Vitamin C- A No Go!

OK- I'm not going to do the vitamin C thing--- I posted that I was going to take that on my pregnant mom's chat room and a gal felt like researching and the side effects aren't that fun if you take too much- and she couldn't find anything online about it helping to thin things out-- I'd like to know the research my Chiropractor has on that-- Oh well---- I'll just not do it, fine by me. She'll just come out when she's good darn and ready.

Funny though- she was so anxious to come out early and now she's to shy to come out when the timing is right. Good thing I'm still working to help keep my mind off of it-- well, sort of.

Yeah- at home again....

WOW, so, it's me again, at home. I'm not dilating, everything else is changing but I'm just not dilating so they sent me home. I was able to get some sleep today which is good but we just thought we'd be bringing home a baby.

Anyway, I had an appointment with the Chiropractor today and I'm SOO glad I did, first off, she drew some accupressure points on my feet and ankles that I can rub to help things along naturally, told me to get some vitamin C vitamins and take 500 mg every 2 hours which can help thin out the cervix, I figured- that's easy enough and of course I'll give it try, it's natural and can't hurt anything, I mean if anything it will help protect me against Taylor's cough he all of a suddent came down with. Then she wanted to feel how loose my hips were and all of the groin pain I've been having she was able to help with! She said my ligament on the right side was wound up VERY tight and very spastic so she released it for me, she said that could be why things aren't really changing because the muscles were so thight, she told me not to be surprised that once things start to go again that they might come on very fast and strong. So that was a good appointment too. The best part, I walked out of her office without a waddle for the first time in weeks! I feel so much better now!

Well, the contractions are still coming, not worth timing now, so we'll see how the rest of the night goes... guess I know now that I won't post anything until we know for sure... I always get ahead of myself. So, stay tuned.

Hospital

We are heading to the hospital......

Still awake....

Well-- this has been an interesting evening. I have slept about 1 hour. I've been contracting ALL NIGHT LONG- I'm just waiting for them to get stronger. I don't really know what is going on, I guess they do say that this first stage of labor can take quite awhile so I'm trying to be patient and I've been up walking around and doing the stairs in between trying to get some rest, I called down to the hospital and they said to call and come down as soon as I start not being able to talk through the contractions anymore.

So- I'm on hour 7 right now of laboring at home, is this normal?

Here we go again.....

Good Dr Appointment!

Well- all of these contractions have actually done something now! Ok- I thought I was 75% effaced before but I misread what they wrote, I guess I was only 25% effaced as of last week-- well- in 1 weeks time I went from 25% to now 75%! I'm still only 1 cm dilated but he said that is very common with first time mom's that they thin out before they dilate. The BIGGEST thing is that I am sitting at +1 station- he said no wonder why you are uncomfortable, her head is right there! He said he has delivered thousands of babies and he doesn't see that very often that you are at +1 before you are in active labor. I was very happy to hear that something is actually going on down there now! Finally! He pushed back my membranes- which was painful- but it was pain that was for a good cause so I didn't mind. He said its like releasing some of the gummy stuff that keeps you from dilating- he thought that might help things along.

Taylor was able to come to the appointment and he asked him if he could make an educated guess what he thought for possibly a timeline- we were surprised when he said he could see it happening within 48 hours! Since I had been contracting all day long and I made some real progress over the last week he said it should be any day now. Although he can't say for sure because if he could write a perscription that says that he'd be the best doctor in the world- but he said he would be very surprised if I made it to my appointment next week, but I do know that it COULD happen- we just aren't going to think about that right now though. THINK POSITIVE! SO-- now we are just hoping the contractions keep on coming- they have been so far, and we went out to eat at Taco John's- thought that the spicy food couldn't hurt any! :) So- maybe the next time I post I'll be letting you know we are on our way.... keep your fingers crossed for us!

38 Weeks

Well, Still pregnant.

If you read down at my previous posts you'll see that we thought we might have had the Christmas Eve baby. I woke up at 5am on Monday morning with some much stronger contractions then I had ever had before. They started right off the bat at 3 minutes apart. I had remembered in my classes that they said that you'll probably labor at home for awhile and during that time they said to try to get some rest in between contractions and make sure you eat some small meals and drink plenty of fluid. So, it being that it was 5am and we didn't make it to bed until midnight the night before we got out Taylor's laptop and went to the contraction master online where you just have to hit space bar to keep track of your contractions and we laid in bed trying to get in a little bit more rest. Shortly they turned from 3 minutes apart to 5-8 minutes apart by hour 2. But then they started getting stronger and laying in bed was just not comfortable anymore so I got up and went into the nursery to rock in the rocking chair. Then they stretched out to 5-10 minutes apart and then by 8:30 they seemed to be stopping. I thought maybe they were just taking a little break so I took the opportunity to jump in the shower because I wanted to be clean when we went to the hospital and by the time I got out I didn't have anymore.

So, since then they have just been off and on but not very strong, mostly just similar to the pre-term ones I was having. I know its not my due date but for those of you who had pregnancies where you never contracted until you went into labor, or for some people had a doctor's appointment and they told you you were contracting and you didn't even know it, well, I just don't think you understand how frustrating it can be to contract all the time. I mean, I've been doing this now for 8 weeks. I know Heidi went through this too so I know she knows where I'm coming from- but it is frustrating. It's not very comfortable when you contract and it gives you a false sense of hope. And don't get me wrong, I know I should cherish these last few days of pregnancy, and I am, I'm just saying that these contraction things are just getting really annoying. So- I guess we'll just keep playing the waiting game and hopefully she'll come out soon. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow evening so I'll let you know how that goes.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

38 Week Belly Shots.....

Maybe I spoke too soon....

OK-- so maybe I spoke too soon.... 3 hours of contracting, my back was KILLLING me so I thought maybe I'll take a warm shower to help get it to relax a bit and I thought if I am going to go in today I at least want to be clean... well, the warm shower calmed everything down and I haven't had one for about 15-20 minutes now, now I'm just hungry.

Oh the waiting game of pregnancy... ho hum.. well, I'll go and eat some cereal, maybe they'll be back in a little bit.... all for now

Christmas Baby?

OK-- I'm writing this in between contractions right now, kind of gets my mind off of the pain and helps me focus on something different for a few minutes.

I woke up at 5am with some contractions- I thought to myself, these are probably just the same contractions I've been having that haven't done anything, so I just tried to go back to sleep. But then a big one hit me at 6am, my lower back started killing me and my right leg started to have cramps in it and these contractions were getting a LOT stronger then what I typically had.

So- anyway, it is now 8:15am- I'm sitting in the nursery in the rocking chair because laying down was making things worse. They were every 3 minutes there for almost an hour, then I was able to kind of take a little tiny cat nap and now they are ranging between 5-10 minutes apart. There is a neat little thing online called a contraction master, it takes all the dummy work out of keeping track of your contractions, its a big clock and you just go to the website and when you have a contraction you hit the space bar and when its over you hit space bar again, it will then log for you the time the contraction started, how long it was, and the time between that one and the one before it. www.contractionmaster.com Coolest thing ever.

Anyway... I'll try to keep you updated, but for now, I'm just saying- I don't think anyone is going to win the Guess the Due Date and I think she just might be our Christmas Angel. Christmas was Grams' favorite holiday, maybe she is watching over us right now and knows that we all could use a little Angel with us this time of the year.

Christmas might be celebrated in the hosptial room this year. By the way- I go to Fairview Red Wing Hospital. We like visitors.

Doctor's Appointment

No Changes

She said maybe a little bit more thinned out but that was it.

I was upset with my appointment yesterday, I felt like my nurse didn't know what she was doing and my doctor was in a hurry and didn't give me much time and attention. She told me I had a +1 amount of protein in my urine and gained 5 pounds in a week! My blood pressure was good- 108/64. But didn't tell me what that all meant, she just left me hanging. She said if between now and next Wednesday I don't feel good or start swelling up pretty badly I need to call in and that was it. OK- what do you mean not feeling good... what kind of not feeling good, because I have been SO exhausted this week, my stomach feels a bit uneasy, I get hot flashes, I feel very gassy and crampy- are these the type of not feeling good signs I'm suppose to be watching for, or are these normal?

And my groin hurts SO bad lately sometimes I can't even walk another step, it feels like a cramp in my groin and there isn't anything I can do to make it go away.

I really broke down last night- I think I've been trying to be so strong and tell myself I can do this and last night it just came pouring out, pregnancy is not an easy thing. These last few weeks are VERY hard to deal with- you are expected to go about working like normal, take care of your house and family like normal and feel fine- well- its not like that, my body aches every minute of the day, I feel like a zombie who hasn't slept in years and every little thing I do is 100 times harder to do then normal. I think the last few weeks are suppose to suck so you have enough energy and power to push that baby out when its time.

This weeks Bets

So far this week- we do have 1 bet:

Friday, December 21, 2007

Kate Ries- weight: 7 lbs 15.5 oz

Let the Bets Begin.....

Alrighty,

We are on the countdown now! As my mom said yesterday- seeing the days until Baby Pagel arrives in the teens it almost took her breath away! SO- I figured to help make these last couple weeks a little more interesting "Let The Bets Begin"

I have printed off a December and January Calendar and if you either comment on this post or send me an email you can place your bet on what day we will all get to meet her and what you think she'll weigh. Then at the beginning of the week I'll post who thinks what for the week and hopefully we'll have a winner! Your prize if you win- The privilege of having your name in her baby book as the winner of the bet! :) Weight will be the tie breaker if we have a few people on for one day.

As for weight- I'll give you a little hint- I was 7 lbs 12 oz and Taylor was a hefty 9 lbs 5 oz.

Good Luck to All! :)

37 Weeks

OK- so I thought maybe this weekend was going the be THE weekend... but it wasn't. Maybe sometime this week?? HUMM... if she wants to experience her first Christmas this year she'll have to come this week, or maybe she's hanging out to be the first baby of the New Year. I don't go to the doctor until Wednesday so now I have to sit and wait until I can figure out if I have progressed or not.

Friday- since I offically made it to the SAFE SAFE zone I thought I would start back in slowly on my work out routine. My legs were starting to feel weak after being told for over a month to not do anything, so I started walking on the treadmill again, 1/2 mile each day and then some simple leg lifts of sorts to build that muscle up again so I can push this baby out. Well- I had a TON of contractions Friday night after I went for my walk and by the time I went to bed I had 2 that were MUCH stronger and more painful ones then I had ever experienced, I thought- OH MAN- here we go... and then that was it.

Saturday- I didn't have as many contractions but a lot of pinching and pains in my cervix area. So it just makes me curious to see if I have now dilated more or not.

Sunday- just normal sporadic contractions and that's pretty much it. So I guess I'll be going to work tomorrow. :( I'm SO looking forward to have 6 weeks off, I really hope she comes sooner then later- if I have her during Taylor's Christmas break from school then 1) he doesn't have to take any PTO and 2) he gets to be home with me longer as he has off from December 24-January 1- that would be so nice to have him home for 2 weeks with me instead of just a week or a few days (we aren't sure how many he is going to take up front, but he is taking off week 7 to stay home with her on his own).

Here I am at 37 weeks- I think I can really tell that I dropped- and they say that towards the end you could not look as big as the baby gets lower into your pelvis, I think I look smaller now then I did at 35 weeks. What do you think?

37 Weeks



Just to compare the side view- here was me at 35 weeks....


I'll let you all know on Wednesday night what happens at the doctor. Until then- have a nice week!

36 Weeks

Well- I'm still pregnant- which is a good thing, who would have thought that I would have successfully made it to the safe zone a month ago when I was dealing with all that pre-term contraction stuff. But we made it, so things are good! She must have known that I stand strongly about breastfeeding and she just needed to be able to latch on well and figure out that sucking thing before she comes out!

I hope my blood pressure stays this way for the rest of my life-- I'm almost 37 weeks pregnant- and you'll never guess what my blood pressure was- 94/56!! Can you believe it!!!

I had my weekly appointment last night- dilation is about the same- maybe 1cm now- effacement is the same but she has really moved down into my pelvis- she is sitting at 0 station which means she is engaged!!! :) I had NO idea what the whole station thing was until last week so for those of you who don't quite understand it I have added some info I found on the net about it.

The concept of "station" denotes the degree of engagement of the fetal head as it navigates the maternal pelvis. Station is the relationship of the presentng part to an imaginary line drawn between the ischial spines of the pelvis. The ischial spines are two bony prominences that demarcate the middle of the pelvis.

Although we assess station during the last weeks of prenatal care (or in the case of preterm labor), its most frequent application is in labor. Progress in labor is assessed by means of several parameters, namely cervical consistency (soft to firm), cervical effacement (shortening), cervical position (posterior, anterior, or mid), cervical dilatation (0 to 10 cm) and station (-4 which is just coming into the pelvis to +4 station which is on the perineum or ready to be born). When the top of the fetal head arrives at the level of the ischial spines, the baby is said to be at 0 station or "engaged.”

Primigravidas (women having their first baby) typically engage before labor and may enter labor at -1, 0 or even +1 station.

Multigravidas (women having their second or greater baby) often engage during labor.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/plabor/0,,midwife_8nbb,00.html

So- I'm still holding strong- I'll be 37 weeks on Friday which means technically she'll be full term, so now, only time will tell.

Taylor was thrown a baby shower this last week at school, again, the whole Math Department was to have a meeting Friday afternoon and when he arrived their meeting was a surprise shower for him! They had yummy bars and gifts for him, he said it was a lot of fun! The best thing was our Rainforest Jumperoo! I was PUMPED to see that, that thing is so neat! The lady who picked it out for us has a little one and she said that is her favorite toy and is just the neatest thing! I made Taylor set it up already because I wanted to see it! Don't worry- it folds up nicely and can be stored away in a closet easily! :)

35 Weeks

Well, it has been a very busy 35 weeks so far.

To start off, Taylor's Grandma Pagel passed away suddenly on Thursday evening, she was 89 and lived a long and happy life. Her wake was on Sunday and funeral was Monday, she was best known for her wonderful, freshly homemade cookies that she always seemed to have on hand whenever we'd go and visit. We will all truly miss her.

Saturday, as you all know was the first big snow fall of the season! We couldn't help but play in it a little bit. Joey LOVES the snow- he was just a little tiny puppy last year so I'm sure he doesn't really remember it- but he has a blast in it right now. His favorite toy to play fetch with is one of his food bowls- which now can't really hold food- so its his toy, whenever he gets it in his mouth he just runs laps around the yard- it's pretty comical!




Sunday, I offically became a member of Spring Garden Church. Taylor and I have been going back and forth with who's church we'd offically be members of and he was so determined to go to his because he wants to keep his parents tradition going, they would drop off the kids at Sunday School and go over to Grandma's house for cookies and coffee until it was time to go to church so Taylor wants us to do the same. We also have some friends who attend that either just had babies or are going to soon that will be the same age as our baby and we thought it would be fun to have them grow up in the church together. So I am now offically a member!

Monday, I had a doctor's appointment and things are changing! Slowly- that is, which is good. He said everything is looking great! Blood pressure is excellent- 110/74 today, no signs of swelling, heart rate was good- she was moving ALL OVER the place at my appointment- when he was feeling to make sure she was still head down he ended up grabbing her foot and it must have tickled or something because she went crazy after that- we had to sit there and watch my stomach move all over the place before he could check her heart rate.

I am now 0.5 cm dilated, 75% effaced, and station -3. He said all of which is normal for this point in the game. He told me that if I went into pre-term again this week and things weren't changing drastically they would probably stop me for one more week, he said as long as I can make it through one more week they will be happy. She is growing perfectly, I measured 35cm so I'm on the right track. Now, the question is, will she be here before Christmas or will she be the New Year baby-- guess we'll have to see what she decides!

I've offically started nesting- last night I got all the rest of her clothes washed and hung in her closet, I put the mattress pad on, re-did a few things, hung up a few things on the wall, rearranged the changing table and rearranged some drawers. I'm ready whenever she is!

35 week Belly shots:

Surprise Baby Shower!

Well- the fun part about this week was that my work TOTALLY surprised me with a baby shower on Tuesday afternoon! I was totally shocked as you can see in this picture, I honestly had no idea-- and normally I figure things out like that- but it being on a Tuesday was pretty sneaky too- who would have expected a party on a Tuesday! I had no idea that some of them were whispering about it around me and a bunch of them went downstairs to get the party stuff and I didn't even notice them come up the stairs until my desk was covered with presents! I was just shocked!!



So after I sat on display and opened up all kinds of wonderful gifts we had some very yummy cake and punch!




It was a huge surprise and I so shocked and so Thankful for such wonderful co-workers! I love my work! :)

Another Hospital Trip

YES, I had to go the hospital AGAIN yesterday! I hardly had any contractions all last week- which was GREAT! Then they started in again on Monday and Tuesday, Tuesday night before I fell asleep I had a pretty strong one- well stronger then what I had been having- and they were off and on all night long. Woke up and started working at 6:30am downstairs and they were 15-20 minutes apart- then all of a sudden at 9 they were coming on quick, I laid down on my left side- drank water and timed them out- they were every 3 minutes and I didn't even want to think about moving.

I called the hospital and they said its still to early for her to come out- please come in right away and we'll see what's going on. Cervix is still closed, no change, but I was having contractions 3-5 minutes apart. They hooked me up to an IV to super hydrate me and gave me another shot of terbutaline and 4 hours later I got sent home. They said they don't really know what's really going on either- they said its not common but some women just deal with this on and off until they are full term and as long as my cervix was still closed they were plenty happy with that. They also ran the FFN test again and it was negative, so technically it means no baby in the next 2 weeks.

SO- our journey continues and she is keeping us on our toes!

34 Weeks

First off, I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. It's actually hard to be pregnant over the Holidays, this baby doesn't leave much room in there for all the yummy food!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, which, for some weird reason, my contractions decided to come back yesterday, I had them off and on all day long and even some in the doctor's office, which was kind of nice for them to yet again confirm with me that yes, what I'm feeling really are contractions. She was going to check the heart beat and asked me if I was having one, I said yeah, kind of, and she said- well- you're hard as a rock! I'm not very good at telling when my stomach tightens, this whole thing is still confusing to me- contractions but still no dilation... I don't get it.

Anyway- she did a very quick ultrasound and her head is down! Yeah! And her butt is on my left side. She did check me again because I was contracting and still no real dialation, cervix is still pointing towards my tailbone, 50% effaced, and softening (I think is the term) to a -3 (not sure what that figure means) So, I'm changing, but at a good pace right now. She was going to do another FFN test but consulted with another doctor and they said that the results don't come back right after 34 weeks and I'm 34 1/2 so- she opted to not do it- she was satisfied with checking me.

So- now its time for the countdown, I go every Monday until she decides to come into this world. And let me tell you- I'm ready whenever she is! Taylor thinks differently- he said he isn't caught up with lesson plans yet- so he needs more time, so hopefully she'll listen to her Daddy and stay in for a little while longer so he can get prepared at school! :)

Us by our freshly cut tree at 34 weeks!


OH-- and side note--we just switched our cell phone service to Alltel- so whoever has Alltel- we can now talk for free!

33 Weeks........ Deer Camp

Well- first off- Had a doctor appointment on Friday, she didn't want to check me because she didn't want to stir anything up. She said that if with what I'm doing with work and making sure I just take it easy is helping with the contractions then to continue with that plan of action. It's all in finding what works for each individual as each pregnancy is different and this seems to be working for me so far so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I measured 32cm which she said is fine, I had been measuring right on up until now, but for the last two weeks I've been measuring a week behind, she could be sitting differently or hopefully it just means that she'll take after her mommy and only be about 7 pounds at birth and not 9 pounds like her daddy! My next appointment is on the 26 and we get to do an ultrasound and I'm guessing at that one they will check to see if there has been any changes.

I do have to mention, I had my last labor and delivery class on Thursday and I left feeling more brave then when I started this whole process. From the beginning I said- give me drugs right away, but now after learning things and seeing the different techniques I think I'm going to try out some other methods before I go straight to the drugs. Each of the hospital suites have nice big tubs with jets and also birthing balls to use and I think I'd like to try to go as long as I can trying out these two methods, along with walking around until I get put up on my back with an epidural. They say if you get an epidural right away when you get there it can really slow down the birthing process and I think that if, depending on how far along I am when I go in, I would like to try to see how strong I am to hopefully help the process not be SOO long, so maybe try to get further along on my own at first and then once they start to get too strong and I can't handle them then ask for an epidural- that's kind of what I'm thinking now. With my brother my mom was in labor for 10 hours and was three weeks early, so I might take after her. So- we'll just have to see what happens, but I am open to trying out other ideas now and feeling a little bit more brave then I was.

This weekend also started Taylor's Deer Hunting season- he hunts for meat as we both love venison so he usually just shots deer that look good, weight wise that is, well- this year he got his very first "Buck"!!! He has gotten doe but never a Buck so he was very excited! He was out for around 1 hour on the first day when he got it, that's a new time record for him! His first shot was through a whole bunch of brush and twigs, about a 70 yard shot, and some how he missed the big target of the deer and hit him right in the antler and shot one side of them off! So he was a 6 point and ended up being a 3 point! LOL! The deer did a complete back flip, laid on the ground for awhile and when he got up he look pretty out of it, I'm sure he had a killer headache! He started walking right towards Taylor and he was about 20 yards away and he missed! Then he shot again and got him right in the neck. The best part about this story is that it was Taylor and Ben Bakken out in the woods hunting- neither of them knew how to gut a deer nor did they have a truck as Ben's truck kind of broke down the night before! When Taylor called me to tell me the good news I couldn't help but laugh when he said- well- we need to call someone to see if they can come show us what to do with it! HAHA! But now they both got a lesson and should be able to handle the next one on their own!

Taylor and his deer....

Cutting up the meat- we got some great looking steaks and roast from this guy!

What is left of the antlers

Joey and his brother Walter-- they just looked so cute on the couch I had to take a picture, they were pooped after playing with each other all day long!


And- From our Family to Yours- We wish you a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Quick Update

My work is being VERY nice, we have worked it out so that I work the mornings at home and the afternoons in the office. I've only done it for 2 days so far but so far it seems to be working out well. I basically roll out of bed and at 6ish and grab a bowl of cereal to help wake myself up and then go straight downstairs to the office and start working usually around 6:30- then I work through the morning and since I start a half hour early it gives me the chance to take that half hour in the later afternoon to take a shower- that way I can start my mornings slow and not so much activity like getting up, showering, breakfast, pack lunch, rush out the door, get to work, haul in all my bags, etc. Now I can just take my time and Baby seems to be appreciating that.

I guess we'll see on Friday at my next appointment if things have changed or not to see if this system is working. Until then... have a nice week and dress warm!
Taylor is spending the next 3 days and 2 nights down at Eagle Bluff with the school so he'll be having a lot of fun- he was pretty excited to go... don't worry- he drove seperate and I have a list of every teacher's cell phones and Eagle Bluff's number if I have to get a hold of him! He told this little girl this morning that she needed to stay in mommy's tummy for at least 3 more days until he got home- she gave a little kick back as to say- gotcha Dad! :)

32 Weeks

Well- 32 weeks brought on some answers. I had a Dr. appointment on Friday with Dr. Saul and he really explained the whole picture to me. I left my appointment with no more questions. Basically what he told me is that what I am feeling are true contractions but they just aren't strong enough right now to do anything. I may be one of those mothers who just is more sensitve to the changes going on with my body and I just need to keep an eye on it. I haven't dilated any more, my cervix is still facing down towards my tailbone instead of out, I am 25% effaced and softening to a negative 2. So- things are changing- but at this point not drastically enough to be TOO concerned, but I will have to be checked every single week until the end to make sure things are changing gradual as they should.

So- I am suppose to take it easy. If I start getting contractions I need to lay down and rest, I need to have plenty of fluids and just watch myself. If the contractions start getting stronger then what I have been experiencing right now then I need to call in but for now- just basically lay low to keep this little chicka baking for a while longer. I'm not on "Bed Rest" I am just on "Rest" so- I'm not suppose to be driving myself all over the place alone for a long period of time or up and running around like I normally would. Taylor has to help with all the chores, no more carrying laundry up and down the stairs and for work- its kind of going to be trial and error. He recommends me not going but I told him I may have the option to work from home and maybe just going in for a few hours of the day and he said that would be perfectly fine. That way I can lay down when I need to and if it takes me from 7am to 7pm to get in 8 hours or work- then so be it. I seem to be having good days and bad days, Saturday was a really good day- not a single contraction, Sunday is a so-so day- so far, I had some wake me up from my sleep last night and several more this morning but after laying down and relaxing they have seemed to have quieted down for now.

So- it's just a waiting game- She could come soon or I might be one that they end up having to enduce because she changed her mind and doesn't want to come out- only time will tell. And I suppose I should appreciate this time right now, being able to rest often, I better stock up on that rest because before long- "Rest" will be a foreign word to us!

We just realized a few things the past week that I thought I'd share- In just a few weeks we will have a child for the rest of our lives- it's kind of a weird thought. We were talking about when to take our Christmas Card picture and realized- this will be the last Christmas card that we'll take just the two of us for a very long time! And on Friday we decided to go out and have a nice dinner just the two of us because with the holidays coming and our weekends filling up fast with events and hunting- honestly- that was probably the last dinner we'll have out just the two of us before we have a child to worry about either taking with us or finding a babysitter. So- here we go- taking the leap into Parenthood!

32 week Photos! She's a basketball!

Quick Update- More contractions

I just wanted to post an update for those that may be looking here hoping for one.

I ended up going to the hospital again last night- Tuesday- I had lost my mucus plug at 2:30pm and shortly after that started having contractions. So I went down and got hooked up again- I was contracting every 4.5 minutes but still no change in my cervix and my FFN test came back negative again, no baby for at least a week and a half. They gave me the terbutaline again and then an oral medication that I can take around the clock every 6 hours and then sent me home.

I woke up at 5:30 this morning with more contractions and went to work- my oral medication made me slightly light headed- which is a normal side effect- I worked up until 11:30 and decided to come home and take a bath and try to lay down to relax. This got the contractions to stop- but then I started having a shortness of breath and my heart was racing- a normal side effect to terbutaline but not the oral medication. I looked at the paperwork that came with my perscription and it said to contact your doctor right away if you experience that. I finally got to talk to Dr. Gruenwald and she told me to stop taking the medication around the clock and only take it if I start contracting. She wants me to stay home for the rest of the week to see if rest will get these contractions to stop and be stopped more consistently instead of being stopped for only a few hours at a time. I have an appointment on Friday so I will go to that and hopefully have some more answers and a plan of action for the rest of this pregnancy. But for now- I'm laying low because this little chicka needs to bake a little longer.

So- I'll be home all night tonight, all day tomorrow- I have a labor and delivery class tomorrow night that I better go to- need to get more familiar with that because all of that is still so foreign for me- but then I'll be home until 2 on Friday-- if anyone wants to come over and visit feel free!

31 Weeks and Pre-term Labor!

Well- first off I'll start with the regular check up. Thursday I had an appointment and everything was looking good. I am measuring exactly 31 weeks and had been feeling great! I asked the doctor if she could tell if she was head down- and she is, and her heart rate was 140bpm. The most exciting part about this appointment was I scheduled the rest of my appointments until the end! Now I can really see the end in sight!

Then came Friday EARLY morning- I had a very restless night and at 3 am woke up to what felt like period cramps. I assumed maybe since she was head down that my uterus was changing again so I tried to get comfortable in bed again and get some more sleep. Then the alarm clock went off- I hadn't really gotten any sleep because these cramps kept coming and going. Let me state one thing here first- First time Mom- I have no idea what is going on so I had no idea what these "cramps" really were.

So- I got ready for work and in my Zombie state made it there safe and sound. I basically sat in my chair all day long and only stood up when needed because these cramps were still coming and going and my body was aching. Finally at 2:00 I decided to call a nurse and see what she thought about it. She told me to go home and lay down and continue to drink fluids (which I had been- a lot- that day anyway) and to call back once I had laid down for awhile if these cramps still hadn't gone away. At 6:00 they were still coming and going and some were worse then others and by this time I was just scared and confused as to what was going on because having these cramps since 3am couldn't be normal.

I called the hospital and a nurse told me that what I was feeling could be contractions- WHAT!?! I thought.... she told me to time them out for an hour and call back- so there I was- 31 weeks along and timing out Contractions! In that hour I had 4 in 25 minutes- they ranged from 1-5 minutes long and then 1 more noticable one after that. OK- now I was really scared and HAD to call Heidi to see what the heck was going on. She told me that this could be something serious- it could very well be pre-term labor contractions and if I can catch it early enough they can get them to stop- so I called back down to the hospital and told them I wanted to come in. In that hour I had 4 in 20 minutes and then 3 more stronger ones on the drive down there- side note- that road is NOT going to be a fun one when I'm in active labor- the contractions I was having were VERY mild and it was bad enough!

Anyway- I got to the hospital and they took me up to the labor and delivery floor and hooked me up to the monitors, I was having actual contractions every 3 minutes! I was just shocked that something like this was actually happening. They checked my cervix and I am only a finger tip dilated- which is a good thing- and they did another test- the FFN test to see if I could possibly have this baby really early and it came back negative- so no baby in the next two weeks. So they gave me a shot of a terbutaline, a medication that can stop your contractions. At first it made my heart race- which is normal- I felt very out of breath for a good 5 minutes, and then it made me a little shakey but it stopped my contractions! It was successful! So they sent me home with strict orders to take it easy- if I start getting them again to lay down or take a hot shower or bath- and if they become more frequent to time them out again and call the hospital if needed. Saturday I had some throughout the day- but nothing of what it was on Friday- and Sunday I only had one noticable one early in the morning and taking a hot shower fixed that.

It was a scary thing but thanks to a little medication she is going to stay put for awhile. She needs to bake for at least 4 more weeks- then if she wants- she can come into this world. But making it to 37 weeks is really what I'm hoping for, at least. So- I am going to be taking it easy from now on, my biggest fear is to have this happen again and then get put on bed rest, we can't afford that, so hopefully I can keep them under control with rest, relaxation and some hot running water.

Thanks to Super Mom- she helped me get my house good and clean this weekend. We got the carpet shampooed upstairs and all the rugs washed and everything just good and clean- having that all done really makes me feel a lot better and much more relaxed, it is hard to sit and relax when you have a long list of To-Do's before this little Miss comes. And also Thanks to Super Taylor for fixing my bath tub! I would NEVER take baths here before because something has been wrong with our drain- when I take a shower it doesn't go down right away, it pools up and then slowly drains itself throughout the day- so I was cleaning my shower every single day because it would have this soap scum in the tub part. SO- finally- after many times of trying to figure out what the heck was wrong, Taylor found the problem! And let me mention we've been trying to figure out what it was since February- so finding the problem was SUPER exciting to us, and it was an easy fix- so now my tub drains like a champ and Super Mom got it call clean and sparkling so I can actually take baths now to ease my aching back! So- the weekend started off rough- but ended satisfying.

30 Weeks

OK- I don't know what the heck she was doing in there last night but for an hour and a half-- seriously-- she was going nuts! It started off when I got into bed and player her some music and read her a book- and it just gor crazier from there. She must have been doing some crazy back flips or something because my stomach was all over the place. At one point it must have been her butt or her head that slide across my stomach real slow and it happened to be right in the palm of Taylor's hand-- it felt really weird to me and he couldn't believe what he was feeling. She was super hyper!

I can tell my organs are getting all squished around in there too- ok- I know this will be too much info- but who cares-- when things pass through my intestines I use to be able to feel it where intestines normally would be- now I feel it digesting through off onto my side and almost up in my rib cage-- it's really weird!

I guess I would say overall- 30 weeks has just been weird! I can really tell now when she gets the hiccups- it almost kind of tickles inside. Her movements feel weird now because they are so strong. And it is just weird to think that in all honesty here- I could have this baby anywhere between 5-11 weeks from now. Personally- 5 sounds too early and I REALLY hope I don't go over! My brother was 3 weeks early- so I could follow in my mom's footsteps! She MIGHT actually get to have her first Christmas at just a few days old-- you never know!

On the growth chart- she should weigh in up to or over 3 pounds now and measure about 17 inches long!

Jamie and Michelle Stay had their baby over the weekend- 2 weeks early- Catherine Olivia (not sure on how they spell her first name) 6lbs 14oz and 19.5 inches long. Congrats to them! Michelle, Katie Sjoblom and myself were all 4 weeks apart- so Katie- you are next in line!

Here is me at 30 weeks from the front and side--- I've got a basketball tummy that's for sure!




Well- Happy Halloween to everyone on Wednesday! Taylor and I are so excited- this will be the first year that we get to hand out candy!! OH- and news on the house front- we put in a fence in our backyard for Joey to play in... I'll have to post some pictures of it this week, Joey just LOVES it!

ONLY 10 Weeks left!!!

OK-- I just had to say-- I'm SOO excited that I'm 30 weeks right now!! That's a pretty good accomplishment!!

A full report to come on Monday along with a new belly shot-- I'm really feeling big right now!

29 Weeks

I can't believe that I'm 29 weeks right now! April seems like a century ago- but yet at the same time- just like it was yesterday!

I've officially started going to the doctor every other week now, I went on Friday and she is still growing and her heart is strong. Heart rate was 145 as usual and she either had a MAJOR growth spurt over the past two weeks or my stomach muscles finally let loose allowing for her to fit a little better because when I went at 27 weeks I measured 25.5 and now at 29 weeks she is measuring 29 weeks exactly! That's a pretty big tummy growth spurt for only two weeks. I'm really starting to feel the pulling and stretching.

Her movements have kind of slowed down over the past week- I guessing things are a little tight in there right now. And I'm almost positive I got my first kick in the rib-- it kind of hurt a little. I also learned from the doctor that my sciatic nerve is swollen, I've been having some sharp pains in my butt cheek when I stand up and sometimes they shoot all the way up my back- pretty painful- and the doctor basically said it's from sitting all day and there really isn't anything I can do, I can heat it to make it feel better, or get up and walk around as much as possible throughout the day, but I'll just have to live with it for the next 10 weeks or so.

Well- something exciting- my friend Kelly, expectant mother as well, came over this weekend and took some pregnancy photos of me, I always see women with photos like this and thought it would be a fun memory to have. Here are a few of my favorites-

Me at 29 weeks...

28 Weeks

Well- 28 weeks brought on BIG MOVEMENTS! As you can see in that video her movements aren't little anymore- it seems like every time she moves around now my whole stomach jolts around, it's pretty crazy. Taylor asked me if it hurt when she did that and really- those big kicks are so hard to describe- it doesn't hurt- it just feels really weird. On Sunday she either kicked my bladder or bumped up against it because all of a sudden I felt this weird feeling in there and had to go to the bathroom like RIGHT THEN! It just amazes me what is going on in there.

My birthday was yesterday and it was a nice relaxing day- I got to eat my favorite meal- Lasagna made by Pam- Taylor brought me home my FAVORITE food right now- GUMMY BEARS- and he had to be me for the night-- so, clean up the kitchen- make our lunches- feed the dog- take him out to the bathroom every time he had to go-- it was nice just to sit back and relax. Wednesday mom is taking me shopping for my present-- I NEVER thought I'd be asking for this for a birthday present- but I honestly want Nursing PJ's and tank tops and stuff that I'll need once the baby comes-- funny how things change as you grow older.

Some changes in me at 28 weeks- even Taylor has noticed this one- I just can't stay awake in the evenings- I crash on the couch almost every single night by 7:30 or 8:00, I try watching my shows and I can't even make it through them, it's like someone hit a light switch- I can be up watching the show and talking to Taylor one minute and he could blink his eyes and I'd be completely out the next. But other then that I'm feeling good, starting to get those back aches and having a hard time getting comfortable and also starting to need help getting out of our BIG chair or couch if I get snuggled too deep into them.

I can't believe that it's 7 months already! Halloween is right around the corner and you know what that means- so is Thanksgiving and Christmas-- then it's BABY TIME!

Big Tummy Movements

Baby Pagel Moving

Ok- first off- ignore whatever the heck TV show was on TV- as you can see I was reading a magazine and not paying attention to the silly show that you can hear in the back ground. But anyway- here if you look closely you can see my tummy moving and you can see little kicks from this little girl-- its hard to get on tape- it took me 3 days to get something- and its way more noticeable in person then on tape- but here it is anyway-- I'll keep trying to get something better.

Gestational Diabetes- I PASSED

I passed the 3 hour test with flying colors! YEAH!!! I knew I would--- I think it was those darn potatoes! SO- note to all pregnant women- don't eat potatoes the night before and the day of your 1 hour test! I think I had potatoes every day that week-- opps! :)

The test wasn't too bad- they had a little bed in a room that I could lay down if I didn't feel well or got tired and after my 1st draw after I drank the juice I couldn't keep my eyes open and my stomach wasn't very calm so I went and took a 1 hour nap and it was great! I felt much better after that. And I wasn't allowed to bring the laptop from work they decided last minute- liability issues I guess- so I brought my portable DVD player and watched The Devil Wears Prada!

The nurses are so nice-- about 5 minutes before I had to go and do a draw- I was laying in the room and was having a little bit of heartburn or something and some of the juice started coming back up and I sat up quickly and started coughing and a nurse came running in there making sure I was OK and wasn't getting sick. She said I looked very flush and gave me a cold towel to put on my neck to cool me down before she drew my blood. I thought that was very kind of her to take the time to keep an eye on me even though they were super busy in there with other patients.

Well-- I'm offically 28 weeks tomorrow- so I'll write about that next week- Hey- and it's my Birthday on Monday- October 15! YEAH! 23 sounds SO much older then 22.

27 Weeks

Well- I had a doctor appointment- first the good stuff- I've gained 15 pounds so far- which is GREAT! And although I am 27 weeks my belly is measuring 25.5 weeks- the doctor said 2 weeks either way is perfectly normal.

Now- the blah part- I had my gestational diabetes test- it was the 1 hour test- and I failed-- they want you under 135 and I was at 145.... I had eaten healthy the night before and that day- but I had potatoes and it might possibly be the culprit- something about a complex sugar maybe-- but either way- 145 is not bad at all and it just means I have to do the 3 hour diagnostic test on Thursday-- luckily I get to bring my works extra lap top with me and get some work done during those 3 hours to help the time pass a little faster, so it probably won't be that bad since I'll just be working. Hopefully I'll pass that test just fine.

I went and bought my first package of diapers- I just hated the fact that we didn't have ANY in the house and I just feel better at least having some- and I really wanted to put them in our diaper holder that is hanging on the crib- it's just fun! :)

27 weeks also means doctor appointments now start every other week! That is going to make these last 13 weeks FLY BY! I just hope we are totally prepared by the time she comes! It will be here before we know it!

I had Megan Otto's wedding over the weekend and she chose a GREAT dress for a pregnant Mindi-- it was very flattering and comfortable!


And as requested- 27 week belly shot... and its so sad I couldn't take it in my pink polka dot pants..... :( I'll have to find a different outfit for the 3rd trimester belly shots.....

26 Weeks

Well- for 26 weeks the major things I have noticed are
1) I have been SOO tired, I'm glad that when I was super motivated to do things around the house a few weeks ago that I worked by butt off because lately I just want to go home and go to bed, she must be growing like crazy in there.

2) She is a kicker! She moves around almost all day long- she already has her own routine- she sleeps in the early morning- she'll wake up with me but goes back to sleep, I think the warm shower is calming to her, and then starts moving around again at about 8ish- then she moves and moves until around 11 and sleeps until after I eat lunch- moves around for a few more hours and is back to sleep from 2-4ish and then is off and on then all night long- its just funny seeing her routine all ready. Oh- and she likes my right side of my stomach better then the left-- if you want to feel her moving- reach for my right side and you might just feel her kick.

3) Ab muscles HURT when they start to really stretch out! Friday night I didn't sleep very well- I had a dull ache on my right side with occasional sharp pains, I woke up with it and when I got out of bed and starting moving around it just ached really bad. I called the doctor and she said that the location I was telling her where it was is just my muscles stretching out- that one in particular- right side in line with my hip bone- she said is normally 2 inches long- throughout your pregnancy it stretches to 6-7 inches long-- I said no wonder it hurts so bad! Now, today, Monday, its getting better just the occasional sharp pinch but it doesn't ache as bad as it did Saturday morning.

One thing they told us is now the baby can really hear what is going on outside the womb and you can read to her or play her music that is calming, so last night I put my headphones on my belly and played her a lullabye CD and she was moving around a little bit- I hope she liked it and wasn't moving around saying- STOP this music... they said calming music played while in the womb can comfort the baby once they are born as it is something familar to them, so I think I'm going to continue to do that for her. They also said that by now her heartbeat should be strong enough that if you put your ear to my stomach in the right spot you could hear her heart beating. So- Taylor gave that a try last night and he said he could hear things- he wasn't sure if it was her heart beating- but he could hear something going on in there-- AND- with her good aim- she kicked him right in the face- hard- three times- it was pretty funny! :) And- Taylor got to see my stomach REALLY buldge out last night too for the first time- I was trying to show him something on my stomach and lifted up my shirt and she kicked hard and he was like- whoa- what was that-- She is starting her late night shows for us, it is so exciting! I can't believe how fast time is flying-- it's already October!

25 Weeks and 1st Baby Shower

Well- this was an eventful weekend- we went garage saleing- actually started on Friday afternoon, then woke up EARLY Saturday morning and ventured out. We found a ton of cute little girl outfits- and in VERY good condition and even some with the tags still attached! Me, my mom and Danielle all went one way and Taylor and Ben went the other so we covered a lot of ground on Saturday.

Sunday was my first baby shower and it was so much fun! My friend Stephanie even came down to surprise me at it- it was so exciting to see her!

This little girl got all kinds of wonderful gifts- tons of adorable outfits that I can't WAIT to dress her up in, her first books and cds, bottles, her bathtub, cozy blankets, pacifiers, bibs, her stroller and car seat and the list could go on and on.










And YES- you can call me a dork, but I just couldn't stand having the nursery look cluttered after I got home- so YES- I have already put everything away- I got all the clothes all washed up and hanging in the closet- the blankets nicely displayed in her blanket basket and all the "stuff" sitting nicely organized on the shelf of the changing table. I just needed to have it put away because I worked so hard on getting that room ready that it just made it feel more real now having all her things sitting out and ready to be used.

And of course- I made Taylor put the car seat and stroller together, I was too excited to see it and we need to make sure that the base of the car seat works well in our cars so we got it all put together and- it took a few tries- but we figured out how to make the thing work- so now we are pros at it. I was the most nervous on learning how the car seat, stroller, and them combined would work together- everyone else's that I've tried to do I haven't been able to figure out- so it was nice taking the time to push all the buttons and see all the neat tricks it can do, and now- we've got it all figured out!


I had a wonderful weekend and I am so thankful for all of the people who thought of our little angel and got her something nice- I think this little one is already loved by so many people and that is such a wonderful feeling to me to know that everyone is just as excited to meet her as Taylor and I are, she is going to be loved so much!

And- check this out--- me at 25 weeks--- can you say POP! I felt like I was getting bigger and bigger every single day last week-- and physically I noticed it- I was a LOT more tired last week then I have been in awhile- she really had a growth spurt!

Changes- OVER NIGHT.....

OK- I swear my tummy has grown over night! It even feels like its gotten bigger as the day has gone by.... They said that during week 24 she could put on as much as 6 ounces (bones and muscle weight)- and I think she did and offically today I'm 25 weeks. And she's finally shifted to, she isn't laying sideways in my pelvis anymore- I think she's now figured out how to be more up and down in my stomach- probably more room that way. But since she's moved my stomach really has changed quite a bit. My maternity pants are even fitting me differently-- and my precious pink polka dot pants that I take all my belly shots in--- well- it was a SAD night- I had to wear them lower on my waist because that's just where they fit- so that means the crotch was hanging lower then normal and I went to put my knee up on the chair downstairs and RIP-- I ripped a hole right down the front crotch and to the leg-- really weird rip- but I was very upset because those were my favorite pants (not to mention I had JUST put them on as I had knocked my piece of garlic toast that was covered in sauce off my plate and onto my shirt and pants I had already been wearing for the day) Taylor couldn't help but laugh a little- but was very sweet about it all and told me I could wear his baseball pj pants so they'd fit me a little better.

This weekend is a BIG weekend-- City Wide Garage Sales-- so call me if you are out and about and see something good that I might want for the baby- I've already got my map all marked up and ready- 22 sales for me and mom and I'm sending Ben and Taylor to 15 of them so they can look for house stuff, garage stuff and outdoor stuff!

Also this weekend is my first baby shower!! YEAH!!! I'm SOOO excited!! So be ready for a bunch of pictures to come on Monday--- and of course- a new belly shot- because I think I've gotten bigger since last week!

24 Weeks- 6 Months!!!

Alrighty- as requested-- Here is an updated belly shot and some updated photos from the nursery.....


Here I am- 24 weeks along... I feel like I'm going to be popping again soon- my tummy just feels tight- and the skin all the way around my belly button has a purple tint to it- Taylor said it kind of looks like my skin is just really stretching right there and my belly button is starting to come closer and closer to the surface-- so I keep up with the lotion and just hope that things stretch out nicely and don't leave me covered in stretch marks! I know- I don't have any control over it- but I figured I can do my best to help it.


We hung some things on the walls to make it a little more girly-- I got some hooks at Michaels (for $1!!) and I painted them myself--- then next to the crib is a poem I had hanging on my walls- Why God Made Little Girls.


Here you can see under the clock is my clown picture- you turn its nose and it plays Send in the Clowns-- whenever I got sent to my room or I wasn't feeling good I'd turn his nose and listen to the song and it always made me feel better-- Taylor thinks it's scary- but I love it-- and I'm not afraid of clowns- so I figured an early exposure to clowns will make our little girl not afraid of them either! LOL!
And above the closet is the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep prayer-- Taylor and I both had this same picture hanging in our rooms when we were younger-- must be fate!


And here you can see Taylor's alphabet poster-- My Angel Poem and two Angels I had in my room and above the light switch is another prayer I had hanging in my nursery. It's so fun to be able to share these special things with my daughter- and to make her room look a little more girly! Just simple touches are making that room feel cozier!

Once she arrives and we name her I am going to get her name in those wooden letters and paint those and hang those above her crib-- so that's why that wall is still left blank.

Up next is my first baby shower on Sunday! I'm so excited to be able to put baby supplies in the nursery- it will make it feel that much more real! So check back next week for photos!

OH--- and I think I'm in my nesting period-- I just want to be home- and when I'm home I'm cooking, cleaning, decorating, trying to get things ready-- it's such a weird feeling as I use to HATE doing these types of things-- but now I feel like I just can't get enough of it! I'm so thankful that my body is handling this pregnancy so well and I'm able to move around so easily. I just pray these last 16 weeks go as smoothly as well.

1st Anniversary

Well- we made it through our first year of marriage! We were talking over the weekend about all the things we've done in this past year- We moved into our new house, got a puppy, Taylor got a new car, I coached a dance team to a championship, Taylor coached baseball, He got his first teaching job, he taught summer school, he went to state for baseball, we fixed up our house, we got pregnant, and I finally found my passion for cooking.... these things along with many others-- but these were our biggest feats. What an exciting first year we have had- now this year will bring us a baby! Things are really getting exciting for us!

For our anniversary- I decided we should bring back an old memory and go to an apple orchard- so we went to the one in Jordan were we got to taste test apples and eat a yummy lunch and look around their cute little shop- buy some apples......

Here we are with our Macintosh apples- probably the BEST apples you could EVER eat!





Then, I thought it was going to be a good idea, but the apple orchard also had a corn maze-- I thought- well that sounds like a neat idea... so we went over to where the corn maze was- and we were the ONLY ONES there-- it cost us $7 each to walk around a field of corn for a half hour-- I thought it was going to be different with like a map or clues on how to get through the maze- you know- something a little more interactive-- but apparently not- this one wasn't that neat-- basically it was a waste of $14- but we tried to make the best of it- and I guess- Live and Learn....





Then on Sunday- our actual anniversary- some friends came over to watch the football game and fill up on a ton of yummy food- it was a perfect weekend-- spending time together and spending time with friends, we couldn't have asked for more! Bring it on Year 2! :)

23 Weeks

I was thinking to myself this morning as I was getting ready-- 'this pregnancy is going pretty darn good!' Besides the really bad morning sickness in the first trimester- this second one has just been great! I haven't gained weight anywhere else besides my tummy (but have still managed to put on 12 pounds total as of this morning- but that's a good thing!)- no swelling at all yet- I'm very mobile and can still do everything- within reason- and I'm just feeling good! My appetite is back to normal- I don't feel the need to HAVE to snack ALL DAY LONG anymore like I did when I was dealing with morning sickness. I still prefer my pasta and chicken over anything else- oh- and my mom bought me my first bag of the season of those little pumpkin candies-- I can't get enough of them!

This past weekend I worked my BUTT off! I finally finished putting away all the gifts we had gotten over the past year that I just hadn't found a home for- so in doing that I cleaned out and organized our under the stairs storage room- then finally got one of the closets in the nursery all cleaned out and ready to go for baby girl clothes, then I went to Michael's and got some coat hooks that you paint and then hang on the wall- I got a butterfly, flower and a heart- so I got those all painted and ready to be hung up- as soon as Taylor gets around to it! So we are working on getting the nursery a little more girly- I thought it was really leaning towards more boyish- so just with some simple touches and hanging the right things on the walls- WA LA! it's girlified! :) I'll post some pictures of it next week- we still have some things yet to hang up.

This up and coming weekend is our 1st Anniversary (September 16)- Taylor and I are switching off every other year on who comes up with what we will be doing- I decided to take the odd years- so I've got a fun day planned for us on Saturday- but it's a surprise- so I'll have to fill you in on it next week.

What is Baby Pagel!?!?!??

It's a ...........

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our ultrasound went GREAT!! She was moving around in there like crazy- she even kicked the tech in the hand- it was pretty funny!! We got to see her kicking and sucking her thumb and pointing at us and she even gave us a thumbs up!

And our tech said she is VERY much so a little girl!



Here is a profile shot of her trying to get her thumb back into her mouth- you can see her with her hand over her nose and her lips are open slightly.



So- we couldn't help ourselves- we had to go and get something cute and pink- so we went to Target and got a layette set- its a gown with pink flowers, a footsie sleeper and a onesie and pants- and it comes with a matching hat and bib! So much fun! Taylor is so excited to have a Daddy's Girl!



I'm just excited that FINALLY we'll have another girl in the house-- if she would have been a "he" I would have been out numbered- 4 to 1... so now I have someone to share my pink fetish with!



And me at 22 weeks! See- I really popped! And I think Joey is starting to catch on to something-- he just can't get enough of me today and had to be in the picture too! :)