18 Week Appointment

Well after a hectic morning, I got home from work in time to get an hour and a half of sleep before my 11am appointment. I felt nauseated from the time my feet hit the floor - getting no sleep is not a good start for the nausea. I went to my dr. appointment today for my monthly checkup. The baby's heart rate is 144bpm and 'she' was a kickin.' I'm pretty sure that at times she thinks it is funny to grab on to my bladder and squeeze! :)

The doctor gave me a prescription for Zofran so that I can get thru the nights I work successfully. He was a little concerned about me not gaining more. At the beginning, I lost 12lbs because of nausea and I have only gained 3lbs back. I am not able to take prenatal vitamins due to nausea, so he is concerned that I am not getting adequate nutrition or eating as much as I should. Ha ha, do you feel like eating when you feel like yacking most of the time? So, he suggested that I try and drink sipable yogurts and try to eat more nutritional valued meals.

I had a small amount of protein in my urine, which he said they were not overly concerned about, but would watch it. I have my next appointment on Dec 18th. We find out in 10 days if our lil' peanut will be handsome or beautiful! :) I think that my husband and both mothers are more excited than me ... however, I think that I am still in disbelief and it is going to hit me that day while we are looking!!!!

I had a little breakdown yesterday because I was lacking much needed sleep, feeling nauseated more than usual (even actually getting sick once), and then my dr's appointment just made me on edge. I was unable to go to work again last night, which is even more frustrating. I need to be working more hours and building up my time off; however, that has been a joke in itself. There is no way of me going to work if I feel that I am not going to have concentration, since I am dealing with kidos well-being. Plus, the night is completely miserable if I am feeling horrible and cannot lie down when I am feeling sick. The plus is that I was able to get Zofran to take when I go to work, therefore, I can hopefully keep my nausea under tabs.

I know that it will eventually get better, hopefully the nausea subsiding for good. I would like to feel good before we get into the third trimester! :) It's all just a little frustrating, but I still feel blessed to get the answer to my prayers (it is just not so apparent when I am feeling poopy)!

Friday Funday

Last Friday was a day full of errands to be done. One of my duties was to take lil' Frankie Bodankie to the vet for his last set of big boy shots. He did really well, other than the fact they had to give him numerous treats to keep him occupied. He ate them so fast that they had to keep giving him more! He has taken to our lil' family quite well and he is mommy's little cuddler. He reminds us of Scootie on a daily basis, with his love for treats, spunkiness, need to cuddle and burrow, and other little demeanors. We always tell him about his big brother and how much he is like him! Daysia is doing much better with him, other than taking his toys to the depths of the backyard so that he can not get them. However, she is very allowing of him jumping to get her ears and lunging at her when she is trying to lay around! That is something I will have to get on video! He is quite the lil' guard dog, or so he thinks. Here are a few pictures to enjoy - he is now 18 weeks too.

Franklin enjoying a treat - he says hello!

This is the lil' face I get to see every day when I look down!!!


He loves his treats!!!

Friday Jason came home with a dozen of roses in his arms. I was soooo shocked and it definitely put a smile on my face! I haven't been in the best of mood since I seem to feel like poop on a daily basis. The card was so sweet and heartfelt. He used 2 cards for the message, one that said 'It's a Girl!" and the other saying 'It's a Boy!' The message read, "I just wanted to put a little beauty in my beautiful pregnant wife's life. I love you baby. Jason." It was probably one of the sweetest things he has ever done, maybe because the words really stuck with me since I haven't had a 'walk in the park' as my first 18 weeks! What a guy!!!! :)

The roses and sweet message from my hubby!!!

Praying for a friend ...

Please take a moment to say a quick prayer for a friend of ours that is being faced with a very hard situation. He is a good friend of ours and is like a little brother to us. He is one of the most family-orientated and caring men I have ever met. Sometimes life puts us in a horrible situation and mistakes are made, but he is still a GREAT PERSON and I support him 100%. Please pray that today will be a good outcome for him and he will gain some peace. Thank you!

Halloween Shindig 2008

The Halloween Crew 2008

So as tradition has it, we had our annual Halloween Costume Party! We had a much smaller group this year, which made it a little more personal and fun. Jason and I were able to talk and hang out with everyone, instead of feeling like we had to make rounds to socialize. We had the normal party attendees, along with a few new members. The keg was tapped and the fun began. The firepit was in full roar and we ended up burning up most of the huge pile of brush in our backyard. The boys were maning the fire, while Jason and Johnny were maning the turntables and music!

We had a tooth fairy, a scary creature, a gothic angel/devil, a butterfly, a cavewoman, dancer, 80's muscle head and personal trainer, dead mickey mouse, a pirate girl, the Joker, Shamwow, Superman and Lois Lane, a KU Fan (booo!) and our lil' pumpkin ... Franklin! Everyone looked great and it was a wonderful time. Lord knows I haven't gotten to see some of my friends for awhile, it was nice to see their faces again! :)

I have a ton of pictures so I will have to post them in seperate posts!!! Enjoy!

Our lil' family (including Baby Smith) but minus Daysia

Franklin is pooped after wearing his pumpkin costume!

Apes and Dex - the scariest couple!

Matt and Kelley - aka Superman (Kent Clark) and Lois Lane

Dan the Joker Man - great makeup job, Tiff!

Halloween Shindig 2008

Apes, me and Franklin - who is trying to steal a sip of Bud Light!

Franklin again - do you think we love him?

The toothfairy (BJ) and Superman (Matt)

Shamwow - my sexy man

Mommy and Frankin

Halloween Shindig 2008

The KU fan - not his costume! Boooooo Johnny!

Me and my lil' pumpkin Franklin

Alexis and BJ - the Cavewoman and Toothfairy

The butterfly, the Pirate (Tiff) and the Gotic angel/devil (Apes)

Isn't he a cute lil' pumpkin!

Four months along - almost half way there!

Sounds like me trying to use myths to predict the gender :)

And we have made it another week! Things are starting to get a little easier in the nausea department, however, we are not in the clear. This lil' booger likes to make sure that mama knows (s)he is in there! The trick is to take some Unisom and relax. Lower back pain has set in, luckily I have a husband that gives A+ massages. I am starting to feel a little anxious in realizing that this truely a reality. We are holding off on the nursery plans and such until the first of the year. Either way, we are going to have a lil' Missouri Tiger fan on our hands!

I have been watching the Discovery channel with all the different birthing stories and seeing what is is going to be like. It is so surreal and seems as though it is really hard to prepare for. I cry every time I see a lil' peanut pop out and the parents getting to see their miracle for the first time. And then I cry thinking about how our day will be and how I cannot wait to not only see our lil' peanut, but also see Jason's reaction to being a father. Although I am concerned the doctors may have to watch Jason so he doesn't collapse to the floor! :)

So ... development this week is astonishing! She (yes, I said she) is five and a half inches tall and weighs six ounces. She is able to grasp, kick and even somersault. I thought I might have felt the little flutter of the kick this morning while at work. The baby moves around 50 times or more an hour using voluntary muscle movement. The baby can extend her body, move her head, face and limbs. She can touch her face, touch one hand to another, clasp her feet, touch her foot to her leg, or touch her umbillical cord. Her huge noggin has now been evened out in growth with her growing body. She has started growing hair on her body, head and eyebrows. I hope we can get a ton of dark hair on her lil' head!!! :)

We have exactly 3 more weeks until we find out the gender. I am definately being outnumbered with predictions of boy vs girl. I think I am the only one who thinks that I am having a girl, besides my mom! I can tell you that no matter what, it will be the best day of our lives and Baby Smith is going to be the most loved baby in the world! We plan on having a little get together for close friends the weekend after finding out the gender. Then we can tell those close to us in a more personal way so we can all celebrate together!

I am looking for creative ways to tell our parents. I had thought about sending both of our mothers on a scavenger hunt for little baby things and then at the end, find out the gender. I would then like to give them some money to then purchase a small little momento from that special moment that the baby can enjoy! Then we could meet for lunch and cry. However, I am also looking for suggestions, since I am not sure how difficult this would be to set up. Any suggestions would be great!!!! As always, we will keep you posted on our journey!

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