Itching and Scratching

This pregnancy has been so easy! I am so blessed! I was never sick, have not had any cravings, and I think that my mood swings are few and far between. HOWEVER, a new symptom has snuck up....we think. I went to the doctor this week (not one of our scheduled visits) because I have had a rash and been itching literally all over my body for a couple of weeks now. It won't go away. It is not contagious, and Benadryl does nothing to help. I had some blood drawn at the doctor to see if it is a variety of "pregnancy rashes" that can develop, most of which are termed "benign." I go back to the doctor on Tuesday to see about my blood work and have more blood work done as it is time to do the glucose screening for gestational diabetes. Needless to say, I would like to know what is going on with my body and be able to fix it! It is miserable to constantly itch all over. Poor Matt---I keep him up at night because I can't fall asleep because I am itching and scratching. Please keep him in your prayers as he tries to deal with this as well! As I said before, what a blessing this entire pregnancy has been! This is our first major road-block, and we both pray that it is over quickly and does not last the rest of the pregnancy (let's see...I'm 26 weeks, so that means there are 14 weeks left!). As always, thank you for your prayers and love! Oh, and sorry there aren't any pictures---I'll get creative and put some up shortly!

100 Things

I was tagged by Jenn to come up with 100 things about myself. Warning: This could be found boring by some people.

1. I have been married to Matt for 21 months
2. I have been pregnant for 6 of those months
3. We are expecting our first child in May
4. It's a girl
5. I secretly wanted a little girl
6. I was opposed to using pink in her bedroom
7. Pink is now in her bedroom
8. We attend church at First Baptist Alabaster
9. I did not grow up in a Baptist church
10. I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas
11. For a majority of my life, my dad worked at an ice cream company
12. My mom was a stay-at-home mom
13. I have one little brother who is 20 years old
14. "Little" meaning younger...he's over 6 feet tall
15. My family lives in Nashville
16. I wouldn't mind moving back there eventually
17. I was voted "Most Sarcastic" in high school
18. I have two dogs, Jackson and Maggie
19. We would not have gotten Maggie had we known that we were already pregnant
20. Our little baby is a miracle baby
21. I thank God every day for His amazing blessings
22. I love milk
23. I don't like orange juice
24. Matt was the first boy that I met at Samford
25. I was in a sorority in college
26. I loved it
27. Sometimes I miss college
28. I am in school again
29. I am getting my Masters of Nursing
30. It is a little harder than I thought it would be
31. I hate busy paperwork
32. I love being organized
33. I hate being late
34. Most people think that I am an extrovert, but I consider myself an introvert
35. I wear contacts and hate wearing my glasses
36. I am self-conscious about gaining weight
37. I love vacations
38. I hate flying on airplanes
39. I studied in Italy during undergraduate
40. I am a nurse
41. I love my job
42. I am unsure as to what the future holds
43. I'm not really scared though
44. I am a planner
45. I like to know everything
46. I like being crafty
47. I secretly wish that I was Martha Stewart
48. I sewed curtains for our kitchen today
49. This is actually harder than I thought
50. I like challenges
51. I haven't been sick at all during the pregnancy
52. I also haven't had weird cravings
53. I crave whatever I smell or whatever is in front of me
54. It hasn't bothered me like I thought it would when people touch my belly
55. I am scared about delivery
56. I wish living didn't cost so much
57. I handle the finances of our family
58. Matt is a wonderful husband---he probably does more housework than I do
59. I feel bad that I didn't say that before now, so I'll say it again: Matt is a wonderful husband
60. I love Oreo Blizzards
61. I love Mexican food
62. My husband is a much pickier eater than I am
63. It bothers me when people say that they can't tell that I am pregnant
64. I am not vocally talented, but I sing a lot
65. I am probably tone deaf actually
66. I love Christmas
67. I also really like Halloween
68. I love getting a good deal
69. I like making new friends although it's hard because I'm an introvert
70. It was very hard for me to learn to sleep with someone when Matt and I got married
71. We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon and talked seriously about moving there
72. Sometimes we still talk about moving there
73. I love the beach and Matt likes the mountains
74. I have registered multiple times every year to win the HGTV Dream Home
75. I like laughing
76. I can cry at the drop of a hat
77. I want to be a teacher someday
78. I love math
79. I hate it when people smack their chewing gum
80. I hate it when people get too close to a microphone and you can hear their mouths smacking
81. I am addicted to chapstick
82. I used to play the piano
83. I was a lifeguard and swim instructor in high school
84. My first job was a checker at the grocery store, and I loved it
85. I love football
86. I love hockey
87. I want an embroidery machine
88. I wish I could make the same living as I do being a nurse by doing something from home
89. I wish our house had come furnished
90. I am impatient with ignorance
91. I am not up to date with current events
92. The perfect temperature range for me is 60-70 degrees
93. Unless it's snowing, it should never be cold
94. I hate drinking water
95. I am a horrible patient for any doctor
96. I hate the dentist
97. I have the biggest sweet tooth of any person I know
98. I drink coffee everyday (caffeine-free right now of course)
99. We try to eat healthy and organic as much as possible
100. I am excited about what the future holds for my family

25 Weeks

We are officially 25 weeks, and here is what a 25-week baby bump looks like....

More Construction

We have put together Avery's crib!!! In reality, Matt did it, but I was able to hand him the screws. I have put some of her bedding in/on the bed, and it looks great. The colors are a little muted, so the pictures did not turn out the way that it looks in person. My favorite accent color right now is the color of the bright blue mattress that has no sheets or bedspread! Take a little look...

Her crib by the newest addition to her room---the blue accent color!

A little close-up of the crib.

Looking inside her crib...brown and white gingham bumper with pink blanket on the back and brown and white polka dot blanket on the front. There's a white sheet with pink polka dots and a cream sheet with brown and pink polka dots. And of course, her little bear lovey.

Her monogram over her crib on pink and green stripes with brown paint and brown with white polka dot ribbon.

Age of Viability!

When I was in Nursing school, the age of viability (meaning the age when a baby could survive outside of the womb) was 24 weeks. So, ever since I found out that I was pregnant, 24 weeks has been a milestone in my mind. Of course the age of viability is closer to 21 weeks now, but 24 has been my goal. Well, I am excited to say that last weekend, Avery hit the 24 week mark! Woo hoo!!

We went to the doctor at UAB's OB Complication Clinic today for our fetal echo. The ultrasound lady did another full anatomy scan (which was fine with us!), and she also confirmed that we are having a little girl. It was fun to see how much she has changed since our last ultrasound. She went through her entire little body and gave us a picture of almost everything! When she went back to her face for the last time she switched it over to the 4-D ultrasound. Many of you may know that I was not planning on getting a 4-D ultrasound; in fact, I did not want one. Frankly, the babies look scary to me. Oh well. We got one. I have posted some of the pictures from the appointment today below, including one of the 4-Ds. I was a little reluctant to post the 4-D because it is still a little scary to me---especially at 24 weeks when they are just skin and bones...literally. Her weight by ultrasound is 1 pound 6 ounces---we won't discuss what my weight has grown to. Overall our appointment went well, despite our arrival time of 10:30 and not being called back until 11:45---gotta love that, right? The doctor said she looked very healthy and that her heart looked "fabulous." We are so thankful that our little girl is doing so well! Thank you for all of your prayers!

Here is one of her sweet little feet. I can't wait to kiss all over them!

This is her looking at us---you can see her nose, nostrils, and lips and her hands and arms tucked up under her chin. So lady-like and dainty.

And here's creepy. I guess what makes these so creepy is their little eyes. The eyelids are closed, and it is picking up bone density, so all you see are eye sockets. Yes, she opened her mouth for all of the 4-D pictures. She would not put her hands down the entire time---she kept rubbing her face like she was sleepy and that we were disturbing her!

Comedy Break

I meant to post this a while ago. I know it seems a little cliche, but I think it is stinking hilarious. I can't get enough. It's my family (mom, dad, brother, husband, me), so some of you may not know all of the people, but maybe it will bring you a little bit of joy.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/AybtZ5U2MOvYkLorDzD4

Also, I am not the typical "You Tube" enthusiast, but here is one that makes me laugh so hard...I know, it's horrible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THfiHQZVSw0

When It Rains, It Pours

We have been blessed here in central Alabama with quite a few rain storms in a short period of time. Below are pictures of what could happen if you ever see this: (I hope your Tuesday night could be this fun!)

To some this may look like an innocent picture of a garage/basement floor with a few minor cracks. Notice the moisture that forms from these cracks. It begins with a little bit of moisture and within an hour (literally) can turn into this:


Yes, that's right. At least an inch of standing water (deeper in some places) covering the garage and basement floor. You might look at this picture and think to yourself, "they are lucky that their furnace and not-in-the-picture water heater are up on stilts." You are correct, however these pictures were taken after an hour of sweeping out water, so at the beginning, it did not matter that these major appliances were up on stilts because that's the height the water had risen to. You may notice the wet line on Matt's pants or the wake he is causing with the broom. It was pretty deep. Dry-wall is involved in some places---not good.

Sweeping water to the vacuum so as to save our backs.

You may also be thinking, "oh good, they got it under control." Again, a valid point. But, this was not "under control" until the rain stopped approximately 3 hours after we started sweeping the water out. As fast as we swept or vacuumed the water, it would fill back up. You might also be asking yourself, "where on earth is the water coming from?" Excellent question, and if you were able to answer it, please let us know. As far as we could tell, it was literally rising up from the small cracks in the floor and a two-inch spot where the concrete floor meets the exterior cinder-block wall (there was a small crack in the water-proofing).

Here is Matt dumping out one of the many, many vacuums filled with water. We swept for about an hour before we realized we could vacuum. Once we started vacuuming, we emptied out at least 50 gallons.

On a happier note, we went to the doctor today for our monthly check-up. Avery's heartbeat was 155. Only 28 more pounds to gain! We are going to be going to UAB for a fetal echo to take a closer look at Avery's tiny heart. My family has a few people with some history of cardiological birth defects, and my doctor would like to know if Avery has one before she's born (and so would we). We don't have an appointment with UAB yet, but should hear from the schedulers by the end of the week.

Thank you for all of your prayers!!

Confirmation

A special shout-out to the elderly women who are completely and utterly oblivious to comments made..........explanation:

I have been told a couple of times recently that it looks like I am having a boy because apparently I am gaining my weight in my rear and thighs. Yes, you read this correctly. Some older ladies have come up to me (some of which I do not even know) and told me that very comment. Astonishing. Isn't that what every woman wants to hear? Let's put aside the fact that I am pregnant and should be gaining weight and am already a little self-conscious due to this recent influx of extra weight; now I am being told by others that it is obvious that it is going where it should not go?? Brutal. And, add on top of that the seed of doubt which was planted in my head as far as the gender of my unborn child. So, being a nurse in a hospital, I enjoy taking advantage of the resources available to me...namely the ultrasound machines and techs. Yesterday I went and had a quick look to make sure we were still having a girl. And, we are indeed. So, she is still a girl despite the careful and apparently ever watchful eye of elderly women.

Let us all (women mainly) pray this prayer:
Dear Lord,
I pray that I remember these days and that I remember these days when I, too, am an elderly woman. Please do not let me be the elderly woman who speaks my mind without any filter whatsoever. Should I encounter a woman who does seem to have gained weight in areas that women aren't proud of, please let me not feel the need to say something about it. In fact, may I never notice weight fluctuation again.
Amen.