32 weeks and a 3D sono!

I can see the finish line!

I know I still have a couple months to go- but I feel like we have come so far! I know that Jonah will be here before we both know it, and I can't wait!!!

Mike and I are working hard to get his nursery finished- we are almost done with the wall mural (pictures to come in the next post!), and have everything put together except for the rocking chair- both will hopefully get done today! Then we need to add curtains, rug, and some wall decor- but the major stuff is done! His clothes are all washed and hung up in order of size in his closet, swing set up, pack and play set up, travel system put together... it's starting to look like a baby lives in this house!! Needless to say, it has never been more convenient that Mike somehow has this innate ability to put things together. Oliver and Maddy are also working hard on learning that they are not allowed to just stroll into Jonah's room whenever they want- their progress is a little bit slower :)

Work has become a little more tiring, and heartburn and trouble sleeping are in full force. I have had a little heartburn here and there through out the pregnancy- but wow- a couple weeks ago my throat felt like it was digesting itself. Zantac is being taken more regularly now- and a couple girls at work gave me some other tips I'm going to try. I've been watching what I eat a whole lot more now in regard to that- and no wonder! It's so hard to give up your favorite things though... The trouble sleeping comes from the heartburn also, and not to mention I feel huge!! Everyone keeps telling me I'm pretty small for 8 months pregnant- (hey, my doctor says I'm right on track!) but it sure doesn't seem like it when I go to bed. Can't lay on my stomach (obviously), it's dangerous to lay on your back because the baby's weight can cut off blood supply in your major vessels, and when you lay on the side the weight of the baby completely tilts you. So there is lots of pillow propping. Mike went around and collected the pillows from all the extra bedrooms the other night and completely barricaded me in them- it was wonderful :)

I LOVE being pregnant though- the stuff about heartburn and trouble sleeping are so incredibly tiny compared to how excited I get every time I feel him move, stretch, roll around. What was really amazing was seeing him in 3D yesterday!! We went to a 3D sono place in Lenexa yesterday- and got some great pictures of our little man! He wasn't being too cooperative, and was pretty wrapped up in the umbilical cord for most of the time- but we got a good look! So far, it looks like he may have my nose, Mike's dimple on his right cheek, and Rachel thinks he looks like me around the eyes. We'll see! Here are some pictures of the sonogram, and my belly shot at 32 weeks:

Beautiful Isabella Mia !

My adorable niece, Isabella, was born on September 23rd! She is just beautiful, just like her big sister, Sophia! I'm excited Jonah will have someone so close in age to play with! I just love how our families are expanding- little ones just make everything so much better :)

26 week bump!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor day weekend this year was so amazing- with just a few minor hiccups :) Perfect mix of family, friends, and relaxation time...

Going into it.. this is mostly what was on my mind:

FIRST GAME AT BILL SNYDER FAMILY STADIUM!!! I LOVE K-STATE FOOTBALL SEASON!!

Game was on Saturday at 2:30, so we came up to Manhattan to stay with Mike's parents on Friday night (2:30pm kick off means 9:30am tailgate time).

Now if only things could have gone smoothly until that point.

After getting ready at Mike's parents' house, I walk upstairs ready to hit the road when I see Mike's face in a complete panic. He says to me "Oliver just ate mothballs."

Maybe I've been completely sheltered off from the world, but I had no idea what a mothball was. In a nutshell, it is a little white ball of chemicals and pesticide used to deter moths away from clothing- but some people also use them to keep rodents away (as in this case) because rodents can't stand the smell. You would think Oliver also wouldn't like the smell, but who ever knows what goes through that crazy dog's head. So apparently this is very, very dangerous for dogs- it can cause seizures and even be fatal. So Mike is on his trusty IPhone, looking up what we need to do. The answer was to induce vomiting right away. So, in the end, Oliver got to enjoy some hydrogen peroxide to wash down his mothballs. And man, I have never seen so much puke come out of a dog (he had also just eaten breakfast, yum). I think he threw up 3 times, and he just looked so sad and scared that it brought me to tears! We tried calling several emergency vet places in town to get some advice, but it was 8:45am on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend- no luck. So then, of course we went to the tailgate with both dogs in tow, since we needed to watch Oliver like a hawk- and since the stadium was a ton closer to any vet than Mike's parents' house at the lake. In the end, both dogs had a blast at the tailgate, and Oliver seemed to forget about the incident after about the 57th person petted him and told him how cute he was.

Also, K-State WON, and the weather was perfect. My friend Michelle (college roommate) also came in town for the game and stopped by with Liz- so fun! The constant getting up/sitting down in the stadium was a little rough on me, but not as rough as the KILLER breath the guy had that was sitting next to me at the game. It was so bad that in the second half I switched seats with Mike- and I could STILL smell it. I don't know why the person he was with didn't say anything, I would really appreciate someone for telling me. Oh well, minor sacrifice for such a beautiful day!

After one last round of food, we drove back to Shawnee with our pups. Made it back by about 10:30pm- it was quite the packed day! We slept in on Sunday, and we laid around, smoked meat (well, Mike smoked meat), played with the dogs, took naps (or maybe I took a nap while Mike did yard work :).. anything we wanted. Once again, the weather was beautiful- which makes everything better! And no signs at all of Oliver feeling any effects from the mothballs- back to his silly, goofy self! I think what made this Sunday even better, was knowing there was NO WORK on Monday! Monday was pretty much a more lazy version of Sunday. Instead of smoking meat, we made about 4 different kinds of dessert. We made cheesecake cupcakes, peanut butter brownies, regular brownies, and white cake with frosting. No, we weren't expecting company. It was just for us :) Being pregnant has it's perks- I have an excuse! Not that I wouldn't have made all that if I wasn't pregnant, but that's beside the point!

As far as the pregnancy goes- I'm starting to feel large! That picture from 21 weeks is already completely outdated. I think we'll take a 26 week picture this week for you all to see. Jonah is kicking lots now- Mike felt about 5 kicks in a row on Saturday night! I have had no complaints, and am feeling great. It's definitely harder to get up, bend down, and be comfortable in general- but I knew that would come with the territory! I can't wait to meet our son in THREE MONTHS! :) :)

Hope everyone had a safe and fun weekend!!

Updates!

So I guess it's been a month since the last update... oops! I feel like time is flying, and that this pregnancy is flying by too. I can't believe I'm almost to the coveted 24 week mark- when the baby is viable outside the womb. Of course I'd like for little J to stay in there a while longer!

Here's a belly shot back at 21 weeks before my cousin's wedding: (I didn't like my hair in any of them, so it's literally just a belly shot :)

I'm feeling pretty good these days- can't complain too much. The biggest new thing is not being able to get up from a laying down position without my back being all out of alignment and hurting. It probably doesn't help that our bed is SO soft, I always tell Mike we should get a sleep number bed, but I suppose that isn't currently in our budget :)

In other news, it looks like the Waggoners will soon be sporting new vehicles. Well maybe not new, but new to us :) I've been driving my 2 door Honda since I graduated from high school, and we knew we'd have to give up Cindy the Civic (yes, that's right) once we started a family even though it's in pretty good condition. Mike's car, on the other hand, has seen a LOT of miles from all his commuting while I was in nursing school, and has seen better days (to say the least) and doesn't seem like it'll be very reliable for much longer. So we are currently looking into our options for 2 reliable family cars (that's weird to say) that won't break the bank. We'll keep you updated!

In much more exciting news.. we got Jonah's crib!! We already had the bedding- so of course we had to run out and get his mattress so we could put it all together! I love the way it turned out- and Mike did such a great job putting it together. Here are some pictures!

I can't believe how close we are getting to meeting our little guy! He is becoming SO active, especially in the mornings and late at night. Or maybe that's just when I notice it the most since I'm laying down. Whenever I'm having a bad day all I have to do is feel my belly or look at my sonogram pictures, and it turns everything around!

BLUE :)

IT'S A BOY!

I know most of you already knew this, because of our inability to keep a secret. Texts and phone calls pretty much flew out on our way out of the sonogram room. I told the sonographer I thought it was a girl, and she immediately said "I don't know.. I see something pointy!" Mike and I both saw it right away, he was NOT being shy during this ultrasound! She said that she is very sure, and that we do not need to hesitate to go shopping now (music to my ears!)

I really thought it was a girl- it completely threw me off! I can't even put into words how thrilled I am that in a few months, I'll have a little version of my husband running around. Just the thought brings tears to my eyes (with help from my hormones, I'm sure).

Jonah Michael Waggoner. We have had this name picked out for a boy for a really long time, and have since wasted what seems like many precious hours deciding on a girl name. I have always loved the name, and I think it's because of the adorable little boy from Sleepless in Seattle. I think it's unique and not too common (yet), and just like the way it sounds. Mike wasn't sure about it at first, but it really grew on him- and now he loves it as much as I do. If only we knew we were having a boy, the name debate would have been settled a long time ago!

I just can't wait to meet him. Just like everyone says, we can't believe how much you can love someone that you haven't even met.

Here are our sonogram pictures at 19 weeks:

Kicking!

I felt the baby kick (or punch) for the first time on Saturday night while I was at work! It felt like a little tap from the inside, and then I felt it two more times! Since then I've felt it on and off here and there, and I can't wait to feel it all the time!

In other news- our gender sonogram is Friday! So if the baby cooperates, we will find out whether we will be having a little boy or a little girl :) I'm also pretty sure we have our names picked out! We will either be welcoming J.M.W. (boy) or C.E.W. (girl). We will reveal the name when we know what we're having.. (unless we change our minds- which is likely to happen!)

"just wait 'til you have kids!..." + a dream

It started early and now just seems to be getting more and more frequent- and about more and more things.

"just wait 'til you have kids!"

This phrase seems to follow every minor everyday complaint.

The house is such a mess! "just wait 'til you have kids!"
I'm so tired. "just wait 'til you have kids!"
Oliver is such a nightmare. "just wait 'til you have kids!"
I wish Oliver didn't pee on the floor. "just wait 'til you have kids!"

Okay. I GET IT. I understand our lives will be different after we have kids, and yes, we are anticipating this. And I know people don't mean anything by it, but is it necessary to say that about everything? I just had to vent.

Now on to last night's dream. It actually wasn't a weird one! (as far as dreams go, anyway)
I had a dream that we checked into the hospital (even though it was Overland Park Regional) and we ended up having a baby BOY! For some reason we had no idea the sex of the baby, but had packed all pink stuff because of my hunch that it's a girl. Everything was going great, and after I had him, I realized in the dream that we had the baby at the wrong hospital and started freaking out that our insurance wouldn't cover it. Ha.

1 week and 4 days to go until the ultrasound!

dreams....

I thought maybe I should start recording these dreams of mine, to get a good laugh out of later. When I'm not working, I've fallen into the trend of going to bed around 10 or 11, waking up around 2 or 3 for about an hour, then waking up when Mike goes to work for about an hour, then sleeping until 10. I wish that was the worst of it. I literally wake up with a nervous stomach because of the funky dreams I had that take me a minute to remember. It's that "something weird happened" feeling.
Last night's festivities:
I was at some kind of a cabin in the woods on a work vacation for Mike's work. There were all these people there I didn't know, except Mike's boss. Mike wasn't even there for some reason. So Mike's boss introduces me to everyone else by saying I was Mike's wife and that I was a "wonderful republican." Well, anyone that knows me knows that I'm not a republican, so I said so in the dream. Then came the stares from all the people, and they tried to turn me upside down (pregnant and all) and dunk my head in the nasty river. Then it turns out that the cabin in the woods was in Paris. I then took Maddy and Oliver on a walk in said woods. Oliver was on a leash and Maddy was not on a leash (which isn't all that weird, because she listens on walks really well). Well then this herd of people ran by, and Maddy decided she wanted to go with them instead. Then Oliver started running, and his harness came loose from the leash. So then I'm running after them both trying to catch them in the woods in Paris. Where the hell was Mike?? Then I woke up.
Next: I was sitting in the audience at a huge auditorium with a mix of my family and Mike's. Then all the sudden, I got up, ran up on stage, and started to dance with a bunch of people. We all know I don't dance and have zero coordination, but man, I was a rock star in this dream (needless to say, I was not pregnant in this dream). After the series of dances, Nigel Lythgoe stood up and started talking (so apparently I was on so you think you can dance). But he wasn't even talking about how awesome the dancing was, he started talking to the audience about how the auditorium really needs some new energy-efficient outlets, in case anybody wants to make donations.

16 :)

Friday marked the 16 week mark! Only 3 more weeks until we find out the gender- and we can't wait :) We have officially stopped the name discussion until that time I think- we will resume vetoing each other's ideas then. What a hard decision! I think the responsibility of naming a child is pretty overwhelming, but maybe I'm a little paranoid because I had a 'difficult' name growing up that people constantly butchered (and still butcher).

I've been feeling pretty good these days. It's becoming a little more difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position, so maybe I'll invest in one of those body pillows soon?? It doesn't help that lately Oliver and Maddy ONLY like to sleep on my side, Maddy pushing me off the edge, and Oliver taking up the entire bottom half. So I'm either diagonal into Mike's side or curled up in the fetal position. And another thing about sleep- WHAT is with all the weird dreams? Eeeevery night. Weird and extremely vivid. Sleep is becoming an interesting adventure all around.

My belly is expanding. I'm hoping I'm out of the 'is she fat? is she pregnant?' stage, or will be soon. Here is a picture at 16 weeks:

and here is what's going on with our little baby :)

"Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop."

almost to 15!

I've been officially in the 2nd trimester for almost 1 week! Nausea has gotten a TON better, even when I'm at work! Mike and I just got back from an appointment and everything still looks great! Heartbeat is in the upper 150s to lower 160s. Nothing too eventful at this appointment, we just listened with the doppler (which is something Mike and I do at home all the time anyway) and were asked if we had any questions. Oh well, it was still fun to hear our baby and I got to steal Mike from work for a couple hours :) We also had a sonogram last week (pictures to come), and baby is VERY active! It's still too early for me to feel the baby move, but baby was doing somersaults all over the place, and stretching it's arms and legs out and back in, and out and back in. It was so funny! It's so cool to see all those things, because it really looks like a baby now! I mean last time you could tell it was a baby, but it was still kind of a blob with 4 limbs. This time we could see the face, eyes, nose, spine, knees, feet... I had a feeling the ultrasound lady had a pretty good idea of the gender, but she said she doesn't like to tell this early in case she's wrong. booo! Luckily, I work on an OB floor with nurses who know how to do ultrasounds! I had them scan me on Monday night to see if they could tell, and baby was being so uncooperative! Every time there was a good view, the baby would flip around. In the end, they got a couple good looks- but there was disagreement on what they thought the sex was. The vote was girl: 2, boy: 1. So we'll see! We scheduled our next sono where we will find out for SURE (hopefully) whether it's blue or pink! July 23rd!

Here's what the baby looks like at 15 weeks!!

How your baby's growing:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

BLAH!

I've been lucky so far to only have a few bouts of vomiting, but after my 12 day vacation from work, the first night back was painful. I think I ran to the bathroom more times that night than I had through the whole pregnancy. I think the disruption in my schedule after the long break had a lot to do with it too- my body still hasn't adjusted to working night shift quite yet, and with pregnancy added to the mix, it was just a bad combination. It happened at the worst times too! The first time I was pushing a baby in her crib down the hallway and I got "the feeling," I ran with the crib to the nurse's station- thankfully there was someone there that could watch her- ran to the bathroom and barely made it. The next time it happened in a patient's room. Come on! Hopefully this will start to subside now that I'm nearing the 2nd trimester. I start 3 nights in a row tomorrow night- yikes!

12 weeks!

SO close to the 2nd trimester I can taste it! My belly has officially "popped out." I was debating on whether to do an 11 week belly shot last week, but I thought I still wasn't showing, or that it looked like I just ate too much. Now I'm just thankful we are telling the parents next weekend- because I can't hide this much longer!

note: this is at about midnight, after a very HOT weezer concert :)

3 years!

Mike and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary last week! It's crazy to think it's been 3 years since our wedding day. And it's even more crazy to think that when we celebrate our 4 year anniversary, we're going to be parents! I feel like we are both ready for that next step. I know nothing can prepare you for parenthood, but I feel like we have come such a long way and that we have really built a strong marriage.
Here's a look back at that wonderful day..

Of course, Mike and I had to laugh when our anniversary plans also got rained out! Mike had a wonderful date planned for us- carriage ride at the plaza, and dinner at the Melting Pot- a restaurant I always wanted to try. Although it only rained briefly, it was enough for the carriage company to cancel our ride :( bummer.. but dinner was absolutely amazing.. and we'll do the carriage ride another time!
The pregnancy is still going great so far! My nausea comes and goes- and I have only actually thrown up 3 times (once at work- that was fun). Usually it's just an all over "blah" feeling- nausea, headaches, zero energy. One thing that's fun is that we bought an at-home fetal doppler so we can check on the baby's heartbeat whenever we want! It came when I was 8 weeks along, and I only detected the baby's heartbeat once for about 6 seconds. The doppler kept averaging my heart rate with the baby's, and giving me weird readings. Oce I hit the 10 week mark, we have been able to find it every time! What a great sound :) Baby's heart is still beating in the 160s-170s!
Also- my belly is definitely starting to peek out! This is a challenge since we still have not told our families about the pregnancy (we're waiting until the 2nd trimester). Mike and I were in the parking lot at Price Chopper the other day and a lady was driving by, stopped, rolled down her window, and asked "excuse me, ma'am? are you pregnant?" For a moment, I think I stared at her in disbelief. Nobody has asked me that, not to mention a stranger stopping mid-drive to ask me that. I kinda mumbled "yeah?" and she told me that her daughter is overseas and pregnant so she likes to ask people how far along they are so she can picture what her daughter looks like. I still am not sure if I'm offended. I go back and forth- on one hand.. I am pregnant, but on the other hand- who asks that! There is no way it's already that obvious! Anyway, I'm proud of my belly, and made my first official maternity clothing purchase today. It's time.. I feel like such a chunky monkey in my normal clothes!

10 week ultrasound!

Mike and I went in for our 2nd ultrasound yesterday- and it was GREAT! We noticed right away that the baby had grown a LOT since the last one- we could actually make out that it was a baby! All it looked like to me at the first ultrasound was a blob- albeit a beautiful blob. With this one, I immediately saw the baby's head, body, arms and legs! And the best part of it was seeing our little baby wiggle it's ( I know the baby isn't an "it", but until we find out the gender, it'll have to do) arms and legs around! It really looked like the baby was waving to us.. it was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. :)

"She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet."

I thought this described it perfectly! Hearbeat is still going strong- at 171 bpm!
We went into this appointment expecting to be about 9 weeks along- but baby is measuring 10 weeks already! We didn't see my normal OB after our sonogram because she didn't have any available appointments that day. The doctor we did see seemed a bit confused about the inconsistency, since pregnancy dating is super important. He went and talked to our ultrasound tech, and she reassured him that our baby was 10 weeks old baby from size and movement. He unofficially changed my due date to 12.17.10- but wanted my doctor to make the final call. We are so excited things are looking so great :)

Here's a picture of our baby at 10 weeks- (again sorry for the splotchiness.. I'll work on making them a bit clearer!)

Expecting!

Mike and I are expecting our first little one!! We had our first appointment last week- and everything looks great! According to the baby's size, I will be 8 weeks along tomorrow. Seeing the baby's heart beating was amazing- going strong at 153 bpm!
Here's a picture- it's not the clearest since it was an abdominal ultrasound and Mike took a picture of the picture on his I-phone :)

According to this ultrasound, my due date is December 23rd, 2010. I couldn't ask for a better Christmas than that!

Next sonogram is next week- so hopefully everything still looks great then!