Annapolis Anxiety

Monday, December 5

We meet with the perinatologist (maternal fetal medicine specialist)up here. She is a direct referral from my doctor in Charlotte. In fact, my Charlotte doctor trained her so I know I'll be in good hands.

We talked through my chart and she told me there was no way she would let me carry this baby to 40 weeks. She said 39 is the absolute latest she'll let him hibernate. That is a little disappointing because I was really hoping to go full term selfishly so I can get paid maternity leave.

My official start date at work is March 11 since I worked as a contractor for four months prior. So, the closer to my anniversary date that I can deliver, the more likely I'll be to get paid leave.

Oh well, our health is more important than money....

They ended up doing an ultrasound! It was great to see him but always scary. The doctor said he still looks great and he's in the 54th percentile for weight. Perfect! There's a high risk for diabetics to deliver big babies so we definitely want to keep his weight (and mine!) down.

Aubrey worked from home the rest of the day and spent the afternoon on the phone with work and doing stuff around the house since he leaves for Arkansas for a duck hunting trip at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

At least he brings Molly home next week when he returns!!

Tuesday, December 6

I've been running water tests all day.

I filled a large white mixing bowl with kitchen water. Looks good.

I ran an empty load in the washing machine to clear out the pipes and then ran a load of white cleaning towels (NOT the ones we use in the bathrooms). Looks good.

So, maybe the water situation is fixed?

The cable guy is here now drilling cable lines into the den and basement/media room.

We still have no ice and there's a hole in the guest room.

Baby steps.

Annapolis Bound, Part Four

Monday, November 28

Moving truck arrives around 10 a.m. I stand at front door directing movers on where to put things. For five hours.

I start to notice that the water is the house is discolored and smelly. I know we're on a well, but was told that we shouldn't be able to tell a difference in the quality of water.

I also notice that the ice maker doesn't work. Neither does the kitchen sink disposal nor does the over headlight in the master bedroom and there is an "open" hole in the guest room ceiling where the smoke detector should be. And there's jumping crickets in the basement.

I throw a load of towels in the wash. BIG mistake.

They come out rust stained.

Tuesday, November 29

Aubrey and I go back to work. My in-laws stay at the house to keep unpacking and cleaning. My father-in-law paints the nursery for us. It's my favorite room in the house. It's clean. No boxes. Beautiful paint.

Cpmcast comes to set up cable, phone and Internet. It takes the guy two hours just to find the lines. The house has been completed so poorly that he's not sure he can make any of it work. Three hours later we have Internet and cable in my office and bedroom. He can't drill any cable access points for the TVs in the den and basement because we don't have a signed, written letter from our landlord saying it's okay to drill. He leaves.

The water is worse. It smells like you're taking a shower in liquid metal. The white sink, tub and toilet basins are starting to yellow making the house look dirtier.

We call the landlord to complain and he calls water company. They tell us to run the water for one hour to see if that will help.

We do it. No improvement.

Wednesday, November 30

Aubrey's parents stay and continue carting stuff up and down our two sets of stairs and organizing our storage shed and hanging pictures. We literally could not have gotten this far without both sets of parents help. At this point, I'm hurting. A lot. I vow to make myself sit down more today.

They have to leave this afternoon to get back to Richmond so my mother in law changes the sheets on the guest bed and cleans the guest bathroom so I don't have to before my mother arrives this week. She also scrubbed the entire basement (including yucky bathroom)!

They leave after dinner and D.C. traffic and vow to come back soon to help more.

Thursday, December 1

We meet my Baltimore OB-GYN. I really like her and am excited that she'll be delivering Crawford. I warn her of my fear of pain.

The water company comes out to evaluate the conditioning system in the house. His reaction is that our water levels are all over the place. No s&%t Sherlock. He says he does some treatments to improve the quality but the water is safe to drink. I point to my ever-growing belly and inform him that I am NOT drinking yellow, smelly water.

He tells me to wait and see what it looks like on Tuesday. FOUR days later.

We buy more ice.

Friday, December 2

We decide we need some fun and go get our Christmas tree.

Saturday, December 3

Aubrey has to work and I have my first Junior League of Annapolis function. It's so fun to put on make-up and talk about something else besides yucky water. I really like all the ladies I met and can't wait to get involved.

We decorate tree and finish unpacking den and kitchen. Aubrey runs three million boxes to the trash and storage containers to the shed.

Sunday, December 4

We spend $40 and three hours at the laundromat. There's no way I'm washing our clothes in the water here. Who knew doing laundry was so expensive??? I kept watching familiesbringing in double what we had and had to refrain from yelling out how much they were spending a year at the laundromat and they could just buy a washer and dryer for that cost....

I meet a sweet older lady who is appalled at the state of my towels. She suggests I scrub them with lemon juice and then wash them again. Since the whole load was from Pottery Barn and cost a bit of money, I'm willing to try anything.

We leave the laundromat and head to the grocery store where we purchase groceries including 10 gallons of filtered watered and three large bottles of lemon juice.

I spend one hour in our future son's bathroom (only bathroom with a tub) scrubbing iron stains out of our towels with lemon juice. 6 months and three weeks pregnant.

Annapolis Bound, Part Three

Saturday, November 26
Aubrey, Max and I get up early and head to Charlotte. We arrive at Land Rover Charlotte around 10 a.m. Car is ready. We unload ENTIRE minivan (plus Max) into my car and start off again.

Brake light and beep comes back on.

At this point, all I can do is laugh. If I didn't, I would have to break down and they would have to admit me.

Apparently, the front brakes were worse than they thought. We turn around (not really out of parking lot yet). Land Rover Charlotte promises to have them fixed in one and a half hours. So we pack up dog and laptops back into minivan and head to Chick-fil-A. Where else?

2 p.m. - car is ready. $1000. We leave for Richmond.

We arrive in Richmond around 6:30 p.m. to a wonderful belated Thanksgiving dinner prepared by my mother-in-law. Aubrey's parents have agreed to come to Annapolis with us to help with the delivery of all of our stuff so the guys decide they want to get up at 2:30 a.m. to beat the traffic in D.C.

Sunday, November 27
2:30 a.m.- wake up
3:00 a.m.- leave for Annapolis
6:30 a.m.- arrive at Aubrey's apartment in Columbia, MD
7 - 10:00 a.m.- NAP

We then treated Aubrey's parents to brunch, packed up his apartment and headed over to the new house.

We arrive at the new house around 2 p.m. I arranged for a housekeeper to come and clean the house on Saturday so all we would have to do is start unloading and then unpacking stuff. When we arrived at the house, it did not appear at all to be cleaned. It didn't smell clean and there was dust and dead bugs everywhere. I almost cried. Again.

My mother-in-law and I scrubbed the entire kitchen. I called the housekeeper who proceeded to argue with me about what they had done. Then my blackberry died. Like, wouldn't turn on, wouldn't charge. Completely died.

So we went to Lowe's.

Annapolis Bound, Part Two

Thursday, November 24
We made it to Greenville safely the night before and got up early to head to Atlanta, GA to celebrate Thanksgiving with my extended family. 13 hours away from our new house in Annapolis.

Friday, November 25
We spent all of Black Friday shopping. Not for TVs or clothing deals. For a new car. Seriously. We bought my car in December of last year. Pre-owned, but not old. It is literally always in the shop and it always costs $500 - 1000 to fix whatever is wrong. I could have bought a new Kia (almost) for what we've spend in repairs over the past year.

The worst part is that the "current" issue turns out to be the fault of Land Rover Greenville who just last month replaced my rear brakes and rotors. They forgot to do something which caused one of the brakes to burn out again and the emergency brake pad. $600. So, we tell Land Rover Charlotte (amazing) to fix it and get us on the road. They then tell us that the front brakes need to be replaced sometime soon. Aubrey and I decided not to do those since we were getting ready to trade the car in and didn't want to invest any more money.

Car is done around 5 p.m. and we make plans to drive to Charlotte Saturday morning, return the minivan, get my car and finally head to Richmond. Three days late.

Annapolis Bound, Part One

Hello friends. Well, it's been over two weeks since I've last posted. Where to begin? The last two weeks have been absolutely crazy. I think I'll try to explain everything chronologically. I apologize in advance for no/few pictures, but I've honestly been too busy.

Thursday, November 17
I fly to meet Aubrey in Richmond, VA for one of his high school friend's weddings.

Sunday, November 20
Mom meets me at the Charlotte airport to start packing up our personal belongings and help oversee the professional packers so I can continue working from home until the last possible second.

Tuesday, November 22
Professional packers arrive- Mike, Damian, Bones and Claude. So sweet and nice. They take seven hours to pack up our entire house.

Aubrey arrives around 2 p.m. Steve (stepfather) flies in from China to pick him up from airport and bring him home to help with the last minute stuff.

Aubrey and I go to have our pictures taken for our Christmas card late afternoon. Crazy, I know, but I won the shoot in a charity auction and HAD to use it before we moved.

Wednesday, November 23
Loaders arrive to load up truck. Because we liked the four packers so much we asked for them to return. Bones couldn't so they sent a replacement. We missed Bones.

Before loading everything up from the house, they had to empty our storage unit down the road that was FULL of clothing and baby furniture/supplies.

It took them another seven hours to load up the truck. They claim it only took that long because we made them stop for lunch. Sorry guys! I thought you would appreciate the free Wendy's.

Truck leaves at 2 p.m. Aubrey, Steve and I (Mom had to leave for a haircut...) finish unloading the fridge, sweeping, etc. and load up my car. Aubrey's truck was obviously already in Annapolis. Have I mentioned lately that I've been 6 1/2 months pregnant this entire time? I can't even begin to explain the exhaustion and emotions I was experiencing.

3 p.m.- Steve leaves. 4 p.m.- Aubrey and I (and Max!!) leave the house after a few tears and head to Time Warner Cable on our way to Richmond for Thanksgiving. Here's where the real "fun" begins. On the way to drop off the cable box, my car starts shuddering and beeping every time Aubrey hits the brakes. NOT a good way to start a six hour car trip the day before Thanksgiving.

I immediately call Land Rover Charlotte and make sure they're open and after dropping the box off, we head over to have the car looked at. I literally walked into the service department and met our Service Consultant and started crying.

He was the most amazing guy ever and sat me down. He rented us a minivan (because my car was LOADED down) and told us he'd take care of everything.

At that point, it didn't make sense for us to drive to Richmond, VA to then have to return to Charlotte to eventually pick up my car. So I started crying again and called my mom. Of course, she mentioned that it made more sense for us to come to Greenville, SC (where I'm from and they live) to have Thanksgiving and wait for the car to be fixed.

So we headed South. 11 hours away from our new home in Annapolis.

Pregnancy Ponderings

I love being pregnant. It's true. I love the idea of having a baby. l love feeling him move and more recently, hiccup. I love finally having a metabolism and being able to eat whatever I want without gaining weight.

I don't mind not drinking alcohol or eating raw sushi. I don't mind the protein aversions or insomnia.

I love the attention. I love talking about the baby. I love making old ladies smile when they see my belly. I love picking out baby items. I love my maternity clothes- they're so comfortable and were a great reason to buy new stuff.

I don't mind doing this all by myself while Aubrey's in Baltimore. I know that without this baby, this past year for us would have been a lot harder. He's given us something to look forward to no matter where we live.

I get Max back on Sunday. The packers arrive on Tuesday and Aubrey flies in to Charlotte on Tuesday afternoon. We drive to Richmond on Wednesday night and then on to Baltimore later next weekend. We officially move into our new house on Monday, November 28.

Molly arrives in Annapolis after Aubrey meets her in Arkansas for their hunting trip during the second week of December. By December 12, the Swinsons will ALL be back together again.

It only took us seven months and seven days.

Housing Update

So, as many of you know, I ventured to Baltimore last weekend for a house-hunting trip. We've decided to rent a house until our home in Charlotte sells and until we determine exactly where we want to live in Baltimore.

We spent three full days driving ALL over Baltimore and its surrounding counties. Exhausting. I had NO idea how expensive housing would be up there. Like, double what it is here in Charlotte. Needless to say, it was an exhausting, exasperating trip. Our Realtor was incredibly patient as we increased our budget every day and she had to keep pulling more houses for us to look at.

Friday night we had dinner in Baltimore's Little Italy complete with dessert at Vacarro's. Check out our tasty treats!

Now, these tasty items might explain my two pound weight gain so apparently Newton LIKES sweets. No more desserts. At least this rich. :(

We decided that we like Annapolis as a potential place to live. We've filled out an application for FIVE bedroom, three bath home. I realize this might seem like a mansion but we really need the space. One bedroom for us, one for Newton, one for my office and one for a guest. Plus, there's not a TON of storage in this house (i.e. attic, etc.) so I think we'll use the extra bedroom for storage- maybe put in some temporary shelving... need to have a place to store all that holiday and non-maternity stuff. Ha!

Wish us luck that we'll be approved and get the house!

Hanging out in Hotlanta

So, I feel like all I've been doing to my friends and family is complaining lately so what better way to cheer everyone up then to do a blog post.... yay!!

On October 21st, Aubrey and I met in Atlanta to see Sugarland - the tickets were a birthday present from my parents... It was so great to see him since it had been four weeks since we'd been in the same city. I drove down to Atlanta Friday afternoon and met him at the MARTA station by my sister's apartment.

We did TONS of eating and shopping all day Saturday. We started out at hearth off Roswell Road. It's a super yummy pizza place. These are eggplant wedges with a spicy aioli sauce. Divine.

Then of course, we had pizza. We can never agree on what to share so we always end up getting our own. Aubrey ordered meat lovers something or other. It had a much fancier name but basically had a lot of meat on it.

I ordered the special of the day. Again, I forget the fancy name, but it had pumpkin, butternut squash, brown sage butter sauce, kale, pistachios and red onions. OMG. Soooo amazing.

After lunch we headed out to do some shopping for Newton. Up first, Blabla to see the mobile I picked out online. Coincidentally, their only store is in Atlanta so we trekked up to Alpharetta to see it in person. Then, once I saw it, I had to buy it.

Of course, with my baby shopping addiction, I couldn't just stop there. This little hat reminded me of Molly so, of course, Newton had to have this too.

Then, it was on to the concert!!

I mean, what else did you expect me to wear? I look drunk in the picture thanks to Aubrey's photography skills but oh well!

Shopping Problem

It's true. I'm now obsessed with all things baby. Specifically boy baby. I need to win the lottery. I type this as I'm about to head to a 25% off sale at my FAVORITE baby boutique in Charlotte. BAD!!! At least Aubrey doesn't read the blog. Hehehehe!

I got this adorable outfit a couple of weeks ago and LOVE it because it's blue (number one) and there's an adorable puppy embroidered on the pocket (number two) and there's a matching hat (number three). Too cute!

I got this for Newton because it's sure to be freezing in Baltimore when he's born and I don't need my baby coming down with hypothermia. It's kind of hard to see but it has little bears on the feet and ears on the hood so he'll look like a bear. I am such a nerd. Heaven help him.

And, for all of you patient people... the diaper bag. TA-DA!

I bought this little guy in New York City at the original Kate Spade boutique when my mom was in town while I was living up there for work this summer. I'm so glad now that I chose a "masculine" color. I originally did that so Aubrey wouldn't look ridiculous carrying the bag (because he WILL be carrying it some) and now I'm glad I didn't chose one with bows and stuff since we're having boy.

I LOVE this one because the inside is red. Others have black interiors and I thought that would make it really hard to find something. It also has the most pockets including two on either side. Perfect for stashing cell phones and pacifiers and other random things that we need to get to quickly.

So exciting. Well I'm off to see what other goodies I can get for him...

Oh, and for all of you waiting on a vacation post. It's not happening. I totally forgot my camera and what fun is it to just read about all I did- sleep, read, lay out, eat. There, done. :)

I promise to be better about taking my camera with me. Up this weekend, meeting Aubrey in Atlanta for the Sugarland concert!! Can't wait!!

Showered with Love

I know, I know, it's been FOREVER since my last post. My life is just soo busy right now. I'm traveling most weekends and work is super busy. I've had requests for the diaper bag reveal, more pics, anything. Easy readers, easy. You do not want to throw this pregnant girl over the edge.

Don't forget I'm also looking for a house in a new city and trying to plan a move (date still to be determined), my current house is on the market, I'm trying to find and plan appointments with an all new super medical team that I've never met (that's four different specialists folks) n a city I don't know and convince them to see me even though I'll be six months pregnant. Oh, and I can't really schedule an actual appointment because I don't know when I'll be up there full time.

I'm trying to find a pediatrician and child care- also challenging when I don't know where we'll be living exactly. Thank goodness for my Super Husband who's spending his weekend house hunting and for Lovely Lisa (super friend in Charlotte) who's researching pediatricians and photographers for me. I know the latter seems silly but I really want to have some pregnancy portraits made and I figured I'd use the images for our Christmas card. Don't worry- no bare belly here. Just something nice and outside with Super Husband and the dogs.

Plus, I'm going to need someone to shoot the baby for his birth announcements. Now, do you understand why there have been no posts for the past two weeks?

Here are some lovely photos from the baby shower Debbie and Rick (in-laws)'s friends threw for us in Richmond on the 24th.

Arriving at the Wests' home....

Kind of like Christmas, huh? And, yes, the large one in the middle was ours!! Debbie and Rick got us one of our car seats. SOOO nice!

From Meredith, David and Baby Mog... so adorable. Although, I don't think our son will appreciate the bloomers. Maybe we'll let Baby Mog borrow them until we have a girl?

Party crasher!!! Who was working security and let him in????????

Rainy Friday

It's been pouring in Charlotte for days. Ok, maybe just two days, but still. I think I have rain induced depression. All I want to do is hide in bed. However, we have a big weekend...We put the house on the market on Wednesday because we're moving to Baltimore, Maryland. Commence crying now.




Aubrey was promoted within ATD and this is a great opportunity for his career but really sad for us personally. We desperately don't want to leave Charlotte. We have great friends, live close to both sets of parents and I love my job.



Thankfully, I've been granted permission to work from home in Baltimore so we won't be forced to go down to one income. I mean, it's kind of impossible to interview for jobs pregnant....

Aubrey leaves for his new role on Tuesday after my ultrasound. I'm not sure when I'll see him again because our Fall is so busy. Hopefully he can fly down to meet me at the beach week after next. I'm tentatively planning to fly to Baltimore the weekend of Halloween so we can house hunt and figure out where we're going to live and where Newton will go to "school."



So many changes, so little time. :(



This weekend we're headed up to Richmond for a baby shower. That should be a lot of fun!



Check out what arrived in the mail today. Ok, maybe she sent it a long time ago, but I just got it because we are HORRIBLE about checking our mail.

Crystal, my BFF from college, sent me the most adorable gown and hat and sweetest smelling lotion. Soooo adorable. I totally teared up when I opened it. I can't wait to get settled in Baltimore and wash all of these sweet things we're getting.

We'll I'm off to put on my galoshes and walk Molly....

Game Day

So last Thursday Aubrey's beloved Mississippi State played a football game against some other team- LSU maybe??? Because we live too far away from his Alumni Group's hang out, I made him his favorite dip. Not great for the waistline or cholestrol numbers, but he loves it all the same. And yes, that crock pot is as old as I am. No use throwing it away if it still works, right?

As a surprise to me, Aubrey also brought home these beautiful flowers.

Sooo beautiful!!

Cookie Monster

Apparently Miss Carson Cannon Segrest is going to make an early appearance into this wonderful world of ours. I am soooo excited for Lee, Brant and Big Sister Ava!

Lee might be induced tomorrow which means Auntie Ryan is on call all weekend to run to Greenville at a moment's notice. That also means I need to post about the shower I co-hosted for her BEFORE Carson arrives. EEK!

I originally planned on making Cowboy Cookies this weekend to give to the sweet ladies who are throwing us the baby shower next weekend.

Well, it will be difficult to make Cowboy Cookies while holding Carson or playing with Ava. So I logged on to work really early this morning and did a couple of projects and then made the dough. In case you're wondering, here's what four batches of Cowboy Cookies looks like.

Well of course I'm not going to make and bake all the cookies today. I have to work people. So I Food Saver-ed the batter and now I can make one bag of cookies per weeknight next week so they're all made for the shower next Saturday. And yes, I will be Food Saver-ing the baked cookies too. Stale cookies are the worst!
Ahh, Cowboy Cookies. A token of my childhood. No, I will not be posting the recipe. It's a secret family recipe. Well, kind of. A long, long time ago (circa 1983), my mother was at a Clemson football game. As she was walking through the tailgate lot to go to the restroom (TMI?), she noticed a platter of delicious looking cookies. She complimented the strangers on their beautiful baked goods and a lady offered her one.

After sampling her first-ever Cowboy Cookie, she was hooked! She asked for the recipe and the kind lady said she would mail it to her. Low and behold, six months later the recipe arrived in the mail. The McNamara/Giles Family has been making these cookies for tailgates, holidays and beach trips for the past 28 years.

My million dollar idea is to somehow sell the cookies. Yes, they're that good. Jealous you aren't getting any? Throw me a shower and I'll make you some cookies. Just teasing!!

And now, some random photos for Becky. You're welcome.

Where Mom made us park at Buy Buy Baby this past weekend.

I don't know why but it seemed really embarassing. Maybe because I don't think I'm showing.... I don't know. I just think she didn't want to walk far. Glad I can be of service in that regard.

Check out this pic of Molly Monster. I've been trying to drink my morning coffee (half decaf) out of a straw to prevent my teeth from staining- especially since I can't bleach them while pregnant. Well Molly thought she would help...

As much trouble as she causes me, I do love that little face. She is the sweetest thing.

And lastly, a teaser to the hightly anticipated diaper bag reveal....

Whatever could it be?? Stay tuned for the actual bag...

15 weeks, 6 days

Well, I'm almost to the four month mark. It's really hard to believe that in less than six months, Baby Swinson will be here!!

We ordered the crib and the changing table this weekend and the mattress arrived today!! Some sweet friends of Aubrey's parents bought us the mattress. My mom ironically bought us a crib sheet this weekend so at least we have the crib all set (well, minus the bedding)...

Now. Where to put this stuff? Hmm... we definitely need a bigger house.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and it took the doctor about 10 seconds longer than I thought it should to find the heartbeat. Needless to say, I about had an anxiety attack on the table. I did hear a weird whooshing sound on his little device. When I asked what it was, he said the baby was kicking. Awwww..... isn't that cute?

Two weeks until we know what Baby Swinson is. Aubrey and my mother are certain it's a girl. Because of this, I'm certain it's a boy. Now, I have no feelings or inclinations that it's a boy, but just because they're soooo "sure," I have to disagree.

We'll see who's right!

15 weeks, 2 days

Well, it's been a crazy week for us.

Last Wednesday, Aubrey and I went to the scary Buy Buy Baby to register for all of our baby gear. Based on the size of the store, I think this should have taken us 4 hours. However, because we had done lots of research- including asking some of my brilliant "mom" friends what their favorite baby gear was- it only took us about an hour and a half.

Needless to say, Newton Swinson will be set for their first week of life if we get everything on the registry. I am a little obsessed with checking it daily for updates. I LOVE seeing what our amazing family and friends purchase for him/her.

Speaking of him/her, we'll officially find out what Newton REALLY is on September 27 at 11 a.m. I have to go to the Women's Institute (perinatologist) for a high risk anatomy screening. I am really nervous. Nervous about his/her general health and also to finally know what it is. It's kind of magical not knowing and I do feel a bit of pressure to produce a certain grandchild that can wear smocked dresses and big hairbows.

Newton attended his/her first Clemson football game last Saturday. Of course, I didn't take any pictures... It was nice and "cool" at the tailgate but as soon as we went into the game, I thought I was going to die from heat exhaustion. We had a good time but I think I might wait until October to go back. Maybe....

We finally ordered the crib last night!! Woohoo. It said it would ship in 3 -4 weeks so we expect it by the end of September, beginning of October. I hope to have the office/nursery cleared out by then so we'll have a place to put it. The nursery's closet is slowly starting to fill up with packs of diapers and other random baby things that people give us- so nice!!

I can't wait to purchase the changing table/dresser so we have a place to put some of this stuff!! We're going to a children's furniture store in Greenville this weekend that all my Greenville friends swear by so we'll see what we find... my plan is to purchase all the nursery stuff before the holidays so we can financially and emotionally enjoy those. Then, in January, we'll see what we're still missing from a gear perspective and stock up on the rest. Whew!!

13 weeks, 5 days OR 14 weeks

It's true. They don't really know how far along I am.

At Wednesday's ultrasound, the baby (a.k.a Newton) was measuring 13 weeks, 2 days. That's great and all but I really should have just been 12 weeks, 6 days. So I have a super human, giant baby. Great.

Now I have NO idea how to answer when people ask how far along I am. I don't know. I'm due somewhere between Valentine's Day and Easter. Good luck.

So, back to the ultrasound. Aubrey and I decided to have the baby tested for chromosomal abnormalities (a.k.a down syndrome). I'm not sure what we would have done with the answers had the test turned out positive, but I'm happy to report, Newton is practically perfect. Stubborn, but perfect. The ultrasound technician literally had to jab my stomach with her magic wand to get the baby to do what she needed to perform the measurements. I was sure I would wake up bruised on Thursday.

I noticed two arms and two legs. I couldn't count fingers or toes because it was so blurry, but at least we have all the appendages so far. I go back in four weeks to the Women's Institute for my Anatomy Screening. Because we're so special, we don't get to go back to the "normal" high-risk OB, we get to spend one billion dollars at the fetal specialist's. Yes, even Newton has a specialist now.

On Thursday, I visited our family friend and famous opthamologist, Blake Myers, to get my eyes checked. Apparently, the pregnancy can have an adverse effect on the state of my eyes so now I get to see him every month as well. My insurance company is HATING me right now. Thank goodness I have wonderful benefits. My eyes look fine. DUH.

I co-hosted a shower for our dear friend, Lee Segrest, this weekend at Brick Street Cafe. Lee is expecting Baby Carson any day now (today if it were up to her) and big sister Ava is very excited. I'll post those pics as soon as I upload them from my camera.

Silly me decided that I'd like to have the nursery "done" by Christmas. I realize that's quite the goal, but I don't want to have to worry about any of that stuff during the winter/last trimester. I have already picked out the crib and now just need to order it. Once it comes in, I can match wood samples for the changing table and as soon as we know what we're having, I can order the bedding and glider. This way we can pay for everything in the Fall, and still have some money (hopefully) for Christmas.

Here's the crib:

I like the bedding options from Polka Dot Designs- www.polkatotdesings.com. So as soon as we know what Newton is, we'll be ordering from there.

I really like a glider that we tried out at Bellini here in Charlotte. I want to sit in it again and I also need to determine if an ottoman is necessary or now. It seems nice to have but will I really use it??

I took all the stuff to be donated this weekend. The only remaining pieces in the office/nursery are the bookshelf- moving to the guest room as soon as our friends come pick up the chest we're giving them (should be this weekend), the desk (can't find anyone to give that to) and Aubrey's random sports equipment and stuff for his new office at work. I realize that sounds like a lot, but it's really much better.

Once Aubrey gets an assignment and an office, we can move out most of the random sports equipment and golf paraphernalia there.

As soon as that's done, I need to have the carpets professionally cleaned to determine if we're going to have to replace them or not. Yes. Molly did quite a number a number of times in the office. NOT where I want my baby to sleep.

12 weeks!

Well, I'm in the last week of the first trimester. Whew! Mom reminded me yesterday that I'd be having a baby in six months. OMG. Too soon. I need to save more money, climb Mt. Everest, see William and Kate in person- so much to do and so little time.

Mom was here because of my lovely root canal. It's true. I have dental anxiety. After my panic attack last spring in the dentist's chair during my first ever filling, I have opted for sedation dentistry. Well, because of Newton (Mom and Steve's nickname for the baby because last week it was apparently the size of a fig), I can't be sedated. Lovely.

So I HAD to have it done yesterday. I took my iPod and blared Zac Brown Band the entire time and worked on some visualization techniques. Yes, I was thinking I was at the beach. Well, it worked. He finished half the root canal and I have to go back in 10 days to finish. It was that bad.... I was fine though. The most pain I'm experiencing is sinus pressure and I'm not sure if that's because of the root canal or the underlying sickness I was already experiencing...

So Mom came to hold my hand. Yes, I do realize I'm about to be a mother myself (freaking out as I type this) but sometimes you just need your mom...

She (and Steve)'s coming back this weekend to do some baby research. With all of the crap, I mean, beautiful baby stuff on the market, I'm looking for her guidance on what's the best. So we're dragging the guys to Buy Buy Baby to touch and feel and practice with the car seats and strollers and all the gender neutral stuff we're going to need. I think I'll go ahead and start the registry with this stuff and then go back when we know what we're having to add pink or blue items. Pink if you ask Mom or Aubrey. Blue if you ask me...

I was going to tell my office about the baby today but I chickened out. My manager knows and she's ironically due 4 weeks before me!!! I'm just learned about someone who miscarried at 12 weeks so I want to wait one more week just to be sure. I also go back to the doctor's next Wednesday to get another ultrasound and the results of the Nuchal Translucency Test (down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities).

If that test comes back all clear, we'll be shouting it from the rooftops! Well, at least after next weekend. We're headed to Greenville to throw a baby shower for one of my best friends there. Once we tell a couple of people in person, then we'll shout it from the rooftops.

Sorry there's no pics today!

Weekend Update (11 weeks, 4 days)

Well, we're nearing the end of the "super scary period." I wish I had lots to post about a super fun weekend, but I was really sick. Not baby sick, headcold sick...

I took Friday off so I could go to several doctors' appointments. The first one was supposed to be with the Nurse Coordinator at my OB's office but she had to cancel last minute so I only met with the OB. He answered all of my most recent questions:

1. Can I have mayonnaise? YES. Thank goodness, I've been craving egg salad.

2. Do I have to eat steak well done? NO. Yay! Between you and me, the last two steaks I've eaten were only prepared medium-well, but they made me nervous. He said as long as they're cooked and the insides are warm (medium to medium-well), I should be okay.

3. Then I informed him of my looming root canal. Yes, I went back to the dentist last Wednesday, and she referred me to an endodontist immediately. She said I need to have a root canal within the week!!!!!!!!! Auugghhhh. I typically choose sedation when getting a filling so this is freaking me out because they can't sedate me pregnant. I'm planning on taking my iPod and my mom is drivin up on Tuesday to take me Wednesday morning. I can, however, take certain painkillers- Percocet, Hydrocodone and Oxycontin. Yay!! I will definitely be taking those!! Call me on Wednesday afternoon, it's sure to be a good time.

4. My throat was hurting and I asked him to check it out and he said it looked fine and to gargle with salt water. YUCK.

After we chatted with Dr. James (loved him), he used his little doppler thing to listen to the heartbeat. It was 170! Perfect for our baby's "age." So he told us we were good to start telling people. We haven't really told anyone besides close, close friends and family. I'm still feeling nervous and just learned of someone that had a miscarriage at 12 weeks so I think we'll wait to 13...

After Dr. James, I met Catherine and Lisa for lunch. I had been craving spicy tomato sauce and penne pasta (a la vodka) so they were kind enough to meet me at Mama Ricotta's. So delicious. The spicy part didn't feel great on my throat but I was starving.

I had another appointment in the afternoon with the prenatal endocrinologist. Kind of boring but basically they're trying to help me come up with some protein alternatives since I have a really strong aversion to most proteins right now.

Friday night we had a great time out with friends at Pizza Peel but I really started to feel bad at dinner so I was really ready to go home... Saturday morning I woke up and could barely get out of bed. Sweet Aubrey went to the drug store for me and came home with...

I think I just have a nasty headcold. I tried taking some "OB-approved" Dayquil but it wasn't really helping and it was making me nervous to take the medicine. I laid on the bed/sofa all day while Aubrey began cleaning out the office/nursery. We're purging everything to make room for this baby and potential move. Here's some of the progress (sorry, they're blurry- great Blackberry photography):

Clothes I'm selling at the consignment store (I did this part):

Clothes I'm donating (there's tons more on the guest room bed, but I'm still collecting wire hangers to hang them up):
"Junk" we're donating:

Tonight we're going to make better piles and box everything up so I can take it to the Junior League of Greenville Nearly New Shop when I go home in two weeks. Yay for home organization!!!

10 weeks, 5 days

Well, I made it back to Charlotte in one piece. For those that might not remember this when you read this, I spent three and a half weeks in New York City working on a large project for work from July 14 - August 7. I think the experience was both a blessing and a curse for me.

It was a blessing because it distracted me from thinking about the pregnancy but it was a curse because I was away from home, newly pregnant and scared. I was thinking that I would have more time to write for the blog but by the time I crawled to my room at night, it was all I could do to wash my face before falling into bed.

I have never been so tired. Most nights after we finished an 11 hour day, I just ate a container of Greek yogurt and went to bed. I tried really hard to work out as much as possible but after the first week, I lost all energy.

I also began having food aversions. Mostly, any protein. Great. Carbs stick to me like glue to glitter. I tried several times to eat an egg white omelet. I made it to the plate twice. Once, I just opened it and put it away. I ate a lot of dinner rolls, cantaloupe and salad. It was about all I could tolerate.

I did find a Jamba Juice right by the hotel. Yummo. I had one of their light smoothies with whey protein added and felt like I was eating a good snack.

Right now, I'm obsessed with Cheerios. I eat a baggie every day as a snack. I guess it's a childhood comfort food for me?? I guess it's better than eating Cheetos??

I've also been able to tolerate beef. Aubrey made me soft tacos on Sunday night with ground beef and they were yummy. I got another pound out of the freezer this morning and will attempt to make spaghetti tomorrow night. I'm going to run to the grocery store tonight and get a zucchini and a squash to puree and put in the spaghetti sauce. Since I'm not really liking veggies either, I gotta get them where and when I can!

EKG Update

Well, this weekend has been crazy. It started on Friday with my EKG and then Aubrey's sister and parents came into town.

The EKG was interesting. I was definitely the youngest and lightest (weight-wise) person there. That was a nice feeling- ha! Thank goodness I had a young, friendly tech who explained EVERY step to me.

He put these little stickers on my arms, shins and around my heart. They were FREEZING. Then it seemed as soon as he was finished placing the last one, they started transmitting signals to his machine.

He said my heart looked perfect and didn't see any cause for concern. Now, keep in mind, this is just the guy that performs the test, so I'm sure I'll get a more thorough report when I go back to the OB next Tuesday.

It was so nice to see Aubrey's family. His sister lives in NYC so we usually only see her once a year. She told us on Friday night that she and her husband, David, are expecting their first baby around December 21. What a surprise!!

I kind of expected this but it was so great to hear first-hand. What this really meant, however, was that Aubrey and I had to try even harder to keep our secret until Sunday when my parents came to town for the big reveal.

On Saturday, the girls did some shopping AND dining and the guys headed to Gaffney to see Molly, our English Springer Spaniel who's learning to be a proper gun dog. I often comment that she's at "summer camp."

On Sunday, my parents arrived around Noon and soon after they got there, Aubrey and brought down the cake that I ordered just for the occasion. There were lots of tears and hugs...

I don't seem to have a copy of that photo right now but I will post soon!

5 weeks!

Well, we made it another week. Yay! Now I understand why my mother made me call her every day in college. All I do is stress about this baby. At dinner tonight, Cay and I ordered sweet potato fries and I realized they put bleu cheese on them- I almost threw up. I mean, subconsciously, I knew the teeny, tiny bit I ate is probably fine but it doesn't change how worried I was...

Cay is five months pregnant and is WAY more laid back than I think I'll be at that point. I definitely need a dose of whatever she's on. I even had the bartender make me a "mocktail" so Cay wouldn't know I wasn't drinking. Water and cranberry looks just like a vodka cranberry in case you are wondering... :)

So, here are my symptoms this week:

1. Insomnia: I was a great sleeper. No, I was a fantastic sleeper. I slept 8 - 9 hours per night. That didn't make me lots of fun for nighttime parties, but my body needed it.

Not anymore. I fall asleep right away because I'm exhausted. Then around 2 a.m. I either wake up to potty and cannot fall back asleep until around 4:30 a.m. or I get severe night sweats and wake up freezing and then cannot fall back asleep (more on those next). Now, I expected not to be able to sleep when I had a basketball under my pajamas in 5 or 6 months, but now???

I asked the nurse on Wednesday when I went in for bloodwork and she said it's because of hormones. Great. Sometimes it gets better after the first trimester, sometimes not.

Double great. At least Jimmy Fallon is replayed during this time. There's nothing like laughing out loud at 3 a.m. all by yourself...

2. Night Sweats: I mean, maybe I'm going through menopause. Does this mean, I'm going to have the same symptoms then??? Where is the morning sickness and food aversions everyone else gets. I just get old lady symptoms.

Night sweats are disgusting. I wake up drenched from head to toe. Then within 10 minutes I am FREEZING. Like shivering, teeth chattering cold. So I know keep a pile of warm clothes IN the bed with me to assist with this fun project. This morning I woke up in my nightgown covered with a long sleeve t-shirt, Christmas pajama pants and black socks. It was the quickest stuff I could find at 2:30 a.m. this morning.

I'm not sure what causes these. I'm sure it's "hormones." I'll be sure to ask at the doctor's next week.

3. Burping: I am still burping all the time. Gross.

4. Exhaustion: By about 5 p.m., it's all I can do to reheat leftovers for dinner. Then I crawl upstairs into bed. I'm sure some of this is the pregnancy and some is the fact that my body is no longer getting the sleep it's used to.

Those are the main ones right now. Don't get me wrong, I am totally not complaining about the above. In fact, I kind of love waking up in the middle of the night because of the baby. It helps me remember that he/she is still with me. I guess it's good practice for March 2012.

I'm still working out with my trainer three times per week. We've lightened the weights I'm lifting and are focusing on more body weight activities: wall squats, push ups, side and regular planks, etc. I really hope to continue working out throughout the entire pregnancy. As long as I feel okay, I'm going to do it!

Freak of Nature

So, apparently I'm a freak of nature. Yesterday at 4:30 p.m., I went to the restroom and then emptied the bucket in the collection "jug." I noticed the "jug" was really full. I kept thinking the "jug" would expand and it never did.

So I called the doctor's office and told them my "jug" was full and asked what I needed to do. The nurse told me I needed to come immediately and get another "jug" because they closed at 5:00 p.m. WHAT???

So I rushed over to the doctor's office and picked up another "jug." Too much information (TMI) alert: I ended up filling up two entire "jugs" in 24 hours!! In case you are wondering, a jug is one gallon and a full one weighed 4.6 pounds. Yes, I weighed one.

This was quite amazing to all the nurses I saw this morning. I am the "great pee'er." Great.

This morning I had bloodwork. Five vials full to be exact. Yowza.

Then immediately after bloodwork, I had a follow-up dental appointment to check the status of the tooth Molly-monster knocked out. The dentist said everything looks good even though there is some darkening around the root. So, she'll x-ray me again when I get back from NYC.

While she was looking at my teeth, she was concerned about pregnancy gingivitis because it is more likely in a pregnant diabetic. So, they cleaned my teeth today and will do so again every 4 months until I give birth. Sheesh.

Can someone please remind this kid what all I've already gone through for him/her??

4 weeks, 5 days

Well, it's official. We're pregnant. Or at least I am. I THINK our due date will be around the first of March so I'll be waddling around the Christmas tree with Santa and probably eating ALL of the Valentine's candy I can find come February.

We found out I was pregnant on our last day at Folly Beach. Way to end a vacation full of wine, margaritas and beer. Oh well. They say nothing really happens until day 19 after conception so we should be a-okay.

I'm feeling very overwhelmed right now. My medical team is cautious but optimistic. With Type 1 diabetes, there can be a lot of additional pregnancy related stress put on my body. I met with my prenatal endocrinologist yesterday morning and then my high-risk OB yesterday afternoon. He has me doing a 24 hour urine test now to triple check for kidney function etc. I have to deliver the sample(s) tomorrow morning and then do a full panel of bloodwork. Yay?

I also have an EKG scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. They want to make sure my heart is healthy and know whether to expect any complications with the additional blood flow. Then Tuesday, July 12, I go for my first ultrasound. I'll only be around 7 weeks but they want to do an early one on me. The next day, the 13th, I go back to my prenatal endocrinologist.

I am so popular. No, not really. Everyone just wants to see me before I leave for NYC on the 14th for three and a half weeks.

I know no one is reading this. It's more or less a way for me to put my feelings down and to share everything with Aubrey who's currently living in Burlington, NC while in the ATD management training program.

I feel good. Bloated, but good. I'm burping ALL the time which is nice. NOT. I'm having trouble sleeping. I'm not sure if it's due to indigestion, excitement, gas or a combination of all three. I've gotten permission to take Tums and Gas-x. Everyone should buy stock in those products.

Once we reach the scary point (8 - 10 weeks), I'll make the blog live so all of you crazy fans can go back and read how I was feeling months ago.

You're welcome.