Pregnancy Tracker - 23 weeks

Well here we are at 23 weeks.  No big changes from last week, though the movements are becoming more pronounced.  We had one incident where Carter was laying his head on my belly and took a kick to the face.  Didn't hurt either of us, but we all sure got a big laugh out of it!  And he was talking to the baby last night and said "this is your big brother, come play baseball" then paused, and said "she's not talking to me" and walked off.  Apparently he was expecting a response from his little sister!  Too funny!

Here is what babycenter.com says about the pregnancy at 23 weeks:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

You may notice that your ankles and feet start to swell a bit in the coming weeks or months, especially at the end of the day or during the heat of summer. Sluggish circulation in your legs (oh yes) — coupled with changes in your blood chemistry that may cause some water retention — may result in swelling, also known as edema. Your body will get rid of the extra fluid after you have your baby, which is why you'll pee frequently and sweat a lot for a few days after delivery. In the meantime, lie on your left side or put your feet up when you can, stretch out your legs when you sit, and avoid sitting — or standing — in one place for long periods. Also, try to exercise regularly to increase circulation, and wear support stockings (put them on first thing in the morning) and roomy, comfortable shoes. You may be tempted to skimp on liquids to combat swelling, but you need to drink plenty of water because staying hydrated actually helps prevent fluid retention. While a certain amount of edema in your lower extremities is normal during pregnancy, excessive swelling may be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia. Be sure to call your midwife or doctor if you have severe or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, swelling in your face, or puffiness around your eyes.

I had Eric snag a quick picture of me this last weekend, though it's not the best.  Here we are at 22 1/2 weeks.  (forgive the quality)

Marry Me - Train

I didn't think it was possible to fall in love with a song, but dang, this is about as good as it gets. Completely simple, yet so powerful.  Turn off the music player at the bottom of my page and then come back and listen to this song.  (on a side note, I just looked at the guitar tabs for it and I'm going to ask Eric to learn this song and play it for me......I love being married to a musician!)

A Few Highlights

I didn't really have my camera out a whole lot this Christmas - didn't really feel like jumping all over the place, snapping pictures.  So I only have a few good shots from this year to share with you.

Me and my brother, Dana:

 While my mom was gone to pick up my Grandma, we put my brother's girlfriend to work taking some pictures.  My dad, me, Dana, and Carter proudly displaying one of his 12 cookies from the night!

 Me and my bro with my Grandma.

 So my dad got my mom a super secret gift this year.  He didn't tell anyone in the family about it, and when he gave her the gift, he told her it wasn't anywhere on her Christmas list, but was definitely on her Bucket List - skydiving.  My mom has wanted to skydive for as long as I can remember.  And now, she will be going this spring or summer!  I captured her face (per my dad's request) right as she opened the gift.  Priceless!!

 Carter was a big helper - always there to help you with your present-opening. ;)

Christmas morning, he was thrilled beyond measure that Santa brought him the dinosaurs he reqested!  Santa also left him a nice little letter, which is now on display in his bedroom. 

We had Eric's family over for gifts and Christmas dinner on Christmas Day.  I'm STILL full.  There was a done of delicious food, many laughs, and gifts galore.  I sure wish Santa had brought me some little elves to put all this stuff away!!

We got some really cute baby girl clothes, and let me tell you, that kicked me into high gear to want to shop for this little girl!!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well......next up, New Year's Eve!!

Merry Christmas to All!!

From my family to yours, wishing you the very best Christmas and New Year!!

Pregnancy Tracker - 22 weeks

Well let's see - what has changed since last week?  Oh!!  The baby is a GIRL!!  I'm slowly getting Eric to consider some names, which we are going to keep secret until the moment she is born.  :)  Sorry, just how it is!  My heartburn has kicked it into high gear this last week, which is incredibly miserable. I feel like my container of Tums has become a permanent attachment to my body. Not amusing.  She moves around all the time.  The kicks are starting to get stronger, though they are still in the "fun" stage.  I know in a few months, those kicks will be nothing I'm gushing about.

Here's what babycenter.com says about the baby at 22 weeks:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) (seriously? they wouldn't have picked something else to compare measurements?) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. HER lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and SHE'S even developing tiny tooth buds beneath HER gums. HER eyes have formed, but HER irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers HER body and the deep wrinkles on HER skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside HER belly, HER pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

I seriously can't wait to start shopping for this baby girl! I'm so excited! I'm hoping all the after-Christmas sales includes baby stuff.

That One Day

Have you ever thought your spouse was going to die?

No, seriously. THINK about that.

Have you ever seriously thought that your spouse was potentially minutes away from being gone? Forever.  Let me tell you something - you don't WANT to know that feeling.  It's something I know will happen when the time comes (hopefully a long, LONG time from now), but until then, I don't ever want to experience those feelings again.

One year ago at 9:35 a.m. (trust me, I remember that), I received a call that lasted 2 minutes.  Two minutes that seemed to go by with lightning speed, and yet, seemed to last an eternity, all at the same time.  In those two minutes, my life changed. I ultimately told Eric to get off the phone and focus on getting medical treatment - they were in the middle of the mountains, LUCKY to even get cell service, and he had this in his heart:

3 1/2 inch galvonized (so it won't rust) spiral shank nail - through three chambers of his heart.  Shot from a nail gun at point blank range.  Actually, it was even closer than point blank because the gun bounced off of Eric's chest, which is what released the safety mechanism.

My first call after that was to my mom.  Minutes later, to my best friend.  Minutes after that, I walked back into my office and broke down in my office manager's office.  My co-workers were beyond amazing that day - calling hospitals, helping me find phone numbers of people I needed to call, and all-around keeping me sane. 

Ultimately, the wait while he was life-flighted back to Boise and then again while he spent hours in surgery was not the most fun I've ever had.  But when all is said and done, I basically turned his life over to the two amazing surgeons and let them take it from there. 

He literally had to have heart surgery - which required cutting him open, sawing through his chest plate and ribcage, and pulling the nail from his heart.  And from there, one little stitch in the heart sealed the hole.  One stitch.  Amazing, huh?  Though the outside took quite a beating:

You can see the incision (obviously), the nail hole to the right of the incision, and the two holes from the chest tubes below the incision.  It was a brutal recovery for Eric, I can tell you that just from being the helper.

This picture was taken a while after he was home from the hospital....maybe a few weeks to a month.

And this one was taken last night.

Overall, the surgeons and second-opinion doctors said there was no impairment rating, which still floors me.  They said it could take up to a year to fully heal - and for the most part, they were right.  His chest over the incision is still sensitive - like, you wouldn't want to walk up to him and punch him in the chest.  I'm not sure it would knock him to his knees, but it would seriously hurt him.  There are times when he and Carter are wrestling, and Carter actually hits his head against Eric's chest - there is substantial pain.  I don't know how long it will take for those bones to fully fuse back together (his ribcage was simply wired shut), or for the sensitivity to go away.  Or if it ever will.  I'm just thankful he's alive.  We've had some major ups and down this year, but I wouldn't trade him for anything.

"Good relationships don't just happen. They need time, patience, and two people who truly believe they are meant to be together."