B is for Barret!

We are having a BOY!!!!


Or at least we are 80% sure that we are :)
We had our sonogram today, and it was amazing! The baby is so much bigger, and it was so very reassuring to see that he is growing the way that he should. They checked his heart (all 4 chambers are pumping perfectly!), his spine, his head measurement, etc. Everything looked perfect! (Praise God!)

The baby was turned breach...so the head was up and his legs were facing down. The technician tried very hard to see between his legs...but the umbilical cord was in the way! She couldn't see anything at first and said that she would come back to it. So she did more of the other measurements, and then came back to check. He was very stubborn, and wouldn't move, even though she kept pushing in on my belly to see if he would turn some. Finally she got a good view, and there was definitely SOMETHING between his little legs. She said that she was 80% sure that it was a boy but that she couldn't say 100% until next time. But seriously...there was something there..So I'm SURE that it is a boy!

The entire sonogram was wonderful. She was so great with us, and answered all of my questions. I, of course, know way too much about all the things that can go wrong, so I asked allot of questions. Finally, when I asked "Is that the femur", she said, wow, you DO know allot! :)

I kept looking at Travis' face to see his reaction to everything. He was mostly just staring really hard at the monitor to see everything. When she said she was 80% sure it was a boy, he said "I'll take it!!" We were both just so happy.

When we went out into the hallway, Travis jumped up into the air and clicked his heels! He even gave me a high five! what a guy. No hug....just a high five! HA!
So, we officially can call him Barret! now to figure out the middle name.
The Tech even did a 3D and 4D scan for us to try to get a good face shot. She was so very nice. Sadly, baby Barret didn't want to cooperate very well and kept putting his hands over his face. We did get one good shot though!

Oh, and he is measuring 20 weeks and 12 ounces (I'm only 18 weeks 5 days) so he is measuring a little big. Probably due to my blood sugars. I failed the glucose tolerance test making me a gestational diabetic...yuck! Now I have to really watch my diet and sugar intake to keep baby and me both healthy. They will keep a very close watch on me (I have to go back in 2 weeks to check sugars again). On a positive note, the technician said that I would get more sonograms than usual to keep any eye on baby's size!

Once I got into the hospital room...I called Aunt Charlotte first (It's her Birthday!) to tell her the big news! She was there with Amanda and Granny. If only I could have been there too it would have been perfect.

After the sono, Travis went to work and I stayed to see the doctor. About 5 minutes after he left, he called and said that he thought we should call and tell everyone. We were going to wait until we saw his family on Christmas eve...but he couldn't wait and had to call and tell everyone right away!

We are SO VERY HAPPY that we are having a baby boy! Words simply can't express.

the cats out of the bag

I finally told my board today that we are expecting! I wanted to wait until I was far enough along, and it was such a relief to be able to tell everyone!

On a medical note, I went in on Monday for routine bloodwork. Well...they didn't tell me that it was a glucose test. Of course, I failed. My sugar was 137...which really isn't that bad, but is still over the top limit of 120.

So sadly, I have to do a 3 hour glucose tolerance test next thursday, and have to follow a special diet 3 days prior to that. I'm not at all looking forward to the diet, or the 3 hours with mulitple blood draws. But...it's all for a good cause!

I'm just hoping that I don't fail the 3 hour test too badly. I don't want to be qualified as gestiational diabetic or have to take any medication or insulin. I'll keep you posted!

hoping for an early Christmas present!

We are 16 weeks today!!!! 4 months down! 5 more to go!



I went to the doctor last Monday for a routine appointment...but it didn't go so routine. I had some serious cramping afterward (scary stuff!) So, I went back 2 days later to check everything out to make sure baby was ok. The heartbeat was nice and strong 152 (it was 163 2 days before). The nurse practitioner thought I might have a bladder infection and prescribed antibiotics. Yesterday, they called and prescribed me another type of antibiotic because apparently I DO have a bladder infection. Fun Fun. I'm just having some pains...so it's not too bad. The worst part is taking the antibiotics. I have the hardest time remembering to take them. But alas...I'm sure I'll survive.

And the early Christmas present we are hoping for is finding out the sex of the baby!!! I have a sonogram appointment scheduled for December 22nd...and as long as baby cooperates, we should know before Christmas! What a wonderful gift!

As to whether it is a boy or girl...Travis and I both believe that it is a boy. But the old wives tale is that higher heartbeats indicate that it is a girl. So far, we have had high heartbeats, so we'll see!

I'll update as soon as we know!!

grand-names

I was chatting with Kymberly about different names for grandparents yesterday, talking about what we called our grandparents and that "granny, mawmaw, and pawpaw" didn't seem quite right for Travis' parents to be called by the baby. (my dad already goes by Pops...and I'm not sure about my mom).

Well, Kymberly called her grandfather a name that I loved and thought was just perfect for Travis' dad!!!! I told Travis and he loved and then I called Mr. Mark and he really loved it!

Introducing Mr. Mark as.....Big Daddy!!! :) it suites him so well :)

I'm not sure about names for Mrs. Gay Nell or my mom...but we have plenty of time!

The Name Game

Travis here...

I will have to admit.  The names that Eleisha has been throwing at me, well, I have thrown them back in a hurry.  None of them seem right for a girl.  Some of them were alright, but just didn't work, and some of them were as bad as celebrities naming kids Apple and Blanket.

Naming seems to be one way or the other these days.  Super traditional or super out-there.  I want to bridge the gap.

I am officially going on record with the following as my A-List choices:

For the boy [and really, are we expecting anything other than a boy?]

We have decided on Barret for the first name, and maybe even possibly Heath as the middle.

For the girl [in the unlikely yet equally exiting event we don't have a boy]

Kirk emailed me a list of suggestions for a girl's name, and I liked two.

The first is Reegan.  I have always liked that one.

The second was Patience.  This one is unique, but it ain't Apple.

Kirk also suggested a single middle name for a girl, which is basically any variation of Lee than can be thought of...  We will keep it in mind Kirk.

Well, that is it for now.  Keep the ideas coming, and if they pass the intense screang process, we will add them to the list.

Later...

11 weeks 2 days

Click the photo to see it larger!

We had our 1st trimester screening on 10.31.08. Travis finally got to come with me for the ultrasound! We could see the baby (which you see above) as well as the baby's little legs crossed. At one point, baby started jumping around and kicking his/her legs and arms! Travis was most impressed by this movement. The technician said that we were measuring right on track, and that the baby was just less than an inch.

I'm really looking forward to this baby growing...and getting bigger!

We are now in the 2nd trimester!!! This is when everything is supposed to get better. From what I hear, this is the fun trimester of pregnancy. I'm hoping so!

I'm only nauseous when I'm hungry or tired...which is often :) I'm in bed most nights around 9:00...but I wake up for at least an hour each night, So I'm always tired. Now that I'm traveling every week...its hard to get enough sleep. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving when I'll be traveling for fun and not work!

I'm not showing yet...but I can tell that my stomach is getting allot harder, which is so strange! I figure I'll probably show a little bit by Christmas! And we should know if this is a little girl or boy by then end of December or beginning of January! I'm so looking forward to that! Then I can start planning a little. I feel very helpless right now not being able to plan and start getting ready.

As for names...We have our boy name set! Thank God! We actually agree on something. Barrett it will be if it is a boy. The middle name is still in discussions.

As for a girl name, we are no where. I have come up with tons of names, but Travis knocks them all down. So far...I've suggested Evangelynn, Addison, Savannah, Emori, Lillian, Finnley, Harper...it goes on and on. He says No, and that I'm crazy for coming up with these names :) He says if we have a girl, he will have to be the one to name her since I only come up with crazy names!

BUT, his only contribution to a girl name is Regan pronounced (Ree-gan), which is suspiciously like "Regan" our boy dog's name. hummm. I'm not sold!

I'd love to hear your suggestions for a girl name! leave a comment with your suggestions!!!!

8 weeks and 6 days

I went in for my doctor appointment today...and baby did NOT want to have it's heartbeat heard...so we got to do an ultrasound! The baby has grown so much since the first ultrasound! it is amazing. Before, it was just a blurb with a fluttering heartbeat. Today, you could see the heart beating...but you could also see a head and a body. The baby was moving around too...almost like it was moving its arms. Again, Travis didn't get to be there....I didn't know we were going to have an ultrasound...or I would have insisted.

I thought I was just going in for test results...which all came back good! They tested out my kidneys and blood work. My blood sugar average over the last 3 months was perfect! I was so excited to hear that. I'm going to try to hard to keep my blood sugar level over the next few months.

As for me, either I'm learning how to cope with the all day sickness....or it is easing up. Instead of being nauseous ALL DAY LONG, now it is only in spurts. I have learned how to keep it at bay.

1. must eat something every few hours. (pretzels really help!)
2. if I start feeling sick, I eat a ginger chew. It really does help. I ordered 2 lbs of them on the Internet, praying that they would work. So far, they do help some.
3. I avoid strong smells that bother me. These smells include but are not limited to: lotion, deodorant, clothes detergent, soap, clean clothes, dirty clothes, our sheets, Travis...EVERYTHING smells bad to me. Somethings I can't avoid, like our sheets...but I just try not to take deep breaths of anything.

I am still feeling exhausted though. I'm in bed and asleep most nights by 9:30. Unfortunately, EVERY night, I wake up at 2:30 and can't go back to sleep. I don't know what is wrong with me.

Tomorrow I will be 9 weeks!!! only 3 more weeks to go until I enter my 2nd trimester! I am praying that I will start feeling better then. At least I hear that a majority of women do.

I'm a little nervous about being sick and traveling. I head out Friday to New Orleans to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary! Then I go strait to Orlando for 5 days for a produce convention.

From there...It never stops! Here's the cities I will be visiting between now and February 2nd.
1. New Orleans
2. Orlando
3. Portales, NM
4. Denver
5. Chicago
6. New Orleans - Thanksgiving
7. Las Vegas
8. New York
9. Hamshire - Christmas
10. Seattle
11. Portland
12. Phoenix
13. Boston
14. Atlanta

Oh, dear God. When I look at it like that, it is terrifying! Lets all pray that I start feeling myself again!!

I have a full 1st trimester screening scheduled for October 31st...so I'll keep you posted!

ladies and gentelmen...introducing baby e

Do you see that little white mass? That's our baby!!! AND our baby has a heartbeat, which was amazing to see! It fluttered away. It was almost like you could see the 2 chambers of the heart beating.

I went to the doctor last week, and they did an ultrasound, because my hormones were too high. Of course, they didn't explain anything to me, so I was terrified. They took a look, found the little sack where the baby would form, but there wasn't yet a heartbeat. I was devastated, to put it mildly.

I did some research, and along with much comfort from many people, and lots of prayer, I found out that at 5 weeks and 3 days (which is what I was measuring) there isn't supposed to be a heartbeat yet!

So, I survived a full week of waiting, and went back in for a 2nd ultrasound yesterday. I had prayed so much, and God gave me a piece on the way to the doctor that everything was going to be as it should. So, i was excited but not surprised to see the heartbeat! I just knew that it would be there!!! I so wish that Travis could have been there with me to see our baby's first heartbeat, but he had to work...of course! next time.

Another great indicator that all is going well in baby world...is that all is not going well in my tummy. I really thought that I wouldn't have too much sickness. denial or what? 4 days ago nausea hit me like a brick wall...and I've been struggling with it ever since. I watched Lisa turn green for 4 months with both Aubree & Gage. Seeing it and living it are too different things. So far I have been able to control the nausea...but I'm afraid it won't be long before I am running to the bathroom.

Lets see....I'm 6 weeks and 2 days today. Morning (aka all day and night) sickness is expected to ease somewhere around 16 weeks. Oh. My. Goodness. That is one LONG road ahead of me!

But that is OK. My excitement over this baby far outweighs the constant nausea. I'll do it over and over to have a healthy baby!

fish anyone?

I went to the doctor yesterday for lab work. fun fun. I have lovely rolling veins that do NOT want to be poked. So, after the first round of digging, I made them use a butterfly needle. Works every time.

I have an appointment on Thursday to review the 2 rounds of blood tests, which should tell me exactly how far along we are and that my hormones are progressing at the correct rate! I'm so excited!!

Also at the doctor yesterday, I invested in the intelligence of our baby!!! I purchased a bottle of omega 3 fish oil vitamins. Since I hate fish and would not be able to get this any other way!!

I'm really excited about the benefits of omega 3!

Omega 3 helps to:

• build the brain
• form the retinas
• develop the nervous system

AND

• reduce your chances of developing preeclampsia
• reduce your risk for postpartum depression
• minimize the chance of preterm labor

The fish oil & I are about to become good friends! grow baby grow!

the chair

A few months ago, when hurricane dolly hit, I was in Massachusetts doing media training. We were able to visit the Yankee Candle factory while we were there. It was so fun, and a huge store. AND they sold more than just candles. There was a display of funny looking chairs with a bright patterns, and of course, I had to try it out. It was the most comfortable chair that I had ever sat in!

I told myself then...if I ever get to design a nursery...I want THIS chair in it!

So I'm adding it to my wish list. I'll design a whole nursery around this chair! It will be totally worth it!

Introducing...the Puff Chair!

There are many color choices...but I really like these two right now!

first gift & purchase

Today, I received my first baby gift! It is a lovely charm bracelet with a baby carriage charm. Thank you So much Ms. Brooke! I just LOVE it!

Also, today I purchased my first baby gift. There is a story behind it. A few days before I found out about baby e, I was shopping in target. I tried to stay away from the baby department, because it always made me sad that we couldn't buy anything yet. I so very much wanted a baby, and it hurt to look at things I couldn't get yet. So, I was walking beside the baby department, and my eye strayed. I saw this bib that said "you are my sunshine" which is the song that my mom would always sing to me, and the song that I love to sing to babies. I just saw it and kept on walking. I closed my eyes as tears came to them and prayed "God, please. You know how much I want this." I then opened my eyes, and moved on.

Well...today...I bought the bib!!! and the ones that came with it were perfect as well. Thank you God for this wonderful gift. I will thank you for the rest of my life.

day one

Wow! I still can't believe that we are expecting a baby!!!! Travis & I are still in shock.

I really wish that I could share this experience with so many of my family and friends that aren't close...thus this blog. I want to keep you all posted with everything that is going on in the life of baby e!

When we found out

On Sunday, September 7th, I just had a feeling like I might be pregnant. It wasn't quite time to be able to tell yet (even with the 5 day before tests) but I thought...what the heck! I went to walgreens and bought a box of 3 tests since I just knew that this one would be negative...I would need a few more over the next few days.

I went home and took the test and just left it in the bathroom without even looking at it because I just KNEW that it was going to be negative. I had been excited and let down 3 months before, so I was learning my lesson.

About 10 minutes later, I remembered it and went back in to check. I kept telling myself, "it's negative, don't get your hopes up". I picked the test up, and there was a faint up and down line making a positive sign. I couldn't believe it. I immediately grabbed the instructions and read them to be sure. The line was so faint, but I knew that if there was a line at ALL, we were pregnant.

I ran and grabbed my phone and called Lisa. All I could say was, "I see a blue line!" she didn't know what in the world I was talking about. I had to say it 3 times before she realized! She was in a store and started crying!!! We were so excited. She reassured me that if there was a line, then I was indeed pregnant. I suddenly realized that I needed to go and tell Travis, so I hung up and ran into the living room. I grabbed him by the hand and said "come with me". He kept asking "What, what" but I just pulled him along.

When we got into the bathroom, I held up the test and said "do YOU see that blue line??" he looked closely and said "yes, what does that mean?" and I whispered, "I think it means YES!". He then grabbed the instruction manual and read it as well. I was shaking and saying over and over...you can't get a false positive!!! It's a yes. It was amazing.

Travis really wanted us to keep it a secret for a few weeks...but I just couldn't. His mom and dad called to say Hi, and I begged and begged to tell them. He finally shook his head and said "do what you must". So I told them! after that...it was all down hill :) I guess it's to be known...I can't keep a secret!

But basically...I'm over the moon excited!

just for you all that want proof. Unfortunately, I wanted allot of proof. I'm sad to say...this was no. 6!