Baby Shower

We had our baby shower on Sunday. I had been looking forward to it and dreading it for so long. Showers have always seemed awkward to me. I felt the same way at my bridal showers. It's just weird sitting in front of a ton of people and opening gifts. On the other hand, I'm so thankful to have had such a nice shower and for all of the wonderful gifts. We had a ton of people who helped give the shower so no one person had to do a lot. Here are a few pictures from the day. I can't believe Tully will be here in 9-10 short weeks. That seems SO close!



29 Weeks.....and I'm a bad blogger!

Everytime I sit down to blog, something always distracts me and I have to tend to whatever who or it is. I actually have 3 drafts that I've started but yet to finish. I may or may not get around to those.

Today, I am 29w1d. Aside from a stomach virus I had two weeks ago that left me with busted blood vessels in my eyes (and still haven't healed), I'm still feeling great. Yes, I'm starting to feel super tired in the evenings and I still have frequent heartburn (at our last ultrasound we could already see hair!), but it's really nothing worth complaining about. I still get annoyed by people who frequently complain about pregnancy. I realize every pregnancy is different and many have it way worse than I have, but no matter how bad it may get I'm thankful everyday for my baby boy and that I get to experience pregnancy. There was a time not too long ago where I didn't know if I'd ever get to experience this and to me, that was way worse than pregnancy could ever be. I guess it's a infertility thing. It seriously consumes your whole life and leaves a permanent scar. I found a link to a great article on Pinterest, of all places. She explains it perfectly and in a way I'm not sure I ever could.....even though it describes my exact feelings. Sometimes it's just hard to put it all in writing.

In other excting news, I had another ultrasound this week. Just a day shy of 29 weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm being biased, but I think my Tully is the cutest.....well most beautiful baby I've ever seen. I even asked my mom and grandma if it was just me or if they thought he was that cute too. Of course, they said they have to agree with me. I guess we are all a little biased towards this baby boy. He has the sweetest chubby cheeks already. I hope he doesn't mind all of the kisses he's going to be getting. I feel like I should warn my family and friends and apologize ahead of time for being a baby hog! :)
Here are a few pictures of our little cutie. We almost didn't get any because he kept his hands AND feet in front of his face the entire time.

 

 

Something else I had planned to do was a weekly update. Here's a Week 29 update. I won't make any promises to do every week from now until Tully is born, but I'm going to try really, really hard! Oh, and I forgot to add, I've sneezed and peed on myself.....twice. I didn't think that would ever happen to me, but it did. Now everytime I sneeze or cough, Troy asks me if I need to change my pants. :)

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain:  As of last Friday, I had gained 9lbs. I gained a lot before I was pregnant, so I've really tried to pace myself. I don't deprive myself. I even have chocolate cake for lunch some days.....especially since I passed my glucose test.

Maternity clothes? Yes. But I can still where my regular pants with a BeBand and I can still where a lot of my regular tops. I'm hoping by the time I'm really big it will be warm enough to just wear maxi dresses. I'd so much rather buy clothes for Tully than myself. Yep, that's happening!

Stretch marks? No, thank goodness. I feel like it's coming though. I check everyday....I also lather up with cocoa butter everyday.

Sleep: I still sleep pretty good. Aside from waking up regularly to go to the bathroom, it's all good. And I always fall right back to sleep.

Best moment this week: Definitely seeing Tully via 3d ultrasound. He looks like he has my chubby cheeks and he has Troy's mouth for sure.

Miss Anything? Nope!

Movement: YES! All the time!

Food cravings: Chocolate! There was one day I really wanted banana pudding. Of course, no where here has any so I settled for a banana cream pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen.....it was just as good!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  No

Gender prediction: We tripled confirmed......baby is definitely a BOY!

Labor Signs: No!

Symptoms:  Heartburn, frequent trips to the bathroom, no bladder control

Belly Button in or out? In, but on the verge of poking out

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Beyond happy!

Looking forward to: My baby shower next weekend and of course holding this sweet boy for the first time!

Have a great weekend everybody!!
xo, Candace

A Letter to Tully

Dear Sweet Baby Boy,

Today I am 22weeks + 5 days pregnant. You are approximately 11 inches long and you weigh about a pound. I'm starting to feel your little wiggle worm self more and more everyday. Everytime I feel you, I always acknowledge you by saying 'hey buddy' or something along those lines or by rubbing my belly. I look forward to feeling you move everyday. Daddy and I have picked everything out for your nursery. I've put a lot of thought into it to make sure it is perfect for a special boy like you. We hope you will love it as much as we do. I find myself going in your room all the time and just looking and your clothes and rocking in your glider. It's my favorite spot in the house. Your big sister, Lexie, has found her favorite spot on the ottoman. She always, always, always lays there when I'm rocking. I can't wait to meet you for the first time in a few months! Love you forever and always sweet boy.

Love,
Mom

 

 

 
 

Future of Blog

I read an online discussion recently where a group of ladies were discussing if, when, and how they were going to tell their children they were conceived via IVF. Of course, everyone was all for telling their children about the journey to get them here. Some ranged from things like using the phrase "I drove to Connecticut 22 times to give birth to you, so you sit down and behave!" to this awesome idea of creating a book from their blog to give to their child once he is older. This is a great idea! I found this website, Blurb, where you can do just that. This will be a great gift for our little man when he's a teenage and mad and accusing us of not caring about or loving him because we won't let him stay out late.....we can give him this book to show him just how much we loved and wanted him even before he was conceived. ;) Ok, I'm kidding. I know a teenage boy probably won't want to read all of the details of our journey, but it will be a neat momento to share with him oneday!

A/S and Almost Halfway

I have lots of updating to do. First off, Baby Thompson is a BOY!! I 'knew' it the whole time....I just had a feeling. His name will be Tully (undecided on a middle name). We have his crib and glider/ottoman for the nursery. It's so comfy and I find myself just going in there and just rocking. My excuse to Troy is that I'm trying to break it in because while it's comfy, it's no ways as comfy as the one I fell in love with in the store. By the time Tully gets here, it will be nice and broken in and absolutely perfect.

I had my 3rd OB appointment this week. We did the anatomical scan and baby boy looks happy and healthy in there. I'll be 17 weeks tomorrow. I can't believe I'm just a few weeks shy of the halfway mark. I always tried to imagine what 'this' would feel like and I have no words to describe it. It's just that good!

Thanksgiving was wonderful and by far m best ever. While I have so much to be thankful for every year, I just felt extra grateful for this little blessing this year.

Here are some pictures of our little buddy!

Friday's Appointment

Friday's appointment went GREAT! Of course, I was as nervous as ever, but baby bean was right on track at 9w1d with a heart beat of 180 bpm! Mom went with me to this appointment, Troy is out of days off. We were able to see and hear the heartbeat and even see baby wiggle around a little AND baby has arms! This was my last appointment in Greenville. I will miss everyone there but I'm relieved I don't have to make the hour and fifteen minute drive. In other good news, my PIO (progesterone in oil) injections are finally complete.....as of last night. My bum is thankful! My first OB appointment is tomorrow morning and I'm hoping to get another peak at Baby Thompson! For now, here's a picture and video from Friday's appointment!

 

8w5d

We are 8w5d pregnant today and this baby bean is finally paid for.....for now! I can't wait to start shopping. I have the stroller picked out and have pretty much decided on a neutral color scheme that will be perfect for a boy or a girl. I'm still thinking boy. I had another baby boy dream a couple of nights ago.

 

 

On another note, I always thought and planned on being able to wear my 'normal' clothes for a while during the beginning of a pregnancy....at least through the first trimester. Well, like everything else during this journey, that didn't go as planned either. I purchased and started wearing my first pair of maternity pants last friday at 8w1d. I will say my ovaries are still swollen and each are the size of an orange. I haven't actually gained any weight on the scales, I'm just super bloated. But, OMG......these pants are the most comfy things ever. I may never go back. ;)

 

My next and last appointment with Dr. Hayslip is on Friday, just for an ultrasound. Then my first OB appointment is next Tuesday. I have been given the okay to stop the progesterone injections on Friday as well. As excited as I should be, I'm acutally a little nervous. My OB has prescribed oral progesterone to supplement me until 12 weeks. I've read the side effects of the oral are a little worse than the shots. I'll let you know which I prefer. :)

 

I'll update after my appointment on Friday. Hoping and praying for good news!