies were saying it was probably braxton hicks but of course I can't be too sure.

I'm sorry you're feeling sick! I've felt a little sick lately but not enough to throw up or anything! I hope you feel a better soon and maybe it was just a silly thing this morning! Those shifts sound long! I'm sure I would be lazy too, I've been pretty lazy whenever I'm not at work or cleaning up! 

I love our kicks, they make me so happy! My boyfriend and I are laying in bed and whenever he talks the baby kicks! It's so cute, so we were sitting there talking to baby watching it kick about! Then my boyfriend said he kind of wanted a baby girl! Even though this whole time he's been worried about having a girl and wants a boy! He said the girls he was playing with yesterday were soo cute he just couldn't help but want a little girl of his own. Plus we both feel like we're having a little girl, too. However I want one of each and would prefer the boy to be older but we can't be choosy. So we'll be happy with whichever we get! :) 

I love the new nursery you picked out! It's similar to the one you had picked before but definitely more your style and what you're looking for, for Madi! I haven't checked out the other site yet but I am going to as soon as I post this! It sounds amazing though, I love to dream and I'm sure I'll have a whole list of things I'll be just dying to have! 

I can't believe its basically our V Day either! I think the next 16 weeks are going to fly by, we'll be surprised by how soon July will be, although I'm sure we're both ready for our little ones to be here now and would rather not wait at all!

I think we're pretty set on Elsie for a girl, and we like Benjamin for a boy but we haven't decided 100% yet for a boy. We haven't found anything else we both really like, hopefully we'll find a boys name we love!


----------



## krys

I love Elsie! Its unique and girly :) I like Benjamin too! That is cute that your boyfriend said he kind of wants a girl! Mine always said he wanted a boy, but he got so excited when he found out we're having a girl!! He said he knew we were having a girl all along, but I was convinced she was a boy! I think I just wanted a girl so bad, I just figured I would have a boy. We also want one of each, it would have been nice for her to have a older brother, but I'm happy either way! Have you guys talked about when you want to try again? My bf wants to wait until Madison is in kindergarden, but I think maybe a little sooner! I think we'll probably try again when she is three or four! I don't want too small or big of an age difference! Back to names, remember I couldn't decide on Madison or not? As soon as I found out she was a girl, I was like okay she's Madison :) So maybe if you find out the gender, you will be able to decide like I did! Or even if you were to wait, once you would hear "It's a boy" or "It's a girl" you would just know! I really like the name Rhyder for a boy, so hopefully in a few years little Rhyder will be on the way!!!


----------



## airbear

Oh I'm glad you liked the names we picked! I got to pick the girls name and my boyfriend gets to pick the boys name. Elsie is kind of old fashioned, but I love uncommon names that you aren't going to hear a lot, plus its still cute and girly! My boyfriend likes the name Ellie better but said Elsie was just fine too. I have a feeling we're going to find out because I think he really wants to now! I would love for our daughter to have an older brother, but I'll be happy with however my children are born! We both want our kids no more than 3 years apart. My sister is 15 months younger than me and I personally think that is too close in age and my boyfriend's brother is 3 years older. Although they get along well he kind of wished they were just a little closer in age so that they could do more together because they never went to high school together or anything. I remember when you weren't so set on Madison but once you found out a girl and announced her name was going to be Madison I was so excited because I though it was so adorable, especially with Clover! I think that's why I want to find out the gender so that baby can kind of pick its own name. Like you said 'you just know'! :)


----------



## krys

You do just know :) its hard to decide on a name when you have to be like, okay if its a girl this or if its a boy that. When you know the gender it makes you realize that you are talking about a little person, not an it! I think you'll be able to decide soon after you find out! The other day my bf's friend wrote on his wall and in his post it said "your daughter" it was sooooooo strange for me to read that!!!! I kept repeating in my head, my daughter! I can't seem to grasp the fact that I have a daughter, and that I am about to be a mommy! Its probably gonna hit me on my way to the hospital. Haha! I weighed myself on friday and I was 110! That is officially the most I have ever weighed in my life! I was a competitive cheerleader in high school, and during my senior year I got up to 109. I was so muscular!! I was always like 90 pounds before that, but once I stopped cheering and lost most of my muscle I always stayed around 98. So reaching 110 is a big accomplishment for me! It is so weird to look at the scale and see that I am gaining weight, because everywhere besides my belly is still pretty small!


----------



## airbear

Ah! That's why I want to find out so I can say 'my son' or 'my daughter'! :) It'll help make it feel like a little baby and not just a dream. But I feel the same that it won't really hit me until my little one is in my arms:) 

Ugh I weighed myself the other day and I'm about 123lbs! I'm usually just over 100lbs. This is definitely the most I have ever weighed! I'm the same way, I'm all tiny and my boobs have grown to be huge and my belly has grown, but otherwise I'm still small! Okay, that's not true my butt has definitely grown! My jeans would fit if I could get them over my butt! My boyfriend is a butt guy though so he's a happy camper lol I like my new boobs and butt, but I know they'll go away once my little one is born. But weighing 123lbs is crazy to me! My boyfriend is only 145! I'm going to keep gaining weight, so soon I might pass him! Luckily I know I look pregnant and not fat and I know all this weight is from being pregnant and the baby so I kind relax a little bit, but it still is crazy seeing the numbers on the scale..


----------



## krys

I wish my boobs were growing! They went from an A to a B when I first got pregnant, but they have pretty much just stayed there since! Haha my boyfriend is 5'10 and only weighs 125, he is soooo tiny! He has some muscles, but he doesn't have an ounce of fat on his body. I know I am for sure gonna weigh more than him!! I honestly don't even know how my jeans fit, I hate wearing jeans anyway! It has gotten so freaking hot here, its been in the mid 90's the last few days. I don't want to wear clothes at all!! I've never been a sweaty person, so it must be all these hormones, but I was literally dripping sweat yesterday. It was so gross! I was in the car with my step mom, and for some reason she doesn't believe in using the air conditioner! So we had the windows down and the sun was just beating on me! We drove from one side of town to the other. There are NO TREES here, so its just me and the sun. I was so hot and miserable. I felt so gross! This is going to be the longest summer ever!!! Luckily I am going to Michigan on the 17th to visit my dad, so I will get to be in nicer weather for a few days :)


----------



## airbear

Aw he is tiny! Skinny like my boy! My boyfriend is about 6'1 and 145. Sounds like they are both skinny! My boobs went from a low B to a high C! They feel huge. I was barely a B but a little too much for an A. Now they just feel huge. So far its the only place I have stretch marks. I have stretch marks all over them and I'm somewhat disappointed by that! 

I hate wearing jeans too. I don't even own than many pairs. But its only a high a 55 degree's here so sometimes I want to wear them to keep warmer, but now I can't even if I wanted to. I would just about die with it that hot! I hate being over heated! I would definitely want air conditioning. When it gets warm here in the summer I usually don't use AC because the AC in my car broke but its only ever warm here for a couple of months. I am however wishing it was summer already because all we have is day in and day out of rain, rain, rain. Last years summer was one of our coldest. Sure we got some warm days but not an amazing summer at all. Even though I'm pregnant I'm still hoping for a nice summer. I'm so tired of getting the bottoms of my pants wet (I can't stand it especially since I've just been wearing sweats so they soak up like sponges) and having to bundle up! Hopefully you'll enjoy your time in Michigan and get a break from the heat! What is the weather like there?


----------



## krys

My dad said that right now its really nice! He said its sweater weather :) I am really excited to go, because we are doing fun things! My brothers and sister are going too, so we're going to a butterfly exhibit! My dad said that there are huge butterflies, and that they'll land on you! I wish Madison was here already, I would love to take her to something like that! We are also going to an indoor waterpark! My family is going horseback riding, but my bf is allergic to horses and I'm pregnant. So we obviously can't go, but I think my boyfriend and I will have that time to explore the area! I hope its a great trip, because I really want to move there and I want it to leave a good impression on my boyfriend so he will want to move too!


----------



## airbear

Sweater weather is the best! Especially if it is sunny but not too hot! Sounds like a lot of fun! Hopefully it will leave a good impression on your boyfriend! That's a really good idea to go out to Michigan to spend some time and kind of get to see it all before you make a decision! 

Random questions I was thinking about:

1. How did you tell your parents you were pregnant/how did they take it?
2. How did you tell your boyfriend/how did he take it?
3. Were you using any form of birth control?

I'm sure we've probably talked about it before but I can't remember! I had a friend who recently got pregnant and was due the end of November, and her family and boyfriend took the news very badly. Her parents and his parents said that they didn't need this right now in their life and her boyfriend was pretty much set on an 'A'. In the end she did and I hope saying that won't get our thread closed but I was the only person telling her to keep the baby, and she had said she really wanted to, but that she didn't want to lose and upset her boyfriend. It just made me upset, I'm pro-life and it was hard for me to understand. They weren't using any protection, so I'm not sure what they had expected and her boyfriend acted as though it was her fault and said he would leave her if she chose to keep the baby. If he hadn't wanted a baby he should have taken measures to prevent one. I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. I guess maybe I have strong opinions on the situation just because I got pregnant and wasn't planning on children at this time in my life, plus I was using birth control pills so at least I had taken measures to prevent a child. However of course I am completely ecstatic for my little one.


----------



## krys

Well, when we took the first two tests, they were cheap, from the dollar store. I didn't wanna waste money on a good one, because I knew I wasn't pregnant. There were really faint lines, but we didn't believe it. My bf called his mom and said "i think krystal is pregnant" so she bought us an expensive test and we went to her house to take it. When "PREGNANT" popped up, we knew it was true! So she was there, and she was really supportive. It took a few weeks for me to tell my parents, I was really scared. One day I got home and my grandma was at my house. I walked up to her and before I said hi or anything, I blurted out "I'm pregnant!" and she just looked at me and said "wow" then she hugged me and started asking a bunch of questions. I wasn't as scared to tell her, since she had my dad when she was 15. I also probably would have chickened out if I didn't just blurt t out. Anyway, I asked her to tell my step mom for me. She told my step mom and afterwords, she came in my room and said "You skank", she was laughing though and was just kidding. That night when my dad got home, we baked him chocolate chip cookies (his favorite) and then we all sat down. My step mom was like "Krystal and Eric have something to tell you", but I couldn't get the words out. We sat there for like 10 minutes and finally she was like "they're having a baby!" and I just covered my face, I was so embarrassed! At first he was like "whaaat? how??" and then he was like "well, you two really need to focus on getting better jobs now" I couldn't even talk though. He got up and hugged me, and I could tell that he was really sad. He wasn't sad because I was pregnant, but he was sad because I was too scared to tell him. My boyfriend had told his dad earlier that day, and his dad was texting him saying "you know, you guys have other options" and being a complete jerk!! So I was really upset and I was crying! I went into the kitchen to get a drink and my dad was in there. He was like "why are you crying?!?!" and freaking out, so I told him what my boyfriends dad said. He was really supportive and just hugged me while I cried and told me to get ready because "people suck" and not everyone was going to think of it as a blessing. I wrote my mom a letter, bc she is a jerk. She was freaking out, and freaked out for a couple of weeks and then got over it!

So my dad took it great, my mom not so much. They're both ecstatic now though.

My boyfriend was with me when I took the test. We were both in disbelief. He took it good though, we both cried, but we just hugged and he told me everything was going to be okay. We weren't jumping down happy, like we would be now! I was happy, but I was so overcome with emotions that I didn't know what to think. 

We were using birth control. I was actually on the pill! I also had an app that told me when I was fertile, so on those days we would be extra careful! So I have nooo idea how I got pregnant!

I am completely pro-life, so that story makes me sad! That never ever crossed my mind! As much as I love my boyfriend, I would have left him and choose to keep my child if it had come down to it! That would have never been the situation, but if it had been, I would have definitely chosen my baby! I don't understand how people can just have unprotected sex and not think about the consequences?? Everyone knows how babies are made.....


----------



## airbear

Very cute! My period had been a week late (due Mid-November), and although my periods aren't irregular they don't always come exactly a set number of days apart. However since I was a week late I was a bit worried because I did have an irregular period in October. I had one that started around September 28th and another that started October 11th! So when I didn't get my period when my appliaction on my phone told me I would, I was worried and took a test on Sunday morning before I got in the shower for church. It was one of the expensive ones and it came back pregnant. So I took a shower and was so lost in thought I was having such a hard time concentrating on what steps I needed to take in the shower! As soon as I got out I told my boyfriend who was asleep in bed. I felt a little bad since I pretty much woke him up and told him the news he didn't even start his day yet. We both cried and were in shock just because I too was on a birth control pill and had been very careful to take them on time each day since in the past it had been difficult for me to remember.

We both got ready and went to church and my mom and sister commented on how we were acting differently and I said we just didn't feel well. That night when we both got in bed around 10pm and were trying to fall asleep I got really emotional about the pregnancy and told my boyfriend that I just had to tell my mom and that it was bothering me so much that she didn't know. I was laying in bed bawling about it and he said we could drive over and tell her, but I was so nervous! He told me it was hard but that I wouldn't get any sleep if I didn't tell her. So we drove over to her place and she could tell I was crying and asked what was wrong and I just tld her 'I think I'm pregnant!'. She told me not to cry and I sat in her lap and she held me and told me everything was going to be okay and that there was nothing to cry about. Then she laughed and told me I had to tell my grandma! My mom was 22 when she got pregnant with my brother, and the baby's daddy was a married man! So she had a hard time telling her very christian very religious mother. 

I told my dad via a facebook message because I had very little contact with him for the past 4 years. He took the news well and said if everyone waited until they were completely ready to have children there would be a lot less people in the world. He said me and my sister probably wouldn't have been here. My mom had told me he was scared to have children so when she got pregnant she was afraid to tell him and waited 4 days. My boyfriend told his parents a day or two later after he got off work. He said he had something important to tell them and they wanted to know if it could wait until later and he said he couldn't. When he tried to tell them he couldn't get the words out so his Dad guessed and said 'Ariel's pregnant?' And he said yes. His dad took the news well and his mom was in shock. She's the type of person who doesn't show emotions so for a couple of weeks she never really said anything. My boyfriend wanted to tell the rest of his family on Thanksgiving (just 4 days later after we found out), but his mom said she wasn't ready for everyone to know and to wait for Christmas. On Thanksgiving however he did tell his brother and he had such a hard time telling him I had to start it! 

He told the rest of his family on Christmas Eve when everyone gets together. People didn't give him the best reaction, they said congratulations, but acted very indifferent. My mom had told most of my family but I had made the baby announcements and sent them out this week, mostly so I could tell my grandma without having to tell her in person. However my mom had her surprise party yesterday and my brother came but he's inbetween moving and doesn't have an address for me to send it too and everyone was talking about my bump so I found an announcement and gave it to him in front of everyone. It was so awkward and I didn't know what to say so I just said 'Are you excited?!' He said uhm I don't know. He's very awkward though and late last night he texted me and said he needed to talk to me and Travis too. I don't even want to talk to him because I'm so tired of everyone giving me their opinion. I just want to enjoy my pregnancy!

It made me so frustrated because she had only found out a week before she went to the doctors, and I had told her she has a lot of time to make a decision and to let the news settle on her and her boyfriend before she does anything drastic. She didn't even wait! I was so upset. It had never crossed my mind either and luckily no one had brought it up as an option or I would have been so upset! I definitely would have left my boyfriend and kept my child! I don't care how long I have been with him or how crazy about him I am, I would never be with someone who would make me choose between my baby or him! I was definitely upset when I found out they weren't using any protection! The baby didn't chose to be created! It seemed so selfish to me, especially because she said they next one is here to stay. Which to me makes me wonder why that one gets to when the first one didn't get a chance. It also makes me wonder if they are using any protection now. Luckily I'm not too close to her, but she came to me when she found out because she knew I was pregnant and would understand better.


----------



## krys

The fact that she said "the next one is here to stay" is what bothers me the most! Like, why that one, but this one didn't get a chance. I guess people just have different mind sets. :(
Ahhhh I had a very exciting week! Monday night, my boyfriend proposed! It was so sweet, so I'm gonna tell you how he did it :)
It was our year and a half anniversary, we have actually been together longer, but we go by the date that we had 'the talk' haha. Anyway, I have been craaaaving PF Changs, so he took me there for dinner! It was getting late, and I had worked all day and had work the next morning so I didn't really want to do anything after. I felt bad though so I agreed to go do something. We were on the other side of town, which I didn't really question before, but there is a PF Changs way closer to us! So after dinner, we just started driving and he wouldn't tell me where we were going. Well we got to Lake Las Vegas, which is reallyyyyy pretty. Its actually where my mom got married. There is a village with cute shops and restaurants, an ice skating rink, and two or three resorts. We stayed at one of the resorts on our first Valentines day :) He was like, since we were close I thought we could walk around? So we walk around the village and go up to this beautifullll bridge that overlooks the village and lake. It was so pretty, you could see the stars in the water, it was almost like you were looking into the sky!! It was really romantic. Then he pulls out two pennies, and says lets make a wish! So we do, and then I'm looking into the water and I don't even realize that he pulled something out of his pocket, then he got down on one knee and said "will you make my wish come true?". IT WAS SOOOO PERFECT!!!!! Ahhh I am still smiling :) My ring is beautiful, it's sooo perfect! There is a picture of it on my facebook! Anyway, I'm so happy to be engaged! I'm still getting used to calling him my fiance, but I looooove it!

Ahhh so how was your week? :)


----------



## krys

I got this off their website, all the way to the back left, that is the bridge that he did it on :)


----------



## airbear

I just went and looked on your facebook and everything looks absolutely beautiful. He did a great job picking out the ring and planning such an adorable and romantic proposal! The location he proposed at is gorgeous! Congrats! You are so very lucky, have you thought about dates at all? I think its very sweet he proposed on your anniversary! I always wanted to get married on our anniversary, because we've had the date for so long anf its right at the end of May when sometimes it starts getting nice out! Oh you have so much to plan for your wedding, how exciting! You get to pick out colors, dresses, flowers, location! Congrats again! :) Take lots of pictures because Madi is going to want to see them! 

My week was pretty ineventful. I posted my pregnancy on facebook since I finally told my whole family, so I got a lot of silly comments from that like 'Oh I didn't know you were pregnant'. Which is my favorite because of course they didn't know.. I hadn't told them! Otherwise I just enjoy being able to let everyone know so I don't feel like I have to hide anything:) I also had my doctors appointment yesterday in which we did the test for gestational diabetes, so it was a pretty boring appointment. I'll find out the results Monday/Tuesday. The doctor said I won't need another ultrasound unless she's worried about something which is kind of disappointing. But we will book our 4D ultrasound so that will be fun and we still haven't decided when we want to book it. Also my boyfriends family has a family reunion June 24th - 26th. About a few hours drive away so we asked the doctors if I could go. We had originally thought it was in Oregon so more of a 4 hour drive but its somewhere here in washington about a 2.5 hour drive. When we told her 4 hours she said I couldn't go because that's a lot of sitting for me at 36 weeks as well as I could go into labor so far from home, so we're going to ask her if I can go now that its closer but luckily its not too big of a deal if I don't go.


----------



## krys

I know, we have so much to plan! It's not set in stone, but April 8, 2012! Madison will get to be at our wedding! She will be pretty young, but I like the idea of her getting to be there :) I think we are actually going to get married at Lake Las Vegas! So its pretty cool, since that is where he proposed! 
Ahhh I didn't even see that you posted it on facebook! I thought the same thing when people were like "I didn't know", uhm yeah, I know that you didn't know, or else you would have known! I have to do that test at my next appointment which is the 13th! That sucks that you don't get another ultrasound! I get one more next month. At least you're going to do the 4D though! :) Its actually a good thing that we don't have many, not good as in we don't get to see our babies as much, but good as in we are having health pregnancies so they aren't worried at all!
My doctor told me that I could travel up until 32 weeks, which I believe is until the end of May. Not sure how long of a drive classifies as 'traveling' though! I am a little worried about my flight to Michigan next week. Its a pretty long flight, and I'm already uncomfortable as it is! I am also going to Washington sometime in May, which is going to be even further along in my pregnancy! Ahhh I'm looking forward to getting to these places, but not the flights.


----------



## airbear

That is so exciting. My boyfriend said we'll get married sometime next year or whenever we settle down a little more as we're still smoothing out financial things and having a whole brand new baby! But I also agree, it will be fun to have our little ones at the wedding! In Teen Mom 2 Leah had her twins as the flower girls being pulled down the aisle in a wagon! I think Lake Las Vegas is so beautiful, it will be such a great place to get married! 

I agree I wanted to get to see my little one again, but at least I'll have my 4D ultrasound still! But it is good that we're having healthy pregnancies! I would much rather not see my little one as long as it was healthy! When we were in the doctors office yesterday we had to wait a little bit before we saw the doctor but she said the woman before me was going through a miscarriage! We didn't even care we were waiting (hardly at all) but after finding that out it was terribly sad! :( 

Ithink she said about 30/32 weeks for travelling. She said we could fly down there at 36 weeks, but that since it was in Oregon if I did go into labor I would be in a whole different state and she was worried about that as well. I think you'll be okay though travelling in May, but it is always scary since its our babies! And I agree sitting on the couch sucks as it is now I can't imagine later when we're travelling! But you'll have so much fun in Michigan and Washington! 

I thought I would share this because it was so cute. My boyfriend wanted two boys, no girls. I had wanted one of each. Well at my mom's surprise party there was this little 2 year old girl who was absolutely adorable and my boyfriend was playing with her. That night he said he wanted a little girl which I thought was so cute! Anyway just the other day he was talking to my belly because whenever our baby hears his voice it kicks so much! So he said 'Hi Benjamin.. THIS IS YOUR FATHA'. Then I said what if its Elsie in there?! So he said 'Hi Elsie..I'm gonna spoil you soo much!'. I was expecting him to say the THIS IS YOUR FATHA part so I was surprised and it was so cute. I told him if we have a little girl he's going to spoil her so much and when he hadn't wanted a girl he had told me he wouldn't! I totally knew he would! If she's a girl she's gonna be a huge daddy's girl too.


----------



## krys

THAT IS SO CUTE! Awwwwh our babies have the best daddies!! Every time Eric sees an outfit that says "Daddy's girl" or "I love my Daddy" or anything of that sort, he wants to get it! Madison is definitely going to be a daddy's girl! Lately, he has been rubbing my belly and talking to it so much! He used to do it every once in a while, but now he does it a lot! I love it :) I think its so cute when we're somewhere and he just puts his hand on my belly! When we were at dinner on Monday, we walked by these little girls and one of them was like "AWWWH look at her big belly! Its so cute!!!" he was smiling sooo big when she said that!


----------



## airbear

They really do have the best daddies! :) I love when they talk to our bellies, its so sweet! That's so exciting someone liked your bump! Whenever I'm home I pull my shirt up and leave my bump out when I feel baby is moving a lot, and my boyfriend always watches or puts his hands on my bump and baby had this really strong kick and he was so shocked by it, it was cute. I was like I feel those all the time! It says I'm lucky, I know he wishes he could feel everything I can! I just love being pregnant right not, sometimes its not so comfortable but I just love it. I have this one cousin or someone who's pregnant right now about 12 weeks and all her status updates are how she can't. Wait to be out of first trimester (which I can understand) but I feel like she just complains about every little thing, even her bump! Which I was so excited when I first started seeing mine! I love feeling baby roll around though, so different than kicks but its such a crazy feeling. Feels like a baby not just something poking and kicking!


----------



## krys

Awhh its so funny that you said that! I always have my shirt up (like right now lol) and she is just rolling around in there! It is so different from kicks, I love it! I feel like she's rolling around in there trying to get comfortable. I can't understand how she fits in my belly!!! It is so weird to me, I love it though! I also love being pregnant. The other day this girl was talking about how miserable she was when she was pregnant and how much she hated it! I felt bad for her, because I am like the total opposite! I love everything about being pregnant! I don't really even mind the discomforts, because they're still part of being pregnant! I can't wait to meet my daughter, but I am totally enjoying having her in my belly for the time being. :)
Ahhh today I started making a list of what to pack in my hospital bag! I know its early, but I just want to be prepared. I asked for a new bag from Victorias Secret for mothers day, so when I am ready to pack I will have a cute bag for all my stuff :) I also heard that tennis balls are really good for back pain and labor pains! I just thought I would share that! I am definitely going to get one! I guess you just have someone roll it around on your back for you! I am definitely going to make my fiance do this!! (just practicing saying 'fiance' and it sounds/looks so weird to me! haha)


----------



## airbear

Haha I always have my shirt up at home! I think its crazy how they fit inside our small tummy's! And they're still growing! 

I know I feel horrible for people who have tough pregnancies. Some people get it much worse, i'd say even with my discomforts I have it pretty easy! But I just love it, I always wake up smiling because of my little one:) I can't wait to meet my little one so much, but I also love being pregnant so I don't mind them sitting comfortable growing while I continue to enjoy my pregnancy:) 

I made a list a little while ago for my hospital bag too! I made a huge list of everything I could possibly ever need for my little one so I can be completely prepared for for their arrival. I haven't gotten my hospital bag yet though so I'll have to find something cute! I didn't know about the tennis balls though so I'll have to remember that! Congrats on getting to say fiance, I bet that would feel crazy at first to get to say! :)


----------



## krys

Hi! How have you been? Guess what today is! 100 days until my due date, which means only 101 days until yours! We are almost in double digits :) Yay!
I had a dream about Madison last night, it was so real! I was holding her, and dressing her, and feeding her! I couldn't even go back to sleep, I was so excited! Have you had any dreams like that about your little one? 
Also, have you scheduled your 4D yet? :)

I picked out my diaper bag! What do you think?

Obviously it will say Madison, and not Olivia haha!

You had your doctors appointment, right? How did that go! I was just talking to someone about how they had never measured my stomach before, but they did Wednesday! Whatever it was that they measured was 24, she said it goes by weeks so it was about right. If they measured you, do you know what you measured? Also, I weigh 112 now, which means I gained EIGHT pounds in the last four weeks. I was shocked!!! Its definitely all belly though :)


----------



## airbear

Hello! I'm doing well, feeling huge and uncomfortable! But otherwise really well:) I was just telling my boyfriend we were almost in double digits just the other day. We can't believe how fast its gone by and that we only have like 3.5 months! Soon we'll be getting to hold our little ones! :)

I love happy pregnancy dreams! That dream sounds so amazing! I had a dream the other night my little one was kicking so hard I could see her whole leg! You know how sometimes you can see the shape of the foot, well in my dream it was a little leg sticking out of my belly making a leg print! It was probably because I've been feeling my little one just about constantly now with crazy hard kicks and summersaults. Ugh I can even feel when little one is sitting on my pelvis bone or pinching something inside. But I still love it, its just so amazing! I can't get enough of it!

We haven't actually booked our 4D yet but we'll probably book it after the 27 week mark! So not this weekend but the next! So sometime during the last week of April. I'm still going back and forth deciding if I want to find out the gender, 3 months will go fast and then I'll have my little one anyway and it would kind of be fun to be surprised, but it would also be nice to know and be able to prepare!

I LOVE that bag! I've been looking for diaper bags and can't find anything I like! Where did you find that one, and what other places have you been looking? You always find the cutest things! :)

They did measure me too, which was my first time, but they didn't tell me the measurement just that it was good! That's too funny! I also gained 8lbs in the last for weeks. I was shocked too. But the second half of our pregnancy is when we'll gain the most weight. I've already gained about 23lbs! I'm just happy I still look small, because otherwise I would be so worried about how hard it will be to lose the weight after the baby is born. But this weight is mostly in my boobs, butt, and baby belly! Thank god! Still couldn't believe how much I've gained!


----------



## krys

Does your baby kick your bladder? Madison always kicks mine, it is the weirdest feeling! Like right when she kicks I'll feel like I have to pee, but only when she kicks there. You have gotten really far without finding out the gender!!! It would go by really fast if you did decide to wait :) 
Here is the website that I found that diaper bag on! https://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?ref=auto&q=personalized+diaper+bags
I kept going on different websites, or googling in "cheetah print diaper bags" or "cute diaper bags", just trying to find a website and I finally did! I really hated all the other sites I came across, but I love this one! The diaper bags on other websites seemed like they were for older people. That website also has other cute baby things, I explored around it a little :)
I could not believe it when Eric asked me how much I had gained since the last appointment and I had to say eight pounds!! All together, I have gained about 15, but I feel like I've even gained weight since last wednesday when I checked! Eric also mentioned that my hips are getting wider. I didn't really notice, because I'm usually in sweat pants or dresses, so I didn't feel my jeans getting tighter. I am too scared to even try some on now haha. I talked to my mom and my MIL, and they said that their hips got wider and that they stayed that way. Ahhhh and I also found stretch marks on my boobs!!! I kept telling Eric that they were stretch marks and he argued with me for a few days, today he finally admitted that they're stretch marks. I didn't even realize that they were still growing! I hadn't really even noticed. My tummy is still stretch mark free though (knock on wood!).
Eric's aunt was in town from Wyoming, and she surprised us and bought us a car seat! It wasn't the one I registered for, but I like it a lot! That was the first big baby item that we've gotten, and it got me sooo excited!!!


----------



## krys

I just had to add this...

I have gotten to the point where I can pretty much neverrr get comfortable. My back hurts so bad, my growing belly seems to have given me bad posture, and I feel like it's squishing my lungs. I can't see my uhmmm...va-jay-jay anymore, my fiance had to HELP ME SHAVE! Oh my goodness. It is only going to get worse... I can't even begin to wrap my head around the fact that in two days I am going to have to sit on an uncomfortable airplane for HOURS. My back is killing me right now and I have this weird really bad pain under my boob. I am so grumpy. :cry:

Ahhh thank you for letting me vent!!!


----------



## airbear

My baby definitely does kick my bladder all the time! It feels exactly the same for me, like a really strong sensation of 'wow I need to pee!', but its so quick as baby doesn't just push but kick right on it! I think I'll be happy either way if we find out the gender or not, it would be kind of exciting to not know if I have a son or daughter until I get to see them!

I'll have to check out the website, I agree that most diaper bags look like they are for older parents! I also think the bag you picked out is so adorable! :)

My hips must have gotten bigger too, I use to be able to wear my jeans and just button them under my tiny bump, but now I can't even pull them all the way and my jeans had always had a little room in them because I couldn't get them tight enough, no one had sizes smaller! I got a whole bunch of stretch marks earlier on and it happened like over night one day! I was horrified because they are everywhere and really obvious and now I feel weird wearing anything semi low cut, even tank tops! Luckily after they sprouted over night I started using the cocoa butter lotion on them (which I had been doing on my bump and butt, but not my boobs). So far I only have stretch marks on my boobs too, let's hope we don't get too many more! 

That is so exciting you got your first baby gift! I've gotten hand-me-downs so far, but nothing like a new gift yet. My boyfriends parents have this family crib has dad and grandpa made that they really want us to use, so we probably won't be getting a new crib but its kind of nice to have one that other family members slept in when they were little, and have our family keep it in the family! :) But I'm pretty sure his mom is going to buy us a travel system with a car seat and stroller that are compatible because she gave me a magazine to pick it out but they only had one as it was from direct buy, but it was so expensive and I've seen a lot of really good ones for like half the price! 

I definitely have horrible posture. If I stand for too long my back hurts so much to the point where I feel like I actually need to throw up. Sitting and laying doesn't hurt as bad, but I'm constantly moving and repositioning myself just to even try and get comfortable. Luckily somehow the other day I managed to shave myself, but I can't see my girlygirl unless I get in an awkward position! I have no clue what I'm going to do once I get bigger, as soon as I found out I was pregnant I told my boyfriend once I got big he'd definitely have to help shave! I feel so bad for you for having to be on an airplane, I can't even imagine how uncomfortable you are going to be! I get uncomfortable on airplanes when I'm not pregnant! Plus those airplane seats have no room to move around and attempt to be comfortable, make them give you lots of pillows! I get back aches constantly, I pretty much live on my heating pad but I get other crazy aches and pains too! I am always grumpy when I'm uncomfortable! Especially since I feel uncomfortable 24/7 I just get tired of not being able to sit and relax! :(


----------



## krys

I've also gotten hand-me-downs, and a bunch of little things like clothes and hair bows. Now that we have a car seat though, it seems so real!! That is so cute that you're going to have that crib! Was it your boyfriends when he was little? You guys should definitely keep that in the family, that is really cool! My step-mom gave away my little brothers crib like a month before I found out I was pregnant, bummer! Eric's nephew is going to be 2 in July, so he's still pretty little! They're giving us an extra car seat, one of those bouncy things that hangs from a doorway, a bouncer, and a high chair! I'm happy to be getting all of these things, because that is just less that we have to buy! I have a feeling we won't need much more after my baby shower. Eric's mom has even started buying us diapers and wipes. She's been buying them every time she gets paid, and she's going to continue to buy them until the baby is born. We'll have quite a little stash once she's here :) I have two strollers on my registry because I can't decide which one I like better! One is only $99 and the other is like $130, I was shocked when I saw how inexpensive they were, I wasn't even looking at the prices when I picked them out. I figured that kind of stuff would be way more! 
Haha girlygirl, I think I'm gonna start calling it that! We don't have many awkward moments in our relationship, but him helping me shave was definitely one of them. My shower isn't connected to my bath, its just one of those glass ones. I had to like lean back on the glass and he had to crouch down so he could reach/see. I think my belly probably got in his way too! We laughed like the whole time, and I didn't trust him to get it all the way! I think I am going to have to figure something out with a mirror, that or get waxed! 
I know what you mean about being grumpy because its impossible to get comfortable. I was literally crying last night because all I wanted to do was relax and I couldn't! I hope our nice posture comes back after we have the babies! Eric will be like "sit up straight Krystal!" and it makes me mad, I have to yell at him and ask if he knows how hard it is to sit straight when your stomach is pulling you down!! The flight tomorrow is only three hours, which is still a long time, but I thought it would be more! I'm gonna bring my pillow, so hopefully it won't be too bad. 
I can't remember, do you and your boyfriend have your own place? If so, do you have a room for the baby? If we move into Eric's moms house, the baby will have her own room, but I don't want to stay there for long, so it won't be permanent. I feel like since its temporary I'm not even excited about setting it up :/ I probably sound ungrateful! It just sucks though.


----------



## krys

My mom ordered me this baby wipe case!!! Thought I would share :)


----------



## airbear

Yeah I think it was his because his Mom wanted to keep it at their place so the baby would have a place to sleep, but his Dad really wanted us to have it, plus we have a portable crib/play pin that works for such occasions! I love all the hand-me-downs! They're so great for saving money, plus most have hardly even been used. My mom got this really nice baby swing for when she baby sat my cousins little boy, she hardly had it before he outgrew it and so she gave it to us, and its a really nice one! We also got that portable crib/play pin, bouncy seat, changing table, stationary play seat, some diapers, boy and girl clothes, lots of little things! 

I was also surpised by the prices of the travel systems I liked! I want the travel system over a stroller because its a matching set of a baby car seat and a stroller that are compatible, but there only around $150! I feel like $100 is so easy to spend now days so I was also surpised by the prices of the 'larger' items we will need like a baby bjorn or even cribs. Babies R Us has the forever beds for $500 that staft as a crib and can convert all the way to a twin sized bed which would last for years! 

Oh I know what you mean, we hardly have any awkward moments and being pregnant has made us even more comfortable which I thought was impossible, but I can imagine him helping you shave would be one of those more awkward moments! I always shave standing in the tub, I can't imagine having just a shower, that would make it incredibly difficult! A mirror is a good idea, but if all else faisl a wax will always work! I've never gotten one and worry about the pain but I definitely want to be well groomed, so it would be worth it.

Oh I know! I love being pregnant but this not being able to get comfortable thing is crazy. I've already cried so many times over not being able to be comfortable, especially since I have such terrible back pain! My boyfriend and two dogs insist on using me as a pillow so I get even more squashed! I always always struggle to get off the couch or sit up in bed or anything, and my boyfriend allways watches so I just say 'Oh my goodness you can help and not just watch me struggle!' Haha I always feel so goofy because I actually feel like a beached whale while he watches my attempts of sitting up! I can't believe I'm gonna get bigger! I'm not gonna lie, I didn't have the best posture, but now its just horrible! I can't help it though, supporting this baby makes my back all sorts of crazy! How was the flight?!

We do have our own place, when we first got pregnant we were in this tiny crappy apartment that I hated, and once we found out we were pregnant debated on moving. It was a 1 bedroom, 650sq.ft, and cramped, but it was only $550 a month! My mom kept telling us to stay until after the baby was born just to save money, but it was making my anxiety worse and putting a stress on my relationship with my boyfriend because I am a huge neat-nik and I couldn't stand being so cramped! So we found a house to rent that is 1200sq.ft and has a huge yard for the dogs, plus two bedrooms, and an extra bedroom that was converted into a formal dining room but can get changed back creating a 3rd bedroom if we need! It's double the rent $1100 a month, but we absolutely love it and have been doing really well with bills and coming out of 'debt' (owing money to replace the old apartments carpet, and my boyfriends last credit card bills), so in the end it worked out really great and our baby will get its own room! :)

I totally understand about not feeling excited to set up the baby's room since it isn't permanent. I would feel the exact same way, especially since you'll have to take it down and redo it at your new place! You don't sound ungreatful! It's nice of his mom to let you live their but that doesn't change the disappointment of not having Maddie's permanent room set up!

I feel silly because it was my boyfriends 21st birthday on Sunday and we had been so excited last year to celebrate together and being pregnant I am unable to. Plus everyone tells me once the baby is born and I am breast feeding I won't be able to drink so I was a little discouraged. Of course I would never do anything to harm my baby but I guess I was just slightly disappointed because I felt like the day we found out I was pregnant I had to stop everything harmful, even eating certain foods, and my boyfriend gets to continue as long as he would like! I didn't drink crazy or anything before being pregant but I think it was just the idea that I felt like I had to sacrifice everything while he got to continue and I feel like he doesn't understand or sympathize.

So I have a maybe awkward question that you by no means have to answer; but how's your sex life now that you are pregnant? I hadn't been planning on getting pregnant and never even thought about having a sex life while pregnant but now that I am pregnant I wonder what everyone's sex life is like since everyone's pregnancy is different! 

I absoultely love the baby wipe case, soo adorable! I had seen some on a few websites I was browsing and thought they were adorable, that one is so perfect for you!


----------



## airbear

P.S. Congrats on us being in double digits! My pregnancy application doesn't show days so I don't know how many days unless I see our tickers on BnB lol our little ones will be here before we know it!


----------



## krys

I finally gave in and got on here using my phone! That's awesome that you guys have such a great place! I can't wait for us to get in our new house once we move to Michigan! That's also really great about getting out of debt! I still have about $400 in credit card debt, but they actually just about doubled my limit, so I must be doing something right with my payments lol. 
Haha when I read that about our sex life, the first thing that popped into my head was "what sex life?" we hardly everrrr have sex anymore! We've had sex one time in the last month or maybe even longer!! It's just uncomfortable bc when he's on top my tummy pushes out every time he goes in and it freaks me out! Ahhh but when I'm on top, I just look down and see my belly and start thinking of Madison. It pretty much sucks!!! I hope it gets better soon or at least once she's here! Do you two have any of these problems? Lol


----------



## airbear

I bet you're so excited to move to Michigan! I know I would be! Travis has two credit cards we still need to pay off and then we'll be done. I'm thinking it's closer to $600 though, but once we pay that we'll have no debt! :)

That's too funny! 1st trimester we literally didn't have sex at all. I just felt sick all the time, plus exhausted, so there was no way I could do anything! I could hardly go to work! I would sleep or rest all day! Most of second trimester was pretty sparse for any action between us. Maybe once or twice a month whenever he initiated it, which he tried not to do often out of respect for me. But the last few weeks or so I've been in the mood all the time! I feel ridiculous because before we were pregnant I was always too shy or felt silly to initiate anything even if I was in the mood, but now I'm always asking! But I also agree, it is so much more difficult! Even though I'm in the mood I always feel too unattractive! I suffer from a pretty low self esteem pre pregnancy, but with all this extra weight makes it worse! If he's on top it's awkward because I can feel my tummy between us and I just feel huge! Being on top is easier but then I feel like that's all he can see! So we've had to be creative! Haha I was surprise by how much I've been in the mood though, because i'd say I had a pretty low sex drive, but I think maybe its just been nice connecting with Travis again since I can never get comfortable enough to cuddle anymore! Plus the dogs sleep between us in bed! I'm sure soon we'll be back to no action at all as then I'll be really huge! 

I'm getting so excited for our little ones! I love that we're in 3rd trimester now! I was packing lunch for the girl I nanny for school and it makes me excited for when my baby gets older!


----------



## airbear

Oh and my next appointment is May 5th and I can't believe that's next week! I can't believe a whole month has already gone by since my last appointment. I think my last appointment was April 8th or something like that and that is when I did my glucose test. It seems like it was just yesterday I did that and here I am 3 weeks later with my appointment coming up quickly! Plus the next day on the 6th is my 4D ultrasound! I can't believe its almost time to see my little one again! When is your next appointment and ultrasound?


----------



## krys

I already wrote you on Facebook, but I have an hour to wait for this glucose tolerance test so I'm on here too :) my next appointment is today! My last one was only two weeks ago! I don't have an ultrasound until my 4D on May 21st and then another on May 25th! I'm so excited for your 4D!! Did you feel sick when you did your glucose tolerance test? I feel like I'm gonna puke. 

Oh and from your last message, gosh I wish I was like that! I want to have sex, but I always feel fat and uncomfortable. I feed bad for Eric!! He just learned not to even try because I'm always gonna say no! Lol


----------



## airbear

Haha I would be bored waiting for an hour too! How did the test go?! Both our ultrasounds will be here soon and we'll get to see our little ones again! I can't wait! I love seeing them, whenever baby is rolling around I always wish I had my own ultrasound machine so I can peek inside! I felt a little sick, I had eaten right before (like 15 minutes before) so when I drank it, it wasn't quite as bad. I was so worried about the test though because I had a piece of cake earlier in the day, and then ate right before I started the test. They said we could eat like normal as long as we didn't eat during the hour.

Yeah, that's how it was for Travis, too. He had gotten so use to it he never asked! Which was nice because at least he was being respectful when I was feeling sick and not in the mood. But now he's so use to it I wish he would ask more! But I can see a dramatic change in the size of my tummy just these last two weeks and we haven't done soo much so I'm worried I'm gonna get body concious the next time we try! I already say how fat I look! I know I'm pregnant but that doesn't change the extra little love handles I now have which I never had before! 

I went clothes shopping again yesterday! I had been living in one pair of sweatpants the last few weeks because I had grown out of everything! So my mom bought me 3 new pairs of sweats! I love them, they are so great because my old pair had gotten holes in the butt next to the pockets because I had to wear them so much! One of the sweats says 'Mommy In Training', of course I had to get them! It was just too cute. They're pretty baggy in the legs though so don't look nice to go out in but I don't really care! It was so cute this man was waiting while his wife tried on clothes and he asked how far along my bump and I told him almost 7 months and he wanted to know when it first started showing. I said pribably noticably at 5 months so he was shocked that in 2 months a tummy could pop out like that! It was so funny and cute! Then he asked if it was a boy. Which I thought was weird since he didn't ask the gender, just if it was a boy! Haha :)


----------



## krys

I haven't got the results back yet, but hopefully I passed!! Ahhh I know what you mean when you talk about extra love handles! I have always been soooo tiny and it's so hard getting used to this new body of mine! I definitely can tell I am getting love handles, I tried on some of my old shorts and after I managed to button them I had the worst muffin top!!!! I was so embarrassed. I'm definitely sticking to sweats. The stretch marks on my boobs seem to have gotten worse. I also noticed one right under the hole from where my belly button was pierced. I took the ring out as soon as I found out I wad pregnant because I didn't want to get a big stretch mark through it, and I still did :( I might as well have kept it in!!
I want to go clothes shopping! I pretty much just wear sweat pants everyday, but it's getting waaaaaay to hot! I have a few dresses that look cute with my bump, but I want some comfy shorts or something! Those sweats that you got sound so cute!!! I would have had to get them too if I had seen them :) and it's funny how that guy was asking you that! It is crazy how fast our bellies grow to make room for these babies! 
Hmmm maybe you're having a boy! I always kind of thought you were having a girl, but maybe you were putting off a boy-vibe. Lol!


----------



## airbear

I had my test on a Friday and I think I got called either Tuesday or Wednesday after! I'm sure you'll get good results! 

Ugh I feel like I have love handles in everything I wear! My butt and thighs have definitely grown too so I can't fit into my size 00 anymore at all! I do always think its funny to try on my old clothes just to see what they look like now! Jeans and such I can't get on but old shorts and such I can. Luckily all the pants my mom got me are maternity sweats, so they're pretty baggy but its more comfortable because they aren't tight on my tummy. Plus they hide my love handles so I don't have muffin tops anymore! 

My boob stretch marks haven't seemed to gotten worse, though today they are darker. But I got so many so quick it looks terrible! I definitely haven't gotten use to them, I hate wearing any cute shirts that have a neckline! Tank tops, v necks, even scoop necks show my stretch marks. I'm sure its because my boobs have grown so big I have huge cleavage now so it makes looking down my shirt just that much easier! I actually still have my naval ring in, and haven't noticed any stretch marks yet. Though I'm sure soon I'll have to take it out and soon I'll have a ton of stretch marks on it, I'm not too excited about that. I have a couple very tiny stretch marks on my hips more towards my butt, but they are small. My mom said she didn't get a single stretch mark until her 3rd baby! I am so jealous! 

Clothes shopping is so nice, just because afterwards you feel so much more comfortable! Here it is so cold, so I definitely wear sweats 24/7. However this week its suppose to be a little bit warmer! Sunday is suppose to by sunny and 66 and here for us poor Seattlites everyone will be exposing their butt cheeks in shorts :) But since it won't get above 70 until July I can probably get away with wearing sweats for a while! But I say go splurge a little and get some comfy shorts :) I hate soending money when I know I need stuff for my LO and I know LO will be here soon, but its so worth it being comfortable in the end, especially now that we're in 3rd tri and going to get even more uncomfortable! 

It was so funny because he was clueless and shocked! But its so nice having people notice and compliment my bump! My mom bought me a couple new shirts too so now I have a few that show off my bump well rather than hide it! Plus now that next week is suppose to be somewhat warm I won't have to wear jackets or sweatshirts! 

I think we've decided to not find out the gender for sure, now. I just feel like the baby will be here so soon I can hold out on the ultimate surprise, but maybe I am giving off boy vibes (I always picture myself with a girl though, too)! I'll be so happy either way I just want them to be healthy! I just want to see LO already! I can't wait for our 3D ultrasound next Friday! I finally get another peek at my sweet baby! 

How are baby movements going for you? My little one seems so active lately! It's constantly rolling around and poking and proding me! Oh my I even was feeling kicks but now that LO is so much bigger I can feel its limbs so much more definied! I also feel the baby while walking around quite a bit, and like I said it seems so active lately whenever I'm sitting I can feel baby jumping about. It makes my arms move when I'm resting them on my tummy!


----------



## krys

I didn't even think my boobs were growing, so my stretch marks totally took me by surprise. I remember my bras getting tight during the first two months, so I got bigger ones. I still had a little room to grow though, so I didn't really notice that my boobies were getting bigger! I tried one one of my old bras the other day and it was seriously ridiculous! My nipple wasn't even covered haha, its not like it popped out either, I just couldn't even get them in there! Luckily my stretch marks aren't visible in any of my shirts yet, and I just bought a bandeau top swim suit so you can't see them in that either! I swear they showed up over night though.*
I wanna go clothes shopping, but I feel like since I've only got 12 more weeks and then I won't need them anymore, I don't even want to spend the money! I need to though, bc 12 weeks is kind of a long time and I need shorts!!*
I'm glad you're almost out of sweat shirt weather!! I was sooo uncomfortable in winter clothes when it was cold here and when I was in Michigan! I think summer clothes are just more flattering and comfy when you're pregnant!
I'm soo excited that you're gonna wait to find out the sex! I wanted to tell you that I thought you should wait, but I knew it wasn't my place and I didnt want to sway your opinion from doing what you wanted and I wanted to be supportive! I know that you two wanted to wait, and Omg you've come soooo far without knowing! Now I'm even more excited to have our babies so I can know what you're having! I was thinking about this earlier, and how cool would it be if we delivered on the same day!*
I could have written that word for word about my movements! Thats how I would describe it! I'm always like wow I think that's her elbow or head or butt haha. I can feel her rubbing against me trying to get comfortable. I can also feel her on both sides at once sometimes so I think its like her head on one side and feet or butt on the other. :) it's soooo exciting, they aren't always kicks now, they're just movements! She's soooo much more active now too! Whether I'm sitting, standing, laying, it doesn't matter anymore! I'll be sitting there watching my tummy bounce through my shirt and I always wonder if people are looking at it move too lol. I never knew you could actually SEE babies like that!


----------



## airbear

I think my boobs were the first things to grow! But the stretch marks still took me by surprised because I got so many that appeared literally over night! My bra's were the same way early on before I bought new ones, where my nipple wasn't even covered, it was so uncomfortable and embarassing feeling! That's good that you can't really see yours! Mine get mostly covered so I'm not too worried, I have a while before I'll need a bathing suit but maybe I'll look for a top like yours to help cover these marks!

I know what you mean about buying clothes so close to baby's due date! Seems silly to spend so much on clothes you'll wear for just a couple months! I'm still quite amazed by how much my body has grown! This is the biggest I've been in my life and that's not even including my belly! It was so nice and sunny yesterday (Sunday) and I found a pair of old shorts I actually fit into and I have to agree summer clothes are so much more comfortable and flattering! But my poor pale Seattlite body didn't handle the sun rays well, especially since I couldn't find any sunscreen since our move in January, so I got very burnt! 

I'm exciting we're waiting as well. At 20 weeks when I could have found out was probably the hardest just because all the other pregnant girls were finding out and it seemed so exciting, as well as picking out all the clothes and nursery items. But now that it is two months later the feeling has warn off, especially since we only have 12 weeks until our little ones are here, it just seems silly to find out so late, and it will be so exciting to be surprised on the day of LO's birth! I just hope LO doesn't show its little baby bits to the 3D ultrasound! I'm glad you're excited we're waiting as well as everyone we tell that we're waiting say we just must find out because THEY want to know! How ridiculous, this is OUR baby! I am excited we'll be able to talk the closer we get to our due dates. It's nice having someone we've talked to throughout most of our pregnancies and then get to hear about each other's LO's births! It'll be fun to see who's is born first! I can't wait for baby pictures and not ultrasound pictures! It's going to be here before we know it!

I thought I was excited about the first kicks but these movements are just as exciting as the very first movements! I absolutely love them and just sit and watch my belly all the time! I love how active our little ones are! It's so funny feeling them and knowing their trying to get comfortable. I hope my little one is really active during my 3D ultrasound so I can get a better picture in my mind of what they look like moving all the time! Its amazing how we can feel where they are in our bellies. My boyriend thinks its crazy when I can tell him where to out his hand so he can feel. He's very jelius I get to feel these movements all the time! I feel so very lucky and since the baby is so much bigger now and I can feel the baby itself more, it's starting to feel more and more real! I totally agree about whether or not other people see our little ones moving! I was sitting at McDonalds while the nanny kids played and the baby was going crazy! I kept wondering if the other parents noticed my little one kicking and poking about!


----------



## krys

I bet not knowing will help you get through labor too! You're gonna want him or her out so much more so you can finally know if he or she is indeed a he or she!! It's gonna be so exciting closer to our due date just waiting! I wonder who's gonna go into labor first
:)*
Your 4D is going to be amazing! By now the baby actually looks pretty close to what they're going to look like at birth! When I had mine she was still developing! I can't wait to see her again, I literally just got butterflies thinking about it! You should make it very clear that you don't want to find out, that would suck if they were like "here's HER leg" or something! Or if they showed you a potty shot and you just knew!*
I think it's so cute how excited Eric gets when he gets to feel her move :) he always makes the cutest face!!!
My step mom bought me a stroller and I put it together! I'm so proud of myself haha! It's soooo cute, it has butterflies on it :) I can't wait to start setting up her room!! Have you heard anything more on a baby shower? Has anyone set a date or started making plans?

I just looked at the first page of this thread, I usually always go straight to the last page, and wow we've been on here since December! We really did go through our whole pregnancies together!!


----------



## airbear

That's so true! I'll be so excited to meet my son or daughter. I feel like finding out you're having a babybaby is life changing, but finding out what gender is life changing too! It's like having a ballet princess or a football player. Of course you can do whatever you want with your kids and they might not like the cliche gender activities, but its still changes who you are! I'm so excited to find out! I can't wait for the date to get closer so we can compair things even more! I definitely want to see who will go into labor first, how our labors went, the weight/length of our babies, everything! It's going to be here so soon. I can't believe it is already May! April flew by and I know May will too! We only have 12 weeks left! 

Your 4D pictures early on were so amazing I can't imagine what mine are going to look like! You're going to have another 4D, too, right? It's going to be absolutely amazing! I am so excited I get ansty whenever I think about it because it is so soon, yet feels so far away, because I want to see my little one right now! I definitely have to let the ultrasound technition know, because I've heard of that happening to other people where they accidentally say the babies gender by saying 'hers' or 'his' boddy part, etc. I don't want that to happen! But of course if we accidentally find out we'll still be happy.

That's so exciting about the stroller! I think Travis' grandparents are wanting to buy our travel system but we're having such trouble finding one we really like. We tried out some at Babies R Us and we just want it to be high quality and we want it to be easy to fold and small enough to fit in the car's trunk. Either we're using Travis' crib from when he was a baby that his dad and grandpa made or his parents will buy us a new one. Travis is so nervous about using the one his family made because he wants everything super safe for our baby, it's so adorable. I'm not too worried but I also understand why he is but he feels awkward telling his family he doesn't want to use it. I love making my baby registry. We set aside $2000 just to buy things for before the baby get's here. We wanted a lot of $$ so that we can plan as though no one is buying us anything. That way if we don't get all the big ticket expensive items we'll have plenty of money to get our little one everything it will need!

So far I haven't heard of anything for the baby shower! Since we are choosing to not find out the gender I think my family wants to wait on having the shower, so they might wait until after. Which is just a little frustrating because that's my younger sister's choice and I don't think she understands there is so much more than clothes we need. I know picking out clothes is fun, but there are a lot of necessities we need and once the baby is here they'll need clothes for years and years so people can always get them cute outfits at birthdays and such. I'm not sure what Travis' mom plans on doing. She's not the best at planning anything and never goes above and beyond. She'll probably just invite people over to give gifts and not plan a decorative fun shower, but I don't care too much. It kind of feels weird having a party for people to buy me things. But then again it is really appreciated! I'm just annoyed because you should give 6 weeks notice for the shower so that everyone can try and make it or if they need to order something online it has time to arrive or people out of state or people who can't make it can get a gift and mail it around the same time. Well I'm already 28 weeks and 6 weeks from now I'll be 34 weeks! So shower announcements need to go out no more than 2 weeks from now! 

I can't believe we've been on this thread since December! I didn't even find out I was pregnant until the end of November! I knew it had been a little while but I'm surprised how long we have been talking! Since 1st trimester! Its been nice being able to compare and get advice since our due dates are so close. Someone due way after us or way before us wouldn't as be as easy to compare but probably would still be helpful! It makes it really exciting the closer we get to our little ones due dates though! I'm still baffeled by how soon our due dates are!

Oh! I found two diaper bags I like, here are the links:


https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3951152&prodFindSrc=rv
I like this one best because it has the best reviews, and doesn't look too much like a diaper bag. They say the silver isn't quite as goddy as it looks in the picture, which I'm glad about. They say it has a lot of pockets and space and comes with a changing pad which is perfect! Also seems to have better quality material so it should be durable and last longer.


https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10962072&prodFindSrc=rv
I like how this ones looks and it has good reviews too. Also comes with a changing pad. The other bag comes with a key hook inside, and extra coin purse, and has straps for a messanger bag styke or tote style as well as stroller hooks. This one looks like it just has tote straps and stroller hooks.

I put them both on my registry though because I would be happy with either.


----------



## krys

Wow, those diaper bags are so cute! They don't even look like diaper bags on the outside, that's my favorite part! My diaper bag came in, but Eric's grandma won't let me see it. Even though I picked it out, and I already know that she has it! I'm just curious because I've only seen the outside. I wish she would just show me so I know whether or not I need another one, because if it doesn't have for example a place for bottles I know that I'll need to have another diaper bag for when we go somewhere and she needs a bottle. Or just things like that!*
My mom booked my 4D ultrasound for the 21st! I am so excited!!! I'm happy that she'll be there and since it's the day before my baby shower, my best friend who lives in Texas gets to come too! I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of people there this time :) Ahh yours is so soon! I can't wait to see pictures! Ultrasounds are so much fun!
My mom ordered my baby shower invitations online and only ordered 50, we ended up having to order more, and they haven't even got here yet! The problem is, my baby shower is in 19 days!!! So they are going to be SO late. The first set of invitations already went out, and people have already got them which is exciting! I just feel bad that the others aren't even gonna get them until like a week before the baby shower. Luckily it's mostly just family that hasn't got them, so they know around when it's going to be.*
My baby's kicks have gotten ridiculous!! I can not believe how big and strong she is. She even woke me up this morning! She has become so active, it's like she takes 20 minute naps and then is back to squirming around again! I can actually see my belly hopping from the corner or my eye!
We haven't really put much aside for Madison. We have money in savings, but it's mostly for a house. I have a feeling we'll have everything we need as far as baby items after the baby shower. We already have two bouncers, two car seats, and two strollers. We got one of each new, and the others were hand me downs from Eric's nephew. My mom is buying our crib/room set. We have tons of clothes, but I know we'll get more. We also have a lot of other baby things already; bottles, pacifiers, blankets, and just other necessities. Eric's mom has been buying us diapers and wipes every week, so we have a pretty big stash already! And his grandma will most likely write us a check for $1000. She is very....giving, and rich lol. I'm lucky to have our families helping with everything. I feel so bad for people that have to do it all alone, I would be so overwhelmed!
Has your doctor warned you about vision disturbances? I was typing this earlier and I had to stop bc my vision got really blurry and doubled. It's actually still going on, but I'm just laying in bed trying to decide whether or not to go to the hospital. I've also got a headache now and I'm worried about high blood pressure. I feel like every time I go to the doctor they kind of just blow me off, so I don't even want to go!*


----------



## airbear

I'm glad you think they're cute! I'm hoping I won't need to get another so I was looking for one with lots of pockets and pockets for bottles. I think the solid black one has insulated bottle pockets and the black/white/silver doesn't, but I know it has pockets on the outside that fits bottles. I'm sure I'll go through one or two diaper bags as I love being really organized! I would be just like you wanting to see my bag if I knew she already had it! Helps with planning:) But if you can't see it, at least it will work for a little while until you can get another one.

That is so exciting! The 21st is mine and Travis' 5 year anniversary! It will be here so soon and you'll get to see little Maddison again! :) I think it will be fun for you to have everyone join you during the scan. My first ultrasound was just me because I didn't want to invite my mom since Travis hadn't seen his own baby yet. So the second ultrasound it was just us since it was his first time seeing our little one, and the 3D ultrasound would be the only one we could invite people to, but since there will be a video I think we're going to go just the two of us:) I'm excited for your baby shower! Sounds like most of the people who haven't gotten invites yet are family who probably already know the date so it should work out well! I just know for my moms surprise party I only told people 3 weeks in advance and not a lot of people came so I am worried. Everyone we know has conflicting schedules so I want to give a lot of notice in advance so they can make arrangements to come. We don't have a lot for the baby quite yet. We have a swing, changing table, bouncy seat, some hand me down clothes, and a portable crib. Otherwise we don't have much, which is why I set aside a lot of money so that during my last month of pregnancy I can get everything we need and not worry about where the money is coming from. Sounds like you have a lot already which is great! We are both very lucky to have such helpful families! I feel for the girls who are doing everything on their own. I know I could but its so much easier and relieving getting help! 

Travis and I went over our bills and debts and future expenses so we could see where we stand financially. I do this just about every month because I like being organized, but it was nice to go over it with him plus he helped look into other financial aspects. Anyways we're paying our last debts off thos month. Around $500 in old credit card bills of Travis'. We paid the $800 carpet bill last month. So after we call today to pay the AMEX bill, we'll be completely debt free! Which I think is so exciting. We also budgeted $3000 - $4000 for a new vehicle that we already have in our accounts and can use at any time to purchase a second car! We also put $2000 into savings and have money in our accounts for bills next month! Plus we're budgeting about $2000 so that I can take August off after the baby is born. We have just enough for me to take 4 weeks off. Although that isn't a lot of time it is nice knowing we are now debt free, have money for baby items, and money for me to take some time off, while being able to continue to pay our current bills! We definitely aimed low on how much money we actually had and Travis is hoping to save enough so I can take longer than 4 weeks off. Its so relieving knowing where we stand financially and that we have this all situated before our little one gets here!

My doctor hasn't warned me about vision distrubances. I feel like she kind of just checks in with me and if I don't say anything concerning she kind of just sends me on my way. She's nice and I like that the clinic is in the same hospital we'll be having our little one, but I kind of wish she was more personable or that she at least gave me a lot of information! I feel like when I ask her questions she answers them as though it was silly! So I know how you feel about being blown off each time you go in! I had slightly high blood pressure when I went in for my glucose test but they thought it might have been because I just drank the drink they gave me and so they tested my blood pressure again after my appointment and it had gone down. I don't know if I have any vision disturbances but I want to look into that because I have okay eye site but have trouble reading from a distance. But recently it has seemed to have gotten worse and I notice sometimes my vision seems to get really blurry all of a sudden and then will go away! The doctors told me I needed to take an iron supplement but on the supplement it says to not take it if you're taking another supplement with iron, which my prenatals have iron in them. I've been taking the iron supplement and my prenatals anyway because I know my doctor knows I'm taking my prenatals so I'm sure she would have warned me if I shouldn't take both. I just want our little ones to be healthy!


----------



## krys

That is so awesome that you two are almost out of debt! Eric got hurt at his old job so they made him go to their clinic, he ended up having to get stitches. Obviously since he got hurt on the job and they sent him, they were supposed to cover the bill. They denied it though because he was getting ready to leave, even though he was CLOCKED IN!!! He didn't even want to go, and he could have just gone to his own doctor, seeing as he has insurance and it would have been covered! Now he's got a freaking $600 bill for two stitches. That is pretty frustrating, and it's totally bad timing!!*
We are really lucky to have Eric's mom moving in with us. She's going to help out a lot with the bills, and she'll be here if I ever need help with the baby. I'm very fortunate, because there is no rush in me getting back to work. I'm gonna have plenty of time to bond with my baby :) I remember you saying that the people you nanny for said you can bring the baby to work, is that what you're going to do?*
I have decided that I want to try to have a natural birth, no epidural! A lot of people recommend taking childbirth classes if you want to do it natural. My doctors office offers free classes, but they aren't just for childbirth. It's a bunch of things all mixed together, and theres only one and it's just two hours long. I'm not sure two hours is enough to cover all the other things AND childbirth. I want to take an actual childbirth class! The problem is, the only ones I've been able to find are anywhere from $100-$500, that's a lot of money! Eric said he would pay for it, but I want to try to find one that isn't quite so much. They're also like eight hours long, all in one day! If I'm spending that much, I would rather have it split up into two or three classes. I don't want to sit through an eight hour class! Have you looked into any classes?*
I'm sure she wouldn't have given you iron if you weren't supposed to take it with your prenatals, but I would probably ask anyway! I ask questions about everyyyyything. My prenatals don't even have iron or calcium in them! I asked my doctor about this and she said it was fine, and that if I needed iron she would give me iron pills. I'm guessing my iron is fine, bc she hasn't said anything!


----------



## airbear

That's crazy! I feel like you could almost sue for that since he was on the clock. No matter what there should be a statement with what time the accident happened which you could match with his clock in/clock out time! I would be so upset! I'm very relieved to be out of debt, we just need to call his AMEX card and pay it and we'll be done! We were really lucky though because Travis' great aunt passed away on Christmas Eve and we ended up getting $2000 from her and she gave a lot to Travis' parents who used $3000 to pay off some of his old debts (most of which was the best buy card for the TV he bought). Otherwise we would still have a ton of debt!

It will be really nice to have Eric's mom there to help! My mom lost her job in November and just got a nanny job that pays slightly less than my job (as she only works 33 hours) so she might actually end up moving into our 3rd spare bedroom. Which would help her out a lot but also help us with bills and the baby! I'm not 100% what will happen with my job. I assume I will work up until I go into labor, and then I hope to take a month off and the nanny mom had mentioned if her youngest goes to all day kindergarten (3 full days a week) she would still need me but it would be part time pay and that I can bring my little one. So I am hoping that offer is still on the table as it would make an easy transition into going back to work.

I definitely want to try for a natural birth, too. I really don't want an epidural. I have heard getting one could also lead to an emergency c section which actually happened to one of my sister's friends and I have also heard from other ladies and for whatever reason I am pretty scared of getting a c section. If I feel I need help with the labor pains I think I would rather go with medication than an epidural. I think its going to hurt like crazy but that we both can (literally) push through! I haven't looked into classes yet. I had my doctors appointment yesterday but my doctor had gotten sick and went home so they had another doctor do the check up for me, so I was a bit frazzled and forgot to ask all my questions! That does sound expensive for classes! And an 8 hour class sounds so long for a pregnant women to have to sit or participate! Why couldn't they break it up into a couple of classes?! I am sure my doctors office has classes they can recommend so maybe I'll be able to attend some. I think it would just help me relax a bit during labor to feel like I had been somewhat educated beforehand!

I assume they wouldn't let me take the pills of it wasn't okay, and I haven't felt sick or anything. I was going to ask but because I didn't see my doctor I had gotten distracted and forgot to ask! Which prenatals do you take? That's crazy yours doesn't have any iron because mine has 28mg and I'm taking an iron supplement on top of that! I must really be low on iron! I just take some cheap brand from walmart but I checked it with all the regular brands and it had the same % of each vitamin as the women's one a day so I wasn't too worried. It was $8 for 270 pills! 

Anyway as I mentioned I had my doctors appointment yesterday. It was just a super quick check up (felt faster than the time it took me to provide a urine sample!) But my urine she said was fine and she checked my weight but didn't tell me so I might call and ask because I like to go by what their scales say every 4 weeks. She messured my uterus which was 28in and she said that was spot on for 28 weeks. The baby heartbeat was good in the 150s she said, which it has been the whole pregnancy so that's good too! My blood pressure was back to normal since at the last appointment it was a little high. Other than that there wasn't much news, she said again I wouldn't need another ultrasound unless there was something they were worried about which is still crazy to me. I thought they would messure the baby at least once more to see if I was still going along on my due date or to see if the baby was growing well but if they aren't concerned I won't be! I now go in every 2 weeks. They didn't have their July calendar to book the 1 week appointments, so I'm just booked through June. Today is my 4D ultrasound at 1:45 and I am so excited I'm packing what I call a 'wiggle' lunch as the lady at the ultrasound place said to eat 10-15 minutes before something spicy or something that would get baby to move so we could get a good video. I am so excited I will definitely be posting pictures later!


----------



## krys

That would be great for your mom! That's pretty much what we're doing with Eric's mom, we're helping her and she's helping us. Everyone wins! I just think it will be so much easier not having to pay as much, because that's more money we can spend on little Madi :)*
I really don't want an epidural! I know we can do it without one! I know I'll probably sound like a baby, but a big reason for me not wanting one is that I don't want a catheter. I HATE the idea of having a tube up there. I learned how to put them in while I was in school and it freaked me out just learning about it. My doctor also said when you get one you usually have to push longer and you can't feel your legs so you pull them back really far and can really hurt your hips and legs. She went over the pros and cons and I decided that it wasn't really worth it!
My prenatals are gummy ones that I get from babies r us! They don't make me sick, and the other ones I had did. My doctor said the reason they don't have iron or calcium is because the consistency would make the gummy gritty and not as good. Makes sense to me I guess!!
Ahhhh I can't wait to see pictures! I am so jealous, I wish I was gonna get to see my baby today! That does suck that you aren't going to get another ultrasound! I get one more, and I thought that was even crazy!*
Do you have any new cravings? Mine are slurpees and frozen burritos! Also, ranch and baby carrots mmmmmm :)


----------



## airbear

I'm glad we'll both have extra help, but that we're also helping out someone else. It'll be nice that my mom will help out a little with rent and she said she'll also help with cleaning and cooking as well. She only works 3 days a week for 11 hour days, so she has 4 days off a week which works nicely to leave the baby in its own home if I don't want to take the little one to work. She also said she would pay for cable and internet since right now we aren't doing so, which will be nice when we're up in the middle of the night with the baby and such.

I really don't want one either, I think I will be okay with IV drips with medicine to help, but I would still like to do it without that. I've heard the same about the epidural. I think doing it naturally is best because your body can feel everything (which of course hurts) but helps you push better and quicker for the birthing process as you can tell what you're doing better! I'd like to avoid the catheter too! I've hardly had to go to the doctors for anything let alone a hospital so I'm not use to any medical processes so i'd like to be able to avoid things such as a catheter or a c-section or anything! My mom had 3 kids all natural and my boyfriends mom had 2 all natural. Both wanted epidurals but were unable to get them. My moms labors went too quickly for her to get one! I hope I'm the same way!

That does make sense that your vitamins don't have iron or calcium in them. Sounds a lot yummier too! Mine made me sick during first trimester but I read to take them at night so I would sleep rather than get sick, so I've continued to do that. But they don't really make me sick anymore, anyway.

I guess I just think its crazy we won't get many ultrasounds because I feel like they would want to check the growth of the baby and such after the halfway point! But then again my mom and my boyfriends mom when they were having kids it was more unusual to have any ultrasounds! So I won't worry too much! 

My more recent cravings are pretty much anything sweet. My moms birthday in April I somehow got two left over cakes and ate them both! I only had a piece a day but my boyfriend didn't have any, I ate them all! I also love milkshakes. I'm normally more of a smoothie person rather than a milkshake person! I never would buy milkshakes before being pregnant! I loove ranch and carrots but don't really crave them. I still eat tons of strawberries and have at least one apple a day! 

How was your mothers day?! We had Travis' parents, Travis' grandparents, My mom and sister, and my grandparents over for lunch. My mom made lunch (my sister and brother were suppose to but my brother got sick). They made blackberry chicken, a salad, asparagus, rolls, and for dessert we had strawberry shortcake, it was all soo delicious. My sister and I got our mom diamond earrings because she had gotten a pair when she turned 21 from her siblings and in March lost one! So we got her new ones, she was so surprised. It was so adorable, Travis bought all the moms (including me) a huge boquet of flowers. It had a rose, lillies, tulips, and other flowers. They were so pretty and he said they cost a lot but it was so cute to see him bring them all in! He also wrote his mom this really sweet card that almost made her cry and then bought both me and her this back massager I have been wanting! I was so surprised and it's so amazing since my back has been worse than ever now that I'm pregnant. Did you get to celebrate your first mothers day?!

The 4D ultrasound went okay. Our baby loves having its face smooshed up against the placent (it was like that during the 20 week ultrasound too) so the ultrasound technitian had a really tough time coming up with a 3D picture. The store itself felt almost like a consignment shop and I didn't think the lady had the best customer service. The whole appointment lasted 1 hour, the ultrasound maybe 30 minutes. First she had me fill out paperwork and while I was doing that she was doing stuff around the store. Then they only had 1 bathroom for the whole complex so I had to leave the store with a key and walk all the way to the bathroom. She had this little toy poodle there, which I didn't mind, but felt like it was weird for her to bring her dog to a place where there are a lot of pregnant women because you never know how their senses are that day, if they're comfortable with dogs, or allergic. Then she brought us to the ultrasound room which had 3 screens, one really large screen that she said was 4 seconds behind because it was connected to the hard drive which was copying the video, then a small screen on the left wall, and then the computer monitor. Well I had to lay on my left side because of the way the baby was laying so I was only able to watch the small screen which had such a small picture. Then the lady would move so quickly while taking the ultrasound because she was trying to move the baby to get a good picture so when she finally could she was rushing through to get a couple pictures so the video was just her jumping around constantly. During the ultrasound it was so hard for me to see anything on the small screen and because of the placenta we didn't get to see much until the end and then it was so hard for me to tell anything because the screen was small and she would move so fast from what she was talking about because it was easier for her to know what everything was because she does this for a living and this was just our first baby! It was frustrating. Then she kept saying how one of the front desk girls was probably going to quit because she had to work late the day before and she had to go sleep at her grandma's house because it was closer to work for the morning and then the day we were there they had a new computer system and she was frustrated by it. So it was awkward because she kept talking about it! So we got 3 pretty good pictures and like 30 not so great ppictures and a horrible video. Then when we went to pay she was whispering to the second front desk girl about the one who might quit and it was awkward so we just played with her dog until she was done! Basically overall the experience really wasn't that great, and we paid $200 for just a couple good pictures. But we're still happy we got them because it was nice seeing a real baby face! Here are some of the pictures:



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/BABY_PICTURES_16.jpg

The foot!


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/BABY_PICTURES_17.jpg

This was when the baby grabbed its foot! 


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/BABY_PICTURES_20.jpg

A good picture of the hand


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/BABY_PICTURES_23.jpg



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/BABY_PICTURES_26.jpg

She said the baby had really long fingers and toes.



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/BABY_PICTURES_30.jpg



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/BABY_PICTURES_31.jpg

This one is my favorite!


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/BABY_PICTURES_32.jpg



The baby is still cuddling up to my pelvic bone like it was during 20 weeks. Both at the 20 week scan and this 4D scan the technitians had to try and move baby off my bone. The 4D technitian said that's probably what is causing so much pressure and pain while walking. I think I have to believe her because I woke up this morning and could literally feel the baby just pushing extra hard on my right hip! Last night and today the baby has gotten even stronger. We were feeling and watching it move and my boyfriend describes it as ripples across my belly! Its so crazy feeling, I don't even know how to describe what it feels like inside! But its almost uncomfortable! I'm starting to think we're having a boy! I heard boys are carried low and I think my baby is as low as possible! My placenta is all on top of my bump which feels so weird because its like a big balloon right under my boobs. I had Travis feel it and he agree's it feels just like a balloon, then I had him feel low on my bump where the baby was and he says it feels tense and hard. I'm so excited, we're getting so close to our due date, its just going to fly by! I can't wait to know if I'm having a son or daughter and who's features they got! :)


----------



## krys

I did get to celebrate, it was such a great day! Eric paid for me to get my hair done, so I thought that was my only gift. When I got out of the shower there was a sweet card, he told me how lucky Madison is because I am going to be such a good mommy, and signed it from our dog and ferret :) it also had another surprise in it! A prenatal spa package!! I have to schedule it, but he already paid for it. I get a 60 minute prenatal massage and a 55 minute European facial. I am sooo excited! We also went to the movies with his mom, sister, grandma, uncle, and uncles girlfriend. We saw Something Borrowed, it was really good! It was just a great day all together! All that food you ate sounds AMAZING!!! Its funny that you're craving sweets, because thats what I crave too! If you go by cravings, I thinks sweets mean girl! Thats what everyone who has had girls have told me at least! :)

I'm so sorry that your ultrasound wasn't a great experience! That seems really unprofessional that she was talking about those personal problems! I would have said something. Thats not fair to you! It also sucks that you couldn't see to well. I would have been a little disappointed, especially after spending that much! At least you got some good pictures!! The one that you said is your favorite is my favorite too! You have the cutest baby!!!!!! I love how you can see his/her little hands and little nose. So freaking cute!
Last night we bought all of our travel sized toiletries and a bag for them for the hospital!! I got: shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body wash, a small loofa, hand and face wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste! For Eric: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, shampoo. I got a cute pink see-through bag to put it all in, I thought that would make it easier to find things when I'm in the hospital! I have never had to stay in the hospital! I don't know if I'm nervous or excited! I won't be packing my hospital bag for another 2 weeks, because my mom bought me a bag and she won't be here until my baby shower. I feel better knowing that I got the toiletries ready though, they're all together so I can just throw them in the bag! I'm kind of panicking lately, I just want everything to be ready!!! 
I wonder where my placenta is? I'm gonna ask at my ultrasound. That makes sense that your baby is causing your pain by sitting there. Hopefully he/she will move soon so you can be more comfortable!!!
My baby has gotten SOOO strong. Sometimes her kicks hurt! They wake me up, and sometimes they startle me! Have your kicks startled you at all? Sometimes I'll have my arms resting on my belly and she will kick them and it hurts!!


----------



## airbear

Aw sounds like you had a really good mother's day! I wasn't sure if we were suppose to celebrate since our babies weren't born yet, but I felt as though we're already moms since we're already providing for our babies, we've already spent money on them, we've made sacrifices, we've thought about the future for them, so I think that we deserved to celebrate even if our little ones weren't here to celebrate with us! I've heard sweets means a girl too, and I definitely shouldn't eat as much as I do! All the weight I've gained is definitely not just baby weight! I'm hoping once I have my little one I'll have more will power to stop eating so many sweets! But now it's all I crave! I still limit myself to one dessert though, but I use to rarely eat dessert!

Yeah I was a little disappointed overall, but I also felt it was worth it for the few good pictures I did get. I know I only got a couple I'm in love with, but it was so nice getting to see a real baby and it was still amazing how different the 2D is from the 3D view, even though I've seen other peoples ultrasounds done before. It makes me just that much more excited to meet my little one! Oddly it also helps me be more excited not to find out the gender until the little one is born, it keeps me so curious and guessing! My boyfriend and I have a $50 bet if it's a girl I win, if it's a boy he wins! I think we're both hoping for a little boy because we want two kids and we're okay with two boys, but we'd prefer not to have two girls. Of course we'll be happy if we do have two girls, though! 

We are so unprepared which makes me so stressed! Mostly because we haven't been able to buy a lot since evryone keeps telling us to wait until after the baby shower that so far no one is planning! Come June I'll probably start buying things myself! I want the baby shower to be one of the first 3 weekends in June, so if no one puts out invites before memorial day weekend, I'm planning my own! :) I bet its exciting to have your toiletries packed for your hospital bag, I keep reading threads about what other women suggest to bring and its so much more than I ever thought! I can't wait to starting getting everything completely ready for our little ones which is going to be so soon! I think 3rd tri is going to just completely fly by. I can't believe May is almost half over already! 

You should find out where your placenta is, just for fun! Mine feels so funny because whenever I bend, even just slightly I feel like my boobs are resting on a balloon! I can also tell in the last 3 weeks when I've been attempting bump pictures that instead of growing out, I'm growing wide, and low! I started getting little stretch marks on the sides of my butt/hip area! They were almost not noticable and now they're quite a bit more noticable! I'm starting to feel huge and unattractive now! I had a little before too, but now I'm starting to feel beached whale status because I'm always so uncomfortable. I can't believe our baby is going to start doubling/tripling in size now! I can't even imagine..

Our babies kicks are definitely crazy now! My baby still loves its hip bone position, so its feet are on my right side but its so far over. Its not the right side in front, its like I'm literally being kicked in the side of my body! The kicks and movements are so surprising! I always hold my phone and text over my belly and the kicks will jolt my arms and make it so difficult to keep typing! Its so funny though! I almost can't stop resting my hands on my bump either now, because its so far out there I just hug it all the time! I'm nervous for rib kicks though. Mine are usually on my right side or low so I haven't gotten any. But sometimes the baby moves and just makes all my other organs uncomfortable! I still love it though:) I love that the baby is bigger that I can feel it turning and such and I'm pretty sure it never sleeps! At my appointment they said after 28 weeks is when you should really make sure your getting 10 kicks every hour, but I feel like my little one never stops moving!


----------



## krys

Well I went to my doctors appointment today and I was pretty surprised. Two weeks ago I weighed 113.4 today I weighed 117.4!!! 4 lbs in two weeks?! That has to be too much! I've gained 20 lbs all together. All this extra weight is definitely taking a toll on my body. I'm always tired and out of breath. Madison has been kicking me in the bladder for HOURS! I even thought I peed my pants earlier at wal-mart. I've had so much pelvic pressure today, and aches and pains all over. I even threw up a few minutes ago. I am officially over being pregnant!! I want it to be July 24th. I've been getting braxton hicks every day, are you still getting them a lot? They're getting a little more uncomfortable to me.*
I am unprepared as well, but it's reassuring knowing that I'll have a lot of things to keep me busy. I picked out colors for Madisons room, so once Eric paints it I'll be able to start decorating and getting it ready! I hope time will go by fast when I'm washing her clothes and organizing and putting everything together!
I would plan my own baby shower if no one was initiating it! Better to plan it yourself then to wait and risk not having one! Maybe once you start, they'll help out! Either way, it seems like it would be fun planning it!
I feel so huge! My legs and butt are totally getting bigger. I need to watch out and stop eating cookies and other bad things. It's so hard lately! I even crave fruits and veggies, but we never have any. Eric gets onto me about what I eat, but he doesn't exactly buy healthy food for me to snack on! I'm just getting overwhelmed with my body, and all the other discomforts lately. I've gotten pretty insecure with my body, and I've never been that way before. It's frustrating because I know I need to gain weight, but I don't want my butt and legs getting bigger, just my belly!!! Sorry if I'm venting :( I could cry right now though. 
Are you having any of these problems? :/


----------



## airbear

Since my doctor was sick last time and I had another doctor check me, she didn't tell me how much I currently weighed. But I'm just over 130lbs! Which is so crazy to me. I'm not too worried as I can literally see where all the weight has gone, but its making me feel terrible! I'm not use to all this sudden extra weight! I'm tired whenever I have to move, and getting up from a sit down or lay down position is just a joke! Plus my heating pad broke this week which I was basically glued too as soon as I get home from work until I go to bed, so now my back just gets frozen into place! My baby has been kicking me in the bladder constantly! Before I didn't have to pee anymore than usual, but now I'm feeling like a regular pregnant woman who always has to pee! I haven't fully pee'd my pants yet but definitely dribbled a little while sneezing or laughing a couple times! I haven't had to throw up yet, but ij've been getting this terrible heartburn feeling or something that's starts late afternoon/evening and stays until I fall asleep. I haven't gotten any braxton hicks contractions for quite some time now, but I can only imagine how they would feel now! I'm so sorry! I feel the same, I love being pregnant, but I'm so exhausted from everything I'm just ready for my little one to be here!

Luckily we both still have lots to do before our babies are here which will keep us busy! I'm hoping to finish our registry soon, and I hope someone will step up for the shower. I really wouldn't mind doing it myself just because I want to be well prepared and organized early on in July. Even if just one family does the shower would really help us out a lot, other wise we'll end up buying most of the things we need ourselves and then there won't even be much need for a shower. 

I need to rant with you! I was fairly small pre-pregnancy. I wore size 00 or 23/24 (designer jeans), and XS for all my other clothes. In fact I always found it hard to find anything small enough! Now I just feel giant! I look ridiculous! My boyfriend says when I'm naked getting ready in the mornings I look like something off national geograhic since I look so pregnant and my boobs and butt are just massive! My boob stretch marks haven't gotten worse, but they haven't gone away or gotten any better, either! Today I was getting ready in the bathroom and I was checking my hip/butt stretch makrs which have gotten much darker over night and now I have them ALL over my entire butt! I'm so disappointed! Also, my butt is now cottage cheesey and my two rins I usually wear are getting so tight I'm going to have to take them off soon! As much as I love my little one all this extra weight and these strecth marks are just getting me down! I should be happy since its just my boobs, belly, and butt have grown and not everything! But I still can't help but feel insecure! It doesn't help having to waddle everywhere, either! I miss wearing cute clothes and going shopping for new ones! I never want to shop for clothes now because soon I won't need such big sizes and I just want to feel cute and petite again! Especially since our weather is crazy right now but starting to warm up and get sunny so I just want to wear cute summer clothes! I am pretty terrible on the sweets I eat, too. I don't really eat lunch often since there isn't much for me to eat at the nanny house. I do love fruit so I have been eating a lot of those, but not much veggies. I really need to eat better but all I ever crave is sweets! I could rant forever because I'm just so bummed but I think you get the point! Hopefully these next 10 weeks fly and we'll have our little ones and we'll have forgotten all of this! :)


----------



## krys

A woman from my centering pregnancy swears by papaya for heartburn! She said there are papaya pills, canned papaya, fresh papaya. She said that she played around with them and now she knows which ones work for how severe her heartburn is at that time! My doctor said it's an old remedy, but it can work! You should go buy some papayas, you never know :) Also, I've heard that larger meals can make heartburn worse. I don't get it too terribly, knock on wood, but I do get it. Not enough that I would ever really take anything. I did take tums once actually, which has been the only non prescription drug I've taken since I've been pregnant. I'm too scared to even take Tylenol!*
I think it's safe to say, we are feeling a lot of the same things about our bodies! I was also a 00-0 and a 24. I'm just shorter than you! So I can totally relate to everything you vented about! That did make me laugh what your boyfriend said!!! I'm sure Eric thinks the same thing. He tries to hold his tongue because I'm pretty sensitive lately, but I know he'd love to crack more jokes! Yesterday he told me that "my vagina is getting ready for birth" WTF?! I asked him to explain and he just poked my pelvic area. He was like "I could have never poked that before" I guess I'm gaining weight EVERYWHERE. He then proceeded to warn me about a "mommy pouch" and asked me to never ever get one. Sweet. I feel like a cow.*
I hope we're like those pregnant ladies that have their babies and lose everything!!! I know breastfeeding helps you lose a lot of weight! It actually burns calories, hell yeah! Haha.*
I hope you get to have an amazing baby shower! You just need to sit them down and be like, um hi, you see this belly? This baby isn't gonna wait for you to throw my baby shower, you need to get to planning! ;)

My baby shower is sooooo soon! Not this weekend, but next! My mom and best friend will be here on the 20th. Yayayayyy!!!!!! I haven't seen my best friend since Christmas, and my mom since February. They haven't seen me since I've had my belly! I bet my mom will cry. She was already talking to my belly back in December and February!*
Erics mom text me this morning asking if his grandma classy (dads side) was going to be here the day of my 4d (she lives in California) she then said she would like to have her come with her and Eric's sister to the ultrasound. I wouldn't really mind it, but she is NOT that kind of lady. She's not sensitive, kind of a grandma Tom boy. I don't even think she likes me! She makes me feel kind of uncomfortable. I don't think she would even want to go, honestly. I feel like if they ask her, she'll feel obligated. Ugh I don't know what to do!! I wish Eric's mom hadn't asked me that. :( What would you do?

The movers are here right now moving my families things out!!! It's bittersweet. I don't want them to go, but I'm so excited to start decorating the house my way and getting Madisons room ready!


----------



## airbear

Ooh I'll definitely have to try some papaya! I haven't taken any medicine either, other than my prenatals and now my iron supplement. I haven't taken any tylenol or anything, either! I never took a lot of medicine before, sometimes for headaches and such or midol haha.

I'm sure since we're both pretty small this extra weight really gets to us, too. I think we were both probably pretty active before and not use to any extra weight on our bones! Haha that is so funny! I was confused at first when he said your vagina was getting ready for having a baby! I was like I hope she's not already dilating! My boyfriend once told me he wouldn't be with someone who was fat. I told him I was going to be fat since I was pregnant and gaining weight and even after the baby is born I'll still have it. He said that much weight was okay but he didn't want me getting huge! But he did offer to work out with me post pregnancy :) Plus I had texted him earlier and told him about my new stretch marks and he said someday when he's rich he'll pay to get them fixed! Hahah

The mom I nanny for is a size 25 in jeans and she said after both her kids it took 2 months and she had gone back to her pre-pregnancy body. I figured 2 months wasn't bad since for the first 6 weeks I'll probably won't be doing much working out! So I'm hoping it will be easy for us to go back to our pre-pregnancy bodies! I look at my belly button everyday and say how it's disappeared because it's basically flat now! I still have my naval ring in, but I'm noticing a tiny stretch mark there, too. I'm a little concerned about how my strecth marks will look a year from now. I'm hoping they won't be as bad! I've also heard that breastfeeding really helps! 

I like how you put that: 'see this belly, the baby isn't going to wait for you to throw a shower, you need to start planning!' That is so perfect! I guess I'm mostly concerned about it because i'd like to already be prepared for baby, which I'm no where close, so if I knew what i'd be receiving from the baby shower would really help! 

I'm excited your baby shower is so soon! You're going to have so much fun and you're going to feel so much more prepared! That's so sweet you'll get to see your mom and best friend again! That's going to make your baby shower even more special! I bet your mom will cry! I know if my mom hadn't seen me this whole time she would definitely cry! It would be so weird for them to all of a sudden see your almost 8 months pregnant bump! 

Eek! I hate being put in situations when you have to make awkward decisions like that! I haven't had anyone come to any of our ultrasounds other than Travis of course! I'm not sure what I would do. Maybe you could offer but also give her the option not to go. Mention that Eric's mom and sister will be going but if she doesn't want to come she could just see the pictures and video at the baby shower? Travis' mom is really awkward too. She's kind of tom boy, too. She's already said if the baby is a girl she'll be enrolling her in softball! Which I wouldn't mind but should be up to my daughter. Anyway his mom is awkward because she doesn't show emotions, like hardly at all! So whenever I show her the pictures she always just looks at them and says they look nice but doesn't get all excited or anything So I could definitely see it being weird for her to come to an ultrasound. Maybe you could see what Eric would suggest? 

Aw that would be pretty bittersweet! But it will definitely be nice to feel like you can start getting the place ready for Madison! When will Erics mom be moving in?


----------



## krys

HAHAHAHA omg I forgot to tell you! Yesterday we were at the store and I got a bad cramp and baby kicked me so hard in my bladder that I stopped in my tracks. I was just like "oh my gosh Eric..." and he was like "What?! YOUR WATER BROKE?!?!" Hahahahahaha he was dead serious!! The look on his face was priceless!
I hope it only takes us two months! That would be amazing. I just can't wait!
I definitely think his mom sounds like Eric's grandma. She isn't affectionate or nurturing like my Grandmas are. It makes me feel like she doesn't like me, because it's just not what I'm used to. Shes like that with everyone though.*
I honestly don't even know when she's moving in! My family leaves Saturday. Once they leave we're gonna clean everything and paint. We want to paint a lot of the walls. We're also going to go shopping for house things which is SO exciting for me :) I know his mom wants to be in by June 1st. So it's really just whenever it's all cleaned up and painted! I want to have the cleaning and painting done by the time my mom and best friend get here, since they will be staying at my house. Then I'm sure my mom will take me shopping for house things, and her an Brittany (my best friend) are going to help me with Madisons room :)
At my doctors appt, we watched a breast feeding video. It got me excited to breast feed lol. I just like the fact that I am feeding my baby!! That no one else can! Like, she needs me! Haha that probably sounded weird?


----------



## airbear

Hahah oh my god! That is so funny! That would be too priceless! I'm pretty sure my little one thinks its funny to kick my bladder! Especially whenever I have even just a little something in my bladder, baby goes to town on making me uncomfortable! Two months would be so amazing! I'm definitely ready for it to be July now!

Oh I know what you mean! Travis' parents never hugged me or anything before, but now that I'm pregnant his dad gives me a hug as soon as he sees me. On mother's day he even gave me a kiss on my forehead and I was so shocked! His mom on the other hand only hugs me once in a while. She's not very friendly or lovey dovey. Travis always finds it weird, his brother is the same way. Him and his dad are the more emotional, feely type. They don't just cry all the time but they actually have emotions have happiness or excitement or being upset and such! 

It will be so fun to start putting your home together! Getting to paint and buy house stuff will be so exciting. I was so excited when we moved from our apartment to our house, and we already had all our house stuff! Its also really exciting your mom and best friend will get to help put together Madison"s room! That is going to make it just that much more special! 

I feel like my doctors office hasn't prepared me for anything! They haven't asked if I was even breastfeeding or not! I feel completely clueless! I have no clue what to expect once I start going into labor and such. I keep reading about plugs and such and I have no clue what that means! I'm really excited to breastfeed, too, though! I feel like it will help us feel like we're still connected with our baby. I keep telling Travis how I feel like the baby is all mine since I had to take care of it for its first 9 months while it was growing! I know its his, too, but I feel like I'm going to be so protective! That's why I'm pretty excited to be the one who gets to feed the baby and keep it close! I'm nervous it will hurt, but I almost don't care I'm just so excited! 

I am still getting excited to find out when and who will go into labor first! Or to hear about your birth story and how breastfeeding is going! I'm so excited to see pictures of Madison and to see who my little one is going to look like! I get so happy when I say there is only 10 weeks until our due date! It's going to come quick I think though, because I can't believe we're basically halfway through May and once June comes we'll be so busy getting baby things together!


----------



## krys

My doctor just told me not to go to the hospital until my contractions are strong and five minutes apart. She actually told me it's better to stay home as long as I can! She said not to go until I get to the point where I am so uncomfortable I can't take it anymore. She said it's way easier to get comfortable at home, you can take showers, walk around, lay in your own bed, etc. She said once you go to the hospital, you can only do so much. You have to listen to them, you can't just do whatever you want anymore! She recommended hot showers and birthing balls! Which they provide at the hospitals. She's actually a mid wife, so I love her advice. Also, if the baby is latched on right when breastfeeding, it's not supposed to hurt. She told me to tell them not to give my baby formula or water in a bottle, and no pacifiers. She said to wait a few weeks until you've got breastfeeding down good! You should watch a video, maybe there's one online? I learned sooo much!
I can't wait to see your baby!!! Especially because I won't know if it's a he or she until you give birth and I think*It's so exciting not knowing :) I think she's a girl though! It will be so fun showing pictures, and getting parenting advice from someone with a baby basically the same exact age!!!
The weeks go by pretty fast for me, so 10 weeks seems pretty soon! I'm so excited!


----------



## airbear

I think its so weird my doctor hasn't talked to me about anything. I know a lot fo what you told me so I guess I'm not completely clueless! But I am surprised my doctor doesn't feel like she needs to inform me of anything! We still have a few weeks before I will get really concerned about her not giving me any information. Also, we live pretty close to the hospital. I would say its 10-15 minutes with traffics, lights, and parking. And that's during 3-5pm when traffic is pretty bad. So I'm going to try to stay home as long as possible! I think I'll feel much more comfortable at home like you said! Plus I can scream and rant and not feel as silly :) I guess I am disappointed she hasn't said much because I'm worried about the style and procedures they choose since I have no clue! I definitely don't want my baby even near a bottle unless it has my breast milk in it! Same with pacifiers since its really not necessary so early on and can confuse the little one with my nipple and the nipple of the pacifier! I also don't want someone giving my little one a pacifier because I am wanting people to respect me as well and ask what I want during labor and even after.

I got a breastfeeding book so I think I'll read that and I'll probably do some internet search as well as trying to find some educational videos. I should probably do that for the birth, too, just so I can be fully educated and prepared! 

I am so excited I decided to go along with Travis' original idea of waiting to find out the gender. I love that you can connect with little Madison and call her by name, and it was hard around 20 weeks when I had the chance to know because I wanted to be able to do the same! But now it doesn't seem hard at all, now I'm just excited for the surprise of finding out the day I give birth! I don't even mind not getting to call my little one by name or having the right color ahead of time! I ket thinking I was having a little girl, now I kind of feel like its a boy, but I actually have no clue and I'm so excited! I think I change my guess like everyday! I also feel like the weeks go by quickly. I'm actually quite surprised that we'll be 30 weeks after the weekend! To me weeks are almost only 5 days because I'm always looking for the weekend when I don't have to work and it feels like the weekend goes by so fast and since our new week starts Sunday/Monday it always seems to come so quick once Friday rolls around! I can't believe we're almost out of the 20(something) weeks, and into the 30s! It'll be nice to get parenting advice and also have someone with a baby so close in age to compare how the baby is growing and progressing developmentally! All the baby's firsts are going to be so exciting! 

Are you getting maternity pictures? And are you getting newborn pictures? I really want to get both!


----------



## krys

https://www.babyandbump.com/teen-pregnancy/611527-am-so-pissed-off-right-now.html#post10566232

I posted this thread and wanted to tell you the same story, I didn't want to re type it though! :(

I definitely want to get some books too! It will give me something to do all day haha. My friend is going to take my maternity pictures! She has an expensive professional camera and she takes all of our friends engagement or senior pictures. They come out amazing!! I'll definitely get newborn pictures done too!!


----------



## airbear

I would be so so mad! That's very uncomfortable and very rude! My boyfriend only had one girlfriend before me who he dated for 5 months the summer and a little of fall of his freshman year, then we dated in spring after they broke up. Luckily they weren't together very often and no one has much to say about them, but it is awkward to see pictures! I would be so upset of his mom kept talking about them together! I can't believe she actually sent you pictures! That's really crazy! Why would you even want to see them?! She should be sending you baby pictures! Its so weird they talked about all his ex-girlfriends and then ends it with how he met you and now you're knocked up! That's so terrible! You two love each other, it's not like your suddenly stuck, you would have been with him if Madison wasn't in the picture, too! I'm so sorry! Have you told Eric yet? It sounds like Eric is crazy in love with you, and he sounds like such a keeper! Plus he wants to marry you! I'm sure he's forgetting all about those girls because he's got someone even better, plus she's carrying his precious little girl! I'm sorry his mom was so disrespectful to you!

So I want to tell you this story and I'm going to try to sum it up! Anyways Travis and I started dating in May 2006. We moved into our first apartment together in July 2009. Around November 2009 we started getting a little rocky in our relationship because Travis was more focused on his friends than our relationship he was continually putting them first. He had people over for hours every night. I had told him I was feeling unhappy with our relationship and he chose not to make any extra effort. It was difficult since it was right around the holidays. A lot of his friends never really liked me, so it wasn't always fun having everyone around. In January 2010 I broke up with Travis, after asking to go on a break. He said he didn't believe in breaks, thus why we broke up. I felt like he didn't care about us anymore even though we loved each other. When I broke up he acted like he didn't care, he didn't try to keep me, and he never fought for me. Anyways, during the break up I slept with this guy I was somewhat seeing. I slept with him twice on two seperate occasions when I was drunk. In March 2010 I decided I was more unhappy without Travis than with him and asked to get back together. We got back together in April 2010 and everyone was pretty upset because no one liked me. I knew he had been hanging out with this girl when we were broken up but that was all I knew. I had told Travis I slept with the guy and I let the guy know that since Travis and I were back together that I was no longer going to be in contact with him. I find out this past April that Travis had been fooling around with the girl he was hanging out with, but they didn't have sex. I was really upset because I had been fooled for a whole year thinking he hadn't done anything. Sex/fooling around with someone else is huge to us because we have only ever been with each other. We are both over the fact we've fooled around with someone else but I was mostly upset that everyone who was mad I was fooling around with some guy, knew that the entire time we were broken up Travis was also fooling around with some girl. Even one of my old best friends (who is a guy and also Travis' best friend) knew Travis was fooling around but told him how horrible I was for being with the guy I was with. So basically I was really hurt because people acted as if I was some slut and Travis had a pass just because he was 'hurt' by me breaking up with him. Anyways I was also hurt because during the year we were back together Travis had been talking to her on facebook and texting. I had thought they were just friends so I didn't care. She even came and visited us at our apartment. When Travis and I got back together in April of 2010 I had told him I was no longer going to be in any contact with the guy I had been with out of respect for Travis. I also let the guy know this. So after I find out he actually was fooling around with this girl I tried to be supportive and nice and let him talk to her. They really don't say much, and he's definitely crazy about me so I'm not worried about him leaving me, especially now that we're starting a family. I tried adding her on facebook since we had hung out a lot together before Travis and I ever broke up and before they ever got together and she denied me, but would continue to 'like' every status Travis posted! She would always text him and end up trying to flirt in which Travis wouldn't back. But then I was upset when my mom posted on Travis' wall about how he would make a good Daddy, and Travis never responded. However if the girl he was with wrote he immediately wrote back! He also would respond to her texts as soon as they got them but went a whole day without even writing me back! So yesterday I told him how it kind of hurt my feelings because I was very respectufl and stopped contacting the guy I was with, yet he jumps at the chance to talk to this girl. Now I know he's just being nice to her and not trying to hurt me. He was very nice about it when I had told him and he said I would no longer have to hear about her. He wrote her a message on facebook saying how he was deleting her as a friend on facebook and would appreciate if she didn't text him. I wasn't expecting him to quite go that far, I just wanted him to respond as quickly as he did to her to me and my mom. I wanted to feel special. I am happy that he's making an effort because it shows me how much he cares. I just had to tell someone because I didn't want to be alone on all of this. It was making my pregnancy somewhat stressful because it was disapointing finding out the guy I am crazy in love with kept this secret about this girl who he let come around me for a whole year when he told me if he ever saw the guy I was with he would punch him! So in the end everything is still amazing between us and we've definitely been closer after the break up (it was really good for us, we both just wished we handled everything differently). Travis and I are really happy and crazy in love and we never ever want to get that bad again, we've been best friends for over 5 years now and now that we're pregnant we have lost most of our friends and spend all our time together and we're so happy, but I just wanted to get it all off my chest! Ah! Thanks for letting me tell you my crazy pointless story.

I have one friend who does photography and she did my senior pictures. But I felt like she didn't do that amazing of a job, all of my faces turned out red and I had to do the editing myself! So I thought maybe I would let her try again. I also have this girl who went to my high school who is really good but I don't know her well. I thought about offering to pay her well to do them for me, but I'm still about nervous about asking her since we're not close at all! So I might just go somewhere and get them done, I want them to turn out really cute!


----------



## krys

I'm glad you agree that she was disrespectful. Eric would never tolerate her talking about such things in front of me, so she only does it when he's not around! I told him what she did and I could tell he felt horrible. I just feel like she was totally out of line. It also bothered me that she said she didn't know that album was in there, yet it was the ONLY album... Then she is so fake saying "I love you" "you're wonderful" I wanted to just be like really? Shut up! :(
Wow I totally get where you're coming from in that situation! Luckily Eric and I have never broken up for more than a day, so we haven't had to deal with anything like that. I would be hurt if I found out Eric was with another girl and didn't tell me! Like, I know you were broken up and you were even with another guy, but you told him! You'd think after you told him, he would go ahead and tell you. Thats so sucky that people were mad at you, knowing he did the same thing! I swear people hold guys and girls to such different standards. If a guy does something no one cares, but if a girl does the same she's a slut! I don't understand it! I think you were totally right to bring up the fact that you didn't stay in contact with the guy that you were with. Honestly, I don't care who she is, I would be annoyed if Eric were texting any other girl! Even if he hadn't fooled around with her before. That was good that Travis told her that! At least now you won't have to worry. I also think it's annoying when people like every single status, like totally different, but Erics mom likes every single one of his statuses and used to do it to me. It just bothered me! I would write "I love you" or something on his wall and she would like it. Facebook gets so annoying. I'm glad Eric doesn't talk to other girls, I would have to put an end to that*lol.*
I'm sure they have pregnancy packages somewhere! Maybe someone would get that for you as a gift? I would ask my grandma or someone to pay for it if my friend wasn't doing it haha.*Or you could just ask that girl, and ask her as a photographer not as someone you know.


----------



## airbear

Aw well at least Eric is on your side about the situation! It is terrible though that she will only say such things when he isn't around. I don't know what makes her want to do it, but she needs to realize that you're his fiance now and there won't be any other girls so she better start treating you better! I would be so frustrated for her saying she didn't know it was the only album, just because it seems like she would know ahead of time what she was sending you. It just makes her sound like she's trying to hide what she was really trying to do because you confronted her! She probably just says those nice things to you because she feels like she has to, when she should be saying them because she means them!

I was actually a little surprised thinking back about it now that we broke up because we never broke up before. Not even for a day or week or anything. When we were mad at each other we never let it go to the next day! I must have just been really unhappy! I totally agree! People do make it out that girls and guys can have different standards. I felt like since I was drunk it made somewhat of a difference because you're not thinking clearly. But Travis on the other hand was sober and fooled around much more often. Sure he's still only had sex with me but I can hardly remember having sex with the other guy. Luckily we both understand and moved on from the sexual part of the break up. But I've just been recently frustrated because everyone knew he was with someone else but acted as if I was terrible for being with someone! We're both pretty unjealous people. Before we broke up it didn't bother us to be texting the other sex because we trusted each other. I was just upset that he never told me about her and then was in contact with her for so long! I hate when people 'like' every status and it was even worse it was her! I write 'I love you' on his wall or other comments directed to him and random people always 'like' it. Those are personal even if they are on a public site! I'm just glad Travis was willing to message her that even though I didn't ask him too. We're so much better now, we never argue and if we do it never lasts longer than an hour. We both find it amazing how we made it through all of highschool and never broke up! High school is a crazy emotional rollercoaster! 

I was thinking I might facebook message and ask as if it's more of a job for her. She does really amazing stuff I can only imagine what she would do for maternity and newborn pictures! But if all else fails I'll find a nice photo place :)


----------



## krys

I can't decide what I would want to wear in my maternity pictures!! I've seen so many different things, from outfits to bandeau tops to nudes! Haha nothing stands out to me though. I know I'll be way more comfortable with my friend taking them! I always feel so awkward when people are taking pictures of me! Have you given any thought into what you would wear??*
I'd like Madison to be in little bloomers, a tutu, and a matching bow for her pictures :) then we'll take some of her with Eric and me! Ahhh I can't wait!


----------



## airbear

I have no clue yet! I love nude, but I think I wouldn't be comfortable enough with a photographer. Maybe if it was someone I was close with, then I would be able to, but since it's a stranger I just feel a tad bit too exposed! I'll probably do some research before hand into fun ideas, but I think I would really like Travis to be in the maternity pictures with me, and I would think I would like us to match a bit. Maybe not crazy matchy matchy, and I think I also like black and white pictures best. But there is so many different styles I'll definitely have to look online a lot!

I think Madison's newborn pictures will be so adorable! Are you going to do any nude baby photo's too? I think it'd like some, because babies are just so perfect i'd love to have a couple pictures just of them and not them covered in cute outfits. But I am definitely so excited to pick out my little one's first photo shoot outfits! :)

Your ultrasound and baby shower is so soon! I bet you are so excited! I am so excited for you, and I can't wait to hear all about it! :) Good news! Travis mom wanted to see if my mom and sister wanted to combine baby showers and plan one big family baby shower! I'm happy with that because Travis' parents have the perfect house for entertaining, but they're not very good at planning something like a baby shower with decorations and games and invites and such, since Travis' mom is kind of tom boyish and awkwardly emotionless. His dad loves to cook and will do great on the food. My mom on the other hand goes all out, so she's going to do great on decorating and games and such. Anyway's Travis' mom told me she wanted to do the baby shower in July!! Isn't that ridiclous?! Especially since you couldn't do it the first weekend as its fourth of July weekend and a lot of people would be out of town or busy, so that would make me 37/38 weeks pregnant! I was so upset when we went to Babies R Us later just Travis and I, I ended up crying! I don't want to be so huge I'm uncomfortable, plus I want time after the shower to get everything prepared for baby after the gifts I receive , and also so I can have time to get anything else I may need to buy! Plus Travis was born 4 weeks early so I was shocked when she said she wanted to do it so close to my due date! What if my baby is early?! Luckily my mom said she wanted to do it on June 11th which is so perfect to me, gives us enough time to invite people and let the weather warm up a bit, and I won't be so huge and uncomfortable, plus it gives me about 5 weeks to get prepared! Plus my mom got these really cute invitations that she actually got from the dollar store which I was so surprised by because they're little yellow giraffes with balloons and presents and looks all babyish and its cut out into the shape of the animal instead of just square and it even has sparkles and purple envelopes! They were adorable. Do you know what they have planned for your shower? Will you be doing any games?

Oh my god. I have new symptoms! I'm getting bad acid reflux/heartburn every night from when I get home from work around 5pm until I go to bed! Its worse the later the night gets. Plus I have this horrible symptom that is so embarassing. The skin around my vagina is so itchy! It is horrible, it feels worse than a bug bite where you just can't stop itching. This too usually only happens after work and later in the evening so at least I'm in the privacy of my own home. But I feel so uncomfortable I've rubbed and itched myself raw and I'm red and inflamed! I had no clue what was happening, I felt so embarassed and luckily Travis was so nice about it. I hadn't switch soap but thought maybe I suddently got allergic or irritated by it, but it also felt slightly better if I scrubbed in the shower but it didn't completely go away. So last night while I'm in bed feeling miserable Travis googled it and other women have gotten this while pregnant. The first responce we read was actually from someone who was also 30 weeks pregnant, well his wife was and he said she was driving him crazy so he needed to know what was going on, it was funny. But a bunch of women said when they mentioned it to their doctors the doctors didn't seem to concerned but didn't have a lot to help prevent the itchiness. Some women said a cold compress helps, as well as making a baking soda paste. I'm so happy other women have experienced it as I was feeling so completely embarassed and yet so miserable! Sorry for the TMI but I thought I would share in case it happens to you!


----------



## krys

Oh my gosh, that sounds perfect for your baby shower! I am so happy that it's finally getting planned :) July is definitely too late, June would be perfect. I feel like mine is a little early. Every baby shower I've been to, they've been ginormous. I still feel tiny! We are having games, my best friend is in charge of that part! Eric's mom bought the moat amazing party favors. She got those little hand sanitizers from bath and body works, and those things you put them in. I'll take a pic so you know what I mean! She got them after Mothers Day so they say things like "one hot mom" etc. Lol they are so cute!! I'll also send you a pic of my diaper cake, Eric's sister made it. It is also amazing! I'm so excited. Are they gonna let you help plan yours? They didn't let me help AT ALL :( I would have liked to help a little!

That symptom sounds awful!!! I hope I don't get it. I've been a little itchy down there (TMI) since I haven't been shaving as much. I'm used to always being clean kept, its just too hard lately! I hate having hair down there, but as of right now I'm only shaving like once a week, sometimes I'll go even longer. I can't see, and I don't want to have to fuss with a mirror all the time. I'm going to buy wax strips and have Eric wax me. This should be interesting! I have a new symptom too, I'm craving dirt. I want to suck on rocks. It's so weird and disgusting :( I obviously wont ever give into it! I think it means I have a vitamin deficiency though. I'm gonna talk to my doctor about it at my next appointment!*

Have you started anything with your nursery yet? I moved Madi's things up there because they had taken over my huge closet. I still need to clean and paint though! I just want it ready! I'll just sit in there. I can't wait for it to be ready and perfect. I still have those moments where I'm like "wow there's a baby in me..." do you ever feel like that? It's so surreal.*

My mom had me eight weeks early, that would be like us going into labor in TWO weeks. Oh. My. Gosh. Isn't that crazy?! I was fine too, just tiny! My lungs weren't as strong as they should have been, but my mom didn't have insurance so they sent me home the next day!!! Crazy!! Obviously we want to wait until at least 37 weeks, it's just so crazy to me though! People have babies this early!


----------



## krys

Also, those invitations sound adorable! They're gender neutral so that's perfect!! 

I like nudes, and since one of my best friends will be taking them it wouldn't be AS weird. I still can't decide though. I definitely want some of Madi's cute little butt. I love ones where they're sleeping with their little butts in the air!


----------



## krys




----------



## krys




----------



## airbear

Those hand sanitizers are perfect! I think some of our prizes will be baby bottles filled with candy! I don't know what other gifts yet. That diaper cake is absolutely adorable, it's seriously the cutest one I have seen so far! Since I have so many things I still need to get for the baby I'm asking for no clothes and limited diaper since those are easy to get. Plus we don't know the gender for clothes. I think they'll let me help out a bit, my mom is doing all the decorations and says she already has the center piece planned and such. But I did help pick out games. We're going to play Measure That Belly where everyone pulls a piece of streamer they think can wrap around my belly, and after everyone has their guess we'll measure my belly with a piece of streamer and whoever is closest wins. I just think that one is fun because its fun to show off my baby bump! My mom wanted to do Dirty Diaper, where they have a bunch of diapers each one filled with a different kind of baby food and they'll be set out on the table and everyone tries a little bit and they write on the paper provided which baby food they think it is and whoever gets the most right answers wins. Another is Musical Bottles where we have 3 or so baby bottles filled with juice or something and pass them around while the music plays and when the music stops whoever has a bottle in their hand has to finish all the contents through the nipple of the bottle and whichever person who has a bottle finishes first wins. I don't know what usual games are but these sounded funny, but not too crazy. My baby shower is going to be huge.. the list for just my side of the family is already so long (of course people might not be able to make it) but we still have all of Travis' side of the family! 

The symptoms are terrible and I also only shave about once a week now. Especially since I shower in the morning before work and since shaving takes so much extra time now I just don't have time to do it during my shower. So I only get to do it about once a week! So when I was getting uncomfortably itchy it had been about a week so I thought I would try shaving to see if that would help, I took so long and did a really good job, but in the end it didn't help, at least I look nice though! Ah that is a scary symptom! I've heard it has something to do with a vitamin deficiency so I would definitely talk to your doctor when you go in! You'll have to let me know what they tell you! 

We haven't done much with the nursery, we have a lot of stuff in it; crib, changing table, swing, stationary play seat thing, bouncy seat, etc. But because we're deciding to wait on the gender we won't decorate the nursery until a couple months after the baby is born or when I feel more up to it. It's not as fun not getting to decorate and be excited, bit I'm so excited to wait on the gender I don't even mind! I definitely still find it crazy there is a little baby inside me. Last night I was lying flat on my back where it actually helped take of pressure and weight of the baby so even though I have a huge bump I felt like my belly was flat (even though it didn't look that way!), and I told Travis how since I felt like I had my pre-pregnancy belly that it was so weird that there was a baby growing inside! It's still completely surreal and absolutely amazing. The babies movements are so much fun I just can't help but be happy all the time, except of course when it kicks my bladder..

I know, my brother was almost 6 weeks early, and Travis was 4! Not quite as bad as 8 weeks but at least you were doing well! I can't believe they sent you home the next day though! It still makes it crazy in my head that I could literally have my baby at any time (even though I'm definitely hoping closer to 37 weeks!) But it just makes it feel that much closer to our little one's arrival! 

It is definitely a hard decision! Maybe we'll just have to do a lot of different type of pictures so we have lots of options once they are taken to use for printing or sending out to people! I absolutely love the sleeping baby butt in the air picture which is exactly why I want a couple nude newborn pictures as well as cute outfits! I am so excited! :) How far along do you think you'll get your maternity pictures done at?


----------



## krys

Thank you!!! I love the hand sanitizers and diaper cake, I'm glad you like them too!
Those games sound like so much fun! We played the one where you guess the size of the belly at my cousins baby shower, but we did it with yarn. I won that one too!! I haven't asked what games we're playing yet, but she said we're playing four. I want to play more than that, I think! My baby shower is also going to be huge, we sent out 75 invitations! I have a big family haha. I'm not sure how many RSVP's my moms gotten, but I know of at least 40 so way more than that! I'll be excited to see everyone, because most of them haven't seen my bump yet!! I never have birthday parties or anything, so it will be fun to have a party for me and my baby :)

It's so hard to decide when to get maternity pictures! I don't want to wait too long, in case I get stretch marks or go into labor early! Stretch marks can be photoshopped though. I don't want to do it to soon either, because I want a BIG bump in my pictures!! I'm thinking around 35 weeks though! What about you? I'd like to have some with Eric! I was thinking we could wear jeans and the same color shirt, not too corny though!! I'll probably do some with him, change into two different outfits, and maybe a couple nakeysss! :) I want to remember my bump!!*
I need to pack my hospital bag!! I keep putting that off. I'm gonna do it as soon as my mom leaves!
I'm getting so excited for my 4D! I haven't seen Madi in like 10 weeks!


----------



## airbear

Your baby shower is so close! :) I have no clue how many invites are going out. So far I only know of my half of the family that is being invited and I forgot to count when I was planning who to invite with my mom. We're doing a co-ed party though. It will be so much fun to show off your bump! Some of our families have seen my bump, and some haven't. But definitely not when its this big. Since its always cold and rainy here it was covered up mostly until recently! Plus I don't really talk to my dad much and he'll be invited. He hasn't seen me since I was pregnant so it will be his first time seeing my bump!

I know, I'm having a hard time deciding when to get my pictures done too! So far I have no stretch marks on my bump, which will make good pictures, but like you said they can be photoshopped. I have a ton on my butt! It's so embarassing! They are all over! Started on my hips and were light, now they're covering everywhere and getting dark! I still have the ones on my boobs that I got early around 20 weeks or so. They haven't gotten worse, but they haven't gotten better and they're very noticable! I was also thinking around 35 weeks, because if you plan it too late you could go into early labor and never get any maternity pictures! I was thinking of doing jeans too! I just like the way they look, and then maybe both wear a basic white t-shirt or something. I think I'll mostly have my shirt up as i'd rather see my bump the whole time! Then maybe I'll do a more feminine outfit for solo pictures, or maybe some cute lingerie, so I can show off my bump and feel almost like naked pictures but just not quite! 

I haven't packed my hospital bag either! I probablu should. Do you have a list of what you're putting in your bag? I don't want to forget anything. I'm still so unprepared which is why I want my baby shower! So I can know what I need to get still, get everything, pack a hospital bag, and get the nursery more user friendly! 

The mom I nanny for was asking when I want to start and take my leave. Since I'm just nannying and would have to bring my little one to work, I wasn't sure if they would hire me back, but she had mentioned I could. So she said she had a someone lined up for July 19th, so that they have a sitter to watch the kids since I'll be having my little one soon after. I told her that was great because I was worried about going into labor and then they wouldn't have anyone to watch the kids. But I was also very worried that it was a replacement nanny as it would be difficult to find someone for such a short term position, being as I only want to take a month off. Luckily however, the boy I watch mentioned that he heard I wasn't going to be watching him in the summer and that the girl across the street will be. I had met her earlier this year and she is still in high school and was practicing for her drive test for her license, so I would say she's probably 16. Which was such a relief because that means they'll most likely still be planning on having me work for them after I take some time off! I believe they mentioned it would be more part time since both kids will be in full time school but I think that would make for a good transition after just having my little one. My boyfriend works for his families Home Heating business but they haven't been getting a ton of business lately, and it gets worse closer to summer. So they mentioned they might not be able to keep him full time, which makes it difficult for us as I am needing to take a month off soon, plus I might have to return to work as part time. But he came home with good new's yesterday that he'll be returning to work at Costco which he worked at previously! This will be nice because even if they can't offer full time hours, he can work part time at both places. Plus it will be nice if he ends up getting full time hours at one job and can continue to get some extra hours from the other if we need to. I was getting so worried that I might be losing my job, and he might be going to part time, which would take a drastic toll on us financially. So I'm glad things are turning around!

I was going to ask you the other day, but I forgot. I was getting asked by my mom and family if I was going to be getting a tattoo for my little one since I had mentioned well before I was pregnant that I would have liked to get something for my kids. I hadn't been on BnB in a while, and saw someone had posted a thread basically about the same thing! My mom always asks me if I'm going to get the babies feet prints, but that is such a common tattoo now, that I'm not really a big fan of it any longer. I think its an adorable tattoo, but i'd rather get something else. How about you?


----------



## krys

Ahhh I've had quite an interesting day. I'm in labor and delivery being monitored right now. It was raining earlier and I slipped and fell, luckily I landed on my back not front, I did smack my head pretty hard... Anyway, I went to urgent care assuming they'd check out my head and maybe do an ultrasound to check on Madi. Instead they sent me to L&D. After laying in triage for about an hour they came in and told me that I needed a blood draw and possibly a shot bc of my blood type. Then they explained that I've been having contractions and that I need to stay for another four hours of monitoring. They made me drink a big thing of water hoping that my contractions would stop. They haven't though, so they're gonna keep me longer and if they don't stop I'll have to get a shot to stop them. Scary! I'll let you know what happens. 
There's some lady in a delivery room in labor screaming bloody murder, I'm beginning to reconsider my natural birth. It sounds like she is dying in there! :(

Anyway, I have hours to wait so I can answer your tattoo question! I have a tattoo of a clover on my ankle. It kind of represents Madison now! I thought of that when I was thinking of her name! I'm not sure if I'll get anything else though! :)


----------



## airbear

Omg that is so scary! I am always afraid I'm going to fall! I hope everything goes well for you though and that your contractions stop naturally! Can you feel the contractions or do they have to monitor you to know you're having them? Did they ever end up checking your head?! I hope you're doing well and that Madi is doing okay. I am so nervous about giving birth though because all the birth stories I've read so far everyone says how they were screaming and swearing and everything. I still want to try to avoid the epidural but I may do go with medication drips that help a little. But I'm still afraid I'll probably end up asking for an epidural! Definitely let me know how you're doing and keep me updated! I'm still so shocked that you're in L&D right now with contractions! I was having some braxton hicks the other day and then started worrying! 

I think Clover as Madi's middle name is so cute, I love that you already have a clover tattoo! I have two tattoo's, one I hate. So I'm so nervous about getting more but I already have a couple I want. I can't think of anything to get for my baby though. I think I'm gonna wait and get to know my little one's personality and likes and dislikes before I get something in honor of them!


----------



## krys

They checked my head and spine. Its fine! I can feel them, I couldn't so much at first though. Theyre getting stronger. Now my lower back is KILLING me and they're getting worse. I'm getting scared. I'll keep you updated.


----------



## airbear

I'm glad they checked your head and spine! I didn't get notified until late sometime while I was sleeping last night that you wrote! My mom and a lot of other women get contractions in their back! I think I'll be one of them because I already have so much back pain, I know that baby won't be easy on me! I hope you're doing well, definitely keep me updated!


----------



## krys

Well the contractions just kept getting worse, so they had to give me a shot to stop them. The shot burned sooo bad, even after she took the needle out! Then it made my body feel really weird! My heart started beating fast and my hands got shaky. She told me I should try to take a nap, but the bed was so uncomfortable! I finally fell asleep, but not for long. Then finally she came in and asked if I was still feeling them, I said no, and she said good. They weren't showing on the moniter anymore, but she wanted to make sure I wasn't feeling anything that the monitor couldn't see. I was so happy to leave there after almost six hours!! Soooo happy the contractions stopped. 
The lady next to me (there was a curtain separating us, but I could hear everything) was due July 21st and was in full blown preterm labor! They gave her the shot too, but it didn't work so they gave her pills too. When I left she was still in labor! I wonder if she delivered. She was very obese and unhealthy... I'm glad we're healthy!!!! My mom had back labor too, after last night I'm sure I'll have it. Seriously the worst pain ever! Especially since my back already hurt from the fall!
After being in the hospital I realized things I definitely need to bring when I go into labor! At least two of my own pillows, the hospital pillows suck! Probably my own little blanket, just so I'm more comfortable. Socks!! And a night gown. I don't even own a night gown, but I don't wanna wear the hospital gown, it's not comfortable especially when you're laying down since it ties in the back. They make you pull it up anyway bc they put moniters on your belly. Last night just made me realize that I need to get my bag packed soon and get as much of Madi's stuff together as possible. It's so crazy thinking I could have delivered last night!!!! I'm so glad I didn't. I've heard of a lot of people that had to get the shot to stop contractions and then delivered early. I'm gonna check that out some more! I don't care when I deliver, as long as it's after 36-37 weeks. I just want Madi to be safe and healthy!
We painted Madisons room!! I'm going to post pictures on Facebook, it's much easier to do it on there since I'm on my phone :) my 4D is two days away!!! I can't wait!

Also, you said you've been having Braxton hicks. I have had a lot lately! My doc said if I have more than 5 in an hour go to L&D. What did your doctor tell you?


----------



## airbear

I responded a few days ago but I guess it never posted! I'm glad everything worked out in the end, definitely a scary experience though. Hopefully Madison stays in for a while and continues to grow and get healthy! Although you had to go into L&D for a terrible reason, at least it helps you be more prepared for the next time you go in.. which hopefully won't be until July! I'll have to keep in mind your recommendations for the hospital bag! It is definitely crazy to think we could have our little ones at any moment, even though we'll hope it's not until July rolls around. Travis and I were talking about how any day we could completely be parents! It's so crazy! 

I can't wait to see Madison's room pictures! I'll have to go and check facebook! How did your ultrasound go?! I bet Madison was absolutely gorgeous! I believe today is your baby shower! I hope everything goes well and that you get a ton of things you need! You'll have to tell me all about it. I keep fine tuning my baby registry, I'm so impatient, I want to already have my shower so I can go out and get everything else we need so I can finally be prepared. However my mom is mostly planning the shower and she always goes above and beyond and she keeps texting me telling me how awesome it is going to be so I am very greatful and excited for that! 

I actually haven't had an BH lately. But when I saw my doctor on Friday she didn't mention a certain number but to call if I had anything unusual and not to worry if its something that doesn't seem like such a big deal because even little things are important. She mentioned BH, regular contractions, lots of discharge, etc. But every once in a while I'll roll over or move in a certain way and I get these weird pains that actually hurt pretty bad but I have no clue how to describe them. Usually I just move back to how I was before I felt the pain and wait a while before attempting again.

I apparently gained 5lbs in 2 weeks! Which was a shock to me since I had been weighing myself and hadn't notice such a change in weight. But my uterus is also measuring right on at 30in for 30 weeks. Although I always go in 4 days past my week mark, so I feel like I should probably be measuring closer to the next weeks, week number. Also! My nurse had me sign a paper saying Medicade (the insurance I get from the state) covers everything 100% except circumcision. Then she continued to tell us that if we wanted to have one of their doctors perform the circumcision it would cost $800 or she has a number to a clinic who only charges $200 or so. Anyway before hand she asked if we new the gender and we told her no we were waiting. But it just seemed like the way she was saying everything, that we were having a boy. Just because she made sure she gave us the number because she said she would probably forget. But if it was a girl she probably wouldn't be so on top of making sure we got the number to the other clinic or talk about it quite as much. So I think we might be having a boy! But of course it is technically still a surprise! Also I seem to be carrying lower and lower each week and have read and heard from a few ladies that carrying low is commonly a boy. Also you're suppose to be able to tell by the heartbeat and I can't remember what the range is, but I had thought 150bpm and below was a boy and 150bmp and above was a girl. We always get around 150 (always in the 150's). But I think girls are higher more in the 170s, what is Madison's heartbeat?


----------



## krys

Madison's heartbeat is almost always in the 150's, but the first two times I heard it, it was in the 170's!*
When I gained four pounds in two weeks I was completely shocked!! My scale at home is always different from the one at my drs office!
My baby shower was so much fun! Almost none of my friends showed up, even though they said they were coming. NINE no showed after they RSVP'd and only four (one being my best friend from Texas) showed up. My two closest friends didn't come either, but I knew they wouldn't be able to. One is going to school in LA and the other was in LA for work. They gave me my presents ahead of time though. Even my step moms whole family flaked. My family came though, and so did Eric's. Only his step sister and sister in law didn't come. I was really surprised by how many people RSVP'd and didn't show up. The worst part was that none of my friends even called before to say they weren't gonna make it, or after the fact. It made me realize who my real friends are. I definitely don't want those girls running back around whenever Madi is here just for the attention. It was still fun though!!! I got A LOT of clothes. I hardly got anything off my registry! People just like shopping for cute baby girl clothes. Thankfully, we got $300 cash, $100 to babies r us, and $60 to target. So we went to babies r us and target and bought some things that we didn't get. We're gonna wait until either 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after my due date and we can get the rest for 10% off. We also got so many wipes and diapers, ALL size 1! Eventually, she'll be a size 2...and then 3 and so on... We have (literally) hundreds-probably closer to a thousand size 1 though! I wish we would've got other sizes too, but oh well!*
My 4D was so great! We're buying a new laptop this week, so I'll upload the pictures then and show you :) she was so cute!! She had her little foot in her face the whole time, we even saw her kick herself! You could see her hair!!! Didn't even know that was possible! She also had her eyes open sometimes and stuck her little tongue out. It was soooooo cute. I love her so much! She kept pressing her face on my belly so her nose and lips are all squished in the pictures haha, so funny!*
Maybe you are having a boy! That would be pretty exciting! We could compare and see the difference in raising boys and girls! Ahhh you'll find out soon enough!! :)


----------



## krys

P.S. Idk why it keeps putting a '*' it happens when I post on my phone? Lol


----------



## airbear

That's funny she's always in the 150's but was in the 170's before. My baby is always in the 150's so I feel like it's really trying to surprise us with it's gender! I bet if we had wanted to know it would have tried to be stubborn and not show us! :)

I can't believe a lot of your friends didn't show up! And 9 who RSVP'd ahead of time didn't! That would be so frustrating. We're doing a BBQ at ours so if almost 10 people didn't show up that would be so frustrating since we planned food for them! We have a lot of 'friends' who keep asking about a baby shower so we might to a seperate shower for just friends since the shower on June 11th is just family. My mom alone invited 72 people but is expecting about 25 of them to actually show up, maybe more but a lot of my family lives in Oregon or farther south in Washington and probably won't make the trip up here. But maybe people will send gifts or money. Definitely sounds like a lot of people flaked which is kind of rude since it's your first baby. And with friends I totally agree. Once Madison is born they're all going to want to be buddy buddy with you so they can see her. I'm already frustrated as a lot of people don't care while I'm pregnant. Never ask how I'm doing or chat with me, but I know once my baby is born they'll try to be best friends. I don't see why we would want to let them around our babies if they weren't there for us while we were pregnant! Usually at baby showers people always buy clothes because people love buying cute baby clothes over something needed! That's why I really wanted my baby shower before the baby was born so that people were more willing to buy something on our list since it wasn't as easy to buy clothes. I also wrote on my registry that we'd prefer items on our list over clothes and diapers because I've heard some babies do really well in huggies while others do better in pampers so I wanted to test that out before we got a ton of diapers. Plus like you people never think ahead and only buy size 1 diapers or newborn and same with clothes! They only buy newborn or 0-3 month clothes. When if some people bought larger sizes we would be more prepared! Oh well. I'm hoping people are willing to buy the things I need so that I get to pick out clothes:) At least people gave you some money which is great so that you can put it towards things you really need! How come if you wait until 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after your due date things are 10% off?

I'm glad your 4D went well and that you got to see Madison again! I bet that was really nice, especially after your fall! Our babies are so much bigger now they get all smooshed! That's so funny she kicked herself! I saw my baby holding onto it's foot and such. It loves having things by it's face. It's face is all pushed against my placenta and it had its umbilical chord right across it's face and it always had it's hands by its face! I bet Madison's new 4D pictures are so adorable I can't wait to see them! The lady who did my ultrasound she showed me the babies hair on the 2D so it wasn't as easy to tell. 

It would be pretty cool if I had a boy and we can compare parenting them! Boys are suppose to be a bit slower developmentally so we could compare when they start walking, talking, potty training, etc! I am so excited for our due dates! I think the next two months are going to go by slowly just because I am so excited! Probably not since I still have so much to do to get ready! I did buy my travel sized toiletries and super large pads for my hopsital bag. I want to wait and see if anyone buys me the diaper bag I want because I'm going to use that as my hospital bag. Other wise I'll buy it myself after the 11th and pack it! But I wanted to prepare things ahead of time just in case even if its not in the bag. Where are you going to keep your hospital bag? I think I'm going to keep mine in my car since we only have one car right now and I usually have it, so if I'm not at home when I need to go to the hospital it will already be with me! 

I don't know why it always puts a * but it definitely started after your laptop got stolen! I think it puts a * whenever you're trying to start a new paragraph. At least that's what I figured! Lol


----------



## krys

If you register with babies r us, they give you 10% off what isn't bought off your registry! It's a really good deal! 
I'm gonna keep my hospital bag at home. We would probably take my car instead of Eric's truck bc his truck is lifted and it's hard enough trying to get in there pregnant, I would have such a hard time if I was in labor!! If he's working, he might just have to call dispatch at his work and have them pick me up in an ambulance and meet me at the hospital! I won't get charged for the ambulance ride if he calls. He'll be able to get off when I'm in labor (if he's working), but he could be on the opposite side of town and it might take a while to get home! He sometimes has to transport over 45 minutes away! That would be awful if I was in labor ready to go! I figured even if I'm out somewhere and can't grab my bag, his mom or someone can run by my house an pick it up!
We ordered a new washer and dryer, so once it comes in I'm gonna wash Madi's clothes for the hospital, and get our bags ready! I got my diaper bag (finally) lol it's even cuter in person!!! I'm so excited to have everything ready :)
Remember how I told you about my drs appts, how their in a group? Well yesterday o e lady was gone bc she was in LABOR!!! She was 36 weeks, but still! Crazy. I'd like to have Madi at 37 weeks (if she's ready)! We're getting our new laptop after June 9th, when we do I'll post my 4D pics and the pics from my ultrasound today! I'm so excited, bc I have most of the 4D ones on a disk so I only got to see them once on my moms computer. We were watching the video, and we forgot it in her laptop when she left! So now the video of Madison is in Washington :/ she's sending it back though! I just want to see it!
Everytime my dr measures my fundal height or whatever, it's a little off. Like yesterday I measured 30-31 weeks, but I was 31 weeks 3 days! I know it's not that far along, but ever since she started measuring me I was a week behind. Did they tell you how much your baby weighs at your ultrasound? My mom paid extra for them to tell us, she was 3.5lbs! That's sounds so big to me!


----------



## airbear

Oh, I'm sure I must have that coupon somewhere then! But it does sound like a good deal! My mom found some store that has cheaper baby items in the same brands and everything. 

Hopefully he won't be so far out when you go into labor. But if you tell him as soon as you feel the first contractions you'll probably have plenty of time. I plan on staying home until my contractions are 5 minutes apart because we live really close to the hospital and I'd rather be home and comfortable. So as long as you tell him before then he'll have time to come get you! But since you won't have to pay for an ambulance ride that is always a nice option, too! 

At first I was going to buy two coming home outfits. One boy outfit and one girl outfit in newborn size. But I know you're suppose to wash all baby clothes before hand and it seems silly for me to have to buy both and then be stuck with an outfit of the wrong gender I paid for! So now I might just have to get one neutral gender outfit which isn't quite as fun. But it can still turn out cute:) That's exciting that once the washer and dryer come you can finally get everything ready! I can't wait until after my baby shower to finally get everything prepared! I'm getting so impatient!

That's crazy one of the ladies in your group wasn't in the appointment because she went into labor! It's so weird seeing how close we're getting! Just two months away! And that's more on the late side since they can come early! I'm hoping I have an August baby! But of course if they decide to come early I won't complain! :)

I can't wait to see all your ultrasound pictures! I bet she look's so adorable! Hopefully you get your video back. My 4D video is so pointless, I'm upset by it. The ultrasound tech never stayed still long enough to see the baby move or anything beyond just her taking pictures and trying to see the babies face through the placenta. Oh well it was still worth it for the pictures, hopefully you're video was better! It would be tough not getting to look on your CD and see all the pictures and since you don't even have the video it would be like torture not being able to see little Madison!

Whenever they measure my tummy it is usually right on. When I went in at 28+4 I measured 28 and then when I went in at 30+4 I measured at 30 inches. Except on 30 weeks they had to measure twice because the nurse got 28 inches and was concerned but when the doctor measured she got 30 inches. I wonder if Madison will come late since you've been measuring a week behind. It could also mean she is little but I think they are measuring the uterus, but maybe if Madison is small the uterus wouldn't have grown as large. Did your mom pay to find out the weight at the 4D or at the doctors? I didn't get to find out any measurements at the 4D. I wanted to know if she could do a dating measure since each time I've had an ultrasound at the doctors I always measured a few days behind. But I didn't even ask since the lady was so weird and it took so long to even see the baby. It's crazy to think how big they are now! I can definitely feel baby like crazy. Whenever the baby moves I can feel it pushing against me. Sometimes it will stick something out and make a hard spot and even Travis feels my tummy cand can tell where the baby is laying. Of course we can't tell exactly what we're feeling other than the baby it's still crazy! But whenever I feel kicks it feels so weird now because I can feel more of a limb rather than just a quick movement.


----------



## krys

She paid extra at the 4D! I'm not sure why, but it was $155 this time! Today at my ultrasound they'll probably tell me where I'm measuring and how big she is! I wonder if they say the same! Our 4D this time was very different from last time. I think just bc she doesn't have as much room as she did when she was little! She's definitely getting squished in there! I was so jealous when I foun out that lady was in labor. I don't want to have Madi this early or anything, I just want to be full term already!! I'm getting so impatient and ready!
You may have told me already, but I can't remember. Who's going to be in the room when you deliver?


----------



## airbear

That's not a bad price at all! But our babies are definitely squished. Before you could see all of Madison pretty clearly. Now I bet her cute little face takes up most of the screen! It will be fun to compare with the ultrasound at the doctors today. You'll have to let me know! I wish I had one more doctor ultrasound so I could know how my baby is growing. Plus it would be nice to get one around this time just to see what it says the baby is measuring week wise. It would help give us a better idea of when we can expect our little ones to arrive! 

We're the same way! We're ready for it to be July now so that we have a lot less time to wait. Travis says every day how ready he is for our little one and he always posts cute facebook updates. His most recent one says: 'I can't wait to start the best job ever, July 25th better hurry up and get here!'. It was funny because he's going back to work at Costco since his parents aren't getting enough business so a someone he had worked at Costco with before commented and said Costco? And my mom said Daddy! It's so cute how excited he is though. But we're still picking out names! We've made a short list of boy names and I still really like Elsie for a girl but we don't have a middle name for her yet! 

As for the delivery room I hope to only have hospital staff as needed and Travis. I don't mind a couple visitors before the actual pushing stage. Mostly just letting our parents come in to say Hi once before and then they'll wait in the guest waiting room until after the actual babies delivery. It was cute because I thought I had already told Travis I wanted him to cut the umbilical chord and he was reading a baby book the other day that had a list of things we may or may not want for our birth plan and one was who would cut the umbilical chord and Travis asked me if he could! I was like of course I thought I had already said I wanted you too! He's getting really impatient as well! 

We stopped at an Estate Sale the other day and one of the women asked if we were having a boy or a girl. We told her we were leaving it a surprise and she said that was so cool because when she had decided to wait on one of her three babies it was much more fun. Anyway she said when she was at the doctors the day before one of her babies were born her regular doctor had to leave to go do something and another nurse or doctor came in to finish checking everything and asked her what baby she had at home and she said she had a boy. He told her oh well you're having another one and walked out of the room. So she had waited 9 months keeping the gender a surprise and she ends up finding out the day before she was to be induced! I would be so mad if that happened to me!


----------



## krys

Oh my gosh! I would have been so upset!!!I can't imagine waiting so long and then having someone blow it right before! 
My mom insists on being in the room. I'm gonna let her, even though I'd rather it just be Eric and me! I do NOT want her seeing all my business though. She is going to be up by my head and that's it! I'm so shy and uncomfortable, I can't imagine having my legs spread wide for everyone to see. People are always like "you won't even care", but I know I will!!
We got Madisons room painted, crib set up, bouncer put together, jumper put together, stroller put together, diaper genie put together, all her clothes hung up (they just need to be washed), we have her car seat (still in the box), mattress, changing table pad, sheets, etc. We ordered my rocker and the changing table. I think we're ready!! I feel ready at least. She has so much stuff, I'm having a hard time organizing it all. I get overwhelmed when I go in her room :/
What do you have left to do? :)


----------



## krys

At my 4D they said she was 3 lb 5 oz, yesterday they said 3 lb 11 oz! That's a lot of ounces in 6 days!!!




Not great quality, I used my phone and took a picture of the picture. This was one from our 4D, I think this one is 3D though. Most of our others are that brownish color. I only got five print outs, the rest are on a disk, so when I get my laptop (hopefully next week, fingers are crossed) I can show you the others :) 

Also, yesterday at my ultrasound, she was using my placenta as a pillow haha! She was putting her little face on it, I thought that was kind of funny. Luckily she only had the side of her face on it or else it would have been more difficult to see her, like when your little one was doing that! By the time the doctor came in, because first it was just an ultrasound tech, her face was almost completely squished into it! He couldn't get any good shots! I've noticed that the ultrasound tech's always get better pictures then the doctor does! I can't remember, do you have to go somewhere else for your ultrasounds? I go to a place called center for maternal fetal medicine, and that's all they do. My friend came with me yesterday though, and she said that our other friend got hers done at her ob office and that she got checked EVERY appointment!!!!! I'm so jealous! I wish my dr gave me one everytime! Even if it was just quick.


----------



## airbear

I'm the same way. I'm going to feel weird having the doctors all up in my business as it is. I'm also going to be worried by how I'm acting. Like everyone says you're not even going to be thinking about it but I feel like I will be worried about all the little things on top of the labor pains!

I bet it feels nice to have everything organized though! Once she's here it won't feel quite as overwhelming since you'll start to get to use it all and it won't feel like its all just waiting! We already have a swing put together, the crib and mattress set up, we have a changing table but need to get a pad for it, we have a stationary play toy that won't get used for a few months, and a bouncy seat. We have hand me down clothes in boxes since we'll need something right away. Otherwise I'm mostly waiting until after the baby shower to get everything prepared. We still need a lot of things like the travel system, diaper genie, baby monitors, changing pad, sheets, beddin, so much! But I feel like a lot I'll end up getting after the baby is here since I'll want to get the right color. So I'm feeling somewhat prepared. I feel like the baby has most of the basics! My dad had reward points from his AMEX card and bought me the Baby Bjorn Carrier I wanted! :) It's exciting knowing I already have one gift bought! Something I really wanted too! 

I can't believe she's already gained so much so quick. I guess I can believe it because I feel like I can almost feel the extra weight each day! I can tell my baby is getting a whole lot bigger! Oh my goodness Madison is so adorable! I can't wait to see the other pictures of her! Its crazy how they're starting to get less and less space and how different the ultrasounds are now! I have my ultrasounds at my doctors office. But the doctor never does the ultrasounds just the tech. Even though my ultrasounds are at my office I don't get them everytime I go in! :( I would definitely love to though! 

I am so excited! We have less than two months until our babies are here. I'm a little nervous with my job and money right now though. Travis is having to go back to Costco as his parents just aren't getting enough business. That means Travis will start at $11 or $12 an hour and he's making about $13:50 right now. Plus his schedule with his parents was M-F 7am - 3pm and I worked M-F 8am to 5pm so it was perfect. Now he'll have odd hours probably more in the evening and definitely on the weekend. That means I will have to spend less time with him :( Then my nanny job asked if I could have my last day July 1st. Which I said was fine because I know they're worried that I could go into labor early, get put on bed rest, or just be too exhausted to work and they want to put the kids in day camp and they need to sign up now. I had been expecting to work up until my due date at least. Giving me 2-3 weeks extra pay. Plus I'm not sure if they plan on hiring me back part time once the kids go back to school in September. I was basically hoping to only take August off and now I'm forced to take July and August off! Which I make $2200 a month so basically our income has been cut in half! I'm going to continue to apply to other nanny jobs but since I can't really start until September it makes it hard, especially since I want to find a position in which I can bring my baby! 

Anyway I am so excited for my baby to get here. Even though I'm stressed about not working in July it's kind of nice I'll have that time to prepare the house for the baby and to relax. I'll probably do odd baby sitting jobs that are temporary as I find them. But I just want to snuggle with my baby! I love feeling it move because it feels so baby like now where as before it was quick kicks, and then some rolling movement. Now its like I can tell their is a baby in their and it kind of responds to me prodding back!


----------



## krys

That's awesome that your dad got you the baby carrier you wanted! 
I'm sorry that you're going to be out of work for so long, and that Travis is going to have to work odd hours :/ hopefully you'll get tons of things from your baby shower. We got so many diapers and wipes, it's a big relied knowing that we won't have to buy those for a while. I'm so thankful for my family! Eric and I have pretty much everything, and we haven't had to buy anything! He's been working like crazy and saving, so I feel pretty comfortable. His grandma gave us a $1000 check, so we have that to fall back on as well. I feel so relieved, when I first found out I was pregnant all I could think of was how I'd be able to support a baby! Everyone has helped out a lot though. The only things we don't have are a swing and high chair. We didn't have a play pen until today, but my moms friend couldn't make it to the baby shower, and sent us a card with a $100 bill! So we went to babies r us and I picked out a playpen and got it on sale for $145 and an additional 15% off! That was stressing me out bc we're using the bassinet part of it for her to sleep in at first. 
I'm sure it will be hard to find another job willing to let you bring baby to work, but hopefully someone will let you! I really hope you can find something, that seems so stressful! I can't imagine if Eric's income basically got cut in half. He only makes $9.20, but anything over 8 hrs is overtime and he works 12-16 hr shifts whenever he works. He usually works at least 5 days a week. He works a lot of hours, but he's still considered part time. Meaning no health insurance. Right now I'm on my dads insurance, but Madison can't be. So as of right now, she's not going to have insurance when she gets here. This is my biggest stressor right now. We looked into getting her on het own insurance plan, but it's not allowed. It would have to be her and a parent, so if I got it for the two of us I'd lose my dads insurance. It also wouldn't go into affect until 30 days after she's born!! That doesn't work, obviously. So I have no idea what I'm going to do. :( What are you doing about your baby having insurance? 

I packed my hospital bag btw!!! I just did it today, I'm so proud :)

Tomorrow, we can say our babies are due "next month" that's so exciting!!! We're getting so close! I definitely agree that my baby's movements are more baby like. I feel like I could just grab her little feet! Was your baby head down yet at your ultrasound? Madison was at both of mine! 

How have you been feeling lately? I've had a lot of pressure in my pelvic area, have you?


----------



## airbear

I know I was so happy he got it! Just because a lot of things on my registry are expensive so I was worried I wouldn't get anything but the less expensive things (which is okay) and then i'd have to buy all the spendy items! Plus I really wanted the carrier because I think we'll use that a whole lot more than the stroller.

Yeah, I'm sure things will work out in the end job wise. It's just stressful when they're isn't anything I can do about it now! My boyfriend bought a road bike yesterday as he wants to start biking to work even though I said we'll just get the second car but he insists even then he wants to bike. Whatever, as long as he is happy! It will save us a lot in gas if he keeps up with it. He works about 8 miles away so it seems crazy to me! I did find a few vehicles below our price range that could work and then we'd have a bunch of extra money! That would be nice! If all else fails Travis' mom can watch our little one full time while I work a job in which I can't bring my baby. Travis' income itself won't be cut in half but if I don't have a job our household income will be! Travis makes about $1700 a month and I make $2200 so we'll be so tight since rent is $1100 not including energy or utilities! It does sound like Eric works a lot! Does he work 5 days at 12-16 hour shifts each day or just sometimes? I bet he comes home exhausted if he is always working that much! But he sounds like such a great fiance supporting you and Madison! :)

Sounds like you guys did really well at your baby shower and getting cheaper things! They money people gave is really helpful also! We were lucky and a woman my boyfriends family was working for gave us a pretty new play pen! Plus my mom had a lot of pretty new things she had gotten for her house when she was baby sitting my cousin's baby. We picked out something a little different than a high chair because we think it will work better for us. I don't remember what its called but its some small seat that doesn't take up a lot of space. But we haven't gotten it yet, its on my registry. So I was looking at my register yesterday and noticed I had accidentally put two of these sleep sacks when I only wanted one. Today I went on to change it to just wanting one and I noticed people started buying us baby things! Funny because they bought two of the sleep sacks that I wanted only one of.. oops! But I got to see everything that got bought so far. I got all the sheets I wanted, the two baby blankets I wanted, the diaper genie and the refill packs, this silly cute blue elephant I wanted to buy but Travis said I couldn't but said I could put it on the registry, a pacifier holder to keep them organized and attatches anywhere, newborn pacifiers from tommee tippee or whatever, 5 pack newborn neutral receiving blankets, a bath set that comes with a hooded towel and washcloths, keep me dry padded crib pad, a 5 pack toddler plates, and bathtime spiller cups that make a caterpillar. I am so excited! Some of those were just the fun things I didn't NEED just wanted but that's okay! I'm excited I got the sheets, pacifiers, blankets, bath set, diaper genie. Eek I am so excited for my shower!

Insurance is really stressful. Travis had insurance when he worked for his parents. It wasn't really the best and didn't cover a lot. He had to get some stuff done at the dentist and still had to pay $1000 out of pocket! He also had insurance before he worked for his parents when he worked at Costco and their insurance is much better. Anyways I didn't have insurance before being pregnant. So I went to DSHS and got Medicaid which is insurance from the state because I am pregnant and make less than $2240 a month! I barely made the cut off and I couldn't tell them about Travis or we would make way too much. But as long as I don't get married and I make less than $2240 I can have their insurance which covers all my doctors bills while being pregnant, including at the hospital. It doesn't cover a circumcision though. I can use this insurance all the way up until my baby is 18 as long as our household income is under $2240! But if Travis and I ever get married they will know he's helping support us financially and we'll make too much. But hopefully by then one of us will have a job with insurance. Travis is starting Costco sometime this week so if he keeps that job and we get married we'll still have insurance. Otherwise we'll have to get an insurance plan for our family fi we get married. I've seen some affordable ones but if you don't go to the doctors often it ends up feeling like you're just spending money for nothing! But since Medicaid is covering me and my baby right now I'm going to go to the dentist and the eye doctor soon since I haven't gone in years. 

Congrats on packing your hospital bag! What is everything you put in?! So far I just have toiletries and huge night time heavy flow pads. I think they provide pads but I'm bring some in case anyway. Otherwise I haven't gotten anything else yet.

OUR BABIES ARE DUE NEXT MONTH! I can't believe it, it feels so soon. Especially since this week feels like it is almost over and this weekend is going to go by fast because I have a doctors appointment Friday and Travis' best friend comes back from boot camp on Saturday so they'll be hanging out all weekend. Then next week will feel a little long because I had memorial day off so it was a 4 day week this week, plus I have a half day Friday for my doctors appointment. But then on the 11th I have my baby shower so that will make the following weekend go by fast. Then the weekend after that is Father's Day! Are you getting Eric anything? And then about a half a week after Father's day will be the 24th/25th and we'll only have ONE MONTH before our due date! I'm going to blink and it will be here! Especially since my last work day is the 1st of July and then I'll just get to sit at home and prepare the babies room and get the house ready! 

I feel the same, like I could just tickle it's little toes or kiss it's little nose! I get so excited by the movement which is so funny because my baby moves so much all the time so all I'm doing is grabbing Travis' hand to feel. We were talking boys names again and Travis said to my bump, kick if you like the name Benjamin and it kicked! It was so funny. Travis didn't know at first because it wasn't very hard only I could tell but it was a definite kick to me! I feel bad Travis can't feel the baby like I can, its moving right now and it is just such an amazing feeling. I wouldn't want to give it up though, I'm glad I'm the one who gets to feel my little one all the time. I think my mom feelings are kicking in because I was telling Travis that I don't want to give birth because my baby is safe and close to me right now and once they're born other people will hold it and it's not safe outside in the world! Then I was worried about finding a job where I could bring baby and Travis said his mom is able to watch the baby full time while I work and I said if I had to I would but I so don't want to! I don't want my baby raised by her, not because I don't like her but I'm just so protective and want to be the one who spends all the time raising my baby! My baby's head has actually been head down EVERY single time I have gone into the doctors. It was head down at the dating scan at week 12 and somewhat down at the 20 week scan and when I got my 4D the baby was head down. Every time I go in and I don't get an ultrasound they always feel to see where baby is and every single time the baby is head down! Too funny. I haven't had any extra pelvic pressure but at my 4D scan the lady said the baby sits on my hip bones and that's what I was told at my 20 week scan so I've pretty much just had pressure the entire time! But I would say I'm getting more ligament pains or maybe it's braxton hicks contractions but I don't think they are since my tummy doesn't seem too hard. But this past week I've been getting a bit more tightening and cramping and such.


----------



## airbear

Oh my that post was so long! I'm sorry. I guess I had a lot to say and I was so excited about my registry and talking about our babies! :)


----------



## krys

My baby was head down at my 20 week scan, I totally forgot until you said that! I remember the dr saying my baby was doing a headstand! Haha. 
I am getting Eric something for fathers day, since he got me things for mothers day! Not sure what I'm getting him though. He always says "I want that for fathers day", but he's said that about like 20 things. Are you getting Travis something?
I packed:
Sweat pants
2 pairs of pj pants
2 tee shirts
2 tank tops
A night gown
Big panties
Toiletries 
Breast pads
Pads
That's all I can think of right now :shrug:

In Madison's:
2 onesies
2 long sleeve ones
1 pr of pants (in case it's cold in the hospital?)
2 receiving blankets
3 pr of socks
2 pr of scratch mittens
A hat
3 newborn diapers and wipes, I know they'll provide them but just in case!

I'm sure I packed her too much, but I'd like to have options! 
That's so awesome that people have started buying off your registry! I noticed that a lot of people bought off it last minute! I kept checking it lol. Im sure you'll get things that you didn't register for too! One of my favorite gifts was from Eric's step brothers wife. They have a son, he'll be two next month. She got me all her favorite things. It was so personal. She took the time to pick out the things that she used the most with her son. I would have never thought of some of it, so it was so helpful! Especially coming from someone that has such a young baby. 
You're so lucky to have insurance!!! I should try to get Medicaid. 
We are getting soooooooooo close. It's gonna be July before we know it!

I have a story to tell you! Eric worked with this guy yesterday who's 20 and his wife is 20. They have a one year old named Addison!! So crazy. Anyway, his wifes friend from high school was their daughters baby sitter. She called him the other day and said he needed to pick her up bc she had bruises on her neck. He assumed it was just bc shes learning to walk so he wasnt that worried. He had his wife go pick her up though. His wife picked her up and told her she was going to the ER bc the bruises were bad on her neck and behind her ears. When they got to the ER they said it looked like it was either cancer or a blood disease. They ran tests and ruled those out. Then CPS came, bc they started to look like hand prints around her neck and bruises behind her ears from someone pulling her ears!!! They wouldn't let them take their baby, she had to stay with her grandma. They gave the parents a lie detector test and found out they were being honest and weren't hurting their baby. They called the baby sitter and asked if she'd take one. At first she said yes, but then she got a lawyer!!! So obviously they were abusing the little girl! It's so sad :( I never want anyone watching my baby.


----------



## krys

When I said "they" were abusing her I mean the baby sitter and her husband.


----------



## airbear

I want to get Travis something. I just don't know what to get him! He doesn't ever point out anything! I found a 'Beer of the Month' club and thought about getting him that since he just turned 21 and it gives you 12 beers, 4 different kinds each month. So then he could try different kinds because he always goes to the store and picks out a different kind each time. But I don't know if he'd really want it or if he'd rather just go pick out the kinds he wants to try.

Thanks for your list! It will be helpful for when I go to pack mine. I've seen other lists too but I just don't want to forget anything! If possible I'd probably bring that much clothes for my baby too. But its more difficult when I don't know which color to bring! But I'm like my mom and I would bring too much just to be on the safe side! 

I am so excited for my shower to see what people get. Its weird having a whole party dedicated to buying me (baby) stuff! But its so appreciated, too. I hope I get some gifts that aren't on the registry too. Something like what Eric's step brother's wife did. I bet that will be so helpful once Madison is here! 

I am very lucky and appreciative of my insurance! I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have it! It was easy to get though. I just had to fill out a worksheet and I just left the parts blank for roommate or OH basically and then they called my employer to verify how much I make. Which was a little annoying because he told them $550 a week which is true, but sometimes I get extra days off like a snow day or a holiday or if the parents don't work. So I end up not getting paid $110 each day I don't work. Well that really changes my monthly income. So I just had to show them pay stubs for the last two months which back then was November and December to show I didn't make the full $2200 each month. Other than that it was pretty easy. I might even try and get food assistance starting in July once I don't work anymore to help pay for some food since we won't have the same flow of income. I'm sure it would be just as easy for you to get medicaid. When you fill out the paperwork just don't write about anyone but you and the baby. Until you and Eric get married you should be able to get insurance. By the way have you guys set a wedding date yet?

That is such a sad story! That is exactly why I don't want to find a stranger to watch my baby. I think I can only trust family and even then that can be scary because there are always stories of abuse in the family! I hope they're able to get to the bottom of the case and if they really did abuse her that her parents will be able to press charges! Its so sad that it was the wife's friend who she was having watch her baby and then to come find out she's been abusing her! I'm confused though, did the wife's friend (the babysitter) call to say to come pick her up because their was brusing? Seems so weird to point out what you did, but she probably thinks she would get away with it if she was the one who was 'concerned'. I just don't understand why people can abuse children. Especially since she was only a year. She's to young to understand a lot of things like discipline. So if they were trying to get her to stop some bad behavior she probably didn't even understand! 

The other day there was this news article about how a women was posing a young girl in front of the camera for this man who was a previous sex offender who lives in my city. So then I got curious and looked up sex offenders in my area. I found this website that you could find your city anywhere in America and then you could see the lists of the sex offenders and where they lived. Plus it gave you their picture and what they were charged for. It was crazy! Especially since we all know there are offenders everywhere but its still weird to see their charge and their face and everything.

Then today I read another news article of a man somewhere here in Washington in 1982 who killed a 13 year old girl. They didn't find him for two decades and he was sentenced to 10 years. He's already served 7 years and is possibly getting out the first week of June! I can't believe you can kill someone and only get charged with 10 years in prison! They said he was on good behavior in the prison and doesn't show signs of doing it again. Why did he kill her in the first place?! How can you be so sure he won't kill anyone again?! Scary world we live in..


----------



## airbear

I just googled the 13 year old girl who was killed to find out more about the story. I had just assumed the man who killed her was older because I had seen a picture. He's 35 NOW which means he was 14 when he killed her. I haven't read a lot but it does make a little more sense as to why they would give him 10 years and assume he wouldn't kill again. Crazy that a 14 year old boy could do that!


----------



## krys

That sounds like a great idea for Travis!! I bet he would really love that. I'm very lucky to have Eric pointing things out left and right! Whatever I don't get him for fathers day I can get him for Christmas and his birthday. I just need to remember haha. 

I think the baby sitter told them because she knew they were gonna see the bruises once they picked her up. So that way she wouldn't have seemed guilty, I guess. It's just so sad that someone would do that to an innocent little baby KNOWING they can't defend themselves or tell anyone. I would have gone to her house and beat the crap out of her if it was me!!! I would be so distraught if someone hurt my baby. I'd feel like it was my fault for trusting that person. I already told everyone that Madison will not be left with anyone, not even our parents until she's six months old. Once she's six months, Eric's mom or my mom (if she's in town) can babysit for short periods of time. She's not allowed to sleep over anywhere until she's old enough to actually want to, if that makes sense. Then she'd still only be able to stay at her Grandmas house. I'm going to be really protective, but I'm a stay at home mommy so I'm lucky that I'll be able to keep her all the time. 
Theres a sex offender app! I had it on my iPhone a long time ago. I'd like to look up the ones in my area. Imagine if you actually saw and recognized one!!! So scary. That's so crazy about that man! I can't even imagine a 14 year old killing someone. I can believe he hid for ten years!!!! I don't think he should have ever been let out... I saw a story once about a guy who killed his wife then went to jail. They let him out for good behavior, and he went on with his life and got remarried, or maybe just engaged. Anyway, he ended up killing her too! It like, they had him in jail and they freaking let him go and it happened again. That judge probably felt awful, but I think he should! There are some crazy people in this world :/ I wish I could keep Madi all to myself so she'd never get hurt. 
We set a date, but I'm not so sure about it. March 17, 2012 which is also St. Patricks day! We want to get married at lake las vegas, where he proposed. They want you to book the venue 12-18 months in advance, so we're a little late. We also need to choose the venue (they have several) based on the amount of people, but we've had so mch going on that making a guest list is the last thing on our minds! Have you and Travis talked about marriage? I was looking at your ticker and you guys have been together for SO LONG!!! :)


----------



## airbear

Haha okay, good! Because I wasn't too sure if it was something worth getting! But it is nice that Eric points things out because then you can't really get a gift he won't like, plus you have gifts for other times like his birthday or christmas! :)

Its just sick people do things like that. I'll never be able to understand what goes through their head that makes them think its okay! I haven't decided when I will be okay with people watching my baby. I'm already a little frustrated because I get a ton of people saying they're willing to babysit and Travis' mom said she would baby sit New Year's Eve for us so we can go out. But I didn't even ask her or say we were going out. I feel like people have to understand this is MY baby and it's not theirs, just because they want to spend time with it doesn't mean they get to make the decision when they will get to. I would love if I can find a nanny job where I can work from home and have someone drop their children off at my place. Then I could be a stay at home mom but still be making money. I just feel like I'm not ready to part with my little one and since I hope to start working again in September I definitely won't be ready to leave my baby anywhere! I feel like because we're young people are going to constantly be telling us how to raise our babies. I'm not sure if you feel that way but I feel like I can just see my mom or Travis' parents telling us what we should and shouldn't do. I'm the one who carried and protected this baby for 9 months I think I'll be the one deciding how I will raise it!

I never thought to look for a sex offender app but I'm sure I will now! It would be so crazy to be at the store and walk by someone and recognize their face and then suddenly realize where you recognize them from! It's like the guy who killed the 13 year old girl. He lives in Bothell or will when he gets out and I live in Kenmore and they're neighboring cities that aren't all that big! That's so crazy the story about the man who killed his wife then was released from jail and was with another woman who he then killed! I can't even imagine! He obviously has problems and I would feel so terrible being the judge who didn't sentence him long enough. I think its tricky in court though because the reason the guy who killed the 13 year old girl only got 10 years was because he was charged of 2nd degree murder instead of 1st degree murder. Since there is a jury they are basically the one's who make the judgement call. I think he also raped the girl so I don't see why he didn't get charged for that too. 1st degree means he had to of planned the murder ahead of time and since he was 14 they decided that they didn't think a 14 year old would have thought of his crime ahead of time instead did it in the moment. But then because he was only charged with 2nd degree murder they could only sentence him so long. The laws are crazy. My boyfriend and I always talk about how we think things should be run differently and how we think people who have served time for such offenses shouldn't just be released after they finish their sentence but have to complete some course that can get them help for whatever crime they commited. Similar to how you go to rehab for drugs but its like rehab for murder.

Aw you could do a green wedding for St. Patricks day! They make some really cool greens for weddings. I've actually thought about doing green as the color for my wedding before because I've seen other green weddings that turned out so cute! How did you guys decide on the day? I feel like picking a date would be hard. Actually everything about the wedding seems hard! You only get married once (hopefully!). I think getting married at lake Las Vegas would be cute since that is where he proposed and it looked so pretty! I can't imagine trying to plan a wedding right now while being pregnant and preparing for Madison! I'm sure the wedding is kind of on the back burner. Hopefully you still get the venue you want! We've actually talked about marriage before we got pregnant. Though we planned it would be just a couple years later. Closer to us being 23 or 24. But ever since we got pregnant we've gotten even closer in our relationship which seems crazy because we have been together so long! I was 15 when we started dating and I actually find it surprising we made it through high school since high school is just a huge dramatic rollar coaster! But our relationship has grown while we've grown and we've been best friends since before we started dating. It's cute because Travis feels bad he hasn't proposed yet. He even asked if he could propose without a ring because he felt bad like he was suppose to by now since it's been 5 years. I told him he could if he really wanted to but there wasn't any rush. People are going to ask to see the ring so we might as well wait! We also said we didn't want to get married because of the baby. We want to make sure we're getting married for the right reasons because we're crazy about each other. Which we are and have been, but the baby is kind of making it difficult since we're on a budget financially. Travis was thinking we would get married next year but I had told him I want to be engaged about a year before the wedding so I can have time to plan it so I think we'll get engaged next year and married the year after. It's tricky because we want to get married in between the two kids. We want our kids more than a year apart but no more than 3 years. So it's like playing tetris trying to fit the engagement/wedding in! Maybe closer to September when I'll know what my job situation is like we can buy a ring and put it on a credit card so that we don't just spend a big chunk up front and Travis can propose when he wants to. But we definitely will be getting married sometime! I'm sure i'd already be engaged by now if we had money to buy a ring! Maybe we'll just buy a cheaper car and I'll get a ring too! Haha


----------



## krys

I feel like people are going to try to tell me how to raise my baby, but I think my family knows better. I'm very hard headed and I hate to say it, but I have an attitude so people generally know when they've crossed the line. 
Eric and I were actually looking at rings before I got pregnant! I had picked out the style I wanted and everything, but it was just the money matter. Eric was still saving, and then we found out I was pregnant. So it wasn't the biggest priority. I do feel like my family and friends thought he just proposed because I got pregnant. They know we're crazy for each other, but they didn't know we were looking at rings beforehand. I know that he would've asked me either way, so that's all that matters to me. We even had our wedding colors picked out before I got pregnant!! We want the Tiffany & Co. blue color! I love that color so much!!! 

We have less than eight weeks left! Holy mac that sounds like such a short amount of time! My 20th birthday is July 20th. Normally I'd be counting down to my birthday, but it doesn't even matter to me! All I care about now is my baby :) Shes gonna be the best birthday present ever!

Did they ever say why or how he killed her? Just out of curiosity! I can't imagine a 14 year old having a gun or anything. That's scary, my mom lives in Redmond now, I wonder how far that is from where he's gonna be!!

Today Madison hasn't been moving much. She's only moved when I lay on my back. Usually she's bouncing around all day! It kind of scares me!!


----------



## krys

P.S. Eric got a credit card when he bought my ring! He didn't have to get it, since he bought it with his tax returns and had all the money. He wanted to build credit though! They approved him for the full amount, so he just makes monthly payments. Anyway, I hope you ge your ring!! I still stare at mine everyday :)


----------



## airbear

I feel like my mom is realizing I'm hard headed. When I lived at home she use to tell me what she thought now she keeps it to herself more. I'm worried about Travis' family but I know his mom had a relative that tried to tell her how to raise her kids and she didn't like it so maybe she won't be so pushy.

We were the same way! I already know what style of ring I want! But I didn't really show Travis, I described it but didn't show it because I want him to pick something special out. He bought me a 'promise ring' some silly high school thing I think and he did such a good job its so cute! So I'm excited to see what he picks out for my engagement ring! It doesn't matter if people think its because of Madison or not as long as you two know why you're getting married and as long as you're happy! I love the Tiffany blue color! That will be so pretty! I can't wait to see pictures.. haha and its about a year away! I think I want a summer night time wedding. So the wedding ceremony will be at sunset and then the reception will be once its dark. I want to have a bunch of lanters and candles and white christmas lights wrapped around trees as lighting! 

I seriously can't believe how far along we are and how soon our little ones will be here! It's pretty exciting you'll have your birthday and Madison so close so you'll be having so much fun in July! She definitely is the best birthday present ever. Eric's going to have a hard time getting you a better present next year! 

Yeah I guess there was this alley that teens would hang out in and she was found there dead in a TV box.He was her neighbor and she basically didn't like him and he flirted with her and such and I guess one day he was mad so he raped her and strangled her with a bathrobe belt! So sad. Redmond is pretty close. Not too terribly but probably like 20 minutes!

Maybe when she's moving its when your most active today and when you're trying to feel her she's taking her naps? Hopefully tomorrow she's more active! I've been kind of uncomfortable today because I just feel like I can't sit comfortably without my placenta and baby making my organs and ribs move funny. Plus the baby kicked me hard on the rib once today and then keeps kicking in my right side! 

I figured putting the ring on a credit card would only help with credit. I don't know how either of our credit histories look. Travis wasn't the best when paying his bill on time so that probably dinged him a little but I don't think he did it bad enough where his credit would go bad. I don't have credit but I've applied for so many cards and I've heard that can hurt your credit. Oops. But it would be nice to get a ring sometime soon. I can only imagine how often you look at your ring! I look at my 'promise ring' all the time. My fingers got to fat from being pregnant though and I had to take them off and wear them on a necklace.


----------



## krys

I've written back four times and it just deleted my (longgg) message and said there was an error!
I'll write back later on my new laptop!


----------



## krys

Sticking her tongue out!



These are some of my favorites! There were so many good ones though! She had her little feet in her face most of the time, silly baby!

P.S. Got my new laptop!! Well OUR new laptop, Eric hasn't got to play with it yet since I've been hogging it. I'm gonna give it to him now. Just couldn't wait to show off my girl! :)


----------



## airbear

Krystal! She's seriously so cute! You're such a lucky mama and she's asuch a lucky little girl! I bet it's nice having a laptop again! It was nice of you to give Eric a turn, I would be the same way!


----------



## krys

Thank you so much! I think she is so perfect, I love looking at her pictures!!! Its so nice having a laptop again. I wish we would have gotten two instead of one, I liked when we could sit in bed and each be on our own. Oh well!
I had dreams about labor ALL night. I don't like having those dreams! I'm not scared to give birth, but I definitely don't like dreaming about it. I never even got to hold her in my dream!! :(
I've been so uncomfortable lately. I keep having lower back pain and menstrual like cramps- at the same time. Pretty sure thats what happens when you're in labor! Mine aren't super bad though, so I haven't done anything. :shrug:
I was looking through Madisons closet, and although most of her clothes are hot pink, she has some gender neutral clothes! I think you could find something cute for your yellow baby to wear in the hospital :) I hope you get gift cards at your baby shower! That way when you find out, you can use them to buy baby clothes!!!


----------



## airbear

She is perfect! I like to put my ultrasound pictures on my fridge, then I look at them everytime I pass the kitchen! Plus I have the most recent pictures on the background on my phone! I love getting to see my little babies face. They look so cute now that they're getting so big! 

Aw I know what you mean, it feels better to both be on at the same time rather than one at a time because then its like you're waiting to either get the laptop or spend time with the other person. Instead before you could sit together spending time together on your own laptops! But at least you got another one because you'll want to save and post all of Madi's pictures! :)

I haven't had too many baby/labor dreams but I did the other day. Only it wasn't so bad because all my other baby/labor dreams turn out bad! But this one I just has a c-section and I ended up having a little boy and I was so excited but because I had a c-section I didn't get to hold my baby. But at least nothing was wrong with the baby and the doctors weren't trying to hurt him this time! I'm a little scared to give birth because I reallllly want to do a natural birth and I'm afraid I'll probably give in instantly to medicine. But I'm not scared of giving birth itself just that I'll be disappointed. I'm sorry you didn't get to hold your baby in your dream though! I wish we could go into our dreams ans change things because its fun seeing our babies but not so great if its not how we picture everything happening.

I've been really uncomfortable lately too. To the point where I'm get grouchy and snappy all the time! But I can't help it I can't do anything without hurting! My back hasn't gotten any worse but its been bad the whole time. But it makes it so that I usually end up having to lay or sitting in a weird position just so my back doesn't freeze. But I've also been having cramps too but they're. Not really associated with any specific back pain. Hopefully neither of us are going into labor quite yet! But I. Can't believe in just a couple days we'll be 33 weeks.I actually feel like from 20 weeks on has gone by so quickly. First trimester was definitely the slowest. I think because I had morning sickness and no bump so I didn't feel pregnant and was just sick. Then from like 12 to 20 went faster but was also just the beginning of my bump but was fun because of the ultrasounds. Then after 20 weeks I feel like its just flown! Plus I think 3rd trimester has gone even faster for me. I feel like April and May had so much going on that they went by so fast and now that I'm 30 weeks and distracted by work and the baby shower it goes by so fast! Especially because I see other pregnant women who are about 4 weeks ahead and think how close I really am to them. When I hear women on the forums who are 34/36 weeks pregnant and realize how soon that really is for us! I am so ready just to cuddle my baby though! I'm also getting really excited for the holidays. I had been excited for them all along but then I was thinking about Christmas and how we always pick out a tree but this year it is different because its the first tree we'll be picking out and decorating as a family! 

Aw if I had a little girl she will be wearing such girly clothes! I'm excited to find out if I have a son or daughter! :) I can't wait to go pick out their coming home outfit! I'm sure I'll find something cute. Maybe something yellow and sweet.


----------



## krys

I'm excited to dress her up and take her trick or treating! I hadn't even thought about Christmas. Omg we're Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy now :) How exciting!!!! I can't wait for all the holidays and birthday parties. I'm so ready for our babies to get here!
I'm so scared of a C-section. I hope I don't have to get one. That's crazy that you dreamt about having one! I hope I can do it natural too, but I'm gonna go in with an open mind and try as long as possible without an epidural. I'm more scared of getting cut!!!! Some people get cut from one hole to the other. That scares me so much :( I've read that you should start massaging down there at like 35 weeks. I think I'm gonna start today haha.


----------



## airbear

I know I am so excited to go trick or treating! I can't wait to pick out a costume! Travis said he felt weird going trick or treating with such a tiny baby but I want the free candy and I want to show off my cute baby! I said we'll just have to find a older kid to go with! 

I didn't think of that either, that we're now Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy! I can't wait! The kids I nanny love all that stuff. They also believe in fairies in general and leprachauns! I am definitely ready! Iam so excited! I kept getting nervous that I wouldn't be a good mom and wouldn't know what to do with a baby but now I'm just so excited I can't wait!

I really don't want a c-section and I really don't want to get cut. I saw that in a baby book about getting cut from one hole to the other and I just can't stand to think of it! I think I'm going to do the same, I'm going to see how long I can make it without any help from medicine or an epidural. I won't be upset if I have to since it's suppose to be the most painful thing ever and I know no one would judge me I just want to prove everyone I can do it because people keep saying I can't! This one woman my boyfriend told at his work said she was going to do it natural and got all the way to 8cm dialated and had to get the epidural. I hope by then I'll just tell myself I'm so close I can do it. I just pray my labor is fast like my moms - 6 hours. I can't imagine being in pain for hours on end.

I have Travis massage my feet and back almost every day, maybe I'll just have to add that to the list of things for him to massage! Haha Have you been doing kegel (is that how you spell it) excercises?


----------



## krys

Haha I wonder what you're supposed to massage it with! I'm sure you're supposed to use something special. I'm gonna google it! I don't really do kegals, do you? I know I should, but it feels weird to me, I just don't like doing them! Once you said that it made me do a couple haha! I want to dress Madison up, not sure if I'll take her out this year, but I'll for sure get her a costume to wear while we hand out candy! I love knowing that I'll have her to go everywhere with me :) Shes gonna be my little sidekick!!


----------



## airbear

Haha I don't know! I'm sure they're something good for it, I'll google it too! What to massage with and massaging techniques haha! I don't really do them either. I think you're suppose to do them the whole time we're pregnant. Actually I think I heard they're good for all the time, but I don't do them all the time. I've been trying to do more the last couple weeks. !t least I've rememberd more. I've definitely strengthend my muscles though because before when I did them it was a lot harder and I didn't like doing them. I mean its easy but now its even easier! But once I do a couple then my mind makes it so I continue to do it and I find it distracting! Like I'm constantly trying to get a bunch done when I was fine with just a few! 

I can't wait to dress our babies up. I can't remember if I had a costume but my mom took me trick or treating on my first halloween with one of her friends who had a kid too. I was born October 13th though so I was really little and bundled in blankets so I don't think I had a costume. I don't know for sure if we'll go out. Not unless we find a kid who's old enough to actually trick or treat! But I will definitely dress up my baby and pass out candy! Especially since this year we're in a house and not an apartment :)

I feel the same about my baby. I think we're gonna be close to our kids since we're so young. At least I hope so! I want them to be my friend but I also want to be the parent. I want a good balance but I want my kids to be able to be open and talk to me. That's why I hope I find a job where I can work from home or take my baby with me!


----------



## krys

I thought I had written back, but I guess not :shrug:
I'm baby sitting my friends five month old son mon-fri for the next few weeks! He's such a good baby, but she's in the process of weeining him off the boob. He doesn't like bottles very much. He's hungry and grumpy :(


----------



## airbear

Aw, how cute. I'm hoping to get a new nanny position in which I can watch a younger baby but its hard to find someone who's needing a nanny for someone so young. You'll be getting some experience for when Madison gets here and for when she starts weening! How long do you plan on breastfeeding? I'd like to do about a year, my mom only ever made it to 6 months, and of course it depends on work and such. I feel like if I couldn't breastfeed I would still try and pump for as long as I could.

I had my doctors appointment this past Friday and it still sounds like we're having a boy. We had a different nurse because our normal nurse wasn't working and when the new nurse took the babies heartbeat it was 148 and she asked us what we thought the baby was and we told her a boy and she said she thought so too and she hadn't even seen us the whole pregnancy. Then when the doctor came in she gave us the whole spiel about the circumsion again! Of course it will still be a surprise but Travis and I are about 75% sure its a boy! But its fun since we're assuming its a boy because we talk about our 'son' now and it makes it feel a little more real that in like a month and a half we'll have our little one here! I feel like we'll be surprised if the baby comes out a girl but we'll be so happy either way!


----------



## krys

My goal is to breastfeed for a year! I won't be working, so that will make it easier. My friend breastfed until her daughter was 13 months and then started to get her off. I just like the fact that it's better for the baby, they get sick less, etc. It's also so much cheaper! Formula is so expensive. 
I used to think you were having a girl, but I'm starting to get boy vibes! Also, our bumps are shaped different! Either way, they are going to be so cute and perfect! I'm so excited for us to have our babies already, especially so we can know if yours has a hot dog or cheeseburger (that's what my dr calls it) :)
I loved baby sitting today! He was pretty fussy at some points... It was his first time away from his mom ever! And he's still learning to use the bottle, so he was frustrated. It made me even more excited for Madison!! I was scared I might start lactating... I've heard that sometimes if you're pregnant and a baby cries it will make you leak!! I've already leaked a little after I got out of the shower once or twice! Have you leaked at all? I also bought a nursing bra, it was like $40 and I LOST IT! I have looked everywhere!! I remember where it was, but when we moved to our new room idk what happened to it :/


----------



## airbear

I agree the benefits of breastfeeding are great both for LO and for us. Plus it's free! Sure they'll be eating solid foods and baby foods but free breast milk is free compared to expensive formula! I'll see how far I get, depends on which job I get but I really hope I'll be with LO for quite some time.

I agree I think your bump is more round and up higher and sticks out more compared to how mine is low and really wide! I get most of my kicks on my right side and they go so far over I feel like its almost my back I'm being kicked in! I'm so excited to find out which I'm having though in just a few weeks! It's going to be here so soon and I am so excited! 

I'm a little nervous for giving birth. Mostly just because I don't know what to expect pain wise. Otherwise I'm not too worried about actually giving birth other than I don't want to get cut (i'd rather tear naturally, I think) and I don't want a c-section. But I'm scared that once I feel labor pains I will be ridiculous and not even be myself. I like to think I'll force myself to make it through because I feel like I'm strong enough. My doctor did ask me this last time at my appointment about my birth plan! She was sweet when I told her how I wanted to try going all natural and she said that the nurses try to be really helpful and encouraging to keep me focused on doing a natural birth and she looked happy when I said I wanted to breastfeed so I feel good about all of that. Other than she did mention she's probably going to be out of town right around my due date! But then I found out the other doctors have worked for years and years at this same clinic and she's only been there for 8 months and I've been going there since I was 12 weeks so she was even more new then! But I can tell she's really educated.

Aw, I'm glad you enjoyed baby sitting. It's nice you got him when he was fussy just because I think it would be helpful to practice techniques of trying to help a fussy baby! I can't believe it was his first time away from his mommy! I think you're right that you could possibly start lactating. If you do, you could start pumping and start making a supply and freezing the milk! I actually haven't leaked at all! I don't know when its normal to start. I think its okay not to start all the way up until the baby is born but I have no clue. I haven't bought a nursing bra yet. I can't believe you just lost your new one! Once I bought a victoria's secret bra since my boobs had grown from being pregnant and my dog chewed it uup a week after I got it and it cost about $40 also! Hopefully you find it though!


----------



## krys

Hey! Your baby shower is soon, isn't it on the 11th? I bet you're so excited!!
I feel a little discouraged after my doctors appointment today... Remember it's that group thing? Well everyone is 36-38 weeks, so they're a bit further along. My doctor is always like "this doesn't apply to you, Krystal" and I'm just like cool, then why am I even here?! Today she was like, I bet everyone is sick of being pregnant and ready to have these babies, except you Krystal. Um no, I'm ready too, thanks. I'm still eight months pregnant!! I was so excited because I feel like we're so far along, but she made me feel like I had four months to go.... :/ 

Babysitting got harder and harder each day! Monday he was a little fussy, but not too terrible. Tuesday he was fussier, and today I couldn't get him to stop crying for so long! He is a VERY needy baby. Like, he wants to be held and rocked CONSTANTLY. If you do happen to get him to sleep, you have to hold him the whole time because as soon as you lay him down he wakes up and starts crying!!! I hope our babies aren't like that! I wouldn't be able to do anything... Someone told me to let my baby cry for a minute before I go over and pick her up. I didn't really understand why before, but now I totally do! I want to be able to put her in her swing or bouncer and not have to hold her 24/7! I would be so frustrated if my baby was like this baby is!
I think I told you about a girl from my pregnancy class having her baby early, at 36 weeks. Well that was 2 weeks ago, and he is still in the nicu!!! They aren't sure when he's gonna be able to come home. Everyone says 37 weeks is considered "full term" so I didn't think 36 weeks was THAT early! I guess I was wrong. I would be so devastated to have my baby and then have to go home without her! I hope our little ones stay until they are healthy enough, because I don't want either of us to have to leave them at the hospital and go home!
Have you packed your hospital bag yet? I was talking to that girl who just had her baby, and she said the most important thing for her was her hair band! I guess that makes sense, I wouldn't want my hair in my face when I'm trying to have a baby haha. She also said that a robe and slippers were the next best things! Oh and a towel, she said that hospital towels are reallyyyy tiny and they aren't soft and fluffy like regular towels. Just thought that might be a little helpful :)
Sorry I didn't write back sooner! The internet wasn't working on my laptop so I was just using my phone. I wanted to type up a long message, and its just too hard on my phone! Luckily the internet is working again! It was very frustrating to wait all this time for a new computer, and then get it and not be able to go on the internet so soon after!
How much weight have you gained so far? I was 121.6 at my appointment today, so thats about 24 pounds! I hope I don't gain too much more. I have started to notice it in my butt and legs, and I'm pretty self conscious lately! Everyone is always talking about how I'm "all belly" and how I haven't put on weight anywhere else and I wanna be like, are you joking?! I totally have!!! I know my face and arms and everything is still small, but not from my boobs down!!


----------



## airbear

It is! It's on Saturday, I'm so excited I feel like this work week is going by so slowly. But that's probably because when I got to work today I had felt like ti was Thursday even though I knew it was Wednesday.

I even told Travis what you just said about how your doctor was mostly talking to the other women and how she said you probably don't feel like you're ready to be done. We both think that is so rude! Mostly because everyone's pregnancy is different and everyone carries different. I mean sure the other ladies are a few weeks ahead but like you said you only have 6.5 weeks to go not 4 months! 

A women at the nursery I work at, at my church on Sunday's had a baby that is similar. He always has to be held even by her when she's at home and when she leaves him in the nursery he cries the entire time. It helps to hold him and walk around (he'll cry as soon as you sit down!). He acts like that at home too. He always has to be held and he doesn't like when you sit down he wants you to physically walk around! I can't even imagine, I hope we're lucky with easier babies. Plus I think it will be slightly easier when it's our baby versus someone elses baby. You definitely have to let babies cry sometimes, even longer than a minute because when they get older they'll cry to prevent going to bed!

That's crazy! I didn't think 36 weeks was THAT early either but maybe he had minor health issues they want to monitor. Travis was born 4 weeks early, but I don't know if he had to stay at the hospital that long. I really hope we get to leave on time with our babies! I want to go home and bond and not have to visit my flesh and blood in the hospital! 

I haven't packed it yet but I will before the end of next week. I'm waiting to see if I get my diaper bag at my baby shower or not. If not then I'm gonna buy it myself and pack it! I want to be prepared. I'll definitely add those to my list of things to pack because I'll want those!

We don't have a working computer right now or internet so I definitley understand what you mean! I have a full button keyboard on my phone though so it's not too bad. No worries though because I always forget to write back when I get busy on the weekend! I would be frustrated though to finally get a new laptop and then the internet not be working. Soon we'll get a laptop and internet too and I will be so excited!

You sound so tiny! I like to say I was closer to 110lbs prepregnancy and my last appointment I was 138.8 so I've gained about 29lbs I would say. I have definiely grown boobs down as well. At least people are saying that you don't look like you've gained anywhere else. All my clothes/pants are way too small. I'm sure even after I have the baby I'll be at least a size bigger. Luckily I'm not too worried. I still feel small and my sister has gained 40lbs since she started dating her boyfriend which was a year ago, so she's gained more weight than me and isn't pregnant. She might have been like just a couple pounds bigger than me but other wise we're exactly the same. She looked pregnant before I did.. so as long as I work out well after the baby and don't have a tummy I'll feel okay! :)

I saw your status on facebook today about your tummy feeling cramped and I totally agree! I feel like my baby doesn't have as much room so its constantly moving. Whenever I walk or stand I can feel it rolling! My mom commented on my most recent bump picture saying how she doesn't even see how I can still have 7 weeks to go and she said are you sure you're not due in June?! 

Omg so we're at the mall right now getting jeans and polo's for Travis now that he's working at Costco and when we were checking out the cute little asian women said she thinks we're having a boy and she didn't even know if we knew the gender or not. I still think its gonna be a boy now..!


----------



## krys

uugh I typed back and the dumb internet stopped working and I lost it!!!!

I bet you're excited for your baby shower! Its gonna be so much fun :) I hope you get all the things you need! You're gonna feel so much more prepared afterwards, I know I did!
I'm so glad that you guys agree that she was being rude! I was pretty emotional today, so I wasn't sure if I was just being sensitive... I'm so annoyed, I just want to have regular doctors appointments where the things she's talking about will actually "apply to me", luckily I only have one more group one and then I go to regular appointments.
Thats how this baby is! You can get him calmed down by walking around with him, but the second you try to sit down he starts screaming again! So high maintenance. Its pretty obvious that they never put him down at home. Tomorrow Eric is off, so he'll get to help me and I'll get to see him interact with a little baby!!! I'm really looking forward to this :) 
I totally agree, I think I will be at least one size bigger. I can get into one or two pairs of my stretchier jeans, without buttoning them of course, but the rest don't come up past my thighs! I know my hips have spread a lot, and I don't think they're gonna be tiny again :/ my designer jeans have a thicker fabric and don't stretch at all, I'm sure I will never fit into them again!! It seems like working out with a baby is going to be so hard, but I'm gonna have to be really determined!!!
Remember we were talking about kegals? My doctor was talking about them today, and apparently when old women have never done them before, their bladders can just FALL OUT!!!! She said it looks like a red water balloon. I wanted to cry thinking about it! I guess they are pretty important...
Didn't someone else ask you a while back when you were shopping if you were having a boy? That is super trippy! I would be convinced :)


----------



## krys

https://www.babyandbump.com/teen-pregnancy/637707-my-babys-nursery-pictures.html

I didn't want to have to upload them again :) 
Pictures of Madison's nursery.


----------



## airbear

My phone was so close to dying yesterday when I was at the mall and writing back so I was trying to hurry the end so I could post it before it died and I lost everything! I hate when I lose what I wrote!

I am so excited! I'm definitely going to feel so much more prepared because then I can go shopping for the rest of the things I need. It will feel nice to finally be prepared since we're getting so close!

I'm glad you only have one more group appointment! I'm surprised the lady acted like that since us pregnant women are hormonal in the first place, plus we're already uncomfortable even if we're not as far along as those ladies are! 

I know! I think a lot of mom's find it hard to not cater to their babies when they cry, even though its sad you have to let the baby cry or else they will never learn! If the parents always pick them up and walk them around because it keeps them quiet they'll never learn to relax and be comfortable on their own. It's only teaches them they'll get exactly what they want if they cry! It will be so much fun for Eric to help you watch the baby! A long time ago before we were pregnant I watched my cousin's baby over night and Travis was so uncomfortable because he felt like he was going to break the baby it was so cute!

Oh I know! My mom was telling me how she can tell my hips have widen and how they have to start to prepare for the baby and such! I definitely can't get my jeans up past my thighs either! I haven't tried in quite a while but I put on a pair of jeans in January when it had snowed and I had to squeeze myself into them, I got them buttoned but that was 6 months ago! I definitely will not fit at all anymore. I agree, it will be hard to work out with a baby! But we can do it! I would really like to fit into my old jeans though because I have two pairs I just love!

Ah that is so gross about the bladder falling out! It makes me want to do a ton of them! I feel like I did good last week but in 33 weeks of pregnancy I don't think one week is going to cut it! I better start..

You're right! Someone did comment on my baby bump a little while back asking if it was a boy! We feel like it just has to be a boy because everything keeps adding up. Two strangers who think its a boy, the nanny families mom and grandma think its a boy, the sub-nurse said she thought it was a boy, the regular nurse and doctor went on forever about circumscions, and the heartbeat is on the lower side! We're so excited though! Travis says it's either a boy or god wants him to be really surprised when its a girl!


----------



## airbear

My phone was so close to dying yesterday when I was at the mall and writing back so I was trying to hurry the end so I could post it before it died and I lost everything! I hate when I lose what I wrote!

I am so excited! I'm definitely going to feel so much more prepared because then I can go shopping for the rest of the things I need. It will feel nice to finally be prepared since we're getting so close!

I'm glad you only have one more group appointment! I'm surprised the lady acted like that since us pregnant women are hormonal in the first place, plus we're already uncomfortable even if we're not as far along as those ladies are! 

I know! I think a lot of mom's find it hard to not cater to their babies when they cry, even though its sad you have to let the baby cry or else they will never learn! If the parents always pick them up and walk them around because it keeps them quiet they'll never learn to relax and be comfortable on their own. It's only teaches them they'll get exactly what they want if they cry! It will be so much fun for Eric to help you watch the baby! A long time ago before we were pregnant I watched my cousin's baby over night and Travis was so uncomfortable because he felt like he was going to break the baby it was so cute!

Oh I know! My mom was telling me how she can tell my hips have widen and how they have to start to prepare for the baby and such! I definitely can't get my jeans up past my thighs either! I haven't tried in quite a while but I put on a pair of jeans in January when it had snowed and I had to squeeze myself into them, I got them buttoned but that was 6 months ago! I definitely will not fit at all anymore. I agree, it will be hard to work out with a baby! But we can do it! I would really like to fit into my old jeans though because I have two pairs I just love!

Ah that is so gross about the bladder falling out! It makes me want to do a ton of them! I feel like I did good last week but in 33 weeks of pregnancy I don't think one week is going to cut it! I better start..

You're right! Someone did comment on my baby bump a little while back asking if it was a boy! We feel like it just has to be a boy because everything keeps adding up. Two strangers who think its a boy, the nanny families mom and grandma think its a boy, the sub-nurse said she thought it was a boy, the regular nurse and doctor went on forever about circumscions, and the heartbeat is on the lower side! We're so excited though! Travis says it's either a boy or god wants him to be really surprised when its a girl!


----------



## airbear

Sorry for the double post! My phone and internet were being terrible. But I was able to see Madison's room and it looks so adorable! She's already got so much stuff and looks like she is going to be very spoiled and a very happy little girl! I love the pink walls and the tree!


----------



## krys

Thank you! We worked really hard on her room, now I just need to find a place for the rest of her stuff! I have nowhere to put some of it, so I think I'm gonna have to go to Target and buy some more bins. I'm not sure what to do about washing her clothes... I've washed a few newborn and 0-3 month outfits, some socks, and a few blankets. I don't want to wash everythingggg though because I don't know if she's gonna wear everything, or use all of her blankets. Do you think I should just wash a little at a time? I'm so confused! You're lucky you don't have to worry about clothes yet, it's stressful!!!

Your baby shower is tomorrow!!! Yay! I can't wait to hear all about it :)

Eric was SO good with the baby yesterday! He was actually better at calming him down and stuff than I was! We hadn't got him to sleep anywhere but in our arms the whole week, and we constantly had to walk around with him. He got out one of our strollers, the one that was given to us, not the new one. He put the baby in and walked around... The baby immediately calmed down, and then he fell asleep!!! He slept in the stroller and we actually had free hands for once haha. I was just like umm woww, how did you know to do that?! He was so patient and it totally came natural to him! He just kept saying how he can't wait for Madison to get here. It made me SO EXCITED!!!

So this is really embarrassing....but I'll tell you anyway! This morning I was walking around and all of a sudden I felt that my panties were soaking wet!! Like, so wet that it soaked through my leggings! It wasn't discharge or pee either.... I hope it wasn't my water breaking!! I don't think it was though, because it was a lot, but I don't think it was enough to have been my waters! If I wasn't babysitting, I might go to my doctor to get checked out, but I can't really go since I have the baby. I guess I'm just gonna wait and see what happens! Has that ever happened to you before?

I can't even imagine how exciting it's going to be when you have your baby and they tell you the gender!!! It's gonna be like when they told me at my ultrasound, but times a million!!! It definitely sounds like you're having a boy, but its so cool that it could go either way! I'm super jealous, in a way I wish that I would have waited! I know I couldn't have done it though!


----------



## airbear

I can imagine how hard you worked! We haven't done anything other than put whatever baby stuff we have in the baby room. It's not even set up or organized yet. But after the baby shower and once I start maternity leave in July I'll get it all set up! I'm worried about not knowing where to put everything, too. The baby has a nice sized closet so something to help organize in their would probably work. I'm not sure, I think I would wash some clothes at a time not all at once since I know a lot of people say they get a ton of clothes and never use some. This way once she runs out of clothes you can look through her outfits and decide if you want to wash something new! It's kind of nice since we don't have a lot of clothes (other than we do have hand me downs) we can just buy them as we need them instead of having a ton! 

I am so excited about my baby shower! My mom has spent $400 just on supplies. That's not including food or anything. Travis' parents are covering food and my mom is doing a little of the food too. She's been working on the 'centerpiece' for weeks so I am so excited to find out what it is! Plus my sister said they have decorations, game supplies, game prizes, balloons, and she said there was some surprises for me! I have no clue what that means! Also they're doing some cool cake I guess because Travis' mom described the cake to Travis but he wants me to be surprised. I also invited Travis' best friend who just came back from boot camp and is only here for two weeks and he said he's able to come! I also told him he didn't need to get a gift but he insisted and I told him a baby blanket or stuffed animal just because we'll probably consider him and uncle and it would be sentimental to the baby. My mom also got name tags so people can write their names and their relation to the baby. I thought it was such a cute idea because my family and Travis' family (cousins and aunts and such) haven't met yet so it will help people remember who everyone is! I am so excited! We just bought new SD cards for our camera so I'm going to have someone take a lot of pictures! :)

That is so adorable that Eric did so well with the baby! Even just hearing about it makes me so excited for our little one's! I'm so ready to have to learn how to parent and find tricks like how Eric got the baby to sleep! I can't wait to see how Travis does and to see what our babies look like! I love that our guys are so excited for their babies! The dad that I nanny for keeps asking how Travis is feeling now that we're getting closer and closer to the due date and I just keep telling him how excited he is because that's all Travis ever says. Whenever we watch a show or movie and there is a parenting scene he always gets so excited! I love when we're at the store or something and we see new or young babies!

Okay, so that has totally happened to me before. It only happened once but I was so shocked! I thought the same thing about my water's breaking but figured even though it was unusual I had thought my water's breaking would be much more. So I didn't mention anything to my doctor and just waited to see how I felt or if it happened again. But it's never happened again and the baby hasn't come yet! 

I am so excited! Even though we think it's a boy and we say we'll be shocked if we're told it's a girl, it's still such a mystery and so exciting to find out! I think I'm going to cry a lot when the baby is born! I feel so impatient. I swear the baby moves all the time like crazy. It's most active from when I wake up until lunch time so when I first wake up I just wait a few minutes and enjoy all my baby movement. It's so much fun though because the baby is so strong and so big and you can see it rolling around when you look at my tummy! The baby always pushes itself out now and makes my tummy hard and I always make Travis feel! It makes me so excited just because it helps me feel like there is actually a real baby in there! A tiny little human living and breathing inside me! I still think I won't fully understand until the baby is born just because it just seems so crazy!


----------



## krys

That is a BIG relief that thats happened to you before!!! I didn't think it was my water breaking, since it wasn't THAT much, but I wasn't sure what else it could be! I've also been crampy, it was so bad earlier! I wish I wasn't babysitting, I just want to relax! The baby is being fussy again, but I got through the first three hours of babysitting by walking him in the stroller!! I just can't do it anymore though, I'm hurting too bad! Eric's little sister is holding him now, trying to get him to take a nap (fingers crossed!). Watching him has made me realize how different things are going to be with a baby around all the time! Definitely a wake up call! I am still so excited though :)

Eric and Travis are going to be amazing dads! I read about these other girls and their bf's and I feel so bad for them... Our's are so supportive, and I know they are going to help us so much! These other guys just don't seem to even care! They don't seem anywhere near as excited as our guys! We are so lucky to have them!

I'm jealous that your baby shower is tomorrow :) I wish I was having another lol

My dumb friends that didn't show up to my shower STILL haven't said anything about it!! Like, they could have at least apologized or acknowledged it... My "friends" just aren't very mature. They are still worried about their boyfriend of the week, or what parties they're going to this weekend.. I want friends that are ready to start a family and have real responsibilities! Most 20 year olds aren't thinking about that though... Its so frustrating! Eric has some friends at work that are young couples with babies, but I don't wanna be like oh hi, lets be friends haha. I guess that was a little rant... Over it! :)

Ahhh baby is getting really fussy, so I guess I'll stop here :( wish me luck!


----------



## airbear

Haha yeah I was like woah this is a ton of whatever it is! But I didn't think it was my actual waters as I assumed they would be more of a big gush rather than just soaked panties! I get crampy on and off now. I think it just means we're getting closer and closer! I definitley know what you mean. I nanny older kids and they can basically fend for themselves but I still just want to go home and get comfortable and not have t worry about them! Hopefully she gets him to sleep so you can take a little break! I still think it's cool that you get like a trial run before Madison! I'm alway's telling Travis how in less than two months we'll have a little baby with us EVERYWHERE we go. It's so funny like if we're out at dinner or at the grocery store or anywhere I always say imagine us having our LO with us for all of these things! I still can't wait, it will be a huge change but I am so excited and ready! 

We are so very lucky! Our boy's are absolutely amazing! I definitely feel bad and look up to the girls who are going to be single mommies or girls who don't have supportive OH's because I definitely appreciate everything Travis does for me! I just don't understand the other guys who aren't treating their babies mama right and who aren't supportive! Us women go through a lot while being pregnant and if they aren't supportive during that time it just makes pregnancy that much more difficult. Then if they aren't around after the baby is born the poor girls do it all on their own! 

I am so excited! I'm sure once it's over I'll wish I could do it all again! 

I definitley know what you mean about friends. Our friends are the same way. Life is just different when you grow up and start a family, even if we are young! It's frustrating to read some people's status updates sometimes because they complain or say some of the most ridiculous things sometimes! I just want to be like there are more important things in life! We're probably going to sign up for lamaze classes really soon and it would be nice if we could meet other couples. But it is so difficult just becoming someone's friend! 

Good luck with the baby today! Maybe after a nap he'll feel much better! :)


----------



## krys

I walked him up and down my street and he fell asleep :) It was a workout for me too! My legs were burning haha, the whole time I was like wow I can do this with Madison and my legs will look gooooooood! I can't wait to have a nice body again.

I think that way too! We'll be somewhere and I'll just picture Madison with us! Its going to be a challenge, getting used to having an extra person to take care of everywhere, but I can't wait! I love her so much already, I know I'm gonna want her with me all the time!

I really want to do a lamaze class, but I have a feeling I won't... I just haven't found one that isn't either way too expensive or way too long! I want to know all the breathing techniques and stuff, so I will focus on that and not get an epidural!

Today once the baby leaves, I am going to try and finish Madison's room up! I'm just gonna wash everything but clothes! So all her blankets, towels, bibs, etc. I'll probably wash a few more outfits too... Its just been overwhelming me so I want to get it done! I hardly ever go in her room anymore because it stresses me out! I love sitting in my rocking chair though... :) Are you going to get one? I got a really good deal on mine at babies r us!!!


----------



## airbear

Ah! I'm glad he finally fell asleep. Once Madison's here you'll just have to walk her in her stroller everyday and you'll get your legs back! I can't wait for my old body back either but Travis is always so sweet on my bump pictures he always says how beautiful I am and whenever he see's me naked he always says how I look like I'm from the animal planet but that he means it in a good way. He thinks it's part of the miracle of life and he's amazed by my body so it makes me feel really good :)

I always imagine how long it will take us to get ready and go places! I always picture having a car seat in the back when we're driving and carrying it in when we go places. It will be a lot of work and it will be tough but I think all four of us are so ready! I'm glad both our OH's are excited and not as nervous as a lot of people expect them to be! I just can't wait for our little baby! It's going to completely change our relationship but it will be for the better!

I asked my doctor if they had any suggestions for classes and she gave us a paper with a few different options. The more basic class sounds perfect. They have other classes that are more specific like just breast feeding, or one's just for mom, so we like the basic because it covers everything and it has a few different options for class days/times and only costs $120 for both of us to go! We both really want to go because it will be helpful as I don't want an epidural either and Travis is going to be my birth partner so he can hep me focus on breathing and staying calm. It will also help with breastfeeding and it will be nice for Travis to get educated on that so he can help me and support me. He wanted to do the classes more strongly than I did. I was worried about money but wanted to go and he said it's something we should really do and not worry about money so I'm excited by how supportive he is.

I think that sounds like a good plan. Get everything washed, maybe not ALL of her outfits but a few extra won't hurt! But towels and blankets and such will be good because once our babies are here we won't want to be doing all the extra laundry and we'll just want to be more prepared ahead of time! We always leave the babies room door closed because we aren't heating it right now so I never go in there but I know it would stress me out! But since Travis is starting his first day at Costco today he worked for his parents this morning and works at Costco this evening when I would usually get to see him so I think I'm gonna organize the baby room and prepare it for all the gifts and things I will buy that I'll get tomorrow. We actually are getting a rocking chair! It's not brand new my mom actually found it at the goodwill for $25 but it is really clean and maybe not the fanciest but it looks pretty nice! It has a foot stool and padded arm rests which were things I was wanting in a rocking chair. It's light blue but it doesn't look boyish. I'm pretty happy with it, I did see one I liked at Babies R Us but since I'm having to take a whole extra month off from work we've been deciding to go the cheaper route.


----------



## krys

Today is your baby shower!!! How exciting!! I can't wait to hear all about it :)

That is really sweet that Travis makes you feel so good! Eric tries, but it just doesn't help anymore lol. I had sent my best friend a bump picture when I first got pregnant, and she still had it on her old phone!!!! So it was like my very first one haha. I swear I was bloated already! Anyway, here it is!



I still think I was bigger here (from bloat), but you can tell theres been a BIG difference!!! 

That is so great about your birthing class! I bet it will be so helpful, it will also be better to have Travis with you because you may not remember everything in the heat of the moment, but you have him to help remind you! I really wish I could find one! Maybe now that I have a laptop I can look it up, it was more difficult using my phone to find one.

I was looking at this pregnancy app today and my week countdown said 6 weeks and 1 day... Well that is until 40 weeks, but only 3 weeks and 1 day till 37 weeks which is full term also!!!!!!! THREE WEEKS?!?!?!?! That is CRAZY! Our babies could be here soooooooooooooo soon. Ah that made me so excited!

That is so cool that you got such a great deal on your rocking chair! They are so expensive, I was really lucky when I got mine, and I used a gift card from my baby shower! So I technically didn't have to pay for it at all! I wish I had found one for $25 though!!! I would still have that gift card! Someone tried to give me one, but it was wooden with no foot stool and no padding at all. It was also a light wood, and her whole room is darker. I really wanted something a little more comfortable as well! Mine is padded and has a foot stool so its perfect!


----------



## airbear

I am so excited! I can't wait! I hope to take lots of pictures! :)

I know what you mean, as sweet as our boys are sometimes we just can't help how we feel! That is so awesome that your friend had your first bump picture! At least you have something to compare from the beginning to the end! I was trying to keep track of how much weight I had gained in between each appointment, then I gave up and figured the total I gained throughout the pregnancy was enough! The first few bump pictures of mine seem like bloat too. But I'm sure we're bloated and normally wouldn't look like that if there wasn't a baby that the baby adds to the bloat so I say it looks great! Which week is this from?

I agree! When I'm in labor I'm going to completely forget! Plus he's always good at cheering me up and such so it will be nice for him to know everything and help. You should at least try to find a class. I don't know if we'll get in since we still haven't signed up and we're so far along.

I still can't believe we only have 6 weeks and for sure our babies will be here. Let alone knowing that they can come a week or two.. or three early! Everyday when Travis feels my bump and the baby he says he's worried the baby will be early! Maybe he has daddy intuition. I think he's worried because I think someone told him or he heard that smaller girls tend to have their babies early because there is less space for the baby and such or something. I don't know if that is true since I would think our bellies would just grow but I think he thinks about it for when we have to push the baby out. Anyway he keeps thinking the baby is going to be early so he finds it crazy that in less than a month and a half we'll be parents! I feel like looking back on the pregnancy it has flown by! I can't believe it's already June. I can remember back in December when we wished we were farther along and our pregnancies would hurry up so we could meet our little ones and now we're so close! For some reason I'm really excited to be 34 weeks. I feel like it's the last stretch of pregnancy. Even though from 33 to 34 is just one week I feel like when I hear about pregnant women 34 weeks and on I always think how close they really are!

They do have some nice ones at Babies R Us, there was one I really wanted, but we were lucky when we found the one we did. Especially since it didn't look old, very used, or worn! I was being picky about my rocking chair, too. I definitley wanted padding and a foot stool and I wanted padding on the arm rests because I know when I'm holding the baby I'll want to rest my arms to hold the weight and I don't want the hard wood to dig in! I also heard that if you're going to get a rocking chair definitely get a foot stool, it probably helps with how you're sitting or helps stay relaxed more.

I am just so excited! I love the baby movement. I'm really lucky lately the baby has been so easy. I don't think its smooshed on my pelvis bone anymore and it isn't really kicking my ribs or bladder either. Sometimes I just feel icky though because all my organs are smooshed, but other than that it's just so much fun to feel the baby roll around and move my entire belly by itself!


----------



## krys

Pretty sure I was five weeks in that picture :)

I really hope that is true about smaller girls...I'd much rather wait three-four more weeks, not six lol. As long as she's healthy though, that is really all that matters to me! Thirty-four weeks does sound like a lot! I remember when I wasn't very far along I would see that people were 35 and I was like wow that is SO far along, they'll have their babies SO SOON! So I think next week I'll be like OMG finally haha. 

Having a foot stool is definitely way more comfortable! It feels like you can just lean back and get comfy! I always put my feet up; when I'm on the couch, at the movies, at the table haha. I always find a way! 

Madison's movements haven't been very painful lately, probably because she's so big that she doesn't have room to get all crazy! For the last four or five months I've been getting this pain under my right boob. At first, I would get it maybe twice a week... Now I get it every single day, pretty much ALL day! I've almost gotten used to it! Sometimes it hurts worse than others, like right now! It hurts so bad. Its so frustrating, because I've mentioned it to the doctor and even gone to urgent care!! They can never tell me what it is though... It sucks! I'm also really nauseous today, I hope it goes away and it isn't morning/all-day sickness coming back!! I'm so glad that your baby is being easy on you lately! It just makes it so much more enjoyable!


----------



## krys

Oh! I decided on a tattoo that I'm going to get to represent Madison! It's going to be on my back, but kind of on my side. I want to get my birth flower (water lily), Eric's birth flower (carnation), and Madison's birth flower like going up my back. If she is born in July, we'll have the same birth flower, but the month of July has two. I could either get two water lilies or one water lily for me and our other flower for Madi! If we ever have another baby, I could easily add another flower to represent him or her! :)
I've heard getting your OH's name tattoo'd on you is a curse...but I don't think getting his flower would be a curse! Do you think it would be? I mean, I wouldn't get it until after our wedding, even though I KNOW we'll get married. I don't know! What do you think about the idea and everything?


----------



## airbear

I saw your bump progression on facebook! It's going to be so nice to have that for Madison when she's here! My dad made this really cute video for my baby shower. It had a video of me the day I was born then pictures from baby up until now and it ended with my bump progression. It was really cute! So now I can't wait until I have all my bump pictures and have him do it like that from the first weeks to the end!

I want an August baby but I probably won't get one! I'll be happy whenever the baby decides to come as long as it is healthy. If I didn't want an August baby I would probably want my baby early too! It's exciting that in just a couple weeks we could literally have our baby at any moment! After the baby shower and setting everything up in the bedroom it feels so much more real! 

I'm the same way! I'm actually most comfortable laying down but if not I definitely need my feet up! Ugh we went to the Hangover 2 the day after it came out and we saw it in theaters and seriously it was the most uncomfortable thing ever. It was so distracting during the movie because my back was hurting so bad and the theater was so full and there was a larger guy next to me so every time I moved my seat rubbed against his and made noise! But we bought this deal that was 2 tickets for $9 so we ended up getting 4 tickets and if 3 people buys through your link you get them free. So we got 4 free movie tickets so I'm sure I'll. Be back in the theater uncomfortable soon as you have to use them by february!

The pain under your boobs sound scary! I hope they can figure it out soon so they can give you some relief at least! Hopefully it isn't anything really serious! I feel the same about my baby how it doesn't have as much room for movements, so now it always pushes out and makes hard spots all over my tummy. I just love any movements so much! I'm always touching my belly and making everyone else feel!

I think the tattoo is a really cute idea and you can have the tattoo artist draw you two different ones so you can decide between two water lillies or each having your own flower! But I think you should go with both July's flowers so you each have your own unique flower! I didn't know having your OHs name was a curse but I've always wanted to get a tattoo to represent Travis. My parents got divorced when I was 3 so really early on and they don't talk at all but its so hard for me to wrap my head around how someone who was in love at one point and wanted to get married and have kids could hate each other. I just can't ever see myself hating Travis. If we ever broke up/got divorced I still think we would be close friends. So I've always wanted to get something for us because he is so important to me. I don't think his birth flower would be a curse! I think it's really cute. It's like your family boquet! :)

Okay so I just have to brag about my baby shower because it was absolutely amazing! The weather here has been crazy. Some days rainy the next 70 degree's (which is pretty warm for us!) but Saturday was about 65 and cloudy so it was warm but not miserable for us pale people! We got to have the baby shower out on the back deck! I was surprised by how many people actually came. The names I could remember I counted 45 people not including the 6 kids who came and not including Travis and 8! My mom did such a great job on the snacks. She had chocolate covered pretzel sticks that had baby shapes on them and she made chocolate baby shaped candies. Two giant bowls of watermelon balls and cantelope balls and she had my favorite family pasta salad and a huge fruit tray and a huge veggie tray. Travis' dad smoked some meat that was delicious and people didn't even realize there was a main meal since there was so much snack food! My sister made the cake, well she bought a Costco cake and then made the rest herself. She formed a rubber yellow duck out of cake and frosting. It turned out so cute! My mom made a diaper cake for the center piece. It was 3 layers and had ribbons around the layers each in a different color. Then instead of flowers like on yours she put baby stuff like rattles, socks, washcloths, spoons, travel baby toiletries, thermometers, etc. It was so cute and everyone loved it! I had to bring it home and set it up again on my changing table because it was so aodrable. Since there was so many people and it was all family people were talking and mindgling so much we didn't play games quite as much. We played some but my sister had to run around to get people's answers for some of them! There were so many presents! I was surprised by how much we actually got! Out of all those people we only got two baby outfits so I was really happy! Travis' mom kept rushing us while we were opening gifts because she didn't like how slow we were but then since we were trying to hurry for her I didn't get to see everything very well or remember who gave it to me (though my sister did write it down). My dad made a video that we watched after that had a video of me the day I was born then a picture slide show from when I was a baby up until now ending with my bump progression. It turned out really cute. In the video he is wearing a white shirt that says 'Proud New Daddy' and he has always always treasured it. When the video ended he made a speech and gave the shirt to Travis! It was so sweet I was crying so hard and everyone else teared up as well! Travis appreciated it a lot because my dad and I don't talk a lot and haven't for years and Travis always worried that my dad felt like it was Travis' fault so it was almost like an I accept you, thanks for being my grandbabies dad, and welcome to the family gift! I could go on forever about the party though! It was so perfect. So here is a list of everything I got because it's ridiuclous. We had nothing before and now we hardly need anything! 

(180) Huggie Diapers
Diaper Cake
(5) Plastic 6mo+ Plates
(2) 18mo 'Wild Love' horse Onesies
Baby Picture Frame
(4) Teether's (3 water filled, my favorite!)
(5) Baby Blankets
(3) Newborn Soft Seseme Street Books
(6) Stuffed Animals (2 Elephants, 1 Dog, 1 Koala, 1 Dino, 1 Lion)
Giraffe Security Blanket
Trio Rattle Set
Tummy Time Crawl Along Snail Mirror with Music and Lights
Music and Lights Butterfly
(2) Night Sky Animal Night Lights (Frog and Turtle)
(8) Flannel Receiving Blankets
(1) Swaddle Blanket (similar to a receiving blanket just a little thicker)
(2) Creme Sleep Sacks Swaddle Newborn
(2) Safari 0-4mo sleepsacks swaddle
(5) Sleep Gowns
(6) Neutral Birp Cloths
(2) Boppy Pillows (Safari and one naked)
Diaper Genie and 3 pack refills
Baby Bjorn Air Baby Carrier (the one my dad got me)
(6) neutral yellow pattern bibs
(5) crib sheets
(3) keep me dry crib pads
(2) terry cloth sheet savers
(5) hooded bath towels (frog, duck, cute duck, 2 sage)
Matching cute duck regular towel
(8) white washcloths
(6) neutral washcloths
(4) sage washcloths
Caterpillar Spiller Bath Cups
Frog Bath Buddy
Duck wash mit
Bath Sponge/Loofah in Sage
Rectal Thermometer
Baby Wipes in reusable Tub (72 wipes)
(10) white hangers
Blue Mommy/Daddy's Rockstar Newborn Outfit
Yellow Duck Newborn Outfit
Duck Hat + Booties
(2) Side Car window shades
Back window shade
Car mirror to see baby's face when rear facing
Infant Carrier Netting (to put on car seat while carrying to keep bugs out? Silly..)
(2) Johnsons take along packs (Shampoo, Wash, Lotion, Baby Powder, Destin) travel size
(2) pacifier clips (Dr. Browns and a Pooh Bear)
(2) 0m+ tommee tippee pacifiers
(2) 0-6m tommee tippee pacifiers
(2) 6m+ NUK pacifers
(2) white scratch mits
Snug Feeding Chair
Spa and Shower Baby Bath
Extra Stroller (when baby is older I guess)
Travel System
Changing Table Pad
(2) Changing Table Pad Sheets
(2) Changing table pad sheets H2O proof
Green Dog Strap Cover Buddies (goes on like car seat so straps don't rub)
(30) disposable nursing pads
(30) breast wipes
(3) evenflow 0-3m bottles (which I'm going to return)

Gift Cards:
$30 Babies R Us
$25 Macy's
$75 Fred Meyers
$125 Target
$80 Cash

There is a few things we still need like gender specific items for the bedroom (bedding, lamp, curtains, mobile) we also need baby monitors, a toy chest, a dresser, diaper bag, bottle accessories (my moms boss is actually getting us bottles but I haven't gotten them quite yet). Bathroom items (shampoo, wash, hairbrush, toothbrush/paste, tylenol, etc). Breast pump/accessories. And Baby gates. 

Here are some pictures after I got it home and set up! (I haven't been able to get the pictures off mine or other's camera's since I don't have a computer - the pictures on my camera aren't that great because I gave it to my uncle who was taking pictures so fast they are blurry!)



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_211716.jpg

All the cards we got!


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205804.jpg

The Diaper Cake after I brought it home and set it up on the changing table, I just put the stuff that was on it all in the front for a picture rather than all around


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205713.jpg

Stroller, Travel System, Travel Items


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205722.jpg

Travel System, Baby Bjorn, Travel Shades/Items


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205611.jpg

Snug Feeder/Highchair, Burp Cloths, Bibs, Plates


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205645.jpg

The swing we already had and the toys we got


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205825.jpg

Bath time items



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205815.jpg

Changing Pad, Pacifiers and Clips, Teethers, Receiving Blankets, Calendar and Frame


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205543.jpg

Changing table with a bunch of our baby shower gifts!


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205654.jpg

Crib with sleep items


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/IMG_20110612_205705.jpg

Baby outfits, baby blankets, stuffed animals, animal night lights, crib sheets/pads, sleepsacks, sleep gowns


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Baby%20Shower%20June%2011%202011/249874_2012339420378_1000559210_2300547_7632354_n.jpg

My dad and travis with the shirt


Sorry about the size/quality of the pictures! Best I could do with my phone and I was so happy and excited by everything I got I had to take pictures! 

Oh and Travis' mom just signed us up today for classes. They're. On Thursdays from 6:30 to 9pm and it starts July 7th through July 28th. It was the only available classes left! So maybe baby will be a few days late and we'll get to go to them all! Have you decided/signed up for classes?!

Now that I have most of my baby stuff I feel so much more prepared! I still have a few things to get but if baby came today we would at least have enough to get by since the things we need aren't things we need the first week! Travis said he wanted to wait until July 1st to buy the rest. I think he wants to wait on paychecks and wait until after the bills are paid. I might have to buy some things early because I want to get my hospital bag packed and I was going to use my diaper bag. Which I found a new one I want! 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003R70P9E/ref=mp_s_a_4?qid=1308002892&sr=8-4

It has 14 pockets inside and some outside!


Okay this post is too long! How are you?!


----------



## krys

Oh my gosh, it sounds like your baby shower was AMAZING!!! You got SO much stuff!!!! You are so much more prepared now, and you have gift cards to get whatever you still need! That was a really great idea to take a picture of all your things before they were put away, I wish I would have done that! That was sooooo cute of your dad to make that video, and even cuter that he gave Travis that shirt! The picture of the two of them is adorable. I would have been bawling my eyes out! You should frame it lol :)

That diaper bag is super cute! I love how you can put in on the stroller, I wish mine could do that!

Yay for getting signed up for classes!! Remember how Eric got me a prenatal spa package for Mothers Day? Well I called to make an appointment, but they were closed since it was Sunday. On the answering machine they just said that it wasn't their normal business hours and whatever, but they left their website address. So I went to the website just out of curiosity, and this place is SO COOL! They do the massages and facials, but they also have classes! They have prenatal yoga, mommy and baby yoga, breastfeeding classes, CHILDBIRTH CLASSES! I was so excited when I saw that!! I figured it would be really expensive though, but it isn't at all! Its $75 per couple or $45 for just mommy. There are three classes, and they start this Thursday. Eric has to work Thursday, so I didn't want to pay $30 extra if he wasn't going to be able to make it to this one, and there would be a possibility that he couldn't make it to the others either. So that kind of sucks that I have to go alone :/ there are three classes though, for the next three thursdays from 6-8:30. It recommends that you go between 6-8 months, and I will be more than 8 1/2 when I start, but oh well! I can't believe I finally found a class, and I wasn't even looking! I had pretty much gave up and figured I wasn't going to get to. I wish I had found it sooner, because I could have told Eric ahead of time so he didn't have to work AND I could have been doing prenatal yoga this whole time! Oh well! I also couldn't get in for my massage and facial until the 27th, which seems so far away! I'm really looking forward to it though!

Are you only bringing your diaper bag to the hospital? I packed my things in a bag, and Madison's things in her bag. I probably packed way too much, but I want to make sure I have everything! I washed all her blankets today :) I still have so much to do, but its a start! Its really starting to hit me lately that she will be here so soon! I know I say that all the time, but the last couple of days it has finally started to sink in. From the very beginning everyone has been asking if I'm scared, and I always said no. I never really was scared though... this is between you and me, but I am legitimately getting scared now! I will still say no if they ask, but you know the truth lol. 
I am so scared because I feel like I don't know what to do! I don't want to hurt her, she's gonna be so tiny... I just hope it comes natural and I know what to do! Eric has said he's gonna take a little time off of work, but he's never told me how much. I know he doesn't want to take too much off, because obviously that is less money we'll have coming in.. I just want him there to help me! My mom is coming to town, as well as my dad, and my grandparents from Texas!! I feel like they're gonna look at me and think that I have no clue what I'm doing, but they'll be right! I won't have a clue! Ahhh I'm freaking out all of a sudden. 
Also, Eric's mom and her best friend smoke. I don't want them holding my baby if they have smoked! Even if they wash their hands, it stays in their hair and clothes. I was reading about SIDS (which btw scares the shit out of me) and they mentioned the fact that if theres a smoker around the baby, even if they aren't smoking in the house, the babies risk goes up. Since we found out I was pregnant, she said she would quit, but she hasn't, and Madison is almost here. She smokes in her car too, so even if she isn't smoking at the time, her car will always have smoke trapped in the seats and ashes around the car. Not that she ashes her cigarette in the car, but little ones spread. So Madison is not allowed to ride in her car, and when I tell her that, she'll most likely freak out. Do you think I am wrong to not let her drive with Madison? What would you do?


----------



## airbear

Ugh, I just wrote a responce then I checked a message and came back and it was gone!

Anyway, I had so much fun at my baby shower and I was so happy we got so much stuff! Makes me feel like I can finally relax! I still have a few big things I need to get and then some things I just really want, but the gift cards will be some helpful for the rest! Plus I have a couple relatives who live out of state sending more! It was so sweet of my dad to pass down his treasured daddy shirt! I am hoping someone got a slightly better picture on a real camera versus a phone camera and then I'll probably put the picture in the baby room!

I love the diaper bag! I love grey and I think it is so cute! I love colors that work well with anything you are wearing or if we have a girl or boy! I was reading the reviews online and someone wrote everything they packed and it was a ton of things! Then they added that everything was in it's own organized pocket! All except for the folded clothes they left in the main compartment. She said she normally didn't even bring that much but she was going somewhere over night. I think they make clips so that any diaper bag can clip to the stroller but I might be wrong. You should look into it!

I'm glad you got classes! You'll have to tell me how you like them! I wish we had a spa here like that, it sounds like they have everything! I feel bad that Travis' mom paid for the classes since it starts 18 days before my due date! I might only make it to two of the four classes! I'm also hoping Travis can come since we're not so sure with him starting at Costco. He will ask for those evenings off but sometimes he might not actually get them off.

I think I'll probably only bring my diaper bag, but I might use Travis' small back pack to pack some more things in. The room's apparently have a window bed that Travis can sleep in that I thought was kind of nice so he can stay the night the first day the baby is born.

I haven't washed anything yet, but my washer can hold a ton of clothes so I'll probably get most of everything in one load. I'm just worried about opening everything and washing it and then never using some. But we didn't have much before the baby shower and now we're prepared but we still don't have too much of anything I would say. So I could probably wash everything and it would eventually end up getting used. I really want to set up the crib and such but I still need to buy a dresser and organizers to put all the stuff! It's still sitting exactly how it looks in the pictures! 

I'm finally to the point to where I feel so pregnant like I literally cannot get comfortable at all. Plus my hormones feel more ridiculous as I cry over everything. But I think it's because Travis has his new job at Costco so I get to see him a lot less and I just don't like it when I'm home alone without him. I always miss him too much! But I agree, I'm really nervous as well. I'm nervous because I don't think we can afford for Travis to take any time off which means I'll just get thrown into motherhood and have to do everything alone. I'm also mostly nervous financially since starting July 1st I no longer have a job! I think maybe since I'll be alone with just me and the baby though maybe I'll feel less nervous that way if I mess up or do something stupid people won't make me feel like I'm completely clueless! I'm sure if I needed help my mom will rush over as long as she isn't working. She's already said she wants to do the whole baby room, which is nice but also a little frustrating since we don't know what gender yet and she wants to start now. Plus I told her that Travis and I want to be able to enjoy planning and setting up our first babies nursery. She even told me what colors and boarders and such! I'm just feeling overwhelmed I think!

Just remember everyone started out clueless, even people who had planned babies, people older than us, and people who have done a lot of research. It's something no one can ever understand until they're just thrown into it. Much like pregnancy I would say. I personally think no one will fully understand pregnancy until they actually are pregnant. Plus you have me to write to if you get overwhelmed or need help with the baby! I can't judge since I'll be learning too! :) I'm worried that once the baby is born I won't feel a connection! I don't know why, but I'm just scared that I'm going to feel like I'm just constantly stuck with this crying baby and I won't feel connected. I mean I'm sure I will but right now I'm worried!

I don't know, the smoking thing is difficult! I would almost say they need to change their clothes once they are done smoking. Especially while Madison is little. I wouldn't let her drive with Madison if she was smoking with Madison in the car, but maybe she can drive Madison in the car as long as she isn't currently smoking and has the windows open and Madison's not to cold. I personally think people will be offended if you say anything to them, but this is the safety and health of YOUR baby! SIDS scares me too. I just know I'm going to be the kind of mom who is constantly checking on the baby while it's asleep at home and who won't let it out of her sight while it's awake! I just want my baby safe!

Even though we're both nervous I definitely think it's normal. Our lives are about to completely change in a few short weeks and once it does we're thrown in a whole new world learning a whole new life skill! I think it will be difficult but it will also be so worth it, and once we see our little one's 10 fingers, 10 toes, and their cute button nose our maternal side will kick in hard! Plus I'm still excited even if I am nervous! :)


----------



## krys

That made me feel a lot better! I am definitely still excited, just scared of the unknown. In a way, I wish that my parents and grandparents weren't gonna be here from out of town right away. Of course I want them here, but not 24/7 at the beginning! They won't be here for long though, so they are obviously going to want to spend a lot of time with Madison. I'm gonna want to spend a lot of time with her too though, especially seeing as I've been carrying her in my tummy for the last nine months! 
I agree, I am definitely going to be checking her constantly. When I was babysitting my friends baby, I was constantly making sure he was breathing and still okay! I just want her safe, all the time!
I think you will feel a connection. It might be a little hard right now, seeing as you can't call him/her by their name. Once they get here though, I know everything is going to change and they are going to be your world! 
I would be frustrated if my mom was doing that! Mine basically picked out our crib, since she bought it. I was a little annoyed because I wasn't sure if it was exactly what I wanted, and I had actually picked out other ones! It was more than $400 too, and the ones I picked out were so much cheaper!! I love my crib though, so I can't complain. I would just explain to her that you would love her help, but that you would like to be the one picking everything out. She can still help you decorate (whatever style or color you choose) and put everything together and away! Moms just get excited, I know mine does! Decorating and painting Madison's room was such a great experience for Eric and me, so I totally think you should go with your heart and do what YOU want!
I am completely overwhelmed with being pregnant! Like right now, that pain under my boob is AWFUL! Its actually under both right now! Thats a first... It still hurts worse under my right one, but it has never been on both sides before! Whenever I lean back, or turn a certain way, I am in so much pain! Also, some of Madison's movements have gotten SO painful. My lower back, always hurts! Getting up and down from the couch is one of the most painful parts of my day. And waking up to pee? THE WORST! I literally can not get up when I've been laying down for a long time. Everytime I have to get up I kind of rock back and forth trying to get some momentum. That usually wakes Eric up though, and he helps me out. I don't know what I would do without him! The other night I was in so much pain. I was nauseous, my back hurt, and I had a migraine! Eric was working late, but I was still up when he got home. When he walked into our room I just started crying. It was so sweet, he got in bed and sat up and had me lay in between his legs. He just rubbed my hair until I fell asleep. Pregnancy is just so uncomfortable to me lately! Sooo happy its almost over!
I seriously hate when that happens, you type up your message and then its gone! Its even worse because I know when it happens to me, I can't remember everything and I feel like the second one left so much out!


----------



## airbear

I know what you mean, it really is scary waiting for something you're expecting that is still an unknown! I hope I can have the first couple weeks alone with the baby before I get a ton of visitors and before visitors stay for a long time. I think I'm going to find it hard to tell the new grandparents to be this as I'm sure they're all so excited they'll want to be around 24/7. But I'm going to want to sleep, I'm going to want to bond with my baby, and I'm going to want to not do my make up or worry about the house being clean! Maybe they can come watch the baby while I nap! :) One can watch baby, the other can sleep and in an hour they can switch! Hahah

I'm sure once I hold my baby in my arms I'll feel the connection right away. I think I'm just worried since I don't know what I'm having and even though its just a gender is still completely changes my future! I think we'll both make great mom's. I feel like we're both very mature for our age and we've both been so excited and ready for our little one's arrival. Plus we're both already so protective!

I wasn't too happy when my mom mentioned her theme's for colors and such for the baby room. I think your idea is best. Allowing her to possibly help but not be the deciding factor. I know she loves these type of things, decorating and all, but at the same time I think it's a special moment I would like to share with Travis as it's like welcoming our baby! Plus I've already told her I don't want to do the bedroom until after the baby is born so I can pick a theme for the specific gender. She's already thinking gender neutral idea's which frustrated me because if that was what I had wanted to do I would have done it a long time ago. So maybe Travis and I will sit down and brainstorm idea's we'd like for each gender and then allow my mom to come up with some creative idea's for that specific theme! 

I'm sorry about the pain under your boob! That is so strange and I just hope it's nothing too serious. Maybe it's just your milk coming in or your boob muscles preparing for nursing? I definitely find it really difficult to get up as well! Though I'm still surprised by my flexibility and how quickly I can still move. Sure I'm not as flexible or quick but I thought I would be worse! I usually only have to get up to pee once a night during the early morning hours. I actually find it easier to get out of bed rather than get off the couch or something! My back pain is still terrible and has been my whole pregnancy but luckily it hasn't gotten worse! But I have gotten more nauseous and I have been gettting head aches lately too! I never feel hungry either and when I do eat I feel like there isn't enough room in my belly for my stomach to expand! We're very lucky to have such sweet OH's! I woke up and saw one small mess after I had just cleaned the house the night before and got upset, then I just started getting emotional! I felt silly because I didn't even really understand it. I think I just felt exhausted and like the pregnancy was taking a toll on my body as well as not seeing Travis as much as usual. So I was in the shower crying and Travis was about to leave for work but instead got in the shower with me just to hold me and cheer me up. It was so sweet. They're are truely great guy's. If Travis acted the way I do I would think he was crazy! I'm still in shock that in just 3 week's we'll be full term! 3 weeks fly's by so quickly these days! Plus come July I start doctors appointments weekly versus bi-weekly which makes the weeks go by even faster! 

But I am also so excited to meet the baby I've been carrying for 9 months. I'm pretty sure about 99% of the time I'm thinking about my baby. I just can't wait until it is here! I can't wait to see pictures of Madison either, I think she's going to be just beautiful! We're going to be Mommy's soon! :) iMm applying and advertising my nanny services for the fall and I get to say Stay At Home Mom looking for full time position or what not but it's so fun getting to publically say I'm a mom!


----------



## krys

Haha yeah, I will definitely have them babysit while I nap! Now that I think of it that way, it will be pretty good to have them helping around the house and with the baby. I'll be able to shower and get some rest. Also, I know my mom will do the cleaning, and my nana will do the cooking lol.
I think we are going to be amazing moms! I also think that our guys are going to be amazing dads, so that is going to make it so much easier. Even if they're at work a lot.
That is a really good idea letting your mom come up with ideas, but based on what you and Travis want! She will still feel important, but you'll get your way too! Great compromise :)
I feel the same way about eating! I went through a phase where I couldn't get enough, and that is totally over! It's weird that we are both nauseous and having headaches! I guess that must be pretty normal for how far along we are. I wish those would just go away, it's hard enough without being sick to my stomach or having a headache!
I got really emotional the other day, for no reason. Eric and I were at Target getting Father's day cards and another bin for Madi's room. He was walking too fast for me to keep up, so I kept snapping at him to slow down. Then I got mad at him because he put the cart in some lady's way. He started messing with me in the car when we left, and then I freaked out! Ugh he made me so mad. He was just screwing with me, singing and stuff. Then he would just smile at me, or call me a sweet name. It was making me crazy! I yelled (really loud) at him to shut up when I was getting out of the car, and he was just like wow I'm sure all the neighbors heard that and he was laughing at me. He usually isn't such a jerk, but I know I was totally overreacting. Anyway, I ended up running up to our room and crying hysterically. I didn't even know why I got so mad at him, so that made it even worse!! If he acted like that, I would be so confused haha. 
Three weeks does go by so fast! I'm not sure when I will switch to weekly appointments! Ugh I am so annoyed with my doctor though, I really wish I could just get a new one. I feel like they don't check me enough, or do everything that they are supposed to! Tomorrow I am going to try to get medicaid, I really hope I can so that Madison has insurance! 
I can't wait to see pictures of your baby! He or she is going to be soooo cute! And thank you! I know she is going to be just perfect :) We are really lucky! That is so cool that you got to put stay at home mom! I can't wait until I get to say something like that! Have you ever tried the website sittercity.com ? I used it to get babysitting jobs, but I know they have a section for nanny positions too! You set up a profile, and people looking for a nanny or babysitter post too. They leave a little description and usually will include what they are willing to pay and hours and stuff. That way you can weed out the ones that aren't enough beforehand. Just a thought! :)


----------



## airbear

We both want time with our babies but it will be so nice to have people watch them so we can get other things done! I just don't want to feel like they are pushy with how I do things with the baby, since I will still be learning! How would they feel if someone was laughing at them when they had their first baby. We just have to do it ourselves and learn, but extra hands for cleaning and cooking will be so nice!

I think it will be a good compromise because she'll come up with cute decorative idea's I might not think of. She's pretty good at coming up with unique cute things to fill wall space and such. It will be so fun though once the baby room is painted and has decor on the walls! Right now it just looks sad with white walls and light brown wood furniture and hard wood floors. It feels all old and echo-y when I walk in! I want cute curtains too!

Exactly! Before I felt like I should better stop eating or I would turn into a whale, now it just feels like a chore! Luckily we don't have too much longer and the nauseousness doesn't seem as bad as first trimester but sometimes hits me in a wave by surprise. I'm kind of tired of the headaches though because when I was younger I had a year where I had them constantly and grew up getting headaches often, so I just don't like them much. I have one right now but it could be because Travis sprayed lysol so now it just smells funny!

I get moments like that too! It's frustrating because I feel like we can't help it! That we don't even want to feel this way but we do! I've always been a little bad though because I'm very picky with the way things are done. I always get snappy about Travis' driving or how I can't stand the sound of him chewing (even though his mouth is closed). Little things always get to me, but its even worse when I'm pregnant! But they're sweet enough to put up with us because they love us, they love that we're keeping their baby safe, and we're their family! 

Let me know how signing up for medicaid goes! I hope you get approved, just remember not to menion you live with anyone and you have no income from anyone or they'll say you make too much! 

I actually got the nanny job I work at now from sittercity.com. I usually use care.com more because a lot more people post jobs on that website rather than sittercity. Sittercity seems to have more babysitting jobs but hey I did get my current job there so it works for nannying, too! There are a couple other sites too but I don't use them very often. I actually applied to a ton of postings today!

You'll probably go weekly come July since it's the last month of our pregnancies! I'm sorry to hear about your doctor! I somewhat feel that way too, that they aren't being as picky about making sure everything looks perfect, as I would like them to be! I'm always afraid my baby will be born with a birth defect or something because I read this book called Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult (I love almost all of her books!) and it was about a woman who was pregnant and her best friend was her doctor and she would get ultrasounds. During her 18 week ultrasound everything looked perfect and the ultrasound was really clear. Then they did an ultrasound at 27 weeks just for fun because her friend had time and when she looked at the ultrasound her baby had 7 bone breaks! She ended up having OI which basically means she (the baby) has fragile bones and may die at birth and if she doesn't die at birth then she will only grow up to be 3 feet tall or so and constantly break bones! So now I'm all worried my baby is going to be born with something rare like that since the doctors never looked at an ultrasound past 20 weeks. Oh and the whole story was the lady who had the baby was suing her best friend for malpractice because she should have known at 18 weeks when the ultrasound was unusually clear.

Sorry somehow my paragraphs got out of order when I am writing them but I'm sure it still makes sense! :)


----------



## krys

I am the same way about Eric driving or chewing!!! I always yell at him for going to fast, when he usually doesn't go more than five over. Or I yell at him when he doesn't get over soon enough. I also hate when he eats certain things! He chews with his mouth closed, but sometimes he's eating something crunchy and its LOUD! Or for some reason, the sound he makes when he eats animal crackers makes me want to smack him! haha

When you signed up for medicaid did you put that you're with Travis? Not sure whether or not I should include that... I don't know what the limit is for how much you can make, I'll have to look that up! 

That is so sad about that lady!!!!!!! OMG!!! I really hate that I don't have anymore ultrasounds, but you haven't even had one since you were 20 weeks. So that is RIDICULOUS! Theres a thread in teen pregnancy and it shows a video of this lady who had her baby and they didn't catch that it had this problem with the placenta and umbilical cord or something. Had they known, they could have saved her baby. Her baby died though, and it was devastating. She told the story and when I read "he died in my husbands arms" I started bawling. It was soooo freaking sad. They would have been able to catch it at an ultrasound, but she said they don't normally screen for it. 1 out of 3000 babies get it though, and if they don't catch it the baby bleeds out.... So sad! I hope they checked us for that!


----------



## airbear

OMG I lost everything I wrote AGAIN! So I'll just make it short since I just rambled. Basically I'm glad you can relate to the driving and the chewing situations! I did it before being pregnant too though.. like right now Travis is eating pizza and the TV is on and it blocks out most sounds but when the movie goes quiet I can hear it and I have to struggle to focus on something else and not go crazy!

I didn't mention anything about Travis when I applied. I only told them about myself, the baby, and my employeer. They didn't even ask about the babies dad so it was nice not to have to lie. But once you're married they'll know about Eric and they'll take his income into account as well. Here the cut off was $2240 a month you couldn't make more. I made that myself not including Travis' job so I really couldn't mention him or I wouldn't get the insurance.

I think it's weird they don't take ultrasounds more often just to measure the baby and check to see how it's doing. But then I just remind myself that the generations before us didn't really have ultrasounds and there have been a ton of healthy babies. It's just reassuring! I still worry though. I did see that video and it reminded me of the book, how if the doctors tried harder they would have caught it and may have been able to save the baby! It's so sad the baby died in it's dad's arms. Once our cat died in my moms arms and that was devestating enough let alone your blood child! I just can't imagine and I always worry its going to happen to me! I feel so bad for everyone who has gone through a miscarriage, gave birth to a still born baby, or lost their baby after it was alive!


----------



## krys

Thank you for the info about Medicaid, I hope I don't have to mention Eric! We were on hold with them for almost 45 minutes today! Then they basically told us NOTHING! They just told us to fill out an application online and gave us the website. When we went to it, we couldn't really find anything. He had also given us the address though, so we decided we'll just go in and talk to someone. It was already like 11 at the time though, so we figured it would be best to go early in the morning when they opened. Eric was going to go with me, but I guess maybe I should go alone! 

I feel so bad for everyone that has had to go through those things too. Especially because theres not much you can do, it just happens! In the teen pregnancy section, a lot of girls have had miscarriages and it scares me!! I'm just so thankful that our babies are safe and healthy! I know we'll do our best to keep them that way!

Has anyone got back to you about a nanny position yet? I really hope you can find something that can accommodate you and the baby!

Ahhh tomorrow I start my classes. I HATE going anywhere alone, so I am really nervous about going tomorrow!! I'm not shy at all once I get to know someone, but I am extremely shy around strangers. I don't even like making important phone calls :/ Hopefully it goes well though! I really hope that I learn a lot too!


----------



## airbear

Yeah I found it much easier to just go in and apply. Then all I had to do was fill out a worksheet and give it to them. I had to call after I applied because they didn't ever bother to get back to me. They're really slow and not very helpful on the phones! Let me know how it goes though!

I am very greatful our babies are safe and healthy! I can't imagine what it must feel like to lose a baby. I think it would be the most difficult thing to ever have to go through!

I haven't found a position yet. Haven't gotten any responces. But a lot of people are only needing summer positions filled right now. Since I can't work until September I can't apply for those position, but in August there will be a lot more positions for the fall school year and hopefully I'll find a position which baby can come!

I get pretty shy too. Both Travis and I use to get really shy with new people. Travis is a lot better now and can meet new people more easily. It takes me quite a while to feel comfortable around new people. I'm actually better than Travis at making important phone calls, but I still don't like it. Once he even tried to bribe me to call FiOs because he didn't want to! But I made him, said he had to sometime! How did your first day of classes go?! I hope it wasn't too bad going alone!


----------



## krys

My class was okay! I ended up working with my friend yesterday, we worked at her uncles warehouse. They set up conventions and stuff, so we had to hang up like a zillion curtains that are for the conventions. So I had to stand ALL day!! My legs and feet were really tired, so I was tired at my class. My legs hurt and the chair was so uncomfortable!! There were about 12 other couples there, I was the only one alone!! Hopefully Eric can go to the next one! I learned a lot though. Next week we focus on pushing and breathing techniques! I'm excited for that. They gave me a really simple list of what to pack in your hospital bag!! All the lists I've read were soooo long and rediculous. I'm gonna re-pack mine, I'll send you the list so you have it too! I'll have to send it later though, bc Eric is at work and he has our laptop so I'm on my phone. 
I got maternity pictures taken!!! It wad really last minute. My friend did them, and we took some at my house and some at the park. We set up a black background at my house and I wore a black bandeau top and jeans. Eric was in some too!! Then we went to the park and took more. At the park I wore a white tank top and jeans, and Eric wore a white tee shirt and jeans. I liked doing them at my house bc I was more comfortable. I took my bandeau top off in a couple and just covered up my boobs. They all came out so amazing!!!!!!!! She edited them and had them printed out, but I haven't picked them up yet. I'm so excited!! :) Are you going to take yours?


----------



## airbear

Oh my goodness! I bet you were tired. I usually sit all day and I feel like my body is always exhausted. I think once I start maternity leave I need to force myself to do yoga everyday because my body just feels so tense and achy! 

I'm so sorry you were the only single person there! I would have felt awkward. What did they talk about in your first class? Next week's class will be so worth it, I really hope Eric can go with you so when you do go into labor he'll already know all the techniques. Plus you won't have to go alone! I would definitely love the list. I still haven't gotten my bag. I keep changing my mind. I found a new one I just love. It's the 'Babymel Amanda Diaper Bag - Quilted Black'. It's the most expensive out of the three I liked but I think it will be worth it because it has the best reviews. I really liked the last one I showed you and it had good reviews but some people mentioned the quality didn't last long and I read that from quite a few people. I have been doing research into the babymel because it has really good reviews but it's $98 for the color I want. They have another color I kind of like and I can get it for about $60 on this one website! But I just love the look of the quilted black more. I found one website I can get it for $84 versus $98.

I can't wait to see your maternity pictures! I have an appointment at a studio on July 2nd but with Travis' new job I might have to move the date around a little bit. I haven't fully decided what to wear but I was thinking of wearing these lacey white panties I just got and getting a white bandeau top to go with it. So now I really want to see yours to see how they turned out! I also want to wear jeans in some, and have Travis wear a white t-shirt and jeans and I'll wear the white bandeau top and jeans. I don't know if I want to find a shirt to wear or not. I'm going to keep looking at different maternity pictures so that I can decide for more clothing ideas. I really wanted a friend to do mine so I could do some nudes, but I just don't feel comfortable with the few people I know who do pictures. So I settled on the white pantie/bandeau set instead. Mine will be all indoors since it's at a studio unless I decide to go with this guy I found on craigslist that I really liked his pictures but he's really far away and I'm not sure if he'll come up. Then I could just get a sheet and do indoor pictures and also do outdoor pictures as well. I just have no idea! I also can't stand my hair I want to recolor it but don't have the money to get it professionally done and I wish it was longer because I chopped it off last summer and totally regret it! I really can't wait to see your maternity pictures! I'm so excited!


----------



## krys

In the first class, they basically just talked about labor! They explained terms like dilation and effacement. They also talked about and explained the stages of labor! We talked about when to go to the hospital, timing contractions, inductions, assisted deliveries, natural vs. medicated, and also about c-sections and episiotomies! It cleared up a lot of questions that I had, ones my doctor never really went over. We also got a few packets: Labor support- a guide for the birth partner, the facts about epidural anesthesia for labor, is this labor?, and relaxation... those will definitely come in handy! Here's those hospital packing lists! 

Mommy's hospital bag
-nursing bra
-nightgowns
-comfortable robe
-a few pairs of warm socks
-slippers
-your own pillow for comfort
-shampoo/conditioner
-hairbrush/comb
-toothbrush/toothpaste
-cosmetics/deodorant
-baby book
-breastfeeding book (we get one at our last class, I think)
-nipple cream
-going home outfit

Daddy's bag
-camera
-phone #'s for family & friends
-music
-snacks
-massage aids
-focal point object
-pillow & blanket if planning to sleep at the hospital

Baby's bag
-swaddle blanket or sleep sac
-blankets
-going home outfit
-onesies or undershirts
-socks
-hat
-car seat

I'm pretty excited, because our last class is about breastfeeding!



Anyway, enough about the classes lol. Have you ever typed something into google and then at the top clicked shopping? It gives you the prices of the product at different stores/online! It makes it easier to find the lowest price. My step dad showed us how to do that when we were searching for baby things online. You should do that with your diaper bag, and then you will get the best rate!!! I bet whichever one you choose will be perfect :)

I got all my pictures back already! My friend went and got them all printed out, and she even got this big frame that holds a bunch and arranged them in there. They came out so perfect! I haven't had the chance to scan them yet, but she has them on her computer, so I'll probably just have her email them to me. Then I will probably upload them to facebook! Well the ones where I'm fully clothed... I'll show you the other ones, you can't see my boobies or anything, I just wouldn't want everyone on my facebook seeing them lol. I think the bandeau top and panties will be really cute!!!! The shirt that I wore was just a pain white tank top. I had it down in some, and pulled up over my belly in others. I really liked that some were indoor and some were outdoor! Hopefully you can take some in and out too! I can't wait to see yours!!! 

OMG I hate my hair too!!!!!!! I think you may have seen in my bump pictures or just facebook pictures in general, but it used to be SO LONG!!! I got so sick of being hot at night and I just felt like I had too much hair.... So I cut it ALL off! Its so short, its like barely past my shoulders now. The girl who did it cut like one layer and it looked so dumb. So I went to get it fixed and the other lady cut my layers realllyyyyyy choppy on ONE side. I NEVER wear it down anymore :( I used to just be able to let my hair air dry and it would be perfect down, now I HAVE to straighten it just to put it up. I could go on forever.... I just miss my hair :/


----------



## airbear

Your first class already sound's really helpful! I'm excited to start taking my classes because I think I'll feel more comfortable and less nervous for the birth when I'm better educated on everything! Thank you for their hospital bag list! Even though I don't have my bag itself yet I'm going to get everything together so I at least have it all prepared!

What?! That is so cool about the google shopping! I sit for hours looking on amazon, ebay, and depending on what I'm buying the store I would normally go to for example baby stuff I would check Babies R Us prices. That will be so much more helpful! I even look for 'coupon codes' for when I find a website with the best price to see if I can get it cheaper. The bag I think I'm getting is $98 everywhere. I haven't found it on sale at all but I did find one site that I found a 15% off coupon code so it makes the bag only $84 :)

I am so excited to see your pictures! I love that she made a frame for you. I think we'll be going to a studio so it will probably only be indoor pictures which I'm a little bummed about but the package I want gives you 10 sheets of pictures so depending on the size you decide you can get at least 10+ pictures printed. Then they give you a CD with all of them so you can share online and such. I tried on my little white panty outfit and it's so cute and Travis said he would get white boxer briefs so we can have an underwear picture together! I might get a brand new white plain tank top (I have like 3..) so that when we're doing the clothing pictures I won't look odd wearing my bandaeu top while Travis is wearing his white shirt. I am so excited to see your pictures though! I love maternity and newborn pictures! I think when I get my printed pictures I'm going to put them in a frame(s) and put it in the babies room. Probably print some and put them somewhere else in the house too.

My hair use to go past my boobs and I had it perfectly dyed this really nice shade of blonde. It had a lot of different tones some light blonde, medium, and some light brown pieces and I loved it. Then I worked at the hair salon and wanted a change and chopped it so short! It's just now barely past my shoulders (and only in the front since the back is shorter) and I cut it last August! Our hair problems sounds the same! I use to always let mine air dry and it's got some natural waves and would look so cute. Sometimes I would straighten it just for a change but not blow drying it or straightening it was so good on my hair. I have baby thin hair so it gets damaged easily. You're not suppose to shampoo everyday but if I don't it looks greasy so I always do. This weekend I didn't shampoo though so maybe once I'm on maternity leave and have no where to go I'll let it have a break from drying. I bought this expensive salt spray for my hair and I gives it some texture for when I put my hair up (which is literally everyday :( ) but I always put it in a messy bun because even a pony tail doesn't look as cute! Prenatals are suppose to help our hair and mine doesn't seem to have gotten any better! Hopefully we'll get our long hair back soon! Maybe winter will help it grow fast! I really want to box dye mine a medium brown so it at least is all one color because I saw my hair in the baby shower photo's and I thought the color was terrible, I had never noticed before. Probably because I had straightened it and normally I don't. In my newest bump pictures I've been letting it dry naturally so it actually kind of looks okay but its still too short!


----------



## krys

Your pictures are going to be beautiful! :)

Thats what I usually do to my hair when I get sick of it... I'll just get a box of brown and dye it! Right now, its blonde though, and I do like the color! I think going on maternity leave and maybe not washing it every day will help! My hair gets greasy fast too, but I try to wash it every other day, sometimes I can even skip two days! Have you thought about dry shampoo? You spray it in your hair, and it makes it not greasy! I love it!!!

This reminded me of you! I remember you saying something about this saying a long time ago...
https://www.thevintagepearl.com/products/iloveyoutothemoonandback_p16

Eric is leaving now and taking the laptop to work, so I have to cut it short :/ boooo, I wish we would have got two!


----------



## airbear

Oh I'm glad you like your blonde! I would dye my hair blonde right now but I don't want to spend too much before the baby gets here. I totally regret dying it brown last year! I loved my long blonde hair, now it's short and brown :( But I'd rather it all be one soft color. Sometimes I use the ocean texture spray I have an it makes it look a lot less greasy and I can get away not shampooing. But I really should look for some dry shampoo. I've heard of it but never seen it or used it!

I saw that necklace! I think it's so cute, I want it! Plus you can get a second charm if you have another baby! 

Maybe for your birthday you can get another laptop! If not maybe sometime this year. Especially if you'll be a stay at home mom you might get bored when Madison is sleeping! But I'm sure we'll want to hold them the whole time! I honestly can't believe we have less than 5 weeks! I'm getting so anxious and ready for the baby to be here!


----------



## krys

We are "full term" in less than 2 weeks, that is ALL I think about! :)

Today I bought a birthing ball! Well, thats not specifically what it's for, but same thing! It wasn't very expensive, and I figured that after I have the baby I can use it for exercise! It actually came with a booklet of exercises, so I am excited for that. When you roll around on it when you're pregnant, it is supposed to help get the baby in position! I figured next week I will start sitting on it and sort of rolling my hips, just to help Madison move down! I also bought a prenatal yoga dvd! It was only $10, and I figured I might be more comfortable doing yoga at home. I only wish I had gotten it sooner! There was also a dvd that was specifically for mothers who just gave birth! Its called "lose the baby weight fast" lol, it was on clearance for $4, so I figured I might as well buy that one too! I am just ready to get my body back!!!

Has your doctor talked to you about getting your membranes swept? I guess after 37 weeks, it's optional. I'm not 100% sure on what they do, but from what I understood, they kind of irritate the cervix and it sort of jumpstarts labor? Not too sure, thats why I was asking! I think I would probably do it :shrug: I am just so ready to meet my baby! I want her to come a little early, because my grandparents will be here July 23rd and my dad will be here August 1st. I would like a little time to bond with my baby before they came! 

I have my next appt tomorrow, not really looking forward to it! It is the last group one though, YAY! Then Thursday I have my next class! Eric still hasn't called to see if he can pay the difference and come, and I really don't want to call. If he doesn't call before work tomorrow, I guess I will! When is your next appointment? I wonder when they will start doing pelvic exams?


----------



## airbear

I can't believe we're actually that close to being full term. It all seems so surreal because to me it feels like third trimester has flown by. In fact the whole pregnancy has! First trimester felt long because I was sick and didn't look pregnant but now we're so close to being full term we won't even have a preemie! We'll have healthy little babies soon! I am so excited! I love feeling the baby move because it's so big now it feels like a real baby. I feel like I can picture what it's doing when it moves more now than I did before.

I should get a birthing bag. I'll have all of July off and I could just sit on the birthing ball while watching movies or something! I actually have two yoga video's but with my work schedule and Travis' I never did them much because I just wanted to spend time together. Though Travis did do them a couple times with me! I told myself I would do them more once I was on maternity leave since I'll have all day and be bored! Plus doing yoga will help us get our bodies back quicker after birth and probably make the birth much easier! I weighed myself today and I weigh 140lbs! That means I've gained 30lbs so far! I hope I don't gain much more because Travis is 145/150lbs ish and I don't want to weigh more than him!

I've heard of it before but my doctor hasn't mentioned anything about it. She usually doesn't tell me much of anything. I only ever go in, give a urine sample, get weighed, listen to the heartbeat, take my blood pressure, and get my uterus mesured. Last time she asked me if I was having any contractions and I told her no then she asked if I had any tightenings and I said a couple of times but otherwise not really. Then she says those were contractions! I feel completely clueless since she doesn't tell me anything! I wish my classes started sooner so I would feel like I could make all of them and be educated more! I don't know if I would get my membranes swept but that's just because I want an August baby so I'm waiting as long as possible. I'm sure I'll change my mind in a couple of weeks and be yelling at baby to hurry up! I still can't believe how soon it is though!

Hopefully your appointment goes well today. If she measures you let me know what you're number is. Last time I was 31inches which no one even acted concerned about but before they had told me it should be the same as the week you are on and mine has always measured dead on, so it should have been 34inches! We're both carrying totally different though. From looking at your 35 week bump you're carrying out much more than I am. I feel like a lot of my space is on the sides of me! Baby is always kicking my right side and it's so far over! Let me know how your class goes tomorrow, also! Hopefully Eric can go. Didn't you say this was the breathing techniques class? My next appointment isn't until June 30th (not this Thursday but next) and then I have one the week after and every week after that. Maybe they start doing pelvic exams at 37 weeks?! I'm not sure but I have to imagine it will be soon! I can't believe it, I'm still so in shock how far along we are! I am so excited!


----------



## krys

I have been measuring a little under when she measures my uterus too! My appointments are always on Wednesdays, so I'm always however many weeks and 3 days. So for example, if I was 33 weeks and 3 days, I would always measure 32 centimeters! So I'm always a little off. I will tell you what I am today! 
I'm a little annoyed, because even when I had to get a shot to stop labor and had to go in the next day, the didn't even do a cervical exam!! The nurse was like, undress from waist down, and my dr heard. My dr was like, no she doesn't need to. Then the nurse was like umm she was going into labor? My dr was like, yeah, but they stopped it. Wtf? I think she still should have checked! If I was dilated or my cervix was thinning I am pretty sure that doesn't just go away!!! I also hope I start having weekly appointments, because the other girls that were in my group appointments never even had weekly appointments! Today is the last group one though, so we'll see when they schedule my next one! I seriously will change my doctor if they don't give me weekly appointments or start checking my cervix! She just isn't thorough at all, and it seems like she doesn't even care!! Like, the only reason I know about the membrane sweep is bc someone in my group class asked about it and she told them! Ugh sooo annoyed with my dr lol.
Eric called today, and he gets to go!!! I am SOOOO HAPPY! I won't be the only single person there, yesss! We still aren't sure how much we are going to have to pay, they just told us to come in early and then we can pay then. Thats kind of silly though, bc what if they're like yeah its another $45 please...ummm no? I'd kind of like to know ahead of time! 
Thats a good idea about the ball! I hadn't even thought of that. I will probably sit on it when I am watching tv and stuff too! 
Ughhh I don't know if I had ever told you this, but I have a ferret. We got her a few months before we found out I was pregnant, and had we known, we wouldn't have gotten her. Well we were already really attached to her once we found out, so we couldn't get rid of her! Well once the baby gets here, I won't be able to take her out very much or give her the attention she needs. So I had this great idea to get another ferret to keep her company in her cage.... I got a young little boy ferret and omg he is so mean :( He doesn't let me hold him like she does, and he bites! Not hard, but still! He is so hyper and they fight whenever I let them out. He freaking bites her, playing, but I think he hurts her! My girl ferret is so sweet, she cuddles with you and have never bitten me! She is so good!!!!! He is like, the total opposite. Ugh I spent $140 on him too, and I can't take him back. They really like each other when they're locked up in their cage... Like they cuddle in their hammock and don't really have room to rough house, so I like that she isn't always alone. I just feel like I made a bad choice when I bought him, and its been on my mind a lot ever since! I just had to let that out. Ughghghakdfoaiudogiuaosghj;lh;l. I don't know what to do about it!!!


----------



## airbear

I'm glad I'm measuring behind as well! I was watching 16 and pregnant and the girl was 37 weeks and measured 37 inches so I was concerned when I went in at 34 weeks and measured 31 inches! I was really surprised they didn't say anything especially since two weeks before I was only measuring an inch or two off and they had the doctor remeasure and she got a better result. But this time I was 3 inches off an no one acted concerned! I go in on Friday's usually (switched all the rest of our appointments to Thursdays since we have our birthing class that day at the same place). But on Friday's I'm +4 days after whichever week I am on so I'm slightly closer to the next week!

I feel like both of our doctor's are similar. Only you probably notice more because you're in that group class and she tells the other ladies more. If I saw that I would be mad. My doctor literally tells me nothing other than my measurements! Travis said maybe she doesn't tell us much because it's getting more into the generation where people just look things up online, but even if that is the case that isn't a very reliable source of information. But I don't mind my doctor other than that because she's really nice and so far I haven't had any scares during my pregnancy. If I went into labor like you I wo uld be so mad since she didn't do a cervical exam! Especially how far along you were! I can't believe the other ladies in your group appointments never got weekly appointments! Hopefully you'll get them now that you don't have the group ones anymore. I have my appointments scheduled out through July 22nd! I've had them scheduled for a while!

That is so exciting that Eric gets to go to the birthing classes with you! I'm also glad he called so you didn't have to! :) Hopefully it won't be another $45 did you pay for your three weeks upfront for just you or do you pay each time you go in?

I can see us just bouncing and rolling around on our birthing balls eating in front of the TV! I feel bad because Travis and I haven't had sex for quite a while. There was a point in second trimester where we did fairly often but now I just feel huge and uncomfortable. He hasn't been wanting to ever since he got his second job and we don't have as much time and he's more tired. But lately he's been hinting at it and I keep saying no and I feel bad because we probably won't have sex for a while after I give birth. So I want to at least a few times before then so that he isn't completely deprived (even though he's use to it) but I'm also worried it will have me go into labor earlier than I want! 

Your girl ferret sounds so sweet. But I think you said the boy was younger so maybe he's just reallyenergetic and mean because he's still a baby? I don't have a lot of experience with ferrets but I'm sure they're just like any pets. At least they seem to do fine while they're in their cage together or other wise I would be worried then! Because you mainly got him so that the girl would have a playmate when she can't get let out as often. We have two turtles we got back in August. They were babies then and were small (the size of a 50 cent piece) and now they're much bigger and need to be transfered out of their 10gallon tank into a larger tank! Both Travis and I kind of regret getting them now because they're just extra work and with the baby it will just be that much more stressful. Plus cleaning the 10 gallon tank wasn't too horrible but if we switch them to a larger tank that will just be even more work! But we feel bad because we adopted them and all and now we don't want them! So I suppose that is similar to your boy ferret? I'm not sure what the best thing would be to do. You can keep him and see if he gets better with age and so the girl has a playmate or you can try selling him on craigslist? We tried selling our turtles once but we asked a lot since we put so much money into them and no one wanted them. If you didn't keep the boy I think the girl would still be okay since you'll still spend some time with her, just not as much. Our dogs are already sad because we don't spend as much time with them and the baby isn't here yet. But with Travis working too jobs and me being pregnant it makes it hard to play with them sometimes. Our little dog actually doesn't even notice she plays with this funny little ball that she has. She never let's the thing go! She's ALWAYS playing with it, but our big dog loves to run and play and seems sad. It's stressful but all of our pets (mine and yours) will eventually get use to it and once we're in a routine we'll have more time for them!


----------



## krys

I paid upfront for the classes! It was only $45, but would have been $75 for both of us. So I'm hoping they'll maybe just let us pay the difference and not the whole $45! 

Ahhh i just realized what time it is! I have to leave in 6 minutes to go to the doctor! I will write you back when I get home!!!


----------



## airbear

I hope they only make you pay the difference as well! Mention something if they charge you $45! 

You are too funny! Hopefully the doctor's are close! The last few appointments we've been 15 minutes late! This last time we came in (15 minutes late) the receptionist remembered me. So embarassing because she was the one there the other time I was late too. But they never say anything which is nice and we do ask for the latest appointment because of our jobs. I have to get off early as it is just to make the appointment! 

Talk to you soon! Haha


----------



## krys

My doctors appointment went really good, surprisingly! I was actually 35 cm when she measured me, even though I had been slightly off before! She also said "you know you aren't very far behind the other ladies at all" uh ya think?! It bothered me so much how she acted like that, but she finally realized that I'm about to have my baby too! I also have weekly appointments from now on. She said she would check my cervix whenever I want, but they typically wait until 38 weeks to check. I think I'll ask her to check next time though...and at the appt after that she will do my membrane sweep! I could have my baby in a little over two weeks...that shocks me! 
My feet have been so swollen lately!!! I have "cankles" lol. I've been working with my friend every night from 5-9pm and I literally stand the entire time! I hurt so bad when I get home. I can't wear my engagement ring either bc my hands are so swollen :/ are you swollen?
I applied for Medicaid today, I hope I get it so Madison has insurance!
Did you decide what you're going to do as far as going home outfits for your baby? I remember you saying maybe one boy outfit and one girl or just a gender neutral. I couldn't remember if you decided! You could always have your mom or someone run out and get a pink or blue outfit after you have her/him! I just bought newborn socks and hats for her hospital bag :) so excited!
That is so funny that the lady who knew you were late recognized you! Luckily I've had group appts so when I'm late, they don't necessarily have to wait for me. I was right on time yesterday though! Have you done a hospital tour of where you're delivering? I guess that's reccomended, but Eric and I weren't planning on it. I don't know how important it is :shrug:


----------



## airbear

Good to hear your measurements were on! I'm hoping the next time I go in mine match better or I'm going to say something! It's good she said you weren't far behind the others because it was so rude of her to say that in the first place! It's nice she said she could check your cervix anytime even though usually they wait until 38 weeks. I can't believe you could have your Madison so soon! Hopefully everything goes well with the membrane sweep and you can meet Madison early!

My feet haven't been too sowllen but I'm hardly ever on them, luckily. They're a little swollen but I usually only wear flip flops so I don't notice how swollen they might be. But my hands have gotten swollen and a few weeks ago I had to take my rings off and wear them on a chain. But we sized my ring to fit snug when I first got it so it didn't really have much room for me to grow! 

Hopefully Madison will get her insurance! And hopefully you'll know soon if she did or not!

I think I'm just going to go for a gender neutral outfit since I have to wash it before hand and don't want to waste money on getting the wrong gender and not needing it. I'm probably going to go buy basic white onesies, socks, and a hat soon since I can't go out and buy clothes yet and want some new items for when the baby is here. Plus then I can buy little shirts and pants to go over a white onesie.

We haven't done the tour yet. I told Travis' mom we could all go together and I'd ask my mom to go but I forgot. It's much harder will my schedule and Travis having two work schedules. I think my baby classes might provide a tour though, I'm not sure. I don't really know how important it is, its probably just nice for some women who worry a lot. I can't imagine wishing I had gone ahead of time if I end up not. I'm trying to be pretty open minded about the birth since my doctor might not even be in town so I'll have someone I've never met doing the birth.

I watched a 16 and Pregnant today and the pregnant girl had a friend (who was a girl) named Pooh. I assume like Pooh Bear but I wouldn't ever name my baby that!


----------



## krys

Oh my gosh, Pooh?! That is awful. Haha which 16 and pregnant was it? I love that show!!! Sometimes I read peoples baby names and I'm like oh wow, poor kid! Theres a thread in teen pregnancy about baby names you hate, and I was so scared someone was going to put Madison or Clover! Someone actually did write Madison, because I guess it means "son of-somthing" I didn't even know it meant that!!! I looked it up, and she was right. I don't care though, I love her name and I'm not changing it!

Where is your baby going to sleep? I got a pack and play with a bassinet on top, and I have it in my room. I don't know if its good to have a baby sleep in there every night or what? I don't want her in her crib until she's at least 6 months though... its not that far, but too far for me! Here's a pic of the pack and play, it also has a changing table and a place for diapers and wipes, I think that will definitely come in handy when I'm up at 2am changing diapers haha.





Also, I did my belly cast yesterday! It was so much fun, but SO MESSY!!! We're going to paint it and hang it up in Madison's room with a pretty ribbon :) Are you going to do one??

My class last night was really great, especially because Eric was there (and they only made us pay $20!!). We watched a natural birth, iv drug medicated birth, and epidural birth! We also learned breathing and relaxation techniques and stuff, it was so cool!!!


----------



## airbear

I know! It was just her friend though so it was just what came up when she appeared on camera. I don't know if it was a nickname or not but either way! I can't imagine being named that! It was episode 8 I think. I was watching it on FiOs On Demand and it was 308 which means episode 8 I think. The girl was I think 16/17, black, and her mom was a teen mom. Her boyfriend was only 15. The girl wanted adoption but the babies dad really wanted to keep it so they did. 

I saw that thread in the teen pregnancy section about the worst baby names. I love reading threads like that. I think Madison means son of something because it ends in son. Like Harrison, Addison, etc. But it's too cute. I've heard a lot of people on other threads say it was too popular or something and that's why they didn't like it but I honestly never hear it that much. I think it's too perfect for you to change! Sometimes names just fit the kid! :)

Well we do have a pack n play. Almost exactly like that, that someone gave us free. I don't know if it has a diaper wipe spot though. I don't know if we'll use that or the crib. I haven't decided if I'll put the baby in our room or not because our rooms are so close its crazy. There is literally only two feet between our bedroom doors. If I leave both bedroom doors open it would be pretty easy just to run in there. So I'll probably just have the baby sleep in the crib in its bedroom, but I can always set up the pack n play if I change my mind.

I kind of thought about a belly cast but only because it was on one of the episodes of 16 and pregnant (the one with the girl who was anorexic) but then didn't think about it anymore. It's a cute idea you'll be getting yours painted and hanging it up in Madison's room. Kind of makes me want to do one now since it can be cute wall art! We'll see if I get to it ever or not though!

I'm glad your class went well and that Eric got to go and that they only made you pay $20! Sounds like the perfect class since Madison could be here sooner than later! :) I wish my classes started sooner! I want to learn everything before the baby gets here and I'm worried I won't get to!

I think it's funny how our due dates are only a day apart but it seems like I'm far behind because I do everything later than you. For example the baby shower, setting up the room/travel system, maternity pictures, washing clothes, the hospital bag, birthing classes, etc. You're always a few weeks ahead! Maybe this means you'll have Madison early and I'll have my baby late! :)

Also I see you have a new cute and adorable avatar. Does this mean you have your maternity pictures up on your computer now?! I was thinking of bringing a yellow bow like that to my pictures! Or maybe yellow baby booties! Ah I'm just so excited to get my pictures done! I had to push them from July 2nd to July 7th so they're forever away. I couldn't get them any sooner because of travis' work schedule, my work schedule, doctor appointments, and now classes! I hope baby stays inside past then so I can get my pictures done!


----------



## krys

Haha I think I do everything sooner because I am SO impatient lol! Just like how I could have never waited to find out the sex, I actually found out early! I also want to get swept so I can jumpstart labor! I am definitely the impatient one! It would be so funny if you had your baby first!

Thank you!!!! My friend put all the pictures on my laptop after she took them, then I chose the ones I liked and she starred them so she could edit them at home! So then she edited them, and printed them all off. I still haven't got the edited ones on my computer, but I had the other ones that weren't edited! I guess I could just scan them, but that takes so long and I don't even know where my printer is since we moved rooms lol. She has them on her computer though, so I need to just have her email them to me! 

I saw both those 16 and pregnant's! I honestly don't think I've missed any haha, Eric's little sister records them and we watch them the next day! 

Ahhhh Eric's sister is 14 and I swear she is soooo innocent. She never even hangs out with friends.... In the teen pregnancy part I always see 14-15 year old girls that are pregnant! I couldn't even imagine...that is sooooo young!!! I don't think I could have done this at that age, it would have been so hard! I also can't imagine his sister even kissing a boy, so it totally shocks me! Just had to get that out lol.


----------



## airbear

I think its normal to be impatent to want to meet your baby! Almost everyone I talk to says they don't think they could have waited this whole time not knowing the gender. I'm still always surprised how far along we are but it also surprised me that I've come this far growing a little baby and I haven't found out if its my son or my daughter. It really would be funny if I had my baby first! I think it would be weird though just because I've been expecting you to have Madison first!

Oh yeah just getting them emailed will be a lot easier. That's so exciting that they're already done though! I'm sure they're all really cute because your avatar is adorable! I'm just so excited to see them. I love maternity pictures! 

I've only seen episodes of 16 and pregnant up to the one with the girl who thought about adoption because I have to wait for it to be On Demand on FiOs (which takes forever) and I can only watch it at the nanny house! So I never see them right away. I haven't seen any past the girl who thought about adoption but otherwise I've seen the others.

I am always shocked that there are girls that young in the teen section who are pregnant. I feel so bad for them because I know it's going to be really hard for me, let alone being that young and still in high school! Its so sweet that she's really innocent though! There are some girls that age that try to act like sluts and I'm just so shocked because they're so young. It's one to be dating and become pregnant but another to act like you want to sleep with the whole school. I started dating Travis when I was 15 and he was 16. We didn't want to have sex that young because we weren't ready and because we knew we could get pregnant. Plus we weren't working or anything yet so getting protection would have been more difficult. We waited almost a whole year from when we first started dating before we had sex. So I was 16 and Travis was 17. I definitely can't imagine being pregnant then, let alone a whole year earlier! I'm glad that we didn't get pregnant until now. It was nice having a couple years out of high school before we became parents. But I give big kudos to the girls who are that young and pregnant or who already have kids because they have to be so strong to be a parent while finishing their childhood!

Someone posted a thread with pampers codes and also mentioned a blog that has tips about saving money. Anyway I saw that Old Navy is having a sale tank tops starting at $2. I haven't tried their tank tops but thought hey cheap tanks might as well look! Thought i'd share the sale with you! Lol


----------



## krys

Haha thank you! I love tank tops, I will definitely check that out :) I have soooo many diaper coupons! I get them in the mail, they're in my boxes of diapers, and I even get them when I shop at baby or motherhood stores! I have a lotttt of diapers though, so I don't really want to buy any more yet.

I want to smack my best friend. I am soooo annoyed with her!!!! She lives in texas. Anyway, she always ALWAYS ALWAYSSS spells Madi, M-a-d-d-i-e. She KNOWS how its spelt too so its just rude! I finally corrected her haha. She thinks she's M-A-D-I's godmother, HAH yeah right...she can't even spell her freaking name. So annoyed! Rant over :/

Ahhh I'm nesting!!!!!! I got a sudden burst of energy and I just started cleaning and organizing! My closet has been a mess since we moved rooms and I finally cleaned it! I cleaned our room, organized drawers in my room, organized drawers in my bathroom, cleaned my bathroom. I love it! I am never like this haha. I'm even typing super fast. Off to clean Madison's room and do the rest of mine and Eric's laundry!!!!!


----------



## airbear

Haha I love tank tops top, I pretty much always have one on but I'm a little picky with how they fit. Some just aren't worth the money. I'm going to head out soon and see if I like these ones because who can beat $2 tanks? I usually get victoria's secret 2 for $22 or something because I like how they fit. I don't have a ton of diapers but I have enough t get me by for the first couple of weeks. I acttually think I have more size 1 diapers than newborn which is good because then I won't have to worry so much once the baby is out of newborn sizes. I also bought a diaper wipe refill pack from costco so we won't need those for at least a month! Okay, seriously every day I get more and more excited! Like I almost can't sit still! I can't believe how soon we'll meet our little ones!

That really would be annoying though! Its not like she hasn't seen it written. Its not even that difficult! I mean sure there's a different spelling but that's not the one you chose! Ugh its always awkward when people choose labels for themselves like godmother. We did tell Travis' best friend Steven that he'll be known as Uncle Steven but if someone else started doing that I would be so frustrated. We had this friend Jessica who we stopped talking too because her and her boyfriend lived in the same apartment complex as us and would show up unannounced at our door constantly even after we told them to stop. So when we found out we were pregnant we only told close friends/family. Well Steven use to date Jessica and he probably mentioned something to her about the pregnancy because even though they're ex's they're still friends and he assumed we were still friends with her. Well she messages me on facebook and says how upset she is we didn't tell her personally. We weren't even in 2nd trimester yet and hadn't told anyone who wasn't close to us. We hadn't even told our extended family yet! Anyways we're happy we're not friends with her but also because she's the type of person who would instantly call herself Auntie Jess. No thank you!

Haha that's too cute! I am constantly cleaning and if something is even slightly out of place ij'll suddenly be in a bad mood and not even know why. I'm waiting until my maternty leave though to go through this small part of our closet and our extra room. The extra room (not the babies room but another) has all this stuff we brought over when we moved but didn't know where to put or didn't want to deal with right away. So I'm really excited to go through it all and I'm going to get rid of most of it and make a garage sale. I figure might as well sell some of it and make money rather than give it to the goodwill! Have fun cleaning! :) Madison (I really don't see why your friend keeps trying to spell it Maddie..) will be so lucky to come home to such a perfect place and awesome parents!


----------



## krys

I almost can't sit still either! I've said this 200 times...but we are SO CLOSE!!!!!!!! 

I got so many diapers and wipes at the baby shower, mostly size 1 also! I have a big bin that is completely full of wipes and half of Madison's closet is just diapers! We are so lucky that everyone bought us so many!
I think you told me about that girl a long time ago! 
I would be so annoyed if someone called themselves Aunt ___ or Uncle ___. Eric's best friend since like 3rd grade is the only one who has said that so far, and I didn't mind it at all coming from him, since he's so close to us. His girlfriend came to the baby shower and gave us a really cute diaper bag full of stuff, including a teddy bear. In the card she wrote something like "Kyle wanted me to tell you to make sure that Madison always knows this bear is from Uncle Kyle" it was so cute. If anyone else said it I would have been kind of annoyed.
Garage sales are so much fun! My step mom had one before they left, and she actually made a lot of money! People buy the weirdest things lol. 
Ahhhhhh you're going to know if you have a son or daughter in about a month!!!!!!! How exciting is that?! I can't wait until we just get to hold our babies and cuddle with them :) Its going to be so weird switching from talking about our unborn babies, to our babies once they are here! We are about to be moms...forever! Soooo happppyyyy :]


----------



## airbear

Haha I know we keep repeating ourselves with how excited we are. But every day is just that much closer which is just that much more exciting. A week from today and you'll be FULL TERM! I can't believe we've come this far, it seems just like yesterday when we found out!

Its definitely sweet when it's someone like that. I think Travis and his best friend met in 3rd grade too! But anyone else and it would just be unreasonable. People need to know their place instead of try to make a place. It will never work if you force it! Its funny how after becoming pregnant you realize who your real friends are, as well as who tries to be your friend just because they know there will be a baby soon. 

Haha I think they are fun too! I can just sit out and collect me some money while I watch my junk get taken away! I hope I make a good amount. People always buy weird things and we do have some things that are actually worth a bit. So maybe we can actually make a good chunk of money right before the baby gets here!

I can't believe in exactly four weeks (well okay not exactly but roughly) I'll know if I have a son or daughter or a Benjamin or an Elsie! I can't wait to snuggle either. I know it will be tough but I think I'm going to be so happy I'm not even going to care about waking up multiple times a night or doing multiple loads of laundry a day. As long as my baby wants to snuggle I'll be a happy momma. It is crazy to think we'll be Mom's forever. We're going to be known as Mom more than our actual names! Someone will look up to us and rely on us just like we do with our parents. Plus now we'll officially be family with our OH's! I think it will be weird to not be pregnant anymore though! To no longer have those little movements inside but now we can kiss them and tickle their toes! Travis said it will be weird to see me not pregnant and small again because he says I'm so beautiful pregnant and its going to be weird that one day I am and the next I'm not pregnant!

Okay so I went to Target to get a white bandeau bathing suit top because I had boughten one from Macy's but it wasn't a bathing suit top and it was see through. While I was finding the white swim top I found this super cute dress that is dark navy with anchors. For whatever reason I love anchors and sail boats and navy stuff. So I had to get it! I tried it on because it was a small and I was a little worried even though its all just flowy and isn't tight so it can just lay over my bump and won't even stretch out so that I can wear it after the baby is born too. Anyway I decided I needed a red sweater to go with it because it would just be so perfect and we found the perfect sweater! Somehow after finding this dress and sweater we stumbled across mens swim trunks that were dark navy blue with white anchors on them just like the dress! So now I have a brand new theme for my maternity pictures! One outfit will be my white top/panties and travis in white boxers. Another will be me in my navy/anchor dress with a red sweater and wedges that are navy blue with a blue/white striped bow. Travis will wear light grey jeans rolled up, a grey/white striped slight v-neck shirt, with boat shoes! Then for the third outfit I am going to wear a plain red swimming top with navy blue/medium blue striped shorts with a rope belt and red flip flops. Travis is going to wear the navy blue/anchor swim trunks with a white wife beater and his boat shoes. Plus I got props! I have a giant red/white striped umbrella, a lightblue/dark blue striped anchor beach towel, a small blue bucket with a shovel, and a classic red, blue, white, yellow beach ball! I think it is going to be so adorable! I couldn't wait to tell you I was so excited!

Oh and we were suppose to go to Travis' family reunion this weekend but Travis couldn't get off work and for the last month the kept saying how we just had to go and I was kind of dreading a 2-3 hour car ride there and being so far from home with only 4 weeks before I'm due. But turns out they all really wanted me to go because they were planning a small baby shower to surprise me! So I feel bad I didn't want to go but I would have gone if Travis could get it off. So Travis' parents are bringing the gifts back home and on Wednesday we are going to Skype with everyone while I open gifts! So now I have even more gifts to open! Plus today a lady at my church gave me a high chair her grandkids rarely used. Its really big and from evenflow and its so nice! I mean like top of the line high chair, its almost exactly like my stroller but a high chair. It even has cupholders/key holder on the back like a stroller does! It even has toys attached! Then the family my mom nannies for (who she's only been working for for a few months) bought me a whole newborn set of Dr. Browns bottles! It has 3, 8oz bottles and 2, 4oz bottles with 5 level one nipples and 2 level two nipples. Bottle caps and bottle brushes! I was going to buy that set anyway so it was so nice of them! I'm going to buy another set just so I have extra bottles since the baby won't use 8oz bottles right away and I don't want to be stuck with just 2, 4oz bottles. I know I'm breastfeeding but for Travis to feed and such it will be nice to have extras. So far all I've had to buy for the baby is diapers, a diaper bag, and baby clothes I wanted to get. I know I still have some things to buy be we literally haven't actually gone out shopping for the baby. We've just picked up diapers once while we were out. I did 'go shopping' for the diaper bag (bought it online) but other than that we haven't even gone shopping for the baby! After we open the gifts on Wednesday though then I'm finally allowed to get the rest of what we need. Which is like shampoo, and a breast pump, and a baby book, little things! :)


----------



## krys

I didn't even see that you replied!

Oh my gosh, that is the CUTEST idea for your pictures!!!!! They are going to be soooo cute, I love love love the idea! It's so original! Ahhhh I can't wait to see :) 

That's so sweet that they wanted to throw you a baby shower! And awesome that you get more gifts lol! We haven't bought much for Madison either, almost everything was given to us. We bought 1 box of nb diapers, nb hats, nb socks, and a swing. Everything else that wr bought was with gift cards, so technically someone else bought it! I don't have a breast pump, I definitely want to look into that. I need a nursing bra too, bc I still haven't found mine!!
I had my massage and facial today and it was so nice and relaxing! Except at one point during my massage, I had to lay on my back. I got real uncomfortable, nauseous, and hot and sweaty!!! It was sooo weird. I thought I was gonna have to ask her to stop! Idk what happened. Don't you think that's weird?!
I wanna have my babyyyyy! Can you lend me some of your patience? Lol


----------



## airbear

I am so excited! I just love the dress but that's because I have been into anchors and nautical stuff lately I guess which is random. The pictures will look kind of 4th of Julyish since everything is red, white, and blue but it also looks beachy and somewhat nautical and boatish. I think it kind of sums up a good theme for July. I thought having the soft white panty picture will be cute so its not so silly too. I want Travis to take the beach ball in one picture and act like it's his baby bump! I thought that would be funny! :) 

I that it was very sweet. I'm not sure what they got but I assume its more fun stuff like blankets and toys and clothes but extras of those will be nice since we don't have a ton of clothes and toys yet. We still have a few things to get like hats and socks and shampoo and such. I want to get a pump even if I don't use it right away just so I'm prepared in case the baby won't latch or I need to pump sooner or something. There was one at Babies R Us that was really nice. It was a medela brand breast pump and I think it was like $380 at Babies R Us. So I put the second nicest on my registry and it was $200 at Babies R Us. But I found the really nice Medela breast pump at Baby Depot from Burlington Coat Factory for only $215! So I think I'll probably get that one! I don't have any nursing bra's yet. I figure if the baby comes early I can get away with not having those right away but I definitely will be getting a couple hopefully soon.

The massage and facial sounds so nice! I would be getting one if it wasn't for the fact that I will be taking a few months off. I need to make Travis give me a back massage but he doesn't get home until after 10pm usually (on the days he works at Costco) and then we still have to eat dinner and go to bed early so we can wake up at 6am again. But he doesn't work at Costco on Wed, Thurs, Fri this week so I might be able to sneak a back massage in there somewhere! I'm sorry you had to lay on your back at one point and ended up getting hot! I think that's why they caution us preggo's to not lay on our back because the weight of the baby lays on something and blocks off blood or I don't know what but makes it so we might get hot and light headed and such. I'm surprised they had you lay flat on your back!

I can share some patience, but I think it's starting to run out! I always feel the baby push out and sometimes it will let me rub the 'knob' that's what I've been calling it when it pushes out and makes a bulge. Anyways it let's me rub it and I want to knwo what part of the baby it is so bad. I'm read to snuggle and relax at home with my baby! This is my last week of work too so then I'll literally just be sitting at home waiting for the baby to come, I think I won't be so patient then! But just imagine if Madison comes early you could have her really soon! 

Oh, I got my diaper bag in the mail yesterday! I loove it. It's so adorable. It's the Babymel Amanda in Quilted Black. Inside it has hot pink lining! Which will make it nice to see things since it won't be a big black whole for things to fall into. I have this huge silver purse I normally use and I can get so much stuff in there people always say it's the never ending bag. Well this bag is about the same size, maybe a tiny bit bigger and has outside pockets and more inside pockets for organization so I already love it! I think after this week I'm going to use it as my purse because its so cute and because I spilled candy in my old silver purse when we went to the movies and the milk duds melted and stuck to the lining.

I do have a few things I want to do before the baby gets here like go through all our piles of 'stuff' and have a garage sale. I also need to wash all the baby stuff and set up the bedroom more. Plus I still need to get my hospital bag packed! So maybe that will help once I don't work anymore!


----------



## krys

I wish I had things to do! I've done everything. When you go on maternity leave, you'll be busy with baby things so the time won't go by as slow! I stopped working for my friends uncle, so once again I'm just waiting around at home. Yesterday Eric worked 13 hours and the day before, 16!!! I'm getting pretty lonely. He's been only getting 1 day off a week, but tomorrow he only works 4 hours and he's off Thursday AND Friday!!!! I can't even explain how happy I am lol. 
O/T but I love boat shoes! There was a deal on Sperry's at this outlet mall and it was buy one at regular price, get TWO pairs free!!! I almost did it, but Eric has been wanting some so I didn't think it would be fair to get myself three pairs and him none. He wasn't with me, or else he could have picked some out. He's too picky, I didn't want to pick his out for him :/ haha anyway!
K this is totally TMI, but for like four days I've had diarrhea. I googled it and it actually came back that it could mean labor is near! I asked about it in third tri, and I guess it's called "clear out" or something gross like that. I hope it means labor is near!!! I haven't been sick or anything, other than nauseous a few times (which is also a sign might I add). I just wanna have Madison! I have an appt tomorrow, hopefully she says my cervix is thinning or something. Fingers crossed. When are you gonna get checked, do you know?
I was thinking about Travis putting the ball like it's his bump! I saw a picture like that when I was looking at maternity pictures for ideas! We also got those baby blocks, and spelled baby on my belly :) gosh I want to show you my pictures! I'm gonna ask her to email them, she's just been kind of weird lately. 
Eric and I will probably get a nursing bra thursday after our class. They sell them there! Our class is ironically about breastfeeding that week too! 
I wasn't completely flat, they moved the bed so my butt was down and legs and head elevated. I was fine when I got up though so that probably is what it was! I was flat on my back for my facial too, weird! It was only $69 for BOTH! Since
I had a groupon!


----------



## airbear

Uh oh! Well hopefully the things I want to get done will keep me busy. I hope I don't finish them too quickly or I'll be just sitting at home waiting for the baby! I know its so nice to have our boys home! Travis hsually works M-F for his parents. Then he works both Saturday and Sunday at Costco (usually off by 7pm), plus he works two weekdays at Costco after he gets off at his parents. So he usually has at least two days where he's gone from 6am to 10pm, the some days where he's home when I get off, and then he's gone on the weekend for the whole middle of the day! He never gets any 'real' days off since he works once job at least each day! But he has Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off from Costco which means he'll be home before I get home from work. Except Wednesday we have to go to his parents for dinner and opening gifts and then Thursday we have a doctor's appointment.

Boat shoes are so cute! I don't think I've actually owned any though, now that I think about it! I googled that store you were talking about and their shoes are soo cute! I love them! But I didn't see any deals like you were talking about. Probably just an in store deal. You should go back with Eric on one of his days off and buy some! You can get two and he can get one, you deserve an extra pair for carrying the baby! :)

I was having something similar to diarrhea but not quite. It was a couple weeks ago. It was a little concerning since I am taking iron and my doctor warned me I may get constipated! I was getting the opposite but I read on this paper reasons to call and come in and it said if you had diarrhea that lasted longer than 12 hours. It never lasted that long it would come and go. But now it's gone so I suppose that's good since it was uncomfortable! I didn't know it meant labor might be on its way though! I was nauteous a few weeks ago too but now its gone. I still get heartburn though and almost always when I'm at work when I don't have my tums with me! When you get checked you have to let me know if she says you're anywhere close to starting labor! I don't know when I'll get checked. I'll ask my doctor on Thursday when they usually start doing those kind of checks. I'm sure probably when I'm 37 weeks. Oh I did forget since I changed my appointment schedule that this week and next week I'll see a different doctor since mine was booked already. So she might say something different than mine but I'll ask anyway. 

I think Travis' beach ball bump will be cute and I'll touch his beach ball bump with my bump, if it looks cute and doesn't look weird! I was also thinking of the ribbon idea kind of like yours (I would do that in the panty picture) and I also thought about bringing little yellow booties and setting them on my bump. I like the block idea but I had seen most people writing their babies names and since we didn't know which name our baby is we couldn't do it. But just writing baby is cute! I know what you mean about asking for the pictures, especially if she's acting weird lately. I can't wait to see them though, they sound so adorable!

Sounds like a perfect time to get a nursing bra! I don't know when I'll get mine, probably during my maternity leave when I get bored and go shopping! :) 

Kind of crazy how the babies do that too our bodies! I always lean on one side or the other when I'm sitting on the couch and after even a short while my whole side will be numb! From my bump down to my toes! They must just sit on nerves while they're in there! That's a really good deal though! I love Groupon! :)


----------



## airbear

I must be stupid I went back to my google site of Sperry's and I clicked 'Find A Store' and they sell them at both the Nordstroms at the two mall's near my house! I wonder if they have sales on them there!


----------



## krys

I'm so frustrated with my laptop!!!! For the last few days it just won't connect to any wifi. It's seriously more of a pain in the ass then my old MacBook that wasn't as new or nice. I wanted to send you one of our unedited pics! It's one of my favorite. It's me laying down and shows just my belly and boobs (I have a bandeau top on in this one) and I have a pair of Madisons shoes on my belly! They're like stacked on eachother really cute!!!! I'm so pissed that my computer isn't working UGHHH!!!!
Travis works so much!!!! Poor guy. Eric just text me saying he's running on E, I bet Travis is too. Our boys need a break!
Sperry's are pretty expensive, I was so shocked when I saw that deal! Maybe you can find a deal too! If not, then you could get different boat shoes. I don't think I'd pay full price for Sperry's! They're just too much! I've seen some for like $150+! I wouldn't pay anywhere near that much lol. I hope you find some cute ones though! I saw cute girl ones at Target! They might have boys too! I would rather pay target price lol. I want to get my boy (already planning haha) some boat shoes when he's bigger and have his little jeans rolled up. I love that look! I guess Madi could wear them with dresses too!


----------



## airbear

Ugh I lost everything I wrote! I hope your computer works soon so I can see your picture! It sounds so aodrable! I love maternity pictures and I can't wait to see newborn pictures! :)

Our boys both work a lot and sure do need a break! Travis is lucky and can say he doesn't want to work on a certain day for his parents but then he doesn't get paid of course. So I think he might take one day off this week. Also the 4th he gets off from both jobs but gets paid! 

I noticed that they were pretty expensive! But they're adorable! I agree though I would much rather pay Target price but when we were there the other day we didn't see any boat shoes! :( it would be nice to find us each a pair before the pictures! I think Madison will look really cute in them! You should definitely get her some! Boys with boat shoes and jeans rolled up are just adorable! Sounds like you obviously want a boy someday, do you plan on having more than two kids? Or just one of each?


----------



## airbear

Ugh I lost everything I wrote! I hope your computer works soon so I can see your picture! It sounds so aodrable! I love maternity pictures and I can't wait to see newborn pictures! :)

Our boys both work a lot and sure do need a break! Travis is lucky and can say he doesn't want to work on a certain day for his parents but then he doesn't get paid of course. So I think he might take one day off this week. Also the 4th he gets off from both jobs but gets paid! 

I noticed that they were pretty expensive! But they're adorable! I agree though I would much rather pay Target price but when we were there the other day we didn't see any boat shoes! :( it would be nice to find us each a pair before the pictures! I think Madison will look really cute in them! You should definitely get her some! Boys with boat shoes and jeans rolled up are just adorable! Sounds like you obviously want a boy someday, do you plan on having more than two kids? Or just one of each?


----------



## krys

Usually bnb sends me an email when you reply, but I never got one so didn't know you replied!
We really want to have another baby (hopefully a boy!!), we want to try when Madison is 3-4. Only one more though! What about you?
What are you guys doing for the fourth? Eric has to work until 7, you're so lucky that Travis is off! I can't wait until we have our babies :] we'll get to dress them in red, white, and blue and take them to watch the fireworks!!! It's gonna be so fun. 
Yesterday Eric and I went to the lake and I wanted her there sooo bad. It's gonna be so much fun taking them to do things!!!

And yay! We're "full term" tomorrow and the next day! It's gone by soo fast. I can't believe it!
How was your drs appt? Was your uterus measuring okay this time? She actually didn't even tell me what I measured this time, she just said I measured alright. I also didn't get a pelvic exam, did you? Hopefully I get my membranes swept Wednesday!! Then I'll have my sweet baby home :) Ahhh I can't wait till we can share birth stories!


----------



## krys

https://www.babyandbump.com/teen-pregnancy/661254-nursery-complete-pictures.html

I wanted to show you the nursery now that it is all done! :)


----------



## airbear

We definitely want another baby, too! We want the opposite of whatever we get this time because we want one of each. But we'd rather have two boys over two girls if we didn't get one of each, but God decides not us! We want our children to be no more than three years apart. I would prefer closer to two years apart. But we don't want them a year apart (like me and my sister) and would prefer a little closer than three years apart (like Travis and his brother).

Well at least Eric will be off in time to celebrate! But it would be nicer if you could enjoy the whole day! We're not even sure what we're doing yet but it would be fun if we both had our babies already! I told Travis that we'll be full term on the 4th so I think that makes a perfect day for the baby to show up. It can come early in the day before the fireworks! I went to Babies R Us the other day to buy some stuff and I passed by all the cute fourth of july clothes! I can't wait to dress our babies up! 

I know we say this every day but I still can't believe how soon our little ones really will be here! It feels like the past nine months just completely have flown by! I remember being in first trimester thinking how July sounded forever away and here it is and it's already moving by quickly! I remember being in first and second trimester jealous of people so far along and now we're in our final weeks!

My doctor appointment went well! We had a different doctor today since I changed my appointment around but I had actually seen her once before when my doctor went home sick. Over all I've gained about 30/34lbs during my pregnancy. I measured 35cm this time instead of 36cm and the doctor said it wasn't to worry about could just mean the baby moved down a tiny bit. The heartbeat was 146. They tested for bacteria in the vaginal canal so they can make sure it's safe for the baby to come out, I'll know the results of the test next week. Then she checked my cervix to see if it was dialated yet which it wasn't but she said it was softening. So she said I probably won't have my baby that soon but sometimes things just progress quickly so no one can ever be too sure! Haha so it went really well I thought:)

This Thursday we have maternity pictures, a drs appointment, and our first class! I already love my baby so much! Before it was hard to feel connected but now the baby is so big I feel like its a real newborn sized baby versus a few fishy kicks and such inside! My mom got to feel the baby again the other day but instead of kicks she got to feel it rolling and she was so excited. She also got to feel the foot 'knob' baby puts in my right side! I just can't wait to meet our babies! :) I love telling people just three weeks until my due date!


----------



## airbear

Madison's room is so cute! My baby room isn't set up yet and it's not decorated since we're waiting until after the baby. I'm jealous of how adorable and lucky Madison is! I can't wait to set up the room this week though. I hope this week at least, I'm going to wash everything and put it all away but I still don't have the babies dresser and I'm still researching what I want for storage things and such.


----------



## krys

Hey, today you're full term!!! So exciting :)

I'm so happy that you feel more connected with your baby! It seems like it would be so much harder not being able to call him/her by his/her name! Soon enough though, YOU WILL! 
Last night I had a craving for strawberry mochi ice cream. Do you know what that is? They usually have it at sushi restaurants, its like ice cream with dough around it... Anyway, its sooooooo good! I started craving it pretty late, and the only store I know that sells it is trader joes and the markets in china town. It was like 11 pm though so those places were closed! Isn't that the WORST when you're craving something that you just can't have?! We went to the grocery store to check to see if they had it and they didn't :/ we just got regular ice cream, not half as good! When we were checking out the lady was talking to us and I itched my belly lol then she noticed and was like "omg my belly was sooo itchy when I was pregnant, when are you due?!" and when I told her she looked shocked! She was just like "what! thats sooo soon!" ahhh it makes me happy that other people realize its soon too! My nana text me and was like "Happy 4th of July" and when I replied she asked if I had any plans and was like "How about have a baby??" haha. That reminds me, Happy 4th of July!!! Its cloudy and humid here for once! It never really rains, but it sprinkled a little yesterday. If it rains tonight, I think that means no fireworks? :/ 

Have you heard about drinking red raspberry tea in pregnancy? I guess its really beneficial all throughout pregnancy and even when you aren't pregnant. I'm gonna copy and paste something, because its really interesting to me!

-It increases fertility in both men and women (drink for a few months while trying to conceive).

-Prevents miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage by helping to tone the uterus thus creating a relaxed (atonic) uterus.

-Eases morning sickness

-Reduces pain during labor and after birth: By toning the muscles used during labor and delivery RRL eliminates many of the reasons for a painful delivery and prolonged recovery. It does not, however, counter the pain of pelvic dilation.

-Assists in the production of plentiful breast milk

-Can help make labor faster: RRL works to encourage the uterus to let go and function without tension. It doesnt strengthen contractions but it does allow the uterus to work more efficiently

-Studies show that women taking RRL have a reduced incidence of artificial rupture of membranes, forceps delivery or cesarean


You're only supposed to drink a cup a day when you're early on, but towards the end you can drink like four cups a day. Some say it naturally induces labor! It supposedly helps tone the muscles in your uterus and makes labor easier and faster. Anyway, it sounds good to me! I haven't read anything negative. So I started drinking it yesterday and started having braxton hicks! Hopefully if I drink it for the next couple of weeks it will make labor easier. :] oh, and its pretty yummy!


I'm glad you like Madison's room! I can't wait to see your baby's room! Maybe you'll start nesting and you can get it done really fast. Thats what it took for me! I would do a little at a time and then one day I just went in ther and knocked it all out! You got so much from your baby shower, it will be fun to find a place for everything! :) I didn't get Madison a dresser, I like that for the most part, its pretty simple. Just her crib, changing table, and my chair. Of course her swing and other toys are in there too, but I'm sure those things will be around the house anyway. I got some bins from Target and put them in her closet, thats where I put all her washed clothes and little things. The clothes that aren't washed are just hung up. I also got some little bins for her socks and wash cloths and stuff, and I put those at the top of her closet. You can see in this picture:



It will all come together for you! 
You have a lot going on this week, its gonna fly by! They did that group strep b test when I was 36 weeks, and it came back negative. If it comes back positive you have to have IV drugs during labor! I'm glad it was negative for me! She didn't even do a pap smear or anything when she did it, she just had me lay down and pull my pants to my knees and swabbed me real quick! I thought that was a little strange, but what do I know. I'm pretty sure my membranes are going to be swept Wednesday! Kind of exciting knowing that it could jumpstart labor and my baby could be her so soon! Even if she waits until around my due date, thats still only THREE weeks! Doctors usually don't want you go more than a week over, so we will 100% have babies within the next month. OH MY GOSH :) ahhhhh, sooo excited!
This was probably soooo long haha, sorry!


----------



## krys

This girl on here that was due the same day as me had her baby today! Another one was due a few days before us and had hers yesterday. OMG!


----------



## airbear

I can't believe other girls due around the same time we are, are already having their babies. It's just making it feel that much more real! Maybe once you get your membranes swept tomorrow we'll get to meet Madison really soon! I can't believe we're already full term! It feels like the last 37 weeks have just flown by! Since Monday was a holiday and now I'm not working anymore this week already seems to be going by quickly! I'm hoping to organize and clean out our extra room filled with junk today (which will leave me with a ton of garage sale items) and then depending on how far I get tomorrow I'm washing baby things! Then Thursday is our pictures, doctor appointment, and our first class! This week is going by so fast! 

Even though it was more difficult to connect with the baby while being pregnant, I still loved every minute of it. Plus I wouldn't change our decision to not find out the gender! I love knowing I have one extra suprise at the end of all this waiting! I can't believe soon we're going to be mommies! Really, really soon! 

I don't think I've ever had Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream but it sounds amazing! I hate when you're craving something really strongly and can't get it. First trimester all I wanted was strawberries but since it was winter none of the stores had any, it was torture! I still love them, I love all fruit, and sweets. So now I just make sure I have fruit and sweets on hand at all times and I seem to rarely have cravings! :)

Almost every time I go to any store now people ask when I'm due! I love it! Instead of saying the end of July I like to say three weeks (or however many I'm at) because it makes it sound just that much sooner! I always take my dogs to the dog park at least once a week. My bigger dog, Roxy, sometimes gets in trouble because she loves to chase but other dogs don't understand she wants them to run and she'll just sit and bark at them. Since she's part pit bull all the other dog owners say she's 'agressive' even though she's the biggest baby ever (our 7lb havanese/maltese is the boss of her!). Anyway since I'm so massively pregnant everyone is much nicer and feels bad for me when I'm chasing my dog around. I don't think I'll be able to go for the next few weeks though because Roxy is strong and can knock me down and its a lot of work taking her and Travis is working.

I hope you had a good fourth of July. The last couple weeks I've really been feeling this pregnancy and the size of the baby. Last week I told Travis that on Monday, the 4th we'll be full term so it's okay for the baby to decide to make an appearance before the fireworks.. no such luck though! I hope you had a good fourth of July! Normally it's always cloudy and rainy here (we still do fireworks though because if we didn't do them because of the rain there would never be any!), but this year it was 78 and Sunny! Which is quite hot for us haha. We went to Gasworks Park and we took my mom and they had a firework show over Lake Union and it was awesome! We hadn't gone to a firework show like that for years because we always watch our own! However we sat for hours in the grass which just killed my back and whenever I sat (instead of laying down) the baby would hang out and cause my belly muscles to suffer! Plus I felt like the baby grew and added weight in just a few short hours because I was so much more uncomfortable than I had ever been! I still am today! How did your 4th of July turn out?

I read about a few ladies in the third trimester forum drinking Red Raspberry Tea but I didn't know it could do all that! It sounds quite amazing! I might need to run out and get some of the tea and a excersize ball and bounce and drink tea! I think soon I'm going to give up my August baby idea and just want the baby here! I want to cuddle and be a mom! No more beached whale! I can't believe after you started drinking it you got braxton hicks though! That's so crazy! I would be so excited and drink another glass right away! Lol 

Ugh I've been nesting forever but since I was working it made it difficult to get things done since I'm the type of person in which if I start something I have to finish it and only having a couple hours a night just made the task seem stressful! But now that I'm on maternity leave I have all day! After I finish writing this to you I'm going to attempt the very scary full sized extra room full of stuff and organize it and find garage sale stuff. Then hopefully if I finish I'll wash the baby items tomorrow and start putting things away. But I'm still looking into organizationaly/storage options. I LOVE Madison's target bins! I love them so much I think I might actually get some. Once I wash and start putting everything away I'm going to decide exactly what I want to make the babies room easier and more organized. I think we'll still take the dresser from Travis' parents but the baby has such a big closet I was kind of planning on putting it in their anyway so it won't take up space in the room. That way if I decide I don't want to use it right away I won't have to. Those bins would be nice even just for blankets, binkies, etc. Ah I can't wait to set it up! 

I hope my test comes back negative! We'll know Thursday! I don't want any IV drugs! But whatever is safest for my baby I will do! I didn't get a pap smear either! But she had me get undressed from the waist down while she was out of the room and I had to lay on the chair and then she swabbed me. That's also when she checked my cervix as well. I still can't believe you'll be getting your membranes swept tomorrow! That's so soon and so exciting! Hopefully it does jumpstart labor but like you said if not we'll both have babies by August! 

No worries my replies are always long! I tend to ramble!


----------



## krys

Maybe your baby dropped and thats why you're more uncomfortable! I'm glad you had a good 4th of July besides being uncomfortable! Eric got off work late, he didn't get home until almost 10. I posted a status on facebook saying all I wanted was a slurpee and sparklers. When he finally got home, he had slurpees and sparklers and a couple other little fireworks :] I was bummed out that I was bored and all alone, so I was so happy when he did that! We just went out front and did our couple of fireworks and watched all the others around us. They were everywhere! My dumb neighbors got illegal ones, which is fine, we usually get those too. Ughh, but they were freaking landing in our yard! I live on a coldasack(I have absolutely no idea how to spell that, and neither does my spell check lol) and they live like four houses down at the end of the street. Its a dead end and theres like a huge circular area to turn your car around, so thats where they were. Their fireworks were almost hitting us! It was soooo rude. They didn't even care. Other than that, it turned out to be an okay night!

My dog got this really bad rash on his neck, and he started scratching so then it turned into a really bad big yucky thing. We took him to the vet and they gave us antibiotics, wipes, spray, and shampoo. So for the next two weeks, every 12 hours I have to give him antibiotics, wipe down his neck, and 20 minutes later spray his neck. I also have to bathe him with the special shampoo twice a week! Well his "hot spot" (thats what they called it) hurts him really bad so he FREAKS out when I have to wipe it and spray it. He also freaks out when I try to give him his medicine, since I have to use a syringe and squirt it in his mouth. He hates baths too, so its just a shitty situation! Its not AS bad when Eric helps, but its still really hard! Sometimes I have to do it by myself, and that is probably one of the hardest things to do being 9+ months pregnant! I just had to vent about that a little :[ That sucks that you won't be able to take your dog, but I totally get where you're coming from! Winston is only 14 pounds and its hard enough wrestling with him!

When are you going to have your garage sale? Its so fun selling things you don't need and getting money for them!!! It will be exciting to wash the baby's clothes :) I was going to put a dresser in Madison's closet until I bought the bins, so thats a good idea! Babies clothes are so tiny, they don't need very much space in their closets when they're hanging up lol.

The ladies from my pregnancy appointments/meetings got swept after my last group appointment and went into labor the NEXT day, both of them! So hopefully it works for me too! I just keep getting sooo jealous reading about other people having their babies! I've been drinking that tea, and I put fresh basil leaves in it bc I heard that can make you contract too! I've been bouncing on my ball and going up the stairs sideways haha. I also walked/galloped around my room for a good 15 minutes earlier. I just want to go into labor already!!! I've been getting braxton hicks, but nothing really painful. I do have a back ache though! I just want my baby! I'm looking forward to the moment where I get to say :shock: "It's time!" haha.

My body is sooo achy. Its weird. Even my fingers are achy, and my legs. My feet always feel like I was out all night in stilettos. I hope this all goes away once Madison is here!


----------



## krys

Oh yeah, I forgot something! I have to tell you a story. My friend went over to her bf's house, he said he was in the shower, but he came walking around the corner with another girl. She obviously freaked out! They were outside and she slapped him and yelled at him, pretty understandable, I would have been mad if I caught Eric cheating! Anyway, so they went on a break. Two days later, she takes a pregnancy test bc she's on birth control, and she was supposed to start her period and she didn't. The test came out positive. She told her bf and when his parents found out they started being really nasty toward her! They said she planned it to get back at him (which is impossible, you don't get pregnant and two days later get a positive), and they're being hateful and calling her a slut and stuff! They also told her bf or ex-bf whatever, that he isn't allowed to talk to her? He's 19!! Then, they went behind her back and called her dad and told him! Now she doesn't know what to do, she said she's against "a's", but she doesn't want to have to deal with him family being mean and hateful and making her feel like shit. Her mom was really mean to her and always treated her bad, she's been through that for a long time and doesn't want to have to get it from his family now too. He said he will support her either way, but is pressing her to get an a. I feel so bad for her :[ I hope she doesn't just get one because her ex is a poor excuse for a man, and his family is disgusting!! She asked me for advice, and I really couldn't tell her much. I wanted to scream "keep the baby!!!!" of course, but I know its her choice, and her situation. I just feel so bad and I can't tell Eric because no one knows and she told me not to say anything. I just had to get that off my chest. I really really hope she keeps the baby :/


----------



## airbear

Maybe I have dropped! The doctor mentioned when I measured 35cm at 36 weeks that it could just be because the baby is moving down. I've had really horrible back pain this past week. Last night I started clearing out the extra room and then after I picked Travis up from work at 9:30pm we came home and layed on the couch and watched TV but I literally couldn't move to get up because my back was frozen. To me it feels like the bones in my lower back are about to break! It doesn't feel like muscles that are sore. It's horrible. I got just finished organizing the room though. Basically I have three piles; keep, storage, and garage sale. A lot of the stuff is in the storage pile and sometime this week I'm going to have Travis put it in the attic and I'll feel a lot better. This room is the size of our babies room and it's literally so full of stuff there was only about 2 feet of room in front of the door. We have a pantry that runs along side one wall so basically we just had two feet of space out from one wall and the rest was just stuff from moving. I can't wait until the room is empty! It's the room my mom is suppose to move into, so I kind of want it done soon. But I probably already worked harder than I should and it's hard to get everything done since Travis is always working. I really hope it gets done before the baby is here!

That is so sweet that Eric saw your status and brought you exactly what you wanted! I love it when Travis takes note of the little things like that, it makes me even happier that he pays attention to even the littlest of things. When we were at the park for the 4th of July I had him run back to the car and get the blanket because people were filling in and stealing our space. On his way back he stoped and bought me an ice cream sandwhich (which I love)! It was so sweet! Sounds lame about your neighbors though! They need to be respectful of other peoples space and homes as well! Just think though one bad 4th of July is worth all the one's we'll have with our babies! :)

That definitely sounds much worse than just taking my obnoxious dog to the dog park! Hopefully he'll get use to it after a while, especially when it starts healing, so that it will be easier to handle. Poor puppy though! I feel bad that they have to go through things like that sometimes. Our big dog gets yeast infections in her ears and we have to put drops in them. But now our little one always cleans her ears for her so I think its help keeping the infections from coming back! Our little one got an eye infection once that we had to put drops in her eyes. But both those processes sound so much easier! Its amazing how mucb more difficult things are when you're pregnant, especially this far along. I feel like I can't ever bend forward because the baby always stretches out and keeps my belly hard so there is no give for me to move!

Well I finally finished sorting through the extra stuff in our extra room. Like I said we have a storage, keep, and garage sale pile. Once I have Travis put the storage in the attic we'll probably set a date for the garage sale. I could easily do it this weekend or next since I already have everything set aside I want to put in the sale. I don't think we'll make a lot but normally I would just take it all to the goodwill and get no money! Whatever I don't sell I'll leave out with a free sign and whatever doesn't get taken will go to goodwill.

I might wash baby clothes today and set things up a bit in the babies room. I haven't completely decided on organizational things yet so I don't have a whole lot of places to put things. I think I'm going to buy a bunch of wicker baskets to put under the changing table and on the shelf in the closet for all the little things. In fact I think I'm going to buy a bunch of plastic bins too, for bathroom things, and bottles/accessories, and all of that stuff. Its easier if I have similar things all in one spot. I feel like I have so much to do though. I want to reorganize under the bathroom sink to fit the babies bath stuff. I also want to go through the babies closet because we have some stuff of ours that needs to come out and then a bunch of things for the baby that we don't want in the room. Plus I also want to reorganize the kitchen cabinets to fit baby feeding items, and reorganize the pantry! Basically reoganize the whole house! 

Let me know how your sweep goes today! It's crazy to think you could possibly have Madison this week! Especially since we're halfway to 38 weeks anyway! We're so close but you could have her just that much sooner! I think Eric needs to capture a video of you walking/galloping around! It sounds too funny! But I'm sure thosr things help to bring baby down to the birth canal! Who knows my baby might decide to show early since I'm working around the house so hard like crazy! I am definitely finding it crazy that one day (very soon) I'll be having my first real labor contractions and getting to call everyone and say ITS TIME! 

My body is achy too! I already told you how horrible my back is but everything aches as well! My legs and arms ache and my bump aches! Depending on which side I am leaning on while sitting or laying I'll go numb! My whole side will, arms, fingers, legs, toes, hips! I feel like a beached whale that flops around like a fish. I literally almost cannot get up at all by myself anymore! If I do try and get up by myself I literally go so slow because of my back and because its hard to just get myself up! 

That is such a sad sad story about your friend. At least her ex-boyfriend is being supportive on either decision even if he isn't the happiest about both options. Hopefully she keeps the baby, just because I know children change lives and she'll be so happy when she see's her baby it will be worth all the heartache and pain! I'm very pro-life so I wouldn't have been able to say much to her either! It was like when my friend got pregnant. Her boyfriend hadn't even cheated on her or anything and he told her he would leave her if she kept the baby. His family was against keeping the baby and even her mom didn't want her to but was supportive of either decision. She ended up not keeping the baby and it just upsets me because she hardly even knew for two weeks. She didn't give it enough time to sink into everyone. A lot of people say get an A right away but after time come to terms with the situation. It was too new to her boyfriend he needed time to actually think. I personally feel she rushed into her choice. It's a very hard choice for some people though. I feel so badly for your friend because I would feel sick to my stomach if I found out I was being cheated on and then to find out your pregnant with his baby would be horrible. Hopefully she finds the support she needs. I think she would be upset to lose her boyfriend and on to lose her precious child. But sounds like she is being very pressured which is diffuclt when you're young (or at any age)!


----------



## krys

Yay for getting the room sorted!! Did you get a chance to wash any clothes? :]

The dr went good! I measured 37 1/2 cm, baby is head down and engaged-the dr even felt her head!!! I'm at least 50% thinned out and 1cm dilated! She also said she doesn't typically do sweeps until 38 weeks, but she did it anyway! It didn't feel too good, but hopefully it works. I've been trying to walk and stuff, so we'll see how it goes!

I've heard of people going numb in pregnancy, but I have never experienced that! I'm just always achy and swollen. So ready to get this baby out!

When would you like your mom to move in? I'm sure it would be nice having her there once the baby gets here :)


----------



## airbear

I didn't get a chance to wash any clothes yet. I decided to reorganize the whole house. I literally reorganized everything but our room and the babies room. I reorganized under the bathroom sink, the pantry, the kitchen cabinets, the living room end tables, and on top of all that I did my regular weekly cleaning of everything as well. But I'll probably do the babies room Saturday while Travis is at work.

That is so exciting! Its awesome you're measuring right on track! I was told I was softening last time so I'm excited to see what she says tomorrow! You're already half way thinned and starting to dialte I bet the sweep will really help and you'll get to meet Madison soon! That's awesome that she did the sweep for you even though she doesn't normally do them until 38 weeks! She could have been rude and said no, so I'm glad she did because I know you really wanted to get it done. I'll be surprised if my baby hasn't moved down and engaged because I've been having this really bad pain whenever I stand up right on the bottom of my bump. It feels like to me as though babies shifted all it's weight down. It actually hurts pretty bad almost like I'm bruised!

Ugh I go numb all the time and I'm achy. I'm probably even more achy now just because I've been working around home so much. I cleaned and organized from 8:30 this morning until 9 this evening! I am definitely working more now that I don't have a job! But going numb is horrible, its even worse now that I'm farther along! Today I was laying on my side reading a book and my whole arm went really really numb and it took forever to get the feeling back! I only stopped to read for a short bit too.

I'm not sure when I want my mom to move in. I'm so use to having my own space. I like being naked while I get ready in the morning, or being able to clean in my underwear or feel like I can have a conversation with Travis without her listening. But I really want to help her out because where she's living now just isn't good for her. I just need a lot of alone time and I worry I'll get stressed and snappy at her. We have a really good relationship now since we haven't lived together for over two years. When I lived at home with her we bickered all the time. I'm sure with the baby here though it will be really helpful plus she can help clean and take care of the house while I'm resting. Anyway she had wanted to be out of the place she was at July 1st but she just doesn't have the money for her own place yet. So I'm at least trying to get the room available so maybe soon she can move in. She's not expecting or asking too and I know she'll be really appreciative of us letting her stay here.


----------



## krys

Today is your busy day! I hope all is going well, I can't wait to hear all about it!!! :]

Well, I lost my mucus plug today! I had been spotting just a little, (my dr warned me about this after my sweep) but then it was definitely my mucus plug! I had to show Eric and it grossed him out a little, but I was so excited that it didn't even matter haha. Now we're gonna go walk and stuff so fingers crossed! I hope you get good news at the doctor today!

You cleaned for SO LONG! You must have been exhausted! I get sooo tired so fast now.

We're leaving to go to the outdoor mall now!! I'm so brave, it is HOTTTT outside... I'm gonna get another nursing bra (still haven't found mine) and hopefully the walking will do some good!


----------



## airbear

Our maternity pictures turned out so cute! I wish I had gotten my hair professionally styled because it looks bad, but too late now! Some pictures are still really cute and I love them but I told Travis for the newborn pictures I'll get my hair done and he agreed. Especially since he got his haircut today before the pictures so of course he looked nice! I took a picture of the ones we got printed out on my cell phone so I could show you but we paid extra to get a CD of every single picture we took so I'll put those on facebook when I access a computer.

The doctor's appointment was the same as last time with the other doctor who we don't normally see. I'm at 145lbs now so I've gained 35lbs all together. Travis weigh's 154 thank god he checked while we were there! Anyway I'm still measuring 35cm so she said the baby is probably moving down. When she checked my cervix she said she could get a finger tip in but she didn't say if it was dialated or how far or anything! She said it was thinning again but she didn't say how thin! So I'm hoping next week my regular doctor tells me more.

That's so awesome you lost your mucus plug! I definitely have not so I'm pretty sure you'll have Madison before I have my little one! But it sounds like you might be able to have her soon! I always tell Travis how incomfortable I am because of discharge and such too! But I haven't gotten any mucus plug out yet! Travis was sweet and checked my vagina for me while we were waiting for the doctor because I was concerned about my razor burn and I had just given them a urine sample so he said well the razor burn doesn't look too bad but you have a tiny bit of toilet paper! And he took it off for me! Haha our boys are sweet:)

I was so tired but Travis worked two jobs yesterday while I was cleaning and came home and gave me a back massage! :)

You are brave! The 4th of July was like 80 degrees and it was so hot! I can't imagine how hot it feels outside where you're at! I still haven't gotten a nursing bra yet! I need to though.. but I think I'll have longer before the baby gets here than you so I'll go get one this weekend or next week!

Here is an idea of a few of my favorites of what the maternity pictures look like. I just took a picture of the prints from my cell phone so they kind of curve funny making us in the picture look silly but you get the idea I just want to share because I love them!


https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Maternity%20Pictures/IMG_20110707_151001.jpg



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Maternity%20Pictures/IMG_20110707_150936.jpg



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Maternity%20Pictures/IMG_20110707_150729.jpg



https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Maternity%20Pictures/IMG_20110707_150815.jpg




Here is my FAVORITE:

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/crazyylittlegirl/Maternity%20Pictures/IMG_20110707_150847.jpg


----------



## krys

Awh the pictures aren't working anymore. I got to see them on my phone, but they were tiny and my dumb safari app on my phone kept on freezing! They are sooooo cute though, and I don't think your hair looks bad at all! I love the one where you two were making a heart on your tummy! Your avatar is adorable, omg :]]] You and Travis are too freaking cute!

I think a fingertip is 1 cm, but I am not sure!! I think I probably lost my mucus plug bc of my sweep. I keep wishing that I would just go into labor and it still hasn't happened. I want another sweep lol. Like all I wanna do is get this baby out! I have tried everything. I even YouTube'd foot reflexology to induce labor haha. I've been walking like crazy, bouncing on my ball, drinking my tea, eating spicy food. Obviously, nothing is working. I do get really crampy in my pelvic area when I walk for a long time though, maybe thats a good thing? Who knows! She'll come when she's ready. I just hope that is SOON. UGHHH and my 'best friend' in Texas texts me at least 2 times a day EVERYDAY saying "Still no Madi?" "Madi yet?"ummm noooo, but thanks for reminding me!

How did your class go?!

Oh & I weighed 127.5 at my last appt, and Eric weighs about 127. Embarrassing!!!!


----------



## airbear

Yeah I accidentally deleted them off my photobucket because I uploaded all the new ones so my links stopped working on my responces. But I have all the good ones up on facebook! In some of the pictures (ones I didn't put on facebook) my hair turned out bad but I got a few I really liked so that's all that matters:)the photographer had us do a lot of hearts with our hands. It was cute but basically half of the poses had hearts! My most favorite is definitely the picture of Travis kissing my bump it is so cute! Travis' mom said she thought it cost too much to get the pictures and that it was kind of silly for that much money. But it was definitely worth getting pictures taken to us and it was our own earned money. We don't owe them money or have to borrow from anyone so I don't see why people should judge what we do with it. Oh well she still thought they were cute! 

That's what I thought too! I kept looking at my finger tip thinking it had to be a centimeter! Maybe you can get another sweep at your next appointment? It seems like it helped move things along at least a little bit because I still haven't lost my mucus plug! I get crampy when I walk too! I definitely think walking helps a lot. My mom was told to walk when she was pregnant with me to help move labor along. She wanted an epidural but had to wait to be more dialated, by the time she walked and got back to the room she was too far dialated to get the epidural! So just keep up with all the silly tricks because it could help at least a little bit! If you stopped maybe she will come late! I would be so annoyed if someone kept asking me everyday if the baby was here. I could see if it was past your due date and she was asking but you obviously want Madi here more than she does!

Our class went well! We were definitely the youngest couple and we were the first due in the class. I'm pretty sure everyone was due in August and September. There was even someone due September 26th which is two months after us! We kept getting looks, not mean or anything, but whenever we looked around the room people constantly kept making eye contact with us! Probably because they know everything we're learning we'll be experiencing really really soon! There were 15 couples (including us) so 30 people in the class all together.

Travis thought he was around 145 so I kept hoping I wouldn't get close to 145lbs because I didn't want to weigh more but he weighed himself on the scale at the doctors and I still have 10lbs so I'm happy! Eric must be skinny! Travis is like skin and bones! Whenever we cuddle he lays on me because his bones always poke me! I've puffed up so much recently! My hands and feet look just a tiny bit fat. When as before I knew I gained weight but didn't actually feel really 'fat' but now I feel puffy like an old person! Haha

I have a job interview tomorrow! For a nanny position that is really close to my house. 4 days a week, Tuesday through Friday 8am to 5pm. I would make about $100 a day (before I made $110 a day so close to the same pay). I'd still be taking a slight pay decrease because I'll be working one less day but I'll get three day weekends! Plus she said I might be able to bring my baby! In fact I didn't even apply to her job position she actually messaged me from seeing my sittercity profile! I applied for unemployment last week and they accepted and I have to file weekly claims and once we get a few claims in I'll start getting benefits which is $256 a week! So that makes me feel like I'm at least contributing! If I get this job I'll get paid under the table (usually I have the family take taxes out) which means I can actually keep filing for unemployment even though I'm working. So I'll be getting the $256 a week plus the $400 a week from actually working. Oh and the job starts in September for two girls ages 5 (starting kindergarten) and almost 2! I hope my interview goes well tomorrow! I'm nervous but excited! :)


----------



## krys

I think it is totally worth the money!! Pregnancy is a once in a lifetime experience, it is soo important that you capture it! They came out sooooo beautiful too, so worth it!

I just stuck an evening primrose oil capsule into my vagina haha. Its supposed to soften my cervix? I guess I'm getting desperate!

Good luck at your interview! I hope you get it! That would be so great to get paid for working AND unemployment. Especially if you could bring the baby :) fingers crossed for you! Let me know how it goes :]


----------



## krys

I wasn't planning on making a birth plan, mainly because I wasn't sure how to go about it. Someone in teen pregnancy posted hers and she made it at birthplan.com. It is seriously SO easy! They do everything for you, you just go through and click on what you want. Anyway, heres mine :]



Regarding Labor and Birth - Krystal Lynn McDermott

Estimated Due Date: 07/24/2011
Scheduled to deliver at Summerlin Hospital

Labor
	I would like to be free to walk around during labor.
	I wish to be able to move around and change position at will throughout labor.
	I would like the lights in the room to be kept low during my labor.

Anesthesia/Pain Medication
	I realize that many pain medications exist. I'll ask for them if I need them.

Cesarean
	Unless absolutely necessary, I would like to avoid a Cesarean.
	I would like my fiancé (Eric J. Murphy) present at all times if my baby requires a Cesarean delivery.
	I wish to have an epidural for anesthesia.
	If my baby is not in distress, my baby should be given to my fiancé immediately after birth.

Episiotomy
	I would appreciate guidance in when to push and when to stop pushing so the perineum can stretch.
	If possible, I would like to use perineal massage to help avoid the need for an episiotomy.
	I would prefer an episiotomy rather than a tear.

Delivery
	I would like to be allowed to choose the position in which I give birth.
	I would like to have my baby placed on my stomach/chest immediately after delivery.


Immediately After Delivery
	I would like to have my fiancé cut the cord.
	I would prefer that the umbilical cord stop pulsating before it be cut.
	I would like to hold my baby while I deliver the placenta and any tissue repairs are made.
	I would like to have my baby evaluated and bathed in my presence.
	I plan to keep my baby near me following birth and would appreciate if the evaluation of my baby can be done with my baby on my abdomen, unless there is an unusual situation.
	If my baby must be taken from me to receive medical treatment, my fiancé or mother (Melissa S. Newstrand) will accompany my baby at all times.
	I would prefer to hold my baby rather than have her placed under heat lamps.

Postpartum
	Unless required for health reasons, I do not wish to be separated from my baby.
	I would like to have my baby "room in" and be with me at all times.

Breastfeeding
	I plan to breastfeed my baby and would like to begin nursing very shortly after birth.
	Unless medically necessary, I do not wish to have any bottles given to my baby (including glucose water or plain water).
	I do not want my baby to be given a pacifier.
	I would like to meet with a lactation consultant.


It's a lot prettier once I formatted it and printed it out, but you get the idea. What do you think?!


----------



## airbear

I thought it was worth it too! You're only pregnant so many times and only for so long. I absolutely love my pregnancy. I want to be able to rememeber it even when my kids are all grown up! Travis' mom is just like that though. She's not very sentimental. What frustrated me that my mom said about the pictures was she felt weird looking at Travis and I in underwear. She didn't want to put one of the white outfit pictures on her facebook for the same reason. We're wearing just as much as we would be if we were in bathing suits! It wasn't like I was naked then I would understand. I get why she might feel weird putting it on her facebook as well. But the human body is beautiful, especially when a woman is pregnant. We got really big print outs of three of the white outfit and she asked where we were going to put them and one of the options was the bedroom which she said was best because it was too personal. That's probably what we're going to do but I don't see why I can't put them right smack in the living room if I wanted! I guess I just wanted slightly better responces. But I don't really care because I like them. I wish the photographer didn't have us make our hands into hearts so many times though! 

You are too funny! I'm surprised you've made it this far since I know you want Madison here so badly! Hopefully she takes the hint and comes soon for you! Let's cross our fingers you're fargher along dialated and such when you go to your appointment Wednesday! I definitely think you'll have Madison before I have my baby though!

The interview seemed to go well. We went to a park and she brought her girls so we were a bit distracted watching them and she didn't seem to ask a lot of questions but she did ask some good ones and she wanted me to email her a list of references when I got home. I think she's nervous about a new nanny because she was saying how her old nanny would always let them watch TV and how she would take them places and not tell her where they went so the mom would get home and worry about her kids! But she said I seemed very open and easy to communicate with which she really liked and I gave her some really good refrences so I hope all goes well!

I'm definitely going to have to go to that website and make my own to bring! But yours honestly sounds exactly like what I want! I'm sure mine will be very similar if not exact. I'm still hoping for a natural birth but I'm being open minded about medicine if I don't think I can handle it. But I think we're both very strong and we want what is best for our babies and we'll be able to do it! We watched a birth in our birth class of a natural birth and the lady didn't even scream or anything once so I definitely think its possible! She did cry but she said she thinks she cried because she was tired and exhausted and of course the contractions were worse and everything was overwhelming. But I think that's to be expected. I'm excited for the process to start happening! I can't believe we have just two weeks until our due dates! :)


----------



## krys

I definitely felt a little uncomfortable showing off the pictures where I'm just covering my boobs especially the ones with Eric and no top. I think it's because I feel so young, and the fact that we're not married. My mom hasn't seen them yet, but I'm sure she'll have something to say about them!

Have you heard back about the job yet? I really hope you get it!!

This is such a weird question, but when you squeeze your nipples, does stuff come out? I got curious and did this and clear and yellow liquid came out! YELLOW!!! That doesn't seem right, but I have no idea! Kind of embarrassing haha. 

Oh and I was totally drinking the wrong tea this whole time! I ran out so I went to get more and I saw the one I was supposed to get! Wooooops! I guess the Braxton hicks that I got was just a coincidence!


----------



## airbear

I know what you mean. I guess I just felt like I was wearing as much as a bathing suit and people post that on facebook all the time. Everyone's seen us in a bathing suit. But everyone is different on subjects of comfortability like that too. I guess I just wanted her to be more excited and not negative.

I didn't get the job :( but I'm still applying to tons. I just feel bad making Travis work all the time but I secretly want more time off than starting work back in September. Especially since his extra job and Costco and my unemployment adds up to about how much I was making before so we won't be hurting for money but he'll have to keep his second job. But I feel like I'm going to need more time after having just given birth before I can jump back into work. I'll keep looking for nanny positions though!

Okay so when I first read your question about squeezing my nipples I was thinking how nothing really comes out. But I never have really tried harder than just a small quick light pinch. So after I read your question I was talking to Travis about it and we started squeezing mine and at first just a very very tiny light layering of liquid came out. Then we tried again and basically a drop came out! I was so shocked! I was surprised by how weird I felt about it actually. Mine was clear though. I thought I heard about yellow being something you might get before the milk actually comes in but I'm not sure! I can't believe we're going to be parents soon and breastfeeding in just a couple short weeks!

Ah I can't believe you had the wrong tea! How disappointing! Did you find the right one and start drinkng it? So weird that you had braxton hicks though after drinking it! Do you think you'll be able to get another sweep at your doctors appointment? That would be nice to help labor just a little bit more! I don't feel like I have had any signs of labor coming soon! Other than I do think my baby has dropped a little but otherwise nothing!


----------



## krys

Yeah, its not like you were legitimately naked or something! I finally saw them all too, omg omg they came out sooo cute! I can see what you mean about the hearts on the belly, there were quite a few of those! They are still adorable though! My friend has been super weird lately, so I'm just gonna go ahead and scan mine on the computer later! How weird is it that soon we'll be talking about newborn pictures rather than maternity ones! I want to get Madison some little bloomers, maybe with a rhinestone crown or something on the butt, a big tutu, and a matching bow for her newborn pictures! I also like the ones where you can see the baby's cutie little butt. Awh I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

That is such a bummer that you didn't get the job :[ I totally see what you mean about not wanting to go back to work so soon! You get unemployment, so at least you have some income! Eric wants me to take a year off work! A whole year!!! I am sooo excited and I hope I get to take that long off. If my dad's house here sells though, which doesn't look like its going to happen anytime soon, we will have to move. My dad is still paying the mortgage now, but its up for a short sale. That means that when someone does decide to buy it, it can take anywhere from 6+ months for the bank to approve it and everything. If we move out with his mom, I still won't have to go back to work. If not, then I will have to at least have a part time job to help out with the bills. Its kind of selfish to say that I don't want the house to sell, but I don't want to move out with Eric's mom either! Eric and I want to buy a house, but in Michigan. The only problem is that Eric doesn't want to move to Michigan until he finishes with paramedic school, but he hasn't even STARTED paramedic school!! It takes 2 years (I think), so I have no idea whats going to happen. I make it a point every single day to say "I miss my family" at least once. I just feel so alone here :/ My dad and siblings are reallyyyy close with Eric, but I'm not close to his family. So anyway, I hope we move to Michigan sooner than later, and I have absolutely NO idea how I started talking about that! 
Woooo! Your boobie is leaking too! That means we're getting closeeeee :]]]]

I did find the right tea! I was drinking raspberry tea rather than raspberry LEAF tea :dohh: I drank a whole freaking box of that damn tea too!!!!! Ugh that makes me soooo mad. I have the right one now though, so I'm drinking it! I have seriously had no signs. I had a ton last week!!! My belly definitely dropped. I had soooo many contractions last Tuesday, then Wednesday at my appointment I found out that I was progressing and had my sweep! Then two days later I lost my mucus plug, and now? NOTHING :[ I haven't had any contractions, no signs at all. I'm not sure if they'll do another sweep, I am excited to see if I have made any more progress. I will probably cry if I haven't. I hope our babies don't go overdue!!!!


----------



## airbear

Definitely too many hearts! But still I only needed a couple cute pictures so that I can remember my bump forever. I cannot wait for newborn pictures! Madison's outfit sounds so cute! I haven't thought of an outfit for our little one yet since we don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but I think Travis mentioned he wanted to do the white underwear outfit again with the baby. He also really wants that picture where he holds the baby sleeping in his hand with its butt up and its laying on its own hands. I think we'll completely forget about our maternity pictures when we'll get to have newborn pictures! I think we're also going to get our favorite newborn picture printed out on a large canvas!

I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom/wife. It would be my perfect job and I would be so good at it! The chores around the house would always be done, the children would get raised the way we want, and I would have dinner ready when Travis got home from work! But since we're living on our own we have bills so it isn't exactly possible unless he finds a job that pays more. I would be really sad if I didn't live close to family either though. Once Travis and I talked about moving to California just because I think we were at that stage in our lives where we were young and wanted to go do something big, you know? Well we obviously never did that, but now (and even before being pregnant) we decided that wasn't right for us because our family is so important to both of us. Especially now with the little one on the way! Is there no schooling he can go to in Michigan? I'm sure it's cheaper in Vegas since he's lived there long enough versus going to school out of state costs more. Hopefully everything will work out for you in the end. I can understand not wanting to move out with his mom though. It would be nice to have your own place. Has the living situation with them got any better? I know you were upset with how they weren't picking up after themselves or their pets and they took up all the space in the living room. Hopefully they've shaped up a bit?

I can't believe how close we are! I was so shocked about my boobs leaking just because it makes it that much more real! I can't wait for our sidekicks to be here! :)

I seriously crack up when you say you've been drinking the wrong tea this whole time! It sounds like something I would do. Hopefully this new tea will work then it won't matter you drank a box of the wrong tea! You would think with everything you're doing to try and get labor rolling we would have seen Madison by now! I honesly can't believe we're almost halfway through July already. April, May, and June flew by but I woke up today and checked facebook and realized it was Travis' brother's birthday and usually I tell Travis when there is an important birthday coming up so he can make sure to remember to say happy birthday but the month has gone by so fast already I completely forgot! 

I haven't lost my mucus plug:( but I didn't get a membrane sweep either. Hopefully we'll both start seeing labor signs soon! I feel like I must be one centimeter dialated if she can get a finger tip in but I haven't really felt any contractions. Embarassing story - Travis and I went to Walmart before going and seeing a movie last weekend and we ate at the McDonalds there. Of course McDonalds never makes you feel well and after eating and walking around I started getting bad cramping/tightening. I didn't feel like I had to poop or anything but I was pretty sure that was why my tummy hurt so bad. We get to the theater and Travis is talking and such and I told him he needs to hurry so we can go inside because I just have to go potty! Well of course I go and feel much better but it makes me wonder how in the world am I suppose to make it through labor pains if I can't handle bathroom cramps? I'm not going to lie though we both thought they might have been contractions because it was so strong to where I actually had to stop walking! So it still could possibly be contractions but the McDonalds definitely didn't help!


----------



## krys

There are actually BETTER schooling opportunity options in Michigan, which is frustrating. He has a job here as an EMT-Intermediate, which is what he went to school for. He is also nationally registered, so he is allowed to work anywhere. His company is national and they are in Michigan, so he could transfer there. The only problem is that in Michigan they don&#8217;t really have EMT-I&#8217;s. At his company in Michigan they have EMT- Basics (which is a level below Eric) and Paramedics (which is a level above Eric). So he doesn&#8217;t want to move there until after school, because it would be so much easier to find a job. Totally understandable, but frustrating at the same time. I want to be in Washington or Michigan soooo bad. Things have gotten a little better here at my house. Eric&#8217;s sister still never cleans, is always on the couch, and leaves her socks everywhere. Eric did fix this gate so that her dogs aren&#8217;t able to escape anymore, which is a start! I feel bad, because I know I am rude to his mom and sister at times. I think in a way I sort of resent them, I guess just because I don&#8217;t have my family here and Eric gets to see them every single day. His mom knew I had been craving mochi and yesterday when she got home she had some! She went out of her way to go pick it up, even though I&#8217;ve been such a brat lately. I felt sooo bad. Then I felt even worse because she took us to Outback for dinner and bought us a pretty expensive dinner, and the occasion? All because I&#8217;m pregnant! Ahhh I felt like such a jerk. I don&#8217;t mean to be mean to them, I&#8217;m just hormonal :[ 

I keep forgetting my OWN birthday!!!! Its July 20th, and I seriously haven&#8217;t thought about it at all. No one else has really mentioned it either! Usually my parents would be asking me what I want or where I want to go for dinner and all that. They aren&#8217;t here to take me to dinner though, and the fact that they&#8217;re both flying out here within the next couple of weeks makes me question if I am even getting a present from them lol. I honestly don&#8217;t care if they get me anything though, I couldn&#8217;t ask for anything better than to get to see them!!! 

That is such a funny story! Sometimes lately when I have to&#8230;um&#8230;go&#8230;I get all crampy and I&#8217;m like omgggg labor?! Haha then I go and the feeling is gone. So annoying! It sounds like your pain was much worse though! And now I want French fries!


----------



## krys

I was thinking of getting these for Madison's newborn pictures, what do you think? :)


https://www.etsy.com/listing/466043...e=3&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

https://www.etsy.com/listing/71728501/custom-tutu-with-headband-and-flower


----------



## airbear

Hm, what are the jobs like here in Washington for EMTs? Do they have EMT-I's so he could find a job easy and also go to schooling? How come he hasn't started schooling to get further as an EMT so that you are able to move to Michigan? I would think it would be so tough to be away from your own family. Especially once Madison is here! I know I'm going to be asking my mom advice all the time for help with LO. I'm glad things have gotten somewhat better with Eric's mom and sister living with you. It was really nice of her to bring you mochi though because you've been craving it forever! Outback sounds so amazing right now, but that is nice of her to take you to dinner also! I'm sure she understands you're hormonal as well as you're all alone out there without your family! She was pregnant once too so I'm sure she understands when you seem overly emotional. I would be pretty upset though if they left the place messy. Just because now that I'm on maternity leave I'm always home ad we only have hard woods and no carpets so the dog and cat hair can't hide anywhere so I feel like I need to sweep daily! Especially now that its getting warm and they're shedding all their extra fur! Plus I'm the one who does all the laundry and dishes which Travis uses the most of. I don't mind doing all the chores because he's working double just so I CAN stay at home. But I wake up and just feel so exhausted. All I ever want to do is lay down and do nothing or sleep! So I would be really frustrated if someone's family moved in and they weren't helping out!

That's too funny you keep forgetting your own birthday! I probably would too if I was due around my birthday! It would be very sweet of them to give you a birthday present just because it's your last birthday before Madison is here and you deserve to be pampered! But I could understand if they don't just because they are flying out to be there for you, which I'm sure is a present in itself for you! But I love birthdays and I never expect a present but it just makes your day that much more special! Hopefully they at least take you out for a nice dinner. Do your parents get along even though their divorced?

Ah that would be really annoying because I know how badly you want labor to start. I'm starting to think I might actually get an August baby like I had previously said I wanted. At this point I don't really care. It could come now or it could come in August. I think I'm just happy to know it will be soon! But my cramping really was terrible that day it was so embarassing. However french fries do still sound amazing! I absolutely love McDonalds french fries! I was just on the Food Porn thread and now I'm just plain starving and I feel like suddenly lately my cravings have all kicked in again! We've been trying to eat cheap and save money but this last shopping trip I spent extra on some things we didn't REALLY need but would enjoy. But now I just want to buy whatever sounds good at the moment I want it because I'm tired of eating cheap and I want to eat delicious! Haha 

That outfit for Madison would be absolutely adorable! It would make the cutest newborn outfit ever!


----------



## krys

I'm not sure about EMT's in Washington! Washington is much more expensive than Michigan though, so it would be a little harder there. 
My parents get along soooooooooo great. It's weird how good they get along with eachother and eachothers spouses! I am very lucky for that. Eric's parents never talk, and his step mom is so incredibly jealous, so they aren't even allowed to talk to eachother. Do your parents get along?
Ahh I feel bad that you're always cleaning!! Luckily Eric is very clean and our house doesn't get too messy, besides the kitchen! Today I had absolutely no energy and I literally layed around all day! Being pregnant is exhausting. I've stopped stressing about the baby coming so much. Normally I'd be on my ball or walking all day. Now I can just keep telling myself that it's soon no matter what and just relax. It would be ideal for her to come within the next couple of days though, because my step dad will be in Vegas for like a week starting on the 15th. He's a tour manager for two bands, so he travels a lot. I'd love for him to be able to see the baby, and if she comes while he's here, my mom will be in Vegas at the same time as him! If not, she won't be able to see him for two weeks, plus however much longer since she's staying here for two weeks! I hope that made sense lol. 
I love French fries! I know what you mean about trying to eat cheap! Eric and I are trying to save as much as possible, but I always want what we don't have! Like tonight, Im craving quesidillas. It isn't expensive to make them, but it's just the fact that we have to make an extra trip to the store rather than just eating what we have. 
Your belly is so cute in the belly button picture!! It's so weird that all our belly buttons are red now lol.


----------



## krys

Oh! And I'm glad you like the outfit!!!! I'm gonna ask Eric when he gets home, hopefully he'll buy it! :)


----------



## airbear

I'm sorry I haven't responded! I didn't even realize how long ago you wrote! I've been so tired I literally haven't wanted to do anything and yet I had so much to do! In fact my feet have puffed up so much and hurt to walk! Its terrible, you think all i'd want to do is sit online though! Yesterday I did absolutely nothing but shave (which I did quite an amazing job on my lady parts, might I add) and take a shower. Then we went to our doctors appointment and class and then went to my moms and watched Big Brother. I didn't even get in the shower until 1pm or so and had laid around the whole time before! 

I bet Washington is a lot more expensive than Michigan. We even have one of the highest minimum wage rates just because its so expensive to live here! Hopefully he'll start his classes soon or maybe you'll be able to convince him to move to Michigan beforehand! Is he not able to find a job as an EMT Basic? Or would that be a big income cut?

That's actually really awesome that your parents get along so well. It would make growing up/going through a divorce much easier for you! My parents don't get along at all! They divorced when I was three and have hardly ever spoken since. Only if they had to because of me and my sister. Its so crazy to me how you can fall in love with somemone, get married, even have children and fall apart. My mom didn't want the divorce, she actually wanted to try harder first, like get counceling or something at least. They usually won't go to events that they know each other will be at. They did both come to my baby shower but lucky for them we had so many people they didn't have to talk. But it was awkward because whenever I was sitting with my mom and my dad wanted to talk to me or didn't know who to talk to he would just stand alone! Its actually really disappointing and frustrating. I felt like they should have talked more (my mom said she tried a little) and say how their first baby girl together was having a baby! Even if they can't stand each other I feel like that's such a big moment for both of them! I guess I find it crazy even more now that I'm with someone like Travis because I can't imagine we would ever be like that even if we did get a divorce someday (which I couldn't imagine either!). Relationships aren't always easy you have to give not just take! 

I think I'm always cleaning because I like things perfect! Travis always offers to help but I don't let him because I'm OCD about it and like it to get done exactly my way. If I'm watching him clean I'll stress and want to fix everything! I'm so pathetic! Travis isn't even terribly messy. I just clean the same things over and over because they have to get done over and over for example dishes and laundry. I also have to sweep a lot. I hardly did anything yesterday so today I'm going to catch up but since I've been on maternity leave I'm always picking up more than letting the laundry go or the dishes pile so cleaning isn't as tiring just because its been well kept up. Today I'll have hardly any dishes, but I have a load of laundry to fold and a load of laundry to wash and fold. Then I have at least two loads of baby things! We have hardly any clothes yet because we're waiting for baby but I have to wash all blankets, bibs, sheets, birp cloths, etc.

I laid around a lot yesterday! The day before my mom and sister went with me to run my shopping errands with me. I had a ton of baby shower gifts I wanted to return (which was awesome because some I didn't know which stores they came from and I got everything returned!) as well as some clothes from our maternity pictures we weren't keeping. So I got more gift cards to babies r us and target! Then I bought a belly cast, my breast pump, and a baby book that is so cute! The baby book was actually the main point of the trip because my mom hadn't gotten to go baby shopping with me yet. I felt bad though because I found it so quick at babies r us! Its adorable. It's yellow and green and has a 'sweet pea' cute bug theme. It's gender neutral but the colors seem more boyish yet it has all this girly stuff like ribbons and cute prints so it works so perfectly for either! It also has a ton of things to fill out! Okay I'm rambling..

Anyways I definitely think pregnancy is finally taking a toll on our bodies. Of course we've been exhausted before and sore and achy but for me I feel tired even after waking up and just thinking about doing basic daily tasks makes me exhausted! I'm glad you've stopped stressing about trying to get Madison here so much just because it's probably just as beneficial to relax! You'll definitely have Madison before I have my baby though since I'm not even dilated yet! (If you read my facebook comment I told you how my doctors appointment went!). But I know you want her here for your family. Maybe she'll come while they're here and they'll be excited they get to be the first few people to see her! So that should mean your step dad is here today which should be exciting! I think what you were trying to say was that your mom won't be able to see your step dad for two weeks because he's traveling but could be longer because she'll be in Vegas with you for a while as well? Is that right? Haha. It will be so nice to have family there with you even if Madison isn't because they can help support you in your last few weeks of pregnancy which could be really helpful and relaxing having people you're comfortable with around! 

I know what you mean about wanting a quesidilla! It's cheap but since you don't have the ingredients to make it, it just becomes an extra cost! Except I actually bought quesidillas ingredients on my big shopping trip! But I've been dying for my moms pasta salad and race car cassarole and there are so many extra ingredients in both it would just cost too much just because I want something we don't have! But I was at my moms last night and she had made her race car cassarole (because I had talked about it a couple days before and she then wanted it - she was going to make me some and bring it over but they didn't have enough ingredients for a second batch) so I got to eat some while I was at her house watching TV! 

Haha I think our belly button's looked so similar in the belly button pictures! It is so weird that everyone's piercing looked so much the same! Its nice to know though that everyone elses has done the same and that we're not alone! I do love my belly button though. It sticks out just the tiniest bit that when I'm wearing a more form fitting shirt you can see it. It doesn't stick out like an outie like some pregant women get but it does make a small out dent in my shirts and it looks so cute! Hahah

Did Eric buy Madison her cute little newborn picture outfit? Its so adorable I love it so much! Its going to make her have some of the most gorgeous newborn pictures! Are you going to have your friend who did your maternity pictures take her newborn pictures?

My birthing class was really helpful this week! First we split into groups dads and moms and we made lists. Dads wrote down how they could help us during labor and we wrote down how we wanted them to help us. So it was kind of fun just to see what the other groups said to see how they're willing to support us even without us asking as well for them to see what we'd like! They were pretty similar lists though! Then she taught us positions for during labor to help ease pain. My favorite was sitting on a chair backward and leaning on the backrest so that my belly hung over my legs. I also liked one where she had us on all fours but we used the seat on a chair for our arms so that we were at an incline which was a nice position just because you could easily use a heating pad or a cold pack as well as baby was really hung out and we didn't have to support holding the baby up with just our back muscles. She also taught us some short breath breathing techniques but I'm having a hard time getting comfortable with the breathing techniques. I think once I'm in labor though I'll find what works best for me. Then the main part of class we got split into three groups. Narcodics, Epidural, and Natural. We ended up getting put in the natural group which was cool because that's what we want to do. But we're the youngest in our class and when we got to our group someone asked if anyone was eveing going natural because everyone kept saying how they weren't so I quietly raised my hand and this one older woman (with greying hair) made a joke about how I was young and if she was still young she might try natural too but because she's old she just isn't going to have the energy for that. It was really funny. Anyway so it was a pro's and con's list for the three options. And then once the groups finished the lists we talked about them in class to get even more information from the teacher and it was cute because a lot of dads were asking a ton of questions. Travis asked so many! But after that exercise in class it makes me even more determined to go natural! But if I just can't handle it I'll go with an epidural. Travis said if he cared about his opinion at all I wouldn't get the narcodics. We're both really against them since they go through the placenta and the baby gets them too! The teacher was saying how if they give you narcodics too late (like after 8cm) its possible for them not to wear off by the birth of the baby and then the baby comes out high on them! It just sounds terrible! Oh and we watched an old vhs of a lady who had an epidural birth (she had gotten narcodics as well before she got the epidural) but it was more 'graphic' than the first video as we saw the baby actually being born more so. But it was cool to see and the dad got to actually help pull the baby out he was the one to catch the baby and put it on his wifes chest! Our teacher actually said at pur hospital the dad can actually do that if he wants and Travis said he wanted to! The baby in the video was 6lbs 1oz but before they showed us the weight Travis goes 'thats a big baby' then it showed the weight and I told him it was small! He was so shocked! He loves the newborn pictures where the baby is all curled in the dads hands with it's butt up so he said it just looked so big that you wouldn't be able to do that but I told him it was because the babies arms and legs were all spread out and moving around. Then we ended with practicing our positions and breathing techniques which is always so nice because I get a back massage from Travis the whole time! He's going to be such a good birth partner! :)

Okay this was a really long and rambling responce! I'm sorry! EDIT I just posted and saw how long it really was! I'm sorry I got stuck really rambling this time! My terrible habit!


----------



## krys

Its totally okay!! Sometimes I will even be on bnb and not respond, it&#8217;s a little more difficult to read a long message and then I immediately want to write another long message back haha. I just feel like I have so much to tell you so sometimes I just have to wait until I have time to get it all out! :)

I also had my doctors appointment, and not much had changed :[ I&#8217;m almost 2cm and 75% effaced. She also did another sweep, which obviously didn&#8217;t work!! Last time she told me that baby was really low, but this time she said, &#8220;Baby is still pretty far up there&#8221; ummm did she just swim back up or something? Awesome. Pretty discouraging! I honestly wouldn&#8217;t care if she came late or not, if it weren&#8217;t for my family coming out here! My grandparents are coming from Texas on the 25th, and my dad is coming from Michigan on the 31st. My step dad is here from Washington, but only until Monday! Yes, you understood that confusing bit about him coming correctly lol. 
My sweet nana keeps joking that the baby won&#8217;t be here when she comes, which is totally stressing me out! She isn&#8217;t doing it to stress me out, and she makes sure to say &#8220;She will come when she is ready&#8221; and things like that&#8230; I just feel like if I have her late I will disappoint everyone, which I know is NOT the case. My nana even told me to have sex!!! We were texting and she said:

-Ok this may be embarrassing but they say to get things going, have sex.&#8221;
-I know you just screamed didn&#8217;t you?

HAHAHA, noooo I actually laughed my ass off!!!! I couldn&#8217;t believe my nana said that! Then she was like:

-It won&#8217;t hurt the baby
-Male sperm softens the cervix and can stimulate labor.
-Sorry this is the nurse talking.

Omg it was soooo funny hearing that from her :]

I shaved yesterday too! So freaking hard. I brought a mirror in the shower and it immediately got foggy! So I couldn&#8217;t see anything, and ended up going by feel instead. I had Eric come look for me, to tell me if I missed any spots. He just laughed!! He pointed out so many different places. Thank God I have him for things like that! Imagine going into labor with freaking patches of hair all over haha. 

Eric doesn&#8217;t want to work as an EMT-Basic there, because he won&#8217;t make very much money. If we move out there, we want to buy a house and with him making less and me not working, it would just be unrealistic. If we did move out there, I would eventually get a part time job. I would want to work nights, because my dad would be off work. He could babysit Madison with the help of my step mom and grandma. My step mom and grandma could watch her too, since my step mom is a stay at home mom and my grandma babysits as her job&#8230;. I just don&#8217;t trust them as much as I trust my dad! Just knowing that he was there would make me feel so much better. I know that probably sounds horrible saying that I couldn&#8217;t trust my own grandma and step mom. I would be able to trust my mom and her mom though or my step dads mom! Just not my grandma lol. 

That must be so hard for you, your parents not getting along! I guess by now, you&#8217;re probably used to it, but it still sucks. My parents were together when they were young teenagers, like 14! So they will always be really good friends. They have been divorced since I was in first grade though, so for like ever haha. I couldn&#8217;t imagine Eric and I getting divorced, but I definitely couldn&#8217;t imagine us not talking! He&#8217;s such a big part of my life, I would be so lonely if I lost our relationship AND his friendship. I really don&#8217;t think I could ever just see him after and not want to hug him or at least talk to him!

I am so fed up with cleaning!!!!!! Eric&#8217;s sister doesn&#8217;t do ANYTHINGGGGGGG! The other night, they made beef stroganoff, and I don&#8217;t like that, so I didn&#8217;t eat. They freaking left all their dinner dishes in the sink, pots, pans, bowls. On top of all the other dishes in there. When I finish eating, I rinse off my dish and put it in the freaking dishwasher! If everyone did that, there would never be a sink full of dishes. Anyway, I had to wash all their dishes, and his sister just watched me. Then she puts a freaking bowl there for me to wash?! It had pasta with no sauce, so it didn&#8217;t even have to be rinsed out. She couldn&#8217;t just put it in the freaking dishwasher?!?!?!?! Then after I&#8217;m done she says thank you for doing the dishes. I was just like &#8220;yeah, it drives me crazy when there are dishes in the sink&#8221; she says &#8220;I know, me too&#8221; really?! Then freaking wash them!!!!!!! Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. Its been bothering me so much, I literally cried about it earlier. When I brought it up to Eric he said &#8220;shes 14&#8221; EXACTLY!!!! Old enough to clean a freaking bowl. I am the only one that does anything. His mom will do the dishes like once every two weeks, and that is it! I wish we could just move out, but if we did, I would have to get a job and leave Madison with a babysitter. I don&#8217;t want to leave her :(

Yay for getting a belly cast!!!! I still have to paint mine! Make sure it isn&#8217;t cold when you do it lol. The paper mache stuff gets cold and your nipples will get hard and you can totally see them on the belly cast!!! My nipples look huge because I was freezing and they have gotten bigger lately lol. I still need to get a baby book too! Maybe I should do that today.

What is race car casserole? I have never heard of that!

I got a bunch of hand-me-downs from Eric&#8217;s moms friend and there were sooo many bloomers. I decided that I&#8217;m just going to go to Michaels and get a rhinestone crown to put on a pair, and make my own! It will be like $5 rather than paying for someone else to do the exact same thing, AND shipping and handling. I still would like to get the tutu and bow, but I haven&#8217;t ordered it yet! Maybe I&#8217;ll do that today too!

Your birthing class sounds so cool! We didn&#8217;t learn anything cool like that, we got a book of positions, but its hard to do something you just see on paper! Did you learn the &#8220;he he he, hooo&#8221; breathing technique? 

Oh wow, this is really long, I&#8217;ll stop here!


----------



## airbear

Sometimes I go on BnB and do the same. I'm sure you can tell I'm not as active in the forum's in the first place. I don't know why, I guess I'm always finding something else to do! I only ever check the teen pregnancy section and I even find it hard to keep up in there! I think it's crazy soon we'll get to join the mom's in teen parenting! I think that will be a different environment since there will also be a lot of mom's who already have children that are older! But I think that's going to be so helpful for advice! 

I think that is too funny when you said 'did she just swim back up there?'. I would be a bit duscouraged too, especially since you are having a lot of family come and support you and hopefully come for Madison's birth! They'll understand though if she decides to come late, that just means she's nice and cozy listening to your heartbeat and cuddling with you! 

That is so funny about your Nana! It would be so awkward yet hilarous at the same time! I would just die if someone said that to me! My dad is giving us his old video camera from my graduation since we want one for the baby and he said since technically he still owns it he better get to see lots of grand baby video's but that there better not be any sex tapes! I didn't really know what to say! I just kind of changed the subject! Supposedly it is true about having sex! But I also heard swallowing sperm was suppose to be even more beneficial! Maybe that's just a statistic guys came up with to get women to give them bj's (my soon to be son's initials! Well BJB) haha. I'm sure it does help somewhat though, either way you do it! 

I didn't have a mirror but I wanted one! I shave seperately from my shower now so I have this whole set up where I sit on the side of the tub and run bath water to wet my legs and to rinse the razor. My legs actually are easy while I'm sitting (I don't stand to shave anymore because I get to tired and it's hard to balance) but doing my lady parts is much more difficult any way I try! But I get pretty bad razor burn on the edges where my legs bend. So while I've been pregnant I started using nair just on the outside edges around my leg creases and the top part where the hair is kind of tough, this way I dknt have to get razor burn where my underwear rubs! Then I shave closer to my lady parts but I have to sit and lean way back and hold up my bump with one hand just to see. So I can see where the razor goes but not exactly how well I did. But this last time I did a really good job! Travis always checks for me as well:) it does make me laugh when you say you had hair patches because I've definitely done that before! I always try to be nice and shaved before my appointments on Thursdays! Haha 

I think it's understandable to want your dad to watch Madison over your step mom or your grandma. Some Grandma's it's a little harder to trust. I would never trust my grandma, she's just too old and falling apart. Travis' grandma I might trust a little more. But Grandparents are also older and do things more old fashioned and didn't have all the same safey things as we do now. I'd feel more comfortable having my parents or Travis' parents watching our little one over almost any other family. I wouldn't even really trust my sister a lot because she gets annoyed and frustrated easily and a baby is a lot different than a toddler.

I'm definitely use to it by now but it makes social events awkward sometimes and they just talk bad about each other a lot. We had my grandpa's funeral today (my dad's dad - step dad but he basically raised them) and my mom came to support us and she knew him too. But there was a reception after and she decided to stay in the car because she felt they wouldn't want her there. Even though my dad asked right away where she went! We took at least another two hours just at the reception and she sat and napped the whole time! Just silly. I think your parents being together young probably helped make a huge difference. My parents were a bit older, I think they dated for a while then got married and a year later had me and then got divorced when I was three. So total they were probably only together no more than 7 years. Travis and I have already been together for 5 years and we're almost a whole decade behind them! I definitely agree. Travis and I have such strong views on divorce in the first place. Now days people get married so quickly because they know how easy it is to get divorced. We have this friend who is 25, he has three kids with his wife. Only one of the kids is his. She had led him on that they were all his at first and he finds out they aren't. But he married her anyway when the first kid was born. Probably around when they were 18. Then she had another kid who wasn't his, and the last kid was his! He adopted the other two boys so in the end they are all his now. Anyway he's always hated the older boy because in his mind it's what basically ruined his life (he doesn't like his wife). Well he's still very sweet to them all but last September or so they broke up and he moved out and asked for a divorce (which was huge for him because he had been unhappy for so many years and just put up with it). He instantly moves in with my old manager from papa murphy's who's Travis' age. They start dating right away of course (and bear in mind I hated her and everyone who worked with her did too even him, she got better once I left!) well on facebook it says they started dating late August and the weekend before Valentines day they get engaged! I was just so shocked because he wssnt even divorced yet for one and he's just jumping right into another marriage?! Anyway that was basically a long story to say how after Travis and I talked about how for us marriage is a much more important even in someone's life. That you should be together and know the person fairly well and want to spend the rest of your life with them. You should only marry one person and you shouldn't just get divorced when things get difficult. I honeslty couldn't imagine us getting divorced but we've been each others BEST friend for 5 years now (even longer technically but its been so strong since we've been dating) that I can't imagine us losing each other in a relationship let alone our friendship as well.

I would be really frustrated about his sister! Travis is pretty terrible about putting his dishes in the dishwasher but since it's just the two of us and I've been staying home I just let the dinner dishes stay over night and I put them away when I wake up. I try to make it easy on him at home since he's working so much and since I have nothing to do all day it helps me not be completely bored. Even if it only takes me five minutes! Anyway though, there is no reason for a 14 year old on summer break can't put her own dishes away! I made the kids I nannied put their dishes by the sink at least (they're a little short to actually wash and put away the dishes), but we're suppose to be teaching our kids responsibility and being 14 doesn't give her any reason to get away without picking up after herself let alone having chores to help out the family! Like you said your parents got together when they were 14 (Travis and I were 15) if you can date (and then fall in love and have children) with someone and be that commited from that age, you can put your dishes away! I would be stressed out having them there and also not even helping. I've been putting off having my mom move in just because I have really high anxiety (before being pregnant even) so I know I get snappy when I'm tired or hungry or even just frustrated. I don't want to put a damper on our relationship. However I do know if she lived here she would help out around the house all the time. She likes being clean. She lives with my sister and her boyfriend in her boyfriends parents basement apartment right now and my mom feels like since she is havijng to basically live off my sisters boyfriends family that she no longer has rule over them (they're 19 anyway!) So she tries to be more of a roommate. But there place is so so gross! (Not the boyfriends parents but the basement apartment - all because of my sister and her bf). Anyway they only drink soda and they each have a night stand and they stack soda cans when they're done with them and make these tall towers because they're too lazy to throw it away. Once Travis and I came over to watch TV and we brough ingredients to make smoothies and my sister/bf previously made a steak dinner with mashed potatoes and corn and such and then they had already left to go to a friends house and left everything sitting out on the counters in their tiny kitchen! It was gross and their was fruit flies so I just felt filthy! Plus there isn't a dishwasher and they let the dishes pile up in the sink and then my sister gets mad when my mom asks her to clean the dishes! My mom works 3 days a week, 11 hour days. But she'll come home from work and my sister will ask her what she's going to make for dinner, or she'll get mad that my mom 'does nothing around the place' if my mom doesn't do the dishes when she gets home! My sister doesn't even have a job and literally sits at home all day and couldn't have been bothered to pick up! Oh! And they leave ALL their laundry on their floor in this huge pile. You can't even tell what's clean or dirty. Once they said they ran out of socks because they couldn't find any clean ones so they bought more and a few days later finally did laundry and then they had too many socks to fit in a drawer! Lol okay sorry for the huge rant! I would just be so frustrated!

Ah! I still haven't done my belly cast! Luckily I think the baby is going to be late but I'm going to make sure it gets done next week! Possibly Monday or Wednesday if Travis takes the day off from his parents. I'll remember to use warm water though! I'm sure i'd have huge nipples on my belly cast if I didn't! My boobs have huge nipples now and the brown part is gigantic! I find it so unattractive but Travis is always so sweet and says I'm beautiful - zebra stripes (what I call my stretchies) and all! Did you get your baby book? I wish I could show you mine! It is so adorable and the oages have so much information to fill out and have a ton of questions. I'm so picky with baby books because I didn't want something that asked one simple question then gave you ten lines to answer it when it would just take one or two lines! This one was so perfect, it had a spot for a letter from mommy and one from daddy. It had a page for each birthday from year 1 -5 it had pages for doctors visits, pages for babies 'firsts' with spots for pictures, it had pages for the first 12 months. It had a ton of stuff! I just love it so much! 

My mom got the recipe from a family she nannied for when she first had my brother. It's basically got noodles shaped like wagon wheels, with small cut spam, diced bacon, and then you mix it all together with cream of mushroom soup and bake it then add cheese! It's kind of plain but I eat really plain food and it's basically total comfort food to me!

I think it would be just as easy to make your own bloomers! But the tutu and bow might be a little more difficult just because you'll want them to be absolutely perfect! Did you end up ordering them? I found this cheap website for wholesale baskets so I bought 6 baskets for my changing table and 6 for the bathroom and paid $80 (with shipping) when I was going to get these 3 baskets (with liners) on amazon for $35 and I would have wanted at least 6 just for the changing table so that would be $70 and I wouldn't have any baskets for the bathroom! I have an old dresser that I can use for baby clothes but I'm really trying to avoid using it because it really needs to be sanded and repainted because its stained from sunlight and gross! I haven't yet found something else that i'd like to take place of a dresser. Just because I love the pink target bins you got but I have so many baby blanekts that I would need one or two bins (of three drawers each) just for blankets! Though I'm hoping the six baskets on the changing table will be able to hold some blankets, receiving blankets, bibs, birp cloths, etc. Otherwise I think I have everything I need. But I did realize I still don't have nursing bra's! I figure if I don't get them before the baby I'll be at home mostly anyway and just not wear a bra! :) we'll need clothes once the baby is here but I don't want to buy any until we know the gender so for now we just have a few (hardly any) newborn outfits. Mostly a few onesies! How many receiving blankets, bibs, and birp cloths do you have? I have some and I always assumed i'd want more and get them once the baby is here so I can get the right gender but then I'm thinking what am I going to do with all these receiving blankets? I'm sure once the baby is here I'll learn what I use the most! 

I've been loving my classes so far! Especially this last one was so helpful! I could see trying to do a position based off just paper as being difficult! We haven't learned that technique quite yet (we learn a new one each week) but we've learned some other ones but I actually don't like them that much. It's all short quick breaths and it makes me feel dizzy! OH! So there is some relative of mine I don't really know but she told my dad to tell me (this lady has had 6 kids and 13 grandkids) to go to a health food store and get Blue Cocosh and put 8 drops (I assume in water) and do that three times a day and it will help reduce pain during labor! So I might go get some and start drinking it. I don't know what it is or if it works though! 

Mine was REALLY long, but I think I'm done rambling FINALLY! :)


----------



## krys

I'm going to write back soon once I can get on my computer :)


----------



## krys

Sooo I just left my doctors appointment. This one was with an MD, rather than the nurse practitioner that I saw throughout my pregnancy. I am so discouraged :/ At my last appointment, I was told that I was almost 2cm, but after the sweep I'd be at least two and that I was 75% effaced. She also said at my last two that the baby was engaged.... Well today the doctor said I'm only 1 cm, only 50%, and the baby is -2. I look it up and -5 is a floating baby, 0 is engaged, and 5 is crowning. So I'm not engaged like my doctor said the last two times. My next appointment isn't even until the 26th and he explained the process of going overdue, which he seems to think is going to happen. My grandparents will be here Monday, but Madison won't :(

I'm seriously crying. I feel like I'm back-tracking. I hate that the nurse practitioner I have been seeing was wrong and got my hopes up. I hate that I had two PAINFUL sweeps that did absolutely NOTHING. I'm so mad :/ 

Sorry for the rant. :(


----------



## airbear

Well, first Happy Birthday! I hope you're enjoying your special day and that you're getting to spend it with family.

I'm so sorry to hear about your doctors appointment! I don't think I'm dilated and I have no clue if I'm effaced or not. I'm frustrated that they don't seem to tell me any of that information well at all. I wish they would be reall specific like you're not dilated, you're this % effaced , this number engaged but I get nothing.. The doctor said last time she could feel the babies head and.. tmi Travis said he could too. But I don't know if that means I'm engaged! I definitely thought we would be seeing precious little Madison sooner than later. My doctor did mention a ton of times that first babies do often tend to come later than their due dates. But I had still expected to see Madison early! You must have been some dilation to do a membrane sweep though because when I went in last week they said I wasn't dilated enough to do a sweep! If I am dilated enough tomorrow I'll get mine then. I remember a lot of girls on BnB saying how they got a ton of irregluar contractions so I'm sure they were probably dilated a little, then it would slow down making the process really long. I've had no symptoms whatsoever! I haven't even lost my mucus plug! I'm sure they'll schedule me for another appointment next week as well. I wish you were at least back at 2cm dilated though because then you would at least feel like you hadn't gone back a few steps! She'll be here someday though, she's just so cozy inside! I would be mad too though if I had two sweeps that had done nothing. My doctor said either it works or it doesn't. I'm surprised both yours didn't! Are you still doing your tricks to get labor to start? I heard pineapple is suppose to help soften the cervix. I've been eating it but just because its yummy!

Its okay to rant! I know I would be. I've got all the house work done and just finishing up my hospital bag and waiting for my wicker baskets to get here to finish organizing the baby room. So I've been really lazy lately. So now I'm just waiting and I feel like what you've probably been feeling where you're just done and ready for Madison to get here! I wish I had something nicer and better to say to make you feel better! Hopefully you got to enjoy your birthday and hopefully Madison will be here sooner than later!


----------



## krys

Thank you!!! I had a wonderful, relaxing day. At one point, I actually thought about it, and I was glad to have Madi in my belly and to have a little peace and quiet!

Hahaha please tell me how Travis felt the baby's head! Eric would have freakeddddd out!!! Both doctors said they could feel her head, so I don't think that necessarily means that you're engaged. I really really hope your appointment goes better than mine! I haven't really been doing any tricks. I did just about everything, and nothing worked so I gave up! It would just stress me out... I'd be comfy on the couch, but I'd be like "come on Krystal, bounce on your ball!" and I would feel guilty if I didn't. Now I'm just going with the flow... whatever happens, happens. 
Eric is working night shifts Friday & Saturday, and then almost every night next week. With my luck, I will go into labor when he's gone and I'm all alone!
I feel like such a fatass lately! I hadn't gained a whole pound in three weeks. I was 127.2 then 127.4 then 127.6 well the fourth week was Tuesday at the other office and I weighed 134.5 on their scale!!!!! Its a different scale, but still... If I gained 7 pounds in 6 days, that's disgusting. My legs feel soooo big, I can't wait to start working out! I'm so self conscious, even though Eric always compliments me. I just wanna feel good about my body again!

I hope you can get a sweep, but most of all, I hope that it works!!!! I would be so jealous, but sooooooooooooooo happy for you. I just wanna know if you've got a son or daughter!! :)

The other day, I was getting a pedicure and my eyebrows waxed. The lady that did my eyebrows said "are you having a boy?" then when I was getting my pedicure, the man that did it said "you're having a boy". I was in a separate room when she asked, there's no way he heard her and misunderstood or something!! Then the next day I was with Eric getting his new uniforms and the lady was like "you're having a boy, huh?" I was like "No, but why do you ask?" because I wanted to know why people kept thinking that!!! She said I'm carrying really low. So obviously my belly dropped, just not enough :/


----------



## airbear

OMg I wrote you the longest message and it all got deleted! :( you know how I always write crazy long posts so I'm gonna super some this up since I don't want to rewrite it all!

I'm glad you had a nice peaceful birthday though! Even if Madison couldn't be here to celebrate it. It's probably nice to have had one last calm birthday! 

Travis asked me a couple days ago if we could have sex one more time before the baby comes since I won't want to for quite some time after the birth. So I wanted to let him have some fun at least once before little one arrives. Well he was using his hands on me and instantly was like I can feel the baby! Which was a little awkward when you're trying to be in the mood and I was surprised he continued and had sex with me because I know I would have been creeped out if I was him. Sex did feel different and it hurt in a different way than usual! But it was still enjoyable haha even after the awkward baby moment! 

I'm glad you've rested on doing labor start tricks because feeling guilty for not doing them is no good! It's probably just as beneficial to relax anyway! We need it and so does baby. Which reminds me I haven't taken a single bath my whole pregnancy (mostly because I have this weird thing where I have to clean the tub each time before I take a bath) and I've been wanting to take one good bubble bath before little one gets here.

I've been feeling pretty fat lately too though I haven't gained a whole bunch these past few weeks. But who knows maybe I'll go in today and they'll say I've gained 6lbs as well! I'm glad you're weighing closer to me though because now I don't have to feel so alone and fat! I'm about 145lbs and was about 10/15lbs more than you pre-pregnancy so we've probably gained a similar amount! My legs have definitely gotten huge, I have stretch marks on my thighs:( My boobs and butt are huge too and we did my belly cast yesterday and I was so worried it would make my boobs look saggy but I think it turned out okay! Also a belly cast is a terrible thing for a pregnant woman. I had to stand and my feet hated me so much, then while we were making the cast I was so itchy and uncomfortable. I'm use to being able to shift my weight or when baby moves holding my bump different and I couldn't do either! It was like having a hormonal whale in a vice! But I think it turned out nice so I guess it was worth the horrible experience of making it!

My appointment is at 4:45 and then I have class after so I'll let you know later tonight or tomorrow how it went and if I was able to get the sweep! I'm so excited Travis convinced me not to find out the gender because I'm able to wrap my head around having a baby and I'm prepared but its crazy to think I have a son or a daughter and so soon I'll find out which!

That is crazy that everyone asked if you were having a boy! Just goes to show you have dropped! But I do find it really weird when people automatically guess the gender. I think its acceptable to ask if you know if you're having a boy/girl but weird when people make their own guess! Maybe Madison will be on time or at least not terribly late. Hopefully you won't have to be induced. Last week my doctor told me she'll probably be able to be at the birth since she'll be on vacation the week we're due and I hav ent seem to have progressed! I will probably end up getting induced. But you never know!

I got my hair done today at 7 Salon Academy and the cut was $15 and the full foil was $20! Of course it is students learning but the girl did such a good job I would totally go back again to her! Especially for such a great price! Then when I got home Travis' mom texted me to see if she could take me to get a pedicure tomorrow which I was wanting to get before the baby gets here! Then my dad texted me and said he's coming by Sunday to mow the lawn since Travis works so much and I feel bad making him work on his time off! So now I'll have a nicely mowed lawn to bring the baby home to and I won't have to worry about it. I also got my wicker baskets to organize under the changing table. I love them! They don't have liners but they still work out so nicely. I got some for the bathroom too, to organize things. I still have my hospital bag to finish but other than that I think I'm done crazy organizing and am ready for the baby to get here! :)


----------



## krys

I am so anxious to hear about your appointment and class!!
Omg what did the baby's head feel like?! I would have freaked out!!!
I wish I could get my hair done for cheap like that! What a great deal. I know you really wanted your hair done, so that is amazing! I need to dye my roots soon, they aren't too bad now though. I'd also like to add a little more blonde :]
Yay for getting baskets!! My belly cast took so long, I am so happy I got to sit down the whole time!
I got a baby book today, it is so cute. I'm going to bring it to the hospital to get Madison's footprints :] Tomorrow I'm going to get my breast pump too. Have you got yours yet?
I'm writing on my phone, I wonder if there will be little *'s after each paragraph lol.*


----------



## airbear

The appointment and class went well! I am 1cm dilated and she said much softer than last time. I'm a little annoyed because they don't tell me specific numbers like how effaced I am or if the baby is engaged or anything! She said she could feel the babies head but that doesn't tell me anything! She was going to try and do a membrane sweep but my cervix is too far back so she couldn't do it. She said it will move closer as I progress so maybe they'll do it next week. She did say she thinks maybe next week we'll have a baby! However I'm still not so sure. She did have me make two appointments, one for next Thursday which will be with a different doctor since she's out of town and then another one the following Monday, August 1st with her! So we'll see how things go!

Class went well we talked about induction, cesareans, and learned new breathing and position techniques. Travis and I were really tired though and I was so uncomfortable I kept shifting around! One of the ladies said 'arent you guys due soon' and we got to tell her just four days, which is now basically three. Even if we're late its still exciting how soon it is!

I don't know what the babies head would feel like! Probably just like there was less room or like something hard pushing back kind of? I would find it to be totally weird! 

I just looked on craigslist and saw a few girls from the academy posting the same prices and I knew getting it at an academy couldn't be that bad since they have to check everything with their teacher first. Its still not quite as blonde as I had hoped but it softened the box dye I put on it and definitely lightened it. I like it for now because it looks like a really natural color rather than really bright high lights. Now I'm excited for my pedicure!

I think it took us like 2 hours and I was so horribly uncomfortable! I would have loved to sit but if I did I think it would have looked weird! So I'm glad I stood but it was still not fun during the process but I'm glad I'll now have the belly cast! Yay for the baby book! I love mine too and I'm going to bring mine as well for prints and also so I can write down the day/time born as well as length and weight and all of that! 

I did get my breast pump I got the Medela Double Electric On The Go Tote Breast Pump or something like that. It was $219 at BabyDepot at Burlington Coat Factory and came with a free pack of disposable breast bads and a free tube of lanolin cream!

I didn't notice any *'s this time!


----------



## krys

I love when people ask when I'm due! Yesterday I was shopping and a worker asked, when I told her Sunday she said "WHAT!? You better be laying down or somethin' " haha it was funny. People are so shocked when they find out how close I am! 

I bought a nursing tank top at the Motherhood store, and it was only $21! It looks just like a plain grey tank top, but the front pulls down. I like it a lot!

That's awesome that you're progressing, even if it's just a little. Too bad they couldn't do a sweep! If they don't tell you next time, ask for more specific numbers! That's kind of what I had to do. Gosh I just wanna have Madison TODAY! It's so frustrating lol. 

I'm going to go get my breast pump later today. It's not super nice, but I won't need to pump very often, so I don't need the Cadillac of breast pumps! It's only $80, and I have a $35 rewards card from babies r us from using my rewards card whenever I shop. I also have a 20% off coupon, so I'm hardly speding anything!!

I was planning on taking a whole year off, but I'm going to get a part time job in October. Only because I have to start paying back my student loan then. I really wanted to take more time off, buy hopefully I won't work more than 20 hours a week. I think the minimum I can pay on my loan is $70 a month, but I'd like to pay at least double that. Have you heard back from any of the nanny jobs you applied to?


----------



## airbear

People have been asking me so much lately when I'm due, I love it! I love telling them how soon and then getting to see the look on their faces! This woman at Costco who was checking me out at the register (when I was almost done unloading my cart) told me not to put everything on the belt that she would have someone else lift it all for me! It was really cute and sweet of her.

That tank top sounds nice! I love tank tops and am pretty much always wearing one so 'm sure i'd like a nursing one as well! I still haven't gotten my nursing bra's yet!

I was so surprised I had progressed at all, I definitely had expected to come in and still be no where! Apparently my cervix is just really far back and at an awkward angle, which I had known before being pregnant, but I guess it will move down as I get closer to labor so she said maybe next week the doctor will be able to reach to give me a membrane sweep. It was kind of awkward her trying really hard to reach inside my cervix! I definitely want to ask for more specific numbers next time. But I'm frustrated they don't just tell me, I feel like I shouldn't have to ask. They probably don't tell specific numbers because older women seem so clueless. My birthing class has all older couples and I swear no one has googled anything! I'm surprised they knew how to make a baby! I wish you had Madison, too! I'll be happy whenever baby comes. It could be tonight or it could be August. I just still can't believe its already time!

It's going to be so nice to have to spend hardly anything on your breast pump! I wanted the best just because I really wanted an electric double breast pump over a single, and I read good reviews about this brand and also has some better suction thing or something. Just the way the machine works or what not. I wanted it to be fast and quick and to get the most milk possible. I want to use it a lot so that I have a bunch saved if I decide I don't want to physically breastfeed but can still provide breast milk! I'd like for the baby to have breast milk for as long as possible (or stopping around 2 years I wouldn't want to provide milk forever).

Well at least you are willing to work so you can pay off the loan! It's good to pay it off sooner than later and hopefully you won't have a ton of hours so finding someone to watch Madison will be easy as well as you won't be away from her as much! I haven't heard any positive answers back from any nanny positions. I haven't been applying like crazy like I use to, but I'm also being picky. I don't want a part time position and I want to be able to bring the baby. However there is this woman who needs someone in October I think for art time and only through December. But she's hoping to go back to school or find a job and then may need full time in January or something like that. I told her no because I wanted a full time position but that if I haven't found anything closer to her start date then I would enjoy working for her. She was also saying how she hadn't gotten much responces so she's looking into basic daycare but that if closer to the date I haven't found anything then to definitely let her know! So that could be a possibility if she still needs someone and doesn't want to continue with daycare.


----------



## krys

Haha that's so funny, you don't think they've googled anything. I google EVERYTHING, I don't know how people did it before...

I got my breast pump and baby book :] that finished up, I've got everything I can think of!!! Actually, we still need a cool mist humidifier. A pediatrician came to talk to us the last day of our birthing class and recommended everyone by one. So we still need that, but I don't think it's a necessity! 

Tomorrow is my due date!!!!!! Then yours!!!! I totally thought we'd have our babies by now! So so soon though :) We have made it sooooooo far, I'm proud of us! Any day now, literally! I think we're going to be such amazing parents, Travis and Eric too!

Today I was checking out at walgreens and the lady was like "oh you're having a little boy!" I was like nooo, a girl! Then she said "oh, I think it's a boy"
WHAT?! I hope she's a girl!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## airbear

I definitely have no clue how people did it before! I would have hated it if I didn't have google this whole time. We've used it for everything. I think that's why we've hardly asked our doctor anything.. also probably why I get frustrated that they don't tell me specific numbers (like what I'm measuring and such) since I've educated myself on what all the numbers mean. I do feel bad for the older couples who aren't googling things! It would make them much more less stressed, but then again there are some things online you shouldn't believe so maybe in the end they would get too stressed.

I just have nursing bra's and a humidifier to get! I keep forgetting about the humidifier but I don't think it's something we'll need right away or even a necessity. My mom never used one with us when we were kids. It does feel nice to have everything done before the baby is here! I set up a baby gate today (mostly for the dogs and so that I don't have to use our old one which we had to step over now we have a swing gate one) and I do still need to set up the toybox but other than that I'm done!

I have this widget on the background of my phone that is a countdown until my due date and I love being able to see it everyday! I can't believe you're due tomorrow and then me! It still feels like we have months to go, but I definitely wouldn't want to wait that long! I'm glad it's almost time and I can't wait for the big moment when I get to make the 'ITS TIME!' calls:) I agree, I think we're all going to make such great parents. I am so excited I am hating waiting, especially since I have nothing left to do so I just sit around all day! I can't wait to see how adorable our babies are!

I still haven't figured out why people guess the gender, it makes no sense to me! Especially because you honestly can't tell just by looking at someone and the myth of carrying low or high for a specific gender doesn't apply to everyone! All of us ladies have different shaped bodies and all carry differently. My grandma had four boys and she said she carried differently each time. It's impossible to know unless you've seen it on the ultrasound (which even then can sometimes be wrong). Everyone guesses a boy for me too, well of course we're carrying low our babies are due any minute and they're making their way out! Peole are just crazy. I still hope Madison is a girl, too though! :)

Okay so I am feeling so huge. I literally have no clothes that fit left because they very few items I do have I am putting in my hospital bag to wear during labor. Everything is too tight in my arm pits now (my arms have definitely fattened up!), and my belly has definitely grown the past couple of weeks so that even some of my maternity clothes don't quite fit well over my belly! I've been wearing some of Travis' shirts but I'm trying not to wear the ones he likes the most because he's pretty small and I don't want to stretch out his favorites! Luckily I have quite a few pairs of sweat pants so I'm good in that department, however it's just now getting warm over here and I have only sweat pants to wear and one small pair of shorts I can fit into! I can't wait to get my body back!


----------



## krys

Haha I feel huge too! All of my big tee shirts are tight now. I had one on today that used to be pretty big, but the bottom of my belly was showing. It was embarrassing, but I was in a hurry and went into the store like that lol. 

It's like an hour until my due date!!! Omg. I hope we deliver on the same day! That would be so cool!!


----------



## airbear

That's too funny that you went to the store anyway! I hate going places just because I don't have much of anything to wear! Hopefully these babies will come soon so our bellies can shrink at least enough for a couple other clothes! :)

Happy Due Date! I'm sending labor dust your way! It would be pretty awesome if Madison decided to come on her due date. It's so rare, she would be even more special! Hopefully we both won't have to wait to long to meet our little ones though! I can't believe we've come this far and soon we'll be new mommy's!


----------



## krys

I was up until 1:30 with contractions, I fell asleep and woke up at 4:15 with more painful frequent contractions. I continued to contract for hours then I realized Madison hadn't moved since I woke up!!! I couldn't even poke her because my belly was so hard. I went to L&D so they could check on her. She kicked the moniter as they strapped it on :dohh: little punk!
They picked up my contractions though. To make a long story short, I'm contracting every 1-5 minutes. I'm still only 1cm. They sent me home because I could talk through my contractions? Well they still freaking hurt :[ I was told to go in when they were every 5-6 minutes for an hour... I've had them since 4am!!!!!! Theyre like right on top of eachother. Ughhhhhhhhh.


----------



## airbear

Sounds like you had an eventful night! I think Madison thinks its funny not to move and have to get checked and then move as soon as the monitors are on her! She did that before once I think, right? But maybe we'll see Madison really soon if things keep progressing! Just don't get too dissapointed if they don't because I think a few girls had contractions similar for days and didn't go into labor for quite some time! Hopefully this won't happen to you! More labor dust for you to get those contractions more regular! Keep me posted! :)


----------



## krys

HAPPY DUE DATE!!! Ahhhhh we're finally here :]

Yes, Madson has done that before. She is a little punk!! My contractions seriously haven't stopped. Like at all!! They aren't super painful, but really uncomfortable. It's just weird because Braxton hicks usually go away, and there's usually not a pattern. Mine were pretty regular before I went to the hospital, then right before I went they were every 4-6 minutes. At the hospital every 1-5, and now I'm not timing them. It's one on top of another though. My doctors office called today and they want to see me at four. Hopefully these contractions are doing something....doubt it!

My mom is here!!! My grandparents will be here today :] I'm so excited. I'm going to le my nana in the room when I deliver too! She's been a nurse for 40 years.... It's nothing she hasn't seen before lol. She makes me really comfortable there, and she'll be able to get my mom to calm down. My mom didn't have a good experience with her labor, seeing as no one besides her and my dad knew she was pregnant until she went into labor. It was pretty traumatizing for everyone. My mom never gets to see my nana and they aren't close anymore. I lived with my nana in 9th until the end of 11th grade, so we're really close. I think this will be a good experience for them :]


----------



## airbear

Yay! Thank you! Travis was only suppose to work one shift today but switched a girl who needed Monday off and could work Travis' Tuesday shift. So he's working a double today but it was cute because he always asks permission first and I said that was fine we didn't have anything planned or any appointments or anything. When he came home after work yesterday I told him that we didn't get to celebrate our due date though, not that the day is overly significant if the baby isn't here. And he said he had actually thought about it and felt bad because he wanted to semi celebrate too! He said he was really proud of me for making it this full nine months of pregnancy and even if the due date doesn't have a huge significance it still marks the fact that we've come this far! I just think it was sweet of him because most guys I suppose wouldn't care!

I can't believe you're still having contractions! Other than once or twice have I ever even gotten Braxton Hicks contractions, I've never had any contractions at all! Hopefully those contractions start getting more painful (not because I want you in pain, but so that we know labor is progressing!)! Let me know what the doctor has to say when you go in to see them! Seem's weird that you're having them on top of each other and regular but they told you to go home at the hospital. I'm sure they'll get much stronger and so staying at the hospital that early might not have been so much fun since it could take some time before the contractions turn to be stronger and worth a hospital room! When does your family go home? 

Maybe they'll get to still be here for when little Madison makes her appearance! That's pretty awesome that you're Nana has been a nurse for so long and she can be in the room with you, I bet she'll be such a huge help in calming you and your mom down! Everyone says that the best thing to get through labor is meditation which is what all of the breathing techniques and positions and rocking back and forth and such is all about! So I think having your Nana there will really help keeping you focused and calming your mom/the room down. That's crazy no one knew your parents were pregnant until she went into labor! How come they didn't tell anyone? I think having them all be apart of the birth will be an amazing experience for them and for you, plus probably quite special for Madison!

I almost feel bad not having my mom in the room. But I also know myself fairly well and I know I would end up getting more stressed out with her there and that would make things worse. If during my labor I decide I really want her there, then of course she'll come. But I am quite a difficult person and I am stubborn and I know what works for me so I think she probably won't be. She would like to be she also isn't pressuring me and she's making sure to keep her space (mostly because she knows me pretty well too and knows I'm stubborn). She's so excited for her grandbaby I know she won't care as long as she gets to be apart of it's life! I cannot wait for the moment when I get to call everyone and say this is it! Or even just to be able to finally tell everyone I have signs of labor. Everyone keeps asking and the only thing that has changed since my other week's of pregnancy is that I now have to pee once in the middle of the night and then right when I wake up. Definitely seem to pee a lot more, and that's just because baby is moving down and really squishing my bladder. Otherwise no baby symptoms at all!


----------



## krys

That's so sweet of Travis :)

Just got back from the doctor. I'm 2-3cm dilated, 75% effaced, and -1 station. I got another sweep, way more intense then my other ones. I'm having so many contractions, they're so uncomfortable. I'm getting an ultrasound tomorrow at 2 to check my fluid levels and on the baby. So we'll see!

My mom is here for two weeks, my grandparents until Friday, and my dad from Sunday-Tuesday!!


When is your next appointment?


----------



## airbear

That's so good to hear! You're definitely progressing! I'm sorry to hear the sweep was ainful as well as the contractions, however at least you know they're working! Hopefully the sweep will help things progress even quicker! I'm sure you'll have Madison here before everyone goes home! Friday is still a ways off and that sounds like when the first family members head back! It will be exciting to get an ultrasound to check to see how Madison is doing! I'm so excited for you! 

My next doctor's appointment isn't until Thursday and if my cervix isn't so far back I'll get my sweep then. I'm hoping I can just because I feel like I'll go really over due if things don't start progressing a little bit quicker. I've had no labor signs but I was 1cm dilated last week so at least something is happening!


----------



## krys

I had such a bad scare earlier!!! I went to the bathroom and it looked like I started my period. I was bleeding so much, TMI but the toilet water was completely bright red, it was just dripping. I kept wiping and it was RED! I called my doctor and she said if it didn't stop in an hour to go to the hospital. It stopped not too long after and now I'm just spotting. That was sooo scary. I think that means the sweep worked a little?

At least your 1cm, you can progress reallyyyy fast once you start!!! Hopefully you make some progress soon! I don't want either of us to go overdue.


----------



## airbear

Ah that is scary! I bet it was because of the sweep though. When I went in last week I didn't even get a sweep put she poked her finger in my cervix and said I may get light bleeding because of it. Which I did not bright red or anything though. I would be quite scared but it was good you called the doctor! Hopefully that does mean the sweep worked! 

I hope I make progress soon too! I hope I've made some progress when I go in on Thursday and I hope that they're able to do the sweep! My family is getting ridiculously impatient. Travis took today off work since he didn't work at Costco to sleep in and relax and get ready for more work and his mom texted both of us and wrote me on facebook to 'check in' because she thought we wouldn't tell her if we were headed to the hospital! Extended family keep asking me and my mom. My mom texts me everyday to see how I'm feeling. But still no labor signs! 

Didn't you have an ultrasound today? How did it go?!


----------



## krys

We kind of talked in my thread so I didn't realize I hadnt written back!

I did have an ultrasound. Madison is so big, you couldn't see anything! It was only to check the fluid, I actually have another tomorrow. It's 1:30am, so technically today. I'm being induced Saturday at 8pm. I'm in prodromal labor. I'm having strong regular contractions, but my cervix is stuck! I'm stuck at 3cm. Seriously the most painful week of my life. Once your contractions get bad enough, you can feel them in your chest. It literally takes your breath away. I can't wait to have this baby!!!

How was your appointment? We you progressed any??? I can't wait to hear about it!!!


----------



## airbear

Definitely sounds like a very painful week! But it will all be worth it in the end! I hope that maybe soon you can start progressing from 3cm so that your contractions are at least doing something and not just hurting you! Apparently I'm really dehydrated and my doctor (actually a different one since mine is out this week) yelled at me for not drinking enough water and says I have to drink more. She told me that if I'm dehydrated I'll dehydrate the uterus which is a muscle so when I do end up getting contractions they will be painful but they won't be getting me anywhere! So maybe if you drink a ton of water it will help your contractions help you progress? I'm sure you've been monitored and aren't dehydrated like me but I'm sure extra water couldn't hurt! I hope things work out more naturally for you before your induction!

My appointment was pointless. I hadn't progressed at all, and I got yelled at for not drinking enough water. Plus we got to the appointment on time but they made us wait for such a long time. Finally the nurse brings us back and wasn't professional at all kept talking to the other nurses and just expected me to weigh myself and get my urine sample without even asking. Then when I got back from getting my urine sample she tells me that they schedule an induction at 41 weeks and usually they don't schedule them later than that, but she might be able to schedule one for Tuesday (41+1) and asked if we had a preference and I said well uh I guess we want the later one. I was thinking when my doctor got back on Monday (when the nurse originally wanted to schedule my induction) that I would talk to her then about scheduling an induction, I also thought I could schedule it slightly closer to 42 weeks to give my baby more of a chance to come naturally. So I'm definitely not too happy and I feel like I got no say in when we scheduled the induction. Someone told me I don't have to go along with it since I am the patient and they can't make me. But he also said that usually an induction is much more dangerous after 42 weeks and that there is a higher risk of a c-section. I didn't want to wait until 42 weeks but I was hoping for more of the following Friday (August 5th) rather than a couple days from now on Tuesday. Especially since at my last ultrasound (around 20 weeks..) the ultrasound technitian said I was measuring another 5 days behind. Which I suppose could technically change my due date to July 30th even though she didn't actually change it. So I feel like being induced Tuesday is almost like being induced at 40+3 rather than 41+1. I mean not exactly 40+3 but I feel like that could have been a possibility since at that time I had been measuring behind. So I feel like my baby isn't getting a chance to start labor naturally be itself at all. Especially since it's due date could have been not even until Saturday so he could technically not even be due yet! So I'm just very frustrated. I do want my baby and it only matters if it's healthy but I feel like being induced Tuesday is just not giving me enough time to feel like I can get the more natural labor start I want. So I might talk to my actual doctor Monday and see if we can push it back at all. I also know they're busy and have lots of babies to birth but I know there will be some doctor available if I go into labor later next week, maybe it won't be MY doctor but its not like they'll just leave me to fend for myself just because I didn't want to be induced. Sorry for my rant, I was very upset. I didn't talk in the car on the way home or when we got home until we left for our birthing classes. Which was funny because we were the first couple over due (and the rest not due quite yet) so everyone felt bad and was talking to us and such!


----------



## krys

That doesn't seem fair!
At least they told you when they scheduled it! If I hadn't gone to L&D, I would have never known! I called the office to confirm it, and they were just like oh no one called? Um no. They also said something about eating a light dinner and I don't even know what else, but I was so mad that I wasn't even listening! I definitely won't go into labor naturally. If that were the case, I would have had her on her due date because I've been getting contractions since Sunday. Sometimes this happens to people where they contract like they're supposed to, but their cervix just isn't budging. My induction is tomorrow anyway, so I don't think there's much chance of me going into labor before then! 

My grandparents are leaving in a few hours! My mom might actually leave too. We got in a huge fight last night, it was so bad. I ended up screaming at her to "get the f*** out" of my room! I've never said anything like that to her.... She just started an argument though! She was bringing up things literally from years ago! Then to make herself feel better, she started putting my dad down! Saying awful things. She even said "he left his pregnant daughter" WTF. I was so mad, she's never said anything bad about him... They even talk like everyday!! Anyway, our fight got way out of control and she said she's leaving on the 10am flight. I honestly want her to leave after what happened last night :[ It just sucks because I wanted her here for me and I was so excited for her to come. Sorry, I just had to let that out. I'm so unbelievably stressed out right now. 

Also, tomorrow is my induction right? Eric told his work, but they scheduled him for a partial night shift tonight AND a shift until noon tomorrow!!!! He's worked all night shifts (4pm-4am) all week, so he's already exhausted! He's gonna be so tired come 8pm tomorrow, and I'm going to be in labor all night!!!! Then, he was supposed to take 1-2 weeks off. He got moved to full time though, so they only gave him 3 days off. Plus, even if my mom stays, she's only here until next Sunday (I think she's leaving, but we haven't talked today). My grandparents won't be here either. So I went from having so much help, to basically having none!!! I'll have less then a week, then I'm completely on my own to figure it out. I'm so bummed out right now. Sorry that I'm complaining so much, I just feel like no one else would even begin to understand. :(


----------



## krys

Oh! The doctor I saw told me that inductions make you way more likely for a c-section. Even if you aren't overdue!!! That scares me :/


----------



## krys

My water just broke!


----------



## airbear

Well she basically told me I had to pick Monday or Tuesday but she doesn't know what time so I am suppose to call today and find out what time I'm scheduled. But that's a bit frustrating that you wouldn't have known if you didn't go to L&D especially since my doctor says they don't like going past 41 weeks. So they should have let you known a bit ago when you would have been scheduled! I'm sorry you won't go into labor naturally but I know you're excited and ready for Madison to get here! Well I'll still send you natural labor dust since anything can happen but if not at least you'll have Madison soon! I also will send you dust that the induction goes well. If you get a chance you should tell me about it so I can mentally prepare for mine on Tuesday! 

I'm sorry your grandparents are probably already gone by now! With your contractions earlier this week I had really thought you would have had her by now and that your whole family could have been there when she was born! It's much past 10am now and I think you mentioned your mom saying she was going to take the 10am flight. Did she end up leaving? I would be really frustrated if my mom was trying to start an argument like that especially so close to you having Madison. Sometimes I'll bicker with my mom but that's usually because I'm hungry or tired or just plain emotional from being pregnant. She usually hasn't done anything and I just get snappy. But if she did something like that I would be upset because it isn't fair to make you stressed out when you're so close to giving birth! 

I can't believe Eric's work is doing that! He's going to be so exhausted right before your induction. Which will probably out you into active labor pretty quick and then he'll be up with you for your labor and birth as well! They really should have given him more respect since his first born daughter is almost here! I can't believe they aren't giving him hardly any time off either! Costco is giving Travis one week off and his parents said they would too but that they also will pay him which will make it so I don't have to worry. Our induction is Tuesday but we have a doctor's appointment Monday and I was going to have Travis switch shifts so he could go to the doctors appointment but since our induction is Tuesday he might as well work Monday since he can't very well work after the baby is here if he's wanting to take time off. But he's also not scheduled to work at Costco until the following Friday (August 5th) so I told him to call on Thursday and let Costco know he would be taking his week off starting then (even though the baby will be here before Thursday) because then he can take a week off from Costco starting that Friday until the next Friday, then also get a paid week from his parents (plus they'll probably give him as much as he wants off). So I would be really upset if any of that changed and we didn't get time together! Why won't they give Eric his time off? That's just ridiculous! I would be really bummed too! I know I'm hoping to have the first week just Travis and I and the baby but I would be nervous and stressed if I knew my family wasn't going to be close by! Maybe your mom will stay and help you out even if she'll only be here until Sunday. Hopefully Madison will be an easy baby and you'll enjoy getting to have your alone time with her! 

Ugh, I'm just so unhappy about the induction. I was really hoping to go into labor naturally and like I said I feel like my due date could easily be tomorrow so I haven't even had a chance to go into labor. So I have no clue what I want to do. I think its also a bit difficult that I don't know what gender the baby is because I haven't been able to dream about my son or daughter just a baby, so its not as personal so I'm just trying to focus on my birth plan rather than meeting my baby. I think this last week has definitely been the most stressful. I feel huge, ugly, and fat. I'm so emotional and Travis and been so sweet but he also makes me stressed as well even when he's not trying. I get upset if I feel busy and stressed and he asks a question. Ugh I just want to fast forward and have my baby and be relaxed and happy. I know I'll get the baby blues and be sad about not being pregnant anymore. I'll be sore and uncomfortable and stressed that the house isn't spotless. Last night at like 1am we were getting ready for bed and all I could think about was cleaning. I wanted to sweep the pet hair and I wanted to clean the dishes from the day and scrub the counters. I did it all this morning but that's all I could focus on last night. It wasn't even difficult stuff, hardly a mess, and all I could do was stress about it. If I find one little fur ball of hair collected in the corner I stress and want to sweep the whole house. I still haven't taken my one bath I've been wanting to do before the baby and my mom offered/inisted on coming over sometime today to clean the tub (I just can't get in if it hasn't been cleaned right before) so maybe I'll actually get to take my first bubble bath in years. But I just can't get myself to relax! Travis was also really sweet. Groupon had a coupon for a massage place for $140 for this spa package that had a prenatal massage he wanted to get me. I told him it cost too much. I don't think he's bought it because we bought another coupon for baby announcements. I just feel bad spending so much on me. 

Our babies need to get here now!


----------



## airbear

I just wrote that long message to you and in the middle of it your waters break! Let's cross our fingers this will help you progress and go into labor naturally! Congrats!!


----------



## krys

I don't have much time, but there are some things I want to tell you before you go into labor! First of all, GOOD LUCK! You're going to do amazing. I got IV drugs and an epidural, and I honestly don't regret it one bit! The IV drugs didn't take the pain away completely, but it made them much more bearable and I was able to breathe through my contractions. Most of all, it relaxed me. Tensing up makes everything worse, but it's so hard not to when you're having contractions. Don't clench your jaw!!! It's so hard not to, but it will hurt like hell once it's all done. The epidural is amazing, and the only thing you feel is the numbing shot-not bad at all! It makes it so much easier because you can rest and relax and save your energy for pushing. As for pushing, you'll know when to push! And pushing feels so good! It's less painful when you push. When you push, it's seriously like you're pooping. Using a mirror towards the en is such good motivation!!! It made such a difference knowing that I was actually doing something. Work with your contractions, let them build a little before you push. 

Once he/she is here, breastfeed them as soon as you hold them. They didn't tell me to, they just walked out of the room and when they came back I was breastfeeding. I overheard them talking and they were so impressed! It's harder to get them to latch if you wait. Make it clear that your baby is to have no pacifiers and bottles and if a different nurse comes, tell them too. Massage your boob before you give it to them!
It makes it so much easier. If they don't want to latch, squeeze until a little comes out and then try. 

Bring big panties and pads! Just in case because they have maternity pads here, but thru aren't sticky. You bleed ALOT afterwards. I've been wearing my big undies, a sticky pad, then a maternity pad over it with Tucks pads on it (they have witch hazel in them and are
Cooling) then outside of my panties I fold up a chuck (that big pad thing that's usually either blue or green on bottom with white on top, looks like a potty pad. And mesh panties to keep it in place. 

If you do get an epidural and are scared to/can't pee afterwards. Take a warm shower. I tried to pee for soooo long an couldn't. It made me have cramps bc my uterus was already irritated and trying to shrink. I got in a warm shower and peed like a gallon!! Take a stool softener. Pooping after you give birth is absolutely terrifying, it makes it so easy. Ice packs down there work wonders!!!!!

These are just the observations I have made since having my baby. I had to figure it all out the hard way, so I wanted to tell you!! It's not as bad as people make it out to be! I couldn't have done it without medication though! I can't wait to tell you my birth story, but I have to take care of Madison right one because she's unhappy. I hope you have an amazing birth, and good luck if I don't talk to you before then!!!!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it, and to hear about the first time you mee your son or daughter.


Madison is PERFECT by the way!
I can't wait for you to see your baby, it's the best feeling in the world!


----------



## krys

Oh! And bring scratch mittens to the hospital!


----------



## airbear

Congratulations Krystal! I saw Madison's pictures on facebook and she is absolutely beautiful. It sounds like you were happy with your labor! I'm glad you got to breastfeed right away, I want to also! I can't wait for my little one to get here. I've been having pre-labor contractions since 6am (July 30th - Madisons birthday!) They're pretty uncomfortable but we're hoping the baby will be here tomorrow! 

Thank you so much for all of the advice, it is going to be so helpful for when I'm in labor! I'll be sure to bring scratch mitts! I already have some packed! I'm so happy for you and Madison seriously is beautiful! I'm so glad she's here and you're getting to love on her! I hope she doesn't give you too much trouble! :) I can't wait to hear your birth story and see many more pictures of Madison! I bet she really truely is perfect! :)


----------



## krys

Thank you so much!!! I love her more than anything. The only way to describe her is PERFECT :)

I hope this is it!!!! I had to have pitocin, so mine was sped up. The contractions hit so fast and so hard. Also, I was doing so well and no where near tearing. Then we realized Madison was coming out with her hard in her face!!!!! I tore in every direction, I didn't even know though. It was scary once they realized her hand was out! They started pulling on her and two nurses got on my tummy and started mashing down on it!!!' so scary.


Omg and just a warning..... Your down there looks awful afterwards!!!!! Mine does at least. It's soooooooooo big and swollen. One side is bigger too :(
AWFUL!!!!!


Get to walking and get those contractions going :]]]]


----------



## krys

Hand* in her face not hard lol


----------



## krys

Ahhhh and one last thing about labor!!!! Drink before. I was soooooo thirsty and they wouldn't let me have water, only dumb ice chips!


----------



## airbear

I am so happy you have your little girl now! :)

I am worried my baby will come out like yours with its hand in its face because during my ultrasounds it always had its hands by its face (also why I made sure to bring scratch mitts). I've seen women on 'One Born Every Minute' where the nurses had to push on the womens bellies to help get the babies out! I'm sorry you tore but at least you didn't realize when it happened! 

Ugh I can only imagine what I'll look like down there after the little one is born! Hopefully we'll both heal quickly! I can't believe they didn't let you have any water! I've been dehydrated the past two weeks and my doctor got so mad at me so I've been trying to drink a ton of water. I hope they let me drink water, if not I'm going to have a ton of ice chips!


----------



## krys

Yeah you can't eat or drink!! I was eating ice chips in between my contractions when I was pushing, my mouth was so dry. But I threw up too, so I was kind of happy I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink. 

I'm feeding Madison right now and it's the most amazing bond. She's doing so well with it! She had some billirubin in her blood so she's being kept under a blue light. It sucks because she absolutely hates it and cries the whole time. I can only take her out to change her or feed her :(


----------



## krys

https://www.babyandbump.com/teen-pregnancy/691970-birth-story.html


----------



## airbear

Oh I didn't get your response that you posted before you posted your birth story link!

I ended up getting an epidural as well because my labor was too long for me to continue to handle the contractions since I hadn't slept or eaten in 48 hours and I still needed energy to push. Once I got the epidural I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything other than ice chips. Before hand they gave me applesauce and juice. I think there were also crackers.

I'm sorry Madison had to stay under that blue light! That would be so hard for you since she didn't like it and was crying, plus you couldn't really hold her! I assume you're most definitely home by now so everything is probably much better. I wish I could have been able to talk to you more this week as I'm sure we both have a ton to say. I thought Tuesday I would have had more time to tell you about my birth/write my birth story but we had nurses coming in literally every hour. We didn't know exactly when my waters broke as I also had a lot of mucus and then later some leaking. But it was fairly early Sunday and I didn't have Elsie until Monday afternoon so my amniotic fluid got an infection which could spread to Elsie. As well as I got a fever toward the end of labor which Elsie also received so we were both kept on antibiotics which had to be done on a schedule which of course both mine and Elsie's were opposite each other so we had nurses waking us up constantly. Because Elsie might have gotten an infection (at this point we're still not sure, we should know more tomorrow) she had to get blood drawn constantly as well. She had to get pricked three times to check her blood sugars and then she had to get two blood draws so they could test for an infection. Wednesday morning they still didn't have solid results to say she doesn't have an infection her numbers were slightly above normal but not so high that they could confirm an infection. So I was given two choices I could go home Wednesday and then come back at my postpartum appointment and have Elsie get another blood draw and tested again. Or I could stay at the hospital for another 5-7 days, continue antibiotics, and redo all tests. I thought it would be best for all of us to go home and test her Friday. So it has been ridiculously crazy. Not to mention how many visitors we've had. Travis got a week off from Costco but he called in on Saturday and Sunday so they started his week then so he has to go back to work on Saturday. We didn't even have Elsie until Monday and then we were in the hospital until Wednesday afternoon and then that evening we had quite a few visitors. Today's been the first day we have had alone and it went by so quickly. We went to the mall and got nursing bra's because my boobs have grown so large! I had the lady at Motherhood Maternity measure me and she said I was a 34E! I couldn't believe it. They didn't even carry that size. I didn't actually try on any bra's with sizes like that. I only tried on sleeping and sports bra's which come in S, M, L not cup sizes. Which I only had to get a medium in them. I love them already. Makes nursing so much easier and my poor 32C wasn't cutting it! Needless to say I'm sorry I haven't been on in some time! This week as been so crazy and all of the day's have blended together. I'm going to reread your birth story right now! I read it in the hospital when you first sent me the link but I was probably not completely aware of everything I read. I hope you and Madison are doing well and I can't wait to catch up and also to write my birth story so I can share! I want to hear all about Madison because I know all I want to do is brag about Elsie!


----------



## krys

Oh no, I'm sorry that Elsie may have an infection :/ I know all about blood draws since Madison was/is jaundiced, she has had so many, it's so sad watching her get poked!! Have you had your first appointment with your pediatrician yet? I had one the day after we left the hospital, and we have another today. Madison is still a little yellow, but she's definitely getting better. Elsie is so beautiful!!!! The only picture I've seen is your avatar!
I can't wait to see some more :)

I'm so excited to talk about out babies growing, milestones, and parenting!!! 

I have a milestone :) Madison smiled all day yesterday!!! It melted my heart, so soo cute. 

Wow, your boobies are huge!!! I want to get mine measured, they've grown ALOT! They have been rock hard so I pumped last night, and I let Eric feed her. He's so cute, the other day out of nowhere he was like "I wish guys could breastfeed" haha too cute!

I've had visitors, but I'm just not ready. I've actually told people that they need to wait a while... I don't want anyone getting Madison sick and I'm so nervous when people hold her. Omg and when people kiss her, I want to freak out! You don't kiss someone elses baby... I don't want anyone touching her soft spot. I just get so uneasy! :/

Where does Elsie sleep? Madison sleeps next to my bed in her bassinet. sometimes at night when I'm feeding her she falls asleep with me in bed. I try not to do that, but I get so sleepy. She only wakes up once on her own at night, some nights she didn't wake up at all! We actually have to wake her up to feed her! She's so good!


----------



## airbear

We just got back from our postpartum visit in which we arrived early for so Elsie could get her last blood draw so they could test it and see if she does have an infection. They'll call me with results later so I'm hoping all is well! I hate watching her get poked for the blood draw though, especially since they always have a second nurse holding her so I can't even comfort her. I haven't had an appointment with a pediatrician yet as we still have to pick on out. I'll probably do that today or this weekend while Travis is working. A pediatrician at the hospital however did come and see her he was the one doing all of her blood work. I haven't noticed much yellowing on Elsie but I'm no expert! Thank you, I love her so much. I think she is so gorgeous I end up missing whatever we are watching because I'm staring at her the whole time! I have more pictures up on facebook of her. A lot I took from the hospital and then a couple that we took once we got home. You can also go to: bellababyphotography.com and click view pictures and the password is dk0801elsiebassett and those are the professional pictures taken at the hospital. I'm not the biggest fan of them so we're not going to purchase any since I still want to get her newborn pictures taken. But I saved all of those on my computer they'll just always have the watermark on them.

As much as it was nice being able to talk about being pregnant, having our little girls here will be much more fun to talk about! Especially since there is so much more going on!

Aw I bet Madison has a beautiful smile. Elsie's first smile was on Wednesday after we came home from the hospital! I was so excited! Now she keep smiling.. especially when she poops! She smiles in her sleep too. Once I kissed her and she smiled. I'm sure right now they don't understand smiling but it's still completely adorable. 

My boob's really are huge! They also get really full. I haven't pumped at all yet but I'm thinking it's probably time to start! When Elsie isn't eating my boobs are super hard from how much milk is in them and you can tell which boob I last fed from as it appears much smaller and is a bit softer as well! That's cute that he got to feed her and that he wished he could breastfeed! I love it so much it's such a great bond. I almost don't want to pump because I want to feed her and not let someone else! 

Luckily the only visitors we've really had have been close family like our parents and siblings. But the come and then they stay for a lot of the day rather than short quick visits and it makes it tiring on us. We had a busy schedule while we were at the hospital with all of the nurses and doctor's and then on top of that we had family visit everyday! So we never had alone time at the hospital except at night and then Elsie was awake then and I never got sleep not to mention nurses had to come in almost every two hours to do IV's and vital checks. Then the day we got home we had family over until late evening as well! So Thursday was our first day with no visitor's and it was nice but the day still goes by so quickly and we had to go get nursing bra's so there wasn't a ton of relaxing. Today was our second day and we just got back from our doctor's appointment and now the day is basically half over! Then Travis goes back to work tomorrow. I'm hoping once Travis goes back to work though we can get a better schedule and I won't feel as stressed out. I feel bad because I know he wants to spend time with her and he doesn't want to have to work right away. 

I know what you mean about being cautious of people holding Madison. It was frustrating because right after Elsie was born everyone wanted to hold her and I was so out of it and so many people were coming in and out that I couldn't even control if everyone washed their hands. It's just been so stressful and I am wanting to be really protective and jealous and keep her all for myself! I don't mind when Travis hold's her but I would much rather it be me! I feel bad because she's so much less fussy for me. Travis also get's stressed when she cries and he always second guesses himself when he's taking care of her he makes me double check her diaper after he's changed it. It's cute because he's so gentle with her. He's been such a good daddy and he always sleeps through her crying but told me to punch him and wake him up if I want him to get her! Haha it's so funny but I never do because I always want to take care of her! Plus she usually just wants to eat.. 

We came home Wednesday so we've only had Wednesday night and Thursday night. The first night I tried having her sleep in the cradle in our bedroom and she would wake constantly. Our room is pitch black and I didn't want to turn on the light and wake Travis and our dog's (they get really whiny when they think it's time to go out and they're in their crates). So I decided it was easier to go to her bedroom and have her sleep in her crib that way I could turn on the light as much as I please and also be able to change her and feed her more easily. Though I still want to buy lamps for our bedroom and her bedroom that can be dimmer lamps because having such a bright light makes it difficult to fall back asleep after being woken up so many times! So in the end I ended up having her sleep on her boppy pillow between Travis and I. Then last night she was awake right as we were trying to go to bed and she doesn't really like laying anywhere alone. She really loves being held. So if I tried having her sleep in her crib or cradle she instantly cried. I tried feeding her and letting her sleep in her crib but she didn't last long. I did get her to fall asleep for a short time and then I came and laid down and had Travis get her when she woke up. But then again in the end I had her sleep in bed with us only this time she was even worse and wanted to sleep on my chest the whole night! But she's also been feeling kind of icky as she's been pooping a ton -she had 6 poopy diapers and 4 wet diapers in a 24hr period. Then last night when we decided to have her sleep with us and we laid her on top of her boppy pillow (which i got a new cover for as the one we got at the baby shower was safari animals and looked boyish and now i have a really cute girl animal cover) she ended up spitting up a ton! The most she has so far! So I think that's why she was so fussy last night. We actually kind of like her sleeping with us in bed so we might look into getting one of those little things that lay in bed for her to sleep in. It's really great that Madison sleeps so well at night! Elsie only sleeps well if she's in bed with us otherwise she is terrible! I was also told that breastfeeding makes us women sleepy so that's why is so difficult for you to stay awake when she's in bed feeding! I remember the first night in the hospital when I was up in the middle of the night feeding her I kept drifting off but was so worried a nurse would come in and get mad at me for sleeping while holding her so I kept having to try and keep myself awake! 

Elsie is actually quite an easy baby. Even though she keeps us up a night I think it's mostly because she want's to sleep in bed with us because when she does she isn't fussy at all. During the day she's mostly constantly asleep right now. She only fusses when she's hungry but I try to take her cues and feed her before she get's fussy. She LOVES to suck on anything almost. She's usually got her hand in her mouth if she isn't nursing! I haven't tried binkies yet as I was hoping to wait longer before we introduce them to her since I don't want her to get confused with the nipple and the binky. But I think she'll turn into a big thumb or binky sucker. She's instantly calmed when she has her little knuckles in her mouth (she sucks more on the side of her fist rather than her fingers). When we were at the hospital the family next door had a really fussy baby it cried constantly so we're really lucky that Elsie has been so easy! She rarely cries and when she does she's pretty quick to be calmed down!

I'm sure you've already figured this out but I lay Elsie down on my chest to chest and then wrap the boppy pillow around my lap and use it to hold the laptop up so it's really easy to type! Elsie's just sleeping away on my chest right now as I type and I can have the laptop up high enough to see! She's just so cute I can't help but look at her and say it 100 times!


----------



## krys

Hey, that same exact company took Madison's pictures at the hospital! My mom bought the CD, it was like $170!!!! Waaay over priced... 

Eric had to go back to work yesterday :( He's working right now actually. I wish they could have stayed home with us a little longer! I've been sending him pictures all day though :]

Eric is so hands on with Madison! He is such an amazing dad. We have a nighttime routine already! We wake her up and I feed her, then he burps her, changes her, then rocks her back to sleep! It works really well!! I was just telling my mom how I have never changed her diaper at night! Last night I was happy when I realized I had some milk in the refrigerator, I was just like oh you can feed her this time and fell back asleep lol. I do love feeding her, but she is always hungry so she is ready to eat about every 30 minutes during the day! So it wasn't hard for me to let him feed her last night. My boobs were rock hard again and Madi was sleeping so I didn't want to wake her up to feed her. I just pumped 3 1/2 oz so I will let Eric feed her some or all of that tonight! 

Lucky for me, Madison loves her bassinet! We put her in it last night when we were getting ready for bed (brushing our teeth and changing into our pajamas and stuff) I had to take her out because she was just laying there awake and I didn't want to fall asleep before her! She's actually sleeping in it now :) She is pretty much the same during the day, she only gets fussy when she is hungry, but before she gets fussy she starts sticking out her tongue and opening her mouth so I usually catch her before she cries! For some reason she cries when we change her diaper, she hates it! As soon as she hears the tab come off she cries, just until we are finished though! I don't know what it is about that, but man does she hate it! She has never cried just because! Ahhh we have such good babies :) She latched on immediately and latches on so well. I gave her a binky twice. We were in the car and she was really hungry, I hadn't been able to feed her for a while because we were running late for our doctors appointment, and then we were on our way home. I gave her a binky and she took it after a couple seconds. It calmed her down, and she still latches amazingly! 

Madison weighes 7 lbs!! She was 6lb 13oz at birth and 6lb 9oz when we left the hospital, the next day she was still the same and today she was 7!! She's growing fast!

I do the same thing with my boppy pillow!!! How funny lol.


My tummy is COMPLETELY GONE!!!! I took these today...


Actually, not just my tummy! My legs and butt are tiny again too! I was SOO shocked. I guess I was just retaining a lot of water! Yesterday I weighed myself and I was 117! I was 135 when I gave birth, so I've lost half the weight so far! I can not believe how it all just melted away! I thought it was going to take so long, especially for my legs. I can't believe how tiny I am already!


----------



## airbear

It never told me you wrote back! I have to go and get Travis from work so I'll write back in a little while if I get time tonight. But I finished my birth story:

https://www.babyandbump.com/teen-pr...ong-yellow-baby-birth-story.html#post12145690


----------



## airbear

That's too funny that the same company took Madison's pictures at the hospital. You definitely had a better photographer. I wasn't too impressed by the picture's we got. I just saved them with the watermark rather than buy them because I still plan on getting my own newborn pictures taken anyway and hopefully they are better!

It would have been so nice if our boys could have stayed home longer. I feel bad because Travis only had Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday and he's been working double shifts since. Though the next three day's after today he only work's a single shift. But my mom said she wants to come over Wednesday because it's her day off and then Thursday Elsie has her first doctor's appointment after being born to get her second PKU. So he'll get time with her but it won't be the best bonding time ever. Luckily right now all she is doing is sleeping so he isn't missing out on much but I know that all I want to do is cuddle with her and I'm sure he wants to do the same. He came home in between shifts today and took a short nap with her. I also went to visit him at Costco on his lunch yesterday so he got to hold her and cuddle with her then. I keep trying to send him pictures while he's working but for some reason they come in as blank text messages! I have no clue why because we use to be able to send pictures to each other.

Eric sounds like he's been such a great dad! I wouldn't say we exactly have a routine yet. Mostly she just sleeps and I feed her when I see her cue's. We change her if we hear her poop (which sounds like an explosion in her diaper!) or we just check once every couple of hours. Otherwise she's mostly asleep. At night I usually feed her and change her before we go to sleep so that she is ready for the night. We've decided to just continue to co-sleep with her as both Travis and I really enjoy the closeness of it and she sleep's much better. Since Travis has basically been working double shifts we only see him at night when he get's home around 10pm. Whenever he is home though he's taking care of her. Holding her and changing her and cuddling. I still haven't pumped yet though. I don't want to give up me getting to feed her and I feel like if I pump then it will all get taken away! I will probably start in a couple of weeks though. 

That's really great that Madison like's her bassinet. Elsie hates being left alone anywhere for any amount of time. Sometimes if she's really asleep and not just half asleep I can lay her down and get a very short amount of time before she start's crying. I was folding laundry the other day and my little dog has a dog bed that I had just washed so I put the dog bed on top of the dryer and laid Elsie on it and folded laundry and talked to her and she was perfectly happy. But if I left her in her cradle (which we have in the living room right now) she would just cry. Right now I don't mind since all I want to do is spend time with her, but eventually it's going to be a problem since I can't carry her around and get everything done. Usually when I'm trying to get the household chores done, I will cuddle her and put her in her cradle and try and get one task done really fast. She'll usually cry halfway through and I let her for the rest of the task. But then I have to cuddle her and make her happy before moving onto the next since I don't want her just crying forever! Elsie did really well with diaper changes at the hospital but now that we're home she hates them. I think she doesn't like how cold the wipes are. As soon as the diaper and her clothes are back on she's done crying. Elsie is amazing with breastfeeding but she does eat often like you mentioned. Usually I would say about once an hour but the last two day's she's been sleeping like crazy! So I usually wake her up and feed her about every two hour's! She'll eat and fall asleep right in the middle of her feeding! Then I burp her and she's back to sleep until the next time I want to feed her! I haven't given her a binky. I only tried once the second night we had her home because I felt bad that she was crying so much during her diaper and clothes change and Travis needed to get up early. But she didn't really take the binky and kept crying. I haven't tried since because I want to wait until she's a little bit older before I introduce the binky because I believe she's too young to understand the difference between the binky and the nipple for right now.

Aw little Madison is growing! Elsie was 6lbs 15oz at birth. In the first couple day's she lost her recommended amount of weight. Then at the postpartum appointment the Friday after she was born she had gained weight and was 6lbs 15.9oz so I'm sure by now she is over 7lbs. We have our first doctor's appointment on Thursday which I'm sure she'll be weighed at and we'll know how much more she's gained!

Your tummy look's great! I'll have to try and take a picture of mine sometime this week. It definitely doesn't look as good as your's. I still feel fat. I mean it has definitely gone down since Elsie is no longer cuddled inside but I feel like I look a couple month's pregnant! My belly button is starting to come back which is exciting but I'm not exactly happy with how my tummy looks so I've got some work ahead of me! It's all jello-y haha. I weighed myself yesterday and I was 133lbs and I was 147lbs before giving birth. So I've lost 14lbs but Elsie was almost 7lbs and that's not including the placenta either! I don't mind my body so much other than my tummy. I'm not as worried what the number on the scale say's as much as how I feel when I look in the mirror. I don't mind everything else really so I'll work on my tummy and then probably just work out to keep healthy rather than trying to lose weight.

You said Madison might have pink eye! Uh oh have you talked to her doctor yet?! I sure hope she doesn't!


----------



## krys

Madi and Elsie sound so much alike! It also sounds like an explosion when she poops, she hates getting her diaper changed, and for the last three nights she refuses to sleep anywhere but our bed. We even bought a thing that goes on our bed to sleep in, she only likes cuddling with us though!!

Madison's third doctors appointment is Friday! I wonder if it's because she was jaundiced? Friday is her 2 week newborn screening appointment. We called about her eye last night, it was goopy and yellow :( The on-call pediatrician said it was probably either a blocked tear duct or an infection. He called in a prescription, and we were able to get it last night. It doesn't seem to be getting worse so we are just keeping our Friday appointment rather then going in sooner. I don't think she was feeling too good last night, so I was up alllllllll night. She was hungry, you could tell by her mouth and cry. I would try to feed her and she would just be licking around and opening and closing her mouth, she wouldn't eat!! Then I would pull her away and she would get even more frustrated :/ I wasn't feeling well either, so it was a LONG night. 

Okay so I didn't want to go into detail in my birth story for everyone else to read, but I have to tell you! Remember how I said I tore up and down? Well I had a second degree tear. First degree is skin, second is skin and muscle, and third and fourth has to do with tearing back towards your rectum. Soool I tore reallyyyyy bad... TMI but I tore my urethra (pee hole) and my....ummm....clitoris<--such a nasty word but idk what else to call it :[[[[ That part is the worst bc it constantly feels like someone is pinching it with their nails... It still hurts so bad. I can't sit down on hard chairs, only the couch or bed... Peeing is so painful :/ I just had to share that. I seriously don't think I'll ever be the same down there and I'm so scared that I'll never be able to have normal feelings down there :/ I guess I just had to tell you bc there's really no one else I would talk to about something like that and it's been freaking me out!!! Ughhhh. 

Anywayssss! Are you still putting Elsie in her boppy? I tried putting Madi in hers and she sort of just fell through lol. I need to play around with it some more! 

Madison just woke up, time to feel my hungry girl!!!


----------



## airbear

They do sound very much alike! Elsie definitely prefer's to cuddle but we usually put her on her boppy pillow to sleep. I was thinking about buying something for her to sleep in that would possibly be more safe and made for co-sleeping. I was also thinking about buying the 'boppy newborn lounger' as it is almost like a boppy pillow without a hole in the middle and is made to fit a newborn. But for now her boppy pillow has worked. Last night she didn't sleep very well but we went to bed earlier than usual and she kept asking to eat. She wasn't grumpy but just wanting to eat all the time which caused her to have a couple of poopy diaper's as well!

Hm, I wonder why Elsie hasn't had to go into the doctor's yet? They just told me she needed to see a pediatrician/family doctor within 7-14 day's to get her second PKU. Her appointment is today so we'll see how everything goes. Maybe they'll tell me how often she need's to be going in and such. Hopefully Madison's eye get's better! Poor baby girl! Elsie does that a lot too where she will ask to eat just like that. That's what she was doing last night. But luckily this morning she finally slept better and I got a little bit of sleep!

Ah! I can't imagine how you feel! I was told I had three small tear's, so I assume they were just skin. I find my stitches to itch constantly which is so frustrating and sometimes it does hurt to pee when I've held it too long! I can't even imagine how you're feeling! I remember the first couple day's after having Elsie everything down there hurt so bad. It hurt to even sit on a soft bed! So I definitely feel terrible for you! The nurses had me put ice pack's on top of my pad in my underwear to help with swelling. Maybe using an ice pack for you now will help with some of the pain? The one's the nurses gave me were really uncomfortable because it was just sitting on cubes of ice, but maybe a package of frozen pea's could help since they can mold to your body better. I'm sure someday you'll go back to normal down there. Our bodies are pretty amazing considering we were able to be pregnant and carry a child within us for 9 month's! Just give it time, it will probably take a while for you to heal since your tear was much worse than other tear's, but it will eventually heal!

I am still putting Elsie on her boppy. I sort of use the boppy sideways and tuck one end inside the middle and use my pillow and Travis' pillow to hold it together so the end doesn't fall back out. I usually wake up a couple of times in the night just to check on her and I make sure her pillow is still positioned correctly.

How are you and Madison doing? I am still in awe that we are both mother's now to beautiful daughter's. I still am constantly staring at Elsie because I think she is so gorgeous! She's always with me. She still hates being put down so I carry her everywhere and I love it. I'm sure I'm creating bad habit's and someday I will hate it but I can't help it. I love having her near me. She's just such a sweetie, I love it when she smile's. She'll always be eating and then fall asleep and start smiling with my boob in her mouth and her snoozing away! It makes me laugh every time!


----------



## krys

Madison has been having a little trouble latching on lately. Its actually not her latch thats the problem, its that she gets really frustrated when its time to eat and starts crying and won't take my nipple! I have to strip her down to just a diaper, take my clothes off, and do skin to skin contact. She only at ONCE last night, but was up every 15 minutes or so, screaming her head off. Once she finally latches, she's fine. Its just getting her calm thats the problem. Its so frustrating for the both of us, because we both know she's hungry, yet she won't eat :( She used to want to eat every 30 minutes, and she would latch on immediately...
Now that I think about it, Madison probably had more appointments because she was jaundiced. How is Elsie doing, and how is her infection or possible infection, can't remember if they told you if she definitely had one or not!
I love carrying Madison around too. I hate that I live with Eric's mom because she always pouts that I don't let her hold Madison enough, but she hardly ever asks and when she does I let her! I'm not just gonna be like, here hold my baby. I want to hold her and if you aren't going to ask, why would I just give her to you? And whenever Eric has her and I go upstairs he gives her to his mom. Then I have to come down and watch her hold my baby when I want my baby!!! It would be different if they didn't live with us, then when we would see them I would expect to give Madi to her, she's lucky she lives with us or she wouldn't even get to see Madi everyday like she does!!!!
It hurt me to sit on the bed at first too! I actually couldn't sit at all, I'd have to lay. Eric still has to help me up sometimes, and I've only just started to be somewhat able to bend down to pick things up! Sooo painful :(
I bought a "snuggle nest" for Madison to sleep on in our bed. It goes right in between our pillows though so Eric and I can't cuddle :/ 

Other than Madison not eating well (she's actually eating right as we speak YAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) we are doing great! We have a nice routine going and I love it!!! How are you and Elsie?? Has her umbilical cord fallen off yet? Madison's hasn't and I can't wait to give her a real bath... I hate sponge baths!


----------



## airbear

I'm so sorry! I thought I had written back. I had wrote a responce twice which got deleted before I could ost it! Really frustrating, but then I wrote a responce again and this time I saved in on my laptop because my internet wasn't working! But I had thought I had already posted it. Elsie and I are about to take a nap so once we're up for the day (or at least I am) then I'll go downstairs and post my responce! I had been thinking rhese past few days I hadn't heard from you but really you hadn't heard from me! I'm sure we have a whole bunch of other things to talk about and everything we said earlier is so old!


----------



## airbear

Here is what I wrote forever ago I haven't reread it or changed anything except I added something at the end:





Ah! I've tried to respond to your post twice now and each time I've lost everything I've written! So this will have to be summed up, besides I'm sure we have newer thing's to talk about anyway!

Sometimes Elsie will get upset and cry right before she latches on. She'll get really upset and won't take it, but usually it only last's a couple of seconds. Though it can happen a couple of time's before she'll latch on for her full feeding. I remember a lactation consultant saying that sometimes babies will get really hungry but get themselves so worked up and that become's the hardest part - getting them to calm down enough to latch on! Hopefully Madison is eating better now so that you can get better sleep! Elsie only eat's once or twice during the night. Usually I feed her right before we all go to bed, then she'll wake up once or twice in the night to bed fed, and I always feed her once we wake up for the day. She usually doesn't cry during the night to bed fed, I tend to wake up when I hear her making noises and waking herself up and then I feed her before she demand's it. I try to feed her when I notice her cues rather than wait for when she demands it so that everyone is happier.

Elsie had her blood drawn on the Friday after she was born at our postpartum appointment so that they could test for an infection. The next day the pediatrician who had requested the blood draw called to see if we had ever gone into the lab to get her blood sample as he could not find any result's in the computer. He left me his beeper number and told me to call and dial my number in after a series of beep's. I've done so twice and still have not received a return phone call. So I have no result's of her test and don't know if they even tested her blood! However she did have a doctor's appointment this past Thursday where we did a second PKU. They drew blood to test but didn't have to take a whole vial full, luckily! Her doctor's appointment went really well. They weighed her and she is now 7lbs 9.5oz!

I would be really frustrated if my mother in law lived with me and was expecting more time with Elsie. You and Madison are still bonding. Madison is only two week's old. Eric's mom is lucky she get's to see her everyday she shouldn't expect more than that! I get frustrated because we had a lot of visitor's the first week when I had originally wanted the first week alone with just Travis and Elsie. The visitor's have toned down a bit and it was mostly just close family anyway as our friends and extended family have been more respectful. I personally still get a bit stressed with people around as I am fairly clingy with Elsie. My mom is a bit awkward as she know's I've been upset so now she doesn't even ask to hold her and I never offer. Then I end up feeling terrible once she leaves and I realize she never even got to hold her. Travis' mom is terrible annoying and has come over twice now for a short visit but held her the entire time and stuck her knuckles in Elsie's mouth while she was crying! She didn't even wash her hand's and she smelled of alcohol. I was just so frustrated because poor Elsie wasn't happy at all! 

I hope you start feeling better soon! When I was in the hospital my pain was the worst but it has drastically gotten better. Mostly my stitches just itch and can sometimes be uncomfortable but I don't really have anymore pain. I think I'm more mentally and emotionally exhausted rather than physically in pain. Hopefully soon you'll heal a bit more and can be more comfortable moving around!

It's good to hear Madison is eating again and hopefully she is falling back into routine. Elsie and I are doing well. We don't have a feeding or nap schedule yet so I usually let her eat and sleep whenever she pleases. I figure once she's over a month old I'll start to introduce more of a schedule and try to get her to nap in her cradle or crib. Once I get a nanny job she'll need to be on a schedule and she'll need to learn not to bed held constantly so I can focus on the other child(ren). Her umbilical chord hasn't fallen off though it's changing in color so I hope it won't be too much longer! How often do you bathe Madison? The nurses at our hospital told me we only needed to bathe her once or twice a week. She had one bath at the hospital and we actually haven't bathed her since.. I've been waiting to give her her first bath at home with Travis so we can all experience it together. However it is difficult with his schedule. I did wipe her down with a wet rag one day trying to help clear up some of her dry skin. We were going to bathe her yesterday but we ended up not, so I'm determined to bathe her today and maybe set a schedule to bathe her so that we don't forget and let it go long again for next time!


added part:

Elsie's belly button is almost off! It's on by the tiniest little piece and will probably be off by the end of today! She's also sitting here doing a little bit of baby talk and it's so adorable! We decided on her two week birthday to give her a binky because sometimes she would be asking to eat 3 times an hour and it was just getting tiring! Also she is constantly sucking on her hands and I thought it would be better for her future teeth for her to have her pacifier instead of her finger's since her pacifier is better made for her future teeth!


----------



## krys

I just read your post!! Hi!! I feel like its been soo long lol how have you been?!

Madison's umbilical cord fell off on the 17th, it had been barely on for days and then it finally came off :] I bathe Madison every few days. She has had 6 or 7 baths. She'll probably get another today or tomorrow. I like to give her baths before bedtime because she has some nighttime baby soap and lotion and it is supposed to help her sleep better. 
How are Elsie's sleeping habits? Madison doesn't really have any daytime pattern yet, but she usually only wakes up once through the night around 3:30. 
Madison has reflux, thats why she was getting fussy and frustrated. We have to lay her at an angle rather than flat at night and we have to keep her upright for 20-30 minutes after she eats. Her pediatrician said if it didn't get any better we would first try to thicken her milk so it couldn't come back up. I would have to pump and add rice cereal, and if that doesn't work she'll need medicine :[ It isn't getting much better though so we're probably going to have to try the rice cereal.
It's been a few days, have you figured anything out about Elsie's blood draw?
We gave Madison a pacifier as well, its good to give to babies with reflux once they're done eating because it keeps them sucking and can help keep the milk down. She won't take the orthodontic Tommee Tippee ones, she gags when we try to give them to her. She takes The First Years gumdrop pacifiers. It's more like a nipple, rather than the wide orthodontic ones. We'll probably let her have it until her first birthday, if she even wants it that long.

I hope you two are doing well!!! I would write more, but Madison is eating (like always haha) and I'm like straining to reach my arms out past her to type this.


----------



## airbear

It has been a while! We've all been doing pretty well, actually! How about you and your little family?

I think Elsie's umbilical cord fell off on the 17th as well, or maybe the 18th. I'm not completely sure, I wrote it on her baby calendar though! Today will be her first bath since it's come off. She doesn't really like her baths though, she cries and cries. Then last time once she was done in her bath and I was drying her off she peed on the towel and it soaked through and right onto me!

Elsie is still sleeping fairly well. I wouldn't say she has a solid sleeping pattern yet but it is somewhat consistant. During the night she'll wake around twice to be fed but she never cries, I just hear her wake up when she starts wiggling and making sounds so I feed her and then we go right back to sleep. So it's been nice because we both get quite a bit of sleep at night. Usually I feed her right before bed averagely around midnight, feed her twice during the night and I sleep until 9 or 10am. During the day she still sleeps quite a bit and doesn't really have a schedule or routine but I notice around 9 or 10pm she's more dead asleep than napping asleep so she usually gets ready for bed before we do.

I'm sorry to hear about Madison's reflux but at least you know what the problem is. I usually have Elsie a bit proped up when she sleeps so hopefully it will help Madison! Sometimes Elsie gets fussy with what position she is in after eating so it probably depends on how her tummy is feeling. If that doesn't work for Madison hopefully adding the rice cereal will make a difference!

Well the hospital lost the results but billed me anyway! But she got a second PKU at her doctor's appointment and they said everything looked fine. I think I may go to the hospital tomorrow and talk to them because they sent me a bill in the mail even though my insurance should cover it. So I'll try and get the real results as well as deal with the medical bill.

I'm glad you found a pacifier that works well for Madison. Elsie has her orthodonic Dr. Brown's pacifiers, sometimes she acts like she gags on them so I don't put it all the way in when I'm giving it to her so that she can position it in her mouth that works best but after that she goes to town on it! I have one of the pacifiers you are describing that I got from the hospital but we haven't used it with her. I don't know how long we'll let her have her pacifier for, depends on how she takes to it from now on. She's too young to be 'addicted' to it yet. I was obsessed with a pacifier when I was young and had one up until I was 3 years old. Which is definitely too long. I think I'll let her keep it up until we start potty training her because that will be the time for when she becomes a 'big girl'. She can give up her pacifier and gets to use the big girl potty. I'll probably use the 'pacifier fairy' technique to transition from getting rid of her pacifier.

Too funny, Elsie is eating as I write this too! Though it's sometimes a bit more difficult on the laptop I'm currently using my phone which is actually easier for when I'm feeding her. She's asleep though and not exactly eating.. haha


----------



## krys

So this is kind of a weird question...but what do you do all day? Someone asked me this today and I had the dumbest answer... I don't do anything. Madison and I just lay/sit around all day. I can't really even clean, because when I'm downstairs there isn't really anywhere to put Madison unless I bring her bouncer down. It made me think, when will we start doing things? I don't plan on going back to work for a while. I was going to go back in October so I could pay off my student loan, but my mom told me she is going to pay it off. I probably won't go back to work until next summer after I turn 21. That means for the next year I'll be home with Madi. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE staying home with her! I love spending time with her and I know I am so lucky to be able to be a stay at home mom. I just don't know what we're supposed to do all day. Eventually we'll be able to play, and she will enjoy things like walks and going to the park... I just feel lazy right now, I guess. I wanna be a good mom, and a good partner for Eric. I wish it was easier to cook and clean, but it seems so hard with a baby.


----------



## airbear

I'm exactly the same way. I feel terrible because Travis is working so much to support our family and I sit at home all day and do nothing. Sometimes I get together with my mom, for example we went to Babies R Us to return and exchange things after church on Sunday. Plus when Travis get's home he usually makes dinner, I also get stressed when I see the house is messy because I pick up after myself but Travis isn't so good at it. I suppose I do keep up on laundry and dishes. Not as quickly as I had before but I don't really let them pile up, either. But most of my days are spent doing nothing! Today Travis and I went to a pottery store and we painted a plate, mug, and a picture frame with Elsie's feet and hand prints. I didn't finish my mug and Travis works 7am-10pm tomorrow so I might go back and finish my mug and I am so excited! I think it's okay that we aren't doing much right now anyway. We're learning how to function with having to care for our daughter's 24/7 and our bodies are still exhausted and healing from giving birth to them. My mom told me the less you do and the more you relax the sooner you will heal and stop bleeding. I think plenty of women are like us the first few weeks/during maternity leave. Since you think you might not go back to work for some time it's understandable you worry you'll be doing nothing for a whole year of your life. But Madison will grow and you'll have much more to do with her and she'll be easier to put down so you can clean up. Plus our bodies are still exhausted from 9 months of hard baby making and then a huge finale at the end, you still have to get your energy back. Once you do you'll probably work out/walk and such since you said you wanted your pre-pregnancy body back, you'll clean more and learn the role of SAHM and wifey:) But just know you're definitely not alone! I pretty much watch TV, sleep, and go online. I'd like to read books and go for walks more but I think I'm still adjusting to mommy-hood.

Also you mentioned working and I applied for a nanny position for a baby girl born July 10th and they are open to a nanny bringing their children. I had two interviews with this family earlier this week. Well they called and left a message today saying they want to offer me the job! I was at the pottery place so I didn't get their call so I have to call back and they'll probably let me know how much they are willing to pay since we all hadn't decided yet but it starts officially October 3rd but she want's a transition week where I work a couple of days just to get use to it and mostly since she's slwly transitioning back to work and only taking a couple of shifts the week before. So if they pay is reasonable I will no longer be unemployed! Plus they've already met Elsie so I am so excited to find a job where I can bring her! Especially with another baby close in age and since they are both young that means the job can last a few years unlike the last family where their children both are now in full time school so they don't need me anymore. I just wanted to share my excitement!


----------



## krys

Omg congratulations on your new job!! That's amazing, I'm so happy for you :]

I never click on user cp to see if you write back, I just got straight to teen pregnancy :dohh: I feel like I never talk to you anymore! You post the cutest pictures of Elsie on Facebook, she is seriously adorable!!! 

Madison now has to take medicine for her reflux, poor baby :[ She is getting soooo big! Isn't it crazy that they're almost a month old?! Soon they'll be in kindergarten!!!


----------



## airbear

Thank you! I am so excited! I'm glad I don't have to worry about finding a position anymore. My mom was saying Elsie and the little girl I will be watching will feel like they are sisters. It's weird thinking if the job lasts longer than a year that they'll be growing up with each other!

I know, it's funny how now we have our daughter's we don't talk as much! I've surprisingly been on BnB slightly more. I check out teen parenting a lot and haven't been in teen pregnancy in a while. But I do like to go in once in a while and see how everyone is doing. Teen pregnancy seems to be more active than teen parenting. It has been a while since we've talked a lot. I'm glad you like Elsie's pictures! :) I love Madison's pictures too. My favorite is her 'beach bum' picture, just too cute! 

Aw, poor Madi. Hopefully her reflux goes away quickly! They definitely are getting big! It's crazy how much they grow each day and I feel like day by day you can see just a little more personality. I definitely can't believe they are almost a month old! I let my mom watch Elsie for a few hours last night so Travis and I could go to a movie (we had tickets that expired come September) and it was so hard leaving her and I thought about her the whole time! Kindergarten is going to be so difficult! 

I absoultely love being a mom. I can't believe our daughter's are almost a month old. It seem's like just yesterday I was in the hospital giving birth to her. It really is amazing how life changes once you have a baby. It's not like you can't go out and party if you wanted to, it's more that you don't want to! It's amazing how you view life and love completely differently now! I love Travis but the love I have for Elsie is just completely different, it's a different type of love. I added this quote to my about me on facebook: 'I never believed in love at first sight, until I met you'. I love it because it is so true about Elsie. I also was reading on this other forum people writing how life is different and someone was saying how it's amazing how you can love a complete stranger. It's true because we have the strongest love for this little person the minute that we meet them! Being a mom is something you can never understand until it happens to you.


----------



## krys

I agree with everything you said about being a mom! I love Madison more than I even knew was possible. I can not imagine life without her, she is my world! I haven't gone out and left her yet. This morning Eric took her downstairs and let me sleep a little because she was up from 3-7! She slept alllllll day yesterday and just wasn't tired. Anyway, when I got up at 9 I just wanted to hold her, I missed her soooo much. Being a mom is seriously amazing, I love it!!! And I love my daughter!

We are soooooooo lucky. We have amazing men and beautiful, perfect little girls :)


----------



## airbear

Befoe Elsie was born I thought I knew what it was going to be like to be a mom and I thought I understood what the love would be like, but I definitely underestimated it! It's a truely amazing feeling to be a mom! That was nice of Eric to let you sleep in, she was awake for quite some time! Elsie usuall sleeps well during the night and has a period of time during the morning where she is awake light that. Around 10am or so we wake up for the day and she'll be alert. I think I always miss her, I defintiely hog holding her!

We are so so lucky! We have perfect little families. All we need is a son in a couple of years:) I decided Elsie definitely needs a little brother some day and I need a son!


----------



## krys

I want Madi to have a brother too :) I miss being pregnant so much already, I wanna get pregnant like NOW. Haha. Eric changed his mind, he wanted to wait till Madi was like 5 and now he said he wants to try when she's 2!
Soooo Eric is applying to jobs in the Seattle area!! Wouldn't that be cool if we moved there and Elsie and Madison could be friends!!!! I really hope he gets a job there because I've been kind of depressed here without my family :/


----------



## airbear

I'm the same way, I was thinking that it takes 9 months to have a baby so when Elsie is 3 months old and we get pregnant then they would be a year apart! But I really don't want my kids that close in age, so I'll wait! That's so cute that Eric changed his mind on the age gap! Travis and I have always wanted our children 2-3 years apart. Wouldn't it be funny if we were pregnant at the same time again?! Travis said the next time we're pregnant will be fun/weird because we'll be trying to get pregnant instead of accidentally!

That would be awesome if Eric got a job here in Seattle! Elsie and Madi could have play dates! I think I read somewhere that you were wanting out of Vegas, so hopefully you can move and be with family. I can only imagine how hard it is being all alone!


----------



## krys

Yeah, it's so hard without them. Especially bc Eric's mom has been really mean to me lately :/ it's hard enough without her making it worse!

Madison has a sleeping schedule! It sucks, but at least she has one lol. We go to bed usually around 10-11, then she wakes up around 3 (every single night) she stays up until like 6!! Then she'll go back to sleep for a few hours. I can never go back to sleep when she does though, so I get like 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Surprisingly, I'm not even a
Zombie! I've gotten used to it!


----------



## airbear

Oh no! Why/how is she being mean?!

Oh wow that is a crazy sleeping schedule, does she have a sleeping schedule during the day? For night time Elsie usually falls asleep around 9/10 then I usually go to bed closer to 1am and feed her. Then she wakes up around 3am and I feed her, again around 5:30am, and usually we'll sleep until about 9am. During her two night feedings I just feed her on my side and usually fall asleep! When she's done she falls asleep and later I wake up realizing my boob is hanging out! During the day she'll usually take a nap around 10am or so and is awake for sometime around 11am but she's still sleeping a lot during the day. Hopefully when I start that nanny job for the slightly older baby she'll get more of a set schedule.

I never asked but back when you were pregnant and your mom was in Vegas and you two got in a fight did she ever go home or did she stay?


----------



## krys

She stayed, thank god :) We actually get along a million times better now that Madison is here! I'm usually sick of her by the time she has to go home, but I did NOT want her to leave. We talk so much more now, our relationship is so much better! 

His mom is just being so rude for no reason. She keeps giving me dirty looks, being hateful towards my dog, ignoring me, etc. Its ridiculous! She always gets mad for no reason and just storms off. Yesterday she was holding Madison and she started crying, well she hadn't eaten in like 2 hours so I was like "I'll take her, she's hungry" and she just got so mad and stormed off to her room! It really bothered me. I just looked at Eric and said "Is she seriously mad because I want to feed my kid?" and he just apologized. He usually thinks I'm crazy and sticks up for her, but he can even see that she's being mean.

Madison's sleeping schedule is CRAZY! She sleeps a lot during the day though. She just woke up from a two and a half hour nap! Now she's hanging out in her swing :)


----------



## airbear

Oh that is good to hear! I'm glad she stayed and that you two are getting along much better! How long did she get to stay after Madison was born? I think it would be so hard to let her go home! 

I cannot believe Eric's mom did that! I would be so upset. I was reading somewhere that we should trust our instincts when we think something is best for our baby. So when they are upset and we think they are hungry, need a diaper change, tired, etc. to go with our instincts. I think it's so frustrating when people get in the way of you and your baby, or when they try to tell you how to parent. I would have been upset. Not to mention she's just adding tention to the house by all her dirty looks!

Travis' mom is frustrating but probably not as bad as Eric's mom. She always wants to see Elsie and holds her the entire time she does see her. Travis' parents are both alcoholic's though they still function well and don't admit their problem (such as they own their own company and work fine but drink everyday and get drunk often). Anyway so his mom is drunk/drinking while holding Elsie. It's so frustrating and I feel awkward saying anything (because she would never get a chance to hold Elsie if I told her she couldn't if she was drinking because she always is). Then she always says things like oh she looks hot you should take some of her clothes off (like her jacket, blanket) and it makes me so upset because I know what is best for my daugher. So I always have to tell her oh she's fine she can't regulate her heat yet so we have to keep her warm. Or she'll stick her knuckle in Elsie's mouth whenever she starts crying. Luckily we started her on a binky so when I see her doing that I find her binky fast! She also constantly tries to guess what Elsie is going to look like. She thinks Elsie is going to have Travis' grandpa's eyes (her dad) or her eyes. I'm sitting there thinking.. or she could have my eyes?! She'll do the same thing about her hair and height. I want to go crazy because she never shuts up. I did tell Travis that if she ever gets to babysit (her and my mom both are baby crazy and would love to babysit) that one of them (travis' mom/dad) cannot be drinking while caring for our daughter. We haven't told them yet because we haven't asked them to babysit but Travis and I both think it is reasonable since what happens if there is an accident and they need to go to the hospital? One of them will need to be sober to drive. Of course they're use to driving after drinking so to them it wouldn't be a big deal, but what if they were drinking and did have to drive Elsie and then got in an accident?! It's just so frustrating that we even have to ask them not to drink while watching her! Travis is also going to tell them we want to trust them to obey what we ask but if we have to we'll get a breathalizer. Sadly we both can honestly see them agreeing with our request and when we leave still having a drink or too. Ugh. Sorry for the rant!

It's good to know she's still getting sleep but at the worst of times! Elsie takes long naps too though. But has longer periods of alertness during the day where it seems Madison has it at night. Tonight I went to bd around midnight and fed her. When I hear her waking up I feed her on my side and sometimes I just do it while I'm half asleep so I never really know what time and I think I've done it twice already. But I think Elsie won't fall back asleep unless I actually sit up, hold her, and feed her. Which I just did and now she's asleep in my arms! But this is the first time tonight I sat up and fed her at about 4am so it hasn't beed too bad sleep wise. I should track her sleep pattern for a week to see if its actually consistant. Also just to see how much she is awake and how much she is asleep. I should do it for feedings too that way maybe I can try and alter a better schedule if I see a pattern, that can maybe be easier on both of us.


----------



## krys

Travis' parents seem a little frustrating! I don't think I'd let anyone hold Madi had they been drinking. I'm sure that's really hard for you :/ I'd have to say something about the knuckles too! I wouldn't even put my own on her mouth! Maybe if I'd washed them really really good, but probably not. I even have to wash her pacifier constantly, thank god for pacifier wipes!! Lol. I'd definitely lay down some rules when it comes to babysitting! One of them needs to be sober, but if it were me I'd say both had to be! I'm pretty protective though. Some people I make sit if they're holding her. I just don't want anything to happen to my baby. 

We got professional pictures of Madi done yesterday!! They're soooooooo cute. We pick them up on the 7th, I'm so excited!! Have you got Elsie's pictures done? :)


----------



## airbear

I'm definitely the same way. I'm very protective and I want things done my way with Elsie. It frustrates me when people don't listen to what I ask (like washing their hands before they hold her). I'm her mom and everyone acts like they know better! It makes me go crazy and it makes me not want anyone to see her! My mom has been very good about listening because she knows how I am. She'll let me sit there and give her step by step instructions just so she can babysit. Travis told me to write an outline for anyone who would watch her alone! Haha it's actually something I considered for his family since they think everything we do is wrong. For example we told them we would probably use our Baby Bjorn a lot more than a stroller and Travis' mom thought that was just silly. But we haven't even used our stroller once and have already used the carrier multiple times. I guess I'm protective and specific when it comes to Elsie. For example the binky situation. I had wanted to wait until she was a month old but everyone had to give me their two cents. It's my daughter and I will decide, thank you very much!

I cannot wait to see Madi's professional pictures! We're getting ours done Friday! I would have gotten them much earlier but we couldn't decide where to go and I had thought my aunt would have done a better job when we did a 'photoshoot' with her. The place we're going to is a women's in home studio, she also does on site photography but I didn't think pictures we be as cute done at home and she showed me some of her posed in studio pictures which I loved. She said the in studio pictures for babies she would only do up to two weeks old since they are much sleepier, but I asked her if she would be willing to try even though Elsie is much older since I really want studio style pictures. So we'll see how everything goes! I don't mind if Elsie is awake in some of the pictures.


----------



## airbear

Oh and lately Elsie has had a weird sleeping schedule (I'm also a little sick and hope she won't catch it!). She still get's ready for bed around 10pm or so and sleeps in our arms while we watch TV until 12/1 or so. Then I feed her, and go to bed, I feed her again around 3am and once more around 5am. But now she's been sleeping until 11/12am! I do feed her once more in between 5 and 11am but before she had periods where she was alert and wide awake, usually around 9am and I would get up for the day. Yesterday Travis got home early from work around 1pm and Elsie was wide awake for a few hours though.


----------



## krys

Yeah, Madi was sleeping in some and awake in others. She did really good, she cried a couple times when she was naked and cold, but we'd pick her up for a second and she'd stop. I actually had to feed her halfway through lol, I just fed her for like two minutes and that held her over. I fed her before we went, but our appt was at 12 so we got there at 11:30. There was another couple there (that didn't have an appt) an they ended up going until 12:30. Well Madi was hungry by then! So make sure Elsie has a full belly!


----------



## airbear

Ugh, everything got deleted.. again!

Anyway's I'm really glad Madi did so well. I can't wait to see her pictures! Elsie did really well, but the photographer is a freelance photographer and usually only does studio posed pictures for babies two weeks and under since they have such a deep sleep. I told her I still wanted studio style pictures so she said she was willing to try. Elsie I think was pretty much awake in all of them. I think we still got some cute shot's but they won't look as good as the sleeping baby posed pictures she lady usually does. Our appointment was three hours long so I fed Elsie a few times. She pooped and pee'd a lot too, all over the ladies blankets. But she was really nice about it. She has a ton of cute props! We tried to get it so Elsie would be asleep at the appointment by keeping her awake and holding off on feeding her until 11am. Which went fine but when we got there she was wide awake! Even after I fed her. So no such luck, but I think we got at least a couple cute ones. Here is her blog which has some newborn pictures only boys though: https://www.livelovelaughphotographblog.com/ this is her facebook and under 'wall photo's' you can see some of the newborn pictures for whatever reason she doesn't put a lot up to see. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Live...tographic-Essays-by-Chantelle/199602676739449

Oh I also wanted to show you a link to the picture we got our inspiration for Elsie's nursery:

https://www.nurserymuralsandmore.co...010/06/10150007-flowertheme-nursery-mural.jpg

Instead of purple we're doing a very light pale pastel pink (kind of like how winnie the pooh can be really bright or there is the more vintage winnie the pooh that everything is the same color but softer.. i want her room soft), and we're going to have a more realistic looking tree. I want it to be brown and probably have green leaves. We're also going to have the picket fence go around the whole room rather than one wall. Except the closet will look like a gate and the bedroom door will be an open arch. That way it looks like you can get out and not like you're walled in in her garden haha. We're also going to have the butterflies and bugs and such but I think I want a cute owl too. We were thinking about doing fairies as well so that it was a fairy garden. But we might just leave it as a cute garden as I think getting fairy's to match our style of garden painted/somehow put on the walls will be more difficult. What do you think? I hope we can start soon because I know Travis work's a lot and he wants us to do it together so it may take a while. I can't wait to show you pictures! This was just the inspiration I'm hoping for it to look a lot softer and sweeter than how bold this looks. We're actually using real wooden pickets for the fence and everything! Oh and we're going to have white christmas lights put up around her room as well as lantern's for lighting. I just thought instead of fairies I want to do animals instead like squirrels, bunnies, or dear or something. The only thing is I think painting them would be really hard..

Oh and I want on of these sayings on her wall:

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over.. it became a butterfly"

or 

&#8220;There is a garden in every childhood, and enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.&#8221;

eek, sorry for so much. i'm just so excited for her room. i want it to look perfect! the picture in my head of what it will look like is so much different than the link i showed you so it's hard to explain what i want it to look like!


----------



## krys

OMG OMG!!!! Her room is going to be sooooo cute! I really love all your ideas :) My little sister actually had a white picket fence room, with real wood too! That was like eight years ago, so I can't remember it perfectly. I just remember her having it on the walls and they got (obviousky fake lol) butterflies and somehow stuck them to the wall! It was really cool. I think animals would be way cute!! I love squirrels the most hehe. I can't wait to see pictures!!!!! 
Elsie looks adorable in the pictures on your fb, she has such a personality!! I never really catch smiling pictures of Madi because when she's smiling I just want to talk to her and smile back :blush: We have the cutest little girls though! I picked her pictures up yesterday, so I'm going to scan them tonight. I was really looking forward to getting them on the computer, but Eric took the laptop to work, dangit!
I can't wait to see Elsie's pictures!!! That's so funny that she pooped on the blanket! Madison has had really soft poops lately, like diarrhea. She has pooped and it gotten out of her diaper a few times! Hahahahaha and last night we were at olive garden and I don't know what happened, I had just changed he when we got there so maybe I didn't put her diaper on good. Eric was holding her with her head over his shoulder and she fell asleep so I grabbed her and when I did we realized that she had pee on the FRONT of her onesie and on Eric. I have no idea how it was only on the front by her tummy! Luckily we always have an extra onesie in the diaper bag!!!
I find myself on here so much more lately. I get on when Madi is sleeping or mostly while I feed her. I never see that you wrote back though! I need to start going to user cp and checking! 
Madison is extremely clingy to me. This may be bad, but I LOVE it! She likes me best :) If someone is holding her and she's crying, I'll grab her and she'll stop! Or sometimes if she falls asleep on me and I put her down she gets fussy, but stops as soon as I pick her up. This will probably be a problem soon, but for now I just love being her favorite :)


----------



## airbear

Aw, I'm glad you like our idea for Elsie's room. It will probably take forever to finish since we don't have a lot of time together to get anything done. But since we hardly use her room right now it isn't a big deal if it is done right away. I would like to try and get it done sooner than later though.

Since Elsie turned a month old she seem's to have gotten even more personality. Sure she smiled before but now she'll smile at our voices and such. She smiles so much more too! I cannot wait to see Madison's pictures later! We have such adorable little girls!

All of Elsie's poop's are really soft and explosive. A couple of time's the edges around her legs leak a little, getting her onesie a tiny bit diry. But just yesterday she was sitting in my lap and made and explosive sounding poop, I went to change her and I found out it had exploded out the FRONT of her diaper! It was ALL over her onsie. She's had a couple other explosive diapers as well but the one last night was definitely the worst. I always bring a change of clothes in her diaper bag as well for situations similar to yours.

I'm still not the best at coming into BnB. I wish I was more active and knew the girls better. I feel like the teen parenting section isn't as active as the teen pregnancy section but since I have Elsie here now I relate much more. Even though I don't know any other girls well really, I'm excited for the few due after us that we got to know that are still in teen pregnancy to come to teen parenting! I do go on a lot when Elsie is sleeping though.

Elsie is exactly the same way! Even if Travis is holding her and she's fussy she'll get happier faster if I am holding her. I think it's also because they are with us a lot of the time and they get use to how we hold them. As well as we usually can tell their cues better than anyone else. So we know which cry means what, or why they're fussing, or what they need better than anyone else I would say. I have only let Elsie bottle feed once when we had my mom watch her. Otherwise I always breastfeed and I think I am going to find it hard to ever let Travis bottle feed her.. maybe when she's older! I hold her so much, I never put her down to sleep.. She also sleeps on my side of the bed at night! I can't help it, I love her so much and she'll only bit this little for so long!

I worked for 4 hours yesterday for the family I am going to nanny for. The little girl is just turning 2 months old. She is terrible! She had just been fed when I got there at 9am. Her mom said she would probably fall asleep for a nap in about an hour, but that she doesn't sleep well in her crib during the day so she'll probably wake back up and need to be bounced and cuddled back to sleep. Around 10am I got her to fall asleep and put her in her crib where she stayed for 20 minutes until she woke again. Elsie had to sit in her car seat while I held the other girl because there wasn't really anywhere else for her. The other little girl basically fussed (not full on crying - though sometimes she would) until 12pm when I decided to feed her in hopes she would fall asleep. I fed her 2oz and then laid her down even though she wasn't tired so that I could get a chance to feed Elsie since she had last ate at 8am. Then I put Elsie back in her car seat and fed the little girl another 2oz since she had cried when the milk had ran out the first time. So for most of the 4 hours I was there I had to hold this baby girl trying to get her to sleep and sometimes Elsie would cry because she was hungry and stuck sitting in a car seat. It was so hard when they both were upset because I couldn't hold both at the same time very well. Elsie was such a good girl though and would stop crying as soon as I picked her up and then even stayed quite in her car seat for a while after I put her back down. The other little girl though was horrible. It didn't help that I personally didn't find her very cute and she threw up a lot so it was just frustrating because I couldn't make my own daughter happy just so I could try and make this baby happy. Normally I would let the other little girl cry more so I could take care of Elsie but their housekeeper was there and I felt uncomfortable letting the nanny family's baby cry and then have the housekeeper tell them I was a terrible baby sitter. When the mom came home I told her everything and she said that was pretty usual. I'm suppose to work another 3 hours tomorrow. Then work 2 days each week until October when I will start full time and work 50 hours a week. I honestly don't know if I can handle it. The little girl takes up so much of my time and I couldn't believe for 4 hours I had to bounce her and got not result. I don't think I can handle 10 hour days, 5 days a week. Especially since I'll be making less money than I was before. I think I'm going to work on Thursday for the 3 hours and see how it goes. But if it's anything like yesterday I think I'll have to talk to Travis and see if it is okay that I don't work for them and try applying to other nanny job's. I would rather nanny for someone with a slightly older baby that has more of a feeding/nap schedule and that is a bit more advanced as this baby was much worse than Elsie. Elsie acted older than this baby girl!

Sorry for the rant but it is all I can think about! Elsie however has been doing amazing and I am so so blessed with how good of a baby she really is. Especially after seeing how this baby is. I wish I could just be a SAHM and not have to work. I'm stressed because I know I can't let Travis keep working two jobs and so many hours but I'm also finding it hard to want to go back to work especially since the job I supposedly do have is 50 hours a week 30 minutes away from where I live. I think I'll be exhausted. My days are 7:30-5:30 and I would have to leave the latest at 7am and wouldn't get home until the earliest at 6pm. Two babies so much work I think I would get burnt out too quickly. I'm suppose to make a year commitment and I am actually afraid of quitting because I think they will be mad at me!

Anyway's like you said I just like being Elsie's favorite right now. I like devoting all my attention to her. I just want to spend all my time with her. Oh, and Travis' mom is still so frustrating. I just cant stand being around her so I'm finding it hard to want to go over to their place, which ends up making her more annoying because she's constantly asking to see Elsie. We went to go look at an SUV the other day since we need to buy a second vehicle and Travis had asked his dad to come with us so he could look at it and see if it was a good/safe car. So Travis' mom texts me and asks if I am coming. I ignore it because I know she just wants to see Elsie and will probably want to watch Elsie while we go look at the car and I don't want to do that. So when we arrive at their place to pick up Travis' dad, his mom decides to come with us! I sat in the back with Elsie so that his dad could sit in the front and have more leg room. Well we had stuff in our car so there was no foot room for his mom and I didn't even feel bad. She sat on the other side of Elsie. Anyway we go to test drive the car and leave Elsie with Travis' mom. When we get back Elsie is screaming and crying and Travis' mom says's she couldn't find the binky. I had accidentally left it at home but Elsie hasn't been taking it well, she would much rather suck on her fists. Anyways so Elsie is just sitting in her car seat screaming. Travis' mom had taken her out to find the binky but couldn't so she put her back in to cry! She didn't even hold her or try to bounce her or comfort her! I don't understand how she expects me to let her babysit when she couldn't even handle being alone with her for 20 minutes. Especially since she couldn't even hold her while she cried! Then on the way home she kept putting her knuckle in Elsie's mouth since Elsie was still crying! I honestly hate when she does that. Elsie didn't even like it and kept crying! So having Travis' mom's knuckle in her mouth made her make this funny sound and Travis made a comment and his mom said oh it's because I have my knuckle in her mouth. It's like OMG if she's still crying she doesn't want your stupid knuckle! I told Travis after we dropped them off he has to talk to his mom and tell her she can't put her knuckle in Elsie's mouth anymore! I feel so bad because I just don't want to go spend time with her which means she doesn't get to see Elsie and Travis is slightly upset because he wants them to be able to see her. Since I breastfeed Elsie I have to go with and I just don't want to! The lady need's to tone it down! She's making me go crazy!

Sorry for multiple rant's!


----------



## krys

I cant even imagine having to take care of another baby AND Madi. I would definitely choose Madi first though, so it wouldn't be fair. How did you hold them at the same time! Have you gone back yet?! I think it would be hard to take care of any aged child, but a baby, especially a fussy one seems so hard!!! I can't wait to hear if you've gone back and if you have what happened!

I would flip out if anyone stuck their knuckles in Madi's mouth. I have so much respect for you knowing that you kept your cool! Ugh today Madi was grumpy and Erics sister was holding her while I ate. Well she finally fell asleep (which she had been fighting all day) so I didn't want to wake her up. So Haley kept holding her and his mom came home. She sat next to Haley and was like "sorry for what I'm about to do" hinting that she was going to take Madi and I was like "we've been trying to get her to nap all day, please don't wake her up" and she of course was all pissy. Then Madison woke up and she just grabbed her. Madison was crying, she needs ME when she's crying-not her!!!!! I finally took Madison from her and got her calm. Well his mom went upstairs and was like "Just holler if she gets fussy and ill come grab her" are you kidding me?!?!?! I'm her MOTHER! Why would I give you my daughter when she's fussy?!?!?! I was like "no, I think I can handle it" :dohh: I want to punch her sometimes :[


----------



## airbear

It was so hard carrying both! I worked for 3 hours on Thursday. The baby was better this time, she slept for about 40 minutes and swung for 30 but other than that she was fussy. Elsie sat in the swing and her car seat the whole time. I can easily tell Elsie's cues but this baby I swear has none! When she's hungry (or tired or anything) she'll just scream. If she just wants to be held she'll scream then stop but if she wants something else she'll scream until she gets it. I don't think ut's worth it if Elsie has to be set aside since she's so easy. I feel she still deserves attention! I nannied a 5 year old and a 7 year old for slightly less than 45 hours a week. Plus I got 3 days a week in which I received a 3 hour paid break. Plus the kids were old enough to help out and take care of themselves. I made $550 a week take home pay. It was a 15 minute drive mostly because of a stop light. Now I'm 30 minutes away and will have to work a full 50 hours for a young dependant baby who constantly cries. Plus I'm suppose to walk their dog, do light housekeeping, and take their daughter to activities and bring home $ 467 a week take home pay. I get that I get to bring Elsie but I use to make $15/hr now I'm makinfg $11/hr. That's $4/hr difference at 50hrs/week which is $800 a month. So basically I'm paying $800 a month in child care.. I just worry if I don't take the job I won't be able to find another, especially one that will let me bring Elsie.

I wish I would stand up more than keeping my cool. I feel like Travis' mom is similar to Eric's mom where she'll just take the baby whenever she wants if someone else is holding her. I kind of feel like listening to your story that people around us forget that we're parents. I feel like everyone acts like we don't know how to take care of our own daughters or that we're not capable. We know what is in the best interest. I feel like if we were 30 and our daughter just got put down for a nap/fell asleep no one would try and take over but because we're young they think we have no clue and that they know bet. Maybe it isn't true, and maybe you don't feel that way, but I sure do. My cousin's have an issue with me co-sleeping and I think she just graduated and became a nurse. So she told me how there is an increased risk of SIDS when co sleeping and all thise stuff and now I feel like I have to back up my parenting choices which is really frustrating since I know what is best for my daughter and would never put her in any harm! They act like I didn't even research the subject or like I have no clue what I'm doing. One of them doesn't even have children!

I just want to be a SAHM and I want people to understand this is MY daughter and to do what I ask of them and not tell me/give me advice unless I ask. I think this hasn't been the best week. I want friends who have babies so I can have actual friends who can relate and who I can get together with. 

On the upside I'm pretty sure I love Elsie more and more every day.


----------



## krys

I really hope you can find another job. That one just seems to overwhelming, and you won't get paid enough for that! I would probably feel guilty, since there are times you have to let one or the other cry. Fingers crossed that another opportunity comes up!!

I definitely feel that people second guess me because of my age. It drives me nuts. I'm more educated that all the other moms that I know! I know what I'm doing! We're 20, not 14!!! I have also done my research on co-sleeping. The risks can easily be prevented!! Eric and I are obvs never under the influence and we keep her down so she isn't by the pillows and we keep our blanket down and specifically not by her! She doesn't sleep on her tummy. We aren't doing anything wrong!! You just need to explain to her that you have done your research and you feel the pros outweigh the cons, and that you are taking all precautionary measures! 

I still haven't scanned Madi's dang pictures. My hands are always full! I never want to put my baby down! I just love her so much, definitely more every day!

Have you stopped bleeding? Had your dr appt? Had sex yet??
I stopped bleeding a few days ago, my doctors appt is tomorrow, and I'm am absolutely terrified at the thought of sex. (even though I want to reallyyyyy bad) :blush:

I'm so sorry that you didn't have the best week. I hope this next one is better. A girl I went to school with, but never talked to had her son a week after I had Madi. We're friends on Facebook and actually started talking quite a bit since we were so close along with our pregnancies. I'm so shy though, I want to hangout with her but I'd be too shy, I think. Eric and I have recently made some new friends though, and I am sooo excited about it!! He gets along sooo great with the guy, and they work together. His wife is a medical assistant (like me) and works for a kidney transplant place, well I worked for a kidney specialist. The same dr works at both places! So we have that in common lol. We talk a lot and our hubbies talk soo much haha. It's cute! They're our age, married, and their daughter Addison is 14 months old! I love hanging out with them, we got really really lucky to meet them. I just wish they lived closer, they live 30-45 min away :/


----------



## airbear

I just quit that job yesterday so I won't have to go back but hopefully something better does come up. I feel bad because this means Travis will have to work his two jobs a bit longer but there is no way I would have been able to work that many hours under that much stress!

People definitely treat us like we're 14! I mean sure they were 20 once and they know they wouldn't have wanted a child so young but we already have our daughters here and we've had to grow up just a bit quicker for them! We're going to do what it takes to take care of them and keep them safe! I sent my cousin three links and then ranted about how it was the best choice for our family and why I was pro co-sleeping. I probably came off rude but ever since I had Elsie everyone puts their two cents in. Just the other day I was at a family picnic because my aunt from Tennessee was visiting and everytime Elsie got fussy everyone thought they were better at calmng her down or told me she needed a binky or not not bounce her so much. It's so frustrating! I know what's best for her and I'm the only one who can read her every cue and I always know exactly what she needs! I am so fed up with everyone thinking they can just tell me what to do I'm about to write a list of things people can't do. Like do not try and wake her up if she is sleeping just because its the one time a week you see her, don't comment on how she is always sleeping - she's a baby she's suppose to sleep, when she is crying let me comfort her, do not tell me she looks cold or hot or uncomfortable or that I should do this or that with her, don't put anything in her mouth (knuckles, food, pacifiers) without my permission, don't tell me who you think she looks like -especially if you're only going to point out one side of her family - she looks like BOTH travis and I. Anyways.. the list could go on! Oh and Travis told his mom not to put her knuckles in Elsie's mouth and she was like oh geeze and Travis told her they weren't clean and his dad said well she's been in the pool so the chlorine has sanitized them and Travis said well still I don't want you too and she said all jokingly well fine I won't ever do it again. Ugh so frustrating. If we say not to do something just don't do it! Don't act like we're rude for asking. Plus once we left Travis said that its not any better the chlorine sanitized her hands because now she was just putting chemicals in Elsie's mouth!

Haha I would be the same way! I always hav e so much I want to get done (like organize her pictures online and get all the 2500 I have on my phone off and onto the computer so I can save them) but I would much rather be cuddling with Elsie. Personally I think holding them so much is good for them because at this stage they're learning to trust us and if we're always there and providing for their needs they are feeling loved and being able to trust us and depend on us.

I have stopped bleeding! For about a week and a half now I've just been using one pantyliner and it lasts me all day and night though I usually change it just to be extra fresh. I haven't had my doctors appointment as I never made one and keep forgetting to call but I really need to call and go in! I haven't had sex yet at all, but Travis definitely tries. I swear he is so much hornier now! But I don't even want to! For one my stitches are starting to come out and I find that to feel a little uncomfortable plus they always itch so I just don't need extra attention down there! I did put out a twice for him even though I didn't really want to since I didn't find it fair that my body had to be put through so much and he didn't have to do anything but gets to enjoy some sexual pleasure (haha I don't know how to say that really I just feel awkward!) I told him I wanted sex too but that my lady parts just can't right now so its not fair he gets to and I don't especially after everything I went through!

Aw, I'm happy to hear about the couple you two are friends with! I have a friend who use to be my best friend in about 8th and 9th grade who had a baby girl named Pearl last October. So ever since I found out I was pregnant and had Elsie we've been talking a bit more. She gave me all of Pearls old clothes too and she was spoiled. Elsie is spoiled too so now she has so much clothes I'm pretty sure for the 0-3 mo size she'll have a new outfit every day! But we don't hang out much at all! Maybe we'll start/try to soon but she's a single mom so it would be just her. Travis and I want friends again so bad and a couple with a baby would be so perfect as they would just understand better. That's so awesome that the couple is so close in age to you two, and that Eric and her husband get along so well and that you two have nursing in common! I bet its nice to have someone to spend time with other than each other! It's like getting a break and being able to have fun and relax! 30/45min is kind of a bit far especially if you wanted to hang out often!

I havented started working out yet but I weigh 122lbs now which is just 12 more than I was pre-pregnancy. I wore a 00 before being pregnant and now I wear a size 5! My hips grew so much it's ridiculous. It really explains why my butt, hips, and thighs are covered with stretchies! I have woman hips now rather than my teenage frame. But luckily I've never worried about what number was on the scale as long as I still feel like I look good and I feel like I'm in shape rather than being a lazy bum (like I am right now!). I do need to work on my tummy a bit, it isn't really bad but in a tight shirt its really noticable and I'm not a big fan on that! Otherwise I'm kind of happy I wear a bigger jean size so that I can buy them easier! Though I think I would rather settle at a size 3, but I'm sure in due time I will be there. Hopefully.. I do have huge hips and quite the ass (which Travis loves.. and I'll admit I think it looks nice!)!


----------



## krys

Sorry I haven't been on, I've been planning my wedding! We finally set a date, and its pretty soon. April 4, 2012, only 201 days away!! 

I'm glad you quit, that would have just been way too stressful! It would be a lot easier watching older children, ones that you don't have to hold constantly lol.

You should hangout with that friend when Travis is working! Our friends also gave us all of Addison's old clothes, she was born in May so they aren't too far off as far as the seasons go :)

I had my PP drs appt and I was 103 lbs! I was shocked, breastfeeding is the best lol. I can fit in my old jeans, but they're tight. I think I'm going to buy some jeans soon! Also, Eric and I had sex! I was so scared, but it wasn't bad at all! It hurt for a second and then it was fine!

I really want to type more, but Madi just pooped and it sounded like an explosive one. Eeeeeek, ttyl!


----------



## airbear

I bet you're having so much fun planning your wedding! April 4th is my mom's birthday! Travis' brother is getting married the first weekend in June and they'll be getting married in Vegas and I will be one of the brides maids! I haven't helped much with any wedding planning much. They're going to a little chapel somewhere by a lake. They originally were just going to go to the court house so I don't think they're planning much for the actual wedding. How is all your planning coming along?

I'm definitely happy I quit! Someone just emailed me today who lives in Kenmore also who has 6 month old daughter and she's hoping I can watch her at my place M-F mid morning/late afternoon. Which would be so perfect! Plus Elsie could even stay in her own home! I think 6 months would be a much better age than the 2 month old I was watching since she'll be able to sit on her own and crawl within a couple of months.

Yeah I should hang out with her. She's a little weird though but at least we have something in common and know what we're both going through. I definitely love hand me downs because babies never wear clothes that long that they are still really nice! Plus some of the hand me downs we have are so cute! 

I still need to make a PP appointment, oops. I think I'm around 122 still which is just 12lbs more than I use to be. However I realized I fit into a size 5 jeans at hollister and a size 2 at american eagle. But my size 5 jeans are a size to big and I should have boughten a size 3 at hollister. It's kind of nice to know I'm a size 2/3 rather than a 4/5. Breastfeeding really is great though but I should really start exercising or at least yoga! I can't believe you've had sex already! You're much more brave than me, especially since you had a worse tear! My stitches itch like crazy but I think they're almost completely gone which is why they've been itching so much! I really need to make my PP appointment. What kind of birth control are you using? I really can't stand condoms.. the smell and everything about them turns me off and makes me not even enjoy sex so I really want a different form of birth control. Obviously I will use them if need be as I don't want another baby so soon!

What size diapers is Madison in? We just switched Elsie to size 1 this week. She still fits fairly well in her newborn clothes but a couple outfits are a little short on her as she is pretty long. Like the footie pajama style ones are a bit small but the rest of her clothes fit.

I swear I love her more every day and I feel like I know her so much. I'm still ridiculously crazy about her.. I love to just look at her and I constantly need to be holding her. I still haven't let Travis feed her. He says I need to cut the chord and I told him I don't think I ever will. I sometimes feel like we are actually connected though because I've been with her for basically 6 weeks straight other than a max of 3 hours when we went to a movie. 

We went to the fair today and got a picture button of Elsie sitting in this huge massive chair just because she was so tiny. The quality of the picture sucks because I guess to take the picture that far away with their crappy camera makes it grainy. But its cute to see how small she is. Now I want to do it each year so we can see how big she's gotten! We also did photobooth pictures which turned out so cute. But we had two do it twice because we were definitely not prepared the first time haha there is one of Elsie in the middle and Travis and I on either side kissing her that turned out so precious!


----------



## krys

Madison was in Pampers nb diapers, but we just switched her over to Huggies size 1! The Huggies 1 are a little smaller than Pampers 1 so we will be moving her to Pampers 1 soon. These just fit her better right now, they also have this thing in the back that helps prevent blowouts which is perfect bc she's always getting poop out of the back! We're also incorporating more 0-3 months clothes, but like you said the long pant/sleeve ones are getting a little short. She's getting too tall!

My stitches had actually been fine for about a week before we had sex! No itching or pain, that's why I felt ready for sex! We waited to get the clear from my doctor though. Also, just a warning, breastfeeding makes you errr more dry down there. My doctor warned me so we had bought some lube...definitely needed it! I actually started my period two days ago :/ I'm not one of the lucky ones who doesn't get their period while breastfeeding. Oh and I'm on the pill now. It's got one hormone instead of two, since I'm breastfeeding. It's just progesterone. We will be using the "pull out method" as well, as I don't want to get pregnant again before the wedding! Especially since I got my period, I am very fertile right now. 

Speaking of the wedding, the planning is going well! There's so much that goes into it, I didn't realize how many details mattered! It is so much fun though, I am so excited!

Madison has been sleeping so well! She wakes up once to eat and goes right back to sleep! I have so much more energy lately. How is Elsie doing at night?

Are you going to get Elsie's ears pierced? Madi has a doctors appt Monday and we are going to ask when we can get hers done! We'll be getting them as soon as she's able. I want to get them while she's young so she isn't pulling on them or anything. Mine were done at 6 weeks, and I've never had a problem with them! It's a controversial subject though, some are really against it.


----------



## airbear

I didn't know Pampers ran a little bigger. I use huggies a bit more, I just kind of like them better. But that's probably because I had this one small pack of pampers that didn't even have that blue line and they just fit weird. But then I got this different set of pampers and they were fine. I haven't put her in any 0-3mo yet though, I can't wait because I have a ton of super cute clothes!

I can't believe your stitches are already better, especially since you had a worse tear! Mine itch like crazy! Especially the last couple of days. I need to make my PP appointment so I can have them checked. It's good to know about being dry though, especially for the first time introducing sex back again! I'm definitely going to talk about birth control and what's best for breastfeeding because I don't need a baby quite yet. At least a year from now before I want to be pregnant again! 

I'm glad to hear the planning is going well! I'm so excited for you! I can only imagine what goes into the planning. I saw your status update about the Cinderellea dress. Is that the one you picked? It's beautiful! Are you doing tiffany blue for your wedding color? I always think of what I want my wedding to be like! I am excited for mine and I'm not even engaged yet, I bet you're estatic.

I'm so glad Madi is sleeping better because I remember she had a couple days where she was up fussy or just being awake. Elsie has slept so good at night ever since she was born! I always feed her on my side when I feed her at night since she sleeps with us. I don't know if I wake up and feed her because I notice her wiggling or if I wake up and since I woke I just assume its time tofeed her. Tonight I'll have to see because its so natural now I just feed her!

Travis and I decided to wait until she's old enough to ask. So if she asks when she's 4 she can get them done or if she doesn't ask until she's 10 we'll get them done then. We want her to make the decision and have the memory of getting them done. But I also had mine done when I was 6 weeks old. And I never had a problem with having gotten them done so young. I wear earrings all the time. I definitely read that thread about it though! I think getting them done can be good because then she'll get use to them where as a 5 year old might tug at them because they itch when they start healing and hurt a lot especially when you try to sleep. I don't care either way I think its up to the parents. I think its more accepted getting them done young here in the US rather than the UK though. I just think it would be fun to make a big event about it for when Elsie decides.


----------



## krys

You should try taking a bath with tea tree oil! It might help heal your stitches faster! You can get it at a vitamin store, and I'm sure other places. My nana swears by it! She uses it on everything. I hope it heals up and stops itching soon! Ouchy! I'm glad mines all better. I even found the courage to use a tampon lol. It's a little uncomfortable since my period isn't too heavy, but it's not too bad!

I am going to try the two Cinderella dresses on this weekend. My mom is going to be in town for her high school reunion so I'm going to steal her for a little while and bring her along :) I'm so happy that I get to share that experience with her! Yes, our color is Tiffany blue!! I love it so much. I've been browsing online and I've got so many great ideas! 

Have you and Travis talked about marriage recently? I know you two know you're going to marry, but I wasn't sure if you had any idea when? Eric and I kept putting it off and I finally just opened the calendar on my phone and made him pick a date with me!


----------



## airbear

I definitely might have to try that. There is a super supplements by my house, I'm sure they have it. These stitches are miserable. I actually looked at them the other day and they look like they're almost out but because they're poking out of the skin I think that's why they itch! That's awesome you're able to use a tampon though! I would be nervous. I wonder when my period will start! 

Aw, I'm so glad your mom will be in town and be apart of your dress shoping! Have you heard of the site pinterest.com? Basically you make "boards" and "pin" pictures from websites or even from other peoples 'pins'. There are a lot of wedding pictures I pin to my wedding board to remember cute ideas. You cold probably find a ton of great ideas! 

Well Travis really wants to get married. We've been dating for almost 5 and a half years so he feels like he's late on asking to get married. But he doesn't want to buy a ring right now and be in debt before we get married. We also have to try and plan it either between the two kids or after. So I guess we need to sit down with a calendar and plan the wedding and next baby! So we can at least have a plan! we originally said between Elsie and the next baby which we want 2-3 years apart.


----------



## krys

Ahhh I was on my phone and I typed a reallyyy long message and I accidentally pushed the back button and lost it all!! I'll try to sum it up!

I'm on this wedding website and we have 'inspiration boards' where you do the same thing, you add pictures! I made one and it looks really cool haha. It has Tiffany blue shoes, a blue box, pretty bouquets, etc. You can look at other peoples too! Its really cool :)

Eric and I were looking at/pinking out rings right before I got pregnant. He also didn't want to be in debt so once we found out I was pregnant so I didn't get it when I would have. I ended up not getting one until about five months later! It will all happen how its supposed to though, I think!

If Elsie hasn't got her shots yet, beware! We had a great doctors visit, Madi usually cries when the doctor starts messing with her. She was such a good girl and didn't cry at all! She let the doctor do everything she needed to do and cooperated well. Then we had to get her shots :( She had to take a syrup, and did really good! The nurse even commented on how well she did! Then was time for her shots... She cried as soon as the needle touched her and for about a minute after they were all done. Then she fell asleep and we went out to eat. Halfway through our meal she woke up screaming...she never does that. Then we couldn't calm her down! I can always calm her down as soon as I pick her up! I even went outside and walked around with her and she just cried and cried. It was so sad! We picked up some Tylenol on our way home, actually the Walgreens brand because the Children's Tylenol had been recalled! We gave it to her when we got home. She would drift in and out of sleep, screaming when she woke up. When she finally got into a good sleep, she slept for HOURS! I actually woke her up because I was scared! Last night was rough. She wouldn't sleep on the bed or next to the bed in her bassinet. She would only sleep if she was laying on either Eric or me. We took her temp this morning and she had a fever so we gave her some more Tylenol. Her fever went down, but shes still a little fussy. I hope she feels better soon :(

Oh, and she's 9lb 13oz, 21.6 inches long, and her head grew an inch since our last visit!


----------



## airbear

I hate when that happens! It seem's to happen a lot to me, too. Even when I am using the laptop! Today I didn't have internet until just now and it's about 9:30pm! So frustrating. Especially since I FINALLY got the pictures of Elsie from the photographer. Which by the way turned out horrible. There is only one picture I liked. I am so disappointed since I can't go back in time and get newborn pictures of her! I am just so upset.

That sound's awesome. It's so nice being able to get idea's from the internet and other people. I bet planning your wedding is so much fun! I can't wait to plan mine but I'm going to try and be relaxed while planning it because getting married should be fun and not stressful and I get stressed too easily. I think I'm going to have a laid back wedding because I'd rather have fun than be really proper. Also I was telling Travis how Elsie and I have a different insurance come October since I'm not pregnant so they just have me on a different plan but that it only lasts until July or so. I told him I could probably apply again and continue to get medical benefits but he said even if I couldn't we could just get married so I could be on his insurance. I told him 'Oh how romantic'. He said he felt bad because he feels like it's taking the fun out of getting married. I told him I think that was Elsie's fault because now we're getting married sooner than we probably would. But we both wouldn't have it any other way! 

So you two were already planning on getting married before you found out you were pregnant? That's cute. Travis and I had always talked about it and we've even looked at rings before but we hadn't ever planned on getting married this young. Though I have always wanted to be married young and have children young. I think he would have rather waited until mid to late 20's. So I guess I got what I wanted! I feel bad because he probably would have rather had a couple more partying year's. But we hardly partied anyway since I wasn't a big fan and he would rather spend time with me. We went and looked at a ring the other day at Kay. Just because we were at the mall. They had us sign up for some silly thing which ended up him getting a credit card. He was so mad because we hadn't planned on getting a ring there so now he has a credit card that could hurt his credit since if he closes it right away or doesn't use it, it could look bad on his score! I'm so picky with my ring. It's so basic but I also want it to be just right. Originally I wanted a 1ct solitaire round diamond but when I saw the size I almost thought it looked too pick since it stuck out so far from my finger! Then I want two very very thin bands of diamonds on either side. That's the part where I am picky because I want it so thin and that's just hard to get perfect.

Elsie actually hasn't gotten her shot's yet! Poor little Madi! I'm glad you told me though so that I can be aware when it's Elsie's turn. When she got her first doctor's appointment I made her second and they said it was a 2 month old check up so she won't even have her's until the first week of October and I think it's like the 6th or something. I thought they were suppose to have a 1 month check up. But what do I know. I might call and try to get it closer to the 1st. I think she weigh's a little over 10lbs now. I only used my bathroom scale and weighed myself and then weighed her but it was a 10lb difference! 

I have my PP doctor's appointment tomorrow! I'm going to have her check my stitches but I'm pretty sure they're gone. I'm still so itchy and for a while I thought it was my stitches because it itched exactly the same but now I'm pretty sure it's something else and I have no clue what. But I don't feel very lady like with itchy lady parts! Hopefully she can tell me something to help at least! I also can't wait to talk about birth control because I feel so bad that I haven't been able to have sex with Travis because I know he's really been wanting to and he's waited so long! The last time we had sex was the day before I went into labor! He's been asking but I told him it's not fair for me since I cant actually have sex and I feel so uncomfortable down there. Ever since then he's been really respectful.

Aw I just read Madi's weight and such. She's so cute and little. Like I said I'm thinking Elsie is over 10lbs now! I won't even know for sure until October! She'll have gained even more weight! 

I'm so excited. I sold our turtles today since we just didn't have time for them. I got $100! I also am selling my car tonight for $600 which I think is a good deal since I rear ended someone on the freeway in January 2010 and it's had problems ever since and a cracked windshield. So last fall it got really wet inside and I stopped driving it because it would fog up and I couldn't see. So since it sat wet for so long the whole inside molded and the person buying it said they didn't care since they were putting new seats in! So I think $600 is a good deal for me! I had also forgot to file my claim for unemployment for one week which means you have to reopen it and I hadn't realized so basically I missed 3 weeks of unemployment and I was worried I was out all that money! Well I called and they said they would still be able to pay it for me. So I got 4 weeks of pay all in one week, which felt nice because I was so worried. It was like $690 I would have been out too!

Okay I got to go get Travis from work and Elsie is getting fussy since I'm typing!


----------



## krys

Agh I hate when I reply and it deletes!!

I've been pretty busy lately. My mom was in town, then my best friend was in town, and Madi has been so sick! 

Madi's been teething since about 5 weeks, but teething toys are too big for her little mouth. I don't know what to give her to chew on!

Elsie's pictures on Facebook are so cute! They're both getting so big. Madi has such a cute personality now :) She doesn't sleep very much during the day, and she's always smiling! Shes so funny though, as soon as I get my phone out to take a picture of her smiling she stops and her eyes get wide and she just stares at my phone and follows it with her eyes. I wish I could get a good smiling picture!

Elsie is so talkative! I saw that video. Madison makes cooing sounds, my friend said she sounds like a bird lol. Any new milestones? I read that babies can start to giggle at 9 weeks. She scrunches up her nose and opens her mouth like shes gonna laugh, but she hasn't yet!


----------



## airbear

You definitely sound busy especially with a sick and teething baby. I don't think Elsie is teething yet but she drools a lot more lately so maybe she is starting! The only new thing with me is that I found a new nanny position, full time for less money but they are bringing their baby here. Its a boy who will be 5 months when I start watching him (in November) and talking to his parents he sounds a lot like Elsie and when I saw him he seemed so easy!

Thank you! I love taking pictures of her! They really are so big! I'm pretty sure Elsie is over 10lbs now! We'll know for sure next week. Elsie does the same thing! My phone has a bright pink case and she loves to stare at it! I seriously take like 25-50 pictures just to get one good one. I have over 2800 pictures on my phone and the memory is getting really full. I'm sure you'll get a ton of good smiling pictures soon now that she's getting older!

Elsie talks so much! Especially when she first wakes up for the day, it is so adorable! That's too funny that your friend said Madi sounds like a bird! I don't think we have any milestones yet! But I heard the same thing about laughing. I think she's only laughed twice. Once was really short and the other was while she was in my moms arms sleeping and she laughed so loud! It was cute but that was a couple weeks ago and she hasn't since.

Oh I went to the doctors and got the go ahead to have sex. So we have twice and its definitely dry and kind of hurts! I was really surprised! I got mirena the iud. I am pretty excited about it because I don't have to remember to take any pills! Sometimes I forget to take my prenatals and I don't want to forget a birth control pill because Elsie doesn't need a sibling quite yet! It lasts for 5 years but you can take it out when you're ready to TTC. It was free through my insurance, too. I guess you can spot for the first 2 months and it helps make your periods lighter and in some women they won't even have a period. So far I haven't even started mine since Elsie was born! I bled a little after they put the IUD in but it was just for that one day. I hope I'm one of those lucky girls who don't get one while breastfeeding, that would be nice! Oh and it has these little metal strings so the doctors can take it out later and she said Travis might be able to feel them in the beginning before they soften and when we had sex yesterday he said he could!


----------



## krys

I don't know if I told you or not, but I already had my period :( I even had cramps! Thru told us that about the Mirena strings while I was pregnant and it freaked Eric out! My doctor said if they cut them too short it could poke! I just didn't like the idea of always having something inside of me, you know? I have an alarm on my phone though and I've been so good about taking my birth control, I take it at the exact same time except once I was an hour late bc we were out and I didn't have a drink. 

That's awesome that you got a job!!! I'm really happy for you, hopefully he's a good baby! 

We took Madison swimming last Monday! She loves baths, and she loved the pool! It's so funny, when shes in the water she pushes her head back to get it wet and smiles. It's so cute! 

Sooo Eric and I are getting married in April, Madison will be like eight months. We want to go on a honeymoon of course, but we don't think we can leave her! I guess we could bring her, but I don't want to take her out of the country and there's nowhere in the US that I would want to go. I don't know what to do! What would you do?


----------



## airbear

You did tell me you already had your period, which by now was probably a couple of week's ago? That's why I'm surprised I haven't had mine! Elsie was born almost 9 week's ago and yet I have not had my period. My postpartum bleeding stopped around 5 weeks, and I have only had slight spotting since after getting my IUD. I think the main reason some people choose something other than and IUD is for the same reason you didn't want to because they didn't like the idea of having something inside them all of the time. Which honestly since it's so new, is kind of a weird idea to me! But I also like not having to even think about or worry about taking birth control pill's. But whatever works for each person is all that matters! I'm glad having the alarm works well for you. I guess when I had birth control pills before Elsie the hardest part for me was finding a time of day that worked well to always be able to take the pill, even with an alarm. Because sometimes I wouldn't be in a place where I could take it or I would be at work on a shift I couldn't just go take my pills. That's why it's nice they make so many methods so that each person can have what works best for them!

I am so happy I got the job! The only thing is I realize I don't exactly have a ton of toys for Elsie and since this baby is about 2-3 months older than her he will be needing toys a little ahead of when Elsie need's them. Right now Elsie has one of those playmat/gyms that have an arch with toys hanging above, she has a ton of rattles, a couple of music/light toys, a couple of books (not many), and a couple of toys a little older that aren't really that exciting. So now I'm researching what toys are best for what age. What do you do with Madison all day? I'm worried I'm not doing enough with Elsie.

That is too cute that Madison got to go swimming! Elsie likes bath's especially if they are warm but I think she is also a little nervous of them, she always has a worried face on! I don't think she likes it as much as Madison probably does. It sounds so cute that she got to go swimming and was trying to get her hair all wet!

I have no clue what I would do! I feel the same way, Travis' brother is getting married in Vegas in June and we're suppose to leave Elsie here because they figure we wouldn't want to go to Vegas with a baby. But honestly I don't really want to leave her. If I was you I would probably talk to Madison's doctor explaining your situation and see if your doctor felt comfortable with you taking her out of the country. Maybe plan ahead of where you're wanting to go so they can get a better idea. Maybe by then you'll be okay with the idea of having time to yourselves to enjoy being newly weds and being able to have a vacation. When Madison grows up she'll never be upset that you didn't bring her on your honeymoon but I also know that it's not all about Madison, it's that you want to be able to spend time with her too! So I definitely think it is a hard decision and you and Eric should go with whichever makes you happiest. But since you're wanting to go out of country you'll have to talk about if you feel comfortable taking her out of the country at that age. You could also possibly go on your honeymoon later in life when she is older because by then you'll probably want a vacation away from the kids anyway, but it's also not as fun not going as newly weds.


----------



## krys

Madison also has one of those play mats with an arch whit toys hanging down. She loves it! There's also a little mirror on the arch and she loves to stare at herself. She even swats the toys now!! She loves laying down and looking at the ceiling fan. I'll flip the switch on for a few seconds and turn it off so it's spinning, but slowly. Sometimes when she's crying I'll lay her down and as soon as she opens her eyes and sees the fan, she stops. I walk around with her, take her to the window to look out, take her in the bathroom to look in the mirror, etc. Eric puts her in her vibrating seat and puts on cartoons, she loves to watch tv! She is very independent and loves to just lay down, look around and entertain herself. 

My mom got me a book, Chicken Soup for the Soul New Moms. I really like it! It's so relaxing for me to just lay Madi on my lap and read. I cry at silly things, like reading about a baby kicking and remembering Madi in my belly. My mom has got me a few Chicken Soup books since I was little, and when she gave me this one it made me cry. I got one for little kids (can't remember the name), for the teenage soul, now this. She wrote in it "Krystal- I'm so proud of you baby! You are doing an amazing job! I love you so much! Mom xoxo" thats when I cried! Anyway, I know you like to read so if you haven't read it yet, you should :)

I love being a mom, and I can't believe how much I love Madison. I never thought it was possible!


----------



## airbear

That is too cute. Elsie doesn't bat at the toy's yet but she'll look at herself in the little mirror. I also take her to the mirror in the bathroom that is bigger and she'll smile at herself! We don't have a ceiling fan but if we did I think Elsie would really like it! I put Elsie in her vibrating seat a lot when I need to shower or go to the bathroom or just need to have my hand's free. Elsie would much rather be held than laid down so sometimes it's hard because she'll only last so long on whichever activity I put her in. Sometimes I use her swing but I don't think she likes it much. She love love loves to talk so we end up having a lot of chats. I also let her watch a little bit of TV. Not a ton, but she loves lights and I figured it isn't so bad her watching a little bit. I got the Parenting magazine today because I wanted to read it and I figured I could read it aloud to her because my mom kept saying I need to start reading more to her and I know some babies really like pictures of real life people so I thought the magazine would be good because then we both could be entertained! I was worried that I wasn't doing enough with her but it sounds like we do a lot of the same things. One of her favorite things to do is just observe though. She loves to look at tree's and new surroundings. She sometimes get over stimulated easily, especially with a lot of people around talking to her. She'll hide her face on my chest when I'm holding her and that's how I know she's a little bit over stimulated.

Oh! I should get the Chicken Soup for the Soul New Mom's. I had kid one when I was younger and I also had the teenage soul one as well! I really liked them then and I bet I would really connect with the one for new mom's. I was crying watching Project Runway Season 8 the other day because they had the designer's mom's come in and all of the designers started crying because they missed their mom's and really enjoyed their support and I realized that Elsie will always look up to me that way. That was such a sweet thing your mom wrote in it for you too. Now you'll have it forever! 

I know exactly how you feel! I love Elsie so much. I know understand why my mom did everything she did for me. When I was picking up my Parenting magazine today I saw a halloween one with cute idea's for kid's parties and since my birthday is in the middle of October I usually had a halloween party so my mom always did fun things and I was thinking how I can't wait to do things like that for Elsie. I'm always seeing new and cute idea's too but she's too young for them right now!


----------



## krys

I love reading Madison touch and feel books because I can put her hand on it an let her feel. We have one with different animals, and you can feel their fur. I know she can't understand yet, but it's still fun for us :) I also put her in her bumbo seat and shake rattles at her, or play with this hippo puppet. She likes the puppet the best! I think it's for the bath, but she likes it!

Today I started singing her the alphabet and doing the letters in sign language. Also, singing "head, shoulders, knees, and toes..." it's never to early to start learning! :)

Have you thought about extra curricular activities and such for Elsie? I want Madison to be in a sign language and one other language (she can choose which) class. I'd like to do this pretty early, because it's so much easier for them to learn a second or third language at a young age. I think it's really important for her to learn other languages, I feel like it will help her excel in the long run! I wish my parents had done this for me, its so hard for me now! I've been in Spanish for like four years and it just won't click! I want to put her in gymnastics at a young age too! I'm thinking four or five! I really want to teach her responsibility. Like, you have gymnastics on this day at this time and even if sometimes you would rather stay at home and play, you have to go. I just want to teach her that quitting isn't an option because when I was little my parents let me quit violin, ballet, tap, gymnastics, cheerleading, etc. I really regretted it when I was older, and in high school I quit soccer and softball and it wasn't a big deal because I never learned that quitting wasn't okay!

K I'm totally rambling and I probably sound like a Nazi mom :dohh:


----------



## airbear

I should get Elsie some touch and feel books and some puppets. Those are some things we don't have yet that I could add to our daily activities.

I sing Elsie those songs too! I sing to her all the time. She really likes 'You are my Sunshine' and '5 monkey's jumping on the bed'. I sing somewhere over the rainbow a lot, too. Its definitely never to early to learn. I'm always talking to Elsie during the day and just pointing out and telling her what everything is, because they learn language by us talking so I want her to hear a lot of words.

Travis and I definitely want our kid's doing extra curricular activities. I think we've decided on soccer as a sport we would like Elsie to try. I have never learned sign language or the piano but those are two things I have always wanted to learn so I would like Elsie to have a chance to learn them (she has nice long finger's for the piano, too). But we have both said we won't push her into anything as we want her to explore what interests her the most. We did say that if we do enroll her into an extra curricular activity that she has to finish the course. She can't just quit everything if she tries it once or twice and doesn't like it. She has to learn to be committed to something and follow through as well as giving something more of a chance. She might not like it at first and all of those things take hard work and dedication and we want her to learn that early on. We don't want to put her into too many activities as we want her to have time to socialize with friends as well as family. I definitely agree by pushing our daughters to learn something as I was never really pushed to continue. I was always allowed to quit and since we didn't have a ton of money I wasn't always given the opportunity, especially if I did end up quitting things. That's why if she get's enrolled in something she has to finish it and I think like you said about having the responsibility to know she has a certain activity at a certain time on a certain day and she can't just skip it because spongebob is on or her friend wants to come over

Elsie still isn't grabbing for her toy's on her playmat, but she has been grabbing her feet I've noticed, a bit lately. She's definitely not overly independent but we're always giving her opportunities to spend some alone time. She has this one toy on her changing table that I turn on whenever I am changing her so she has something to look at and she LOVES it! It has 6 or so pictures in black and white with accents of red and there or faces on each picture that light up and it plays classical music. Sometimes after changing her I will just stand there and let her watch it and I end up standing there until the music ends! The music plays for a long time though, which I love because some toy's music is so short and you have to keep starting it over and over again. 

I may have started my period just the other day. After I got my IUD I knew I would have some spotting/bleeding especially the day I got it put in. I had a light spotting for a couple of day's. But just recently it has seemed to be more heavy so I think I may have started my period. Which is really unfortunate as WARNING TMI I have been extremely itchy in my lady part's. When I was at my postpartum appointment they took a sample to test for a yeast infection. They called just yesterday saying it was negative. She was about to hang up when I asked her.. well I'm still really itchy so what can I do?! She told me to try monistat as I'm probably just overly dry. It is seriously so horrible. I try not to itch but sometimes (especially at night) it is so horrible. My skin is now red and swollen and it's beyond miserable. On top of that I also (ANOTHER WARNING TMI) asked the doctor to check if I had a hemorrhoid as it was hurting to go to the bathroom and sometimes I would bleed. Especially after I first had Elsie, though it is still continuing. When the doctor checked she said I had a small one and to use over the counter medicine which I have only used once but it seem's to have gotten better with time anyway (I guess they are very common during pregnancy and post-pregnancy). Now I'm just focused on this itchiness as it's honestly so miserable. I have had sex with Travis twice since Elsie but at this point I can't even think about it because I am so uncomfortable. Sorry for such a rant but I feel like I'm just stuck at home being miserable and uncomfortable and in pain!


----------



## krys

I'm so glad you are on the same boat with the activities and such, I wasn't sure if I sounded crazy! Madi grabs the toys on her playmat and I got her to grab a rattle. She didn't even look at it once she grabbed it, but she held on to it for a while. She love to kick the toys on her mat and hit them, it's so cute! I posted a picture of her grabbing it on facebook :)
Madison is so sick. We took her to the doctor two Mondays ago, but they didn't do much. So we brought her back last Monday and we found out she has bronchitis. We have to give her so much medicine, its awful! Every 12 hours she gets her reflux medicine, four times a day she gets thrush medicine (sometimes she throws up when we give it to her), and a breathing treatment every four hours. We also have to sleep with a humidifier on, and flush her nose with saline and use the nose sucker to get her boogies out. Its soo sad. She has the saddest little cough and has been throwing up so much! 
Oh my goodness, TMI but I think I have a hemorrhoid too! It hurts SO bad when I go to the bathroom and for sooo long afterwards. It actually hurts pretty much all day. I wasn't sure if the OB/GYN dealt with things like that so I didn't even ask. Really embarrassing and so painful lol.
I would write more, but Madison isn't feeling well so I want to go snuggle up with her!


----------



## airbear

Definitely not. Travis and I think it is important she does something outside of school and to definitely start young since neither of us ever ended up doing anything or following through. I nannied for two boy's who played soccer and it was so much fun to go to their practices and games, I would love to be able to go to something to see my kids excelling.

I think Elsie tend's to kick things more than try and grab at thing's. It may be by accident but sometimes it seems like she is doing so on purpose. I noticed her recently grabbing her foot a couple of times. She might have done so by accident but that just means she's closer to grabbing things since she's willing to grab her foot! 

Poor Madison! She definitely sound's like a sick little baby. I can't even imagine! Sound's like a rough routine making sure she get's everything she need's! Hopefully she'll be feeling better soon so you can all relax and be happy! I don't think Elsie has ever really been sick and yet she has some fussy day's so I can only imagine what you're going through! Madison is so lucky to have such a great mommy!

I really felt awkward bringing it up to my doctor! But she was putting in my IUD so I figured since she was already down there it was better to mention something then, rather than doing so later. I was relieved when she said it was really common! You should ask the doctor the next time you go in, just to check, but I'm sure it's also okay to try Preparation H as it honestly can't hurt and could help with discomfort. I was always dreading going to the bathroom when I had to go, I hated it! Oh, I also think I started my period yesterday. When I got my IUD put in they said I would have spotting but this is much heavier than it was the first week of my IUD and I think I have very slight cramping. Hopefully it won't last long as I would like to use monistat to help with my itchyness and I feel weird doing so while I'm on my period. 

I feel like I know every little thing about Elsie. I can always tell when she's hungry, tired, or needs her diaper changed. I don't really even have to guess and we just have such a natural feeling rhythm going. It's so crazy to watch her personality develop and know the things she does and doesn't like. She loves being held vertically rather than horizontally and oh my goodness does she love to suck her thumb! 

Okay, Elsie is fussing now!


----------



## krys

I don't think Madi even knows she has feet! That is so cute that Elsie grabs hers! Madi loves sucking on her hand, we've caught her thumb-sucking a few times! She's pretty much pacifier-ed out. She won't take it anymore! I wish she would though, because I would rather her use her orthadontic paci than her hand or eventually anything else she can grab and put in her mouth! I also liked giving it to her in the car when I couldn't feed her or take her out because she absolutely hates her carseat! I'd also give it to her after I gave her medicine and by sucking on it, she'd also suck her medicine down. 

I'm assuming it was because she is sick, but Madison slept all day yesterday. She took like four hour long naps, and a bunch of little ones. Usually, she'll take one longer nap 30-45 min and a couple really short ones. So she was up ALL night! Like worse than when we brought her home from the hospital! She usually wakes up once, I feed her, she falls asleep and we cuddle until morning! It was the longest night. Eric had to be up early too, so when he would wake up with her I felt bad and would take her. Anyway, I'm exhausted!
I go a yeast infection when I was pregnant and that stuff cleared it right up! I'd wait for the bleeding to stop though! Sorry you're so uncomfortable :( I hope it gets better!


----------



## airbear

I haven't really noticed Elsie grabbing her feet much anymore. She also isn't swatting or grabbing anything and I was hoping she would be by now. On the bright side she's holding up her head a lot better than she was, and is usually doing so a majority of the time. I need to continue tummy time on more of a flat surface though as she'll usually just lay flat but when she's slightly inclined she will hold her head up. She is also trying to not necessarily sit but when she is in a laying down position she tries to pull her upper body forward as if she wants to pull herself into a sitting position. 

Elsie has sucked her hand's since she was in the hospital but now she usually sucks her thumbs. She still pretty much hasn't gotten any control of her hand's so sometimes she has to chase it around. She doesn't really use a pacifier either and I agree with you. I would really like her to use once since it's obvious she loves to suck to soothe herself and it would be nice if she could use the orthodontic pacifiers I had previously bought her. I've stopped trying for a while now, maybe I should continue again.

Elsie isn't a big fan of her carseat either, that's where she spends the majority of the time crying. It's the worst thought since there isn't anything I can do about it. As much as I am in love with this baby stage it will also be nice when they get older and can communicate somewhat. I went to my friends babies 1 year birthday party and it's so crazy to think our babies will be that big someday, and then they'll keep growing!

Hopefully Madison is better by now, that sound's like it was a long rough night! I haven't hardly had any issues with Elsie at night. She usually falls asleep for the evening anywhere between 9-11pm and then she'll sleep until 9/10am. I don't have her on a real sleep schedule during the day and I am hoping to do so soon, so I'm not sure how much she really is sleeping during the day. I feel like Elsie sleeps more than what you mentioned Madison sleeps, though.

I got Vagisil instead as it was a cream to help stop the itching and I've only used it a couple of times and it has really seemed to help. I think I'm almost done with my period too, which will be nice.

How are things with you? Is it getting easier to live with Eric's mom and sister? I know Eric was looking for jobs in both Michigan and Washington, is he still looking or are you guy's planning on staying in Vegas for a while? I feel like we haven't talked in a while about each other. I have a second interview type thing on Tuesday and then I am going to babysit the boy for a short bit on Wednesday while his mom goes to a meeting. I'm really hoping things go well. For some reason I am getting myself paranoid and worry once the family comes and see's my home they'll no longer want me to watch their boy here, if at all. We finally got new couches though and it's a matching couch and love seat set that works perfectly in our living room and I'm so happy we finally have furniture we enjoy sitting on because that torn up couch from the dog was horrible!


----------



## krys

Madison's bronchitis is getting better! She still has a cough, but its not as bad as it was. Now our bigger problem is her teething. She's drooling/slobbering everywhere (which is new) and won't stop nomin on her hands. She's even started pulling blankets or when I'm holding her, my shirt into her mouth. It's seriously one thing after another, I feel so bad for her. She is still such a good baby, even with all that's going on. I honestly think it's harder on me than her! I hate seeing her sick or uncomfortable. 
She actually sleeps pretty good at night! It was just that one night that was awful, prob because she wasn't feeling well. Our schedule keeps getting more and more precise. She used to go to sleep anywhere from 8-11 until 7-9. Now she pretty much always sleeps from around 9-9. During that time, I'll usually feel her getting squirmy once, sometimes twice. Then I'll feed her, neither of us really wake up during that time. It's like sleep-feeding lol. Yesterday she slept a total of less than 30 minutes during the day! Usually she takes a couple naps, but not then. I think it was because she was so miserable with her teeth. I put my finger in her mouth (washed it like a surgeon preparing for surgery, germ-freak over here lol) and I could feel her little tooth buds even more! I figured she wouldn't make very much progress, and wouldn't cut a tooth for months. They're progressing though! She has two, one on each side. They're on the top to the side. Her doctor said they usually get front teeth first, but some babies do it differently. I wish she wasn't teething though :( it's no fun for either of us!
That's awesome that you got new couches! Eric and I got new couches too! Well, new to us. His moms friend moved to Colorado and asked Eric if we wanted her couches. They were pretty new, she just didn't want to pay to move them so far. It's a couch, love seat, and chair. They're so big and comfy, I love them! 
I really hope your second interview goes well! I'm sure it will :) You'll have to let me know how it goes and how the little boy is! I hope he is good for you! 
Eric still looks for jobs, mostly firefighter ones. Everyone wants to be a firefighter, and pretty much no departments are hiring. We're actually looking everywhere in the US right now. We just want to get out of Vegas, soon!! 
We're looking at a really pretty wedding venue today! We thought we had our mind made up, but I saw pictures of this one and fell in love. I hope we like it in person, and fingers crossed that they have our date available!!!!
I think Vagisil is what I got! It really worked, and fast too! 
My er....bum is feeling better too haha! 
Does Elsie have a Bumbo seat? I love putting Madi in hers! She looks like such a big girl in it! She still hasn't laughed :( I can't wait to hear it!


----------



## airbear

I feel so bad for little Madison. Elsie hasn't gotten sick at all so I don't even know what you're going through. I'm glad to hear that Madison is still a really good baby for you, even through everything she is experiencing. I haven't even felt to see if Elsie had little teeth buds but she isn't showing signs of teething. Have you gotten a tooth brush for her? I got Elsie those little brushes that go on your finger so you can brush their gums. It says the toothpaste is for 3mo+ so I haven't used it yet because I want to wait until she is older. 

We just got our couches off of Craigslist but they are nicer than our old pair. I liked our old ugly couch a lot because it was so comfortable but after the dogs tore it up we needed new one's. These are not as comfortable but they look nicer than our old ones and they are still fairly comfortable.

I cleaned like crazy before my interview. I was even cleaning the wall's! They said our place seemed cozy and they wanted to meet the dogs which I was avoiding because they are really hyper and crazy when meeting new people and our larger dog was abused when it was a puppy so she is really scared of new people and will bark like crazy and loud at them. Plus she is a pitbull mix so she just look scary. Then I went over to their place to see what it was like because she hasn't decided where she wants me to watch him. Their place is huge and nice looking but they didn't have anything exciting inside and it was kind of messy. Not like garbage everywhere but just not picked up like my place was with nothing out of place. So now I don't feel so bad about my place because I realize it's really clean.. haha but she said she was pretty certain they wanted to go with me so that is good! I'm going on a walk with her next Monday to get a feel for her neighborhood.

That's crazy about everyone wanting to get a firefighter position. Hopefully he can find one so you guy's can move. It would be even better if he found something close to your family!

How was the wedding venue?! I can't believe how soon your wedding day will be here! The holiday's will make the time fly by! I'm so happy and excited for you:)

Elsie has something similar to a bumbo seat. I forget what it is called but we got it from babies are us and I think it's a little big for her but it's nice because you can take out the middle part and it fits for when she grows. She's still doing such a good job trying to pull herself into a sitting position. She doesn't really do it when she is lying flat but when she's propped up like on her boppy pillow or in her boucey seat she'll try and pull herself into a sitting position.

I'm not sure if Elsie has truly laughed or not. It's almost like silent laugh and she makes some squicks while smiling. I wouldn't say she has had a full laugh really. The boy I will nanny for is 5 months and it's crazy to see how he can sit and play with toys and roll around and such. I'm excited for Elsie to get just a little older and be more interested in toys and such.


----------



## krys

I do have a toothbrush! Its for 3+ months as well, so I haven't used it yet. I will start using it as soon as she is 3 months though :)
How exciting about your new job!! Would you rather watch him at your own house? I know I would! Seems so much more comfortable!
The venue is so so sooo perfect! Everything is included; DJ, cake, 4 hr open bar, dinner, champagne toast for all guests, photography, etc. They also give you a $100 spa credit, and a $300 florist credit. For 100 guests its only $9,000!!!
OMG yesterday we were leaving Costco and Eric got Madi and our groceries in the car, I went to put the cart away (we were parked right next to the cart thing), and he went to go throw a diaper away. Well I get back to the car only to realize my door is locked...and ALL OF THE OTHER DOORS ARE TOO! So I yell for Eric and yeah. Madi was locked in the car :( It was hot outside and the air was on, but on low. The car had been sitting, so it was sooo hot. Anyway, I call AAA and it took 10 minutes before they even called the locksmith, then they're like "its gonna be 15 minutes or more-we're calling 911" and immediately puts me back on hold. All this time, Madison is screaming and crying :( Well a freaking fire truck comes, but by then Madi had cried herself to sleep (she had already been in there for 20 minutes). So they look in and see that she is sleeping and since she wasn't in distress, they wouldn't break the window. Well when it had been about 15 minutes and AAA wasn't there yet, Eric called to see how far away they were...."10-15 minutes" SERIOUSLY?! THERE WAS A FREAKING BABY IN THE CAR :( So anyway, she was in there for about 45 minutes before we got in there. It was sooo bad :( I felt bad for Eric because he felt really bad and when it first happened I was like "Eric! I hate you. I hate you. I can't believe you did this" I felt HORRIBLE!!! I know I would have been really upset if I had locked her in the car, so I know he was beating himself up for it. I told him I wasn't mad at him and apologized, but I still felt like a jerk. Basdffaldkfalskdjf. That sucked :/ 

What is Elsie going to be for Halloween? We got Madi a ladybug costume, but Eric doesn't like it so we are still looking.


----------



## airbear

Oops Elsie made me delete everything!

Guess what? The dad of the family I was going to work for is getting laid off from Microsoft and has 6 weeks left so unless he finds a job before his 6 weeks is up they won't need me. Luckily I don't need a job right away, but I'm tired of interviewing! I hate that..

That venue sounds amazing and is such a great price! Did you make the final decision on it or are you still deciding/looking around?

I am always worried about locking Elsie in the car when I am shopping alone, I would be terrified. If Travis did though I probably would do the same thing and then feel really bad, because we know he didn't do it on purpose. Luckily Eric loves you so much! I can't believe they didn't get her out right away, that is just ridiculous!

Elsie has a really cute flower costume that is basically pajama's but it is size 0-3mo which she isn't exactly fitting into yet, everything looks big on her. Hopefully she will fit it by then, otherwise she'll probably just wear her butterfly wings.

Elsie started swatting toys on her playmat, but she still isn't grasping anything yet really. I can't tell if she is teething either. She has always sucked/chewed on her thumbs/hands but seems to be slightly more drooly lately. I felt her gums and think I can possibly feel some teeth buds in the front on top and bottom. I think I feel one on top and two on bottom but honestly I can't be too sure. She's still always pulling herself forward when she's laying on her back slightly proped up. Is Madison trying to pull herself in a seat position at all yet?


----------



## krys

My mom is a recruiter for Microsoft....I should tell her to find him another job, hehe. I'm sorry that job fell through! I hate interviews, so I can't even imagine having to do it over and over again!! Especially since its a different kind of interview, you want them to trust you with their kid!
We did make a final decision on the venue! I am so so excited :)
Madi doesn't really try to pull herself into sitting position, I don't think.. I do put her into her bumbo seat or on the couch leaning against the armrest, thats about it though. She only really lays flat though, so maybe thats why? I don't really prop her up on anything. Sounds like Elsie might be teething! Ask her pediatrician the next time you go :)

I'm in Madison's room because she was playing while I iChatted with my mom and she fell asleep so I put her in her crib! She's taking a nap in there :) She has NEVER slept in there until right now!

Are you going to take Elsie trick or treating? We are just going to pass out candy, but I want to take her to one house. Just so we can say we did!


----------



## airbear

Really? That's kind of a fun job to be a recruiter! Hopefully he'll find a new job in those 6 weeks so I can still work for them. But if not I'll just find something else. I actually just got off the phone with her and she says the have a couple possible opprotunities with Nintendo and Amazon so I'm hopeful. The mom felt terrible but said I was her favorite out of all the interviews so if in the future they need a nanny and I am still available they want me. We were suppose to get together on Monday to walk their neighborhood so that I can see what its like and she had mentioned if I still wanted to go on the walk we could so I told her we should because its nice just to get out with someone once in a while. She also mentioned she had bought Elsie a couple of outfits which I thought was so sweet of her! So hopefully he does find a job and I can work for them because I really like their family.

I am so excited for you, its nice to have everything planned ahead for your wedding so its less stressful come the wedding day. My cousin has a 2 year old and just got engaged and they're getting married this December 22nd because her younger sister is in town from college. I don't see why they don't just wait until spring or summer break. I would want time to plan, they've had to switch venues, photographers, and a DJ twice already! 

Yeah, Elsie won't pull herself forward unless she's already slightly proped up. I feel like they're growing up so fast! I need to find an actual pediatritian because Elsie is seeing a family doctor right now and they never tell me what precentile she's in or anything! They didn't even tell me when I should come in next or book an appointment, or even tell me what should focus on with her or what to look out for as she gets older.

I've been starting to put Elsie on her tummy to sleep and let her sleep on the couch while I watch TV so that she is starting to get use to me not holding her while she sleeps and she will sleep for an hour during the day and she usually goes to bed around 9pm but we stay up later so at night she'll sleep alone even longer! Next I'll need to start trying her crib! Our little girls are growing up and being independant already! 

Travis said Elsie was too little to go trick or treating but maybe I'll just take her to the houses on our street just to show her off and say we took her! Then we'll stay home and pass out candy! With my luck Travis will work until 11pm anyway. My sister sometimes takes her boyfriends young nieces out trick or treating so maybe I'll go with them and get myself a ton of free candy :)

Omg, today at church I was putting Elsie back in her carseat (which she hates) and she started crying. I stood up and was putting my jacket on and my sister said Elsie left a drool mark on my boob. Then we all realized it wasn't a drool mark but that I was lactating because Elsie was crying and I had leaked through my bra and shirt! Luckily I was working in the nursery with my mom and sister so no one else was in the room or that could have been so embarassing! I am also lucky I brought a jacket since it was so cold because normally I wouldn't have brought one!

Elsie has been cooing like crazy lately, normally she is chatty but this week she's cooing! Also BnB changed their website and added a mobile site so it's so much easier for me to go on my phone now! I'm not the biggest fan of the change for the normal website but having the mobile site makes it so much easier to navigate while I'm on my phone which I do a lot.

I LOVE Madison's pumpkin patch pictures. Especially the one of you and her on the hay stack. I want a family picture so bad when we go. We're suppose to go Friday with a couple of friends but Travis works so he has to move his schedule around so hopefully we still get to go, otherwise I'm taking her to Safeway and still putting her in the pile of pumpkins to take her picture! I really want a picture of her in a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins! I also saw this cute picture my aunt showed me of a pumpkin they carved foot holes out of and sat a baby in the pumpkin, so I really want to do that with Elsie it would be just too cute!

I felt like there was something I was going to tell you but now I've completely forgotten..


----------



## krys

The picture of Madison was taken in a wheelbarrow! I don't think you can even tell. Our camera died, so we didn't really get good pictures :( we're going to have to take a lot when we carve them!
Madi's doctor always tells us when to come back, and it seems like we go in a lot. I don't mind it at all, I always have questions when we go anyway! She tells us what new things she should start doing, stuff like that. You should find Elsie her own pediatrician! I seriously love Madi's. It makes me feel better that babies and children are her specialty. She has another appointment on Nov 3. Actually, writing that reminded me that I need to reschedule it because we are going to Michigan the 3-13 (just Madi and me). Then my mom is coming for Thanksgiving, we're going to Washington in Dec, then going back to Michigan for Christmas!! My family is coming from Texas soon, and so is my best friend. Busy busy next couple of months!!!
I like the mobile site for my phone too!
Baby girl just fell asleep, so I'm gonna join her! Ttyl :)


----------

