25 Weeks 3 Days: Coupons and a Fun weekend Trip!

Our sweet girl continues to grow! She weighs almost 1.5 pounds and is about 9 inches long in length! Her capillaries are forming under her skin and in her lungs. Her nostrils are starting to open up (apparently they have been plugged up?) and her vocal chords are now functioning! Nothing has really changed for me except the numbers on the scale. :) The past two weeks I've been extremely itchy, but I think it's more dry skin and winter rather than skin stretching!
Andy and I spent the first half of my 25th week attempting to get back on a reasonable grocery budget by using coupons! Over the last two weeks of getting moved in and trying to start ready for the baby I made the following observations:
1. We spend WAY to much money on groceries
2. We don't eat leftovers and end up throwing practically whole meals away sometimes
3. We need to start stocking up on diapers!
I decided that we were going to cut our grocery budget down to under $100 by shopping the sales, going to multiple stores to try and find the best deals, eating all our leftovers, and limit our eating out to one night a week (Friday or Saturday). I was then going to use the money we were saving to start buying diapers and wipes. I spent the whole week looking at the Ads of different stores, printing out coupons, and making a menu for the week. We went shopping Friday and I did pretty well. We didn't get under $100, but we were close! I can't wait to try again this week :)
Saturday we drove up to Virginia to visit Andy's family and to see our sweet niece Caroline get baptized on Sunday. It was such a fun trip, I love his family and enjoying spending time with them. While we were visiting Andy and I were spoiled with baby goodies! Annalise was given some of the cutest clothes, a box of formula, a carrier, and a bouncy seat from her Aunt Abby, Uncle Ben, and her cousins. Her great grandma also crocheted her a beautiful blanket, and Andy's cousin Jessica knitted her a hat and booties! I love how loved our baby girl is already! I can't wait until she's here to meet everyone!
Here are some 25 week bump pictures these were taken in the hotel room before going to Caroline's baptism on Sunday.

24 Weeks: Baby-Do-List

We have reached viability! According to my Ovia pregnancy app. Baby's lungs are getting good enough at breathing that if she were to be born today there is a great chance she would survive! Hooray! Of course we do not want that to happen. She better stay in there as long as possible! This week she is the size of an egg plant. She weighs about 1.5-2 pounds and is gaining weight at a rate of 6 ounces per week. (No wonder I gained so much weight this month!) Her ears are getting even sharper and her face is fully formed complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair! I wonder if she will be blonde like Andy's family or brunette like me? Curly hair or straight hair? And what color will her eyes be? I can't wait to find out!
As baby continues to grow I have started experiencing new symptoms. I am no longer the heavy sleeper I used to be. I wake up at least twice during the night and am wide awake a good 30 minutes before I can go back to sleep. I have started getting leg cramps at night and backaches during the day. I also think there have been 2 instances where I have had Braxton Hicks, although I can't be sure.
Everything went well at our monthly checkup yesterday. The doctor used the doppler and we got to hear her heartbeat! I live for those few seconds! Here is my question about Dopplers: Do they pick up the heartbeat exactly where the baby is, or can the doctor put it anywhere on my uterus and find it? I ask because yesterday I had been feeling the baby kick me a lot on the left. Then when the doctor used the doppler in the middle she couldn't pick anything up. She had to move it all the way to my right side close to my hip bone to get the heartbeat. Was that where she was at the moment? We also began a new routine at the doctor yesterday. She took a tape measure and measured my stomach! I guess that means it's grown enough that it now needs to be documented :)
In other news, Andy and I have officially been in our new townhouse for a week! And let me just say the clutter and the mess is driving me INSANE! I do not know who this clean freak, organization Nazi is but I blame it on the hormones. Or maybe its just that before in our old apartment there was just so much stuff everywhere and I knew we were moving so it just didn't matter. Anyways, there is so much to do it is becoming overwhelming, and everything we accomplish seems to make a mess somewhere else. I spent much of yesterday creating what I'm calling a "Baby-Do-List" Everything we need to get done house wise and baby wise before a deadline of April 1st.  It's not super long and there are a lot of little things on it, but with Andy and I both working full time jobs and living basically paycheck to paycheck it may take awhile. Here is a copy:

As you can see I've already crossed two things off! Buy a couch and pay Dr. bill! We accomplished these two yesterday and WE LOVE OUR NEW COUCHES! Hopefully we'll get a couple more things crossed off by the end of the weekend. But for now, on this beautiful Saturday morning, Andy and I are enjoying finally being able to sit down on something other than the floor and are extremely happy about the the fact that I am paid in full for doctor visits through my 6 weeks postpartum checkup!

Here is Andy enjoying reclining on our new sofa this morning!

23 Weeks and 4 Days: All Moved In! And Hematologist Update!

As expected things have been pretty crazy around here! Andy and I are successfully all moved into our new home! The move went smoothly minus a busted pipe and minor flood in the old apartment as Andy was unhooking the washing machine. Nothing of ours was ruined just a couple of soaked boxes and a couch we didn't want anyways. We love our new place! I am having a lot of fun unpacking and making a home with Andy. Indy and Fat Kitty are enjoying themselves as well. Indy has discovered stairs! It's hilarious watching her run up and down them! I can't wait to get our furniture so then we can actually hang up decorations! I look around the living room with it's one chair and coffee table and get a little panicky. We have a lot to do before we bring our little munchkin home. These next few months are going to fly by getting everything ready, not to mention set up a nursery!
Speaking of all things baby, yesterday I had my follow up hematologist appointment with the specialist at Emory to discuss how my Factor 7 clotting disorder would affect my delivery and what needed to happen to make sure I was able to stop bleeding. I was previously told by my hematologist that I may have to deliver at a different hospital that was capable of running the correct tests to check my clotting factor levels before, during, and after deliver. I was also told that a C-section may be a safer option. So Andy and I went into this appointment thinking that we were going to get a lot of information and be presented with a plan for delivering our baby safely. What we actually got was a complete waste of time. It took us almost an hour and a half to get to St. Joseph's where our appointment was and the actual appointment with the doctor took less then 30 minutes. I was questioned about my bleeding history and then told I should be good to go for regular delivery with my normal doctor at my planned hospital. I would get some clotting medicine right after I had the baby and be on my way, no big deal. My other doctor made it sound like what I had could potentially be serious and this doctor was like "eh you'll be fine" The one thing I did learn was that during pregnancy sometimes factor levels increase and so my levels could possibly drop after I deliver so I must follow-up 4-6 weeks after the baby is born. I guess it is good I went though and I am counting my blessings that, as of right now, everything can go according to how I planned it: regular delivery with my doctor.
After I saw the doctor I had to have labs done. I've never in my life had so much blood drawn. 15 tubes is what the nurse took from me! They took so much blood they made me drink two cups of cranberry juice. What they were checking for, I have no idea since the doctors had already established that I do, indeed have a clotting disorder and it really is Factor 7 (for some reason no one believes me)
So that is that, I have another appointment with my original hematologist in February. Hopefully the two doctors will have collaborated by then and nothing will have changed!

23 Weeks: Hello 4AM on a Saturday

Well, this is a new symptom.....not sleeping! Hello crack of dawn Saturday morning! I have literally spent the last hour tossing and turning in my bed trying to get comfortable and get my mind to turn off so I could go back to sleep. Around 5AM however, when the Katy Perry song "I'm Wide Awake" began to make it's way into my brain, I decided enough was enough and I got up to start what is going to be a very long Saturday. I thought I'd watch the news, drink my one cup of coffee, and update this blog. Well guess what? The news isn't on yet! I'm up before the news! I'm not alone though, baby girl is kicking and I have fat kitty to keep me company.

Here is fat kitty sitting with me at 5:30

Well enough about me! What about my sweet baby girl? We are at 23 weeks and she weighs over a pound! I love this encouraging quote from my what to expect book. Andy and I both got a kick out of it (him more so then me) " Beginning this week baby begins to pack on the pounds (which means you will too!)" So encouraging! That's OK, I suppose if it means Annalise is growing healthily inside me I'll take one (or 5) for the team! It also says she has hanging skin and is transparent. Her movements are getting pretty consistent, which leads to me freaking out when I don't feel her move all day. I read it's normal to go some days and not feel her especially if I'm active, but I still like to feel the wiggles and kicks so I know she's doing well. 

Here are some 23 week pictures (22 weeks and 6 days technically)

Today marks the start of a busy weekend/upcoming week for Andy and I. It's moving day!!! We are moving into our Town Home and I couldn't be more excited! I hope everything goes smoothly for us and as planned. We already had a big Oh shit moment when we walked in after signing our lease yesterday. It is more space then we have now, but not as much as we expected. Because of this we are no longer able to take my Nana and Poppie's dining room furniture set. I'm super bummed, but there's just no room. Not to mention, in preparation for the move and the acquiring of the new dining set Andy sold his favorite kitchen table on Craig's list. So now we are without a table. It'll be OK though. We shall make it work! We ended up leaving and coming back with a measuring tape and actually blocked out and measured where everything was going to go, which helped. I am very exited about today and am looking forward to decorating and making a home with Andy. And then in 4 months (time is flying) bringing home our baby girl to live there. 

22 Weeks: Happy New Year!

2015 Started off great with lots of kicks and wiggles from my girl, as well as a tummy bug I am currently battling! We have now entered the final week of month 5! Her kicks are a lot more consistent and are happening more and more! My new favorite past time is laying on the couch, drinking something cold, and watching my stomach move. At 22 weeks she probably weighs a pound or a little more, and is about the size of a doll. All of her senses are almost fully developed which means she can hear and even touch. I like the thought of her listening to me talk or being able to hear my heart beat!
Andy and I had a fantastic New Years! We went to our friends Jason and Kay's to celebrate! It was a lot of fun! We ate Chick-fil-a Nuggets, Yummy cheese dip, and watched Ryan Seacrest and the ball drop. I dozed off and on around 11, but I managed to make to midnight where we toasted to 2015 and then shot off fireworks!

NYE belly shot! 21 weeks and 5 days!

Andy and I waiting for Midnight

My sparkling apple cider since I can't drink champagne (even though I did sneak a sip of Andy's shhhh)

Andy and James shooting their fireworks...I'm hiding in the truck so I can  duck and cover if needed

A kid in the candy shop!

We spent the first day of 2015 in Marietta visiting my family. First we went and spent some time with my mom, and then went to Lindsey's house for lunch with her, Nicole, and Nana! I had so much fun visiting with Nana because I hadn't seen her since mine and Andy's wedding! We snuggled on the couch and she would rub my belly and talk sweet to the baby, then pause to scream and cuss at the football on tv, then resume sweet talking the baby. It was hilarious! Nicole cooked a wonderful lunch of BBQ ribs, collards, and black eyed peas! It was delicious!

Snuggles with Nana

Yummy Lunch

These next few weeks are going to be super busy for us! We are moving into our new town home a week from tomorrow, I go see the specialist hematologist on January 12 and hopefully get some clarification on what will be happening during delivery due to my hemophilia, and then I have my monthly OB check up on the 15th! Lots of exciting things are happening! 18 weeks left until I get to see my our sweet baby in person!!!!