6 Months

So much has happened between month 5 and month 6 for tiny little family. All the craziness started after the Christmas holiday. Jon and I found out we were pregnant on September 17^th and we decided we would enjoy the holiday season with our friends and family because it was the last year with just us. The holidays were fabulous and we could not have asked for a better time. Jon and I celebrated the New Years at his family’s lake house which was very quiet and relaxing. Once we arrived back home, our jobs started back up and we decided it was time to start looking at buying a house. Jon’s mom, Sandy, set us up with a wonderful realtor who showed us some great homes. We spent a few weekends in January looking at different houses all over Huntsville and finally decided to buy a house in Madison, off Zeirdt Road. We put in our offer and are set to close February 27^th at 4pm. Ok the house buying process was not that simple but I will spare you all the stressful details of everything that was involved in buying a house for the first time. Our experience was not that bad but when you don’t know what to expect then it can be pretty overwhelming. All of those details can be for another post. *Picture will come soon!

So 2013 started off with a bang and we are in contract for buying a house, woohooo!! So if that was not stressful enough on Monday, January 28^th I went to the dermatologist to get a mole removed from my shin on my leg. I have had the mole for a couple of years now and have wanted to get it removed but I never seemed to find the time.

Look closely at my right leg and you will see the mole!

After this past summer I started calling dermatologists in Huntsville to set up an appointment and it was very difficult to get in anywhere. I finally had to book an appointment 4 months in advance at a Skin Cancer specialist’s office. Little did I know, this was the perfect place for me! So on Monday I got the mole removed and the doctor told me that no news was good news. I would only hear from him if there was a problem. Well on Tuesday we had a meeting with our lender after work at 3:30 so I left my phone in the car, not thinking I would need it. At 5:15 when I came outside I saw that I had 5 missed calls from the dermatologists office. Now panic set in. I knew that something was wrong because they called me five times. Their office was closed by that point so I had to wait until the morning to get in touch with anyone. I called my mom and told her about the missed calls and she was a little worried. Jon was so sweet that night. He told me that everything was going to be ok and that no matter what happens that he will stick right there with me. I needed to hear that! Wednesday morning came and I got to work around 7am. That hour between 7 and 8 was a pretty long hour because I was anticipating what I was going to hear. At 7:55am the doctor called me and told me the bad news. He told me the mole was the worst form of Melanoma and that I needed to come in the office that day to get all the tissue around the area removed. He went into great detail about the procedure and what all was going to happen. He said that he would take 2cm on either side of the mole and I would have a 2-3inch incision with a pretty nasty scar. Normally they put people to sleep for this surgery but I am pregnant so he will have to use lydocane to numb the area. I hung up the phone really freaked out! I am pregnant and this is the last thing I want to hear!  The surgery was set for 4:45pm that evening so I had all day to think about things which did not help much at all. I ended up leaving work to get myself mentally prepared for everything. Jon came home after work and we drove to the doctor’s office for the dreaded procedure! The doctor was really great. He drew on my leg exactly where he was going to cut and told me everything that was going to happen. I got so worked up that I almost passed out at the beginning. The lydocane numbing shots hurt really bad but I was happy that they allowed me to be pain free for a few hours. The procedure took about an hour and after it was over I got to see my leg. I was in such shock that I almost passed out again. I had 8 stitches inside the incision and 18 on the top. The incision was 3 inches long and was HUGE! I was not prepared for a scar that big but glad all the cancer was out of my body! Jon came in the room to see the lovely scar and he was shocked also. We both could not believe that they had to cut so much tissue out of my leg.

Incision right after surgery

 

Once everything was over, Jon and I went home to meet his parents at our house because they were coming over to bring us dinner. I could not feel anything from my knee down on my right leg so the pain had not set in yet. I ate dinner and propped my leg up on a pillow with some ice packs and was a happy camper until I went to bed. I had to sleep with my leg propped up in bed so that was very interesting and it allowed me to not sleep very well. The next morning I stepped out of bed and WOW my leg HURT! Putting my foot on the ground felt like my stitches were all going to pop open and it stung really bad. I hobbled to the bathroom to get ready and that was an experience in itself. I could not take a shower for 48 hours after surgery so I had to hang my head over the tub to wash my hair. That was not fun because my leg did not want to bend very well and hurt so bad to lean on it. I finally got it washed, dried, makeup on, clothes on and was out the door. I told myself that it would be fine once I got to work because all I had to do was sit in my chair in my cube at the office. I could prop my leg up on a box under my desk and put ice on my leg whenever I needed to. Well those plans all sounded great but I really over did it that day. I had meetings that I went to and just walking to the bathroom was super painful. After work Jon and I had our monthly baby doctor appointment. I was thinking about rescheduling it for another day but we decided to check on the baby to make sure everything was fine after all the trauma with my leg. The appointment was the worst one yet because we were there for 1 hour in the waiting room and then once we went back we waited for another hour to be seen. On a positive note, the baby’s heartbeat was great and things all seemed to be moving along perfectly. We got home at 5:30pm just exhausted. I sat in the recliner, put my leg up on a pillow, iced it and watched TV. At 7pm we had a knock on the door and my sweet friends, Rachel and Bubba had sent me an Edible Arrangement. They totally made my day/night!! 

Chocolate covered strawberries and apples!!

The next morning was Friday and this was the worst day yet! I stood up out of bed and could not walk/hobble or crawl to the bathroom. You know if a pregnant girl cannot get to the bathroom then things have to be bad. I had to get some help to move around so I decided to call in to work and stay home. I knew I had over done it at work the day before and needed to rest my leg which turned out to be the best idea ever! Jon went to work and I stayed in the recliner with my leg on a pillow, iced and was not planning on getting up unless I had to use the bathroom or get some food. My work sent me the most beautiful flowers which brightened my day!

 That afternoon Jon came home after work and laid on the couch. He said he felt terrible. Around 5:30pm his dad came over to bring him some food and Jon stayed in the bathroom the entire time. He had a horrible stomach bug! I had planned on going to Bunko that night with my girl friends and so I stuck with my plan. My leg started feeling a little better because I had been off of it all day. I called to check on Jon and few times that night and he was still sick in the bathroom. I felt so bad for him!!! The next day, Saturday, Jon and I were not doing well. My leg was hurting and he was still throwing up. We laid around with the lights out all day just resting. Normally we would get stir crazy doing that but we felt so bad that we enjoyed it. Sunday morning came and Jon was still getting sick so we stayed home from church. My leg felt about the same so we relaxed most of the day and watched the Super Bowl. We needed to make sure we could get through the next week so we rested. Monday morning came and Jon felt much better. When he got home from work he was pretty tired but the sickness was gone, thank goodness! My leg was sore but did not hurt so I felt like things were looking up for us!

Saturday afternoon

 

I get my stitches out two weeks after the surgery which will be on Wednesday, February 13^th and I am excited to see the scar without all the black stitches. I am able to take a shower but have to stick my leg outside the tub which looks pretty funny. I still prop my leg up under my desk because it feels so much better when the blood in my leg is not pooling around the incision.

Jon and I are having a great week so far! We are getting more and more excited about moving into our new home. More to come about that!

6 month picture. I look so tired after that stressful week!

 

Cheers!

20 Weeks!

Wow time is really flying by. We are already at 20 weeks or 5 months! Friday, I had my monthly doctor’s appointment which went really well. Overall I have gained a total of 8 pounds and the baby is still sitting really low. My stomach feels so hard and I have to say that watching my body change is really wild. I am just amazed how things change! I feel great and the only symptoms I have is a congested nose, and of course still tired at the end of the day. I am still craving fruit and my favorite is pineapple! The baby’s heart rate was 170 beats/minute which is pretty high and strong. My blood pressure is sticking around 106/60 which is great! The nurse asked me if I wanted to go to an ultrasound that afternoon and of course I said “yes”.  Jon and I went to our second ultrasound that afternoon and it was amazing! Little Reynolds was so active. It was kicking, waving its arms and just having a great time. Our ultrasound tech was amazing because she was so patient and showed us every organ and body part (except for the private parts). We stayed strong and did not find out if we have a little boy or girl in there. We came home with some pretty good pictures of our little nugget!

Little body image!

 

Spine

 

The foot with all 5 toes!

 

The ultrasound really brought the baby to life. Jon was very impressed with how much he could see. Compared to the first ultrasound this one was so real. We have about 16 weeks or 4 more months to go which is kind of scary if you think of it like that. I hear that the second half of your pregnancy goes by really fast so we are busy getting things ready.

Thanks for checking in on us!

 

16 Weeks and Showing

I am finally starting to show and I have to say it is really a strange but fun experience. I have been the same size for at least 15 years and I am not kidding. I can still wear a pair of capri pants that I wore in 9th grade!!! My belly just popped out last week (16 weeks) and I had to break down and go get some maternity pants which was such an hilarious experience. Sandy, my mother-in-law took me shopping and we just had a blast. We laughed at all the strange looking clothes and it was a time I will never forget. I have to say that maternity pants are sooooo comfortable! I just love them and they really are not that bad looking either.

I am feeling great and have more energy than I thought I would. My belly feels as hard as a rock which makes sleeping a little uncomfortable. Today I am 17 weeks and it is pretty scary that I am almost half way through this pregnancy. Time is flying by!!

The Baby Moved!

 I felt the baby move for the first time the other night (week 15). I was lying on the couch and I sneezed really hard and all of a sudden a felt butterflies in my tummy. It was the coolest and strangest things ever. I put my hand on my stomach and I could feel the baby move. It was awesome! My next doctor’s appointment is Friday and I will be 16 weeks. Nothing special will happen during this visit but our next visit is going to be really exciting because we get our next ultrasound. We will really be able to see the baby and I cannot wait! During this next ultrasound we are able to find out the sex but we are not going to. Little Reynolds is going to be a total surprise and I just cannot think of anything better!

First Part of Second Trimester

The word on the street is true, the second trimester is so much better than the first. I am so relieved that my energy has returned and I am feeling normal. I had another doctor’s appointment at week 12 and this one was super special because I got to hear the heart beat for the first time. The heart beat was 160 beats/min which is very strong at this point, so I was relieved. I have gained 1 pound and my blood sugar levels are perfect. I am still taking my over the counter prenatal vitamins and my labs are coming back great so there is no need for me to get a prescription which makes me happy. I am still congested but not as bad. I am not sore anymore up top and my hunger has increased a little bit. My clothes are starting to get a little uncomfortable but I am still wearing my same clothes. I have started drinking a little bit of coffee in the mornings and that really helps me to wake up. My stomach seems to tolerate caffeine just fine now which is wonderful. Jon and I try to eat as healthy as we can. We cook every night and our meals are normally pretty balanced with meat, carbs and veggies. I am in love with fruit so there is no shortage of that around. I do not crave sweets but of course I like them. I try to only eat one sweet thing a day. I am really trying to stick to a good diet! Well the Christmas holidays are coming around which means I will be eating a lot of wonderful food and I cannot wait. I am sure I will be weighing a lot more after they are over. Jon and I decorated the house for Christmas this past weekend. I really did not have the energy to get out all of the stuff and put up the tree so Jon volunteered. He said he would put it up and take it down. He did just that! He got into the holiday spirit and in no time the house looked wonderful. He really is a wonderful husband!