26 weeks 6 days....

Had my next appointment today and somehow I managed to get to the office a whole 30 minutes early. That NEVER happens. And of course, it was totally unintentional. They were closed for lunch, so the kids and I sat down and waited. They colored and played with their toys from McDonald's.... It started off really well, but 30 minutes is too long to keep them in the waiting room with nothing to do because they started torturing each other. They wound up separated and sitting across the waiting room from each other, but Ethan couldn't even sit, so he wound up in the bathroom getting a spanking...twice. (Have I mentioned that kids ROCK?)

Turns out that my doc was out of the office and the receptionist said they had tried to call me twice. Never missed a call from them because I would have definitely called them back, and never got a voicemail from them either. I mean, every telemarketer in the country can leave me voicemails, but not my doctor's office? It was disappointing, but I asked if I could just see the other doctor. She seemed surprised, but said yes...I mean, I was already there and with 2 kids, so why waste the trip?

I really liked Dr. Dean, which was great since she could potentially be on call when I deliver. She listened to the baby's heartbeat which started out in the 140's, but she got all wound up and kicked the doppler thing and then her heartrate went up into the 150's. She moved the entire time, just like she usually does.

I told the doctor about my allergic reaction on Halloween night, which she thought was super strange. (Not so much for me, unfortunately.) But she wrote me a prescription for a new EpiPen because mine has been expired for several years. And she also told me that if it happened again, that I should probably go to the ER anyway. It's so frustrating to NOT know what causes you to freakishly swell up and itch like that. I did it for a few years, starting in the summer of 1999 right after I graduated HS and all through college. It was miserable. I saw allergy doctors and had every allergy test they could come up with run on me and still had no idea what was making it happen. I kept logs of the things I ate, didn't change detergents or soaps.....nothing seemed to trigger them.

I carried Benadryl at all times, and after they got worse liquid Benadryl plus my EpiPen. It hasn't happened since well before I got married which is over 7 years so I haven't been carrying my EpiPen or Benadryl in quite a while. That has changed now.

Enough of the whining....the big news for the week.... I PASSED MY GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can still eat dessert at Thanksgiving and Christmas! That's all for now. She wanted me to come back in 2 weeks, but we will be in Arkansas for deer season when I was supposed to go, so it will be 3 weeks instead. Then on to every 2 weeks for a little while, and then every week will be here soon! And if Sophie demands to be born at 38 weeks like her big brother and sister, before the end of January I will deliver my 3rd baby, and my 2nd little princess!

22 weeks 6 days...

I went on Tuesday for my second appointment with my new OB, Dr. Jamie Middleton. I LOVE her, btw. And the kids have been so well behaved while we've been there and no one minds that they are there at all! Well, the baby sounded good when she would be still long enough for us to listen and I think her heartbeat was around 140.

I have a herniated belly button which apparently isn't a big deal, but it hurts sometimes and that's no fun. Also, when I saw her 2 weeks ago she drew blood for my AFP screening and that came back slightly elevated. She didn't think it was a big deal, but offered to scheduled me an appointment with a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine, which I did ask her to do. I will go and see him next Wednesday and get another ultrasound and hopefully it won't show anything to worry about.

I think we've settled on Sophia Isabelle for her name, which we are both happy with. There's really not much more to report on, but please keep her in your prayers!

19 weeks 3 days....

So, this whole pregnancy blog thing has really fallen by the wayside. I had planned to use this as a pregnancy journal, but who has time these days? Last Thursday we had our "18 week" ultrasound, which was really done at 18 weeks 6 days and everything looked great! If I can ever get the pics scanned I'll post them, although they're not that exciting, lol. This baby moved constantly while we were in there and the tech had a hard time getting measurements or good pics because of all the activity. We did however, get two pictures that prove that she's a GIRL!

Unfortunately that was also the day where I became uncomfortable in my current OB's office. See this link for the details: http://www.facebook.com/privacy/#/note.php?note_id=135713121665
I wrote him a letter and have my next appointment on Wednesday and plan to speak to him at that time. I will base my decision off of his reaction to the rude lady, but I also have an appointment on Thursday afternoon with Dr. Jamie Middleton, who I saw in January for my annual exam in case I decide to switch. I'm also thinking I'll take the kids with me to see her and see how the office reacts to them.

That's about it for now, except that we still don't have a name for the baby. We've been contemplating Sophie Belle for a couple of days and although Matthew thinks he's decided on that for certain, I'm pushing for Sophia Isabelle and we can just call her Sophie Belle. I feel like Sophie should be a nickname more than a first name......

So, I liked the doctor...

I sat nervously checking from my phone while I was sitting in the waiting room to see if anyone had any awesome magic revealing questions so I could figure the whole doctor thing out. I was so overwhelmed with nerves while in the waiting room all I wanted to do was cry. (thanks hormones!) I wanted my husband, and I wanted my old doctor. This is highly unusual for me. I generally have no fears of the doctor. Everyone in the office was super nice and helpful. I had to wait a little longer than I'd like, but once he got to the room he was perfectly comfortable and seemed like I was the only person there at the time. I talked to him about how he handles his practice, labor, delivery, ultrasounds, tests, asked about the hospital and it's policies on babies rooming in and how long I'd have to stay after I delivered. We covered inductions, labor plans (which I have no intention of making), pretty much everything either of us could think of. I felt very comfortable with him and I can't wait to go back in 2 weeks for my ultrasound so I can get a due date! We also discussed my blood pressure which is extremely low for me right now and is causing me dizziness, although it tends to run high and I am often medicated for it. All in all, I really liked him, and I feel soooo much better!

I went ahead and did my labwork while I was there and I am scheduled for an ultrasound on Wednesday, June 24th to figure out how far along I am. It's driving me nuts not to know that little piece of information! Also, the kids loved the Mom's Day Out at the church I took them to! That makes my life as far as doctor appointments go...much easier! By my calculations based on my LMP, I am approximately 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant today, which means I'll be 8 weeks and 3 days when I go in for my ultrasound. I'm very curious as to what the doctor will come up with after the ultrasound.

When I was leaving the office one of the ladies brought me this really cute little gift bag that had lots of print outs on symptoms to call the doctor about, medicines I can take, and a new edition of What to Expect When You're Expecting. I personally prefer Your Pregnancy Week by Week, but I am reading both. I just really like the week by week setup and the way it goes along with me. In the bag, they also included a few brochures for different things like breastfeeding support, and a 3d/4d ultrasound place called SneakPeek Ultrasound (www.sneakpeek4d.com) that I fully intend have done this time! With Abby and Ethan my doctor did the regular 2d scans alot, which was awesome, but as many of you know they're nowhere near as cool as the 3d and 4d pics you see from people now! I was blown away by this place...they even do baby showers! They have theater seating and you can bring as many friends and family as you want and they can see the baby on the big screen TV! I just wish it was in Arkansas where I could have all of the family that wanted to be there with us!

Anyway, I'm still feeling well. A little tired, but then again, who isn't? I can't seem to get enough cheese. Also, I don't want anything touching my belly. I don't remember that happening with the others, especially not this early. Any kind of pants drive me nuts. I'm living in athletic shorts and most of the time, at least while I'm at home, keeping them pulled down below my waist. I'm ready to break out the maternity clothes although I feel kinda funny doing it this early.

Interviewing a new doctor...

Ok guys, I need some help. Since we've moved I'm going to be seeing a new doctor for the first time next week. I need to figure out some good questions to ask so that I can gauge whether or not he is a good match for me. I'm going to make a list of things that are important to me so I can see where he stands on those, but give me some of your ideas, please!

A new doctor...

I posted on yet another social networking site www.momslikeme.com where they have a page for Alexandria, LA asking about OB/GYNs in the area. I figure that's what I would do if I knew people around here, so why not? I got a couple of recommendations for the practice that I went to in January, and I got one rave review of another doctor. So, I called his office and made an appointment. He also makes you wait until 8 weeks, but when I told the receptionist that I was not excited about that because I wasn't sure if I'd stick with him she offered to let me come in next week to see the nurse practitioner for my bloodwork and said that I could meet the doctor then. I am super excited because of the things the lady on the message board told me and the things the receptionist told me. He sounds like much more my type of doctor. He has the NP, but you don't have to see her unless he's actually called out on an emergency. The receptionist said that lots of women prefer to see the NP because she's female. That doesn't really bother me...I'd prefer not to have anyone "down there", so whether it's a man or a woman doesn't really enter into the equation.

Anyway, I'm excited to go and DO something. I'm taking my vitamins, and trying not to eat everything in sight, but I'm really craving SunnyD and Dr. Pepper right now. I tried to break out my pregnancy books tonight, but I can't find them and it's driving me crazy. I suppose tomorrow I'll spend the day searching high and low for them because I can't remember where they were put in the move!

We're pregnant!

And we are shocked. Well, as shocked as two people can be when they haven't been taking any birth control precautions for the past 2 1/2 years. After I had the kids birth control just didn't seem to agree with me and after several different meds and some pretty awful side-effects I just decided that we were probably going to want another one anyway, so we'd leave it up to God.

For anyone who knows me, they probably know that I pretty much convince myself that I'm pregnant every single month anyway. What can I say, it's a mix of wishful thinking and fear... After Abby was about 1 year old, I knew without a doubt that I wanted another baby. So, we started planning and "trying" for the next one. That took us about 2 months...and five days after Abby's 2nd birthday Ethan arrived.

I am one of those people who LOVES being pregnant, and does not dread the labor and delivery part in the least. Luckily with the first two, I was not sick at all. So far this time, I feel great as well. I am definitely tired, but who isn't when they have two small kids?!

Anyway, after Ethan I never seemed to reach that point like I did after Abby where I felt like I was "ready" to have another baby. I love babies, and anytime I'm near one I want one myself. Then my two kids start screaming and fighting.....and the idea of another one isn't quite as appealing.

Well, once again, I've been feeling pregnant again this month. So, yesterday I got a test and to my surprise it literally said "Pregnant"... I took it to Matthew who had forgotten that I'd bought the test and he just said, "Oh, wow." We were pretty shocked last night, but we called the family and told everyone. After a good night's sleep, the shock seems to have worn off and excitement has set in.

Since we moved in December, I've only been to the OB/GYN once for my yearly checkup. She was nice, but she seems very young (she doesn't look older than me), and doesn't have any children of her own yet. I'm sure this has no bearing on her abilities as a doctor, but I was very comfortable with my doctor in Del Rio. His name was Dr. Daniel Chartrand, and he was strange, but very smart and I trusted him completely. He delivered both Abby and Ethan and I am missing him very much at the moment.

Dr. C was great, he even did ultrasounds every time you saw him. Nothing fancy, just a quick scan to see how everything looked. I am SO going to miss that. He was patient with me as a first timer and patiently stood and answered all of my paranoid questions at each visit. Also, I saw him within the first 4 weeks with my first two pregnancies. I called this morning to make the appointment with the new doctor, and she makes you wait until 8 weeks to come in, so I can't even see her until July 27! I'm not even sold on her as a doctor yet, and I'm not sure how to feel about having to wait until the end of July to decide if she's going to be "the one" or not.

Since this morning I've been a little scared. Not of the pregnancy, or having another baby, but of the unknown with the new doctor, hospital, and location. With Abby and Ethan I was literally in the same L&D Room (#4) and I even had the same private room afterwards. I DON'T LIKE CHANGE! With the fear that has set in has come quite a bit of hormonal and emotional fluctuations. I got my prenatal vitamins this morning at WalMart, because I have not been a good patient and have not been taking them every day even though I know the benefits that come with plenty of Folic Acid.

Anyway, if you've made it through this post, congrats! I can't promise that any of these will make alot of sense since I already have "mommy brain", and I've now added to that "baby brain"..... I just wanted a way to work through my feelings, and also a way to keep track and enjoy what will likely be my last pregnancy.