A Surprise Look at Baby

Ah, I've been ever so sneaky, with my wonderful plan! I was originally supposed to have my ultrasound at 21 weeks, which meant that the only way Michael would find out the sex would be over the phone. I was not happy with this. So I asked the nurse if we could do it at 18 weeks, she said yes, and so that's exactly what I did. I knew I would be going up to see Michael on his pass just a few days after, so it would be perfect. Jaime went with me to the ultrasound and videotaped. When it came time to finding out the sex, I had the technician put the photo in an envelope (not only did she do that, she put it in two and taped it shut!). After I picked up Michael from Ft. McCoy on Thursday and we got back to the hotel room, I told him I made a video that I wanted him to watch. He sat down with not a whole lot of reaction when it started and it was obvious that it was an ultrasound. I asked if he knew what was going on and he said looks like you went to an ultrasound, as if this is something that occurs often at the doctor. Then a look came over his face and he got really excited and said, this is to find out the sex! I grabbed the envelope and told him that no one knew what it was, that Jaime and I both turned our heads so we wouldn't find out. He was so excited he started ripping the envelope open. I asked him if he wanted to wait until we got to that part in the video, but neither of us could wait that long and opened it within a few seconds. There it was, B-O-Y. It was an incredibly emotional experience. He told me later he was so glad that we got to find out together. And although there was some lying to make my little plan happen, it was all worth it in the end!



The ultrasound itself was amazing. She pulled up the picture and found him right away. He was in a little ball so she had to do a little prodding to unfold him. Then she focused in and pulled up a 3D/4D picture of him! I had no clue they were going to do that as Jaime's doctor does not do that type of ultrasound normally. It was amazing to see him. One of the pictures even looks like he's smiling! I always thought they were a little creepy, but you can see the little hands face so much better. I'm so happy they did it. Nutter is so much more like a baby than he was at 8 weeks, the progress is just incredible. It makes the whole experience so much more real, seeing him and knowing he's a boy.

It All Happened So Fast

Things have been looking up the last few days. I thought to myself, things are really turning around. So I was in pretty good spirits this morning when I woke up. I decided to take the dogs for a quick walk this morning since I would be taking them to the kennel this evening. We didn't even get a half a block away before we had one of the scariest experiences on our walks. Now, our walks are usually an adventure, but this one doesn't even fit in that category. All I know is that we were walking along when these two big solid dogs come busting out of their house and attacked Benny and Sammy. It all happened so quickly that a lot of it is a blur. Somehow we got the dogs separated. Benny was okay and at first I only saw a small cut on Sammy's leg. But another neighbor who had come out to help found a gash in her shoulder. I took Benny back to the house and took Sammy to the vet. They had to put her under in order to suture her back up. And since I'm leaving in the morning they are going to keep her there until I get back so they can keep an eye on her and give her the antibiotics each day. Apparently the owners of the dogs are out of town and it's his sister that is dog-sitting. She must not have latched the door when she came outside. It was an honest mistake and she is very upset about all of this. I've talked with the owners and they are taking care of the vet bill. I have since learned that this is not the first attack, and these dogs have attacked not only other dogs but some people as well. It's just a bad situation and I hate that it happened. I wish I took them on a different route or at a different time and this wouldn't have happened. It makes me so upset that my poor little Sammers is not home where she needs to be, getting love from her momma. Both of them, actually. I'm sure this was traumatic for Benny too, as skiddish as he is. I'm eager to see Michael but I'm sad to leave them at such a bad time.

Becoming a Man

I just got back from taking the dogs for a little walk. While it wasn't a complete disaster, it never fails to be an adventure. Sammy's collar snapped off and she went flying. She stayed near me but found a cat sitting in a driveway. She started barking and ran up to the cat, got within a foot of it, but then just stood there barking. I was so afraid she was going to tear the cat apart. I don't think she knew what to do. She hates them but she is always on the other side of the fence. But I was able to get her before an altercation occurred. The big news of the walk is that Benjamin lifted his leg to pee not once, or twice, but three times! This is the first time that I've seen him lift his leg to pee and also the first time that he's marked territory on a walk. I knew watching Sammy lift her leg and mark her territory would show him how it's done.

I've noticed him acting a bit tougher too when they play around; he doesn't give in quite so easily anymore. I actually have to break them up a little more often than I used to. While it was a decision that was already made, Benny is losing his "manhood" next month. And just when he starts to become a man.

18 Weeks

Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to hard bone. The umbilical cord is also getting thicker and stronger. Baby is the size of a bell pepper this week, measuring in at approximately 5 1/2 inches long with a weight of about 7 ounces (that's almost half a pound!). Baby is busy flexing arms and legs.

The changes in Nutter don't seem to be as drastic as they were in the beginning. Now that most everything is developed, it just seems like this is the fine-tuning period--and growing! I'm in maternity clothes now, some still a little big to wear. And while I'm still fitting in my regular clothes (minus the waist) it's just more comfortable to wear those elastic bands. Plus I feel much more pregnant when I wear maternity clothes. My bump is also big enough now that I feel like it's baby and not just fatness. I asked the nurse my starting weight and she told me, but it didn't sound right. So when she walked away I looked at the chart and the only weight on there was from last month. So I don't know exactly how much weight I've gained, but since last month I gained 3 pounds-eek! I started feeling little Nutter moving around last week. At first I wasn't sure. I felt these "feelings" that I've never felt before (like the typical gas I often experience). As soon as I would feel them I would freeze, hoping for another feel. But the feelings come and go quickly and are faint. But since then I've been feeling those feelings a lot. It's a hard feeling to describe...most people say like little flutters...but it's weird, like a light movement that just grazes my insides. I had a doctor's appointment last week. Everything was fine, I guess. It felt very rushed but the doctor said everything looked good. Oh, and the pain in my butt isn't necessarily sciatic nerve pain, but is probably nerve pain, although I haven't felt it much lately. I've been feeling pretty good too. I haven't gotten sick in a few weeks, which is the longest time since this all started. I wouldn't say I'm back to myself because I don't think I will be until I'm not pregnant, I have those aches and pains and discomforts, but I feel really good.

A Good Start to the End

Of the month, that is. Looking back at my last post I was pretty excited to start turning things around, and so far so good. I finally got my hair done on Friday. This is something that is about a year overdue. I was going to let the color grow out but I just can't take it anymore. I like being blond. I was actually going to do it this spring-the same week I found out I was pregnant, and so I put it off until I started feeling better. It's subtle, but I like it and it work out well when I'm a busy mom and don't have time to "keep up" with it. It was also the first time I've ever gone to a man to do my hair, but I really like him-he owns the salon-and will probably keep going to him. Yesterday I went to the Louisville Zoo with Jaime, Jeremy, Lucas, and Jeremy's step-dad and his sisters and their kids. It rained most of the morning but even still it was a good time. Unfortunately the sun came out which made things extremely hot and sticky. It was so fun to watch the kids and see their reactions to the animals. I think they had the most fun though in the water park. By the end of the day the babies weren't the only ones exhausted. It was Lucas' birthday so we went back to the house for a cookout and cake. Lucas got a powerwheel from Jaime and Jeremy. He absolutely loved it! It was really cute to see him and his cousin cruising around the backyard on them. I got home late...the dogs crashed as soon as we got in the car and they're still sleeping now. I'm waiting for Jaime to come over now. She took the day off work to come up and scrapbook and we're going to get our nails done too.

Each day keeps getting better as the end of the month nears. The finale will finally be getting to see Michael this week. Yes, this week. Not a few more weeks or next week, but this week, and just a few more days at that. So I'll be busy packing and making sure the car is ready for the long road trip up to Wisconsin. A long trip, but it's going to be very worth it.

What a Week!

What a month, really. I've been on AT, working in the headquarters office. There's 4 people out on leave right and so it was just me, the readiness NCO, the first sergeant, and commander. Well, the readiness NCO had a death in the family so he was out almost all last week. So the phones were forwarded to my phone and I was basically keeping the building afloat. I did the best I could, and I couldn't do everything without access to certain things in the computer without a security clearance. It kept me busy but not my job and not what I thought I would be doing on AT. Although it was a lot, I didn't stress over it. I just thought I'd do the best I can. Besides, I had enough stress in other areas. My car wouldn't start last week, had a mess with the dealer to deal with, trouble with the other car, Benny has escaped the last two days (luckily he doesn't really know how to run away-he stays in the front yard the whole time), the stupid neighbors are still putting off fireworks and I keep finding pieces in my yard-usually Benny is chewing on one of them, and the much anticipated doctor's visit was not what I expected (waited an hour and didn't even really hear the heartbeat but a millisecond). On top of it really hitting me hard how much I miss Michael and how hard this is going to be without him for the next year, it just hasn't been a good month.

But I have a plan. From now on, I'm going to do things and get through things and know that I can. Yep, that's my plan. Last Saturday I mowed. Big deal, right? Well, Jeremy had mowed the last couple of times since Michael went up to McCoy; Michael wasn't too keen on the idea of me mowing. But I looked online and asked the doctor and it's fine. So instead of relying on someone to take care of my yard, I can-and will. It's just a good feeling to not be so dependent on others. Feeling dependent on Michael is one thing, but I just don't like the feeling with others. I would like to use the people around me to keep me company, not put them to work. I also asked the doctor about lifting things. He said my limit should be around 25lbs if I'm not lifting all the time, but that I won't hurt baby, I'll just be hurting myself. So my plan is really more a state of mind. Well, that and my list that continues to increase of stuff to do around here. I have a feeling I'll be plenty good and busy this summer.

Now that the bad things have gotten out of the way already this month, I'm ready to move onto good things...and I think it's already looking bright. I got my first two Netflix movies in the mail today (my grandma sent me a coupon for a free month and I thought I'd try it out). I was so excited-now that's good mail! I went to a CPR class last night, which normally wouldn't be that exciting, but I got to go out to dinner with Jill and see Brenda, who I haven't seen in months! So it was good to hang out with them again. And this coming week already has wonderful things planned. I'm getting my hair done tomorrow, Jaime's coming up on Monday and we're getting our nails done, I'm going down to the Louisville Zoo on Sunday for Lucas' birthday, out lunch with friends on Wednesday, and then the best part of next week--Thursday I leave for Wisconsin to see Michael!

Hide and Seek

The Toppes came up for family night tonight because they had to visit Jeremy's grandpa on Monday. After dinner Jaime, Lucas, and I played hide and seek. It was probably one of the best times I've ever played. He was actually quiet when hiding. This is unusual because normally when he's hiding and you call out, "where's Lucas?" he'll respond with, "over here" or "under the blanket". It is the funniest thing.

I've been taking Michael's car up to Atterbury everyday so that it's driven, but yesterday I took my car because I had to bring all my duffel bags to turn in. It started fine in the morning, but when I went to start it later, it wouldn't start up. I had to crank on and give it gas (I know now, it's fuel injected, blah blah) in order for it to start. It happened several times throughout the day. At the end of the day it started up just fine but then died when I put it in reverse. I was so upset. I'm frustrated with it on several levels. One, because it's not an old beater. It should be reliable and it seems like every year there's something going wrong with it. Two, because Michael's not here. As soon as it happened I wanted to call him up but I can't do that anymore. Jeremy looked up something online and found that a part had been recalled that might fix the problem. So I'm calling tomorrow to make an appointment. It's just bad timing with the trip up to see Michael right around the corner.

Well, I'm going to close for the night. It's raining and the dogs are sleeping and that looks like a wonderful idea. Of course after a little snack that is.