Whew! Am I ever behind!!! Well, we're 35 weeks today. Just 2 more weeks till we're considered full term. How bizarre!! Anyway, we've had an interesting couple of weeks. Last week I went to my regular doctor's appointment to find that my blood pressure was really high. It was 160 / 90 and then 140 / 90. SO! I had to go to the hospital to be hooked up to a monitor and blood pressure cuff for 2 hours. Luckily, Brett's mom had come with me and she talked nonsense to me the whole time and the pressure went down to 130 /72. On the up side, we also got another sonogram out it! And guess what?! We're having a GIRL!! Yup! Baby Kaylin was definitely not shy about showing off the parts this time!! She looks very happy in there and was a perfectly normal 4.3 pounds. Doesn't seem fair that she's only 4.3 pounds and I've gained 19!! LOL!

Anyway, so the doctors could test my protein levels I had to keep a 24 urine collection. Oh yeah, that was so much fun! Can you see the sarcasm dripping from that remark?! Brett was thoroughly grossed out, especially since I had to keep it in the fridge! They also did a bunch of blood work. We found out yesterday that all my tests came back normal. They're calling it pregnancy induced hypertension (Brett's calling it puppy induced!). It just means they're going to monitor me more closely, with an appointment every week, another sonogram in 3 weeks and possibly another urine collection (yippee). Dr said that if my blood pressure is still wacky they may think about taking the baby a week early, so we may be looking at the first week of January. That doesn't bother me, as long as she's not a Christmas baby!

Other than all of that things are going pretty much as normal. I'm trying to get the house cleaned, but with 3 dogs and Brett, its kind of a lost cause. The nursery is all set up, and I've got all of the newborn & 0-3 month clothes washed. Dad helped me put of some of our Christmas lights, I've just got to do the rest of them. We're getting our tree this weekend. I'm hoping I can find one that's not too prickly! And this year I promise not to dump 7 gallons of water into the carpet....of course we don't have carpet this year!!

Well, I guess that's all that's going on! I promise to keep you all updated on everything!
Have a super week!
Amber

As you can see, our Baby Shower was this past Saturday. It was just fantastic!! My Mom & Sister out did themselves. And man do they have me pegged! It was a dessert party!! Mini cheesecakes, maccaroons, and homemade moon pies were just a few of the things that were there!! And Grammy Dot made a beautiful cake. It took quite a while to get through all those gifts! Of course, I had to take like 4 bathroom breaks, so that didn't help!! Otherwise, though, it was like having Christmas early! We got so many wonderful things! I'm throwing out a humongous thank you to everyone who was there and helped this day be so special. You all rock!

So, I had a Dr appointment last Wednesday, the 19th. Everything is going really well. I'm measuring perfect and the baby's heartrate was 150. Some people say that a fast heartrate means a girl. I'm actually really hoping its a girl now. Brett and I are having a horrible time trying to agree on a boy's name. I still want Connor, but he said there's this guy he doesn't like and his name is Connor. Huh?! He knows a guy who's son's name is Connor and so we can't have that name?! I don't get it. Boys are so weird!! Well, anyway, he wants Caleb. Which is nice, I guess, but I'm not sold on it. I looked at some others this morning and I like Colin, Connell, Davin, Garret, and Riley. So, we'll see.

ANYWAY!! Also wanted to put in here that the baby is head down. I'm really starting to freak out a bit!! Do you know that they're going to let me take home another person!!! WHOA!! Its a good thing that I have such an awesome family who'll hopefully be stopping by all the time to make sure I'm doing a good job!!

Well, guess that's about it for now. Next Dr appt is December 2nd. I hope everyone has a fantabluous Thanksgiving!!

Love you!!
Amber

Wow! 30 weeks! I know I'm saying it all the time, but I really can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going! Just 10 more weeks left! Okay, if I think about it too much I'll start really freaking myself out! I had a Dr appt yesterday. My glucose test came back normal, so yey for that. I'm slightly anemic, but normal is 35 and I'm 34.5 so its not horrible. I'm just going to take an extra iron pill when I take my vitamin. I only gained 1 pound! Whoo Hoo! That's 17 total. I'm so excited about that! Last thing I want to do is put on any extra weight. Nice to know this is pretty much all baby!

So, yesterday, Dr said the baby sounded like a boy. Okay, well, the last 2 times he said it sounded like a girl. This is just driving me crazy! Then he said I wouldn't get another ultra-sound until around 37 weeks. Well, after waiting this long, we might as well just leave it a surprise! So! Sorry for everyone who wanted to know, but it looks like we'll be waiting till the big day to find out what's in there!!

Mom & Gramma Dot go to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning for their annual shopping trip. I'm having Dad, Papa, and Kara & Craig over for dinner. Guess that means I need to get my house cleaned! Looks like a bomb went off in there!!

Anyway! Brett missed the same buck twice with his bow. He's all bummed out about it. Swears he's gonna get it even if he's got to wait till rifle season! We got our roof put on. All that has to be done is the floor in the baby's room. Once that's finished I'll be able to start putting the crib up and the furniture in the room. I'm hoping to have that all done before Christmas.

Well, I guess that's all that's going on. My appointments have been upped to every 2 weeks, so I'll probably have more to tell later on!

Hope to talk to you all soon!!
Love,
Amber

Check out how cute this baby is!! I can't even stand it! Kara and I have decided that spoiling our nieces is going to be the most fun ever! Cause spoiling your own kid makes you feel a little guilty, but when you can spoil someone Else's....well, there's nothing wrong with that!!!

27 weeks and all is well!! I'm officially in the 3rd trimester! Yikes, it's really going so fast!! I had my glucose test yesterday. Should have the results in about a week or so. For those of you who don't know, this is the test for gestational diabetes. So keep your fingers crossed for me! I don't think I could survive the last couple months without chocolate!!

So, hunting season is just around the corner. Jena told me I wouldn't be able to go because the sound of the shot would be bad for the baby. So of course I had to ask the Dr! I asked if I would be able to go hunting this year. "Hunting for what?!" "Deer!" to which he shook his head and said "I get all the weird questions!" He said he wasn't really concerned with the sound of the shot, but more that I could fall out of a tree, or step in a hole or something. I tried to tell him I wouldn't be climbing any trees, but he wasn't convinced. "Just skip it this year." What a bummer!! Looks like its up to Brett to fill up the freezer!! Between the both of us, through bow and rifle season, we have 8 tags to fill up!! Which also means that I basically won't see Brett for the next 2 months!

Christmas is right around the corner too. I'm nervous cause I do all my shopping and wrapping on Black Friday. So I just hope I'm able to do all the required walking around! I'm thinking I'll be making a few extra trips this year! Sigh.

Anyway, that's all that's new at our house!

Love you!

Amber

Hi! Well, we're officially in week 25! I was reminded by my Dr, yesterday, that there are only 15 weeks to go! WHOA!! Put on the breaks!! Seriously?! This is going so fast! 15 weeks till our due date, and we have to fit Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years into that time!! It totally blows my mind!

So anyway, my Drs appt went well yesterday, I guess. Everything still looks wonderful with the baby. The heart rate was around 140 and the new Dr said we might be able to get another ultra-sound in a couple of weeks. That would be so cool!! Yeah, I met the new Dr yesterday. She's very nice, but she didn't seem to want to hang out answering questions. The other 2 Drs in the practice act like they'd stay in the room with you forever answering questions. Yesterday, I was still trying to ask things as she was walking out the door. Fabulous. Anyway, they've moved my appointments to every 2 weeks, and I see Dr. Zedek next time so I'll ask him my questions. My next appt is October 14th and I'm getting my glucose screening test. I've already put the drink in the fridge, Kara says its not terrible tasting but I'll definitely want it cold!

In other news, we've finally moved back into the house! What an amazing relief! We still have some cleaning up to do, but I can actually sit on the couch to watch TV and we can eat dinner at a table! The floors look amazing, and really make the whole house feel cozy and warm.

Also, I was on the radio this morning! Pitching Pilates for Pink, a program through Shape Magazine that me and the gym have joined up with to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I'm really excited about it this year. We raised almost $250 last year and I really want to do better than that.

Well, that's all that's really new! I hope to talk to you all very very soon!!
Love you all!
Amber

Well, I figured I'd better pop in since I didn't update anything last week. My next Drs appt isn't until next week, and I'll let you all know how that goes. Last time the Dr. said that after this next appt we'd be moving to every 3 weeks and I'd get my glucose test done. Really can't believe that this is moving along so quickly! In 3 short months we'll be meeting our little monster!! Yipes!

And she is becoming a little monster already! She has been kicking me like crazy, but seems to quiet down as soon as Brett trys to feel her. Poor guy is getting a little frustrated over it. I'm sure within the next few weeks he'll be able to feel her though. She seems to get stronger every day. Its funny, the other day I was reclining on the bed and I could see my belly move with each bump, kick and jab! I haven't seen any actual body parts yet, but the bumping is still really funny. Kind of like there's an alien in there!

So anyway, we're moving back into the house this weekend!! WHOOO HOOO!!! Finally! Unfortunately its supposed to rain all weekend so that could put a ...damper.... on things! HAHA! Pun totally intended! I really can't wait to have my house back!

Well, that's about all the news I've got! I'll pop back in next week to let you know how my Dr. appt went.

Have a great week!
Love you!
Amber

Well, its Thursday already and I don't have a whole lot new to report!! Nothing new since last week with the baby. She's been moving around a whole lot, and her little kicks and punches are becoming more pronounced. Yeah, notice how I'm using she and her? Even though we're still not sure, I feel weird calling the baby an "it" after I saw the ultrasound pictures. So until we know for sure I'm just going to keep on saying she and her! Weird, though? All the dreams I've had have been with the baby as a boy. Guess we'll find out for sure in January!!!

Our house is coming along. Brett has been painting like a mad man! He took a well deserved break from it last night, so just the kitchen and dining room left to do. I was a little nervous about the living room color the other day. The first coat looked pink. No joke...pink! Thankfully, the second coat brought out the brown, so I think it'll look great once the furniture is back in. With the painting getting done, it finally feels like things are coming together. Brett decided that he wanted to do new trim, so we're going to be waiting on that. Personally, I thought the old trim was fine, but what do I know?!

I'm trying to clean out the spare bedroom so we can start filling it with baby stuff. I seriously didn't realize I had so much crap!!! I've already got 2 bags of clothes for Salvation Army and 2 bags of books and movies for the library. And did I mention the contractor sized garbage bag of just garbage?! Still, I find myself just standing in the middle of all the chaos going, "what do I do next?" Its all very overwhelming. I'm dreading hitting the closet. Its the only one in the whole upstairs and I'm losing it to the baby!!! Well, maybe I'll only have to lose part of it for now! I think I can share!!

Well, nothing else is new. I'm happy to take any suggestions on how to manage my mess!!
Love you all!!
Amber

Okay, I know I look a little stoned in this picture. First, let me assure you that I'm SO NOT!!! LOL! Second, isn't my niece just the most beautiful little creature you've ever seen?! I can only hope that ours turns out as gorgeous as Rozi.

So, I went to the Dr. today. Everything on the ultra sound came back normal. So WHOO HOO for that. On the bummer side, I won't get another u/s till towards the end. Dr. said it was to make sure I wasn't having a 15 pound baby! Heaven Forbid!!! I told him that was REALLY not funny!! He cleared my being able to ref soccer, and go to the Boston Mania in November. I also got yelled at a little cause Dr said I wasn't gaining alot of weight. Kinda funny since I've NEVER gotten yelled at for that before!! But I'm 21 weeks now and have only gained 8 pounds. I think that's pretty darned good myself!! Dr had originally said 30 pounds max, so I figure I'll probably start gaining enough towards the end. I think he was mainly concerned that I was trying to not gain weight. He seemed better when I told him that I was definitely eating!! ANYWAY, I guess we're still in for a surprise on the sex of the baby. Dr says it sounds like a girl, but seriously, I've said it before, they've got a 50 / 50 chance!!

Non baby related, the guy finally came and put the last coat of poly on the floors. So I'm staying home at last!! This weekend looks like its going to be a great weekend for cleaning up and painting so I might actually have my kitchen back by Sunday afternoon. We can't put the heavy furniture or the dogs on the floors for a least a week, but to at least be able to live in my house is going to be FABULOUS!! And the week can't go by fast enough. I really miss my DVR!! I know, so shallow, but I missed a show I really wanted to watch and I would've been able to record it. Oh well, its over now!

Anyway, I need to sign off now. My desk looks like a tornado went through, turned around and came back again!!

Talk to you next week!!!
Love,

Amber

Still a Surprise!!

Well, it's still a surprise! Baby had its legs closed tight together so we still don't know what's in there!! Well, we know its a baby and not a basset hound! And much to Sadie's chagrine, its not a blood hound either!! The tech wiggled things around and even had me move onto my side, but baby was being very stubborn. The tech's best guess is a girl, but she said it was just a guess. And, hey, she has a 50 / 50 chance!! It was really cool though, to see the baby moving around in there. To see the heart beating and the arms and legs moving around. Totally amazing. It really makes it hit home, that there are two souls in one body right now. I can't help it, it's just a miracle.

SO! If it is a little girl in there her name will be Kaylyn Ada Welton-Erdman. We don't have a boy's name picked out. Mainly because Brett is convinced its a girl and keeps says crazy names like Shemus and Heinrich! Sorry, but I won't saddle my child with a name I can't even pronounce!! Can you imagine yelling one of those out the door?! Yipes. Anyway, we'll have to wait till the next ultra-sound to find out what we'll be yelling for the next 18+ years!

Non-baby related, our floors are being done this week. The dogs & I have moved in with Gramma Dot and Papa Art, which is proving to be very interesting. I seriously didn't know people could watch that much of the weather channel and C-Span. And at 575 decibles!!! My ears ring when I leave in the morning! But, hey, I love them to death, and thank goodness for them cause the girls and I would have to be camping right now!!

Anywho, that's all I've got for now. Our next Dr appt is Friday, the 5th. We'll find out all the results of the ultra-sound, and get him to schedule another one for us!

Love you all!
Talk to you soon!
Amber

Well, we've hit the 19 week mark! I can hardly believe that next week we'll be half way through. It seems like it took so long to get here and now its flying by! Baby is wiggling around like crazy, it's the coolest feeling. And I actually look pregnant now, instead of like I've just had to many donuts!! Oh, and (knock on wood!) I think I'm over the morning sickness hump!! This whole past week I've felt great! Like a real human being! Didn't think I'd ever feel that way again! But I haven't gotten sick, and I've got all my old energy back. I'm even sleeping better at night (which probably explains the increased energy!!).

This past weekend was so busy. We had Jena's babyshower on Saturday. It was really nice and she got alot of great stuff. Baby won't need a thing!! It was really great that Aunt Terrie and Rochelle & Gwen sat at our table and we were able to chat through the whole thing. Sunday was Julia's christening (which I missed, sorry!!) and then Heath's graduation party. There were so many different things to eat!! Shrimp, clams, ribs, chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, and then all the salads!! I had definite food coma by the time I went home!

We also got a quote on from a guy to do our floors. We just need to finish up a couple odds and ends and then empty out the house and we can have them done. Hopefully this will all be done within the next couple of weeks! I can't even tell you how excited I am to be able to live in our house again!! Then if we can get the guy to come and finish spackeling we'll have the whole house to be able to live in!! I'm hoping he'll get it done around the same time as the floors. The dogs & I have to move out for a couple of days because of the fumes, so I'm hoping they can get the painting done too.

Other than all of that, there's not a whole bunch going on. We're doing the countdown to the ultra-sound (7 more days!!). And that's really it! I'll pop in after our ultra sound next week to fill you all in!

Hope you're all having a great week!
Amber :)

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week!! Things around here are progressing like normal. There hasn't been a whole lot going on.

In baby world, poor Rozalyn still has colic. Poor Rozalyn and poor Mommy & Daddy!! Please everyone keep they're fingers crossed that Rozi will get over this soon so my sister can get some sleep!! Of course every time I see her she's an angel!! Can't imagine how she can be such a little beastie!!

AFM, I had felt the baby move about a week and a half ago, just as little bubbles. Well, yesterday I felt what would classify as for real kicks!! Little bump, bump, bumps to the front of my belly. So amazing! I just sat at my desk smiling like a dope! I'm sure in a few months when baby is jabbing my kidneys I won't be quite so awed, but what can I say?! It certianly makes me more and more anxious for my ultra sound (in 15 days, by the way!!). I'm getting more and more excited about what's growing in there. The kicks seem to make it more real, know what I mean?

Still battling with morning sickness. This morning I lost it right before I left to go walking with Dad. Yuck!! Please let it be over soon!! I'd be able to enjoy this so much more without the puking! Poor Sadie joined me this morning with sickness. She's at the vet right now, being observed. She had the runs all day yesterday, didn't eat her dinner, and then threw up lots of water this morning. Poor baby girl! Not sure what's going on, we don't think she got into anything, so who knows what's going on. Vet says if she keeps throwing up we'll have to do some blood work to rule out something really serious. Please keep your fingers crossed that its only a belly ache and she'll get over it soon!

Rebecca came up last weekend and gave me a start on baby stuff. She's giving me all kinds of fun stuff, including a Graco travel system complete with stroller and carseat and 2 bases. Beck, have I told you how much I love you?! I'm looking forward to seeing Heath and Rochelle this weekend. Haven't seen them since, yikes, Christmas?! Before that?! Anyway, too long! Should be a fun time. Other than that nothing else is going on.

Hope to talk to everyone VEERY soon!!!
Love you all!
Amber

August 7, 2008

Hello everyone!! I'm starting this so everyone who isn't so close by will be able to stay in the baby loop!! I hope you'll all bear with me while I get used to this!! I'm a total newbie when it comes to blogs!! LOL!! Once I get the hang of it I'll post some pictures.



Well, I had my 17 week appointment yesterday and everything looks pretty good so far. The heartbeat is around 150, which the Dr says is just perfect. I also had some blood drawn to test for Down's and a couple other abnormalities. Should get those results back in a couple of days I hope. Our big ultra-sound is scheduled for August 28th at 4:30pm. I think that Brett is more excited than anyone else about it!! He really wants to know what kind of puppy is growing in there!! He says that Sadie is going to be very disappointed when it isn't a blood hound!! LOL! Neither of us really cares what's growing in there as long as its got all its fingers and toes!!

As for me, I'm still getting sick every other day or so. Not fun in a big way!! Dr says that since I'm still getting sick that it could stick around for the whole pregnancy :(!! I'm getting some lovely spider veins in my legs. Thank goodness for capris!! And my feet are starting to swell already. They're really bad towards the afternoon. My darling Brett asked me yesterday if my feet were getting fatter. I said "thanks for noticing!!" Sigh...he's such a dork!! But a cute dork!! Also, the Dr confirmed that the occaisional bubbles that I've been feeling are definitely baby movements. So cool!! I almost long for the days when I'll be getting kicked in the ribs!! Well, almost!!

Non-baby related, Brett is still working on our living room floors. They're going to be really beautiful oak when its all finished, but for now, my entire house looks like about 10 bombs went off inside. The upstairs is a wreck too, because we replaced sheet rock in both spare rooms, and the guy who's doing the spackeling hasn't quite finished yet. Can't wait until I have my house back!! The house also got hit by lightening which blew out 2 TVs, the satillite, and the computer. Thank goodness for Homeowners Insurance!! We were able to get a pretty decent check from the claim and were able to have everything replaced.

Well, that's all that's new for now. Like I said, once I get the hang of this I'll post some pictures, including some belly shots and my ultra-sound.

Happy Thursday!!!