Scrapbooking With Photoshop

Tonight I decided to give photoshop a try and created my first page for the baby's scrapbook:

Home stretch…

We had our weekly doctor visit this week and received some exciting news. The doctor could feel the baby's head and states he is VERY low and his head is in the perfect position for delivery. As of Thursday, I was 50% effaced but hadn't started dilating yet. He said my body was ready to go and I should start dilating anytime.

We spoke to him more about the induction. He's going to keep an eye on me and if he feels that my body is ready to deliver and needs a little push, he'll induce me somewhere between three days before and three days after my due date. Apparently there is a recommended dosage of pitocin that most doctors use but it's more than the body actually needs. He'll start me on a much lower dosage and will only increase it if my body needs it. If I'm given the pitocin and my body starts doing all the work on it's own, then he'll take me off the pitocin all together for a more natural birth. We're both very comfortable with everything now and trust our doctor with everything because he really is great.

I switched over to the heparin this morning. It looks a little intimidating... instead of pre-filled syringes we have to draw it out of the vile ourselves and the needle is slightly bigger but I'm happy to say that the medicine doesn't feel like liquid fire like the lovenox did. I'll be taking two injections a day from now until I go into labor.

Cliff and I are driving to Orlando today to pick up the dresser for the nursery. I know, driving such a long way sounds crazy but we haven't had much luck in finding a dresser in our price range so this seemed to be the best option. Besides, we enjoy car trips and look forward to spending some time together since this may be our last weekend before we're officially parents. By the end of the weekend the nursery should be pretty much finished. I'll post pictures as soon as they're available!

He’s a comin’

Cliff and I went to our weekly doctors appointment today. I was hooked up to a heart monitor and the doctor says that the baby is perfectly healthy. After much poking and prodding, he also informed us that the baby has dropped into the pelvis and is in perfect position for birth.

Since I've been taking the Lovenox injections, the doctor is talking about inducing me 3 or 4 days before my due date. Apparently, the Lovenox must be stopped 2 weeks prior to the delivery to control bleeding (since it's a blood thinner). They will be switching me to another injection called Heprin which is supposed to be stopped 24 hours before delivery. We were pretty set on not being induced, but apparently the doctor would prefer to have things more controlled. He is supportive to our wishes though and understands if we do not want the induction as long as the pregnancy doesn't go past 40 weeks. We didn't have a whole lot of time to talk to the doctor today as Cliff had to get to work, but we will be talking with him more on the subject next week and will make our decision from there.

It's crazy to think that our little man is going to be with us in the next three weeks. I love to put it into perspective by thinking about where we were at just three weeks ago... New Years Day. He's going to be here so soon! I can't wait! I feel like a little kid anticipating Christmas, lol.

Baby Shower

We're posting the pictures from the baby shower on our photo site.

Click here to take a look.

Aunt Shari and Grandma Char flew down from Ohio to join us. We had a great time! For all of you that made it to the shower, thank you so much for giving your time and support! It was good to see so many people that have been dear to my heart over the years.

Cravings

So everyone has been asking if I've had any weird cravings. Throughout my pregnancy I've wanted different random things but nothing weird until this week. I've discovered that I LOVE dill pickle slices wrapped in muenster cheese =)

Registries

So we're getting closer and closer to meeting our little man which also means we're getting closer and closer to the baby shower. We still haven't registered for anything yet, knowing that stores change their products often but we only have about a month to go. Both of us are so unsure of what to expect, we thought we'd talk to those of you who have some experience with this parenting stuff to get some suggestions. What are some things that you wish you would have put on your registry or things that you received for your child that were most helpful that we might overlook? What are some things that you registered for that you got but didn't find to be of any use once you actually became a parent? Any input is greatly appreciated! =)

Pink or Blue?

So we just left the appointment with the radiologist who has better ultrasound equipment. The photos this time were quite a bit better and Danielle has all the info we need for the all too serious job of color coordination.

There are people that don't want to know this so we're going to post photos somewhere else soon.

WARNING: DO NOT READ COMMENTS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE HAVING

Just a Little Update…

We had another doctor appointment today. They didn't do an ultrasound so we don't have any new pictures of the baby yet, but there's a picture that Cliff took of me last week that I figured I'd post. I'll be calling tomorrow morning to make an appointment in two weeks for THE ultrasound. Hopefully the child will be cooperative, lol. We did get to hear the baby's heartbeat again today. Everything seems to be going well and the baby is healthy.

Lovenox continued…

So today is the second day I've had to give myself the Lovenox injections. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I'm still trying to get over the part where I have to stab myself in the stomach, lol. Tonight I was being such a chicken that I actually ended up sticking the needle in and stupidly pulled it back out before I put the medicine in, ha ha. Anyway, Cliff caught a photo...

Needles? Yikes!

About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with a blood disorder that causes me to clot easier than most. I had been on birth control for ovarian cysts and within a month I had 2 blood clots which is how I found out about the blood disorder. I was taken off of the birth control and never had a problem since. So today I got a phone call from Dr. Umstead's office (he's my obstetrician) and after reviewing my file and my lab results, he's decided to start me on Lovenox which is a blood thinner. Tomorrow I'll be going into his office so that they can show me how to give myself an injection which I'll have to do everyday throughout my pregnancy. Needles never used to bother me but I've really come to dislike them over the past few years. I'm definitely not looking forward to it but I know it will all be worth it in the end. With me being such a big baby, any prayers would be greatly appreciated! ha ha!