Happy New Years Eve

I cant believe this is the last day of 2006... what a ride it has been to say the very least!

We had a great past few days... after the unplanned trip to the doctor and day off of my feet I felt a lot better. Dont want to have to rehydrate with that much Gatorade again anytime soon though! Friday night we had our friends Carey and Zach with his little girl Kya, Mike, Gene and Megan over to hang out. It was a great time... we just sat around and watched football and caught up since it had been awhile since the last time we had seen most of them. Megan and Gene brought us this beautiful angel statue for the baby's room... we have it sitting on her bookshelf right now. It was so nice of them to bring it for us. Allie had a great time running around playing with Kya until it was her bedtime.. then she kept going into the guest room to check on her! It was so cute... she is going to be such a great big sister for Madalyn (once she gets over the original shock of not being the only baby in the house anymore!)

Yesterday we got to have a lazy day where we did basically nothing all day... it was the first time in awhile that we have had one of those. Later in the afternoon we went out to Publix and bought some crab legs and oysters and came back to the house and had Shawn's brother and his friend over for dinner and more football watching. It was great... perfect weather to fire up the grill and cook outside. I even particpated in eating some of the seafood...

Hope everyone has a happy and safe new years eve!

A little scare

Well we had a little scare today... last evening I started having some cramps and was really uncomfortable. I figured it wasn't anything to worry about, so I went to bed. But when I woke up this morning I still didnt feel right, so I called Shawn's mother. She said I might be dehydrated and that can trigger preterm labor, which was probably what all the cramping was related to. So she recommended I head over to the doctors office. I went over there and they were able to fit me in right away, so we could check everything out. I wasn't dilated at all but my cervix was a little soft, so they put me on the fetal monitor to see if I was having any contractions. I got to lay there for about half an hour and listen to her heartbeating... no real contractions, so he said I was fine to go home and drink LOTS of Gatorade because he thinks I am probably a little dehydrated. So Im on bed rest for the day... sitting on the couch being bored. But he seems to think everything will be fine once I get my electrolytes back to normal.

So it was a little scare... but I feel MUCH better knowing that she is fine! I hate to feel like I was worried for nothing, but I would hate it even more if I ignored what my body was trying to tell me and put her into danger!

While I was there they called and checked on my Glucola test, and my sugars came back okay! My doctor still wants me to watch my carb intake but at least I wont have to check my sugars 4 times a day!

Glucola screening, take two!

This morning I had my second glucola screening, which meant nothing to eat after 7 last night. Normally I wouldnt even eat after that anyways, but something about not being allowed to eat makes you hungry! I planned to get up at 7 am today and head to the lab... but didnt actually make it there until 10 am. Big mistake. I knew I would be starving by 1, which I was. They drew my blood 4 times... and almost forgot the last one (it should have been done at 1:25) so I had to remind them... and they drew it at 1:45. Not such a big deal to them, but pregnant ladies arent meant to fast for that long. I think I could have eaten paper by the time I left there. I should have brought some food to have in the car, but wasnt that smart! Now I have to wait until Friday to get the results back. I actually got a LOT accomplished while I waited for my blood to be drawn... updated my whole address book and make a bunch of wedding related phone calls, so it really was a productive day when it came down to it.

Apparently October is a popular wedding month here.... so its been hard coordinating everything on the date we want! Luckily I am up for the challenge right now, with not much else going on in my life (the calm before the storm!)

Yesterday we went to visit Brian and Kristi in the hospital... Kristi is another female firefighter who works for the city of Newberry and she just had a baby boy Kole Roberts on Christmas Eve. He is so adorable! She had lots of advice for me, which is really nice... and the best thing about Kristi is that she doesnt sugar coat things and can tell me how bad contractions really hurt! She ended up having an emergency C Section after his heartrate started dropping.... but she said that as fearful as she was about having a C section, she would do it again in a heartbeat because its way less painful than labor! At least it eased my C section fears a little bit! I think seeing Kole actually here made it all the more realistic that soon we are going to have a little one of our own! Kristi was 14 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy... so its hard to believe than in 14 or 15 weeks Madalyn will be here! 3 and a half months seems so far, but when you think of the weeks it isnt far at all!

I am very quickly coming to the end of my second trimester, which really is the "honeymoon phase" of pregnancy. I can already see where the third becomes more uncomfortable. My belly is getting HUGE (I will post belly pics soon... I PROMISE!) and its hard to get comfortable at night. I cant wait until we find our rocking chair... because then I can go sit in her room on all those sleepless nights and remind myself that it will all be worth it in the end! :)

Merry Christmas 2006

Our Christmas has been so wonderful! Since I had to work today we ended up doing most of the celebrating on Saturday and Sunday. The best part of the weekend was early Saturday morning when we first woke up and Madalyn was kicking me... finally hard enough for Shawn to feel. He felt her kick several times, and then could see in my belly where she would make it move when she kicked! It was so amazing to be able to share it with him after all these weeks of him not being able to feel her.

What a whirlwind weekend we had! Saturday morning my parents came and spent the day with Shawn and I. Mom took me shopping (we havent done that in ages!) and we left the men at home watching movies. While we were gone Shawn and Dad finished the hutch for the changing table and put it up... what a great surprise! When we came home we watched the basketball game for awhile, then Jenna, Brad and Savannah came over for presents. It was wonderful getting to see my neice open all of her presents... she loved the play money piggy bank we bought her and she kept banging all of the plastic coins together. She has grown up so much in the last month since i saw her!

After dinner my parents and I headed to Cabana Cove for dinner, then came home and opened our presents. My parents bought me a photo printer... so now I can overwhelm everyone with baby pictures just as soon as I take them! :) They bought Shawn a new tool chest which he absolutely LOVED, and a remote control so we could eliminate having 5 remotes just to operate the TV!! It is really nice and programmable.... right up his alley. He loved them so much... and my Dad had a great time picking out little trinkets for Shawn's toolbox. It is so special to me to have a family that has welcomed Shawn and his family as they have.

The next morning we had Shawn's parents over for breakfast and opened presents with them and we got a DVD video camera! So we can make lots of home movies of the baby... it was so exciting! We had planned to go to Orlando that afternoon, but our plans changed so my parents went home to meet Brad and Jenna and we had Shawn's family over for dinner and a movie last night. It was a great Christmas Eve.... and so wonderful to spend time with our families. Shawn's mother even bought something pink for the baby... guess she is finally starting to believe she is going to have a granddaughter!

Allie had a great time opening her presents and got lots of toys to play with. I think her sheep is her new favorite....

Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

A MAYONNAISE JAR AND 2 CUPS OF COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much too
handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty
mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked
the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and
poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the
golf balls. He then asked the students again if the
jar was full they agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up
everything else. He asked once more if the jar was
full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that this jar represents
your life. The golf ball s are the important things-
your God, family, your children, your health, your
friends, and your favorite passions--things that if
everything else was lost and only they remained your
life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house,
and your car.

The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,
"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life. If you spend all your time
and energy on the small stuff, you will never have
room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to ..nyour
happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get
medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner.
Play another 18. There will always be time to clean
the house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that
rea lly matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just
sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just
goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's
always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Glucola Screening

So this morning as I sit at my deck (I hate saying my desk! I hate light duty!) I get a call from my doctors office saying that I failed my Glucola test and that my sugar was 152 and 130 is the highest they can accept as "normal." So next week I have to go in for the 3 hour test.... which means sitting there and drinking that nasty stuff again and constantly getting my blood redrawn. The nurse said its not too much to worry about because I hadnt fasted before the first test.... but I HAD fasted, so I would get a more accurate result. So that makes it a little more worrisome...

And on top of that Im anemic! I expected to be, because I have been exhausted lately and doing small things wipes me out. So Im not at all surprised I have to start taking iron supplements.... just one more pill for me to have to swallow. They have to be taken 2 hours after a meal, and I need to make sure Im getting enough Vitamin C to help me absorb the iron.

Im honestly not really stressed about if I have gestational diabetes... just frustrated because i try to eat healthy and for the first time in my life I feel like my body is turning on me (probably because of dealing with my knee on top of all this!) If I have it, I have it... it just means I have to be even more careful about what I eat... and that really is not a big deal. It just means better meal planning and packing food when I come to work. I know it wont hurt her, and my doctor wont let me deliver vaginally if there is a chance it wont be safe for me or for her.... just my biggest pregnancy fear is having a C section and if I have GD it will increase the likelihood that I may need one. I think thats the biggest worry that I have.

I think I will go for the test next week. I wanted to go Tuesday because at least then Shawn could keep me company, but unfortunately they are closed so I will be sitting there by myself for 3 hours. Maybe I can bring a pillow and a blanket and take a nap!

Madalyn Jean's room

The baby's room is coming along! When we see Grandma and Grandpa Hill this weekend they are bringing the hutch to go on top of her changing table, and we will be ordering the crib shortly after Christmas. Now we are on the hunt for the perfect chair! I cant wait to get the hutch all put up because then we can start putting her books and her stuffed animals away. Tonight Shawn and I put up the wallpaper border.... no easy task, let me tell you! I know if he didnt love me so much he would have said "screw it" halfway through because it was such a pain! But its all finished now and looks great!

And he is out back putting up even MORE Christmas lights... though these are blue icicles that hang from the fence that I think we will leave up all year because they look so good!

Looks like more light duty

So today had my recheck at the doctors for my knee and he was much better than the first doctor that I saw. But he didnt have good news... He thinks I possibly have some torn cartilage, which basically means a torn meniscus... but wants an MRI to be sure. I would need surgery to fix it... but no surgeon will want to operate on me being pregnant. So... leave there with the idea that I am going for an MRI to figure out exactly what we are looking at... but then get a call back that the MRI place wont do one while I am pregnant. Long story short, still on light duty, and looks like for awhile because noone can do anything for until Madalyn is born, but cant come back to work until my knee is better. So this is my new home (scheduling) for now. It sucks... I want to be on the road so badly... and this is so boring. I am trying to see the bright side here... which I guess I feel better because the doctor said there was something wrong and Id rather think there is something wrong then think that Im feeling pain for no reason!

So anyways, light duty for me for the time being.

Allie has been a bad dog lately... she decided she wanted to sleep on a fluffy cloud bed and pulled all of the stuffing out of her bed while she was in her crate. So now she gets to sleep on the metal because Im not going to buy her another bed until she grows out of her destructive phase! She looked so guilty when she was caught...that it was almost cute. Almost. Then I remembered how much money her bed was! At nights we have been letting her sleep with the crate not locked and she always comes to sleep on the side of the bed that I am on until about midway through the night when she goes to the guest room and sleeps on that bed! in the mornings we find her all curled up with her head on a pillow.... she is so spoiled! Yesterday I was trying to wrap presents and I had a phone call while in the middle of wrapping hers (yes, I wrap dog presents!) and I came back to the room and she had decided she wanted to test out one of the presents and was standing there playing with it. I dont think she quite understood the concept of waiting until Christmas!

Cant believe how close Christmas is.... its right around the corner! My family is coming up Saturday and I think Saturday night we are going to have our exchange of presents... then brunch with Shawn's family and mine Sunday morning, then that afternoon we will head to Orlando to have dinner with Jeff, Casey and Josh Swanson... then back to Gainesville because both Shawn's mother and I have to work on Monday! It will be busy but it will be nice to be able to see the whole family in two days!

Guess I should head to bed (good thing about light duty... not wondering how many calls I will have tonight.... just have to be up at 0600 for scheduling...) I have to go get blood drawn for my first Glucola test in the morning... and all I have heard is horror stories about how nasty the stuff is!

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Another day, another dollar...

Well today is my first official day of light duty... and totally not baby related. According to the GENIUS workmans comp doc in a box I have a sprained left knee. Which he could tell without even looking at it... must be MRI vision or something. So I am on light duty today and will go back Tuesday for a recheck in the morning and see what they have to say.... fun huh? I am also going for my glucola screening Tuesday morning as well... will just get up early, drink the nasty looking stuff, go get blood drawn then head to the doctor. If he clears me for work then I get to go back on the road... if not, I get to head to HQ for some paperwork, then back to St 16 for scheduling again. FUN! My OB doc is still letting me work for now, so I feel like I am using up my last time on the road by being off for my knee which sucks!

I am amazed at how busy Miss Madalyn is these days! She is kicking up a storm... it is such a great feeling. Its like she is playing in there or something. Last evening before we went out I was laying on the bed and Shawn came over and kissed me on the stomach and as soon as he touched me she kicked him! It was so cute, like she was saying "hi" to her Daddy. He didnt feel it though, but every time he touched my stomach for like 15 minutes she would kick! I just know that she is going to be a Daddy's girl... and I know that he will spoil her rotten! One of these days I will scan the most recent ultrasound picture that I have and get it on here....

Tomorrow is Christmas shopping day... I think we are going to head out early to try to beat the crowds. Ha ha ha... Im sure they will already be there! I want more than anything to get all of the Christmas presents bought and wrapped tomorrow... I certainly hope that isnt too lofty of a goal!

Some of my girlfriends are planning to throw an engagement party for Shawn and I... plans are still early in the works, but we are probably going to have it January 14th.... so i am super excited about being able to get everyone together and celebrate all of the happy things going on in our lives!

Here's our stroller!

Well we finally found the stroller Monday after my doctors appointment, which has been no easy feat as the only pattern that I like is now discontinued.... but when we walked into Toys R Us to do some Christmas shopping I found a brand new pattern that I fell in love with... so we snatched it up. So we are now chair shopping because thats the last big purchase that we need to make...

Still a girl!

We had our 23 week doctors appointment yesterday and our ultrasound and she's still a Madalyn Jean! I wasnt worried about it, but the night before I DID have a dream we had a boy that had only pink clothes! :) But this ultrasound definitely confirmed it. And the amniotic band has moved to the side of my uterus, well out of her way... so hopefully she will not have any problems with it. I will still be getting ultrasounds from here on out... which is so neat to see her grow! She looks like a little baby now... and during the ultrasound she was sleeping with her arm over her face like it was too bright for her to sleep! I wonder if she will do that when she is born....

Madalyn is 1 pound, 4 ounces right now and is measuring exactly where she should be. They are still saying her due date is Friday April 13th... and she is so active. I was surprised she slept during the ultrasound because usually she kicks me all day and all night. Her kicks arent quite strong enough for Shawn to feel... partly I think because she is shy and whenever he puts his hand on my belly she stops kicking!


We went and bought our stroller yesterday... which was a great find! I had fallen in love with a pattern that they discontinued and have been on the prowl for that pattern. But we went to Toys R Us last night and they had a brand new pattern called Kendall which is so much cuter than the other one! I fell in love with it... and they had the exact stroller I wanted so we bought it. It was a huge purchase to make... but Im glad we have it, and now have all the big ticket baby items except for the baby monitor and the rocking chair. The stroller is grey with light blue and lavendar and light green plaid... its so cute and good for a boy or a girl (so we can save it for the next one!)

And now we are all registered at North Florida and will be scheduling our childbirth classes soon as well. Its so exciting! I think we are going to take all the classes... childbirth, baby care and breastfeeding.... so it should be very informative.

The other exciting news of the day... Shawn called a little while ago and had gotten a call from Shands... I am hoping to set up an interview! So we are keeping our fingers crossed as far as that is concerned. It is in the financial affairs department, so he will be dealing with people AND money so it will hopefully be a little more exciting for him than just the banking and money end of it.


On a somewhat sad note, Allie's toy squirrel offically passed away a few days ago... his arm was ripped off in a traumatic wrestling incident and all of his insides were ripped out. Luckily Publix has a stockpile of squirrels, so we were able to find her a new friend right away!

We're Engaged!

Well.... it's official! As of last night, Shawn and I are engaged! And the best part of the whole thing... (well other than the fact that the man I love asked me to be his wife of course!) is that he surprised me, which is no easy task! I was completely unsuspecting... even though we had talked about rings and what I liked and disliked, it wasnt something I was expecting any time soon...

We had a great day yesterday... went Christmas shopping, which also turned into use buying some things that we needed for the house so we just browsed the stores all day. When we came home we showered and changed and went to dinner at Los Margaritas (where we went on our first date!) and then came home before we had to head up to Gators Dockside for Liz's birthday party. I wanted to lay down for a little while and relax before we went back out, so Shawn let Allie out and came back into our room and lit a candle and put on this classical music CD we have and we were just laying there talking. He gave me a massage and I was almost asleep when he asked "how much do you love me?" I told him that I love him more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone, which is the Gods honest truth. I had turned my head away and he asked me if I thought I love him enough to marry him. I said of course I did, still completely unsuspecting... but when I looked back at him he was holding the box with the ring. I was like "are you kidding me?!" Then he asked me to be his wife.... and it was beautiful! Of course I said yes... and I was in shock to say the least! The ring is beautiful... exactly what I wanted.... and I don't think I have ever been happier in my life.

The ring is too big right now (he didnt have it sized because Im sure my fingers will be swollen later in pregnancy) so we went to the mall to get a ring guard and then were running late to Liz's party so we went there... and I didnt want to tell everyone because it was her 30th birthday... but of course some people noticed, so we told them we werent going to make a big deal about it until today because it was Liz's night.

So now we have to pick a date and think about all that... and look in to how we can have a small wedding but still be able to include all of our friends and family that are important to us. I think I am still in shock... I really can't believe we are engaged!

Pictures

Here are some recent pictures.... one of our tree, some of the outside lights, Allie next to the tree, and one of my holding Savannah before she opened the ornament that Shawn and i bought her...