32 weeks Pregnancy Update!

Baby girl is (supposed to be) the size of a Squash!
(She actually weighs more than the squash pictured lol)

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: SADIE GISELLE LAWTON!!

Due Date: August 6, 2015 (possibly a few weeks earlier due to her size though!)

Baby Facts:
*She's getting ready for her descent.
*She's feeling cramped.

Sleep: Non-existent. Every position is uncomfortable. No amount of pillows help. I'm a furnace and my body is hot all the time now.

Clothes: Dresses & flip flops.

Cravings: Vanilla Chai's from Dunkin Donuts and ice cream.

Symptoms: Super swollen feet, itchy belly, stretch marks from hell, shortness of breath, acid reflux, heartburn, pelvic pain, & braxton hicks contractions.

Medical Update: This weeks ultrasound went well- again no picture though. However my appt with my regular Doctor had us concerned. She felt my blood sugar might be too high and had me do all kinds of tests Monday- they all came back normal. But she had us thinking I was about to be hospitalized. NST is later on this morning.

Best Moment of the Week:
*Her dresser arriving! (Nursery almost complete. Pics to come eventually.)

What I'm looking Forward To:
*My baby shower this Saturday!! I can't wait to celebrate with all of my friends & family. I'm looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful faces! I'm thankful to have you ladies in my life!
So excited to be blessed with such a fabulous sister-in-law, Samantha, and friends Julye & Lillian, my MIL, & husband for putting this together for me. It has been a long time coming and I am SO excited! Also excited for the after party, or "man shower"/Baby-Que that night. I hope I can handle all the excitement! :)

What I Miss: Comfortable sleep & being able to stand up for longer than 5 minutes without getting swollen feet.

30 weeks pregnancy update!

Baby girl is the size of a Cucumber.

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: SADIE GISELLE LAWTON!!

Due Date: August 6, 2015

Baby Facts:
*Her skin is getting smoother.
*Brain is getting wrinklier.
*She's now strong enough to grasp a finger.

Sleep: Same as last week. Pelvic pain is unbearable when I go to bed and I'm constantly hot. I finally made the move to the recliner last night and it wasn't the most comfortable sleep, but at least it wasn't painful.

Clothes: Dresses & flip flops.

Cravings: COKE. I know I need to avoid caffeine and sugar, but it had been so long since I had a coke. I finally drank a glass for Memorial Day and it was SO good.

Symptoms: Itchy belly, leg cramps, pelvic pain, lower back pain, swollen feet, shortness of breath, heartburn, acid reflux, & frequent bathroom trips. The itchy belly is unreal! Without scratching, the only way for me to get relief is to spray scorching hot water on my stomach. It feels so good, my legs get weak! lol! True story.

Medical Update: This week the doctor decided I need to start coming in twice a week, every week. I'm not too happy about that but they want to continue to check the baby's growth with ultrasounds and check my blood sugar & blood pressure. So I'm booked every Monday & Thursday until Sadie arrives.
Sadie, once again, refused to show her face! I guess I'll never get to post an ultrasound pic here.
Sadie is a big baby right now, she weighs 4lbs 4oz which is usually what a baby at about 34 weeks weighs. She also already has a headful of hair from what we could see on the ultrasound. That might explain some of this acid reflux and heartburn I feel at night.

Best Moment of the Week:
*My mom & brother purchased Sadie's crib already! I'm so excited!!! Can't wait to see her nursery come together.

What I'm looking Forward To:
*A clean house. Our house still has stuff everywhere & it is driving me insane!
*Maternity Pics.
*Finishing up with the nursery.
*Picking out & ordering crib bedding.

What I Miss: Same as last week- Order. Being pain free. Being medicine free. Being able to eat what I want. But it's all so very worth it!

10 more weeks!!

29 weeks pregnancy update!

Baby girl is the size of an Acorn Squash.

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: SADIE GISELLE LAWTON!!

Due Date: August 6, 2015

Baby Facts:
*Baby already measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long.
*She weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds & will triple in weight before birth.

Sleep: Same as last week. The pain is getting worse and the trips to the bathroom are ridiculous. Everyday I say to myself, "a catheter would make this so much easier." Also, I am always hot! I put the a/c on 70, turn the fan on, and sleep with no blankets. 

Clothes: Dresses & flip flops.

Cravings: Sweet tooth as always- I'm back to wanting ice cream and have a variety of stuff in the fridge.

Symptoms: Itchy belly, leg cramps, pelvic pain, lower back pain, swollen feet & frequent bathroom trips.

Medical Update: This week I just had to get the TDAP shot. My arm is still hurting and that was done Monday. Next week we have our regular appointments & thankfully they are both on Monday. Cross your fingers that we get a good ultrasound pic this time. Sadie has refused to show her face.

Best Moment of the Week:
*FINALLY finished painting the nursery for the most part. (We still have to paint the trim & ceilings, install a new ceiling fan, new blinds, new wall plates, etc.)

What I'm looking Forward To:
*A clean house. Our house still has stuff everywhere- in the dining room, kitchen, & the tub. I could never be a hoarder- I don't know how people live like this. So if it doesn't rain, I'm having a yard sale this Saturday.
*Finishing up with the nursery.
*Picking out & ordering crib bedding.

What I Miss: Order. Being pain free. Being medicine free. Being able to eat what I want. But it's all so very worth it!

28 weeks pregnancy update- Third Trimester!!

We made it to the third trimester!!! YAY!!

Baby Lawton is the size of an Eggplant!

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: SADIE GISELLE LAWTON!!

Due Date: August 6, 2015

Baby Facts:
*She's starting to develop more fat, so her wrinkly skin will start to get smoother.
*Her lungs are mature enough that she'd probably survive if she was born now. Wow!

Sleep: When I fall asleep, I'm ok. But the actual process of of getting in & out of the bed and turning from one side to the other is getting worse. The pain in my uterus is AWFUL. I turn like a turtle on it's deathbed...for real. Some times I have hubby push me out of bed because it relieves some of the pain.

Clothes: Dresses & flip flops. I feel like I am wearing the same stuff over & over but I don't want to spend lots of money on an entirely new wardrobe for just a few more months. So if you see me in the same attire, you know why!

Cravings: Sweet tooth as always- but nothing in particular. To date, the hubby has been lucky bc I haven't had any wild 3am cravings. So no late night trips for fast food...yet.

Symptoms: Breaking out, pain when I sleep, & lower back pain in the mornings.

Medical Update: All 3 appointments went well this week! The big appointment was her heart check which came back normal. They couldn't see any issues and said they'll keep monitoring but for now they don't foresee any problems.

Best Moment of the Week: We've had several best moments!
*Normal results from all medical appointments.
*The birthing class was awesome! We learned a lot from bathing new babies to tools used during delivery.
*Tons of Happy Mother's Day calls, texts, messages, & cards!
*Baby nursery & master bedroom have been repainted and 3 bedrooms all have new carpet! Thanks to hubby's friends for helping to paint, take out carpet, & move furniture! 
*Baby shower e-vites have gone out to those whose email address I have. Seriously, if you wanted to come to the shower, I need your email address. So let me know!! I also received the hard copy invites and those will be mailed out Monday...once I can find my address book in this chaos.
*My old friend Bobby gifting us with paint.Thank you! If y'all need paint, check out PPG.
What I'm looking Forward To: This upcoming week I have one appointment for a TDAP shot and that's it. So hopefully I can focus on ordering new furniture and just relaxing all week. I am looking forward to my goddaughter's 21st birthday too!

What I Miss: Order. Being pain free. Being medicine free. Being able to eat what I want. But it's all so very worth it! 

26 & 27 weeks pregnancy update!

(Warning: Very long read because this is an update covering last week & this week!)

I am officially 27 weeks today! The last week of my second trimester.

Baby Lawton is the size of Rutabaga!
(last week she was the size of lettuce!)

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: SADIE GISELLE LAWTON!!

Due Date: August 6, 2015

Baby Facts:
*She's practicing inhaling and exhaling with her rapidly developing lungs.
* It's official: Baby's showing brain activity!
*She's taking breaths, too. They're of amniotic fluid, not air, but it's still good practice.

Sleep: Sleep is ok. It's still painful when I flip sides though. Plus I wake up every 2-3 hours for a bathroom break.

Clothes: Dresses & flip flops. I'm looking for some capri leggings though!

Cravings: I still have a very sweet tooth. But now I just want empanadas.

Symptoms: Breaking out everywhere, pain when I sleep, & lower back pain in the mornings. Nothing too serious or painful to be honest.

Medical Update: So let's start with last week. I went in for my routine Tuesday appointment & the doc decided to admit me so that I could get steroid shots over a course of 2 days. This will help the baby's lungs to develop- just in case I deliver early. Steroids can make your blood sugar go up, so they wanted me in the hospital in case that happened (& it did). It was my first time in the hospital & it wasn't so bad until they served me dinner at 4:30 and expected me not to eat til 8 the next morning. I got out Friday and when I got home, I took a shower and slipped getting out. I was SO SCARED. Luckily, I didn't fall all the way to the ground. I somehow did a split and caught myself. I was in so much pain Friday & Saturday. I'm hoping I didn't do any damage, so we'll see next week.
The next appointments will be on Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday. Wednesday we go to Sibley Heart Center to make sure Miss Sadie's heart is ok.

Best Moment of the Week: We've had several best moments!
*Even though I was only in the hospital for 3.5 days I'm thankful for the family & friends that came to visit me (hubby, brother, Samantha, MIL, FIL, Lillian, & Jenn) and all of you who called, text, & messaged me.
*My mom made it back safely from Korea. My cousins & aunts sent us some baby clothes and Sadie already has her first official hanbok.
*We completed our registries at Babies-R-Us & Target! You can look it up online under either of our names.
*Hotel was booked for the baby shower!! June 13th can't get here soon enough.
*Baby shower invites were ordered. Apparently no one cares for paper invites anymore and said evites were fine. So only a small handful of family & friends will get paper invites. Emails will be sent to everyone else (please inbox me your email address if you didn't get an email yet). You can also contact one of the hostesses for info: Samantha, Julye, or Lillian.
*My old friend Jay who advised us he would be buying our baby girl's going home outfit! Again, I'm so thankful for these completely unexpected gifts.
*I received some early Happy Mom-to-Be cards which just made my heart so full! 

I can't say this enough- I am so thankful for the thoughtfulness of so many people in our lives. I told hubby yesterday that it amazes me that people I hardly talk to have offered so much and have reached out to me and done such nice things for us. I don't think I'm that great of a person to deserve so much so I think that is why I am really shocked by the generosity. I don't know what I did to deserve so much help, tips, advice, gifts, cards etc from everyone but we are really really thankful!

What I'm looking Forward To: This upcoming week is going to be unbelievably busy.
Saturday we have our first birthing class! I'm really looking forward to this.
Monday-Wednesday not only do we have doctor's appointments, but somewhere in there we (cough cough- hubby & friends) will have to completely empty out 3 bedrooms so that we can rip the carpet out, paint all the rooms, and then have new carpet installed on Thursday in all 3 rooms. I'm overwhelmed just thinking about the massive mess that my house will be in. Friday I wanted to sneak away to a graduation but I may not make it. Then Sunday my goddaughter turns 21 and I SO wanted to take her to the beach but we have to see what the doctor says. I doubt the doctor will give me the ok but all I can do is ask.

What I Miss: Order. I feel like I can't remember anything and that there is so much to learn and do and prepare for. I am losing my mind trying to decide on the perfect wall color, the perfect bedding, the best stroller, etc. I am a perfectionist so telling me not to worry about it only makes me even more irate & bothered. And being an extremely indecisive person makes all of this even worse! I can't figure out how to redesign our guest room/office, do I want a new bed for our room, do I want stripes, chevron, or wall decals in the nursery? Poor hubby...lol!

25 weeks pregnancy update!

Baby Lawton is the size of Cauliflower!

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: SGL...for now!

Due Date: August 6th- but doc says it will probably be about 2-3 weeks prior to that.

Baby Facts:
*She's enjoying her new sense of equilibrium — she now knows which way is up and which is down.
*She's growing more fat and more hair too!

Sleep: This week was a little better. I still hate sleeping on my side but I've made it work with my pillow wedge.

Clothes: I did some major shopping and dresses are my absolute best friend right now!

Cravings: I still have a very sweet tooth. It's torture not being able to enjoy my sweets. I've got a fridge full of sugar-free jello, ice cream, pudding- BLAH. 

Symptoms: Breaking out everywhere- I've bought so many products and nothing works. Stretch marks- cocoa butter ain't working and I can't find that body oil at Target. Minor growing pains here & there. Of course frequent trips to the bathroom.

Best Moment of the Week: #1 moment was Keith felt baby girl kick for the first time! :) Also, the doc told us things still look good. I'm still on bed rest and have to continue to take meds. We didn't get to start the nursery bc now we've realized it's going to turn into a 4 room renovation bc of furniture movement. I'm excited for the changes! Step one- disassemble the home office which IS in process now.

What I'm looking Forward To: Home renovations and of course our weekly ultrasound & checkup.

What I Miss: Sleeping comfortably, my independence, and being able to eat what the hell I want! (Sorry, just being honest here! lol)

24 weeks!

Baby Lawton is the size of a Cantaloupe!

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: SGL or SNL (undecided)

Baby Facts:
*Her see-through skin is gradually becoming more opaque.
*And it's got a new pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.

Sleep: I still dread going to bed. Once I'm sleeping, I'm ok. But rolling to my other side and getting out of bed is the worst! The only time I have pain is getting up in the morning.

Clothes: Leggings/Jeggings/Oversized tops, & flip flops. I'm almost out of clothes to wear so this means more online shopping in my near future. I bought two new pair of shoes online and my feet are too fat for them.

Cravings: Haagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut ice cream! OMG- I cannot begin to express how fabulous this ice cream is. If you love pina coladas (like I do) this tastes just like the real thing. I can only eat like 1/2 a cup which is pure torture! (Thanks Julye for telling me about this!)


Symptoms: Swollen feet, ankles, calves, & face, breaking out everywhere, dry skin, stretch marks, sore muscles, tired, frequent trips to the bathroom, have to eat less than 50 carbs per meal, check my blood sugar, check my blood pressure, & bedrest. Other than all that, I actually feel fine! No pain except when I initially wake up in the mornings.

Best Moment of the Week: The doc told us at this weeks appointment that everything still looked good. I definitely have to stay on bedrest and continue to take my meds. We also got our first view of her face! It was crazy to see. Unfortunately when they gave us the print out it looked like a blob vs a face. I also enjoyed going over baby shower details with my 3 hostesses (date is set for June 13th, assuming the venue is a go). I also appreciate all the love from fam & friends: Samantha baby sitting me & bringing me meals, Lilian & my mother-in-law coming to hang out with me, Lita bringing me carb free flavors for my water & compression socks, Tee (Keith's godmother) sending me coloring books & crayons to keep me entertained, Daniel & his fiancé for the baby clothes, diapers, & gifts, and so many others who have messaged me telling me they are willing to help out. I should mention that Keith has been absolutely wonderful about taking over everything since I am stuck to a recliner. He's been working, taking care of the house, me, the dog, etc. I know he's running on fumes & I SOOO appreciate it all.

What I'm looking Forward To: Painting the nursery this weekend!! I'm so excited about putting some pink on the walls! And of course, our next appointment on Monday & Tuesday.

What I Miss: Sleeping comfortably, my feet, & my independence. Fashion is a daily struggle. Even if I don't go anywhere, I still get dressed, do my make-up & hair (most days) and between my expanding body and awful skin, it's been a challenge.

23 weeks!

Baby Lawton is the size of a Grapefruit!

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: SGL (Possible name)

Baby Facts:

*Her face is fully formed!
*She can hear sounds now like my heartbeat, our voices, & the dog barking!

Sleep: I dread going to bed because it is so hard sleeping on my side & it's an act of Congress to roll from left to right. I bought a wedge pillow which helps me to not completely roll over- it's more of a door stopper. I'm about to just start sleeping in the recliner.

Clothes: Leggings/Jeggings/Oversized tops, & flip flops. I'm loving these maternity pants with the stretchy fabric for my growing belly. I've found most maternity fashion is awful & overpriced. So shopping has been difficult.

Cravings: Chocolate!!! But per doctors orders, no sweets. So I have to eat non fat, no sugar, no flavor, fake chocolate pudding. 

Symptoms: Swollen feet, ankles, calves, & face, breaking out everywhere, dry skin, stretch marks, sore muscles, tired, frequent trips to the bathroom, & can't stand for long periods of time. I have to watch my carb/sugar intake and I'm on bed rest. I just sit in the recliner most of the day. Also now I'm starting to smell like a dairy farm. I won't go into much details on that, but I'm sure there are some ladies who can relate & will find that hilarious.

Best Moment of the Week: When the doctor told us meds were working and that baby was doing great. I do have to continue all these meds (I feel like a borderline junkie with all these meds & injections), but if they are working then it is all worth it!

What I'm looking Forward To: Our next appointment on Monday & Tuesday to ensure everything is still going well.

What I Miss: Sleeping comfortably, my feet, & my independence. Not being able to do for myself SUCKS. I love the help & am blessed to have so many people willing to help, but it's hard just sitting here. *Also miss not having to count carbs!

Medical: dealing with Gestational diabetes & short cervix. Prayers for us to make it through please!!

22 weeks!

Baby Lawton is the size of a Papaya!

Gender: It's a Girl!

Name: We think we've narrowed it down to 3 names. But for now, still undecided.

Baby Facts: She's sleeping in cycles — about 12 to 14 hours per day.

Sleep: Still uncomfortable. I get most of my "good sleep" when I'm napping in the recliner with my feet up. I bought a wedge pillow which helps me from rolling all over the place- but I am not a fan of sleeping on my side.

Clothes: Leggings/Jeggings/Oversized tops, & flip flops.

Cravings: Sweets, sweets, & more sweets!

Symptoms: Swollen feet, ankles, calves, & face, breaking out everywhere, dry skin, stretch marks, sore muscles, tired, frequent trips to the bathroom, & can't stand for long periods of time. I have to watch my carb/sugar intake and I'm on bed rest. I just sit in the recliner most of the day.

Best Moment of the Week: Still happy to be pregnant & feeling the flutters. But very disappointed with all the extra health issues. Also having fam & friends come visit me everyday during the week has been awesome!!

What I'm looking Forward To: Our next appointment on Tuesday to see if these meds are working. If not, the next step is surgery. And praying for some good news- that I don't have a miscarriage/deliver early.

What I Miss: Sleeping comfortably, my feet, & my independence. Not being able to do for myself SUCKS. I love the help & am blessed to have so many people willing to help, but it's hard just sitting here.

16 weeks

Today our baby GIRL is 16 weeks!

She is the size of an Avocado.

I need to pull out my pro-camera for these weekly pics. 

But for now here's a cell phone pic. I am SO not good at these mirror selfies.

Also, why the hell do I look more like 32 weeks instead of 16 weeks!

So here's the fun stuff...

Gender: It's a girl! We did home made gender reveal cupcakes with the family. One cake was filled with pink icing. We are soooo thrilled! Now we just need a name! :)

Sleep: I get up frequently to pee of course. I also can't seem to get completely comfortable, so I toss and turn all night. I used to be able to sleep in, but now I am up at about 8:30 everyday. 

Clothes: Still wearing my regular clothes but I can't wear any of my dress pants. Only jeggings & leggings! I bought my first 2 pair of maternity jeggings and they are wonderful! 

Cravings: This week I haven't craved my usual ice cream & tomatoes. Instead I craved Tombstone pizza. 

Symptoms: No morning sickness luckily, but I can definitely feel my body growing & stretching.  I feel some sharp pains when I get up after sitting for a while. Also I'm breaking out all over my chest & shoulders and slightly on my face. It's driving me crazy!

Best Moment of the Week: Baby shopping with the sister-in-law, Samantha! I haven't made any purchases yet, but I enjoyed looking at all the sweet dresses, shoes, & bows. She is going to be one stylish baby.

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling baby movements. Sometimes it's hard to really know you're pregnant because there's absolutely no movement right now. So it's like I'm just big & in pain for no reason. 

What I miss: I hate to admit this, but I sure would like a cigarette some days. BUT, I can honestly say without a doubt, I have not smoked one cigarette since the day I found out I was pregnant.  And of course I miss being able to comfortably sleep on my stomach.

I'm Pregnant!

I am officially making a return to the blogging world to announce that we are FINALLY pregnant!

After 10 years of marriage, it finally happened.

We found out on November 30th after I took an at-home test.

So as of today, I am 14 weeks and the baby is a size of a lemon!

We had a blood test done to check for down syndrome & everything came back ok!

Hallelujah!

I have to say I've been lucky and haven't had too many issues.

I've probably had a total of 15 minutes of morning sickness the entire first trimester.

I've only had a few cravings: banana flavored ice cream pops & those fruit in jello cups.

I am tired a lot and don't feel like doing much.

I go to the bathroom a lot now...so much so that hubby & I have switched sides of the bed

so that I can be closer to the bathroom. We both hate it but it is more convenient.

We do know the sex of the baby but we're not announcing it just yet.

Still trying to figure out how we want to do that.

I am so thankful to everyone who prayed for us all these years.

I just never thought this day would come.

Sometimes I still can't believe it and sometimes I question if it's right since I am 

37 years old. But I know everything is done on God's time!

For those suffering with infertility, let me tell you the various things I did:

My hubby & I have been together for 13 years (since I was 24)!

We have tried for kids since then (yes, even before we were married).

We went to various doctors and fertility specialists. 

One doctor finally told me (after an HSG test), both of your tubes are blocked and 

you will have to have IVF to have children.

There was just no way I wanted to finance an expensive procedure that might not work.

I've had two friends who did that & it didn't work.

So, I researched and read articles online like crazy.

I read where some women got pregnant after the HSG because the dye from the test actually opened their tubes somehow.

I read where some women said taking metformin helped them get pregnant. 

So I asked my doctor to put me on that (500mg once a day).

I've never had a normal cycle to save my life- sometimes I'd get it once a year, sometimes I'd get it for 3 months straight, etc. So for that, I decided to try this stuff called FertilAid.

FertilAid suggested taking 3 pills a day- which I did for about 2 weeks, but then I dropped down to one pill a day for the next two weeks. 

I promise you, not even a month later my cycle was finally normal. I stopped taking the pills, and my 

cycle came every month like clock work which was a miracle for someone who had never 

experienced that.

I also bought an ovulation kit from Amazon and used that. For me that wasn't a big help. I stopped using this after about 6 months.

And finally, I went to the Dollar Tree and bought LOTS of pregnancy tests. 

Because anyone in our shoes knows, buying the nice tests adds up.

I would buy like 20-30 at a time and tell the cashier they were for a baby shower game.

And like many other stories out there- I finally just gave up thinking about it.

I just figured, "forget it, we're just not gonna have kids, I'm over 35 so it's too late".

And then BAM, I'm pregnant.

I honestly think it was a combination of the HSG test,  the metformin, and the FertilAid. 

I feel the HSG test did do something to my tubes, the daily metformin for the last 5+ years, and then finally the FertilAid to regulate my cycle did the trick. (I started the FertilAid in late 2013 so I actually got pregnant a little over a year after starting these pills).

I'm no doctor, so of course you have to do your own research.

What worked for me may not work for you.

Anyways, I hope this info is helpful to someone out there.