10 weeks to go!

I saw my OB yesterday and everything is still going just as it should be. I was a little concerned when I went to my appointment because I had just seen my PCP a few days earlier (I had to follow up with him after the ER visit) and he basically lectured me about how I was overdoing it and made it sound like I was hurting the baby or something. My OB reassured me that she'd be the first to tell me if I was harming the baby in any way, I might be sleep deprived but the little one can sleep whenever. I was relieved to hear that.

I only have 5 weeks of school left for this year and then I'll just be working until I can't anymore or she arrives....hopefully the latter. I think I'll go stir crazy if I go from being incredibly busy to just sitting around waiting for her to get here.

The crib bedding arrived a couple weeks ago and I've picked out my paint colors so now its just a matter of getting the nursery painted. I HATE painting.....but if you know me, you probably already knew that anyway. Thankfully my mom enjoys it and has offered to do the painting....it might happen this Thursday. I'll post pictures of the progress. Speaking of progress....here's the latest picture of the ever growing belly

Student Nurse to Patient

Yesterday was an interesting day for the Landreth family. I started out a student nurse and ended up being a patient. This week was a really long week for me because it was my week of clinicals and of working on the same two days. I dread these weeks but they happen every other week during the term, thankfully only four times each term. Clinicals start at 7AM and get out at 12:15PM then I have a break until I work at 3PM until 11:30PM. The first day isn't so bad, its the second day that I dread, of getting up at 5AM after going to bed at 12:30 or 1AM after work. But the bills must be paid and insurance is a necessity right now so that's just the way it has worked out. So I went to clinicals at the hospital Friday morning and found that the patient that I'd been assigned that week had been discharged the night before. Another student, Amy was also in the same situation so we were assigned a research project on a particularly interesting patient that was admitted that day. We were to interview him and look into his medical history. So Amy and I were going through his medical chart when I suddenly felt nauseous followed by feeling as though I was going to pass out.....which I apparently did....pass out that is. I came to to about three nurses rushing in the room and talking about calling the ER. I passed out a second time and then came to again. Apparently it looked as though I was having a seizure so the next thing I know I'm in a wheel chair and Amy and my instructor are wheeling me down to the ER. I called Dustin on my way down and told him they were taking me to the ER and he should probably come in.....poor guy I completely freaked him out.....I didn't even mention that I was ok......but I can't say that I was completely coherent at that point. I was a little freaked out myself and a little embarrassed at the same time.

It was an interesting experience being the patient and not the one giving the care. I got the whole works.....IV, seizure pads on the bed, hospital gown (which they kindly stripped me in front of my instructor and classmate....nothing like getting to know them well). So after a few hours in the ER, some lab work and making sure little Lily was ok, they concluded that it was most likely just fainting but made an appointment for an EEG anyway just to be sure it wasn't seizure activity. It has to be a sleep deprived test.....I told them I could qualify that day but it had to be done another day. The ER doctor sent me home with orders to lay low....so no going to work that night....to follow up with my PCP and Obstetrician as well as the EEG appointment....oh and no driving. I was grateful for the day off and went home and crashed for most of the day. I'm feeling alright today, just a little run down but I'm taking naps and trying to relax.

Here's my latest belly pic (27 weeks):

Its official.....

We officially found out that we are having a girl. I was so glad that she decided to cooperate this time around....and we had an awesome ultrasound technician who said she's only been wrong once in 16 yrs (and the doctor confirmed that too). Now I'm on the hunt for a bring home outfit. I really want to find a cute summer dress with some sandles to go along with it. I may have found the one at Walmart, I just need to break down and buy it. I keep looking and comparing everything I see to this one. There is even a pair of sandles and a bonnet that goes with this outfit :)



There's just so much cute stuff its hard to decide. And I'm very excited to finally order my crib set so the nursery can be painted. We did get the crib put together, or rather Dustin got the crib together while I was at work this past week. I also did my registry today. I took Kelly and Melissa with me since they have both been through this whole registry thing a couple times and know what is actually necessary and what brands are the best. I registered at Target and at Toy-R-Us. I had a hard time finding the high chair I wanted though which is rather frustrating. Most of the ones they had in the stores were ugly or too gender specific and I'm hoping to keep my high chair around for the next baby so I don't want to go girly. I did find it at Target on-line so I guess I'll just have to add it to my registry that way.

I can't believe I'm already 25 weeks....she's going to be here so soon. Classes start again tomorrow too so that's going to make the time go by much faster but I'm excited to finally hold her....and to have my ribs back to myself :)....she climbs in them often these days. I so enjoyed my Spring Break and I'm somewhat reluctant to go back to school and especially back to not seeing Dustin again. We actually had a few days off together over the break and got to spend some quality time together. I'm going to miss that. He's at work today and then we are working opposite shifts most of the week so I'll see him again Thursday evening.....so sad.....but in a year from June its all going to be worth it....I just have to keep reminding myself that. Plus there is a good chance that I'll get to stay home this summer which will be very nice if it works out.

So here's some pictures from our latest ultrasound:

Spring Break!!!

Finally! My spring break is here and I can get some of the things done that I've been wanting to do but have been putting off because of school. On Saturday I borrowed a carpet cleaner from my sister in law and shampooed the baby's room. Then yesterday Dustin and I actually had a whole day off together so we assembled the baby's dresser.
It was a fun project to do together. Next time it will be the crib. Next Thursday we have our third ultrasound so hopefully I'll be able to register next weekend. I'm hoping our ultrasound technician is better than the last one we experienced. And I hope the baby cooperates too.
Here is my baby bump photo from last week at 23 weeks....we're making up for lost time now.
I'm feeling the baby move a whole lot more now and when the baby kicks you can see my shirt move. Its such an amazing experience and still so surreal.

Almost Spring Break....

I'm nearly done with my second term of nursing school. Its hard to believe that its gone by so fast but at the same time I'm looking forward to being done with this term and having a break. The busyness of school has definitely caused this pregnancy to fly by too. I'm 23 weeks already....and yes I know way past due to update my belly picture. I'm planning to get to that as soon as my husband and I are in the house at the same time (and not asleep during that time). He's been a great support and a very understanding husband throughout this busy time. He's taken on the household chores, most of the cooking and he gets up with me on his days off to help me make my lunch and occasional cup of coffee.....yes I get one cup of coffee a day, I asked my doctor....so no lectures about that. Best if all I never hear a complaint out of him. I think I'd go mad if Dustin wasn't so supportive and helpful. He even tolerates my occasional mental breakdowns when life feels like its overtaking me :) and he reminds me that God will never give me too much to handle and He hasn't set me up to fail.....those are good reminders. He's my biggest cheerleader. Hopefully spring break will bring some much needed sleep, reorganization of the house and most importantly some quality time with my hubby.

Hello Belly....

It seems as though my belly just decided to pop out this week. I pretty much said good by to all my pre-pregnancy tops and most of my pants. I'm still hanging onto at least one pair of jeans though.....got to love the low rise jeans! So here's the latest belly picture:
There was also a request to see pictures of our crib and dresser. Sadly they are still in their boxes awaiting assembly.....maybe over Spring Break.

Our growing Lily

Our pictures from the latest ultrasound didn't come out nearly as good as the first one but I love that you can see the heart in this picture. Its all there and functioning as it should!

She is getting more and more active.....or maybe I can just feel how active she is because she is getting bigger. Either way its been fun to experience her moving around in there and trying to guess what she's doing. I can't believe we are nearly half way there! The time is flying by with all the busyness of school. I'm so looking forward to my Spring break.....4 weeks to go!! I'm hoping to get my registry done then and start decorating the nursery.

Its a Lily.....we think

I wish I could say that my second ultrasound was as exciting and fun as the first one but the ultrasound tech made sure that it wasn't. She was so incresdibly rude and short with us throughout the whole procedure. I think we must have been her last patients of the day or something. Anyway to make a long story short the baby's legs were crossed most of the ultrasound so seeing the gender wasn't the easiest thing to do. The tech looked once and said "I think its a girl but I'm not too sure......I'll check back in a little bit". The next thing I new she was ushering us our the door. When I objected and asked if she was going to check again, she huffed but looked again reluctantly. The baby was still being very modest and instead of trying to get the baby to move she said"Its a girl, I'm sure of it" and turned off the monitor. RIGHT! Needless to say we were less than pleased and Dustin vented to the doctor. Thankfully she was very understanding and made a phone call to the lady's supervisor. She also said she would do her best to get us another ultrasound. After having a look at the ultrasound pictures herself, she thought we were having a girl too. I'm a little more convinced by what she had to say but I'm not completely convinced quite yet. Despite all that I'm still looking around for a nursery set. I'm torn between two. They are pretty similar but I can't decide. What do you think?

http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Bella-Bedding-JoJo-Designs/dp/B001MXL094/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1234044346&sr=1-27
or
http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?DeptID=62438&CatID=62731&GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=157e78a&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=62438%7c62644%7c62645&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=4&CmCatId=62438626446264562731

Feeling Movement!

I finally felt the little munchkin move the other night. I was laying in bed trying to get to sleep. It was pretty exciting and called for waking up Dustin to celebrate. I can't say that he was very excited to be woken up.....lol who is. But its so reassuring to know that our little one is still growing in there. It now a nightly occurrence that I look forward to. The rest of the day I'm usually so wrapped up in school and the movement is so faint I usually don't notie it too often.

We're having our second ultrasound on Thursday and hopefully going to be able to see if its a Caleb or a Lily in there. Can't wait!

Week 18's happenings:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

The growing bump.....

So the baby bump is getting a little more obvious, although to most people it probably still looks like a gut rather than what it truly is. In due time though it will be quite obvious. I've tucked away most of my beloved shirts and finally given into buying some maternity tops. Old Navy is by far my favorite place to shop, and thank heavens they make maternity pants in longs! I can't find another place locally that does. I haven't yet said good-bye to my pre-pregnancy jeans but they are getting a little more snug so that's probably going to change soon too. I can't say the change has been an easy one for me but now I'm able to pay more attention to the upcoming arrival of Caleb or Lily rather than the growing discomfort of my body. But I can't say I don't look forward to less frequent trips to the bathroom, sleeping on my back again and the return of clear skin. So here's the progressing belly at 16.5 weeks:

Baby Landreth

Last Wednesday I had my first ultrasound. It was pretty amazing to finally see my little one. He/she was pretty active and made the ultrasound technician work for all the measurements she was after. According to these measurements, I am in fact nearly 16 weeks (I think I'm a day farther than they first thought) and the baby is 4 oz.....pretty crazy that a person can be so small and yet so active. Oh and there is only one in there....that was my first question during the ultrasound :)

Here are a few clips and pics from the ultrasound:
















I love this one with both arms up by the face:

Update time...

I know its been forever since I posted a blog but...well I really don't have any excuses except that it hasn't been on the top of my priority list and I should really be reading right now and not procrastinating. But I figured it was time to update this thing and its Friday so I'm not too stoked about doing homework tonight.

This week it was back to the grind of school. My body really protested after getting so used to enjoying all the sleep it wanted over break. I got some great things accomplished over break too besides sleeping, that never would have happened had Dustin not motivated me and done so much. I swear I'd sleep all day every day if I was allowed to :) We had each taken over one of our two spare rooms as offices and places to do our homework so we needed to consolidate in preparation for the munchkin. We accomplished that feat and boy was it a feat. We also did some reorganizing in the garage and in the rest of the house. The next thing I need to do is get the carpet cleaned in the baby's room. There's a grease spot in the carpet from Dustin's old office chair....I hate that chair.....that I'm hoping I can get out. After that or maybe before that its time for painting (either pink or blue or maybe green)....yet to be determined...and then I'm not sure, I haven't thought that far ahead yet. Dustin's mom is way into stamping, she makes awesome handmade cards, anyway she mentioned something about stamping on the walls with acrylic paint. I said go for it! I hate painting (and this time I can't paint...shucks) so I'm not too picky and it'd be fun to have that personal touch from grandma. She's also already planning ideas for the baby shower invitations and announcements. Its great to have crafty and talented family members!

Today was my second doctors appointment. We finally got to hear the heart beat! I was SO disappointed when we didn't get to hear it at the last appointment. It took a bit to find it, which made me a little nervous but I've had numerous people warn me that it might take some time so I shouldn't freak out. Once the doctor found it she had to chase the little one around a bit, apparently he or she is a little squirmer....hope that's not too profetic or I'll not be sleeping in the monthes to come. The Heart Rate was 144....the doc said it sounded like a boy to her :) I have no preference but my feeling has been that we're having a boy too. The rest of my family and some of my coworkers keep saying its a girl, they are just hoping I'll stick to the trend of the family.....which has been girl, boy, girl, boy...etc I've broken every other trend so why not this one too! My mom says I'm going to mess up her grandma T-shirt lol....its all nice and orderly with the girl, boy trend.....I don't like trends....sorry mom. But we'll have the predictions confirmed or refuted on Feb 5th at our second ultrasound. We're having one next week to be sure we are as far along as we think we are and if we're not the second ultrasound will be moved to accomidate the change since its suppossed to be around 20 weeks.

I've started my baby bump picture collection. I took one the day we found out we were expecting and then one at 13.5 weeks. I'm starting to put a few of my shirts away, just the snugger fitting ones so far. My pants are still good but we'll see how long that lasts. Good thing I got gift cards for Christmas! My belly doesn't look like a pregnant belly quite yet....just like I ate too much holiday food.

This is where we started (5 weeks):

This is a week ago (13.5 weeks):

Unexpectedly expecting!!

How quickly the path of life can change! I'm humbled by this new development in our lives and I look forward to meeting our little one sometime around July 7th.

I signed up for an email service that keeps me informed of whats happening in the baby's development. According to my calculations I should be about 5 weeks along.

At 5 weeks:
The baby is about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. The big development this week: The baby's brain is beginning to grow! It develops from the neural tube, a structure that will also spawn the baby's spinal cord, nerves, and backbone.


What a miracle!!.....and some people believe this all happened by accident.....

Please join us in praying for our little miracle...... and for us as parents :)

Draggin...

I'm so thankful to finally have a day off. I've worked the last nine days in a row and man I'm tuckered! I was supposed to have this last weekend off but my employer offered me time and a half (since it was overtime anyway) plus an extra $10 an hour. I couldn't pass up that opportunity, especially since I just bought my books for school and they were over $1000! Apparently its pretty much standard practice to buy all your books you'll be using for the whole 2 year program all at once....yikes! Anyway back to talking about my new job. I'm absolutely loving it! I love the fact that I just get to help people all day long. I've definitely encountered some interesting characters but its been fun.

Today was my first day of class. It wasn't all that exciting because it was just "do this" "don't do that" "be here on this day at this time""read this before you come to class" etc etc.....you know the basic first day stuff. However, I was relieved to find out I'll only be wearing my uniform (hunter green scrubs) two days a week instead of four or five like I had previously heard.

With the rapid transition from one job to another, my long list of to do's definitely didn't get done before school started. I was planning on getting some yard work and some organization of my house done before the whirl wind of school and a new job hit. I guess the yard work will have to wait until next summer and the organizing....maybe winter break.

Pest Control....at LAST!!

When Dustin and I first moved into our new house I was all excited to get my yard in order. Its been a slow process but slowly it has started to come together. After a year we finally got our lawn planted and then this year we put in two flower beds and a small garden. That was when the pesky deer started coming into the yard and munching on all my newly planted flowers and veggies.....stupid varmints!!! I even bought deer resistant plants just in case....but that didn't keep them at bay. After much searching (and much complaining on my part) Dustin found our solution. They arrived in the mail yesterday and today they are happily guarding my yard....hehe. Dustin found these sprinklers that are motion activated so when the deer come into the yard to munch on my flowers.....they get sprayed. Its absolutely genious if you ask me!


Dustin placed one on each side of the house so all of my flower beds and my garden are safe and sound....at last I've been sitting in the living room since sunset listening to the sprinklers chase those blasted deer off. I have to admit I've giggled every time. Hurray now I can finally see my flowers bloom....well maybe next year, I think they need a year to recover since they are all chewed down to nubs....so sad.

Orientation, orientation, orientation.....

I started my new job on Monday (yesterday). It was eight hours of orientation. We talked about benefits, history of the organization, blah blah blah.... Actually there were some cool parts in there. Apparently the hospital was originally founded by a group of nuns. We got to meet one of the nuns that currently works and oversees the hospital's operations. She was absolutely hilarious and totally blew my preconceived notions about nuns and Catholics out of the water. First of all she wasn't wearing the traditional penguin suit and she talked about God like he was her best friend. So cool! Not to mention she was hilarious and I don't know about you but I've seen enough movies with catholic school scenes to have the imprinted image of strict and grumpy nuns. I think she was my favorite part of the day.

Today was another eight hours of orientation. I was so bummed when I found out it was another eight hours. I was previously told it was just going to be four hours....but I guess that's tomorrow. I found that out after I was sitting in orientation today anticipating my 12:00 escape... The orientation would be so much more tolerable if we weren't in a classroom for the whole session. Most of the stuff we are talking about is common sense, but there are definitely things I'm thankful we are going over...like the procedure for a patient in cardiac arrest....that's a little nerve racking to think about.

I still haven't seen the floor I'll be working in. This week's orientation is at the old hospital. Next week I think I have orientation at the new hospital. All I've got to say is I can't wait until all this orientation crap is over with!!

Employed!

I finally got the much awaited phone call. I got the job! I wasn't sure exactly what job I was applying for.....just a CNA position with PeaceHealth since there were so many openings. I was hired for a 20hr position in the cardiopulmonary unit. I was hoping for 24-28hrs but I'm sure I can pick up hours if I need to. The HR person I spoke with kept calling it PCU....not sure how the acronym works out for that one. I have to go for a health assessment before they will officially hire me...more needle sticks, oh yeah. That will be on Wednesday. I'll have to have my 3rd TB test for the year unless they accept the one I just had 2 months ago. I guess I can be sure I don't have TB :) I officially start on Monday....well orientation....but I get paid for that too. It was perfect timing. God always has a way of working that out. I'm done at the University on Friday and start the new job on Monday....no rest for the weary :) I had planned for 2 weeks off before school started, but I'll take the job, plus I'll be working half what I was working before so I'm not too concerned. September 29th is my first day of school....its finally almost here. I have to pick up my 3 boxes of books next week....oh and I finally get to buy scrubs that aren't a solid color....and best of all not white!!

Job Interview!!

I had a job interview yesterday at the new hospital. It was the first time I had been in the gigantic place since it opened at the beginning of August. The place is absolutely huge!! I had to ask for directions twice before I finally found the HR department hidden in the back corner on the second floor. Apparently the signs aren't all up so its pretty confusing. When you walk in the front door you feel like your walking into a resort not a hospital. My interview went well and I was sent for a drug test so I'm thinking that is a good sign. I'm hoping for the best, I'd really like to work here!

Passed!

I just found out yesterday that I passed my nursing assistant certification exam. HURRAY!! I was really starting to stress because I truely thought I had failed. I made some mistakes that I thought would surely cause me to fail since one of my friends just failed for messing up a single step. God had mercy on me though and I PASSED!! Next step: find a job....something new to worry about :) Hopefully I've learned to stop worrying and start trusting that its going to work out....hopefully.

Summer School......

So in case your wondering why its been so darn long since I posted a blog, its because I'm taking 11 units this summer and still working full time..... Let me tell you how that one happened. I wasn't planning on taking summer classes at all until the nursing classes were scheduled so strategically as to keep me from taking microbiology during Fall term. The class is required to be completed by the end of Fall term....so summer classes here I come. Since the extra funds are in short supply, I decided I better take a second class....a fun one.....for the additional credits I needed to qualify for financial aid, since I couldn't get into the only other class (research writing) that I actually need to take. One week into the term I get an email from the writing professor that there is an opening in the class if I'm still interested. I had been feeling guilty about spending the money on the "extra" class so I figured for peace of mind, sure why not. I had every intention of dropping my fun class (nutrition.....yes I'm am obsessed/interested in eating right) and this small voice told me to drop it that very day that I made the decision. But you guessed it, I didn't. The next day I signed up for the writing class that I was finally cleared for and then attempted to drop the nutrition class.....yes I did say attempted. The deadline had passed to get any refund for the class....CRAP.....so what was the point of dropping it now I'd have to pay for it anyway and my conscience surely wasn't going to allow me to pay for a class and not get anything out of it. So......needless to say I'm signed up for 11 units now. This should be interesting. So please do be forgiving if I'm even more flaky about posting blogs :)