Braces

I've finally succumbed to wearing these arm braces not only to sleep in - but during most of the day. And for the last 48 hours, it seems as though that IS making a difference. It's amazing the effect the carpel tunnel pain was having on my attitude. I felt so much better today! Here's to hoping wearing the braces more often will help me avoid seeing a "hand specialist"....whatever that it is.

Mom and dad came this week and purchased the dresser that matches Leighton's new "forever" bed. I'm excited about it coming in and getting the mattress to complete the bed. It's nice knowing she already has a bed room full of furniture that will last her for years to come!

Every day is one day closer to you!

24 Week Appointment

All was well today! And so much for the "I lost a pound" at the last appointment. This month I'd gained 9 pounds! Dad-gum!!

She was a busy little bee while we waited for Dr. B and it was a long wait seeing as how he was 1 1/2 hours late! He said he'd had several "hard" appointments before ours that took longer than he expected, including a lady who was pregnant with triplets - but then found out she'd lost one of them.

I don't go back to Dr. B until 28 weeks which is February 20. That's when I do that sweet little glucose test. We'll actually get to see Leighton though on February 7 when we go to Dr. G, our specialist. I can't wait.

I've got some pretty sweet and thoughtful friends who are planning a baby shower for us. Melissa and Shannon are hosting one March 31st. My team at school is also hosting one. There are 7 people on my staff currently pregnant and all of us are due by August. In order to cut down on the number of showers, teams are combing almost all of the showers so my school shower will be with Mr. Steiner (the computer teacher). His wife is due this summer!

As with most everything else, when I was pregnant with Cannon I know I appreciated the showers - but this time everything is just so much sweeter. I'll be so grateful for each and every gift given. It's very kind of our friends and my coworkers to do something sweet for us like this.

4 week belly photos to come next week!

Boards to Bed

I suppose the biggest necessity is good to go! We planned to borrow a bed from a friend, but after shopping with my in-laws this weekend, we came home with this beautiful gift! Okay, so it wasn't so beautiful in this state, but after 3 hours, only a couple of choice words, and my and Cannon's escape to a birthday party, I came home to a beautiful new baby bed and combination changing table put together by my super hero husband!

Isn't it gorgeous? I had something quite small and simple for Cannon and ended up selling it in a garage sale a couple of years ago during one of my "stubborn" stages after a miscarriage. We looked at several models - one being the sleigh bed style - but I liked that this had all we needed and took up much less space than the other ones. This will also be Leighton's long-time bed. It transitions in to a toddler bed and then in to a full size head board and foot board along with a night stand. Sweet!!!

Our next appointment is tomorrow! Miss Busy Bee has been move'n and groove'n for a good week now. Some of her moves feel like rolls and for the first time, Lance felt her move yesterday morning. I woke up 30 minutes earlier than my alarm (4:45 to be exact) but I woke up with a smile. She was making such big moves I knew it would be worth waking Lance up. Sure enough, she bumped all over the place. Lance was fascinated. Our perspective on the miracle of this experience is so different than it was when we had Cannon.

Update on tomorrow's appointment will come soon!

Move'n and Groove'n

She's a busy little bee in there these days. She moves on and off throughout the day...and I.LOVE.IT. I've even seen her move twice. Very brief bumps, but both times were in the last two days - so I'm guessing I'll be seeing even more of her in the weeks to come.

Just simple things I want to record about Leighton's pregnancy....

I've have the worst nails ever and only twice in my life have they been long, thick, and absolutely gorgeous....when I was pregnant with Cannon and now with Leighton.

I don't remember anything totally odd when I was pregnant with Cannon -but with her it's been a different story. Right around week 10 I noticed (or felt, really) one little bump on the back of my neck. This one bump itched like crazy and no cream seemed to help. Since then, these little bumps have multiplied all.the.way. around my neck with the exception of right in the middle in the front. The bumps are very faint...someone else probably couldn't see most of them except one or two that are bigger than the rest. HOWEVER, they itch beyond belief. It's nothing I can't deal with and my doctor basically said to try everything I had already tried....so, I'm just chalking it up to pregnancy "skin tags" knowing that in a few short months they'll be gone. Read up on it when you're bored.

When I'm not pregnant, I've got a pretty finicky digestive system. I do best avoiding spicey foods, sweets, and fried foods. However, being pregnant, I'm enjoying hamburgers stuffed with jalepenos and really just about anything single thing I want! I'm loving it, but not over doing it knowing that my eat-what-you-want days are numbered.

Carpal tunnel syndrome..pregnancy induced. Now, I'm remember dealing with these symptoms in the last few days of Cannon's pregnancy. I even journaled about it. But this time it started at week 16! Geez. I don't know that I had it long enough last time to even ask about it - but since it started so early I inquired and learned what it was that was causing my hands and arms to fall asleep and throb painfully at night. When the doctor advised me to wear a wrist brace I laughed. I knew Lance would never let that slide and I'd never hear the end of it. It only took one more sleepless night due to a throbbing right arm and numb fingers to convince me to buy the brace and I've experience a lot less of the symptoms since then. Thinking the condition had possibly improved, I tried sleeping without the brace around week 20 -but no such luck. The tingling woke me, I put on the brace, and I've not been to bed with out it since. You can google more information on that too if you're interested.

Friends have been so generous. I've received several piles of clothes sizing up to 2T. We're borrowing a beautiful white iron baby bed from a friend and we're also using a friend's white glider. We've been given some really cute hand-me-down diaper bags (quite girly might I say) and some items still in boxes that other friends have received two of..such as a humidifier and a lighted reverse mirror for the car. Another friend gave us a like-new bassinet to use as well. I guess there's certainly a plus to having your 2nd child 7 years after your first and having her after all of your friends are finished having children!!!

Leighton Claire's next appointment is Wednesday, January 25. That appointment is with our regular OBGYN and it's our normal 4 week visit. I'm not sure that we'll have a sono but I know we'll get to hear her heartbeat. :-) Then February 7, we go back to our specialist for a sonogram!

I know it sounds crazy but I finally feel like I've completely released myself into this pregnancy. There's no denying I'm pregnant (meaning I couldn't hide this belly if I tried) and I feel her moving all the time. I'm happy and relaxed - not worried about anything really. I feel fabulous.

I always told myself if I was able to get pregnant again and carry a sweet little life inside of me I'd cherish every move I felt and every aspect of carrying that life. Being pregnant has to be the most amazing, miraculous experience a human can go through. Once was a blessing. Twice is indescribable.

Lance is also more interested and fascinated with this pregnancy. He's always asking what she's doing and what she feels like moving around in me. Before, he didn't have the patience to sit and watch my stomach move, but this time he's really looking for it. We now know the end result so that makes the process so much more beautiful.

2 in 2

Loved our visit today with Dr. Gore! Leighton's sonogram showed 2 weeks of growth in 2 weeks. PERFECT! Overall she measures right around 20 6 days and I'm "dated" 21 weeks 4 days...but the important part is how much she grew in in 2 weeks. So she measures small. No big deal.

And I keep telling myself (and reminding the doctor - not that he needs to be reminded, but hey) that no one really knows when I ovulated. I never had a period after the last miscarriage. My due date is figured based on my first sonogram....which was "dated" at 9 weeks 1 day.

She's healthy and perfect and we're loving getting to see her as often as we can.

Next appointment? My regular "4 week check up" with Dr. B, my regular OBGYN, on January 25. However, we'll get to go back to Dr. G 4 weeks from now on February 7. Not sure if we'll see her January 25, but for sure we will on February 7.

Big smiles on the home front and prayers of praise daily.

Almost 22 Week Update

We get to see Lady L again Tuesday. 2:45 to be exact. We're simply going in to say "hi" and check out her progress since our last visit 2 weeks ago.

Dr. G., my specialist, and Dr. B, my OBGYN, are quite possibly to best doctors in this area. It's so much more than medical care - they truly do care. Dr. B's nurse could not be more compassionate as she made me well aware that if I ever just needed to hear the heartbeat I simply needed to get in the car and start driving....call her on the way...and as soon as I arrived she'd put the doppler on Miss Leighton's heart and calm my nerves. Funny because now that I know I can do that if I need to, I may not ever use the option.

I feel great, never nauseous, but sometimes quite tired. Some nights it just hits me and I'm sound asleep by 8:30. Unless we have something going on in the afternoons I come straight home, take a shower and put on pjs......just so if I get too tired, I'm more than prepared for bed!

Leighton's room is progressing. There was more cleaning to do than anything else as that room had become a playroom piled high with Cannon's toys. We've managed to find a "home" for everything in Cannon's room and I've stripped her walls of all decor and patched holes. I've recovered the window boards and moved a couple of pieces in to her room we planned to use. I've been loaned a beautiful white iron baby bed and we're being given a white glider - other than that we'll have a chocolate futon in her room for those late parties she'll host. So far the only colors in her room are a white washed blue/green color, chocolate, and blue/green crystal beads. I'm planning on going with all white bedding as well. Simple, shabby, and sweet. Pictures to come.

Please keep the prayers going up for a healthy baby girl in May.

Petite and Polite

My 20 week appointment actually ended up being on 19 weeks and 5 days. Anatomically (anatomy) everything was perfect. Over all she measured at 18 weeks 4 days...at our regular OBGYN's office, Dr. B. At 20 weeks, the baby should measure anywhere from 17 weeks to 20 weeks and Leighton measured 18 weeks 4 days.

I know. It's like I'm restating the same fact, but I'm still trying to figure out Dr. B and how he's "treating" me. I've loved him. Still do. I can't tell if he does what he does because he's cautious for himself - or if he's cautious for our feelings due to my history. Keep reading.

Following his appointment he wanted us to go ahead and get in for another sonogram with our specialist, Dr. G. Dr. G just so happened to be able to fit us in that very afternoon at 2:30 so off we went to burn 3 1/2 hours before we saw him.

Dr. G's overall measurement for Leighton was 18 weeks and 6 days.

Because she anatomically looked perfect (her anatomy was formed exactly the way it needed to be), both doctor's concluded that she's either just going to be a smaller than average baby - or she just hasn't hit a growth spurt.

I'm "so-so" curious, not concerned, but curious - because from day 1 Cannon has always been in the 90th percentile on all of his growth charts. Still is. I'd be more than grateful for a smaller baby because hindsight now tells us Cannon's 7 lb. 11 oz. little self was almost more than my small stature could deliver. These hips just weren't made for deliver'n.

I'm glad Dr. B sent us to Dr. G for a "second look" at Leighton's growth...but like I said. I'm still learning how Dr. B is "treating" us. Does he send me to Dr. G because he's concerned or cautious. He speaks often of how you can't put a price on "piece of mind" and how he'll do anything to give us piece of mind. So I'm glad he sends us for "second looks".

Dr. B, made our next appointment for the normal 4 weeks out. January 25. Dr. G gave me a choice. He said I could come back in 6 weeks - or 2 weeks. What do you think I picked? We'll be seeing him January 10. :-)

Rest assured, Dr. G said if there was something (anything) to be concerned about (as far as her growth goes) we'd already see red flags with this sono. He said we would have seen an unhealthy amniotic sack and other such indicators. But everything looked great!

I've hesitated writing this post because I didn't want anyone to worry over nothing - but I would love to hear about your baby's fetal growth - especially if this story sounds familiar. We've already had one set of friends say their baby girl measured 6 or so days "behind" at every single fetal appointment.

I, on the other hand, had shockingly LOST a pound since my 16 week appointment! What? That never happened with Cannon, but I also started out about 10 pounds lighter with him as well. In 20 weeks I've gained 10 pounds. I remember cooking heavy meals with Cannon almost every night - chicken fried steak, spaghetti, hamburgers. But with Lady L, I've mostly wanted light and healthy foods. Who knows. That could change at any point during the next 18 weeks.

Oh ya. The title - Petite and Polite. Well, so far she is a petite little lady. And as for the polite? We saw her yawn yesterday in her sonogram....and with her hand up in front of her face it looked as though she was covering her mouth. It was sooooo cute. So yes, she's petite and polite.