Baby Furniture

We picked out our baby's furniture today. We found a collection that we really loved and thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and get it ordered. The pieces we purchase are shown below - we ordered the pieces in white (not brown). We got the crib, the full size bed conversion kit, the dresser, hutch and mattress. We plan on using the dresser as the changing table. It should be delivered in about eight weeks. I can't wait to see it in the room!



We bought everything from a local store in Memphis. After shopping around we felt like they had the best selection and we loved their staff. The store is called Babytime and I recommend it to everyone in Memphis - they carry baby furniture as well lots of other baby items. We will most likely register there since they have such a nice collection of items. It is definitely a better shopping experience than the panic attack inducing chain stores!

13 Week Check Up

Had a fairly routine doctor's visit today. The doctor just took my blood pressure (v. good), weight (haven't gained a pound - the doctor was very pleased), listened to the baby's heartbeat (thumping away), and took a few measurements. It seemed really funny to see the doctor measuring my stomach with a measuring tape. Like the Doppler machine, it seems so low tech but I guess it's another one of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it" sort of things. We also went over my blood work results from the last visit and talked about the pro's and con's of genetic testing. We decided against the optional cystic fibrosis testing and Dr. Austin was very supportive of this decision.

The highlight of the visit (other than getting a positive bill of health of course) was making the appointment for our next visit. This appointment is significant because this is the BIG sonogram visit! As long as our little one decides to cooperate, we should be able to determine the sex of the baby at the next visit. I can not even begin to describe how excited I am about finding out the sex of the baby. The appointment is set for March 24th at 8:30. Five weeks and counting!

Sweet Dreams???

According to "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy," vivid dreams and nightmares are common during pregnancy. Boy are they right on!

Here is a brief sampling of some of the most disturbing vivid dreams I have had over the last month (I am hoping for a good dream sometime soon):

• I am attacked by a coyote while walking on the farm at the home of one of my parent's friends. I plead for help from Mrs. Johnson and beg her to shoot the coyote with the gun she is holding but she refuses stating that they do not believe in killing defenseless animals. Mrs. Johnson was very amused by this story!

• During my job as a convenient store clerk in a gas station, I am robbed at gun point and my car is stolen. I wake up just as I am running down the street in tears chasing after my car.
  

• I attend a rooftop party with lots of friends. As I am leaving I look over to another roof and see one of my good friends drowning in a pool. We are able to rescue her but still the experience is quite traumatic.

• I receive a phone call from an ex-boyfriend asking me to go to dinner. While I am out at dinner, Sam sees a news story saying that my ex is wanted for killing his significant other. In a panic he tries to contact me but is too late. His call arrives just as my ex reveals his desire to murder me. Luckily I wake up right at that moment as well.

• The next dream started unlike others - with a positive twist. Sam and I win a raffle and receive a beautiful Victorian home. Sam goes out without me and buys a ton of furniture to fill the house. Unfortunately, I hate all of the furniture! I beg him to return the furniture but he refuses and continues to move the awful pieces into the house. I decide that I can't take any more and say that I will never live in the home. Sam and I decide that our marriage can't take the stress of the furniture and that we must separate. I am sure there are some physiologist that would have a field day with that one!

• My most recent dream was the first to actually relate to pregnancy. Sam and I decided that we wanted to interview nannies. The first interview goes really well and we like the candidate. As she leaves another nanny arrives unannounced - we are a little confused but decide to interview her anyway. The interview is very strange and it is very clear that we will not be hiring this nanny. As the lady is leaving she blocks the door and insist on knowing if we will be hiring her. We say that we are sorry but that we think we have already identified our nanny. Since she didn't get the job, our nanny decides to rob us instead. She takes all of the contents of our living room in a matter of minutes. I think we have been watching the Memphis news a little too much!

I promise that I have been very happy over the last few months and I am not as disturbed as my dreams have been! Hope everyone else is having sweet dreams!

Super STORM Tuesday

What a night we had! Terrible storms came through Memphis last night and hit many areas within the city. We are happy to report that Sam, Lilly and I were safe and sound in our house watching the news from our bedroom closet as the tornados came through the Memphis area. We didn't have any damage in our immediate area but many places in the city weren't so lucky. There were several offices and warehouses that were hit within blocks of our office complex. Our offices are closed today due to power outages and damage to the buildings in the complex. We drove out to the office a little while ago so I could get my laptop. (I didn't realize I would need it today!) We were shocked by the damage in the area. It is going to take quite a while for everything to be repaired. Sam's building sustained quite a bit of damage. My building looked pretty good and it was currently up on generators. I don't know when we will go back into work. We feel very blessed that we were not at work when the storms hit (thanks to Sam for being overly cautious and making me go home early) and that we were safe and sound in our home.

What a night we had! Terrible storms came through Memphis last night and hit many areas within the city. We are happy to report that Sam, Lilly and I were safe and sound in our house watching the news from our bedroom closet as the tornados came through the Memphis area. We didn't have any damage in our immediate area but many places in the city weren't so lucky. There were several offices and warehouses that were hit within blocks of our office complex. Our offices are closed today due to power outages and damage to the buildings in the complex. We drove out to the office a little while ago so I could get my laptop. (I didn't realize I would need it today!) We were shocked by the damage in the area. It is going to take quite a while for everything to be repaired. Sam's building sustained quite a bit of damage. My building looked pretty good and it was currently up on generators. I don't know when we will go back into work.

Here are some pictures one of Sam's coworkers took of the area around our offices:

Street in front of Sam's building

The plant across the street from our complex

Leaving our complex...there use to be a stop light here and a guard tower across the street.

The corner of Sam's building

The back of Sam's building

We feel very blessed that we were not at work when the storms hit (thanks to Sam for being overly cautious and making me go home early) and that we were safe and sound in our home.

10 1/2 Week Update

Sorry that there hasn’t been much on the blog lately. I have been spending my free time in full research mode. The last couple of weeks have been devoted to:

1. Reading the “Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy” from cover to cover
2. Researching baby furniture, bedding, clothing, safety items and more in my “Baby Bargains” book
3. Researching Child Care options – I made great progress on this topic today when I was suppose to be working
4. Designing baby rooms – I will write an entry soon and share a few of my ideas
5. Sharing our exciting news with family, friends and anyone who will listen
6. Reading "Your Baby's First Year Week by Week" - I still haven't gotten through the first week yet so I have a ways to go on this one

I am doing really well and I am happy to report that morning sickness has almost fully disappeared. My tired spells seem to be decreasing for the time being. I still feel like I am going to crash everyday at 3pm and I get exhausted after doing something simple like cooking dinner but at least I can stay awake past 8pm. Hopefully this newfound energy will hang around for a while.

We have enjoyed sharing our news with family and friends over the last couple of weeks. We still have a few people to tell but overall we have gotten the word out pretty quickly. Everyone has a different reaction and I have enjoyed getting to share our excitement. My favorite reactions so far have been:

Rhena (coworker) broke out into tears and said she felt like a proud aunt - very sweet

Max (coworker) spit coffee at me – I learned to make sure people swallow before sharing big news

Forrest (friend) gave me a high five – such a wonderful boy response

Anita (coworker) screamed and effectively communicated my news to the rest of the office

It really is fun to surprise people with the news. This baby has an amazing group of people eager to welcome it into the world. We feel so blessed to have some many wonderful friend to share this amazing experience with.

Blueberries, Grapes, Strawberries, and Shrimp

You may think I am talking about what I had to eat today or maybe my latest cravings but if you are familiar with baby books you may have guessed that I am talking about terms used to describe the size of the baby during the first trimester. While I agree that common foods are a little easier to visualize than size dimensions, it is a little funny to think about the baby as any of these items. Blueberries and grapes (sizes that we have passed) are pretty standard in size and easy to imagine. Strawberries and shrimp are a little harder to picture...is it a popcorn shrimp or a prawn??? Either way, it sort of makes it hard to imagine eating any of these foods and I am sure it will inspire some pretty interesting dreams to add to my list of strange pregnancy dreams (I will have to dedicate one of my upcoming blogs to the crazy dreams I have had).

For those that are curious, I thought it would be fun to include a baby status update so you can see how much our little strawberry has grown:

Week 9: Movement Begins

Your baby is now nearly 1 inch long and weighs a bit less than 1/8 of an ounce. The embryonic tail at the bottom of your baby's spinal cord is shrinking, helping him or her look less like a tadpole and more like a developing person.

Your baby's head — which is nearly half the size of his or her entire body — is now tucked down onto the chest. Nipples and hair follicles begin to form. Your baby's pancreas, bile ducts, gallbladder and anus are in place. The internal reproductive organs, such as testes or ovaries, start to develop.

Your baby may begin moving this week, but you won't be able to feel it for quite a while yet.

Third Visit with the Doctor

We had another good trip to the doctor today. Doctor Austin did a full check up and said everything looked great and the baby seemed to be growing like it should. Always nice to know everything is on track. We got to listen to the heartbeat again. This time they used a Doppler to listen to the heartbeat (last time we "listened" using the sonogram). I don't know why but I thought the Doppler would be some advance scientific tool. I was really surprised when they pulled something out that looked like a radio someone would have found in a second hand store. It was a surprisingly low-tech tool but I guess I can't complain since it did exactly what it was suppose to do.

I think we might have gotten a glimpse at our little shrimp's personality for the first time this week. No matter how hard Doctor Austin tried he just couldn't seem to get the baby's heartbeat. The baby was hiding right next to one of my veins and the sound of my heartbeat was hiding the baby's heartbeat. After about 5 minutes of searching we were finally able to hear the faint little beating of the babies heart. It is so amazing to hear the heartbeat. There are two beats of the baby's heart for every one beat of mine. What was really neat is that every other baby beat was exactly at the same time as my heartbeat. While that may be explained medically and/or very common it was still amazing to me. Now when I feel my heartbeat I imagine a second little thump in between it and imagine I am listening to the baby's heart.

I also had blood work done. I guess my skin was a little sensitive this time but it hurt a lot more than the blood work I had done in the past. I felt like such a wimp! They took lots of blood so I guess they have lots of test to do.

Doctor Austin gave us the thumbs up to start sharing our news. Many people wait until the end of their first trimester (12 weeks) to announce their pregnancy. We didn't want to rush telling people if there was still a strong risk but Doctor Austin felt like our risk was greatly diminished by the established heartbeat. That was just the confirmation we needed so we are going to start telling people this week. We have told family and a few close friends but we still have many loved ones to share the news with. I can't wait!

Our next appointment will be in a month (February 18). Since we have decided not to do the optional genetic screening tests, I think it will be just a routine checkup and will be pretty uneventful. The next big appointment will be late March or early April (18 - 20 weeks). This will be the next time we do a sonogram and hopefully we will be able to determine the baby's gender as well. Definitely something to look forward to!

Splish Splash

I have started water aerobics. My first class was on Friday and I went again this afternoon. What a treat! I think this is one of the few exercise programs I look forward to. Our YMCA recently put a large enclosure around our outdoor pool. It is surprisingly warm despite the really cold temperatures outside.

The class is available everyday except for Sunday so it shouldn't be too hard to go several times a week. They offer a shallow version and a deep version. I have been going to the shallow version so far since it is offered a little earlier in the evening but I am hoping to try the deep version soon. The ladies in the class are really nice - I am the youngest by far but I think the older ladies like having a young person around. I have almost instantly become friends with a sweet lady named Virginia. She even gave me a little hug after class and said she looked forward to seeing me on Wednesday. How sweet!

I am hoping that this will be an exercise program that I can continue well into my third trimester. The instructor we have had so far is certified in rehabilitation aerobics so I feel like I am in really good hands. One thing I know for sure is that I will be sleeping really well tonight.

Second (Unexpected) Doctor’s Appointment

We had an emergency appointment with the doctor today. I had been experiencing some cramping the last couple of days and was starting to get a little concerned. Between the cramping, the cold, a decrease in morning sickness over the last few days and my past history I had gotten really worried. After a couple of restless nights I decided that there was no reason to worry myself any longer. I talked to Amy’s mom first (it is so nice to have a nurse to talk to) and she suggested that I go ahead and call the doctor. The nurse at Dr. Austin’s office was very pleasant and while she said she didn’t think there was cause for concern, she knew it would be better for me to have peace of mind so they scheduled an appointment for me to come in right away and see one of the doctors in the practice.

Our prayers were answered and the check up went really well. Since I was an emergency visit they just scheduled me with the next available doctor. The doctor we met with was really nice and very helpful but I have no idea what her name was! I am going to have to find out because I really liked her. She said that everything looked good and that most likely I was just experiencing cramping due to dehydration from the cold I was having. Based on my dry skin and chapped lips I felt like that was a good possibility. They were also going to run some test to make sure there weren’t any signs of infections. I should hear back from them in the next 24 hours if there are any problems. The last possibility was the funniest by far. Even though we had a sonogram last time she felt like we needed to do another just in case to check for twins. The look on Sam’s face was priceless!

The sonogram confirmed that there was only one baby (thank goodness!) and that its heart was still beating away. I was really surprised how much it had grown in the last week. As I was laying there checking out our little blueberry the sonogram technician turned on the sound so we could hear the heartbeat. What fun! Normally they don’t let you hear the heart so soon but she felt like we needed a little treat to make up for the last few days of worrying. Boy that little heart beats fast. Sam and I had lots of fun imitating it on the way home.

So I am happy to say that we are both healthy. I am trying to increase my water consumption. Now that my morning sickness has subsided a little it is a lot easier to drink fluids. Hopefully this cold will go away soon and I will be back to 100%

PS - I think this picture is even fuzzier than the last but it was a normal sonogram and it isn't magnified as much as the last time. Don't worry if you don't know what you are looking at...if I hadn't seen the heart beating I wouldn't have a clue either!

Joys of Pregnancy

I can’t really say that the New Year has gotten off to a great start. These last few days haven’t been much fun. Morning sickness has become almost constant and has now been compounded by a very bad cold. Battling a cold with little to no medication isn't much fun. Yuck!

Luckily I have been able to take a little time off work to relax. I have slept so much in the last couple of days. I think I have been alseep more than I have been awake. Hopefully the worst of the cold is over and I will be back to feeling better in no time.

It's Friday night and I am spending it in my PJ's. Really exciting stuff but I am really looking forward to a weekend of doing nothing!

First Visit to the Doctor

Today was our first appointment with the doctor and everything went really well! Sam went with me for moral support - I feel so much more at ease having him there. I can't begin to describe what an enormous weight was lifted off our shoulders following this appointment. Dr. Austin said I looked great and felt our guess at timing was accurate. Right now we are looking at an August 23rd due date. I have been having a lot more problems with morning sickness recently which really made Dr. Austin happy. Funny that anyone would be celebrating morning sickness but he said that news alone was a really good sign that everything was progressing correctly. Because of the previous miscarriage, he suggested we do an early sonogram to see if we could see a heartbeat. Just a few minutes later we were seeing the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. In 29 years I have seen a lot of amazing things and have had my share of excitement but that little “thump thump thump” was one of the most exciting things I have ever seen. I think I was in tears almost instantly. The lab technician was one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met and really let us get a long look at “our little diamond” (that is what she called it). Then she made several copies of the picture so we could take them home. I know it isn’t much to look at but here is a first glimpse at baby Coverdale:

We are about to start getting ready to head out to celebrate the New Year with friends. Our friend Veronica is hosting a New Years Eve party at her house on Mud Island. Almost all of our Memphis friends will be there. It will be a little different ringing in the New Year without champagne but I think we have enough to celebrate without it! Happy New Year!

Home from Holiday

Wow, it has been a long time since our last update. So much has happened since that time. Christmas was really nice this year. It was great to have an extra long vacation. We were able to spend time with our families and have a little time at home after the holidays. I definitely needed a little rest after all that travelling!

It was so good to see our parents, brothers, their wives/girlfriends, and my extended family. Having everyone together for the holidays really made it special.

We got to share our exciting news with our immediate families over the holidays. We told my parents first since they were our first stop along the way. We wrapped a gift with a message inside and gave it to them as an early Christmas present. It was so much fun to watch my mom and dad’s reaction. It is such fun news to share. Sam and I told his family a few days later during our Christmas celebration. I was a little surprised by their response. Evidently there were already a few speculations from Sam’s mom and CJ (Matt’s wife) – and we thought we were being so sneaky :-)

Heading to the Coast

Today is the big day! I am so excited about going home for Christmas this year. This is a special year for both families since we will all be able to be together. My brother and his girl friend are coming in either tonight or tomorrow. I don’t get to see him very often so I am really excited about hanging out with him and Karen over the holidays. Sam’s family will be in Pensacola this year. What a treat to be able to spend time with both sets of families. We will do a Christmas dinner with Sam’s parents and both brothers and their wives on Sunday. My family will spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day together. I am sure there will be a lot of driving back and forth but it is a small price to pay to get to see all of our loved ones.

Telling and Receiving Good News

We had desserts with Amy and Matt Murphy last night and decided to share the news. Actually, Lilly shared our news by sporting a cute “Big Sister in Training” t-shirt. Here is a picture from the website...haven't gotten a chance to take a picture of Lilly wearing the shirt yet.

Sam and I felt that it would be good to have someone for me to confide in. Since Amy has been so supportive through these last few months and since her mom is an OBGYN nurse, it seemed like the best person to share our secret with. Once we have our doctor’s check up and we hear a heartbeat (a milestone I am really nervous about) we will share our news with a few more people. It is so hard not to tell everyone.

I received an exciting call from my mom this morning. One of our friends in Fairhope has just discovered that she is expecting a baby. We are only days apart! The conversations are so funny at this point because my mom is so excited but doesn’t know that she is about to receive similar news from me. I am sure she will be stunned. Funny how things happen :-)

Guess What?

Yippie! I am pregnant!

I am happy to announce that two pregnancy tests have confirmed that Sam and I are expecting. We are somewhat shocked that we will be welcoming a baby into the world. For those that do not know, I had a miscarriage back in October. That was a painful time in both of our lives but in the end it confirmed how much we wanted a child and how much we loved each other. We never expected to be pregnant again so soon. I guess I am lucky to be super fertile (Sam says we could be super heroes…that might be going a bit far). We definitely feel blessed!

We are heading down to Fairhope on Friday night for the Christmas holidays. I am really excited to go home and spend time with our family. We are trying to think of a clever way to tell our parents the happy news. I would love to wait until we had a doctor’s confirmation but I am far too excited about telling them face to face. It’s fun news to share over the phone but even better in person. I think we may incorporate Christmas into the mix…maybe a little gift to open or something like that.

The appointment with the doctor is scheduled for December 31st. I am nervous and excited all at once. Since it is a higher risk pregnancy, we should be able to do a sonogram sometime soon to try and hear a heartbeat. I would love it if we could do it during our checkup. It would be nice to have a good appointment and then ring in the New Year with good news. What a wonderful gift!

I hope you have enjoyed this first installment of the Coverdale Chronicles. I will try to keep this blog updated over the course of the pregnancy so that loved ones can stay up to date. I have enjoyed reading other friends stories and hope you will too.