This isn't pregnancy related, but it made me super happy, so I'm posting it anyway. :) My mother in law took my horse to a horse show this weekend. She hasn't ridden in 4 years, and my horse hasn't been ridden in 3 years. She hasn't been shown, or had anything done in a show ring for over 10. My old mare (who I love to death) won Reserve Grand. :) It was just a little local show, but still...that's awesome. Here's some pics. :)

Western Pleasure

Lined up in Showmanship

Being led out

June 21st, 2008

I had another ultrasound done on Thursday. The baby was measuring off a little, so I was concerned. The doctor suggested an ultrasound just to check and make sure everything was ok. Normally by now she should weigh between 2lbs and 5oz up to 2lbs 9oz. My little beef cake weighs 2lbs 12oz! I'm boggled.

Anyway, here are the latest pictures.

Her little heart, and her heart rate, which was normal and a 147.

Yep, still a girl.. LOL (Just figured we'd check while we were there to be absolutely sure.)

Baby's profile, and you can partially see her little hand near her lips. She was sucking on it a minute before this was taken.

Another 4d face shot with her hand in the way. :)

There we go, she moved her hand.

I'm still dreading the 3 hour glucose test on Monday.

June 16th, 2008

I should have expected it, but I failed my 1 hour gestational diabetes test. :( I should have been no higher than 140 and I was at 151. So, Monday I get to look forward to the 3 hour test. Oh Joy! LOL....can't you tell I'm *THRILLED* :)

June 7th, 2008

I never did update this on how things went. I went to my primary doctor because the headaches got too much for me. I was sick to my stomach and just nasty feeling. On June 3rd I finally called my doctor because I had already taken 6 tylenol by noon, and it hadn't touched the pain. He had me come down and squeezed me in. After an exam, he found that my neck was so far out of alignment that I almost had a "u" shape in it. :( Sorta scary. Thankfully I didn't break anything. He set me straight, gave me some stronger pain killers, just in case it slipped out again and I needed them before I could get in to see him again, and sent me on my way. Within 20 mins or so, my headache was down to a tolerable level. Tonight I'm doing ok, and have managed on 3 tylenol all day. YAY! :)

I also don't know if I've posted this here or not yet, but if I get a good quality stethoscope, and search around a bit, I can also find the baby's heartbeat and listen to it. It's VERY cool.

June 2nd, 2008

It's 4:15 in the morning...and I'm still awake with a throbbing headache. *sigh* Baby is kicking like crazy ...I have to be up in a few hours to take Dave to work... I guess this is what I get for "taking it easy" as the hospital recommended. I got up yesterday morning around 6am...stayed up till around 9. I ate breakfast and still had a massive headache, so I took some tylenol and went back to bed. I didn't expect to wake up at 2pm. I still can't believe I slept all day. oyvey. This is a bad habit to get into.

June 1st, 2008

Last night was supposed to be rodeo night. I was looking forward to it and excited. We decided that we wanted to grab food in town before heading to Medford, because the food at the rodeo tends to be a bit expensive.
I told Dave I just wanted Mexican food, and I suggested we go to Si Casa Flores. He said he liked the atmosphere of Taqueria better...so as we're driving down to Taqueria, he sees El Patron. We've eaten there a few times and really liked the place, so last minute, Dave decides he wants to go there. (They have some awesome salsa most of the time)
It had been sprinkling off and on and when we got there we noticed the downspout wasn't working or something, and basically was spilling water directly down onto the terra cotta tiles that they have for a patio. I walked around the water spray and took 2 steps on the tiles, and the next thing I know I feel my head slam into the table and into a chair and then I'm on the ground.
I remember hearing Dave tell me to stay laying down, but I fell directly into the downspout and was being soaked. I wanted to move, but I hurt so bad. My head was spinning and throbbing, my arm hurt, my hip hurt, and my belly hurt.
There was a cop there within seconds. I guess he drove by and saw Dave standing over me and decided to check and see what went wrong. He called the ambulance, and the fire department showed up too.
I felt kinda fuzzy as they were asking me questions and then a deep stomach cramp hit me. It felt like a contraction so I freaked out and started crying. The ambulance decided because I was high risk, my heart rate was at 110, and my blood pressure was up near 150/90 that I needed to be transported. On the way there they checked my blood sugar, which was down near 72. My oxegen level was near 90, so they put me on oxygen.
By the time I got to the hospital I was near panic and having more cramps and pain. My head was spinning and I was dizzy. They checked me over and checked the baby. Her heart rate was down near 130, and it is usually up near 157 or so. After making sure I was doing ok, they sent me up to Labor and Delivery and put me on a heartbeat monitor, and a contraction monitor. They must have watched me for 2 hours until the baby's heart rate was stable and back up where it should have been, and my cramping and contractions went away. When my blood pressure got back down to normal and stayed there, they let me go home.
This morning I wake up to one of the most severe headaches I've had in my entire life, and a decision to make. I fell because of the downspout leaking water onto the tiles. I'm not the type who is all about getting what I can out of people. I have been told that I have a clear cut personal injury case....but I don't think I want it. I think I just want them to get their spout fixed before some sue happy old lady comes along, falls and breaks a hip and shuts them down with the money they have to pay her because of it.
That...and I want my head to stop hurting.

May 7th, 2008

I keep seeing these "Madame Zaritska" readings for your labor. So...curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to go get her prediction for my labor. Shocking....just shocking I tell you. LOL

Here it is....her prediction.

Madame Zaritska's reading

Madame Zaritska, our resident clairvoyant, wants to help you prepare for the arrival of your child. Here she does her best to predict certain aspects of your labor and birth experience.

What she senses for you
The day you deliver, outside will be foggy. Your baby will arrive in the morning.

After a labor lasting approximately 3 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and will be 20-1/2 inches long. This child will have green eyes and some very fine hair.

But there is more. I get the impression that there is something in your life that is not yet settled. Something about... something about a name? Ah -- a baby name. Why don't you look here for help with finding the perfect name for your precious child.

Wow..... a bit close to the truth eh? LOL No, we have not settled on a name. Yes, it is a girl... The labor only lasting 3 hours would be really nice....but the whole 8lb 11oz thing is a little scary. LOL

I realize I've neglected this site...but I have nothing to update. Nothing new is really going on.

Well....now that I think about it I guess some new stuff is. I'm suddenly more tired. I get winded a lot more easily, and my apatite is CRAZY. I'm hungry all the time.

I'm feeling baby move more and more... Dave still hasn't yet, which sucks.. but as he said...there's plenty of time left for that.

Otherwise things are going well. I'm slowly (between naps.. lol) cleaning out the clutter in my room. I just wish I wasn't so tired all the time.

April 16th, 2008

I actually have quite a bit to update today. Over the weekend, my hubby and I decided to go on a spur of the moment coast trip for my birthday. We went with my sister, and had a lot of fun....we also realized that we were in the WRONG spot for crabbing. Oh well. :) Dave bought me a crab ring for my birthday, so next time we go crabbing we won't have to worry about renting. I also got my first sun burn of the year (which is now peeling and driving me NUTS)

Anyway, I know you didn't come here to hear about my weekend. LOL They moved my ultrasound up from 2 to 1:30...which was great because by 10 I was already antsy and worried.
I should have known I had NOTHING to worry about. They checked 15 different markers that would show some sort of fetal problem, and they all came back normal. The nose bone, the middle bone in the pinky, the heart, stomach, kidney, hands...all of it was normal. So, Ive opted to not have an amnio done.

We also got to see what she was. It was amazing how quietly the baby sat through the whole thing. All my past ultrasounds she was a little wiggle worm. Yep, you guessed it, it's a girl! She sat completely still. lol

I paid $5 for a cd of pictures, but the tech only saved 8 of the pictures that she took. (legal reasons I guess) She did print out some other ones, so the next time I go to my mom's I'll be sure and scan them so I can post them too.

So... no more worries. My baby is doing great, looks healthy, and is a little girl. I'll post the highlights of the photos here, the rest are in my album.

Her little bitty feet. :)

full head to toe


and an itty bitty smile on a 4d ultrasound. :)

April 7th, 2008

My Doctor called me and asked me if I could come in and talk to him about my AFP test results. I thought it was sorta odd, considering I knew when my sister got hers done, they called her and told her everything was fine. Well, it turns out my test for spina bifida was negative. My test for downs was positive. Now, that's not a definate thing that my baby has downs. Most women my age have a 1 in 700 chance. My test came back 1 in 241. Which, is still pretty low, but still bothersome.

He wanted me to do an amnio, which scares the crap out of me. So, instead he decided to send me to a specialist on April 16th. The specialist will do a level 2 ultrasound that will focus on all the areas that would show some signs of downs syndrome developing. (Hands, forehead, feet, neck, etc) He will be able to tell the sex of the baby, and if it's not super busy at his office that day, he'll do a 3d ultrasound as well.

In a way I'm sort of excited. This is going to happen a day before my birthday. But, I'm still pretty scared.

My mother in law had been drinking when I talked to her about this. She actually had the nerve and gall to tell me that I should terminate the baby... to "make the right choice for my husband". I was shocked and horrified....then again, I pass it off as her having a few to drink.. but Im still horrified.

I also had an appointment with a nutritionist. She gave me some guidelines on how I should be eating. I also found out I've lost 19lbs since I was 8 weeks pregnant. WOWZA ...I've never been able to loose weight like this before.

March 28th, 2008

I had my 16 week checkup yesterday, and everything looked completely normal. Heartbeat was sitting around 155ish. It was moving and squirming. Sometimes I feel like the doctors appointments really aren't long enough.

I've been super depressed the last 2 days. Sleeping a lot more, and getting less out of it. I'm not sure what's wrong with me. Sometimes I wish I wasn't pregnant. I worry about how I'm going to be able to make it with a semi-unsupportive husband. He's really not happy about the baby, and my In-laws, who we live with unfortunately, aren't super supportive either. They drink too much, the house is filthy all the time and it's too much work for one person to handle.

The room I live in is a little bigger than most office cubicles. It's pretty much trashed all the time because we have no room for our stuff. I have no idea how we're going to fit a baby, the crib, the changing table..the clothes, diapers..etc in there too.

I'm off work, and Dave's job keeps getting put off because of the weather. It was sunny and beautiful the other day, then we had a monsoon rainstorm hit, then yesterday was beautiful and sunny, if a bit cold......today we woke up to an inch and a half of snow. It's impossible to do landscaping and laying irrigation pipes when it's frozen and snowing, or when there's torrential downpours.

It's frustrating, and scary to think that neither of us have anything to go on right now. We get $98 a week unemployment, but that ends in another month I think. What an awful time to get pregnant.

March 24th, 2008

I finally got the ultrasound scanned from the 19th. Because the baby was squirming so much, and it was just a quick check to make sure the baby was ok, it's not the greatest of pics....but you get the idea!

March 19th, 2008

On Monday I started noticing some slight cramping. It wasn't too bad, just every now and then near my belly button would hurt. I didn't think too much about it...took some Tylenol and went to bed.
Tuesday I woke to steady pain…probably a 4 or 5 on the 10 scale. Again, I didn't worry too much. I did call my brother (a student nurse who graduates this year! Yay!) and he suggested appendicitis. Problem being that is usually sharp severe pain and you usually have a fever. I had neither, just a mild ache. So I talked with Dave and we decided that if I started having sharp pains I'd go into the docs immediately.
This morning I woke up and still had the steady pain. It had moved up on the pain scale…more a 7 or 8. I got out of bed and got hit with some intense sharp pain, so off to the doctor we went.
I went to see my OB doctor. He checked urine first, which was fine. Then he wanted to order a gallbladder ultrasound, but when they checked with insurance, they said they wouldn't cover it. It had nothing to do with the pregnancy. .....but, if I went to the Emergency Room, they would cover the tests being done there. (Go figure, they're odd.)
So...off to the ER we went. They did urine tests, and blood work. The doctor came in and talked to me a bit. He said that he thought it could be one of a couple of things. His worse fear was appendicitis. He also thought it could be something wrong with my kidney, or even possibly a gallstone. The problem was he didn't want to put me through a cat scan because of the possibility of hurting the baby with radiation. Instead, he ordered ultrasounds of all the organs and my colon.
I got taken back and she did the ultrasounds. After she was done with the ones that were "required" she said she wanted to take a peep at the baby. So, we got to see our little baby dancing and swimming around. Dave got warm fuzzies and was actually smiling and laughing. I was amazed at how much it was moving around and I couldn't feel any of it. We got to see the face, the spine and most of the body. It was sorta curled up, so no chance at seeing what it was....but we did get to see it waving it's arms and legs around. It was definitely a plus during this.

We sat for a few hours or so, and finally the doctor came back. Strangely enough, they could not find my appendix during the ultrasound. She looked everywhere, but couldn’t find it. (I’ll go into that more later) Also, my white count was completely normal, nothing in my urine, and my kidney and gallbladder looked completely clean. The doc said he could find no reason why I should be in pain like I am.

Very strange…so I asked what next. (Back to the missing appendix…) He said that either there’s nothing wrong with my appendix, or… (gah) it’s already burst, and within 6-8 hours I’ll spike a fever and start throwing up. He said it was my choice, I could wait it out at the hospital, or go home where I was comfy. So….here I am waiting at home. He said that I should go check in with my regular doctor tomorrow morning if I have no more problems tonight, and otherwise take Tylenol for pain.

So, I’m still in pain, and still have no idea why. I’ve been put back on bed rest, and suggested that I go on a liquid diet until the pain goes away. L But, at least I know that so far, baby is happy and healthy and dancing like crazy!

March 4th, 2008

It's been awhile...I apologize. I had another appointment with the doc at 12 weeks 1 day. He said all my blood work came back completely normal and healthy! :) YAY. My doc doesn't do ultrasounds unless they are medically needed, which kinda sucks...but he did let us hear the baby's heartbeat! He had to chase it across my belly with the dopplar before he could get a steady sound. It was so cute...and of course I was so touched I completely blew it and forgot to ask him a bunch of questions.. LOL... ah well. I also forgot to ask him what the heartbeat was sitting at now. Just knowing I could hear it, and it was squirming away from him makes me happy though. :)

Feb 23rd, 2008

An update on my Vertigo. That had to be the strangest sensation I've ever felt. I'd never experienced it before. Anyway, I called my OB doctor who told me it's not a normal pregnancy symptom and that I should call my primary doctor to be checked out. My primary told me to come in yesterday morning.
He did a check on my ears and found my left ear's drain tube is completely blocked. Normally that tube drains into your sinus, but it hasn't been able, so for the past week or so it's been building up pressure. The pressure is what's caused the Vertigo.
The treatment...Afrin to hope the swelling in the nasal cavity side goes down and my ear can drain properly. I was also offered Gravol, but decided after taking 1 pill that I didn't like the feelings it gave me...and so I quit that. LOL Otherwise I'm doing well. I have only had about 4 attacks today, which is MUCH better than the last few days.

Feb 21st, 2008

The last few days haven't been great. I've had Vertigo. Not just your average dizzy or light headed feelings. I'm talking full on room spinning everything feels like it's moving. It's not just when I get up either. We were almost done eating lunch yesterday when it hit. I was sitting at a table and I closed my eyes hoping it would go away, and it didn't. It just felt like it spun faster. Then again last night while out watching the eclipse...it hit me hard and made me feel queasy. Fun fun...so I called my OB doc this morning, who told me that's not a normal pregnancy symptom and that I should call my regular doctor. Now I'm just waiting for him to call me back. So....what could this be? Worse case... a bad reaction from my Metformin (Lactic Acidosis), or it could be something minor like a reaction to my Prometrium, or an ear or sinus infection. Who knows....but wish me luck.

Feb 19th, 2008
I haven't updated much lately so I thought I would today. I can't believe I'm finally 11 weeks. I seriously didn't think I was going to make it this far....especially with the spotting and cramping. I have my next OB appt next Weds at 12 weeks. This past week flew by. All week I've had some pretty major heartburn, and some headaches. I've also had a weird almost pulling sort of cramp towards the middle of my belly. It doesn't really hurt... and it doesn't happen often, but it is there. The spotting seems to come and go. Some days it's there, others it's not...but more often not and a lot less heavy than it was.
I've also had some serious dry mouth going on. I wake up in the middle of the night or early morning so dry that my tongue feels like sandpaper on the roof of my mouth. I've also been making plenty of runs to the potty. It seems like every 2 hours I wake up and have to go NOW.

I've also been super emotional. Movies, songs... little things make me blubber. It's almost amusing...except for the looks my hubby gives me. :) lol

Here's hoping everyone else is doing great!

Feb 10th, 2008
I finally got in to see my OB. I was really excited to get to see him for the first time, and was incredibly surprised at how gentle, and nice he was. He did all the normal pap smear, and internal exams. I still can't get over it. :)
Anyway, I finally managed to upload my newest ultrasound pics.
Here they are:
This one is from 7 weeks 6 days.

This one is from the Pregnancy Care Center. They have limited use ultrasounds, but they do show you what you need to see. That day we saw a heartbeat of 128, and that everything looked completely normal. The yolk sac was where it should be, and everything looked great. :)

The next one was at exactly 9 weeks with my OB doctor.

This one is sorta lopsided.. lol..but if you tilt your head you can see baby happily laying there. I asked the doc about the heartbeat, and he said he'd only be guessing, but that it looked like it was at 150 to him. The nurse tech that was in the room agreed.

Yesterday I went shopping with my mom and sister. It was really nice to get out and get to spend time with my family. My mom took us to Olive Garden, where I managed to stuff myself sick with Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks. Then managed to suffer heartburn for the rest of the night.. lol.. ah well. I had a blast.
It's kinda fun to have someone I can talk to who is pregnant right now. I think this is really going to be interesting. :)

Feb 7th, 2008 - 3:30am.
Well, normally I'm not up at 3am....I actually managed to make it to sleep around 9:30 though, which is also unusual. But what's really strange, I woke up STARVING. This is really not normal for me.. lol... so what sort of snack do you eat at 3 in the morning? For me it was strawberry yogurt and some carrots. Hopefully that will settle me over until breakfast. :)

I also had some pretty weird dreams. It is so strange to me about how the doc bumped my due date up. I know my dates are fairly accurate. Well, tonight I dreamed I was going to have a kid like that Robin Williams movie "Jack". LOL... the pregnant mind comes up with some doozies I guess.

Feb 6th, 2008
I got to see my OB doc for the 1st time today. At first I was a little apprehensive, because the last time I used him...things didn't go so well. Anyway, he did a physical exam, and can find no reason for me to be spotting like I am. The only thing he did say is I had a little bit of brown blood at the tip of my cervix, but that it was closed tight, and we would keep an eye on things. Also, he did an ultrasound that put my due date at September 10th, instead of the 17th! Wahoo, I got bumped up a week. My last pregnancy only lasted 8 weeks and 3 days. I'm just shocked that this one has made it so far. I keep expecting the worse. Only to be happily surprised! :) Baby's little heart was beating away at 150, and again, everything looked perfectly normal. :)

Feb 1st, 2008
I got insurance!!!! I just can't believe it took them this long. I believe in Oregon they are supposed to give you an answer in 3 days. I applied Jan 14th. OY ..anyway, at least I have it now!
I can worry a little less now.

Jan 29th, 2008
I woke up this morning to some really sharp cramping and when I went to the bathroom and wiped I came back with bright red spotting. I was horrified and immediately depressed. I had an ultrasound scheduled for 1:15 and I wanted to cancel it.
I opened my curtain, went back to bed and watched the snow. Hubby did everything he could to pry me out of bed and force me to keep the appointment. Now I'm thankful for it. We started with an abdominal ultrasound, and she could see the yolk sac, and the baby's sac, but couldn't get a very close look, so she opted for a trans-vag u/s. After I (thankfully) emptied my bladder I got to see my baby! She said everything looks absolutely normal. Everything looks like it should. I have no bleeding in my uterus, and the baby's yolk sac is where it should be, and the size it should be....and the best part of all, it's little heart was beating away at 128 beats a min!!
I asked her why she thought I would be spotting like I am, and she basically told me she was just a nurse. She couldn't really tell me why I was spotting, and that would be one of the 1st questions I should ask when I see my OB doc. Sadly, that's still some time off. I'm trying to qualify for insurance. I sent off the paperwork on Jan 14th, and still haven't heard back from anyone. I checked in today, and they said check back tomorrow.
I would go in without insurance, but my OB doc wants a $500 deposit before he will see anyone without insurance. I just don't have that kind of money.
So...pray for me. Hope for me...light a candle. Overall, I'm very hopeful tonight.

Jan 26th, 2008
The cramping hasn't shown up today...and I'm also not spotting today either. I hope the Prometrium is helping with that. I still haven't heard back from Insurance yet...but what do I expect, it's Saturday night. I really hate waiting. There is a free clinic here in town that gives free (limited) ultrasounds. I'm half tempted to go in and just check to make sure everything looks ok. I'm just terrified they'll tell me no heartbeat.


Jan 24th, 2008
I'm having more cramping today..and a pinkish brown spotting. I'm worried... I don't have insurance yet, so I can't afford to go see my OB doctor. My primary doctor still hasn't returned any of my calls. I'm really starting to freak out.

Jan 23rd, 2008
Weds came and went...no doctor call. I'm also cramping..just little twinges, and mild period like pain.

Jan 21st, 2008
So...we went in for the ultrasound today, and the lady was semi-rude. I told her about the spotting...she made my husband leave the room, and did an internal ultrasound for almost 45 mins, and didn't say a WORD to me. Really sorta freaked me out. Then at the end, she showed me the screen where I could see a tiny little blip. She told me I was looking at it's heart rate, and that it was 105. She said that I was about 6 weeks along...and that the baby's heart rate was a bit low...but that my doctor would get back to me by Weds. *sigh*..more waiting..
Here is a picture to share. *grin*

Jan 19th, 2008
I had mild cramping today. I'm so worried....I also had some brown spotting. I really hate the not knowing.

Jan 17th, 2008
So far everything seems fine. Even though it's killing me to have to wait for everything. I went to my doc today, and he wrote me a prescription for Prometrium. Spendy stuff. Hopefully it will have some affect this time.. He's also scheduled me an ultrasound for ..MONDAY. *sigh*...he knows I hate waiting for things.


Jan 14th, 2008
We just found out we were pregnant!. I'm more than a little terrified. Last year we were pregnant, and lost our baby at 9 weeks 6 days. I had no warning...no signs of impending doom. A few days before the ultrasound when they told us the baby had died, I had mild cramping, and brownish pink spotting. It had to be the most heart breaking and terrifying thing I've ever gone through. I'm really hoping everything will be ok with this one.