War Eagle

Little Peanut/Esmerelda/Bucky is 5 inches long now and weighs 3 1/2 ounces. She is growing so quickly! Friday, TJ and I are leaving to go to the beach around noon! I am so excited! We have not been since the first week of May! It is Searcy's birthday weekend, and I have a special edible present coming for her! Friday is also day 107 as well as the beginning of week 18 in the pregnancy. Next Friday starts the 5th month. I almost cannot believe that it has been that long! September 12 is the half way marker! The baby becomes viable (she could survive outside the womb) on October 10th. That is so crazy!! Of course, I am hopeful to make it all the way to February 6, but not past! I am confident I will be begging for pitocin by the last day of January if she has not popped out by then! OK, enough baby talk. I am getting ready for some football! will Peanut be an Auburn or Alabama fan? Crap, I have never thought about what having a divided house might do to a child! Oh right, no more baby talk. It dominates my thoughts.

Change my mind? Who? Me? Never.

I ordered a pillow from the newest bedding set that I like for little Peanut's room. See the picture to the right. It is a little more feminine, but not yucky pale pink(or purple either, Lauren). I don't know that she will be a tomboy, but I am hopeful that I won't have to give her to Jane Ann to raise (you know, if she is a priss pot). Seriously, with her genes, I bet she will come out of the womb wearing little cowgirl boots and a mischievous smile.

Baby Girl!!!!!

It's a girl!! She is healthy, and appears to be very laid back. She had her hands behind her head and her ankles crossed Indian Style. She is facing upward in this picture. The images on the ultrasound screen were much better than the pictures they sent us home with! Now we have to wait until mid-September to see her again! I decided not to post her "girl parts" picture...I don't want to create a complex before she is even born! (Plus, it is very difficult to tell what is what anyway.)

16 weeks 1 day

99 days down, 167 to go.
I am getting anxious to know if it is a boy or girl running around in my abdomen. I know its running because when you listen to its heartbeat, it is never in the same place. I am ready to feel its kicks. Currently, all I feel is constant pressure on my bladder or colon depending if I am standing or lying down.
The pups are gearing up to go to their new homes. They are becoming more independent, and much less reliant on "the pack" for support and warmth. Maggie is growing more tired of them, since they now have teeth and I can only imagine how that might feel as she tries to nurse.

Gobble, Gobble, Wahh, Wahh, Onomatopoeia can be fun!

I went to the doctor yesterday, and I begged her to give me an ultrasound. She wanted me to wait a few more days in hopes that we will be able to get a very clear picture of the little crotch. So....Monday is the big day! I am so excited I can barely sit still. The peanut has grown in the past week to 4 1/2 inches in length and weighs 3 1/2 ounces. Dr. Miller found its heartbeat. 150 beats per minute. She was very reassuring this time, and we decided that we will give birth at Baptist East.
TJ and I are going to attend Childbirth Preparation and Breastfeeding Classes at the hospital. Still not sure why he needs to go to breastfeeding class, but I will be glad for him to know, should I be passed out from exhaustion, he can fully execute a feeding by himself. I'm kidding. He will, however, need to know how to wake up from a scream and warm a bottle. (He swears he will be of great help during turkey hunting season, when he will be waking up early anyway.) Hehe.

Growl, could be my stomach, could be my growing puppies!

Ready to eat!!
My stomach is so hungry right now. I am getting to the uncontrollable hunger stage. I could eat all day, and never get full. I am 15 weeks, 4 days pregnant, and ready to have a real belly to prove it. I know it sounds crazy, but I would rather be obviously pregnant than questionably fat. I look like I have been on a McDonald's overload, or that I went on a major beer binge this weekend. Trust me, I would love to do both, but right now I am concentrating on vegetables and orange juice. But if you go get Mickey Dee's, feel free to pick me up a large fry.
TJ and I are anxiously awaiting the doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and it looks like we will be moving in that day too! The paint is drying and I am very pleased with the colors. (Even the red bathroom, sorry Searcy! I think you will still like it.)
The puppies are growing so quickly, and are eating solid puppy food now! They should be ready to go to their new homes in two weeks at the latest.

This is me with a pillow up my dress. This is not actually how big I am. I repeat, this is merely a preview of what is to come.

Peanut can move his feet, kick me in the bladder, and spread his little monkey toes today. This makes me very happy. I can't feel the kicks yet, but they say in another week or two I will. My doctor's appointment was moved from Monday to Wednesday of next week, so it will be even longer until we find out when the next ultrasound is...uhhh. So impatient.

I tried to hear his/her heartbeat last night, but peanut must have been asleep, because it was no where to be found. (This is no cause for concern. About every 5th time I can't locate it because the baby shifts drastically while there is still room to move.)