The Mango: Some Assembly Required

We've made it to week 23! Adelynn is now about 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, about the size of a large mango. One big development this week is the fact that she can feel Jamie move and dance. So, in honor of the picture above, we've created a dance called the Mango. It's a combination of the always popular Macarena and the classic Tango. Don't ask. What happens behind the doors of our house stays behind the doors of our house!!!

I got to feel her kick for the first time last week, which was great. She seems to really get excited after supper, so I've been trying to cook some of Jamie's favorites for her. Jamie tells me that Adelynn really likes spaghetti, but I think that that is just her way of telling me that she likes it. Oh, well. At least I like spaghetti, too. I'd better, considering we've had it twice a week for several weeks now!!!

I tried to talk Jamie into using the middle name of Flurry for Adelynn, but I see that it didn't quite make the list above. It's pretty amazing to me that we are already to the point of coming up with names and such. Only about 17 more weeks to go, and we'll have a little mango in the house.

In other news, I found out what "Some Assembly Required" means over the weekend. We ordered our stroller (Thanks, Grandma Phegley) and our Pack 'n Play, and they came last week. So, being the father, the job naturally fell upon my shoulders to assemble these things. The stroller was a piece of cake, considering all I had to do was snap the wheels on. But the Pack 'n Play may very well have been one of the most annoying things I've ever set my eyes upon!!! After finally getting the thing put together, we decided to move it to the living room. Guess what didn't fit through the doorway!!! Luckily I learned a few things the first time I put it together. There are just enough weeks of this pregnancy left to forget everything I learned in time to move it back to the family room!!! Such are the perils of fatherhood!!! Take care.

Ryan

A Middle Name

Well, Ryan and I have narrowed down the names for our little girl and have settled on a first name. Her name will be Adelynn (Addy for short). We have been set on this name for some time now, but have been hesitant to reveal it in case we changed our minds. Now, we have the tough decision of deciding on a middle name for our little princess. There is a poll to the right where you can vote on which middle name you like the most. We are definitely not set on any of these, but they are the names in the running. We will try to make up our minds soon and let you know what her full name will be!!!!

Happy Monday!

Father of the Bride

We upgraded our Dish to HD this week, so Ryan has been rewinding and taping things like crazy. This weekend he recorded "Father of the Bride" and "Father of the Bride Part II" for me. I love those two movies and now they are forever stored on my TV!!!! What a great invention! I think Ryan even got a little misty-eyed this afternoon as we were watching the 2nd movie when the babies were born. He is a tad sentimental at times! We spent the entire afternoon today watching movies and sleeping. I guess we are going to enjoy our quiet afternoons for as long as we can!

Ryan was able to feel the baby kick this week for the first time. She is getting much stronger these days and likes to jump up and down on Mommy's bladder most of the time. He was pretty excited to feel the movements that I have been feeling for awhile now. I think he is reassured that there is actually something in there and his wife's belly is not just growing for no reason.

No big plans for the week. I am going to try to get our house cleaned because I start clinical again in 2 weeks and then I will be very busy until the end of June. I wore heels to church this morning and when we got home my feet were so swollen I had cankles (calves+ankles). I can't wait to see what they look like after being at clinical for 8 hours!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Grandma Phegley

My Grandma Phegley has moved in with my parents for the time-being. She was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday morning and has been living with them since then. My parents took down their dining room table and have created a mini condo for her in their dining room. She seems to being ok, but is still very weak and gets tired easily. This living situation is temporary for right now, but could turn into a more permanent fix if needed. It has been nice to be able to spend some time with her as she recuperates.

Huntington University

Well, today I had an interview for a possible nursing faculty position with Huntington University. I attended HU for my freshman year of college and loved it! I only left because they did not have a nursing program. I have always said that if I could return someday, I would jump at the chance. About a week ago, the director of the nursing program emailed me and asked if I was still interested in a position with HU as part of their new nursing faculty. As excited as I was, I informed the director that I was pregnant and due in August which I figured would deter her. Much to my surprise, she was looking for candidates to begin in Jan. 2009. I went for the interview today not knowing exactly what to expect and not sure of where I really want to be in January. The interview went really well, however, the job is for a full-time position. We always thought I would work part-time while our kids were little. I will have another interview this fall and then potentially be offered the job to begin in January. Of course, I am thankful to have this as an option, however, I am a little hesitant about it being full-time. Ryan and I will be praying for God's direction in this as we look to the future. We thank you in advance for your prayers and support during this time of great transition in our lives.

Practicing To Be the Toothfairy

Well, this week Flurry is about the length of a spaghetti squash. For those of you who do not know what a spaghetti squash is (like me), I have included a picture. She is about 11 inches long, and is starting to look like a human now. Thank goodness. Flurry weighs almost 1 pound now, and is kicking and moving like crazy. Jamie has been telling me all about her movements and her water ballet classes. Her lips are forming and little tooth buds are starting to form, although her teeth won't start coming in until she's 4 to 7 months old. Maybe it's just a father thing, but I'm already dreading the dentist bill! Another worry of mine is how to get Flurry's first lost tooth out from under the pillow without waking her. Maybe I'll practice on Jamie tonight. In my thorough research on baby development (Ha! Ha!), I've learned that it is possible for some babies to be born with teeth!!! I'm sure that would make breastfeeding a little more difficult. On that note, I had better sign off. Take care!

Shake, Rattle & Roll

Well, it seems that I was just hitting the snooze button for the second time this morning about 5:35 and all of a sudden the house was shaking!!! Jamie and I both woke up to what we thought was an earthquake!!! We both kind of brushed it off to early morning hallucinations, especially since Jamie didn't get home til after 2:00 this morning after being down at her Grandma's all night. But, then I turned on the news and there really was an earthquake. Or so it seems. There's not a whole lot of details out yet, but we felt it. Our first earthquake. How exciting.

Babies 'R Us

Well, we survived the registering experience at Babies 'R Us last night! I let Ryan operate the gun, which kept him occupied while I tried to decipher all we needed. I just wish there could be one more brand of bottles to choose from! HA! I think companies just like to invent 18 different ways for a new parent to bathe their child to try to confuse the already overwhelmed parents. I bet we stood in the tub aisle for 10 minutes trying to decide which one would be the best for us. Luckily, I have a patient husband who enjoys bath toys and was busy scanning items like the penguin toy while I was trying to make a decision. I haven't really looked to see what else he might have scanned while I wasn't watching! After we got home I realized all the things I had forgotten, but figured we had some time to finish up later.

In other news, my Grandma Phegley is back in the hospital. My mom and I spent most of today in the ER waiting for test results when they decided to admit her around 3:30. She has the beginning of a bowel obstruction. She had some exploratory surgery done on Monday and her bowel has just not started up again like it should. Hopefully some fluids and electrolytes will help reverse the problem. We are all praying for a speedy recovery. I was able to read almost the entire book written by the families affected by the Taylor University crash 2 years ago while sitting in the ER today. What an incredible story of faith and hope in the midst of crisis! The book is called "Mistaken Identity" and it is a really fast read for anyone who is interested.

One other thing, our nephew, Jacob, made me laugh so hard yesterday. He is learning to wave and clap right now and has mastered both of them fairly well. Yesterday, his mom opened the front door to let him watch the cars go by and he was so happy that he was waving and clapping as they watched. It wasn't too long before Abby realized he was waving and clapping for a funeral procession!!!!! Oh well, hopefully he brought a smile to someone's face who was having a rough day! He is so darn cute!!!! Aunt Jamie thought it was pretty funny that he enjoyed the parade of cars so much!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I get to work... only 19 more weekends to work before the baby comes! YIPPEE!!!!

Carrots and Fajitas

Time for the weekly growth report. Flurry is now the length of a 10 1/2-inch carrot and weighs about 3/4 of a pound. Oh, and great news...Flurry's eyebrows have come in!!! What a relief! Jamie is feeling her move quite a bit now. The experts say that she will move about 50 times an hour, even while she's sleeping!!! Also, good news!!! Jamie has not been sick since last Thursday!!! Praises for that!

I need prayers for tonight. I am entering into a world where I'm not quite sure how to act. Baby's R' Us. That's right...we're going to register tonight. I will probaby defer to Jamie on a lot of things tonight. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it will be interesting to go, but I just have a feeling that I won't be able to pick the right bottles out of the 2 million choices!! The thing that I'm holding onto the most is the possibility of going to Carlos O' Kelly's afterwards!!! Yum!

Heartburn

Well, the latest development with this pregnancy is heartburn! I seem to be experiencing indigestion after eating lately. I am not sure if it was the supreme pizza or the chocolate last night, but it felt like I swallowed something with lots of acid in it right before we went to bed. Fortunately, Flurry's dance classes are not interrupted by this new development.

I was able to read our ultrasound at work over the weekend (the perks of working where you have it done, I guess), and according to the report, there were no abnormalities reported. We are thankful for this and looking forward to getting the full report from the doctor at our next visit.

Flurry is already collecting lots of adorable little outfits... thanks to some generous people in our lives. Not to worry, not all of her clothes are pink! I am pretty sure this little girl will have more clothes than Mommy and Daddy one of these days. I must admit I had to buy her a few little outfits. I can see how someone could get in trouble ordering online! I have only ordered items that are on sale!!!! We had to go buy hangers last night so we could see the comforter on the bed again. Ryan has two favorite outfits right now: the pink St. Louis Cardinals onesie he received for his birthday and the little onesie that says, "My finger might be small but I can still wrap Daddy around it." I have a feeling he is going to be pushover when it comes to this little girl!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Pickles and Chocolate Milk!

Well, last night I had a new craving!!! About nine o'clock I was hungry and thought pickles sounded good. So, I got the jar of Kosher dills out of the fridge and ate a few huge pickles and rinsed them down with a glass of chocolate milk! Ryan thinks I am gross! They were yummy!!!! I did not sleep well last night, so I am wondering if my belly is just getting in the way or if the pickles had something to do with it!

Halfway There...

We're at the halfway mark of this pregnancy, and all seems well. Jamie is feeling Flurry kick quite a bit, now that she knows that that is what it is!!! Flurry is about the size of a 10-inch long banana from head to toe and weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. The next part of this blog comes straight from the email that I get every week, so bear with me.

"A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats your baby's entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance made of dead cells, digestive secretions, and swallowed amniotic fluid, which will accumulate in her bowels and end up in her first diaper."

I just can't WAIT for that first diaper!!! Several words come to mind when thinking about it. Eww is one of them. On the bright side, I am starting to warm up to the color pink. Especially the St. Louis Cardinals onesie that Jamie got Flurry for my birthday!!!

Doctor Update

We went to a doctor's appointment this afternoon hoping to hear the results of our ultrasound, however, my physician was out helping deliver a new life into the world. We saw the nurse practitioner who listened to the heartbeat and measured my belly, but didn't have the results of my ultrasound. Flurry was dancing all over the place while she was trying to listen, but did cooperate after a little persistence. So, at this point, we have decided that no news is good news and we will get the results at next month's appointment. The scales have started moving up... I have gained about 3-4 pounds and can no longer use my weight loss as an excuse to eat whatever I want (especially sweets!). Flurry and I are going to try to start going on walks around the block since it is nice outside now. I went up one flight of stairs at school today and was out of breath, so I am sure these walks will be rather short in length (at least to start). No other news to report.... we will try to get a shot of my belly on here later this week... our camera has been out of batteries for about a week. I am sure we will not be so slow on getting new ones once little Flurry makes her appearance! Have a great week!

Water Ballet

Little Flurry has decided that bedtime is a good time to practice her water ballet! Last night, she was fluttering around all over the place while Mommy was trying to go to sleep! Maybe it was in anticipation of Daddy's birthday today! Happy Birthday, Ryan! Mommy and Flurry made Daddy cupcakes last night to take to work today. She is a good little helper in the kitchen already! Maybe we will be able to coordinate her ballet and cooking classes one of these days!

Have a great week!

Prayers for Alan

We have a dear friend who is in the hospital and having lots of tests run. If you have a moment today, if you could just send a prayer up on his behalf for healing and strength during this difficult time. He is married and has 2 daughters... I am sure they would all appreciate your prayers. Thanks in advance!!!

Daddy tales...

Well, in case some of you don’t already know, I have an incredible husband! I am so blessed to have such a caring and wonderful man in my life. He makes me laugh and takes such good care of me (even though I like to imagine that I am quite self-sufficient)! My favorite thing he is doing right now is talking to my belly. He gets this really cute, squeaky voice and tells the baby all kinds of fun stories! He says that the baby is going to learn our voices, however, I am not sure she will recognize his unless this is going to be his new tone! Maybe he will talk to you in his cute little voice if you ask real nice! I love you, Ryan! Flurry is going to have an amazing Daddy!

You say tomato, I say tomoto

Well, with all the big news about the gender of Flurry this week, I almost forgot to do the size report. At 19 weeks, Flurry is about the size of a large heirloom tomato. I'll have to ask Grandpa what an heirloom tomato is, exactly. SHE weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and is about 6 inches long. HER brain is developing very rapidly at this point, and SHE can hear us talk to her. They say that Flurry will get a preference for the voices she hears the most, most of all being Jamie's. So already, she's a mama's girl!!! It was so great to see the ultrasound pictures on Monday, and to be able to watch our little girl moving around so well. At one point, she showed off both of her little feet to the camera. Seeing all of that made it a little more real for me on Monday. Not that it wasn't real before, but seeing that little baby inside of her mother puts a new perspective on things. After reading this week on how much more expensive it is to raise a girl than a boy, I've checked into part-time jobs around the area. Just kidding!!! It will be a lot of fun in the next few months as we get ready for a little one. Take care, all. Thanks for all the prayers!!!