Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Sleep!

So, it is now 3am and I am once again struggling to sleep. For the last couple of weeks it has been extremely hard to get a good nights rest! I seem to wake up around 1am tossing and turning, unable to sleep. This morning I woke up at 3, wide awake. Well...maybe not wide awake, but awake enough to know it was no use trying to go back to sleep. The bad thing is, I have to leave for work at 6am this morning and work all day. It's hard to imagine that I may be doing this for close to 7 more weeks! Just thought I'd share....pregnancy seems to be hard work...well worth it though!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Happy Holidays!


Wishing you all the best this holiday season!
Love- Casey, Courtney, and Gerty!



Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Sneak Peak





An Update

Well...just a quick update. Yesterday morning Casey and I were back at the doctor's office due to everything going on with me and the baby. I was given a new medication and instructed to take it easy. I filled my prescription (for what seemed to be the millionth time this week) and went straight home. I tried to do absolutely nothing all day long. It's amazing how guilty I feel sometimes doing....well...nothing. I woke up this morning feeling pretty good. I am still having to deal with the occasional trip to the potty and the intense pressure in my belly, but all in all, I feel better. I am scheduled to work tomorrow so we'll see how everything goes. Hope everyone is well. Keep your fingers crossed that I continue to feel better and the baby stays put!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Trial Run

So, after reading the last post, it may seem as if everything has been going great. Well...not so much. The day after our last appointment, Wednesday, I woke from sleep around 5am with excruciating pain. It was a different pain than I have ever experienced and it really scared me. I went and tried to take a bath to see if that would help, but it didn't. I was in so much pain and I had spent most of the night tossing and turning. Once Casey woke up around 7am we decided we should call the doctor. I explained to him how I was feeling and he told me to be at the office at 8am. We went and they did tons of things to determine what was going on. They checked my urine, checked "me", did a cervical length, fetal fibronectin, checked the baby, etc. The did ALOT. When it came down to identifying the problem, they decided that I had kidney stones that I needed to pass. (As if labor isn't bad enough) Long story short, they admitted me to the hospital for tons of iv fluids, pain meds, and antibiotics. Casey and I experienced what we now refer to as our trial run in the hospital! After a long night of little sleep, I was released the next day. They prescribed me pain meds and instructed me to drink lots of fluid. Not that this experience wasn't bad enough, Saturday rolled around and I was experiencing somewhat different symptoms. Long story short, I had to call the doctor again and he prescribed me a new medication to try. I have never been so uncomfortable in my life...literally feeling like I have to pee every 5 minutes!!! So, I have been out of work and pretty much out of commission for the last few days. I'm ready to start feeling better!! Oh, and by the way, I am 31wks today!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Big Mama's In The House!


Hello to you all! This week marks week 30! Can you believe it! Wow...I'm in my third trimester and I feel great...for the most part. The need to run to the bathroom is a bit annoying, but other than that, I'm loving every minute!! We had a doctors appointment today. Everything was great. We heard Gerty's heartbeat and I'm measuring right where I should. So, the latest on Gerty...She loves to play footsie with her Daddy! Each night and sometimes in the morning, Casey feels around on my belly and Gerty kicks back. He pokes her and she kicks him! Not sure if she's playing or getting mad. We love it though. It's so amazing to think that she's only a few inches away from being seen. We believe she is still head down based on her movement. She has a tendency to nudge something (her head we think) down deep into my side. I believe this greatly contributes to my need to pee 24/7! As the days go by, we can't help but get more and more excited to meet our little girl. Her nursery is coming together. The curtains will be finished this week. I'll post pictures as soon as they're done. We thank God each day for the blessing he has given us. We pray that our little girl is healthy and happy. We can't wait to meet her!!!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thanksgiving With Family!









Tuesday, November 18, 2008

27wks


Thursday, November 13, 2008

Latest Doctors Appt

So, just a quick update....Yesterday we had another doctors appt. I am now 26wks and feeling large and in charge! Oh...and emotional! This was just another routine visit. I just had my vitals taken and then I saw Dr. Zimmerman and he measured my belly and listened to the baby's heartbeat. The visit started off with my weight. Wow! What a hard thing to deal with. I totally understand that I am pregnant and I should be gaining weight. This, however, is never easy for a female. I am feeling larger and larger and...well...emotional! I was concerned that I might be gaining too much weight, only being 26wks. My doctor reassured me that I was right on track and he was not at all concerned. He said I was measuring correctly and I shouldn't be worried. This, ofcourse, was a man telling me this! :) Anyway, the baby's heartbeat was normal and something I always look forward to hearing. What a blessing! At the end of my appt, I scheduled my next appt and at this appt I am supposed to have my glucola. This is the visit that they test for gestational diabetes. I am supposed to fast for three hours prior to the visit, they draw labs, I drink something, stay for an hour, and they draw more labs. I was also told that the office would be scheduling a level two ultrasound that would be done at Duke.
So, after my appt I left the office still very concerned about my weight gain. As I got in my car, I was instantly brought to tears. My Mom called and I was still in tears. She tried to reassure me that I looked fine and the weight gain was needed for the baby. She also gave me her signiture line when I am in tears.."You sound like you might need a nap". Taking her advise, I got home and went straight to my bed. It's funny how things happen. As a laid in bed, I immediately began to feel Gerty kick. Wow! What an amazing feeling. It was kinda like a slap in the face. As I'm boo-hooing about myself, I have this beautiful baby inside of me. Needless to say, I felt so stupid. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to get pregnant, let alone carry to 26wks. It's amazing how one small kick can bring you back to reality. I was immediately reminded of what's most important...our unborn baby!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

25wks




The Crib







Gerty!

Just a quick update...For those of you who don't know, along the way our little girl received the nickname Gertrude. Leave it to Casey to come up with a name like Gertrude! Anyway that name has, over time, been shortened to Gerty. So, if I happen to refer to Gerty, you now know who I am talking about. Others think we're crazy for using such an odd nickname but for us, it just fits!! Casey has also taken it upon himself to shorten it yet again to Ole Dirt McGirt! He's so strange!
The last few days have been crazy. I have been working a lot and have had very little sleep...or at least my body feels that way. Something new happened the other day that put a huge smile on my face. I felt Gerty move...on the "outside". She was moving a lot one evening and I put my hand on my belly to see if I could feel her. I haven't been able to feel her with my hand in the past. She surprised me! I felt a kick and then I got so excited that I hit Casey! The next night I felt her again. Then it was Casey's turn. Then it was Mom's turn! It is such an amazing feeling! Wow...just thought I'd share.
I got home from work the other night to find that Casey and Zach had put the crib together! Yes, you heard me correct, Casey and Zach. Can you imagine watching the two of them putting a crib together and then putting the bedding on the crib. I was so surprised! I've added a few pictures!

Halloween

I couldn't help but dress as a pumpkin at work for Halloween. Here's a quick look...

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Pumpkin Carving Time!












24wks


Monday, October 27, 2008

Think before you speak!

It completely amazes me how little people think prior to opening their mouths! I have experienced yet another situation where a woman (of all people) made a comment on how "big" I was!! I was in the store returning something and the woman at the register asked how much longer I had. I told her I was due February 15th. She then said, "Oh, wow...you are a good size. Is it one or two?" I mean really people! Must you make comments like that to a pregnant woman. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you supposed to "grow" when you are pregnant?! Oh yeah, and news flash, our self esteem isn't really at it's highest!

Friday, October 24, 2008

23wks


20wks

18wk Ultrasound

18wks

12wks


Bloggin'

So....here goes nothing. We decided to start a blog. Casey and I thought this would be a good way to keep family and friends updated on our lives, with a new baby on the way! We are both very excited and can't wait to meet her....yes, they say it's a girl! We'll try to do our best to post pictures and keep you all updated. It's hard not to have all of our family close by, but we hope that this will help to shorten the distance.