Tah-Dah!!!

So, we had our doctor appointment last Friday. Of course, they do not tell you anything about the results of the test or if the measurement they took actually meant anything, but they still shed some light on our baby.
As you can see, the baby actually looks like... A Baby. Tah-Dah!!! (Sorry the picture isn't straight, but it's the clearest scan i got.)
So, onto the light shedding... . Apparently the baby has to be flat on its back in order to get the perfect picture of the correct measurements. Yeah, this is definitely my child. It refused to budge from its side and stomach positions. I sleep the same way. And the fact that they had me turning over on my sides and then back to my back just to get him/her to move, didn't really make an impression on this baby. Since it would move and then flip back to our most comfortable position, it's side. Obviously Stubborness is a genetic trait. But eventually we got the right picture, and they finally let me get off the table. It's heartbeat was 161 beats per minute (fabulous), and she/he is measuring 3 days ahead.
I am finally feeling a little better. I slept almost 5 hours straight each night of the weekend, and realized that if i just get up and go to the bathroom, I may sleep another hour or 2 after that. Oh! And I keep having the most detailed, weirdest dreams. In last night's dream I was Designated Driver at a bar in Clinton, where I kept running into people my sister saw in Clinton this weekend. I was much more pregnant and wearing maternity clothes, but everyone kept saying how Fat I looked. Yeah... that was my dream. Man, hormones really screw with your brain. And it's like that most nights now! : )

Internet Shopping

Ok, so I bought the maternity clothes. One pair of jeans, one pair of black pants (I have to work), and a cute shirt. I generally don't buy online because I am hard to fit. So... I paid the extra shipping to have it here this week. It arrives yesterday. The black pants are great. Very comfortable, though the petites are a little long, and I am wearing them right now. They feel like jammies. The shirt is cute, but it exaggerates the Baby Bump... that isn't quite there yet. So I'm going to wait to wear that one for a while. The jeans... well they looked cute in the box. But they were 2 sizes too small! As if I'm not already feeling huge! So I sent them back today. And I sent a very respectful, but demanding email to Lane Bryant.
They were so kind as to overnight a pair of jeans before I even sent the wrong ones back. Now that's customer service! Or they were very afraid of a pregnant lady and her ability to ruin business in the Midwest. :)

Mondays

I definitely have a Case of the Mondays. I am so tired, I can barely function. My TPS reports are at 65%. It is not a good start to the week.
First things first, I had an extremely busy weekend. We went to the Funny Bone with friends Friday night. I had lunch with Melissa and Jayme, plus Jayme's very well-behaved kids Saturday. (Thanks to Jayme for the adorable fleece baby blankets! The Great Embryolio will love them!) And then Shannon and I drove to Cedar Rapids to visit my friend Beth and her 6-week old baby, Bella. Bella has the most amazing facial expressions that I have ever seen on such a little baby! She was adorable, and it was a great visit. Shannon and I got home after 10 pm, and I literally fell asleep as soon as i sat down. Sunday was full of down-time, but I still made dinner for 4 and all I really wanted all day was a nap.
So, suffice it to say, I did not sleep well all weekend. And it's starting to show. It's a wonderful thing that I have an appointment with Dr. Mandy Wednesday night. Chiropractor. Wonderful!
On top of all of this, my pants do not fit. My jeans were so uncomfortable all weekend that I never buttoned them, and if they would have stayed up, I wouldn't have zipped them either! So this morning, I gave in. I bought maternity jeans and black pants. It's so hard to have my clothes not fit. I know, I am growing an entire human being inside of me. It's logic that my body will change. But - I am a Plus-sized girl. When I lose 10 pounds, I want to see it in my clothes, especially my pants. I'm just having a hard time coping. But the main thing is comfort. And I have to go to 2 hockey games this weekend. I need to be comfortable. If anyone over a size 6 can relate, please let me know.

Check-up...

So we had our latest check-up yesterday. Baby Embryolio is apparently great. All Blood work is normal, and it's heartbeat is very strong: higher than 140, but less than 170 beats per minute. Which i have been assured is extremely normal. Scott was so cute! His face just lit up, and when we got home, he called his mom and after the niceities said, "Guess what? I heard my baby today!" It was truly wonderful to be around.
I do have to go into the Perinatal Center next Friday (the 25th) for more blood work and another ultrasound. This is normal, we are just doing an early exam for Down's Syndrome and another much worse condition called Trisomy Something that is fatal. I have no worries about our baby, Down's Syndrome is not a curse. I really just wanted more pictures of the Great Embryolio. :)
I have to monitor my diet a little better since my sugars were high enough that they are giving me the nasty tasting Glucose test on February 15th. But other than that, and still being so tired I feel like a Van Winkle, I'm finally getting over my cold and starting to feel well again. Which is the true silver-lining.

Today

Today marks the day that our little Embryolio graduates to the new level of Fetus. Yea!!!!
One more step along the way.

Since this is a tremendously successful step for the Embryolio and its parents, we were wondering if the "The Great Embryolio" is still a worthy nickname for the baby? Any thoughts or creative alternatives out there?

Week 11

As our next doctor appointment approaches, here are my thoughts:

1. Other than the nasty cold, I feel great. I'm exhausted, but that's normal. No sickness, no crazy cravings - much to Scott's happiness.
2. Cravings: Carbonation, most specifically: pop, Caffeine Free Pepsi is my current fave.
3. Hates: Cherry Coke in a can - too sweet, crazy I know. Cooking hamburger & raw meat in general - the smell is atrocious.
4. The Great Embryolio - it occurred to us that some of you may not understand the moniker. It's stolen from the "Great Cornholio" a Beavis & Butthead character from the '90s. Sad, but true.
5. Though most seem to think we are having a boy, I had a very detailed dream about a baby girl. Does that mean anything?

We are hoping to hear the heartbeat at this visit. We'll keep you posted.

And why I never slept with someone from Clinton, Iowa

Told to a friend by a new Gynecologist in Clinton...

It went something like this -

Gynecologist: Are you sexually active?
Friend: No.
Gynecologist: Have you ever slept with someone from Clinton?
Friend: Not lately.
Gynecologist: Good. I wouldn't.
Friend: Why?
Gynecologist: Because... it's been recently reported that Clinton, Iowa, has the second highest per capita rate of CHLAMYDIA in the United States.
Friend: Really?!?!?!!!
Both laugh hysterically.

And this is why I had to go 400+ miles & across the state to find a decent, healthy man.

mmm... Tylenol

So Tylenol Sinus (approved by doctors and Pharmacists for the Great Embryolio) works wonders! For 2.5 hrs. And you can only take it every 4-6 (closer to 6 for Baby's sake.) Which means that the right side of my face feels like i have lost a knock-out match to Oscar de la Hoya - and the left side is blissfully unaware of what's going on. Fun.... I can see my future involves kleenex, vicks, and hopefully a humidifier. And if things get totally unbearable... those creepy Breath-right strips. Oh joy. Oh bliss.

January in Iowa

Ok... so I have caught a cold. More precisely, I have caught my Mother-in-law Lila's cold. I spent just over an hour visiting with her on Saturday, and I woke up icky on Sunday, and more miserable everyday after. Best part? Pregnancy generally negates all good forms of medicine. Shannon (my wonderful sister) is bringing me some form of Tylenol Cold at lunch. So, yeah, I am about asleep and I'm at work, but as you can tell, hardly working. Why does it seem that everyone in Iowa has the same cold? that we pass it around and then take it back again? There gets to be a point when you're like, "just leave. stay home and fight the cold. Don't bring it back i with you." But they always do. And I am here, so I guess it's partly my fault.
Everything is good, other than the cold anyway. Work is the same as always. We had our Company Sales Banquet last night. I missed the meeting (yea!) and my friend Traci and I coordinated the dinner portion. At the clubhouse for my association. Big mistake. The caterer was over an hour late, so dinner was over an hour late. And then Traci and I had to clean up when all was done. Hours later.... So much fun. I apparently missed my recognition by the bosses for my "One Year" of service to Onthank. So I got my thank you later. The real funny thing is that i will be here 2 years April 17th. So... i forgot about the one year. Well, I hope everyone is well. Maybe I'll get the hang of this blog thing soon.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to my First Blog, In the Land of... Erin!
I hope you are interested in reading this and that you stay in touch. So, I am not accustomed to this whole blogging thing, but since it seems to work for so many people, I thought, "What the heck?" and decided to give it a shot. So here's the topic for today: the New Year.

First of all, where did 2007 go? I could have sworn it wasn't time to end it yet. I try to think of what happened in 2007... and all i can come up with is babies. Lots and lots of babies!

So in honor of 2007, here are the new arrivals to the Land of Erin:

02/10/07: Carson Jones, my newest godson and a generally good little boy

06/01/07: Andrea Stanley, the only baby girl in Northwest Iowa in what seems like forever

06/12/07: Eric Stanley, 2nd Cousin to my husband Scott & 3rd cousin to Andrea, and the happiest baby - most of the time

07/02/07, or slightly before: Isabella Haggen, first daughter of my friend Amy

07/08/07: J. Carter Luckett, the first great-grandchild on my side, and besides that honor, his unused first name is the same as my grandfather's - so yeah... he's special two-fold

07/09/07: Jack Harrison, another cousin of the Stanley's... my in-laws had a very fertile summer

10/17/07, born 04/02/05: Joseph "Joey" Gilligan, adopted by my friend Erika, Joey is brilliant and going to break so many hearts in about 10 years

11/20/07, born 09/06/06: Elizabeth "Ellie" Stanley, adopted this fall, Ellie is now Scott's 2nd cousin, first cousin to Eric, and third cousin to Andrea, a beautiful addition to our family

12/05/07: Sybella Knight, the first baby amongst my close friends from childhood, it's weird but a cool thing.


So, 8 new additions to the Land of Erin in 12 months. that's not too bad for a year's work.

Oh! And if you haven't guessed by the poll at the side... 2008 will be a miraculous year for our family - Baby Jones is due around August 6th of next year. Finally!