Getting Ready for Christmas

Well our appointment and ultrasound both went really well. Clint is still measuring in the 50%, so not too big or too small. whew! This Saturday we have our Day About Baby class at the hospital. I can't wait. I think it will be fun.

I really think Clint loves Christmas. He is in the stage of development now he can see light outside my belly and he seems to just love Christmas tree lights and the gas fireplace. He gets all excited and moving when he is around them. So cute! Here are some pictures of our Christmas tree and us, plus the pictures you should be getting soon in your Christmas cards although this version is minus the fun border.

Quick Story

Daley and I went to the bank last Friday evening to get out some cash. As we walked out of the bank, a middle aged (Russian I think) man stopped us. "Excuse me," he said, "I hope I don't offend you but are you pregnant." I said that I was, of course I was a bit puzzled why he would ask. I assumed he had a pearl of wisdom that people seem to like to give when you are pregnant. Instead he hands me an envelope and says, "Here is a gift." Daley tells him, "Well thank you but that is ok" and starts to hand it back. The man says "No no, its a gift" and walks off. We stand there puzzled for a minute then walk to our car. When we get inside I open the envelope and there is $100 inside. What an amazingly generous man! I wish I knew who he was so I could properly thank him. I guess the only way to truly thank him is that when we are in a position where we have extra funds, then we will continue the trend of charity! Just wanted to share this goodwill story since sometimes it is easy to wonder where all the humanity in the world went.

Welcome to Third Trimester!

It has been awhile since I have posted but nothing new really to note. I still feel Clint squirming around in my tummy. I think he might end up being a pretty hyper kid. He loves to stretch and push around Mommy's organs. LOL. The 24 week appointment was just one of those quickies where they checked my blood pressure and urine and asked if I have any questions. My 28 week will be fun (said with a hint of sarcasm). I will be doing my glucose test and I heard the awful sugar high from the drink they make you take is awful. I have to drink it exactly, did I mention EXACTLY one hour before having my blood drawn. I guess I'll make sure I just get to the lab early and just sit and wait for my hour to be up. I also get my shot next appointment that keeps my body from making antibodies against postiive blood in case that is what Clint has. I, lucky me, am a universal donar at O negative.

Oh we go in for another ultrasound on December 15th. We'll find out if the Placental Previa cleared up. Fingers are crossed. I'll let you all know the results. I'd prefer to avoid a C-section if possible.

Oh and I guess one more thing since last post, I've gotten my first, dun dun dun, belly stretch marks. BOOO!!!! OH well though, Clint is worth them. They remind me of marks if you get maulled by some clawwed animal. Haha. I am sure they will get much worse before the end.

I think that is all the news here. If you are following by dates, here are some upcoming important dates that I will try to post after...
December 15th Next Ultrasound
December 16th Next Midwife Appointment
December 20th "Day About Baby" class

My Little Kicker

Clint is kicking more and more these days, but only in phases. I can't wait until other people can feel him like I do. I think Daley will love to be able to experience that more.

My wonderful pregnancy pillow arrived on Monday. It is sooooo comfy; however, it does take up a lot of room in the bed. I just feel so cozy and supported when I get to cuddle inside it.



We are hoping all getting over this flu/cold thing for the last time this season. I've only gotten it once, but pretty badly. Poor Clint! However, Daley has had it twice now. The first time it was only a teeny tiny cold and this last time it knocked him out for days. We are praying the McCowan clan gets to stay healthy.

Ultrasound Pics

It's a........BOY!!!!

First off below is the belly picture so many people have been asking for.



The ultrasound went good. The baby is in the 60% for his size. That's right I said his. The sonographer found Baby Bean's scrotum. We are pretty sure that his name is going to be Clint Daley. We got some photos and a DVD of the session. We actually have to go have another ultrasound done the beginning of next week so maybe we will get some great new pictures. Clint wasn't cooperating with the sonographer so she couldn't get a clear look at his heart so that is why we have to go get another one. No worries! I'll try to scan his photos or a video in a bit.

Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow is the big day......ULTRASOUND!!!!!! I hope Baby Bean is doing good in there. I also hope Baby cooperates so we can find out if it is a girl or boy. Poor Baby Bean though, I have had a cold or the flu or something for almost the past week. I didn't even go to work on Monday or Tuesday because I felt so icky. I hope Baby Bean isn't feeling icky too!

Naptime Oh for Naptime

Just two and a half weeks until the big ultrasound!!!!! I am super excited. Baby Bean will hopefully cooperate so we can see if Baby Bean is a boy or girl!!!! Baby was less than cooperative at our last appointment. Unlike at 12 weeks where Baby Bean was sleeping soundly, at 16 weeks Baby Bean was acting like they were on a rollercoaster or at a rock concert, dancing all around. We saw a top of the head and flailing arms. I also did my Quad Screen but it all came back healthy.

Working days just wipe me out. By five o'clock, I just want a bed or couch. Most of the time if I am carpooling I lay down my seat in the car.

SECOND TRIMESTER!!!!

I know I know. I haven't posted in forever, but 1. I got busy and 2. there hasn't really been too much new and 3. I amd EXHAUSTED most days by the time I get home. We had our 12 week appointment about 3 weeks ago. We got to see the baby again in a bedside ultrasound machine. Baby Bean was lying on its back with a hand up at its face and a leg hang out in the "air". Unfortunately Baby Bean was fast asleep and the midwife couldn't get Baby to wake up. Sad. The other good news at that appointment was NO UTI!!!!! Yippee!!!! Since I am prone to them, we have to monitor carefully at each appointment.

Since my last post we also went out to visit in Tennessee!!! So fun!!!

Our next appointment, 16 weeks, is next Friday. I think I have one of the genetic tests then, but I can't remember which one. Down's syndrome maybe? I am looking forward to it. Plus only 5 weeks until Baby Bean gets the full ultrasound and hopefully a sex!!!! "It" sounds so mean.

Oh and my midwife at the 12 week appointment said anytime between then and 22 weeks I should be able to start feeling the little bean move. I am not totally sure what I am looking for this being my first time and all, and the midwife said I will probably feel it several times before I realize what it is. She said most new moms just figure that feeling is something like hunger or gas. I can't wait to feel Baby Bean move.

Hmm, the only other new thing is that my poor tummy muscles are so sore. All this expansion of them is stressing them out. LOL. Really it isn't too bad. My stomach has definitely popped though even though as of last appointment I hadn't gained any weight.

I will try to post right away Friday or Saturday next week after the appointment.

Throwing Up, Drugs, and Moving

So my lovely morning sickness went from just nausea to some vomiting in the last two weeks. BLAH! I won't dwell on that though since it isn't really nice to think about updates. However, because the nausea is so bad and now I am throwing up my midwife is trying me on some medicine. It is one of the types that they give to chemo patients when they are nauseous. She, the midwife, said that this one isn't supposed to have the extra sleepiness side effect so it should be good since I need to work. She gave me a prescription for 30 pills to give it a try. They are the pills that you dissolve on or under your tongue. Good news right, so now for the bad. I went to go pick up my prescription at Rite Aid and they told me that my insurance said that they will only pay for 12 per month!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean what good does that do me. Hopefully this nausea won't be lasting for months more. They gave me the number to the insurance to try to call and fight it. I called the doctors office yesterday so I am hoping we can convince my insurance to pay. The twelve pills I got won't even last me through my vacation to Tennessee!!!!

Sorry to all my loyal blog fans that it has taken me awhile to get to this update. As most of you probably already know Daley and I are in the midst of putting the condo up on the market. We got part of the stuff in storage to make it look bigger, got it all cleaned up and organized, and yesterday the realator came with some stuff to stage it. Today the photographer is coming to take pictures and as soon as the realtor gets them they will post us on MLS. I am sad to sell our first home but alas we must. I am not looking forward to living her for as long as it takes to sell in a more than pristine condition with the stuff that makes it feel like home to me (like photos on the walls) gone. Hopefully it won't take long to sell though. Pray for it to sell fast and at a decent price. We don't care about making a ton of money we just at least want to break even.

I guess that is most of the news for now. At this stage of the pregnancy other than tiredness and morning sickness there isn't too much going on. I am not really showing although my waist line is definitely a little thicker. My wedding ring had to come off already although I am not sure if the swelling was mostly from the heat, from the pregnancy, or the combination of both. I'll probably get a chain and wear it around my neck.

Baby Bean and Nancy signing out

1st Doctor's Appointment

On Friday, we went in for our first baby appointment. I had to give a urine sample, have a pap, and give blood, all of which were not very exciting. The exciting part was that they did this sonar thing and we got to see the itty bitty little baby and its heart flickering. It is too early to be able to hear the heart but it was sooo neat to get to see it beating. Daley totally had a better view of it than me because the midwife kept accidentally blocking my view. Wait though, let's back up.

Friday morning I had a chiropracter appointment. On my way home when I was almost back to my condo complex entrance, I was behind a dump truck, a gray unmarked dump truck. Well apparently his load wasn't covered and a huge piece of sheet metal flew out of the back of his truck and amazingly didn't hit me but I couldn't avoid running over it and it shredded my tire. BOOOOO! Now luckily Daley and I had been saving for new tires because I was going to need them soon anyway but we were hoping for a few more months on the ones I had. Unfortunately I didn't get the guy's license plate because I was trying to avoid the sheet metal and of course he didn't stop.

Whew, close call! Anyway, so then Friday night we went to the IMAX and saw "The Dark Knight", which was good although a really dark movie. The rest of the weekend I've been doing what I do all week, fighting my nausea.

Updating, updating, updating

Haha, I've had like three people point out that I haven't updated in the last few days. So here goes... Nothing really new going on. Still have the lovely nausea and exhaustion. I have my first OB appointment, well technically midwife appointment, on Friday. I am super excited. I've heard that they will try to find the heartbeat but I may have to go back a couple weeks later if it is still too soon to hear it. Maybe that will make it seem more real. It still seems a little odd, like a dream, even with the morning sickness and all.

Oh, I do have new news. Mom and I went shopping on Friday and I got my first batch of maternity clothes. We got some from Target and some from Motherhood Maternity. They are super cute. It was hilarious at Motherhood because in the fitting room they have these "baby belts" that you can try on to see how the clothes will look with a baby belly. I have to say I think I looked more like a blimp than a pregnant woman. A short blimp at that. LOL. I can't wait to see how I will actually look.

Sleepy Oh So Sleepy

This pregnancy business is making me soooo sleepy. I almost couldn't keep my eyes open at work yesterday. I tried to take a ten minute nap but unfortunately it didn't help, but on the plus side it didn't hurt ;-) ! It is amazing what something so small, the size of a bean, can do to one's body. I have to go to the bathroom A LOT, I ache all over, and I have a near constant sense of nausea. The most bizarre thing about the nausea is that so far most foods don't make it worse and no food makes it better. Really greasy foods and yogurt (but only sometimes and it is because of the texture) make me want to run screaming in the opposite direction.

In more fun news, my mom and I get to hang out on Friday!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. She was originally going to get in tomorrow night but due to a change of plans she will be coming in on Thursday. I have to work 10 hours on Thursday so it isn't like we would have seen each other Thursday during the day anyway. I'll head from work to pick her up while Daley is seeing our new chiropractor. Exciting stuff. Not sure yet what all Mom and I will do on Friday but I am sure it will be fun. I know we are going shopping for some new undergarments because as the girls get bigger my back, shoulders, and neck are hurting more and more.

Don't get me wrong in all these body gripes. I am excited to be having this baby. I just wish it didn't come with so much uncomfort for 9 months. Then at the end of it you don't even get recoop time. LOL. I wonder if we'll get to hear the heartbeat at the first visit. Only a week and 2 days til Baby Doctor visit number 1.

Tired and Achy

Today starts week number 6!!!!! So for the last two days the morning sickness, such a silly name really since it can hit any time, hasn't been too bad, just the occasional something will set it off. I have been snacking constanting so I think that helps. Healthy snacks like carrot sticks, apples, yogurt, and saltines are my staples. Other than that I just feel achy all over and tired. I could totally use a name right now.

I decided to switch to a different 0B practice. I am now doing to go to one that is by Evergreen Hospital and also delivers there. I decided that it would make it a lot easier for Daley to make the appointments. They have several midwives (licensed midwifes as well as having their nurse practioner license) in the practice which is really neat. I think I am going to go with midwives. Danielle had a great experience with them. My general care "doctor" is also a nurse practioner. I kind of feel like they tend to be more patient friendly and understanding. They are more willing to explore options rather than just rush and prescribe medicine like most doctors. I like the more chatty "touchy feely" experience of talking with someone that is deciding my health because it makes me feel like they care and that I am not just some chart.

Wow I thought this would be a short post but it has turned out not to be. Oh one final bit of news. Daley and I found a new chiropractic practice to go to that is near our house. We found them at the Mill Creek Street Fair. It is actually a chiropractic and massage practice. Anyway we got this great deal for a $30 massage, plus they totally bill both of our insurances. I am excited about getting the pregnancy massages. There have been studies that show that women who get massage and chiropractic therapy during pregnancy have quicker and easier labors. Here is hoping!

Sharing the News and Morning Sickness

YAY! So we have shared the news of Baby Bean with a few people now. Tuesday, July 8th, we first told my Mom. I told her that we had a gift for her and handed her a giftbag with the positive pregnancy test inside. She was confused at first because she thought I had given her a thermometer. Of course she was excited!!! Then the next day, July 9th, we told my sister, Katie, who screamed in joy when I told her and insisted that we had to move to Tennessee so she could help out, my Dad, who excitedly said he was too young to be a grandpa, and my Aunt Cindy, who said "I told you so" since I had been sleepy while visiting Nana at the hospital. Then that night we waited to tell Dan and Dee in person. Daley told them that the reason he had applied at Lexus that day was because in March they might be grandparents. They were both about to ask questions about his applying for the job when you could tell it hit them. They both grinned and were super excited. Then we told Charlie who also said "I knew it" since he had overheard Daley and I deciding when to tell. LOL. Then last night, July 13th, we told Nathan and Danielle. They were thrilled too and told us all about what it was like when they were pregnant with Colette.

So now on to sad news, I had my first morning sickness this morning. There I was feeling perfectly fine up til today. I was making breakfast, Egg McMuffins homemade, when the smell of the ham frying made me about to throw up. I kept everything down but I couldn't even eat my english muffin with egg and cheese. I had to stick with just Saltine crackers which thankfully I picked up a huge box at Costco yesterday. I wonder how long and how much I will have.

Telling the "Secret"

Daley and I keep going back and forth in deciding when we are going to tell our families. We already know that we won't tell anyone else until after the first trimester is over; however, we are afraid that somehow our immediate families will find out accidentally before then. Our biggest concern was that I have an endoscopy scheduled for July 18th. I talked to the nurse at the OB's and she said that if possible I really should shot to reschedule it for in the second trimester, at about 18 weeks. My mother-in-law was going to be the one to take me to get it done since I wouldn't be able to drive myself because it involves being put into "twilight". So what do I tell her when I tell her nevermind I had to reschedule? Then my parents know when it is scheduled and are sure to ask how it went. What do we tell them? So now we are thinking about going ahead and telling them. Plus what if I get horrible morning sickness and they are asking why I have an "extended flu". Such a hard decision though. It wouldn't be so hard except for the fact that while my Mom is here my Dad isn't. We really wanted to tell everyone in person and we are going out there in August. We just don't know if they won't find out by them, plus we don't want one set finding out way before the other. What a conundrum!!!!

We're Pregnant!!!!!

Ok, so I actually took the first pregnancy test on Saturday. I just couldn't believe it when two lines showed up. The pregnancy line was pretty faint though. Daley had just left to go work at his parents so I called him back home to show him. He was super excited too and gave me a great big hug!!!! Still though I was a little skeptical. I retested this morning. Still pregnant and the pregnancy line was even darker in fact it was just as dark as the default line. I will post pictures of the beautiful pregnancy test results later. So anyway I called the OB today. I am half way through my 4th week today (Wednesdays are the start of new weeks). My expected due date is March 11, 2009!!!! Ok so back up. I'll be honest. While I am super excited I am also a bundle of nerves. What if I am not a good mom? How can we afford a baby? What if I miscarry? All these nervous thoughts and questions are running through my head. My first two doctors appointments are August 1st and 22nd. We have decided to wait until the first trimester is over to tell anyone. ARG what a secret to keep. Also I find it disconcerting that while I know I am pregnant because two tests say so, I don't feel any different. Shouldn't I feel different? Could it mean that something is wrong? Should I have morning sickness at this point?

First Post

Here starts a blog. I am going to try to be good and journal in this blog. I got inspired from Tarheel88. I figured that this would be a fun way to chronicle my life and then when I am pregnant or something like that to share the developments. No big news in my life right now. Mostly I figured I would start this as a reflections spot for me. For example, today is the first day of what should be my next period. I am not on birth control anymore so I am hoping I am pregnant, but I refuse to get my hopes up because I know most likely I am not and my period is just late. I really thought when we decided to have me come off of birth control and start trying that it would be a fun and exciting time. I didn't realize the disappointment I'd feel as each period came and I wasn't pregnant. I know that it will happen or won't happen in God's time but still the waiting is hard. It is an emotional rollercoaster. Daley asks me all the time "Are you pregnant yet?" I know he is just being silly, but man it makes me feel so much pressure to be. I think if by Friday my period hasn't started then I will take a OTC pregnancy test. Not crossing my fingers though since just watch the lovely Aunt Flo will come to visit again.