Happy Easter!

Here's a litte Lagniappe - what Baby A looks like at 18 weeks.

18 Weeks

Happy Easter, all! Praise God, I serve a risen Lord!

Here's a picture of my baby bump at 18 weeks. I'm almost halfway there!!!!!

Technically, things are going well, although lately, I've been struggling with some paranoia. I'm just not feeling a lot of movement from Baby A, and what I do feel, I sometimes wonder if it's actually just digestion. I'm trying to keep a positive front, but I'm actually scared that something is wrong. This isn't the first time I've been wrapped up in worry about the pregnancy. I just HATE that my appointments right now are 4 weeks apart. My emotions can only handle about 2 weeks of separation from my doctor's doppler. Back to the positive front...as I said, techincally, things are going well. I haven't had any unexplainable pains, and there's been no spotting. I'm eating reasonable well, and I'm keeping as active as my desk job allows for.

Join me in prayer that all is well, and that I'll get a great report after my ultrasound on May 5th. While you're at it, pray that Baby A's kicks start packing a punch. :)

Easter Egg Hunt

Today was my church's annual Easter Egg Hunt, and it was great. I always love seeing the kids' faces light up when they're allowed to start gathering hidden eggs.

I came alone this year, and I can't say that I blame Kyle at all. He just didn't think he could handle it emotionally. You see, Nile made his debut among the church members last year at the egg hunt. The memories are still really fresh. I remember thinking at that time that Nile might actually be able to walk around and pick up an egg or two this year. The thoughts of what we had to look forward to in his life made me so excited.

I'm proud to say that I got through the morning pretty well. At one point, I walked over to the cookie decorating station with baby Wyatt in my arms (Nile's BFF), and sat down in the same chair I remember sitting down in last year. I started to tell Wyatt about how I was feeling, and the tears came pretty freely. I had to get my composure pretty quickly because kids were eager to decorate their cookies. The kids were my saving grace today.

Above, you see a picture of baby Wyatt and his lovely mom, Daphne. They've both been so amazing to me in this healing process. I can't lie. Sometimes, it's painful to watch Wyatt learn to do new "big boy" things...but mostly, he brings me joy. I look at him and see parts of my son. What a blessing!

Speaking of Daphne, I promised her a long time ago that I would give her blog and shop a plug. If you're ever in the mood for a craft and scripture based blog, check out www.sunrisefolk.blogspot.com. If you look to the right, you'll notice a link to her Etsy shop. She specializes in some very unique aprons, as well as hair clips and brooches. I believe she gets new ideas daily, so look out for some exciting changes as she feels led to explore new things!

The 16th Week

Here's a picture of me at 16 weeks, 5 days.

The 16th week has been interesting. I feel like I'm still having a bit of a hormone spike. All of the sudden, my nausea has been worse. My sense of smell has also come back in a very strong way. My baby bump is getting really noticeable. There's no hiding it now, even if I tried.

Meet Lucy Mae Arrington!

We've added to our family a little earlier than expected! Plus, she's a little hairier than what I envision our baby to look like. Meet Lucy Mae Arrington, our new daughter.

I know what you're thinking. ANOTHER pet, Teresa? Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are. I swore that 2 was my cap, and that we were not going to get another dog until the ones we had passed away. Well....

I had come home from work early this past Wednesday due to overtime. When I got home, I logged into Facebook and noticed that a church friend posted pictures of a cute puppy with the caption "If no one adopts her by close, we have to take her to the pound." If you want to tug on my heartstrings, that's the best way to do it. The pound is no place for an animal. The sad reality is that so few of the animals brought there ever get adopted. I just couldn't let it happen to this adorable puppy!

It turns out that Lucy had been dumped in the bushes outside of a clinic that morning. An employee there heard whimpering and came over to check it out. The rest is history!

I called Kyle and told him immediately, "Just let me talk and promise to keep an open mind." His response? "Uh-oh." Fortunately, Kyle is just as much of an animal lover as I am, so I didn't have to do too much convincing.

We brought Lucy home from the clinic and gave her a bath, then brought her to Petsmart to pick up a collar and name tag. She was an angel the whole time. We then brought her to meet her family. Everyone is so in love!

15th Week

The 15th week was quite a rollercoaster. On Saturday morning, I came to our church and helped out with cleaning up some storm debris. I picked a job that I thought I could handle - raking and bagging leaves and sticks. I started out by myself, but that only lasted about 30 minutes. I then got assigned to hold a bag while Mr. Wayne did the bending and bagging. I tired out after about 1.5 hours, so I babysat for awhile. I had no problems for the rest of the day, other than some fatigure.

On Sunday morning, during church, I started having some discomfort - it started out as tiny little cramps, but over the course of the next 2 hours, they became intense. I thought about going to the ER, but I decided against it since I had no bleeding or other problems.

On Monday morning, I felt pretty normal, but I decided to call my OB, just to be sure. Dr. Hamilton was working from another hospital that day, so she had me come in to see the nurse practioner that afternoon. The nurse found the heartbeat immediately, right around my c-section scar on the right side. I felt so much relief! The explained that I probably overworked myself over the weekend, and that repeatedly bending at the waist can be painful for pregnany moms. Just to be safe, she also did a cervical check on me to rule out the possibility of early labor pains, and everything was great.

I kept my regularly scheduled appointment with Dr. Hamilton on Friday, and she said everything was great. The baby moved around quite a bit during the fetal doppler, but she was able to tell me that the heartrate was in the 140's somewhere.

My next appoinment and ultrasound will be Thursday, May 5th. We should be finding out the sex of the baby at that appt!

1st Prenatal Massage

I've never been for a professional massage before, much less a prenatal one, but I received a gift card back in December, and I was eager to try it out. I went with my friend Becky (for moral support), and I'm glad to report that it was awesome!

The experience was very relaxing. The room was dark and there was relaxing music. The massage therapist was great. She avoided all of the no-no pressure points for pregnant women (some spots can cause contractions.) The only part I didn't 100% love was the neck area. I felt it was a little too firm.

At any rate, I can now say that I highly recommend prenatal massages for non-high risk mamas. I can't wait to go again.