20 Weeks

I'm 21 weeks today and never did post about my 20 week appointment.  Please accept my apologies.  The 20 week appointment went well and the doctor once again saw no causes for concern.  We definitely confirmed it's a boy.  That was quite obvious as soon as the ultrasound image pulled up in the doctor's office.  We also think we finally have a name.  We're not going to share it yet just incase Chris changes his mind.  I think I'm pretty good to go after agonizing over a name for a few months now.  Here's some pictures:

  

 This was taken this past Friday before church for those who want to see my growing belly.

 A picture of Charlotte and I.  She wanted to get in on the photo taking fun.

 Another of Charlotte and I.  You may notice the mark on her forehead.  She is as clumsy as I was as a kid (and still am).  She was running in the house and tripped over her own two feet and slammed into a concrete wall (all of our walls are concrete).  It looked waaaaay worse than this when it first happened.  Poor girl.

 Pictures of baby boy at 20 weeks

 Cutie patootie

 He was being very shy and wouldn't let us see anything but his profile, and even getting a profile shot was hard because he kept covering his face with his hands.

14 Weeks, Approximately

Yesterday, Chris and I had the opportunity and joy to see our next little one on an ultrasound at the doctor's office.  The doctor said the baby is developing great and she didn't see any cause for concern.  Praise the Lord!  Since I've been having major food aversions and haven't been eating as healthy as I wanted to this pregnancy, Chris teased that despite my best efforts, the baby is developing great.  Ha. Ha.

We took Charlotte with us to the doctor's office and she was impressed for the first couple of minutes and then she wanted to run around the doctor's office and grab my feet as the doctor was trying to get different measurements of the baby.  We think next time we may ask a friend to watch Charlotte.  I don't think the doctor minded her being there, but Chris was bothered that he didn't get to watch the baby as much as he wanted to and didn't get to hear everything the doctor was saying as she did the ultrasound.

The doctor also told us what she thinks the gender is.  She said the percentage of accuracy is 75%.  I know that is a high percentage, but we were hoping for a little higher.  As a result, I think I'll wait to share the gender until we have another ultrasound and get more confirmation.  Of course, now I have the gender she told us on the brain and am starting to think of baby names and other things related to the gender she told us.  Hopefully the doctor was right, because it will definitely be a huge shock/adjustment to have another ultrasound and be told it's the opposite gender from what she told us yesterday, as you can imagine.  I guess we'll just have to be patient and wait.

We're still having issues getting a firm due date, too.  Before we did the ultrasound, the doctor said I'm 13 weeks and 3 days pregnant with a due date of April 21.  The machine calculated a due date based on the baby's measurements, which stated I'm 14 weeks and 4 days pregnant with a due date of April 13.  The doctor said she's going to input all the measurements into another program that's at her house and come up with a new date, probably something in between April 13 and April 21.  I'll post when I know what the new due date is.  I should find out at my next appointment in 3 weeks.

Enjoy some ultrasound pics from yesterday!

Expecting Again - 9 weeks

Chris and I are adding to our family!  We found out last month that we are expecting baby #2.  I'm about 9 weeks along now, and we went to the doctor today and got to see the baby and its little heartbeat pumping away on the ultrasound screen.  Charlotte kept saying, "Baby!  Baby!  Hi baby!"  It was sweet.

It's always so comforting and special to see the baby and know it's growing okay, so I couldn't wait for today.  It's definitely a different experience going to the doctor in Bahrain than in the states.  No urine test, no blood pressure test, no checking my weight.  We literally went in to the doctor's office, she asked me the start of my last period, asked what day I found out I was pregnant, and then did the ultrasound.  It took all of 15 minutes - a lot shorter than I expected.  Our next appointment is in a month, at which time our doctor said there's a 70% chance she'll be able to tell the sex.  This pregnancy feels different than my last one.  I'm still not nauseous, but I don't feel as good as I did with Charlotte.  So maybe it's a boy?  ;-)  I guess we'll have to wait and see in another 5 weeks.

Introducing Charlotte Tawny

Our little girl has arrived!! She's sleeping right now and since we currently have no visitors at the hospital, I thought I would take a second to write! Charlotte Tawny was born at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6th. We had an induction scheduled for 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning but I started having contractions on the night of the 5th! I was 4 cm dilated when we arrived that morning, but they still induced to speed things along. I made it to 6 cm before deciding that I wanted an epidural. The contractions were getting quite painful and I knew it was only going to get worse. The epidural was such a blessing and made things easier on everyone. My parents even got to come into the labor room and stay until I was about ready to start pushing! I wouldn't have allowed that had I not received the epidural!

The only "problem" I had with the epidural was that the medication on the left side of my body started wearing off long before the right side of my body. My left side was almost half numb an hour before it was time to start pushing so I could feel part of my contractions on that side. They were bearable since I wasn't feeling the full sensation of my contractions and the birth canal was still completely numb (thank goodness). I actually think it worked out well since I could tell when the contractions were coming, and I also knew when to push and could feel how to push. The only annoying part was that my right side didn't return to normal until the next morning. That wasn't so fun, but I still think the epidural was worth it and made the delivery much more comfortable. I seriously don't see how women go all natural!

My doctor was amazing. I was expecting a very "serious" delivery process with lots of nurses swarming around, bright lights, etc. It was soooo not that way. The lights were dimmed, my husband was holding my right leg, a nurse was holding my left leg, the doctor was seated in front of me, and a nurse was in the very back waiting to take Charlotte's vitals once she was born. In between pushes, the doctor was telling jokes, talking about her kids, and telling us about her day. It made for a very stress-free, relaxing environment. I am definitely going back to my doctor with our second child because I had such a positive experience all around. The nursing staff at this hospital was also wonderful and I really can't say anything negative about this whole experience.

After Charlotte was born, it was so sweet to see how quickly Chris took to being a daddy. We were both emotional and it was such an awesome experience. I was exhausted and had lots of emotions running through me, but nothing beat seeing Chris express his emotions like that or seeing her for the first time and holding her in my arms. Breast feeding the first day was rough. We were both learning and trying to figure out how to do it. Day 2 was 100% better because I had a night nurse who was amazing and worked with Charlotte while I was sleeping. She fed her some formula with a special Medela brand bottle that emulates the nipple and causes the baby to "work" on getting the milk. I think that one feeding caused the sucking motion to "click" with Charlotte, and when the nurse brought her to me at 5:30 a.m. for a feeding, she immediately latched on and I was soooo happy and relieved!!! We haven't had any problems since.

We've had so many wonderful visitors at the hospital since Charlotte's arrival and I can thank all of you enough for your love and support. It has been wonderful to share this new blessing with everyone and Charlotte is going to feel so loved when I tell her how many people came to meet her when she was born! I've had so many congratulate us on facebook, and I can't thank all of you enough, either. Thank you for sharing in the joy and excitement of our new arrival!!! We get discharged from the hospital this evening, so it's going to be an adjustment not having a nursery for Charlotte to go to at night. I'm glad I have a loving and supportive husband to help. Well, Charlotte's up. Gotta go!!

39 Weeks and 4 Days

I had an appointment this morning and I'm 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced!! The doctor also stripped my membranes (ouch!) to try and get labor to start on its own today. If it doesn't, we are scheduled to go in tomorrow morning for an induction. We found out my Dr. won't be in Wednesday through Sunday and there's only going to be 2 male doctors working while my female doctor is gone. After much thinking and talking with each other and with my doctor, Chris and I decided we would be okay with inducing tomorrow. Please be praying and maybe Charlotte will come on her own today!! We will keep you posted on Charlotte's much anticipated arrival!

39 Weeks

I had my 39 week appointment today, and I am still only 1 cm dilated but Charlotte has dropped even further. Chris gets in tomorrow around 1, assuming there's no missed flights. His flight out of Bahrain was scheduled to leave at 3pm today (our time), but it's currently 2 hours delayed. I'm hoping this won't cause him to miss his connection in Amsterdam. My next appointment is on Monday. Be praying about that appointment, because Chris and I have a lot to think about until then. My doctor informed me today that she won't be in the office the 8th through the 11th (my due date is the 9th). I'd really prefer that she deliver Charlotte since she's my doctor and I've gotten to know her and feel comfortable with her over these past few months. However, I know there's always a chance she won't be able to deliver Charlotte even if she is in the office! The doctor said we could induce as soon as this Friday, but Chris and I are both "weary" about inducing (especially before the due date) and want to see if Charlotte will come on her own. At the same time, knowing that my doctor will be gone the weekend I'm due changes things a bit. Please be praying that God will give us wisdom and clarity or that He'll just allow Charlotte to come on her own before my doctor's vacation!

38 Weeks

I had a Dr.'s appointment today, but I don't have any new updates because the Dr. didn't check to see if I've progressed further. She didn't want to "start" anything since Chris doesn't get here for another week. I have another appointment in one week (the day before Chris gets in), and she said she would check then.

In other news, I always knew I liked Sarah Michelle Prinze. Ever since Buffy, I've been a fan. She recently gave birth to a little girl and guess what she named her? Charlotte. She has excellent taste! I just hope Charlotte won't now become the new Taylor, Kelsey, or Madison!

37 Weeks

I had my 37 week check-up yesterday and there's not too much to share. Charlotte has dropped even further, and in doing so, my cervix has moved. Two weeks ago, my Dr. was able to get a dilation reading of 1 cm, but yesterday she couldn't even get a 1 cm reading because of my repositioned cervix! So Charlotte's low and ready to go, but I haven't dilated further. No one ever told me that checking for dilation is so uncomfortable. If I can barely stand that, how on earth am I going to get through labor??? I know I'll get through it because my body is designed for it, but I can't say I'm looking forward to it. My sweet friend Jan (she's had 7 kids!) gave me some good advice yesterday. She said that when labor begins, I should take it one contraction at a time so that I won't get overwhelmed by everything that is yet to come. I thought that was good advice because I'm already getting nervous about labor and delivery. My pastor has always said, "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer? One bite at a time. That's how I'm going to try and view labor when the time arrives.

Chris arrives 2 weeks from today!!! Woot woot!!

36 Weeks

Charlotte at 34 weeks, 5 days

I'm 36 weeks pregnant and can't believe it! Babies are estimated to be around 6 lbs at this point in time, but Charlotte was estimated to weigh 6 lbs 4 oz before she was even 35 weeks along! I wonder how much she weighs today? I installed the adorable Maxi Cosi Mico car seat last night (we got it in "phantom"). Let me tell you - I felt completely inept as a soon-to-be mom installing that thing. I could not find the instruction manual and simply could not figure the thing out on my own!!! Thankfully, I found an online manual and my dad helped me figure it out. Whew. I hope my complete ineptness with the car seat isn't a forecast on how I'll be as a mom!!!

I've enjoyed being pregnant, but it's a little scary to think that this baby is going to have to come out of me one way or another!!! A lot of people have been so incredibly kind to ask how I'm doing, so I thought I'd take a moment to let everyone know. In talking to other friends who've been pregnant, I think I've been quite fortunate. For starters, I'm on paid maternity leave and am staying at a hotel. I get my room made up every day and get dinner prepared for me 4 days a week. I'm not working, so I'm able to sleep in and take each day as easy as I would like. I also don't have any other kids to parent while I'm getting ever bigger and closer to the due date. I've been so spoiled with everything that when I'm pregnant with baby #2, I'll probably have a rude awakening!!!

Health-wise, I've also been quite fortunate. I got through the first trimester without morning sickness, and while I fainted once and have felt faint a few other times, that's about the worst thing I had to deal with during the second trimester. The third trimester has brought on a few new things. To start, my back almost constantly aches. Sometimes it won't start aching until mid-day, but other days it's continuous from the moment I wake up. The baby has already dropped, so I've been dealing with pelvic pressure that's not always so comfortable. I'm not waddling all the time, but I now understand why women do. When I first stand up, I usually have to waddle a few steps to "ease into" walking!! Other than the above, tiredness and frequent bathroom trips are two things that have never really let up, but I've learned to deal with both.

I can't wait for Chris and I to meet Charlotte and hold her in our arms. I also can't wait for you all to meet her and love on her!! Please be praying for me as I finish these last few weeks of pregnancy. Chris will be arriving on October 1st, so we're hoping he makes it in time for the delivery (due date is October 9th). Among other things, please pray that I'll have a trusting and good attitude if God has planned for Charlotte to arrive before Chris gets here. Either way, God's in control and already knows what's going to happen. I'm so glad I can trust and rejoice in that!