Christmas look

I love this website that I have found - thecutestblogontheblock.com. They have the cutest backgrounds for blogs. The only problem I was finding is with some of their backgrounds, you have trouble reading. Hope this one works well.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. We had a nice day at my uncle's and had lots of yummy food. And then the shower today. Everyone has been very generous!

According to the ticker, I am less than 40 days! I go to the dr. this week - and then I think I start to go every week. Crazy!

Robert and I both had good football weekends - both of our teams won! And they were pretty exciting games. Go Jackets!

Makenna 3-D

I said I wouldn't pay to have this done. But the nurse made me nervous. Not that I wouldn't love my child any differently if it were a boy instead of a girl, but I had to know. And there was a 3D place that has a current special. So we paid. The baby is still a girl. And she loves her hands! And there is only one - the things people say to make you nervous! She was quite active in the beginning and decided to take a nap towards the end. But here is our sweet baby girl!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Maternity Photos

Here is the link to the proofing website:
http://www.sugarsnapps.com/index2.php

Here is the password:
Bailey1108

Hope you enjoy!

Not exactly what I wanted to hear

I had another dr. appointment today. The first thing is to get on the scale. I start looking at how she is sliding the weight and was thinking it was going way higher than I thought it should. I gained 6 pounds - in 2 weeks!!!! She told me not to stress out about it. It could be water. Great.

Then the nurse used the doppler to hear the heartbeat (apparently it was between 140 and 150). She says, "So, you're having a boy?" Um, no, we're having a girl. Her reply, "I wouldn't buy all pink." Um, we have her name hung on the wall? Do we change it to Ken and make it blue? Robert says if it is a boy he is going to have identity issues and wonder what in the world this Makenna thing is that we've been calling him. I told Robert we could tell him that Makenna is Indian for sweet baby boy.

So then the nurse comes back and says I had sugar in my urine - which I have had almost every time I've been. And even though I passed the 1 hr. glucose test a number of weeks ago, they had to check. So, I got my finger pricked - it was normal.

Apparently my blood pressure was elevated from last time - still normal - but higher. More blood taken out of my arm. I'm pretty good at giving blood now! The dr. thinks it will come back normal, but just to make sure.

All in all, I suppose it wasn't a bad appointment, but the weight gain is throwing me! And to top it off, I go to make the next appointment for 2 weeks - Dr. Alexander will be here that day. He's the one that gets on to you about weight! Oh, how about Thursday? (Me trying to be sneaky.) Oh, he will be here Thursday too. Great. Can't wait for that appointment - right after Thanksgiving!

Personal Experiences

Normally I don't do these, but this one looks fun!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (I assume concert band counts!)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (does Stone Mountain count?)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - everytime I think about doing it - I get sick!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I've wanted to!)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (Not yet!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Childbirth Class

So Robert and I went to our childbirth class today. We opted for the one day thing. Actually, we had signed up for a two night class at the hospital in Covington in November, but we were apparently the only ones signed up for the class, so they moved it. I couldn't attend those nights and I can't risk them changing the December class, so we did the one day thing at the other hospital.

It wasn't that bad. The only bad thing is sitting in a chair for most of the day. I am not sure if the instructor uses different materials than most, but I didn't think the birthing video was that bad. Robert thought the messy diaper pictures were more disgusting than any of the other pictures/videos, so I guess I wasn't the only one.

We have already toured both hospitals that we would go to. There are pros and cons to both. We'll have to wait and see what happens before we decide. The one in Covington is supposed to be getting a NICU - not that we plan to need one - but you never know. The one in Conyers had a NICU and the post-partum rooms are much more asthetically pleasing - not that the room should have anything to do with the decision. We can't remember security from the hospital in Covington. One of the neat things they pointed out today (about the one in Conyers) is the baby will get this band around her ankle that would lock doors to the outside so no one could take the baby. Again, not anything you would ever plan to need, but nice to know they have. My doctors say the care at both will be fine. The one closer may have more personal care because they tend to have less patients. I may not decide until we are on our way!

I don't know what it was, but Makenna was extremely active today. She is beating me up! Sometimes after she has settled, I can feel (from the outside) where some body part is. After I find her, she moves, so it doesn't last long and I can never tell what part of her I feel. Robert was able to feel her while we were in class. Kind of neat!

It was an early morning, so I think I may head to bed. Good night!

Shower Pictures

Thanks Ruth for passing these along! I realized when I got home that my camera didn't have the memory card in it! Thanks again to our friends in Greenville!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My rings

I have decided to put my rings away for now. One would think with the colder weather that I would be cooler. However, since the heat is on, I am still very hot! My hands stay warm and I started to notice that when I took them off before taking a shower, they were beginning to leave marks on my finger. So, I have decided to take them off. Hopefully they will go back on once Makenna arrives!

Maternity Pictures

My parents have friends from their Sunday School class whose daughter is a photographer. Her name is Amy and she has recently started her own business. So, we had her do some maternity pictures on Saturday outside at an historic house.

I found plum colored maternity shirt at Kohl's the other night. I figured that was a nice fall color. Robert will tell you I made him match, but I did not force him to buy the matching colored shirt.

Of course since they were family pictures we had to take Bailey. Amy took pictures of me by myself, me and Robert and then me, Robert and Bailey. We had Bailey on her leash and at one point Robert let her go and told her to go to mom. Well, there were some other people having their pictures made at the same site and she went straight for them. So much for listening! We didn't try that trick again.

Another time Robert went to include Bailey in the picture and when he got back by my side with her, she started going nuts giving me kisses all over my face. Amy was laughing and was able to take some pictures. I hope some of them come out! Bailey being Bailey.

And then there was the one where Robert was messing around sticking out his belly to match mine. Again, Amy thought that would be a cute one, so we posed belly to belly with one hand on top and the other on the bottom of our respective bellies. Robert thinks he looks about a month behind me. We'll see when we get the proofs!

We had a good time and hopefully we will have a couple of pictures to frame and keep for Baby Makenna.

Knew it was Coming!

I had my dr. appointment today with the very personable doctor. Robert was there and the dr. talked about car seats, strollers, breastfeeding, differences between men (how one patients husband was engrossed in a football game 6 hours after the birth of their child), and so on. I made it through the appointment - which he explained how the measurements of the belly match the number of weeks along. "Back in the day" as he phrased it - they determined that from the top of the pelvic bone to the belly button was about 20 centimeters. At about 20 weeks, the top of the uterus is at the belly button. Apparently, the uterus grows 1 centimeter a week. So, if the doctor was not sure how far along you were, once the top of the uterus was at the belly button, they added 20 weeks to come up with the due date. Who knows how accurate the info is, but that is what he said! I thought I was in the clear - we were out of the exam room and at the appointment desk when he says - oh - you have gained 31 pounds and we recommend 35 tops. So, you need to start watching it. I knew it was coming - the nurse the last time said he was obsessive about weight - and it doesn't bother me - a pound a week - which is what it has been for almost the entire pregnancy. I'm not concerned and the lady making appointments said not to worry about it. And very graciously pointed out that I have BOTH Thanksgiving and Christmas to get through. Thanks - I appreciate the reminder!

Our friends in Greenville had a shower this weekend and they were very generous. It was good to see everyone again - even if just for a bit. Mom came with me, so it was a fun weekend just me and mom. And baby Makenna. Mom was finally able to feel her move. She moves quite a bit at night, but if she knows someone other than me is watching her - she stops. Silly baby.

I brought the camera to the shower, but it ran out of memory - apparently I left the card in the other camera at home while uploading pictures to the computer. Oh well! Ruth has some pictures that she is going to email, so I will post some when I get them!

My"replacement" was here this week and I think he finally gets it. He said that the regional controller should come spend a day with me because he doesn't think they (the people in Greenville) have a clue what I do on a daily basis. I told him we kind of figured since they only wanted to send someone down for a couple of days a month! So, it looks like it will all work out. He is going to come down at the end of the month to see what I do to prepare for month end and then he will be back Dec. 1 until Christmas - which is when I plan to go out.

It is that time of year at work - business plan - and I have brought some stuff home to work on. I guess I need to get working on it before I go to bed!