Two Turkeys In The Oven

I had a talk with Banks before the ultrasound and told her that Mama wanted some good pictures because we won't see her again until she is here.  Well, she didn't listen...must be all the fluid she's flipping around in!  All she wanted to do was look at the camera and turn her back to us.  She has a cute spine and butt!  Anyways, I didn't get my cute profile shot but she got a great health report, so I will take that any day.  Her heart rate was 157, she is at 1 lb 10 oz, and in the 73rd percentile for growth (not too little, not too big...so perfect already!)  This was our cardiac ultrasound and all that looked great - her little ticker is humming along just fine.  Here is the only pic we got today...the proof that she is still a girl!

I am 25 weeks along and still getting sick. Whoever said that "morning sickness" only lasted the first trimester was a liar. I think now instead of my sickness being caused by pregnancy hormones it's now being caused by my acid refulx. Today was exhausting. Getting sick takes so much out of me - especially when it's already so hot outside. It's hard enough to stay hydrated. Went and swam laps despite my ill feeling and got sick again once I got home. Grilled cheese and watermelon then taking it to the bed.

We have our ultrasound tomorrow!!!  I can't wait to see Banks move the way I have been feeling her move.  She is definitely on a daily routine  now...moving around 9:30am-10am, 4pm-5:30pm, and 10pm-11pm.  If all is good this will be our last ultrasound, which means we won't see her again until she is here.  We could pay for the 3D ultrasound, but they kind of creep me out.

The appointment at Maternal Fetal Medicine went well yesterday. My cervical length is right on target, no signs of funneling or any other signs of pre term labor. We also got to see Hudson. He is weighing in at 2 pounds and 3 ounces and was as adorable as ever.

This has been a hectic and long week already!  I think it seems extra long because I am SO ready for our ultrasound on Friday! 

On the upside, the new frozen yogurt bar opened right down the street from the gym - The Fuzzy Peach.  It is delish!  Pick your yogurt, pick your toppings and devour!  I had fresh peach swirled with tart yogurt and topped it with granola, captain crunch cereal, japanese marshmallows and fresh strawberries.  This place could be a preggers dream come true!  I went yesterday and I will have to go back tomorrow...maybe take a pic too!

12 hour Mondays make Mama tired!  Wow, today was a doozie, but its all done now.  I am beat.

Our carpets look great after being steam cleaned.  We will definitely be calling John back after Banks and Wrigley inflict their next round of damage.

Also, the glider I want is back in stock so I ordered that tonight.  It will be here between August 6-12th...gotta love free site-to-store shipping with Wally World!  I am ready to start gliding and reading to Banks.

Today before work I went to the pool and swam laps and floated around. It felt so good and Hudson absolutely loved it. As soon as I stopped swimming laps and just started relaxing in the water that baby started hoopin around, flipping, and kicking. I read in one of the books that I got Will that the baby really enjoys the water. Obviously it's true. I am going to start swimming laps after work. I think it will be a nice break from the hot weather and it will be relaxing and good exercise for me. I even got a little bit of much needed sun today. Hudson's moves are getting bigger and stronger. Last night I swear I thought Will would be able to feel them from the outside. But when I would put his hand on my tummy where the action had been going on - Hudson would stop. Anyway I can't wait for Will to be able to feel the baby move. For me it makes everything even more of a reality and I feel like through his little kicks and squirms I am beginning to sense Hud's personality. The books and the ob say 28 weeks is when the baby can be felt from the outside - sometimes sooner. So a little over 3 weeks and Will and all Hud's other fans get to experience his little moves.

This was a very productive weekend...mainly the yard sale.  We got up at 5am and set up our driveway boutique for success.  I said "no early birds" in the ad, and it worked - the first shopper was there at 7am sharp.  There are some pros out there ready to haggle over 50 cents.  Its aggravating, but entertaining at the same time.  When we shut down shop at Noon we had made $505.55!  A real success in my book!

We hit the beach for a little while Saturday afternoon.  While we were there, we got to SEE Banks kick for the first time.  It was a little crazy to see her make my stomach move.  She has definitely gained strength this week and I am eager for Friday to get here so we can have our ultrasound and see how much she has grown.

Just a couple of random things...
We are having the carpets cleaned tomorrow so everything will be nice and clean for our little girl to move around on- although we only have carpet in the bedrooms. I had to order a book for Brian to have for work, so I got a great book to read to Banks now that she can start learning the sound of my voice!

"Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go!: A Book to Be Read in Utero"

I went to Motherhood Maternity to exchange some maternity clothes a few days ago. I had never been in there and it was awesome! They have such cute clothes it makes me wish I'd be pregnant for longer (and it made me wish I had the extra duckets to buy to my heart's content) They also had a great sale section as well. I'll for sure bust back there to pick up some jeans and some other stuff as I need it along the way. They had just started getting in some pieces for fall and had some adorable stuff. I got a really cute and comfy pair of pajama bottoms that I swear I've worn for the last three nights.

Banks is getting stronger everyday.  This week I can really feel her move, flip, kick, whatever she's doing in there.  Each day I think that Brian is going to be able to feel it...I push his hand into my stomach...and nothing.  Well, she's moving, but he can't feel it from the outside.  Yesterday she was really active and when I sat down last night I started feeling some of her strongest kicks yet!  Finally, I think Brian might feel it.  At first she stopped, so of course its me crying wolf again...and then finally she busted out the moves!  It was hilarious to see Brian's face!  "There's an alien in there!"  I can't wait to tell her how terrified her Dad looked when he first felt her kick.  Really, he was just suprised at how strong it was.  We will get to see her in action next Friday when we go for our ultrasound - I can't wait! 

We are having a HUGE yard sale this weekend!  We have been de-cluttering the house and we have a garage full of stuff to sell.  Tonight, we got things organized and we will price everything tomorrow.  Saturday will be interesting because I know the crazy yard sale people will be on the prowl.  We will definitely have to get some incognito photos!  I listed our sale on Craigs List tonight and put 7am-noon (no early birds please) but we'll see who starts stalking us at 5am!  Also, we are having a yard sale challenge with my friend Kat...who will make more money?!  I think the Nix house is some tough competition.  Show mama the money!!!

What I'm feelin lately:

All the girls are growing - Banks and my boobs.  I finally broke down and got a new bra!  It is great!  I went to a custom bra shop and got fitted since I have no idea what size I am now (for the record she put me in a 38C with a little room to grow.)  The girl at the shop, Melissa, was 21 weeks pregnant so it was nice having her understand what "the girls" are going through.  My clothes fit better and I am definitely more comfortable.  I did look at maternity bras while I was there and I am happy to see that there are some cute ones out there - the style was called Hot Mama...ha!  I will definitely be going back to The Bra Shoppe to keep "the girls" happy!

My irritability seems to have returned after being on hiatus for a few days. Once again Apollo is the primary source of my frustration and anxiety. He is constantly licking himself and gnawing at himself and it is driving me bananas. He does it all night long while I'm trying to sleep - it doesn't seem to bother Will or keep him from sleeping but when I try to get Apollo to quit that wakes him up. Anyway this dog will not stop licking himself - even when you ask him to stop he will for a minute then starts it right back up. From dusk till dawn - it's going to put me in a straight jacket. This morning Will and I had an argument about the whole situation. I left for work angry and frustrated. I contemplated getting a short term lease on an apartment but after talking to the girls at work I came up with a better idea. Apparently the pet stores make some sort of solution that deters dogs from licking themselves and it soothes their "hot spots". So I am going to check that out and if that doesn't solve the problem I am going to get one of those cones. I don't think Will is feeling the cone idea but it's for my sanity.

This weekend we visited our families in SC.  We relaxed by the pool, went to dinner for my birthday, and set up a webcam for my Dad so he can see Banks more when she gets here. I also got a few pieces of my baby clothes for Banks - a hat, booties, nightgown and romper.  And we got a pink USC Gamemcocks hat...SO CUTE! 

Today I am 5 months pregnant and the baby is the size of a spaghetti squash.  It is hard to believe that 5 months have already gone by.  I definitely think that I am feeling Banks move now.  Its usually when I sit down or after I eat.  However, on the ride home we hit a couple bumps in the road and she moved around some. I was reading that in a couple weeks the baby will get startled by loud noises.  We'll see how that goes in the gym! 

Here is a pic of me and the other turkey...Big Stef and Hudson, Jen and Banks.

Since I shared this with the other turkey I will share this with the blog. I have this overwhelming desire to eat soap lately. It all started earlier this week when I was dropping off our clothes to be cleaned (we still have to get our washer and dryer hooked up in the new digs). It smelled so good in there - it just smelled really clean and ultimately like laundry detergent.I came out of the laundry mat licking my lips. It was very similar to when one of your neighbors is grilling out - it smells so incredibly good you can almost taste it. So a few days ago I'm brushing my teeth and peer up at the bar of Lever. At first I just smell it then I can't help it but I rub a little bit of soap on my toothbrush. Oh my God- it tastes so good. So I put a little more soap on my toothbrush and proceed to brush my teeth with the mixture of Lever and Colgate - I literally have soap suds coming out of my mouth. But it satisfied me. I could go in the bathroom right now and brush my teeth with soap all over again. I can't stop thinking about it. I know there is a term for this and that it is somewhat common in pregnancy. In my first trimester I was craving a lot of lemon-y things and was even more nauseous than I am now. Since the smell of lemon is supposed to ease queasiness I always keep lemons on hand. I cut my lemon in half - putting half into my water and took the other half with me to sniff while I was going to take a bath and relax. I also was dying for a sprite or lemon lime gatorade but was too lazy to actually go out and get it. I start sniffing the lemon and before I know it I can't get enough of this lemon- but I don't really want to eat it so I squeeze it all over my face. Again, I was satisfied. So maybe the soap thing isn't so freaky after all.

Today made me crazy...from the time I walked into work it was just not good.  I will spare you the details, except one.  I had to watch the little ones in our Kids Care from 8am-8:30am.  There was nothing but boys in there and I am SO glad we are having a GIRL!  Whoa, those boys were t-r-o-u-b-l-e!!!  Full speed ahead and no end in sight...no wonder their mom was so glad to drop them off.

I am really excited about the weekend.  We are visiting the families in SC and I get to see the other turkey.  We will have to get some belly pics together to share with you all! 

Yesterday marked 23 weeks or 6 months. Today I had my appointment at Maternal Fetal Medicine. All was well. They checked the length of my cervix and checked for signs of pre term labor in the cervix. There were no changes from my visit 2 weeks ago - which is great. I'll continue on the meds that help control pre term labor and contractions (it's essentially just a blood pressure medication - and one of the other benefits is that it increases blood flow to the baby). Hudson is weighing it at 1 pound 7 oz. and his heart rate was at 157 bpm. I love it when I have ultra sounds and get to see him. He is such an active baby. I think he may have Will's type A personality. His movements are getting bigger. Sometimes I am almost amazed that he can't be felt from the outside yet. The doctor says around 28 weeks sometimes a little earlier is when you can feel kicking from outside the tummy.Will and I went and registered at Burlington's Baby Depot tonight. It was quite overwhelming. My sister in law Laken came for guidance. I was so thankful she was there. She knew exactly what we needed and knew what worked and what was a waste of money. On another note I am so irritable today. I am so pissed at Apollo. That dog has knocked over a glass of ginger ale (and broke the glass) and a cup of crushed ice (which I had to drive all the way to Spinx to get) . I just feel pissed. I don't know how I can co exist with this animal for 4 more months. And he is everywhere. I can't get away from him. You let him outside he scratches the hell out of the door. If you re in the house he is right up on you. He is like nails on a chalkboard to me right now. Will says it's the hormones - I think he should watch it.

And we shall call her...

Banks McKenna Nix

Don't get anything monogrammed yet, but we are pretty sure this will be her name.

I spoke too soon about not being sick. I was struck again today. Toughed out the work day, snagged some crushed ice and took half a phenigan and now I feel pretty good to go. In the midst of making a tomato pie for dinner - Hudson's first taste of the Southern summer classic. Banana bread next if I can find my cookbook. Work tomorrow, off Thursday, work Friday, then off the weekend. I have a doctor's appointment at Maternal Fetal Medicine on Thursday morning to re check my cervix. Hopefully this will be my last visit there. Can't wait for a little time off this weekend. Also the other turkey will be in town.

I had a quick check-up at the doctor today.  I am good - blood pressure is good, weight gain is good, iron level is good.  Today was the first time that my belly was measured...and I forgot to ask the measurement because it happened quick and then we were listening to the heartbeat.  I love hearing that little heartbeat!  Her ticker was pumping at 155 bpm.  She's my little hummingbird!  I'm still not really feeling her move.  Well, at least nothing I am 100% positive is her.  The doc told me that my placenta is on the front of my uterus, so that is why I'm not feeling stronger movements right now.  We have to wait until about 24 weeks before we can really feel her cut flips in my tummy.  I can't wait for our next ultrasound on July 30th!

Long day at work today. So, so tired. Bought some lavender bath salts so that I could soak in the bathtub tonight but realized once I got home we need to buy a stopper. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow night - for now BLT's and sweet potato fries will have to do. Hudson is giving his Mama a break. I haven't been sick since Friday. Wow 3 whole days. You would think with all of my getting sick I wouldn't have put on so much weight. Close to 21 pounds. Eh! Finally committed to a date for the baby shower - I don't have my planner in front of me but I think it's August 22nd. Sometime this week Will and I will go register. I'm a bit intimidated by all the stuff a baby needs. A shout out to my sister in law Shannon( and Dean and the kids) for the super cute Bahamas t shirt for baby Hudson that arrived in the mail today. I love it!

Today was my birthday - 32 years young - and I am 21 weeks along!  I have thoroughly enjoyed my week off work and my birthday was a perfect ending to our staycation.  Back to work and back to reality tomorrow...oh well, the house will get a break from my OCD for a week or so!  My birthday was great.  Brian made me breakfast, I got a cake from the baby, flowers from the dogs, and a dead bird from the cat.  Ha!  We hit the beach for a couple hours - the sky was clear and the water was perfect.  Tonight, we had an amazing dinner at my favorite thai restaurant and sat in the courtyard.  Really, its like being in another country when you are there.  I did decide that medium heat on my curry would be the smart choice since heartburn might raise it ugly head these days.  Here I am rocking the bump at 21 weeks!

This weekend at work totally kicked my butt! I am so tired. We had our Ornament Premier this weekend so the combo of a late night and extra early morning and then working today has totally taken it's toll. The doctor gave me this prescription called Zofran for nausea and vomiting. They say that it's super expensive so for like 5 months or so I always told them I wasn't interested and I told myself that the nausea would pass. I got smart and took a prescription at my last regular visit (since hello ... it's not passing!) and it's only 6 bucks with my insurance. I was so mad at myself for going so long without it. It was originally invented for cancer patients under going chemotherapy and the doctors discovered that it was great for all types of severe nausea - including pregnant women. It really does work and the great thing is that it doesn't make you sleepy. So I no longer have to go through my bad days either throwing up or passed out. The only catch with the Zofran is that you have to take it like first thing because once the nausea and throwing up begin it's not going to help you. It's sublingal too so no having to worry about having to get something down. On a different note we are really starting to get settled into the new place. I love it. It's so perfect for us. We had our first real dinner in the new place last night and this morning enjoyed coffee and the paper on the front porch. Will even busted out the french toast. I love that mug!

My OCD is in high gear and I have been on a mission to clean out the house.  I have cleaned out EVERY cabinet and closet in the house and now the garage is full.  So, there is definitely a yard sale in our near future!  It crazy how much stuff you can accumulate and don't use.  Its equally as crazy how much stuff a baby needs.  I feel better now that I have made space for our girl and all her things.  I still have several projects to finish, but have made so much progress this week.  We are relaxing this weekend - hitting the beach tomorrow and its my birthday on Sunday!

We finally spent the first night in the new house on Tuesday. My grandmother was beyond gracious to let us stay with her for a month while we were in transit. I miss her but it's nice to be on our own and moving forward. We've been doing lots of moving and organizing but still lots to do. My work week won't start getting crazy until tomorrow so I've had more time than usual to get things done. My Mom has been a huge help as well. I am however in an almost constant state of irritability. I feel so mad most of the time. I know I have been super mean, too. Then almost instantly I feel guilty that I've let my hormones get the best of me. In a fit of rage I told my Mom, Will and whoever else happened to be in the room that if I didn't have to work I would leave and go help with the oil spill in the Gulf just so I could be away from everyone I know until the baby came. I think on top of my hormones it's this god awful heat. It has been - no lie - 100 degrees for the past 2 days. I am dying! What is weird is that I am hot in a whole new way - like I am literally roasting from the inside out. I am internally on fire- always!! Thank God for the great ac unit in the new digs. But even in the ac I still can't quite cool down. I am so in love with ice - especially the crushed variety that I just can't get enough. I could eat ice all day long. I am sure the constant chomping is extra annoying to my co workers and any one else within earshot but oh well!! It's my saving grace. Also I think to top off my irritability is that I still can't go to the bathroom well. I finally broke down and bought this stuff called Colace that the doctor recommended after the gallons of water I was drinking. I took one dose a few days ago and it's really not doing the trick - it's been over the 12 to 72 period of pooping promise. I took a few a little bit ago - we'll see - but I have never quite experienced constipation like this in all my life. TMI - maybe? but this is an honest upfront glance into the day to day experience of my pregnancy.

We took a trip up the road to Jacksonville, NC (about an hour away) to Babies R Us.  Armed with a scan gun, we registered for stuff we will need for our little one.  Wow!  It is overwhelming.  Who knew there were so many choices and that you needed so much stuff to keep a human alive?!  There was a "suggested" list of 200+ items, but we only registered for about 50.  I think we have a good start and I will be adding/deleting stuff online.  Tomorrow I am hitting up Target to set up our registry there.

Kat is here! Nursery transformation in progress. We are making our own episode of Clean Sweep...ha! Pics and updates coming soon.

The past few days have been very productive. I really do feel like I have much more energy lately. I even made it through a late showing of Eclipse last night. I have had this terrible pain on my right side kinda in my rib area right after I eat. So since we had dinner before the movie last night my right side hurt for 2 plus hours - the entire movie. I didn't over eat but I do notice that it happens when I eat more than just a snack or a small meal. I told my ob doctor about it when we went in for our 20 week check up. She thinks that it may be gallstones. If it continues to persist - which it has they will need to check it out via ultrasound. If it is indeed gallstones they will make a decision to go ahead and remove the gallbladder while I'm PG or just prescribe meds for it and take the gallbladder out after the baby. From what I hear it's not a very invasive surgery. I have been having so much fun browsing for ideas for the baby's room. We already have the rug, a small leather couch and a chest in place. We found the crib, changing table, and glider we are going to get a few nights ago. I just need some inspiration on bedding!! Nothing is really speaking to my soul yet. I guess I'll know it when I see it. I bought the baby his first few outfits the day we found out that we were having a boy. Today when I was out shopping with Mom I bought the baby 4 more super cute outfits. Despite plans to go out to dinner we ordered in pizza and a mixed green salad from Fratello's. I seriously cannot get enough of that place. Cut me and I bleed their marinara.

I am mentally having a hard time with getting a belly.  Everyone keeps saying "Oh, don't you look so cute" or asking "Don't you feel beautiful?"  Well, my answer to both of those right now is NO!  Working in fitness, it is not in my nature to gain weight and have a belly...I just feel fat right now.  Getting dressed is not fun unless I am wearing a sundress.  I can totally understand how people stop working out and just give up on healthy eating because right now it is a losing battle...but for the BEST reason in the world.  I want a happy healthy girl and gaining weight is part of that process.  I am on track for a "healthy" weight gain so that keeps me motivated for my workouts.  Plus, my workouts give me more energy (most days) and keep stress levels down.

The Dr's appointment went well today. I will continue taking the meds that keep you from having contractions and will go in every 2 weeks to have my cervix checked. My cervix hasn't gotten any shorter and there is no signs of it opening. So everything looks good. We will just continue to take precautionary measures. At week 24 they will really begin monitoring things. They can swab your cervix and determine by any hormones if your body is going into delivery mode. Also at this time is when they can put a few stitches in your cervix to ensure it doesn't open prematurely. I go to my regular OB next week and then back to Maternal Fetal Medicine in 2 weeks. Baby Hudson looked really good today. He is so active. It's amazing to see him in there. He kept putting his feet behind his head and then he was even yawning. Amazing!! He is so adorable.
I feel highly irritable lately. I really need someone to take my animals for the next 4 months. They are driving me bananas! And I am so not being a good mama to them. I can't help it. I would say I don't know what it is but I guess I do ... the big bad pregnancy hormones are totally getting the best of me. Dalmatian and striped cat to good home!!
On a different note tried the new spicy chicken sandwich from chick fil a since I had a freebie coupon and it was awful. I never usually have a negative work to say about chick fil a but I couldn't even finish the sandwich. Also, the heartburn (as I had anticipated) was terrible.