18 Weeks - halfway there!

I am thankful for the advice I've been given on the ligament pain. Luckily, it was only really bothersome that one day. Now it just comes and goes while I'm walking or turning over in bed. I'm grateful it wasn't anything more serious.

I've reached the halfway mark in this pregnancy and am excited for the next few months! I can't believe how big I have gotten and am amazed that I will continue to grow!! I've outgrown all of my old pants and most of the shirts so I am having to go shopping more often. Thank goodness for Ross where I can find some good bargains! I've just been having to wash and wear the same 2-3 pairs of pants for work.

Well we had a fun weekend in Fredericksburg. This picture was taken in front of the B&B we stayed at with Dustin's dad. The boys played doubles in the Dr Pepper Open tennis tournament there on Saturday. It was so painful to have to sit there and watch everyone else drinking the ice cold (free) Dr Pepper's they were handing out and not be able to have one myself! Oh well, at least I got a cute Dr Pepper Open t-shirt. :) I'll just have to wait until after the baby's born to actually wear it.

Our trip was cut a little short when we heard from Dustin's uncle Mark that Saturday night. Dustin's paw-paw has decided to no longer do dialysis. So we made the crazy drive from Fredericksburg to Victoria on Sunday. That was 5 hours in the car! We did make it though, and we got to visit him. It was a very sad occasion and we all tried to tell him what we could. Dustin and his sister Carly are taking it pretty hard. They lived with their grandparents for awhile after their mom died. It was tough saying goodbye. But Dustin's continuing to talk to him over the phone daily. And we made another trip to visit him on Tuesday. That was a more happy day as we just hung out, looked at old pictures, and talked about everyday stuff. He was talking and cracking jokes the whole time. I'm so glad we were able to make it over there again. That was a good way to remember him.

We're hoping to be able to go see him again this Saturday. Let's hope he is still feeling well. Who knows, he's pretty tough. I'll keep you all updated! Thanks for the prayers!!

17 Weeks

I woke up with some abdominal pain this morning. It only hurts when I'm walking but it got me a little worried at first. I immediately went to my "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book. I start reading under possible causes for abdominal discomfort or cramping and am warned to seek medical help as it may be preterm labor. What?!? But then I read further along to find out that usually this is only the case if accompanied by fever, bleeding, and/or contractions. Thank goodness!

It turns out my pain is most likely caused by my ligaments stretching to accommodate the baby. It's called round ligament pain. The round ligament is one of the several ligaments around my uterus. And I read that the pain can be triggered by moving or reaching suddenly, rolling around in your sleep, or sometimes with exercise. It says round ligament pain may ease as your pregnancy progresses. And that it should go away after you have your baby. Sounds pretty positive, right? ;)

So keep me in your prayers. Let's hope this pain won't really last for the rest of the pregnancy!! And while we're at it, please pray for Dustin's paw-paw (Jackie Ehlers). He's in ICU in Victoria right now. He has had complications with his dialysis and is now being treated for an infection in his spine. My grandfather (William Hahn) is also in poor health. He has lung cancer but is still hanging on. Both of these men are having it rough right now which keeps Dustin and me grounded. It's a little hard to seriously compain when we have so much going our way. We both have wonderful loving families, our health, and a little miracle on the way.

16 Weeks

I just got home from the doctor's office. The baby's doing great! :) I got to hear his/her heartbeat again. It was pretty easy to find now that the baby is growing. We heard it right below my belly button, which most likely explains the sharp prick of pain that I have been feeling there lately. (I guess our baby is already practicing his/her tennis moves!) The heartbeat was 156. And we measured my tummy for the first time. It was 17 centimeters from my pelvic bone to my belly button - getting bigger! We took another round of blood to finish up those tests. So far, all of the results have been great so the outlook is pretty good that we'll have a super healthy baby.

We also found out that I have gained a pound and a half since last month. My doctor was happy about that and was excited to learn that the morning sickness is no longer a problem for me. My blood pressure was a little lower than last time - I was 110 over 59. Maybe that was due to the fact that I had off today! I spent the morning relaxing at home with kitty. Then I drove over to Seguin to have lunch with Dustin and did a little grocery shopping afterwards. So it was a stress-free day.

I do have some bad news though... we won't be finding out the baby's sex as early as we thought we would. :( They had to reschedule my appointment for next month. It was originally set for Nov. 13th but now it has moved to Nov. 18th. That means we'll have to wait 5 more days!! Ugh!!! It turns out they have another tech that does the sonograms on Thursdays and my doctor wants to do ours herself. So apparently whoever made my appointment the first time didn't know, and now that next month is so close, most days and times are already booked. So now it's going to be on Tuesday, Nov 18th at 1:30pm... which means Dustin will most likely have to take personal leave to get out of work that early. *sigh* Oh well. At least that was the only bad news to report from my doctor's visit.

The baby and I are happy and healthy! :)

14 Weeks

I am feeling much better now, and I have been able to keep most of my food down. Yay! :) It's so much easier now to travel and share meals with family and friends when I don't have to keep running to the bathroom. I hear that the second trimester is supposed to be the most comfortable and pain-free. Only two more weeks!

Dustin and I had a fun weekend in Yoakum. My dad's birthday was Friday, and Dustin's granny's birthday was Monday so we made it a point to spend Saturday and Sunday with them. It has been a long time since we have spent the night in Yoakum, so it was nice. We had lunch with my dad on Saturday followed by games at his house and a night out in Victoria for some shopping and supper. Wow - Victoria has changed so much since we had been there last. It is incredibly busy. And there are so many stores packed close together. It was a relief to get back to my dad's that night!

On Sunday, Dustin and my dad woke early to get some fishing time in. Dustin was also able to ride around with his camera to get some really good shots. It has been awhile since he's used his camera. It didn't take him long to get some really amazing pictures of the scenery and water. He also got some good bird shots and of course some of my two pretty cows Panda and Rosie. Panda recently had a calf so Dustin got some good pictures of her little girl as well.

We had lunch at Dustin's granny's later that day. Carly and Parker made the drive down as well. That was fun. This picture was taken in her driveway. My first belly shot! :)

We're headed out tonight for a family supper with Dustin's extended family here in New Braunfels. The Ehlers all have been so nice to include us now that we're living so close. And we can't wait to meet little Paige Walker. She is Dustin's paw-paw's late brother's great-granddaughter. She was born a little over two weeks ago. It's crazy to think we will have one her age in April. That sounds far off, but the time is going by quickly!