The gender verdict

Today was a big day at the doctor's office. Although it took a loooooooong time to finally get called back for my sonogram ... I'm talking an hour and a half ... it was well worth the wait.

The nurse came and got me pretty early initially, but just to weigh in and have my vitals taken. I'm proud to say I've gained 4 pounds total, so I'm right on track in that department. Hopefully if I did any true damage with the junk I ate over Christmas, I can undo it before it shows its presence on the scale next month.

Then came the waiting game. Apparently everyone was schedule for the sonogram machine today, so I had to patiently wait my turn. I was really starting to get anxious and frustrated with they finally came back and got me again. Dr. Daum greeted us in the sono room and was ready to go fishing (quite literally) for gender evidence. What started as an abdominal ultrasound eventually turned into the ... *ahem* ... other type of ultrasound. The little booger was being too modest to show the goods the easy way. But, lo and behold, the ultrasound wand finally found the treasure buried under the umbilical cord to reveal ... a girl!!!

She was squirming all over the place, but mostly not in the right direction to get any shots that the untrained eye could really decipher. Plus she was breech and the cord went between her legs making it harder to get the money shot. But Dr. Daum was persistent, gently prodding her with the wand until she turned just the right way, at which point he said, "I'm 100% sure, those parts are of the female persuasion."

He did his best to point it out to us. I could see what he saw, but I think Cory was too much in denial to really accept the doc's certainty. *wink* Get ready, dad, you're gonna have a daughter!

Everything else looked great he said, and I'll have another sono at 26 weeks where we should be able to get some good images of all her cute little features. Until then, I'll be shopping for bedding and other nursery decor and helping Cory adjust to the idea of having a little girl.

Because I couldn't wait...

I thought it would be fun to show the progression of my belly growth.

4 weeks

Why is she taking a profile picture?  Weirdo.

***

8 weeks

Maybe she should do some crunches.

***

10 weeks

Uh, maybe she should quit her day job and hit the gym, HARD.

***

13 weeks

Oh, she's pregnant ... I think.

***

15 weeks

Ooooh, yea, she's definitely pregnant. :o)

So there you have it.  I've come a long way in 15 weeks, and I can only imagine what the next 25 will bring.  Consequently, I think I like my hair curly as opposed to straight.  What do you think?  And it's for sure getting grown back out, so no comments necessary on the length ... it's not staying this way.  I know, I know ... typically new mommies chop their hair off, but I've been there done that and got it out of my system.  Doing so confirmed that I truly do prefer long hair ... therefore, it's growing out.

Baby belly and bruised bumper

It seems I'm not very good at keeping up with this blogging thing. I blame it on my husband since he usually monopolizes the computer in the evenings after I've gotten home from work. But a stern warning from a friend and fellow blogger (yes, Sara, I'm talking about you! *wink*) has encouraged me to be more regular with my posts which is especially important since I've reached the point in my pregnancy where there will be much more to report on a regular basis.

On with the pregnancy update. I'm 15w1d as of today and already visibly bigger than I was here at 13w3d:

I'll have pictures to prove it when I post details about our Christmas festivities, but let's just say that last night when I was getting ready for bed, Cory's face said it all! I was wearing a pair of capri-length pj pants and a tank top ... neither of which are baggy on me by any means. I was in the bathroom washing my face and going through the rest of my bedtime routine when he came into the room after securing the house for the night. I was facing the mirror which meant he had a perfect profile shot of my baby bump, and his eyes almost popped out of his head as he exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, you're getting huge!" Thanks, babe! I've never received a more precious compliment! :o)

But getting back to the idea of Christmas festivities, here are our plans: We are spending Christmas Eve with Cory's whole family in Burleson, then going back over there on Christmas Day morning to exchange gifts with just his parents and siblings. Around lunch we'll jump in the good ol' rental car and head to my parents' house in White Deer. I'm definitely not looking forward to the drive, but I sure am ready for a visit home! We'll have Christmas with my parents, brother, sis-in-law, and nephew on Saturday, then drive back on Sunday afternoon.

Oh, so you might be asking yourself, "Why are the Bakers driving a rental car?" Well, I'll tell you. Last Wednesday, we went to pick up our brand-spankin' new GMC Terrain ... or the baby mobile as I like to call it. On Saturday, we had to make a dreaded trip to Wal-Mart, and we purposely parked in the boonies to avoid getting a ding or scratch. But, when we came out and got closer to it, we noticed this perfect trailer-hitch-sized square dent in the bumper. Yep, someone backed into us and just took off with not so much as a note under the windshield wiper!!

I was livid, but not surprised. I have to admit, circumstances like this really make me cynical toward the human race as a whole. Whatever happened to common decency?!?!

So with our hope in mankind shattered and our Christmas spirit deflated, we decided to just call it a day and go home. Monday Cory spent some time on the phone with our insurance company and a few repair shops to get an idea about how much it might cost to get the dent knocked out and the chipped paint repaired. We didn't even really debate whether we would or wouldn't fix it. It was more or less a given since we'd barely had the vehicle for more than 48 hours. Luckily our policy is pretty accommodating for incidences with "uninsured motorists" ... a.k.a. jerks who hit you in parking lots and run off like big pansies.

As a result, I dropped off the Terrain at Collision Specialists after work yesterday and picked up a sweet Camry to drive until ours is restored to factory condition. (I realize tone is not always effectively communicated in writing, so I'll add the note to insert a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'sweet' in the previous sentence.) I mean, it's ok, I guess, except that it smells like a cheap hotel. They must use the same odor neutralizer. But it's not costing us anything, and we'll avoid putting 1,000 miles on our new car for the trip to White Deer.

So that's been our most recent dose of drama. Thankfully it's on the mend, and we'll be reunited with our sweet (no sarcasm intended) new Terrain early next week. Since I didn't even have time to take pictures of it before it was practically ruined (ok, maybe 'ruined' is a little much, but damaged nonetheless), here's a photo I pulled off the web for your viewing pleasure. :o) Can't wait to have this baby back!

Back to blogging after a not-so-fun couple of weeks

So it’s been a little while since I’ve blogged … I know. I’ve had a few things to deal with though, so my absence is justified I think. Most of you are aware that I had surgery two weeks ago, and wow, was it unexpected for me. I’ll spare you all the gory details, but let’s just say it’s not something I EVER want to experience again.

Possibly the most atrocious event to occur post-op was the fact that the Mansfield Surgery Center (yes, I’m naming them by name so that all will run the other way in terror at the thought of having any procedure performed there) discharged me LONG before I was ready to be discharged. My surgeon and anesthesiologist had given very clear orders about how long I was to remain in recovery before being sent home, but along comes some random nurse with my bag of clothes who helped me get dressed and wheeled me out to the car where Cory was waiting for me. If I’d had my wits about me, I would have definitely questioned it, but I figured, “Hey, they’re the medical experts, right?!?!”

So as it turns out, because of this blunder, I ended up having to make a trip to the emergency room 6 hours later because I couldn’t empty my bladder. Ironically, this is one of the things the nurse in question failed to make sure I could do before sending me home. Lovely, huh? Going to the ER was the last thing I needed considering I was in excruciating pain, but it had to be done. Thank you, random nurse, for making a bad situation worse.

Five days after my surgery, I called my doctor to chit-chat about what had happened because, frankly, I was not willing to pay an ER bill that I never should’ve had in the first place. My doctor was completely apologetic about the whole situation and went on to inform me that the nurse who had wrongly discharged me had consequently been discharged from her duties as an RN at the Mansfield Surgery Center. WOW!

Thankfully, though, it’s been two weeks since the surgery, and I’m recovering as expected now. Not to say it hasn’t been a challenge, but we’ve managed. The day of and after my surgery my parents were here to help which turned out to be a God-send. I don’t think we could’ve made it through that first day without them. Cory has taken sensational care of me since, and I’m so thankful for him.

As terrible as all of this was on its own (and believe me, it was pretty terrible), I had the added stress of going through it pregnant. You other mommies and mommies-to-be know that anything and everything you put in your body during pregnancy can be a potential hazard. Even medications deemed “safe during pregnancy” carry a small risk. So it was a little unnerving, to say the least, to undergo anesthesia, get a dose of morphine, and be given a prescription for vicodin during the whole ordeal. Every medical professional along the way, including my OB, assured me that everything would be fine, and after my appointment on Tuesday, their claims seemed to be confirmed! :o)

Our honeybun is growing perfectly, and we brought home plenty of evidence in the form of sonogram pictures to prove it. Here’s my favorite … our little mooner.

We’ll find out on the 29th if it’s a boy or girl!!! Doc was leaning towards girl after what he saw this go ‘round. :o) So, we’ll see!! Stay tuned.

A big first

It goes without saying that the first pregnancy is full of, well, FIRSTS!  Tuesday night in my class, I experienced one of the really fun firsts for preggo gals.  Someone noticed my baby bump!!  Granted, it's small ... I mean I'm only a little over 9 weeks ... but nonetheless, it's there.  To many, it probably just looks like I need to hit the gym and focus on crunches, but to those who've known me and are familiar with my non-pregnant shape, the belly is making itself known.  I guess the only way to grow from here is out!

Trying to make things right

Dear Food,

I’m so very sorry if I did something to offend you. Please accept my sincere apologies. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? I’m not happy with the relationship we have right now, and I would really love to get back to the way we were. I don’t understand how you can keep hurting me this way … after all we’ve been through. I can’t go on like this much longer, so please … for the sake of my sanity and my esophagus … let’s settle down and spend some quality time together.

Sincerely yours,

Sena

Who knew?!

I've always known I wanted to be a mom and that I'd love all the things that go with it - good and not so great. Right now it's the nausea, acne, and countless other "blessings" that come with early pregnancy. In a little more than 7 months it will be sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and of course the joy of a tiny new life. But if anyone had told me I'd be so obsessed with the first photo of that itty bitty baby growing inside me, I'd have said they were crazy. After all, at .98cm, you can't even tell which end is which. But seriously, who knew I'd be so proud of that strong little heartbeat?!?!

Since finding out we were pregnant, I couldn't help but worry from time to time. Am I eating the right things? Drinking enough fluids? Washing my hands and guarding against the flu to the best of my ability? What if something goes wrong ... even something I have no control over? It has felt like an eternity since the positive test until today - my first prenatal appointment. The nausea has really been the only reminder that I'm pregnant. But it all became so real when we saw our little one on that sonogram screen today. I could've sat there all day and watched the heart flicker. It's such a relief to know that, at least at this point, everything is just as it should be.

Here he or she is in all of his or her 7 week 2 day glory!

Calling all dream interpreters

I’ve heard that pregnant women tend to have some pretty vivid and interesting dreams, but I find it kind of hard to believe that only a few weeks into this I’m already experiencing it. I usually never remember my dreams, but now the stand out more than ever.

Most recently, I was loading our child into the car (yes, we already had a kid and SHE was about 4 years old), and there was a spider on the car door that I insisted on removing before putting my daughter in the car. She inquired why I wanted it gone, and I explained that if I left it there, it might get into the car while she was getting in her seat and end up biting her. I was trying to protect her, right?! Oh, and did I mention it was a black widow??? Hello! Why would I knowingly let a black widow anywhere near my child?

My daughter, being the sweet little angel that she is (in my dream), didn’t want me to hurt the spider, but I knew the better option was to go ahead and smash it to smithereens. So I did for the most part. The only section remaining unsquished was the back end where the distinctive hour-glass shape is found. This was no ordinary black widow, however. No. It had a huge stinger on that end much like a wasp.

The next thing I knew, I had picked up that part of the spider and handed it to my daughter to look at. What in the world was I thinking?!?!?!?! How it went from threatening spider to child’s new toy I don’t really recall. But, seriously, I just gave it to her with no qualms after putting up such a fight about needing to kill it before putting her in the car? Wow. What kind of mother am I? *sigh*

In addition to that dream, I’ve been in Nebraska witnessing my boss’s research get approved in a record 64 minutes, been mad at Cory I can’t tell you how many times (and usually for something dumb, I’ll admit), and bottle-fed a goat. Talk about beddy-bye variety, huh!

I’ll do my best to keep entertaining you with my adventures in slumber land.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!

Ok, so I didn’t just wake up one day and think, “I want to start blogging again.” Well, maybe that’s sort of how it happened, but there were underlying reasons for my sudden desire to rejoin the blogging world. You might be asking yourself, “Self, what is she talking about?” I’ll tell you …

Cory and I are expecting our first precious child! We are elated to say the least and blessed that it did not take long to be successful after making the decision to expand our current family of two.

This adventure began back at the beginning of August when signs from nature, or lack thereof rather (she says with a wink), seemed to point to the fact that we might be in for a surprise. But a few home tests and an eventual doctor’s visit revealed the contrary. Looking back, that was an extremely long week in our house. Hopes were high with thoughts of pitter-pattering little feet. After getting the negative result from the doctor, though, we departed cloud nine for an abrupt landing back on Earth.

We spent that weekend discussing how we felt about the ordeal. Were we ready, could we afford it, etc., etc., etc.???? We gave ourselves a little time to recover from the emotional rollercoaster we’d just exited, and ultimately decided that we were indeed really ready to have a baby. The very next day, almost as if “she” had never missed a beat, my body was back on track. Talk about some serious confirmation!

Not all that surprising, our first attempt was more or less practice. But who can really complain about that, right?! :o) The timing for the next go 'round was interesting because I was going to Houston for my best friend's baby shower (of all things!!) just days before I would get "the sign" of success or failure. Note: I use the word failure loosely, because after all ... "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" Anyway, so the weekend was spent talking about all things BABY. Tisha and I giggled about the idea of taking a pregnancy test while I was there and then getting to show it to Cory once I got home. But, alas, I managed to overcome the temptation to test early for the simple fact of not losing hope unnecessarily.

A few more days went by and it was FINALLY time. Was I or wasn't I??? I couldn't wait to find out. On Tuesday evening I told myself, "If there's no sign of 'being broken' (as Cory refers to it) in the morning, I'll do a test." Morning came ... no signs. So, I tested! I was barely awake, my contacts were glued to my eyes, I couldn't find my eye drops, and I was trying to brush my teeth. It didn't seem to take long for the two minutes to pass, and I just barely glanced down and had to do a double-take. "Is that a blue plus sign?!?!?!?!?!" Holy blue plus sign, Batman! I'M PREGNANT!!!

It was super early, but of course I woke Cory up to give him the news. Needless to say, he was pumped!!! I can just imagine how manly he felt at that very moment. :o) It was all very surreal and unexpected. Just days before, I had felt the same as every month in the past right about the time the curse shows up, so I didn't have my hopes up about a positive result. But that just goes to show that everything I've read about pregnancy symptoms being almost identical to menstrual symptoms is true! At least for me, that is.

Looking back

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of buying our house and moving to Mansfield. Man, how time flies! During my reflections of the past year, my desire to be an avid blogger was revived. Thus, Being the Bakers is born.

At the present time, I am not going to chronicle all of the events of the past year in great detail, but I will provide a quick snapshot ... no pun intended ... of who we are.

So here are some graphical representations, in no particular order, of us ... being "The Bakers."

In Las Vegas for the wedding
celebration extravaganza.


This is how we roll.


Vegas, baby! YEAH!


In Austin for a wedding shower/scavenger
hunt for our dear friends Chance and Mamie.


The Bakers would not be complete
without feline Baker, Lucy ...


... and canine Bakers, Marley and Bandit.


At Splitsville with friends.

Halloween 2008 - the Haunted

Circus

Adding some artistic touches

to the house.