Thanksgiving 2009

I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of Jason chopping potatoes - I went upstairs to find Jason already working on our Thanksgiving dinner! He had chopped the potatoes & the yams & had water boiling. Now THAT is a fabulous husband - I think I need to be pregnant every holiday (just kidding)! I started helping him and below is a picture of what we ended up with:

Our Thanksgiving dinner - ham with brown sugar glaze, mashed potatoes, green beans, yam souffle w/ marshmallows, biscuits & sweet iced tea (decaf, of course). And the only thing that came out of a can was the beans! :-)

Jason - all smiles & ready to eat! :-)

We enjoyed our meal, and then relaxed in front of the TV (Jason spent a lot of time playing a new game that he got for the PS3). After some relaxing, we began decorating for Christmas. Again, Jason was SO much help - he brought all of the boxes up from the basement (we have 3 stories, so this is quite a job), put together the tree and even did a lot of the decorating. The house looks great - I will post some pictures of our holiday decor soon, just have a few finishing touches before it is complete.

In the spirit of the holiday, Jason & I discussed what we were thankful for. The list included:

#1 Easton, who is healthy, growing like a weed & will be here soon!
#2 each other
#3 our family & friends
#4 stable jobs & income
#5 our nice home, cars and other luxuries that we often take for granted
#6 Oddly, we were both thankful for the low-key day that we got to spend together ... we quickly realized that this will be one of the last "quiet holidays" that we will have for quite some time. While we are beyond excited about Easton's arrival, there is something nice about spending time just the two of us.

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and look forward to what 2010 will bring. We love & miss you all!

31 weeks - 62 days to go!

The weeks are really rolling by, aren't they? Here's my weekly picture....and is it just me, or does my belly look twice as big as it did last week????

The college is closed this week, so I have the entire week off of work - yippee! Unfortunately, Jason will still have to work a lot .... poor guy deserves a break, but recruiting duty never seems to stop. He will be off for Thanksgiving Day, so we've planned to cook lunch for the two of us. Afterwards, we are going to put up our Christmas decorations - I am very excited about that! (not so sure Jason is since he'll have to do most of the heavy-lifting) :-)

We had our final childbirth class last night. We covered a lot of information, including Shaken Baby Syndrome, Dr. Karp's 5 S's (Swaddle, Side/Stomach, Shush, Swing, Suck), Breastfeeding Techniques and what happens immediately after delivery (to both mom & baby). We really enjoyed the childbirth series and even though most of the information covered was stuff we had already read, it was nice to have a chance to get hands-on practice.

I am not sure if I've mentioned this in a previous post, but Jason & I REALLY like my OBGYN, Dr. Rowe. She is very patient, answers all of my questions without making me feel rushed (and believe me, there are usually a TON of questions!) and has the nicest demeanor that puts us both at ease. We wanted to do something special for Dr. Rowe and show her how much we appreciate her being by our side through this entire pregnancy process.

Yesterday, I went shopping and picked up some items for a Christmas/Thank You gift for Dr. Rowe. I found out some of her favorite things "through the grapevine" (actually, my friend Carrie is a nail tech and Dr. Rowe's mother-in-law is one of her clients - sneaky, right?) I purchased a bottle of her favorite wine, then went by a local store called "Backyard Soaps" and bought an assortment of lotions, body washes & soaps. Once I got home I was in the mood to put my wrapping skills to the test - below is a picture of what I came up with:

The gift basket - the note on the wine says "Recommended especially for you by Andy at the Wolverine Market," which is one of Dr. Rowe's favorite wine shops

Close-up of Backyard Soaps, Dr. Rowe's favorite body products

30 weeks - 69 days to go!

We've hit the 30 week mark .... putting my math skills to work, that means 3/4 of this pregnancy is behind us, only 1/4 to go :-)

Here's my weekly picture:

A rough weekend ...

At the end of last week, I started to experience some mild tooth pain. It was annoying but nothing major, so I thought I would hold off and ask about it at my 6-month dental check-up in a few weeks. The pain quickly escalated, and by Saturday evening it was unbearable! I had a root canal done several years ago when I lived in Atlanta, and the pain was a lot like that. By Saturday it was obvious that I had to do something FAST ... the pain was so bad I could barely eat & it was causing me to get physically sick. It has also spread from the upper left side of my mouth to the entire left side of my head!

I called my dentist's office, only to find out that they would not be available until Monday at 7:00am. The recording suggested that I contact the emergency room. The ER told me that since I am pregnant they could do nothing for pain management - they simply recommended Tylenol & warm compresses (which did nothing to help ease my discomfort). I put in an emergency call to my OBGYN who told me it would be best if I could wait until 7am on Monday to see my own dentist. However, if the pain got too unbearable then go to the ER and they would have to call a dentist in.

I somehow managed to wait until Monday - but I did not sleep at all the night before. I arrived at my dentist's office only to find out that he was OUT OF TOWN! I nearly broke down in tears right then and there! The secretary and the hygienist were so nice to me - The secretary began calling other offices to see if another dentist could see me & the hygienist took x-rays to determine if a root canal was in fact needed (she stressed that she was not a dentist & really should not do this, but I think she felt so bad for me that she let the rules go a bit). She was also very careful & double-bibbed me with the lead aprons to protect Easton.

The secretary found a dentist that could see me at 8:00am - thank goodness! I went to his office along with my x-rays and he confirmed that a root canal on my top left tooth was needed. They called the endodonist & squeezed me in for a root canal appointment at 10:45am. I was so fortunate that all of these offices were so accommodating - I think they felt extra sorry for me since I am 30 weeks pregnant. Tooth pain is bad - but tooth pain & pregnancy is even worse!

Jason took me to my endodontist appointment, mainly because I was so sleep-deprived that I was afraid to drive. The endodontist, Dr. Fegan & his assistant, Christine, were extremely caring and worked fast & efficient. Christine has two children of her own and was understanding about how uncomfortable dental procedures can be while pregnant. She made sure to raise my chair a few times to allow me to stretch my back, and would hold the x-ray strip in my mouth for me (instead of requiring me to bite down on it and gag). They continuously asked me if I was comfortable & even took all of the mouth restraints loose midway through the procedure so I could swallow and rinse my mouth. (Again, it's tough to keep your mouth open through a dental procedure .... even harder when pregnant because it makes you queasy!)

I was getting quite worried about how the root canal procedure would impact Easton, especially the numbing medication & the x-rays. Christine and Dr. Fegan assured me that they were both localized, meaning they were aimed at my mouth & did not impact my abdomen at all. Dr. Fegan also mentioned that NOT taking care of a root canal is more dangerous to a fetus because the infection can spread to the baby. my OBGYN had said the same thing about the infection. With their reassurance I was able to relax (well, as much as you can relax while getting your teeth drilled!) :-)

The procedure took about an hour, and afterwards I was still a bit numb but PAIN FREE! Jason picked me up, bought me a milkshake (I could not eat solid foods for 3 hours) and then took me home for some much needed sleep. I slept for SEVEN hours straight! When I woke up I was a little sore, but nothing compared to the pain I had experienced over the weekend.

I have learned a few lessons: First, next time I even feel a hint of tooth pain, I will call the dentist ASAP and not wait. This is the 2nd root canal I have had, and both times the pain escalated over the weekend when the dentist was not available (causing me to have to wait until Monday to get some attention/relief).

Second, while I whined, cried and was not fun to deal with this past weekend, I am much stronger and have more pain tolerance than I ever thought. The dentist, endodontist & assistants were amazed that I made it through the weekend with just Tylenol & warm compresses to deal with the pain.... they said most people take strong pain meds for pain management. While I am sure childbirth is a much different (and intense) level of pain, my confidence in myself has boosted due to this experience. At least at the end of childbirth we will get an awesome reward ..... Easton! My only "reward" for dealing with tooth pain was a $450 bill at the endodontist's office, and a follow-up appointment for a permanent crown that will probably cost another $400! :-) Only time will tell if my theory is correct, but for now it has my spirits up!

Easton's 3D/4D Ultrasound on 11-14-09

On Saturday, November 14th, Jason & I went to "Vision Within" in Troy, MI to have a 3D/4D Ultrasound session. Our friends Niki & Andrea came with us, and my parents were able to log in online and watch the session with us from home.

The session began with the technician confirming Easton's position as well as the placement of the placenta. She also said that his heartbeat was a strong 145 bpm and confirmed that he is a boy (we had no questions about that!). :-) Unfortunately, since this was an elective procedure (and more for entertainment purposes) she was unable to discuss medical questions, such as his weight and height.

But from the pictures we could tell that Easton is growing like a weed - he has the chubbiest cheeks & feet! His nose, lips and little hands looked perfect. Easton is usually quite active, but he decided to rest & sleep throughput the entire session. We still got some great pictures of his features, and the video is simply amazing - we even got to see him yawn! Of course I may be biased, but I thought he was absolutely perfect & adorable - this only made us more excited to meet him in person!!!

Check out these pictures from our session - they are priceless & we were amazed at the detail .... and is Easton picking his nose in the last picture??? :-)

29 weeks ... and a special delivery!

I am 29 weeks pregnant - and my waist is a whole inch bigger than it was last week! I am starting think that I am not actually growing that much each week; instead, I believe Easton is just repositioning himself during picture time (this is at least what I am telling myself to make me feel better) :-)

Seriously, who knew your waist could grow SO much in such a short time? I remember my Mom telling me that her waist was 52 inches when she was pregnant with my brother, Jacob. I measured 45 inches today - if I keep growing an inch per week I may "beat" her record! :-)

Here's my weekly picture:

Funny story - I had to take this picture myself because Jason was not home from work yet (and since it's already 10:30pm & I have to be at work again @ 8am in the morning, I didn't feel like waiting around). I used a box, stacked a square basket on top of it, and then placed the camera on top of the contraption. Then I used the timer on the camera to take the pic .... it took 3 tries to get it, and I still chopped my hand off, but it'll have to do for this week :-)

Other exciting news .... we had a special delivery today - our highchair from Mama & Daddy arrived! Mama had mentioned that it was back ordered for about 4 weeks, which is not a big deal at all since we won't need to use it for a while. Still, it was exciting to get the highchair today, and I cannot wait to put it together. Thanks again, Mama & Daddy!

Our Pregnancy "Traditions"

I am a member of a pregnancy discussion board, and one of the members asked if we had any "pregnancy traditions" .... I really had not thought about it, but Jason & I actually have several things that have become habits throughout this pregnancy. The are:

#1 On Mondays, I begin my new pregnancy week ... so on Monday nights, Jason & I will read our "Pregnancy Week by Week" book together (for example, tonight we will read "Week 29" since I just started my 29th week). It's neat to read about common symptoms, look at the weekly picture & get a visual image of how big Easton has gotten!

#2 Jason talks to Easton (aka "my belly") every night before we go to bed. He always starts with "Hello Baby!" or "Hello Easton!" and tells Easton all about his day, what he did at work & anything exciting going on in the world (for example, last week he was thrilled to tell Easton that the Yankees won the World Series) :-) He always ends the talk with a few kisses on my stomach. It is quite sweet (and I hope the "tough Marine" doesn't get mad @ me for sharing his sensitive side!)

#3 I take my weekly pregnant picture every Tuesday night. I teach on Tuesday evenings, so I am usually fixed up and dressed nicely. Plus, since I don't get home until 10pm it means that Jason is generally home from work by then & can be my photographer.

#4 On Tuesday evenings or Wednesday afternoons, I upload my weekly pic to our blog & Facebook, and also type up an update of what's going on (doctor appts, new milestones, etc.) If you are reading this blog regularly, you already know this :-)

#5 I am faithful about copying/pasting my blog updates into a Word Document as soon as I post them. I think it will be cool to have all of my posts in one place where I can easily print them out. I am so thankful I thought about doing this from the beginning - it would take FOREVER to copy/paste all of them at this point. Yay me! :-)

28 weeks ... 82 days to go!

We are at 28 weeks - the weeks keep passing by! Here's my weekly pic:

I had my monthly appointment with my OBGYN today - Easton's heartbeat is still strong at 155 beats/minute. My pelvis to uterus measurement was 30 cm (again, 2 weeks ahead ... will Easton be a few weeks early???). My weight has increased 4 lbs. in the past month & my doctor was pleased with my progress. All in all, a great report!

Jason & I start our childbirth classes tomorrow night at Port Huron Hospital - the classes will meet once a week for two hours for the next 4 weeks. I am anxious to see what we will learn, but also a bit hesitant about watching the "dreaded videos" - I hope they don't traumatize me (or more likely, Jason) for life :-)

We are also scheduled to do a 3D/4D ultrasound next Saturday, November 14th @ 2:30pm. This is an elective procedure (in other words, "pay out of pocket") :-) & will be done @ Vision Within in Troy, MI. Vision Within offers "Sonostream Live" which is a webcast of the ultrasound while it is happening! This allows family & friends to log onto the internet wherever they are and watch baby Easton along with us ... we thought this was a great feature since our family & friends are so far away. If you are interested in watching the ultrasound with us next Saturday, let me know & I will send you an invitation.

Awaiting Baby Jones Scrapbook Part 2

If you missed installment #1 of the "Awaiting Baby Jones" Scrapbook, click here: http://keepingupwithdajoneses.blogspot.com/2009/08/awaiting-baby-jones-scrapbook.html