Guess What!!

Okay so if you're family and haven't checked your snail mail lately or you weren't paying attention at church this morning you may have missed the announcement so here it is...

Baby Ballard # 2 is scheduled to arrive some time around April 10, 2009!

Some of you say you kinda knew something was up due to the lack of blogging lately on my part. Yes, I've been really sick. Its let up some in the past few days (I can now stand up straight, not hunched over holding my midsection and humming to myselft to get over the nausea). I've now moved on to the next phase which seems to be eat, eat, eat. I did blog a little when I found out I was pregnant, before I got sick and that is what you're about to read. Enjoy!

Thursday, July 31 2008 3:00pm

If your reading this just know this post is a few weeks old. I just found out I'm pregnant!!

I was about 2 days late the day before Beau left for his trip. I bought a super cheap pregnancy test and took it, it was negative. I thought it was really weird because I really thought I was pregnant. Beau left for his trip and Elijah and I left for mine. I wanted so badly to take another test and talk about it, but I new if I took a test and it was positive I wouldn't be able to keep it from my family. It was so hard because Monday night I was with all my mom's family and Sherrie and Joel announced that they are pregnant and I wanted so badly to yell "ME TOO!!" A few more weeks and I can do that!

So I just didn't take another test - until today. Elijah and I went to the grocery store this morning and I bought a better test. I took it when I got home and it was positive. I was so excited, but didn't have anyone to tell. I ran into the kitchen and said, "Elijah, guess what! Mommy has a baby in her tummy!!" He looked at me and said, "aaweoi, adkndsl badmwopi" and went back to playing. I think that roughly translates to "Mama, I'm so excited. I'm going to be the best big brother ever!" I said roughly.

The reason I went ahead and took it before Beau gets home is because it will hopefully give me some time to plan a way to tell him as a kind of "Welcome Home" present.

The reason I'm blogging about it today, but will not post it for weeks to come is that I don't have a journal yet and don't want to forget how this day felt. I am scared out of my mind at the idea of having another child to care for, but I am so overcome with joy to have another child to love.
I am crying at everything, I'm already nauseated (not a good sign - it didn't show up this early last time, and I was super sick with Elijah), and I feel exhausted all the time.

One weird thing. I was sitting here waiting for something to upload and I flipped my new Pottery Barn Kids magazine open to the baby section. The first bedding was embroydered with the name Sadie on it. That's the name we want for a girl and we never have seen it anywhere! Weird huh?

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Beau got home last night. Elijah and I picked him up from the church building and brought him ( and all his smelly stuff) home. We had dinner, gave Elijah a bath and talked. When it was time for Elijah to go to bed I told Beau we had a present for him. I took Elijah into his room, put on his new "Big Brother" shirt and gave him a "We're expecting" card. I told him to take it to Papa. It took a second for Beau to notice the shirt since he was focused on the card and then it hit him. He was really excited (not too thrilled that I was taping it when he had a mouth full of food, but oh well). We put Elijah to bed and then talked about our excitement.

Our first Dr appt is on Wednesday and we are pumped. I told Beau how nervous I am at having another baby to care for and how hard it will be and he said, "it'll be fine". The standard male answer! Ha!

Hopefully I only have to wait a few more days to tell Aimee and Gary. I keep catching myself almost letting it slip. We have invited Beau's parents to come down some time soon so we can tell them and my parents were already planning a trip down at the end of the month. We are excited that we can hopefully tell our parents in person this time. Last time we had to do it over the phone because I was having knee surgery, but found out I was pregnant and couldn't have the surgery so we had to tell them because they were going to wonder why I didn't have the surgery.

I'm feeling pretty good. My only "nausea" thing happens when I get too hungry and a little after I eat. I'm mostly exhausted and running to the bathroom with a constantly full bladder. Beau took my first belly shot last night. I know there's nothing there yet, but I want a "before" shot and I never took a belly shot with Elijah and so I will probably over do it with this baby. So, you've been warned. The baby right now is the size of a sesame seed and is developing it's brain and heart. Very exciting!!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

We went to our first OB appointment this morning. We went as a family. I soon learned that we will not be able to take Elijah to the appointments with us. It started when the nurse practitioner (thats who I saw this time) was taking my blood pressure. Elijah started crying and holding his arms out for me saying "mama!" I assured him she wasn't hurting me, but he was watching her like a hawk with a "don't you mess with my mama" look on his face. When she started the exam it turned worse. I had Beau bring him to my head and had to hold his hand, but he was still crying and wanted her to stop. When she did he was fine. He's so protective of me - its really cute. Beau bugs him about it though. Elijah doesn't even like for Beau to hug me. So Beau will come up to me and hug me and Elijah will run over and try to push him off while yelling "mama, mine, mine, mine!!" I have to say, I don't really mind.

Anyway, the appointment went fine. I'm only barely 6 weeks so nothing much showed up on the ultrasound (just a black dot) so they want me to come back in two weeks and they said we'll see a lot more. She drew my HCG and progesterone (pregnancy hormones) levels and dipped my urine which all confirm my pregnancy. I was feeling a lot more nauseated today and Beau has been making fun of me for being so tired. I've been going to bed really early. I can tell this time around will be totally different. When I was pregnant with Elijah I would just lay around and nap on my days off. Its hard to do that now when I need to be running around after a 2 year old. We've gone back to "sleep when Elijah sleeps", but that means I have to either nap during his nap or get stuff done. Its a hard decision, but I have to tell you...sleep usually wins.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Week 7: Head, Almost Shoulders, Knees, and a Glimpse of Toes
How does your baby grow? Pretty fast, actually. This week, your baby's length is approximately a quarter of an inch — the size of a blueberry. Sounds pretty tiny still? Consider this for a little perspective: Your baby is 10,000 times bigger now than it was at conception a month ago.The biggest growth this week is your baby's head (the better to store all those smarts in), with new brain cells being generated at the rate of 100 cells per minute. How's that for a budding genius?And talking about buds, your baby is going out on a limb this week as his or her arm and leg buds begin to sprout and grow longer (and stronger), dividing into hand, arm, and shoulder segments — and leg, knee, and foot segments (though the limb buds look more like paddles than hands or feet at this early stage).Also forming this week are your baby's mouth and tongue. And although your embryo is just one month old, it's already gone through three sets of kidneys. The ones in place now are the permanent set and are poised to begin their important work of waste management. In about a week, your baby will start producing urine. Lucky for you, there's no need for diapers (yet). As your baby matures inside you, much of that urine will be excreted into the amniotic fluid, swallowed again by your baby, and then excreted again in a continuous cycle.

Just a litte update on baby #2.

I am feeling worse and worse. Yesterday was the worst so far. Nauseated all day and hungry. If I get too hungry I get sick, if I eat I get sick. Well apparently today is not going to be much better. Luckily I got to sleep in today. I am on call so I don't have to go in to work until later today. The one good thing about being sick is - its my only constant thing that proves I'm still pregnant. Once it ends the baby starts moving and then you have that to go on. So it reminds me that I will soon have another litte bundle to love and that makes it tolerable.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
We went back to the dr today to have another sonogram and confirm the date. Well, based on the sonogram the dr moved us back 10 days. So my due date has changed from March 31 to April 10. Good news/Bad news...

Good news: it puts us almost 2 weeks closer to Beau being done with school and able to spend more time home helping me. It also pushes my maternity leave further toward the end of the summer. Its always hard being a single parent while Beau is gone so much during the summer and I know it will be extra hard with a newborn. But it will be all the more easier if I'm not having to work at the same time.
Bad news: I thought I was getting close to being done with "morning" sickness (which is a joke in its self since it last all day and all night). Now I just got 10 days further away from feeling better. It also changed my expectations of what is happening with the baby right now. So if you read above what the baby is doing forget that, add ten days to the date then read it again! :)
We did get a sonogram pic though, our first one. I'll try to scan it and post it later. Nothing to see, just some black wavey lines (it gets that from Beau!) Ha! We did, however get to see the heartbeat which is always amazing! Oh, funny story... after the dr saw the baby he said, "okay, now lets see if I can get a look at the other one." I knew he was joking, but for just a split second I was like, "WHAT!" Keep us in your prayers!!