1 Month

With her BFF Wylie Petersen
With Mommy after her first trip to church. (She cried the whole last hour!)

Chilling with Mommy in the baby-rocking-chair.

My cousin April made that bow. Love it!

Her first church dress.

I love her in brown and pink!

Daddy had her all rigged up to watch TV. Too early, if you ask me!

The day after her 1 month b-day.

Happy 1 month birthday, McKenna!

She's doing Blue Steel (from Zoolander)

I can't believe it has already been one whole month! It's amazing how much she's grown.

At 3 weeks, 6 days she rolled over! She did it completely unassisted. She hasn't done it again but Cody has been working with her. She takes 4 oz every 3-5 hours now. We are about to have to buy new, bigger bottles! She sleeps about 4 hours at a time on average. She is so spoiled! It's completely my fault! Once she finally got here and I could hold her, I didn't want to put her down. Now she doesn't want to be put down, but we're working on that too!

We got her Halloween costume today! She's going to be a flower. Hopefully it'll fit right by then. It's hard to shop that far into the future because you never know how they'll grow. She's still in her newborn clothes. She's outgrowing some of them and some are still too big. I'm afraid she won't get to wear some things because she may not fit into them before the weather changes!

It really has been awesome living with my parents during this time! Grandma takes her on Saturday and Sunday mornings for a couple hours so Cody and I can get some sleep. That makes all the difference in the world!

I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune when it's time, but part of me is ready to go back to work! This next week is my last week off with her. It's just been the same thing every day! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE spending that much time with her! If I were to stay home with her, we'd have to join a play group or get out and do something! That's kind of hard when they're this young, so we'd have to wait until she was a little older. All that having been said, I would rather stay home with my baby. Alas, I do not have a choice right now. Maybe one day it will work out.

That's about it for now. Time to go pick her up so she'll quit whining!!! (She really is a good baby, she just hasn't felt good the last couple days!)

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

2 Week Check-up

(Sorry for the poor quality. This was taken with my phone.)

Today McKenna is 2 weeks old and had her second doctor visit. She did great! She is up to 20 1/4in and 7lbs 2oz. She is in the 10-25 percentile for her height and 50 percentile for her weight. I'm still not really sure what that means. The doctor gave us the official ok to let her sleep as long as she wants during the night, which we have been already. The trouble is she wakes up every 3-4 hours anyway! Oh, well. As long as she gets what she needs, mommy is happy!

They had to prick her heel! The state needs blood for something apparently. The first time they pricked it, she didn't bleed enough so they had to prick her again! She was crying and hurting and there was nothing I could do about it. That made me so sad! I cried too! Cody laughed at me, but I couldn't help it. That was such a horrible, helpless feeling. I know she was just fine and as soon as they got what they needed and left her alone, she stopped. This motherhood thing is a tough gig!

Her umbilical cord is literally hanging on by a thread. It freaked me out! After her last bath there was blood on the towel and her cord looked bloody and gooey. I thought maybe I had rubbed it off too soon or something but apparently that's normal. So I'm thinking that after her next bath it may just come off. Then I won't have to worry about it anymore. I'm always afraid I'm going to tug on it or something and hurt her. That's the last thing I want to do!!

She eats great and sleeps great. I love being the one that can calm her down when she's upset. The fact that once she's in my arms she stops crying is just awesome to me. That was one thing I was worried about. When it's other people's kids that start crying, they go back to mommy or daddy. I don't know what to do with them. With her, I just know what to do. It's amazing to me.

I've really enjoyed my last couple weeks off work. Cody started back at work yesterday afternoon, which is fine with me! He was ready to go back, too. He was getting bored...and he was driving me bonkers. So I am ready for my last 4 weeks all alone with my baby girl!

Well, it's about feeding time again! And little missy had a blowout at the doctors office which led to her peeing all over the place too so SOMEBODY needs a bath! We cleaned her up with baby wipes but she needs a bath today anyway.

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

She's Here!

Well, she's been here...for a whole week! It has been so crazy I haven't had time to do this. McKenna is laying in the bed with Daddy while he plays his game, so it seemed like a good time!

It started Monday the 9th. I had an appointment at 8:45 HOPING we could induce. We were ready! The doctor wouldn't do it that day, so we set it up for Wednesday the 11th at 5:00. I didn't want to go back to work and neither did Cody so we hung out with family for a while. We went to the mall and walked around a little bit hoping that would jump start things. It didn't seem to do anything! So we thought maybe something spicy for dinner would do the trick. It didn't really seem to have any effect either. So we tried...well...another thing that's supposed to get it going. I don't know if it was the latter, a combination of the three, or just coincidence, but contractions started around 9:30 Monday night. I wasn't sure that's what it really was but about 3 hours later, it was still happening and the pain was stronger so to the hospital we went! Cody and I took our car with all of the stuff in it and my mom and Randy followed behind.

They kept me in triage monitoring my contractions for about 5 hours before they admitted me to a room. I hadn't progressed much but I suppose they realized sending me home wasn't an option. I was in too much pain! Poor Cody, mom, and Randy! They sat up all night! I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful support system. I got the epidural somewhere between 7 and 8 and oh boy was that nice!!! They gave me a little pitocin just to keep things going. The doctor came in and broke my water around 9. So there we sat until 1:30 or so. Then it was time to push! I pushed for a little over 30 minutes and she was born at 2:08pm. She was 6lbs 7oz and 19.5in.

We got to go home the next day around 3 and have been having so much fun ever since! It's been an adjustment for everyone, though! She's supposed to eat every 3 hours so that's fun waking up that much! Other than one rough night, she's done great! She sleeps a lot, eats, dirties up diapers, and goes back to sleep. I'm sure this will change at some point, but she doesn't really cry that much. She's a super good baby! We love her so much! It's amazing to look into her eyes as she's looking back into mine. She has changed so much in the last week already. Cody says she's grown an inch, but I'm not convinced. Yesterday was our first day alone as a little family and that was fun! We went to Babies R Us to get more bottles. She slept the whole time. It's been nice having my mom here too. She's been a lot of help. I've not ever really been around babies, so I'm learning!

The first trip to the pediatrician went well. She told us we had a perfect little baby girl, which we already knew! I've lost 16 of the 27 lbs I gained while pregnant. I'm in the awkward stage between maternity and regular clothes. I'm not really enjoying that. Other than that, my recovery has gone very well. I didn't tear at all so it's been pretty easy for me physically. I get tired, but that's about it!

Cody seems to want to go somewhere every day and I am content to stay home, so that's a little frustrating. I love having him here and love the help that he is, but I'm looking forward to being by myself too. I just want to stay home with my baby and he gets cabin fever when he's been home for like 5 minutes. This is particularly frustrating today, but oh well. He promised we could stay home tomorrow. I'm just happy she's here!

I know that was a long one this time, but there was a lot to catch up on!

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

38 Weeks

This is taking tooo looong!!! I'm ready for my baby girl to be here! We have an appointment Monday morning at 8:45 and I am reallyyyy hoping we'll be inducing that day. There isn't really a good reason not to.

She's been moving around a lot still, even though she doesn't have as much room! I've been feeling sick and I think it's probably because she's got body parts all up in my stomach and there isn't room for the food I'm putting in it. As I type this I am fighting the urge to go vomit. Sorry, TMI I'm sure! I'm exhausted all the time!! My right foot only is swollen and sore. When she gets this hiccups I can look down at my tummy and see it jumping. It cracks me up every time! I'll miss that!

It's just time...I feel like she's trying, though. I keep having contractions but nothing consistent. They have been getting more painful, but like I said, not consistent so I know it's not quite time yet. I was at 2cm this past Monday, so maybe the contractions have made progress in that department. I sure hope so.

She is about the size of a leek this week. Lol...that rhymed! Sorry...I'm delirious!

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

37 Weeks

I talked to the doctor while I was at my appointment Wednesday...he said we can induce on the 9th!!! Sooo...that means in 9 days from today, McKenna will be here! I can't believe it's already time. This is just so nuts!

At my 36 week check up, the doc sent me down to L & D to have an NST (non-stress test) to check on her. She hadn't really moved that morning, but she was just fine! Apparently she was sleepy that day. I know how she feels! While I was there the nurse checked me...1cm and 0% effaced. Awesome. No where NEAR having a baby! Which I was 36 weeks, so I guess I shouldn't be! The doc said at my 37 week appointment that he could check me if I wanted him to, but that there honestly probably wouldn't be much to report. I declined the check, knowing that if I was still 1cm it would ruin my day. Apparently appointment days are just going to suck for me, because I left his office almost in tears at the 36 and 37 week check-ups. He said he'll see me back Monday for the 38 week appointment and we'd schedule the induction for the following Monday! I'm super excited about it! I'd LOVE for her to come on her own, as long as she does it by then. If not, I'm evicting her!

I have been having signs of progression, though, so I'm thinking about doing some walking and trying a couple other old wives' tales and seeing if I can help her come on her own. I am pretty sure what I've been feeling is contractions, but they don't hurt so I'm not entirely sure that's what it is. I have been having lower abdominal cramping and lower back pain. My entire abdomen will tighten up, then loosen up...but that doesn't hurt at all. So I'm pretty certain we're on our way to having a baby, but aren't there quite yet!

Her room is ready and my hospital bag is almost done. I just have a few more things to get from the store then we're all ready for her! Cody is getting excited, too. That's been some of the most fun in this last TERRIBLE month! He keeps me sane! Everyone says the last month is the worst, and they aren't lying! The sleepless nights, exhaustion, waddling, SWOLLEN feet, pressure on the bladder, hormones to the umpth degree...everything just hurts. I know it will all be worth it in just 9 short days...or less!!!

This week she is about the size of a swiss chard. For the next baby, I'm going to try to find a list of things to compare it to that I have actually heard of!!!

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

35 and 36 Weeks

The last couple of weeks have been very hectic. We moved this weekend, so there was a lot of packing and preparation leading up to the move.

We are mostly settled in. McKenna's room is the last thing left and even that is almost done. We have to wash some clothes and things for her, put the crib together, hang up some decorations, and find places for a few other miscellaneous things. I'm feeling less stressed about it all now that progress is being made. My mom and Randy are a HUGE help in getting ready for her. I've just been so worried that we won't be ready if she comes early, but she'll be all set up and ready to go in the next couple days! She can come whenever she's ready at this point...which I hope is soon!!

She's definitely running out of room in there and is making sure I know it! Other odd things have been happening. Well, I guess they may not be so odd, but they are to me! I have been having swelling, of course, but most of my swelling is in my right foot and can be pretty painful at times. I have been having crampy feelings, and I'm not really sure what that's all about. Probably it's just McKenna running out of room! I have starting getting sick a little bit again, which brings back not so fond memories of the lovely first trimester! I had kidney surgery 14 years ago and the scar is where a c-section scar would be. I have been having sharp pains there as well, but not too often. She is definitely mashing down on my sciatic nerve on the right! That's not fun. My thumb, first finger, and middle finger of my left hand randomly go tingly and numb. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with what position I'm in, because it happens when I'm laying down or standing up or sitting down. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to it. Other than all that, I think I'm pretty good! Just really uncomfortable and ready for her to be here!

She should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 6lbs and 18.5 inches long now. The size of a crenshaw mellon (random, I know).

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

34 Weeks

Only 6 more to go!!! I just can't believe how fast the last 34 weeks have gone by. I think back to Thanksgiving Day (I was already pregnant then, just didn't know it) and it doesn't seem that long ago. How is it that time can creep and fly at the same time? It makes no sense, but it definitely has. We were over at a friend's house this weekend for 4th of July. One of her other friends that was there has a 2 year old little girl. Cody commented on how long it would seem to take for McKenna to be that old, but I am pretty sure she'll be there before we know it. I'm trying my best to enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy because it's almost over. A fact that makes me so happy and sad at the same time!

We're really starting to pack up this week for the move. We did a little this weekend and have already taken a few things to my mom's house. I HATE moving! I hate all of it. Thankfully, I only have to pack this time. Still not fun, but I can't pick up and move the boxes and such. I won't complain about that one! I'm just ready to get in there and get settled in and set up so when McKenna gets here all is ready.

It seems like we still have so much to do! We need to start washing her things so they're ready, we've got the move and all that entails, we still have things we need to get...It's crunch time! I am all caught up on thank you notes! Cody's family had a shower Sunday for us and his cousin that is due about 2 weeks before me so I'll need to do more from that one. I'm excited to see what else McKenna got! I think it was very thoughtful of them to include us even though we couldn't be there. She had her own cake and everything! I'm so lucky to have Cody to take care of a lot of things for me. I can't imagine going through pregnancy with any other man by my side. He has been AMAZING!!

Well, she weighs about as much as a cantaloupe, which is about 4 3/4 lbs and she should be somewhere around 18 inches.

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

33 Weeks

I know, this is 2 days late, but I had an appointment yesterday. I thought I'd wait to blog until after that just in case there was some news to report. Nothing. I know she'll come when she's ready but I'm hoping she's ready here in the next few weeks. Both my mom and Cody's mom start back at school on August 16, so the more time we have with them before then, the better!

Not much has changed this last week. She is still kicking up a storm. I really don't think that my tummy has grown too much this week. We did put her bedding on her crib, even though her crib is still at our apartment which is not its permanent home. I'm just nesting and it's killing me not being able to get ready for her for another couple of weeks. Having her bedding on at least makes it seem like we're doing something to get ready for her. It made me feel a little better anyway!

I'm just ready to get moved in and settled in!! We should be in by July 17th and then she can come anytime after that. I'll be 35 weeks at that point and that's close enough some times, right? I really do want her to stay in and cook as long as she needs to to be healthy...but I want her here, too. I'm sure all mom's feel that way!

I am starting to panic about everything, though, now that we're closer to D-Day. I want her room ready, I need to pack a bag for the hospital, I am going to be giving birth to a baby soon which is freaking me out a little, and then I will be a mom...to a baby...that needs me. It's all so wonderful and just crazy at the same time!!! It has gone by so fast!!!

The shower was this weekend. It was WONDERFUL! Kelly and Kim did a great job setting it up and running it. I'm so lucky to have such awesome friends and family her to help and support me. I would imagine that there aren't a lot of people as lucky as I am.

She is about the size a pineapple. She should be a little over 4lbs and over 17 inches.

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

32 Weeks

I feel like I have been pregnant forever and still have forever to go!!

We did our pics this weekend! I should be getting them back sometime this week and I am super excited! Cody wanted to stay at the park after we were done to take a few with our camera (that we're still trying to figure out). I think he did a pretty good job! It was HOT out there but my face didn't seem to turn red until towards the end of Cody's pictures he was taking, so hopefully it wasn't at all red in the "real" ones.

The shower is this weekend so I'm looking forward to that too! It's all becoming so real! In 8 weeks we'll be parents. We'll have little McKenna here to take care of. It's just so crazy. My crazy husband is already talking about when he wants to start trying for #2 but I think (and hope) that he's just joking. I definitely want more children, don't get me wrong. I just want to get the first one born and a little older before we have another one! We're thinking we want them to be 18-24 months apart. That seems good, but we'll see!!

We decided not to do a 3D ultrasound. I have no idea what we're going to have to get for her on our own so we need to save as much as possible! I do want one, but I can't really justify spending the money on it.

She should be about 3.75 pounds (the weight of a jicama, whatever that is) and 16.7 inches long.

Love Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

31 Weeks

Only 9 weeks to go! Finally down to single digits.

These last few days McKenna has been moving around in there tons!! The more she moves the more I LOVE it!! It's so funny to see my belly move too! She's still a little shy. She'll be moving all around and as soon as I have someone come feel, she stops!

Saturday we have "family" pictures. We're doing mostly couple shots with some maternity mixed in. We've never done professional pictures together (even at the wedding) so I am really looking forward to it! It'll take about 2 weeks to get the proofs back, so I'll post some when we have them. I still want to do an actual maternity shoot with belly pictures and props and whatnot. I want to wait until we get the nursery set up though so we can do some in there too! The shower is next weekend to there is lots to look forward to!

Other than my back hurting a little bit I feel great! This is more of what I though pregnancy would be like.

She's a little over three pounds which is about the weight of 4 naval oranges. Hurry up baby! Mommy is READY to meet you!!

Love Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

I don't usually do this...

I pretty much stick to my weekly updates but I really just felt the need to post one today.

On www.babycenter.com they have birth clubs. Naturally I joined the August 2010 one, since McKenna is due in August. They have a Birth Announcement thread. If you haven't made the connection yet, it's birth announcements for babies that were due in August and have already been born. This is the saddest thing I have ever seen. These are women just like me...as far along in their pregnancies as I am mine...and their babies have already been born. I couldn't even imagine. Now that we're getting closer to August, more and more of them are making it with some help from the NICU. Some, sadly, still are not. I came across one of these mothers that started a blog when she found out she was pregnant, like I did. The format of her blog is letters to her baby. They start off normal talking about what she was feeling and what they'd gotten for the baby. Then all of a sudden she had a sono and her baby didn't have a heartbeat anymore. I can't even come close to being able to imagine the kind of pain she must be feeling. I don't want to belittle anyone's pain when I say this...It's painful enough, no doubt, to lose a child at any stage of pregnancy. I would think it would have to be so much worse to be that close to having her...For her to be developed enough that she could survive in the world with a little help then to just lose her. It ended up being from a blood clot in her umbilical cord. That beautiful little baby girl should be here now with her mommy.

It honestly has me so scared!! If McKenna were to be born now, she would be ok. I'm so close to the end. So close to being able to hold my little baby in my arms. I just want to have her now so something senseless doesn't happen to her in the next 9 1/2 weeks. I can't stop thinking about this, though. I know I can always what-if myself into oblivion....so I try not to.

I'm ready for her. I want her to just hurry up and get here so I can protect her. So I can keep her safe. I feel somewhat useless knowing that she's inside me and I can't protect her from everything. That even thought she's all snug and "safe" in mommy's tummy, there are certain things I can't stop from happening. I don't like that feeling.

So anyway, if you would, keep all of these poor mothers in your thoughts as they are forced to deal with these unimaginable trials. I'm sure they could use all the good energy they can get. Also remember that nothing is guaranteed in life.

Marissa

30 Weeks

Where has the time gone? This little one is MOVING like crazy! I love it!

I am soooo ready for her to be here! Everything is starting to hurt. My back especially. I'm sure she'll be worth it, no doubt!

Cody has really stepped up his game, too! He's been cleaning up and doing some of the laundry for me. I have come home everyday to a super clean house and have had nothing to do. It's been so awesome! I really am so very lucky to have him. He isn't perfect, but he's perfect for me!

The shower is the 26th so that will be fun. I am really excited! There really isn't much to report this week. Just getting bigger and waiting for her to make her grand entrance into the world!! Anytime that she's ready and can do it in a healthy way, I'm ready for her!

This week she's about the size of a cabbage.

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

29 Weeks

She'll be here in 11 weeks...give or take! Hopefully take... She has been sooo active these last couple of weeks. I'm sure she has been all along but I can really feel her now. I can even see her! It's so weird to look down at my belly and see it rolling around. I love it and I already know I'm going to miss it. I will be glad to have her here though! It's getting harder to know that she's right there and I can't hold her. She's only inches (or less) away from my hand but I can't touch her!! I know it will come soon enough and I'm supposed to enjoy this while it lasts. But not one person that has had a baby can't tell me that they didn't start getting anxious towards the end and wanted their baby here now!!

I guess if I had one complaint, it's people telling me what I should feel about things. I don't mind people touching my belly or asking questions. But I'm not you and I'm not going to feel the same way you did. I enjoy parts of being pregnant, but over all I'd rather have her here now than to "enjoy" my last few weeks of pregnancy. I do understand that it's advice people feel the need to give, but you're not going to change the way I feel about it. I'm ready for her to be here. Period. That wasn't meant to be a rant! Just something I was thinking about.

I'm starting to swell up. I can see it mostly in my face and my ring no longer fits comfortably. It seems a little soon to me for all that, but I guess there's nothing to be done about it. I drink a lot of water hoping that will help and I rarely drink sodas.

We finished registering which included adding a few more things to Babies R Us and registering at Target. I'm not really sure how we did. We just ended up scanning a whole bunch of stuff so I'm relying on people to know what we missed!

Other than that, there isn't much to report this week! She's about the weight of a butternut squash and is about 15 inches long.

Love Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

28 Weeks

Yesterday was the start of the third trimester! I can't believe she'll be here in 12 weeks-ish. We have sooo much to do still!

I had a sono yesterday. Everything looked good. She is 2 lbs 13 oz. I am right on for my due date, but hoping for her to be here early. Not too early, of course. She was head down, but bent in half. Her feet were wrapped around the front of her head. It was too funny. She didn't look comfortable at all, but if she wasn't she'd move!!

I've been getting e-mails together for the shower invites and I'm almost done. I know I'm going to miss some people and really hope they don't get offended. I'm trying! It's very overwhelming trying to get so many e-mail addresses! I don't know enough people here to do more than one shower, so there will be quite a mix of people there! I'm getting really excited for it! It's going to be June 26 which is right around the corner. That means we need to finish registering! Yikes! I think we're done with Babies R Us so we just have target left. We need to stock up on formula and more diapers and more wipes....See? Not ready yet! At all!

This week she is about the size of a chinese cabbage....whatever that is.

Love Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

27 Weeks

Time to say goodbye to my second trimester...and my energy...and soon my sanity! Yeah...it's that bad! Cody is being great throughout all of this still. Especially with my hormones now raging out of control.

It seems like with each passing day I grow larger and larger...and she is getting stronger and stronger! She really likes to kick mommy! That's ok, though. That part I don't mind! I LOVE feeling her moving around in there!

We got a DSLR camera this weekend so we can take fabulous pictures of the little princess when she gets here! I am really excited about that! I'd hate to have to rely on someone else to take her pictures. Cody is actually really good at it! I need more practice!

This week she is the size of a cauliflower, which is about 2 pounds apparently. She's also about 14.5 inches long.

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

26 Weeks

There isn't much to report this week. I'm getting increasingly more tired and emotional. I'm not digging this hormone thing. I'm ready for that part to be OVER! But it's all part of it, so I must deal!

Random people are starting to ask me when I'm due and what I'm having. I guess I am at that point where there is no question if I'm pregnant or not.

I have actually been sick this week which is no fun since I can't take anything. I'm not sure if it's a cold or allergies or what! It's not unbearable so that is something to be thankful for. I know a girl that was so sick in her first trimester that she would throw up because she coughed so much. At least I'm not that sick.

I'm getting worried that I/we aren't going to be ready. Everyone says that it all comes naturally and not to worry about it but I can't help but worry about it. This is a big deal, ya know? This is a life that I/we chose to bring into this world. I just don't want to screw it up! lol

McKenna should about 1 2/3 lbs and 13.5 inches. About the size of some English cucumber apparently!!

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

25 Weeks

Well, apparently the pregnancy hormones kick in around 25 weeks! I'm starting to feel them surging through my body. I get mad fast and cry easily! I'm used to being a little more even tempered so this is different!

McKenna just keeps kicking away! She can be felt easily from the outside now. She also isn't chilling on my right side anymore. She's more in the middle. That seems to have been at least part of the pain problem I was having. I still hurt a little bit, but not bad at all and not every day. I'm thankful for that! I am tired all the time! I can't wake up. I am also moving slower in the mornings. Must be from my GINORMOUS belly! The sad thing is it's going to get bigger and bigger! I'm not used to this either! I am ready for her to come on just as soon as she can do it and be healthy. I don't care what anyone says, if he'll induce me early I'm doing it! If you think babies should be let to wait until they're ready to come, then do that with yours. You're not having this baby. I am. And like I said, if he'll let me I am doing it!

I had a sono yesterday right at 25 weeks. It's crazy how big she's getting!

According to the internet she weighs about 1.5lbs and is 13.5 inches long! She's about the size of an eggplant. The website I usually use said she weighed as much as a rutabaga, but that is one hideous veggie. An eggplant is much better! I can't believe she's that big, though!

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

24 Weeks

Only 16 weeks to go now! Only 3 more weeks left in the second trimester. Holy Cow!! We registered at Babies R Us this weekend, which was fun and overwhelming at the same time. We still need to go back over it. I'm sure there's stuff there that shouldn't be and stuff that we missed that needs to be added on. They gave us a checklist and we completely forgot about it!!! Oh well...I'm sure we'll get it figured out here soon!! It was nice to finally pick the bedding and decorations for her room! That was my favorite part!

We've been hanging out with some friends lately that just had a baby. It scares me how uncomfortable I am around babies!! I'm freaking having one and I freak out when they cry. I hope it'll be different when it's my own. Surely it has to be! I figure I'll get the hang of things in my 6 weeks of maternity leave I'll have. Cody will be there for two of them, I think. Then I'll have her all alone for 4 weeks. THAT should be interesting! I am hoping as well that I at least somewhat get the hang of it before he goes back to work! I'm sure I will. Everyone says it comes naturally! I'll let ya know if that's REALLY true!!! lol

She is REALLY kicking hard these days and it's getting higher and higher on my stomach. You can really feel her if you push down. Now you can barely feel her when you just lay your hand where she's kicking. Pretty soon it will be visible. I'm looking forward to that!

The kidney stone situation seems to have resolved itself. Who knows. The doctor told me he still thinks that it's a kidney stone and I still think it's not. He also said that sometimes things just hurt on a pregnant woman that won't hurt anymore when you're not pregnant. That there is no rhyme or reason to it. I can handle that. It hurts a little but not bad at all. I can "suffer" through it until she's here and I can do something about it, whatever it is, if it still hurts when I'm not pregnant anymore.

Hormones are starting to rear their ugly heads too! I personally don't think it's too bad, but others may disagree. I just get mad so fast! But I also think I get over it fairly quickly too. Who really knows!!!

It's getting hard for me to get into and out of certain positions and I'm not anywhere near as big as I'm going to get. Oh boy! These next couple months should be fuuuun!

I also had my glucose test yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The "juice" was fruit punch flavored and I didn't mind it at all! It was a tad sugary, but not syrupy so it was easy to get down. I'm not sure how long it takes the results to come back, so hopefully I passed!!! I have my next sono and and office with the doctor at 28 weeks.

She's getting so big! She's about the length of an ear of corn, almost a foot long!

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

23 Weeks

Holy freakin' cow. Only 17 weeks to go!

She's been kicking harder, so that's been fun. She still seems to move the most when music is on. I'm not sure why, but I'm assuming she likes it! My mom got to feel her on Saturday so that was pretty cool. Other than Cody supposedly feeling her, she's the only one so far!

I went to the doctor on Friday and he said I probably have a kidney stone. All that pain I was feeling Monday and the constant dull pain I've been feeling since then is apparently a possible kidney stone. I'm not really convinced. They couldn't visualize it on a sonogram but I have all the symptoms of it. He gave me pain medication on Friday. Nothing too strong but it has codeine to help me sleep if the pain gets too bad. I took it Friday night but haven't since then. I got sick three times on Saturday and I'm not entirely convinced the pain med wasn't the culprit so I'll only take it when absolutely necessary. Pain medication always makes me sick, but it's right away, not all day the next day, so who knows!!!

My belly is, of course, getting bigger! Shockingly so! It seems every day I wake up it's bigger. Every time I put on the same shirt it gets tighter and tighter! It's fun but not terribly attractive. I'm hoping my body will bounce right back after she's born, but that's probably too much to wish for! Other than Saturday I haven't gotten sick in a few weeks, so I'm thankful for that!

I went to a couple garage sales with my mom on Saturday, too! She got McKenna a bouncy seat that is soooo cute! (Thanks again, Mom) Cody let me get a glider that is in great shape and was a killer deal!! I'm really excited! It makes me want to peruse other garage sales to find more treasure! The only thing with the glider is the color. It's white with red cushions so we may have it reupholstered. If not, I'm fine with the red. It won't go with our stuff but with the price we paid for it I don't care!!!

She is about the weight of a large mango, which is a little over a pound.

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

22 Weeks

This week has had its ups and downs. Bad news first. I started having a pain in my lower right side in the back when I woke up yesterday morning. It got increasingly worse as the day progressed and I developed a low grade fever. I called the doctor and they had me come in to do a urinalysis to see if there was any infection. I went home from there to rest. The fever went away fairly quickly and the pain slowly diminished. It still hurt until a little after lunch today. I had a sono this morning but haven't gotten the results of that or the UA yet. I think it's either a kidney infection or a kidney stone but we'll see what the doctor said.

Now the good news! She's really starting to move around in there. It seems to be mostly when the radio is on. She really like Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad" which is a bad sign according to Cody! She didn't like the sono probe pushing on her habitat either! It was so cool to watch her push back and feel it at the same time. I'm really loving this!

She is the size of a spaghetti squash this week and she officially weight 1 pound 1 ounce.

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

21 Weeks

Only 19 weeks to go!! I'm ready, but not ready. I so want her to be here it's unreal! Our lease is up August 7 and she is due August 17. We are not staying in this current apartment for sure, but I don't know where we're going. This means I can't really do anything about getting a nursery ready until last minute. I guess that's not really that big of a deal. We can plan it out and put it all up when we get wherever we're going. It also means that figuring out where to go for daycare will be difficult. I'm pretty sure we'll end up in Wylie whether we buy or rent again. We're also looking at Sachse, Murphy, and other surrounding areas as well. I think Wylie is a safe bet, though. Daycare is expensive but not as bad as I thought. I'm still hoping we can find an in-home daycare. Another hiccup would be if she came early and interrupted the moving process. There is no bad time for her to come, but we really need to be in a new place before she gets here. I don't want to bring her home to the chaos of moving!

I felt her move Friday!!! Cody said he felt her Saturday morning, but I'm not convinced. He hasn't felt her since then and she's starting to move around a lot more. It's really the coolest thing ever! The only trigger that I can find is being stuffed with food. She moves more after I eat! I've tried caffeine and that doesn't seem to have much of an effect at this point. My mom says that one day I'll be wishing she would stop kicking me, but I just don't see that happening!

We're looking into getting a 4D ultrasound. We might do one in the next week or two, but we'll probably just wait until the beginning of June and do one around 30 weeks. I'm excited for that. I think they're really neat!

This week she should be 10 1/2 inches long which is about the size of a carrot. She is getting so big so fast and she's not even born yet. It's amazing to me how much I love her already!!

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

20 Weeks

So we've made it to the half way point!! It's hard to believe that in just another 20 weeks she'll be here! This last week of knowing that she is going to be a girl has been awesome. We've done a little shopping, but not too much at all. We could've done a lot worse! We've also picked out some of the bigger things that we want. I know we'll have so much fun when it's time to register.

I am getting bigger, which I know is part of the process. It's just weird to look down at my growing belly and know that McKenna is in there sleeping or moving around. It's awesome to know that she's not even here yet and I am responsible for her. I am her protection and her nutrition. Everything that she needs to grow and live is coming from me. So crazy. I'm starting to feel like a mother and I love it!!

I think I felt her move for real this time! It was around 5 this morning. It's hard to describe the feeling but there was something moving around in there!

I almost forgot about this one! Friday morning this last week, 03-26, I got up around 2 or 3 to go to the restroom for the millionth time. When I got up I started feeling nauseated and by the time I got to the bathroom I was extremely nauseated. I thought I was going to get sick while I was in there but I started to black out. I felt like the room was spinning, everything started to go dark, and I felt like I had cotton in my ears. It was hard to breathe and I was super hot. I tried to call Cody but I couldn't say his name loud enough. It lasted for maybe a minute. I made it back to bed, still lightheaded and burning up. That lasted for another minute or two then I was fine. I think it was a mixture of a few things. I was on my back, which is bad for your circulation when your pregnant. It can cause a few of those symptoms. I need to be eating a little better and more often, too. I think low blood sugar was a contributing factor. I've been fine since, so I'm not really worried about it, but it was scary at the time. I did a quick sonogram at work just to check on her and make sure she looked ok in there. She did!!!

Other than that incident I've bee feeling great. My energy is coming back and I had my first craving which was fried chicken. It was sooo good!!! Cody, being the awesome husband that he is, brought it home after work. I scarfed it up!!!

She is 10 inches head to toe which is about the size of a banana. I can't believe how fast she's growing!

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

19 Weeks

This week is a HUGE week for us! We found out today that we're having a little girl!!! Her name is McKenna Ann. I am so freakin' excited I can't stand it! This means I was wrong! I always thought boy and the moms both always thought girl. So I guess grandma's intuition is a little more finely tuned that mommy's! But that's to be expected.

I'm not really sure what else to say on this blog! I'm too excited to think about anything but this precious little girl that I am carrying inside me. The morning sickness, maternity clothes, physical discomfort, etc. doesn't matter right now!!! I will update all that, however, so this blog can have some meat to it!

Morning sickness is not even an issue any more. I get sick once or twice a week but I can never remember what days it was. I'm so used to it now. I think Cody is too because he doesn't say anything anymore when he hears me.

I got this thing called BeBand from Target. It must be made in Heaven. I love this thing! I can wear my pre-maternity jeans (which I can still button up although not comfortably) and some maternity pants that are still a little big. I will cherish it forever! It wraps all the way around me and keeps my pants up.

This week McKenna is the size of an heirloom tomato. She weighs 9 ounces and is about 6 inches long.

Cody, Marissa, and McKenna

18 Weeks

In 2 weeks we'll be half way there! I hope the second half moves a little slower than the first half. I can officially say that it now seems to be speeding up! I am SO ready for our little one to make it's grand appearance, but now that I can enjoy pregnancy I don't want it to end so soon! I don't know if or when I'll get to do this again so I kind of want it to last. I know I've been griping that it's taking too long! I know, I know....I need to make up my mind. Good luck with that one!

In 1 week we get to find out the sex of the baby!! I am READY to know!! We tried to find out this last Friday, but baby wouldn't cooperate. It's legs were folded, it wouldn't get in a good position...at one point it even covered itself with it's hand!!! It's either a really modest little girl or a typical little boy!! I have been wanting a girl and have had a gut feeling it's a boy but the closer I get to the day we find out, the more I don't really care! I think they would both be fun but in different ways. I just want to know at this point!! Hopefully at my apt this Tuesday 03-23 they'll be able to tell!

Morning sickness comes and goes. I am just glad that my appetite has increased! And it is increasingly increasing! I am starting to snack more and eat more at meals which are both things I need to be doing. The bump is ever-growing. I'm still pretty exhausted all the time. My energy comes and goes.

The baby is the size of a bell pepper this week! Hopefully I will be able to feel it soon. Crown to rump is 5.5 inches plus arms and legs. You'd think I could feel something by this point, but alas, nothing!

Cody, Marissa, and Baby