Twist & Shout !!

The big appointment was finally here!! I have been so excited for this appt. I mean this was the full anatomy ultrasound!! We have been eagerly waiting to find out what we are gonna have and check out everything. Well, our baby boy is proving to be a little stubborn already (Doug says he gets that from me!). The ultrasound tech was not having much luck getting him to cooperate and show us everything we needed to check out. The baby was really moving around but wasn't in a good position and the ultrasound tech was losing hope. She was really jabbing me the wand trying to make the baby flip, but no success. There was so much jabbing I almost peed on myself!!! I was of course getting concerned and being a pregnant woman with hormones going crazy. started getting emotional, okay I was getting grumpy about it! I asked if there was anything I could do to make the baby move and jokingly shook my booty on the table to see if that might get the baby to roll over. She giggled but told me there really wasn't anything I could do to help the situation. So the ultrasound tech told me to go to the bathroom and relieve myself to see if that would help. The added room might give the baby more room and maybe would flip for us. I left, used the restroom and came back.....still no luck!!! The baby boy was just not wanting to work with his mommy and daddy and show the tech what she needed to see. I again asked if I could do a cartwheel or maybe a dance to help, but she replied the same as before. The tech told us to go back to the waiting room and let the ladies up front know that after we are done with the doctor to check and see if she was with a patient and if not she would allow us to come back to the ultrasound room and try again...the only other option was to make another appt to come back in a few days for the ultrasound. Doug and I did not want to have to do that!!!

I was pretty upset and just kept whining to Doug that I couldn't believe we had been waiting for this day and it just wasn't going like I wanted. Everything was irritating me and I'm pretty sure I was in turn irritating Doug! The doctor came in and checked things out, my blood pressure was a little higher than usual for me, but I think that could be expected with my anxiety getting the best of me from our ultrasound experience. This was the first time we met with this doctor and I was happy that she let me ask a ton of questions and never seemed uninterested. Even though most of what I was concerned is totally normal and expected, she took the time to explain to Doug and I why I was feeling the things I was feeling so I would feel okay about stuff and understand what the heck is going on with my body. I'm telling ya, I feel like I'm a science experiment and everyday it's something new!!!! The doctor checked out the heartbeat (my favorite part) and everything sounded great. So we left the doctor with flying colors and went out to the waiting room to find out if we could have a third chance at getting a good ultrasound of our baby boy.

I really wanted a good shot of the little wiener!!! I know the ultrasound tech said there wasn't anything I could do, but I refused to believe that so I did a twist and shout dance all the way through the hallways and definitely shook my booty making everyone laugh at me but I was gonna do whatever it took to get my baby boy to flip over so we could see his heart...and everything else too!!! Well, I am so pleased to say that my dancing worked !!!! He had totally rolled over and the ultrasound tech was so excited to be able to finally see everything and measure all of his limbs, check out his heart and all other major organs and yes, he showed mommy and daddy his wiener!!! We were SO happy !!! These doctors obviously don't know what kind of a dancer I am and how I can move my butt!!! It worked!!! We were able to get some great pictures to show everyone and even got a great shot that prompted the tech to write Hi Grandma!!! Those made special little additions to Mother's Day cards!!! Doug and I also will get a DVD of the ultrasound that will be ready to be picked up on Tuesday!! I'm very excited to get that and take it every where we go so we can be obnoxious expectant parents and make people watch the DVD. Just kidding!!! I guess I should rap this up, I tend to ramble on with my excitment!! I'm proud to announce that after a nerve wracking beginning, the entire appointment was extremely satisfying and I'm now having a blast shopping for our baby boy!!!!

The Verdict is IN!!

Thank you to those that voted in our poll for the gender of our baby. Surprisingly, it was not a close race with a boy running away with the lead capturing 25 of the 32 votes. Taking a way back second with 6 was a girl and one unfortunate soul didn’t have a clue. Were these results coincidence or did many have a great gut instinct? The official results are in and we are happy to announce that Amy is carrying our baby BOY!!

Advice for the day!

If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children."

First Camping Trip of the Year - April 2007

To celebrate and get away from life for a brief moment, we ventured to Davison for a night of camping last weekend. It would be our first camping trip of 2007. Not much effort was put into the trip as we packed a few clothes and enough wood for a little campfire, hooked up the camper and away we went. The jaunt was short and relaxing, but exactly what it was meant to be…

Since this was a relaxing and somewhat spontaneous trip, we did not pack much if any food and the grabbed a pizza at the local pizzeria, Sisters. Although we didn’t see anyone resembling sisters (all males), the pizza was surprisingly VERY tasty and will be on our list of possibilities if and when the need arises in the future.

Sunday came quick and it was time to pack up and head home. However, Amy desperately wanted to be one the water as we were not able to get in the water this trip. So, we strapped on the life vests and took a “little” stroll around on a paddle boat to get some sun and exercise. Feel free to check out a few more pictures from the trip in the links.

Things To Ponder...

1. You spend the first two years of a child's life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.

2. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.

3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.

4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.

5. The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.

6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.

Less Stress !!!

Wooo Hooo !!!! I have officially finished the hardest semester of college I have ever endured!! It's challenging enough to work full time and take two night courses at a community college under normal circumstances....add in being pregnant with your first child and suddenly a good challenge becomes an extremely hard challenge!!! My first trimester was really rough and I was just so sick it was difficult to get to class a lot of days let alone do all the homework assignments and studying for exams. However, I am proud to say that I did it and feel so relieved that it's over. With the help of my wonderful husband I completed both classes and thanks to Doug being the computer genius that he is, I am also proud to announce that he/I/we will be getting an A in my computer class. My other class might be a little iffy since I had to handle that one all on my own but I think I still managed a high B so that would be great. I'll know for sure when I receive my much anticipated grades in the mail. I will be returning to school for a 10 week summer class at the end of May but it should be a fairly simple class needed for my program and most importantly I won't be dealing with early pregnancy symptoms as I am starting to feel much better.... Thank goodness !!! I am looking forward to the month break I've got from school and Doug and I are both looking forward to a fun and exciting summer getting ready for the baby. Hope all is well with all of you!!!!

Advice for the day!

Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day.

Week 16 Doctor Appointment

Another mini milestone accomplished!! Week 16 doctor's appointment went very well and very quick!! I think we were there for maybe a total of 30 minutes and that included our waiting time. It doesn't matter though, no matter how quick and easy the appointment is I feel like such an accomplishment has been made. Each time we're at the doctor's office I know it's another step closer to our big day and I absolutely love hearing the baby's heartbeat...thats always the highlight for me!!! We met with a new doctor this time, as they will start rotating my visits so I get a chance to meet and spend some time with each of the 4 doctors in the practice. This way no matter which lucky doctor is on call when I go into labor, I'll know and be familiar with all of them. Oh man will that doctor be in for an exciting day when I go into labor and give birth to our little one. I'm such a quiet and unexcitable person I'm sure it will be pretty uneventful!! NOT !! Once again everything looked fine and the doctor was pleased with our progress. I donated another tube of blood and we were outta there! Besides hearing the baby's heartbeat I think the most exciting part of this doctor's appointment was checking out and making the next appointment.....this will be the big visit where we will be able to find out if we are having a little boy or a little girl, and I can not wait!!! As long as the baby cooperates, on May 11th at approx. 9am we will see a weiner or a bun!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it, and I think i'm driving Doug a little crazy!!! It will be a big day for us and I can't wait to share the exciting news with all of you...until then...take care and enjoy the spring!!!!

Whew!! Dodged the Needle...

Dad was able to dodge the needle, at least this time after a meeting with his doctor. Fortunately, dad's newest doctor was able to find not only the letter to dad, but also the lab results sheet from several years ago. A copy of the lab work was requested and received so now mom can take it to her appointment. Although dad avoided the needle, unfortunately, mom will see the needle at least one extra time than normal. It should be confirmed this Friday, but mom will need the Rhogam shots during the 28th week of pregnancy and depending on the blood type of the baby, a second one just after birth. In the grand scheme of things, the extra shots will be peanuts in comparison to what else will be going on. We will get the real scoop during the appointment on Friday...

Dad's Giving Blood?

Mom won’t be the only one giving blood. Mom recently found out that she has an A negative blood type. In general, this is not of concern in a person’s daily life, but it does when a female becomes pregnant. If a negative mom mates with a positive dad, the baby has the potential to be positive. This difference can potentially cause RH disease. So, dad’s blood needs to be tested to confirm what blood type he is. Dad has documentation for his blood, but a previous doctor’s note is a little illegible and may not meet mom’s doctor’s requirements. Dad’s notes are that he is A positive.

RH disease is basically when the mother’s body develops antibodies to the RH positive blood. Although this is generally not an issue during a first pregnancy; it can be for future pregnancies as the antibodies become more abundant in the mother’s body. The mother’s and baby’s blood remain separate during pregnancy, but may be mixed if an amniocentesis is performed and/or during birth and a few other instances. Prevention of the antibodies forming is treated by giving the mother a shot between the 26 – 28th week of the pregnancy and then again right after birth. The shot basically inhibits the mom from creating antibodies which could cause the mother to fight the baby.

We will find out more during our next doctor visit on April 13th, but attached are a couple of links that better explain this new development.

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrpregnant/rhdiseas.cfm
http://health.discovery.com/centers/pregnancy/americanbaby/rhdisease.html

Furniture On Order!!

So, you’re probably asking/wondering to yourself… Isn’t it too early to order furniture? Well, yes it probably is… We have made it beyond the 12 week doctor appointment and the doctor was able to see a strong heartbeat. Mom asked if it was okay to order furniture. The doctor said, “Oh, don’t worry about the furniture yet. I tell parents to start looking at around 20 weeks.” With this mom noted that the furniture we were considering took up to 14 weeks to get in. At this, the doctor quickly replied, “Go ahead and order it.” This was based on seeing a strong heartbeat at the 12 week mark. The doctor noted that the chances of miscarriage were drastically reduced based on that appointment.

The parents of Baby Gaynier, anxious to get the ball rolling, ordered a crib (thanks grandma), dresser, changer combo and hutch yesterday (we are now at 13 weeks). Daddy is more anxious about the planning and getting the baby’s room done side while mommy is more anxious about learning the gender. The anxious feelings stem from finding out we were pregnant at almost day one. We are not complaining as we have used this time to our advantage as we have been able to shop and look at things at a more leisurely pace. The green light from the doctor allows us to breathe easier in respect to having a miscarriage and is allowing us to be more excited about making the real decisions of planning our child’s arrival. Confirming lead times and finding out what are more realistic (8-14 weeks), we asked if we needed to pick-up or have the furniture delivered right away. The answer is that we can wait up to 9 months. So, barring any catastrophes, we will be receiving our child’s furniture a week or two before the first baby shower in latter July. So it looks like mom will have her wish of being able to put any gracious gifts received directly into their new home.

So, you are still thinking the planning is being done way too early!! When you add in camping, NASCAR races, baseball, golf and baby and bridal showers that mom is planning/attending, it quickly diminishes the opportunity to keep tasks at a leisurely and enjoyable pace for mom and dad. The less stress for mom, and okay dad too, the better, right?

We are also planning on ordering a glider rocker and ottoman (thanks other grandma!), but are waiting to see what the theme of the nursery is going to be and have confirmed that the lead times are much shorter than the other furniture. The reason we are waiting is because we are planning to match our choice with the nursery and the living room. When the time comes, the "nursery" chair will be used to replace a chair in the living room.

Mom has narrowed the nursery themes down to a select few and is waiting to find out whether our baby will have a wiener or the bun to make the final decision… LOL!! This will allow her to make the final decision as one is gender neutral and the other select few are not. We are still about 7-8 weeks out before we can/will be finding out.

Our Baby's Growing!

Our baby is growing and beginning to look a little more human as we can now see appendages. Pictures are from 12 weeks. The size of our child is remaining consitent with the length of pregnancy, so we are very happy about that. The baby is definitely on the move although mommy is not able to feel the little munchkin yet. Maybe it is all of the baby's movement that is making mom feel car sick... We have to agree with everyone that has had a child or been around pregnancy that watching the ultrasounds and seeing the baby move is very exciting!!

12 Week Doctor Appointment

Another doctor's appointment complete!!! Bright and early I arrived at the doctor's office and was told that from here on out, I would be asked to give a urine sample at the beginning of every appointment. "Okay" I said, and off I went to the bathroom. I came back out to the waiting room and was shocked to see all the other women sitting there. I was told they were running behind and to have a seat and be patient. Doug had to go to an unexpected meeting so I ventured to the doctor's appointment all by myself like a big girl!! However, after waiting for 30 minutes I was bummed I hadn't asked my mom to come with me. I wasn't feeling well and I could really have used the company. I was finally called back to a room and only sat there for a couple of minutes when my doctor poked her head in and said, "Did ya' get it all down?" I looked at her confused and asked her, "Get what all down?!?" She proceeded to tell me she wanted to give me the glucose tolerance test earlier than they normally do because Diabetes runs in my family. I remember this being discussed at an earlier visit with the doctor but I’ve been a little spacey lately, and of course blaming it on pregnancy and wasn't expecting it. Apparently the nurses weren't expecting it either because they didn't know to give me the very "yummy" glucose drink to guzzle when I first got there. So!! The doctor left and a nurse came in with a big bottle of bright orange fluid that I was instructed to drink...very quickly!!! The nurse told me she would be back in in exactly 5 minutes and when she returned I was to have all the liquid drank. She left and I took a sip, and instantly thought I was going to vomit!!! Talk about yucky! That stuff was so disgusting, but I managed to get it all down and even did it in the time limit, it's amazing how proud I can be of the small things accomplished!!! :-) When the nurse came back in she told me I now had to go back into the waiting room and sit for an hour, and then I would be called back in and they would draw blood. I thought to myself "AN HOUR!!!" Needless to say I wasn't thrilled, I certainly hadn't expected to spend most of my morning at the doctor's office and again wished I would have asked my mom to come with me. Oh well, what was I gonna do about it now, it really wasn't that big a deal, but again I can blame my silly overreacting on hormones!! A very long hour later I was called back in and saw the doctor for a few minutes, that’s when I got my lecture on not eating. I lost another 7 pounds and was told that even though I'm feeling really nauseous I have got to eat! I promised to do my best and then had a few questions of my own. After our little chat she said, "Let's hear the heart beat!" Finally something fun!!! She brought in a heart beat monitor and gelled my belly, she moved the wand around and I was getting nervous because I couldn't hear anything. After what seemed like forever she also seemed a little concerned and told me she wasn't finding a strong heartbeat but not to panic. Too late I thought but she explained that it’s still early and because I've got a couple of fibroids the baby might be hiding. She brought in an actual ultrasound machine with a screen and said she would try again but this time we wouldn't hear the heartbeat we would just make sure we could see it. I was so relieved when within seconds the baby was on screen and we could clearly see a strong heartbeat. My doctor assured me everything looked good and that things seemed to be moving along well. WHEW !!! Then I was taken to the lab where the technician drew 12 tubes of blood!!! Yep, I felt like she was gonna take it all! I even joked and told her to leave some for me! But I am happy to say I was a trooper and made it through and was even able to go to work after missing the previous two days because of severe nausea. I guess the short version would be, despite the surprise yucky glucose cocktail and the moment of fear waiting to hear (or see) the heartbeat, it was another successful doctor's appointment!! But when have I ever been into the short version of anything?!?!? :-) I'm reporting that mommy and baby are doing fine!! Daddy is also doing great! Hope all is well with all of you and we will of course keep you updated on any fun and exciting events that may, and probably will, happen. Next doctor's appointment....April 13th.

Doug Got An A!!

Uh, er check that… Amy got an A! The 24/7 bouts of morning sickness along with taking two classes this semester can sometimes be a little overwhelming for a pregnant woman. Mom-to-be left work early on a day that she didn’t have class to go home and rest. It was thought that she would lay down for a little bit to get past her ailment(s) brought on by her pregnancy and then get up and do her exam and some homework. 3-1/2 hours later with the hormones bouncin’ off the walls, it was determined that maybe now wouldn’t be a good time to take an exam. However, the exam due date wouldn’t allow any procrastination and the exam needed to be completed now. So, the computer was fired up and we were off to taking an exam. Amy was right there the whole time doing the best she could to not be sick as we, uh um, Doug took the exam. Amy was a real trooper in reading the exam questions/directions which saved quite a bit of time. We are happy to report that Amy received a 98 out of 100 with only one questioned being incorrect. However, it was determined that it really should be a 100 and may be challenged during the next class.

Fun Center in Royal Oak?

The Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation is an organization that helps seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. They work to soften the hard edges of what a family experiences when a child has a serious illness. They create a sense of community between families who are having similar experiences by providing opportunities for them to escape the hospital, doctors, nurses, needles and treatments and doing something fun where they get to join others and just feel "normal" again--perhaps even forgetting that anyone is sick for a short while.

Colgate-Palmolive and Starlight Starbright have created a national online voting contest to choose where the next fun center will be located. The vote will result in five hospitals receiving Fun Centers. The birth of our child is planned to be at one these hospitals, William Beaumont in Royal Oak, MI.

Please take a moment and follow the link to vote for the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI. Hurry and vote from as many computers as you can find (one vote per computer, per day). Voting is currently open and will be ending on March 31, 2007.

http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/Corp/CommunityPrograms/Starlight/HomePage/Midwest.cvsp