A few notes

The wedding was great, went better than I anticipated and I had a wonderful time. My favorite part was staying in the hotel and being out of the heat that was sweltering Phoenix and Tucson this weekend! I swam in the indoor pool everyday, went to a flea market, did some reading, and just relaxed. Kevin was super busy with groomsman duties, so we didn't see each other much, but I did get to hang out with my sister in law, Kristin, and give her current beau a hard time (it was the first time we'd met him).

As far as baby stuff goes, Kyle is definitely getting bigger. We are at 26 weeks now, which I think means third trimester is just around the corner, if you can believe that! His movements get harder everyday, but I do get an occasional slow night where he only wakes me up once, instead of having a party every time I get up to pee. Getting up and down (like off a sofa or in/out of a car) is becoming more laborious; I even had Kevin tie my tennis shoes for the first time this weekend because I just couldn't stand the pressure on my belly from leaning over!

We got more baby clothes! The cutest outfits ever from our good friend Laurel, who lives in Flagstaff. She brought two bags of tops, coveralls, socks, and washcloths that I so enjoyed opening; even a little sweatshirt from our alma mater (NAU)!

I know there is more to share, but I'm exhausted and waking up early to go look at a rental property for us to potentially live in; oh yes, we get to move this summer while I lumber through my 8th and 9th month! Wish me luck!

See you in a couple days!

Just a few notes before we head off to Prescott for the wedding:

This morning I took a couple hours and applied for WIC...turns out we qualify, so that'll help with groceries for now and later on solid foods for Kyle when he's about 6 months or so. Also, we had our waterbirth class tonight; I was expecting something different I guess. The nurse showed a video and then just kind of let us discuss. She did hand out some information that answered a lot of questions, but I guess I was thinking it'd be more structured, like a presentation on waterbirth, pros, cons, and some statistics. Tracy, our doula, attended and it was good to see her again. I got some tips on traveling to Prescott (which is at altitude), so that'll I'll be more comfortable!

And lastly, after we got home from the waterbirth class, Kevin and I were just relaxing and I noticed that half of my stomach was kind of punched up higher than the other side. I felt it and it was all hard; I think that means Kyle was jutting out a body part of some sort! He did it a couple of times, letting my stomach go back to normal than pushing his body up against it again...it was quite entertaining; much more so than the TV show we had on! Finally, he kicked a few times where he had been pushing my stomach up and then resorted to making his regular movements down lower in my abdomen.

P.S.-I have come up with two potential outfits to wear to the wedding this weekend, thanks to Tammy for helping me shop yesterday! I'll let you know how it goes! And one more thing, Kyle has a homepage at http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/k/kharkins/ with my latest belly picture from this week posted there!

So I forget...

...little tid bits of information from our week that I want to tell you about. We now own a baby sling from here. It's blue and I even got Kevin to try it on! I'm thinking maybe we'll practice using it with our cat Zoe; look for future pictures...lol. Kirsten was looking for a light weight sling and knew we were too, so when she had connections with a distributor here in AZ we were all for ordering one!

That's all I can remember for now...look for additional mini updates before we leave town for a wedding this upcoming weekend!

Right on track...

I can't believe how much bigger Kyle and I have to get before he arrives...Everyday he gets heavier! From what I understand about his development, he's basically a miniature newborn and the next couple months will be spent maturing his organs and how they function, in addition to adding on weight!

A few notable experiences have happened this week: First, Kyle was so active on Tuesday he made me nauseas the entire day. I had this horrible thought that he was going to be this active for the rest of the pregnancy, but he's slowed back down to his normal rate of activity again; not to say his kicks aren't getting stronger! The midwife seemed to think he was head down at our Monday appt. and I think I can verify that from the swift kick to my lower left rib cage I received Wed. night after changing positions in my sleep! I've gained about 19 pounds at this point and am on track if I gain a pound a week from here on out (and don't get sick again). Also, the midwife measured my tummy and I'm 24 cm. at 24 weeks, which is just right.

Today we're actually 25 weeks officially and are going to start taking weekly tummy pictures. In other news, I traveled across town to the largest baby stuff store in Tucson and enjoyed looking around there. I was considering potential take home outfits when a grandmother came up to me and asked me which outfit I would take my baby home in if I didn't know the sex. It was so cool that someone wanted my opinion just because I'm pregnant! Also, I realized I wasn't drinking enough during the day so I bought a 1 gallon jug with a handy dandy handle to carry around all summer from the water store. My goal is 1 gallon/day in addition to milk and juice, but so far I'm only at about 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon. I'm feeling better already!

I was browsing through the Harkins family calendar to see whose birthdays and anniversaries we had missed so far this year and noticed on the front page the cutest picture of Kevin, probably about 4 or so and I just thought "Is that what Kyle's going to look like? A miniature Kevin?". I'm so excited to find out!

And on a final note, we got to hang out with Kirsten and Jason Friday afternoon. Kirsten told me about her birth experience, which was really cool (and eye opening in many respects!). Kevin and I both had a chance to hold Ellie; I can't remember the last time I saw Kevin hold a baby, especially one so young. He had her kind of laying in his hands, supporting her head and he says "That can't be very comfortable" and Ellie kind of made some baby noises in reply, so he laid her on his thighs and she dozed with her hands up by her head like she was cheering; too sweet.

A brief overview...

So not a lot has happened lately...I'm definitely getting bigger because just this week clerks and cashiers wherever I go are asking when I'm due and if it's a boy or a girl. I can feel that Kyle's bigger and changing positions off and on due to where he's kicking me! Tonight is a prenatal appointment and we are at 24 weeks along (6 months if you use a 10 month scale). In the last couple days I have started experiencing what I assume is indigestion or heartburn, so the extra large size bottle of Tums is on my nightstand to ward off that "I'm ill and gonna puke again" feeling.

OH! I so forgot about yesterday; yes, I know it was Mother's Day, and I'll tell you about that in a minute. However, I got to tape Ellie's baby dedication and hold her! What a treat! She is so tiny and has changed so much in just one week...I can't believe we're going to have a baby in just a few short months! She was sleeping and making all of these cute baby noises; really precious. Now, in regards to Mother's Day, my poor husband has been so sick the last couple days, but still found the perfect card and took me out to eat, which I just LOVE to do. The card went something like "Us before kids...Us after kids...We're gonna make it!"; about how I feel most days!

I did end up in Phoenix for a couple days this past week and thank goodness for family! My cousin was in town and it was great to hear "You don't even look pregnant from the back" (haha). My face is definitely retaining water (a.k.a. getting fatter). I got a haircut on Thursday and resisted the urge to get a short cut due to my expanding face, despite the fact it's getting hotter. Also, and you may not have known this, but we now have A/C in the car again!!!! I'm hot all the time as it is, but to drive around Arizona without A/C is brutal.

We're in Tucson until May 18, then heading to Prescott for one of those weddings I wrote about a couple posts ago. No, I still don't have a dress, but Tammy is in town, so I need to touch base with her and see what we can do about this formal occasion! That's about it! Check out Kevin's blog for official name voting results!

IT'S A GIRL!

No silly, not for us...

I just got a call from our friends Jason and Kirsten and they had their baby girl, Elizabeth, last night! They were about 4 months ahead of us in this whole pregnancy adventure. Kirsten said it was hard and I know I can't even imagine; I'm anxious to hear about her experience. They had Elizabeth at the Birth and Women's Health Center here in Tucson, which is where we're planning on having our baby boy!

I think Kevin and I have been kind of relieved to have another couple a few months ahead of us in regards to pregnancy; they've provided invaluable information and tips so far! I'm sure with Elizabeth here, we'll learn a little more about the baby actually arriving!

The funny thing is that I was looking for Kirsten at church all day yesterday because she helped us order a baby sling and I had the check for her! We went to morning and evening services and I wondered if maybe Elizabeth was on her way :)!

That's it! I'll update a little later this week!

Summer weddings...

We have been getting wedding invitations in the mail for summer weddings, oh, for the past month or so. I've kind of ignored the whole possibility of seeing people we haven't seen since we moved to Tucson AND I BECAME A WALKING BABY MACHINE. The last time everyone saw me I still looked and acted like a normal human being; now I look more and more like a beached whale and I pretty much only think and talk about the baby. Goodness!

So, as you can imagine, attending social functions such as a wedding this summer is kind of terrifying. I tried on all the dressy maternity clothes I own last night and it was really frustrating...they looked cute about two weeks ago when I had a little belly, but now that my belly is BIGGER, they are looking scarier off the hanger and on me. Of course, my husband, having learned his lesson early on in this whole process, tells me I am beautiful no matter what I wear, look like, or smell like when I ask his opinion (potentially a smart man, but in reality you have a frustrated wife either way). Thank goodness my former college roommate, Tammy, is coming to town and is planning on shopping with me to look for something I'll feel more comfortable in. Tammy will tell me the truth and it'll be hilarious instead of frustrating! (I refuse to shop for something like this by myself, since my feelings on how I look change daily).

Yesterday I did go shopping, like actual shopping, for the baby. I was looking for his "take home" outfit; figured he'll need to look good for those first family pictures! There are of course a million cute things out, but there is a particular onsie at the Gap that I really fell in love with, so I'm hoping it'll go on sale later this summer, in addition to the matching hat.

Cycling went well last night...the bibs are super comfortable, but I was only on the bike for 5 minutes...going to work up from there as sad as that sounds! That's about it!

Blessings and more blessings!

Ever since our ultrasound all these great things have been happening in regards to the pregnancy! First, I've been feeling great for over a week now (yea! new record). Kevin found a belly button ring for me that I can wear throughout the duration of my pregnancy! That arrived today and is going to be perfect; so far my holes have started to migrate north and get a little farther apart, so if you know anything about navel rings, that means my current jewelry will be too small soon. Also, we received a bunch of boy baby clothes and an infant car seat from friends of ours who are expecting their first baby (a girl) later this week. Very exciting.

Then, yesterday I decided to see if I could find some cycling bibs for $35 or less...and if you know anything about cycling bibs, that would be a great deal. So, I go online and the lowest price I can find is $35, but the gift certificate I have won't let me make online purchases. I decided to check out our local Supergo and found a pair of Cannondale cycling bibs for $29. Amazingly, they were actually discounted even more at the register and I got them for $25 altogether! What a deal and I'm very excited to start riding my road bike again on the trainer tonight. I figure I'm in training now for LABOR. Regretfully, I was followed by an aggressive dog on my morning walk and so I'm thinking I'll have to change my routine to when Kevin is home for my daily walks because I don't want to be caught alone with a big dog like that again! And lastly, we qualified for a discount for the water aerobics I wanted to take this summer and it came out to less than $10 for my fee (originally $70).

So, with walking, riding, and water aerobics...I'm hoping my endurance and fitness will be good come the end of August! Keep me accountable: if you see me on chat, ask if I've worked out today!

Lastly, I was a little concerned last night about our baby because I listen to his heartbeat every night via a stethoscope and it sounded slow last night...like 100 beats/minute (usually it's around 140). I checked my heart rate and it was at 88, so I knew I wasn't accidentally hearing my heartbeat. Kevin gave me some orange juice, just to make him move around and he's been a little gymnast ever since in my abdomen, so I'm not worried anymore.

That's about it! Kevin has all the ultrasound pictures on his computer, so I'll post them as soon as I get copies!

IT'S A BOY!

But, you probably knew that already! We're still tossing the names around...Kevin claims he needs a couple of days to chew over the names now that we know "for sure" that it's a boy. Both of our moms came down to Tucson for the ultrasound appointment and that was too cool to have them here, seeing him live on the screen! We had a great afternoon of lunch and shopping; we so enjoyed having them both here for this day because it made it that much more special for us!

I had convinced myself it was a boy, so the ultrasound just confirmed that for me...if you don't know the whole story: I had a dream the morning we found out we were pregnant that I gave birth to a baby boy; so that is why I thought we were having a boy this whole time!

In other news, I've been feeling good! This means eating everyday and taking two walks a day which is really making me feel better.

That's about it! I'll be posting ultrasound pictures tomorrow...for now you can check out a picture on my husband's blog.

Welcome to "Name that Condition"

You may have noticed I'm posting a lot more often this week and that is because a lot more has been happening...medically at least. Suffice to say, I did not start my walking regimen yesterday or even eat solid food all day!

I was for sure I'd wake up feeling better yesterday morning, a little weak from my mostly liquid diet, but better for sure. Well, I woke up with a stabbing ear ache and coughing up some lovely green mucus from my lungs. I thought the ear ache might have been from allergies and my nose draining somehow, so I stuck out the pain until 10:00 in the morning...then I called the doctor because it was getting worse (the story of my medical life lately)! I talked to the nurse and she got me in at 11:30. By the time I checked in and was sitting in the lobby tears were already coming down my face from the pain. This continued until the doctor showed up an hour after my appt time and I think I kind of freaked him out. I told him the tears were from the pain, but he insisted on asking if I was stressed out, if everything was okay at home. Good grief! Despite this, he did start me on antibiotics and some anesthesia drops for my ears.

I actually really liked this doctor, even though he's not my usual physician, but my favorite exchange of the appt went like this:

D: You're pregnant?
Me: Yep
D: How far along?
Me: 20 weeks
D: Really! I can't even tell you have a belly! (I pull my maternity shirt tight over my belly) Ahhh! A little one!

Smart man, this one. The one thing every pregnant woman wants to hear is that she doesn't look as pregnant as she actually is, and I'm not being sarcastic, as this was true for me also.

Today is better so far; I've eaten a little something for breakfast and been able to drink some water, in addition to no new medical problems! Kevin says it happens about every other day this past week, so I won't be holding my breath for tomorrow's health outlook!

Thanks to everyone who has been letting me know about the names: Kadin and Mikayla seem most popular among you!

Name Meanings

I received an email that stated:

"NAMES I FEEL, NEED TO HAVE A MEANING BEHIND THE NAME, AS IN BIBLICAL TIMES WHICH STATED THEIR CHARACTER. ALL THE NAMES YOU PICKED ARE LOVELY, DO THEY HAVE A MEANING TO THEM?"

Why yes the names do have meanings and here they are:

Kyle means crowned with laurel in Hebrew
Kadin means friend in Arabic
Madalyn means high tower in Greek
Mikayla means who is like God in Hebrew

Of course, some of these names have multiple meanings, so if you go look them up yourself, you might find additional or alternate meanings.

The Name Game

Being pregnant, I tend to change my mind almost every hour about various subjects. Kevin will argue that I also did this before I became a walking baby machine, but that's up for debate. Of course, the big deal for me right now is what to name this new addition, so here are the current choices:

If it's a boy:
Kyle Daniel or Kadin Daniel

If it's a girl:
Madalyn Ann or Mikayla Ann

Yea, yea, you guessed it, we're trying to stick with our respective initials. Leave a comment as to which you like best or even suggest something else! I'm going to want to name this child as soon as the anatomy screening comes back from the ultrasound technician (which happens on April 20th)!

And the winner is...

First, a health update: Last night I ate my first solid food and IT STAYED DOWN. I stuck with liquids again today until dinnertime and, cross your fingers, dinner is still in my tummy.

I think the baby is happy I'm eating food again. He/she was really active while I was on that liquid diet, but since I've been able to eat a little, the baby has settled down some.

Last night we had our latest appointment and found out there is definitely only one baby (according to my uterus size), in addition to hearing the heartbeat again. Also, I just make the cut for low risk in regards to glucose screening, which means no gestational diabetes test for me (if you know how I fear needles, this is like winning the lottery). I am gaining weight right on schedule, about 10 pounds so far and should gain about a pound per week from here on out. The baby weighs almost a pound now according to the midwife. I think that's just about all of the exciting news we found out.

My goal tomorrow is to start up my walking regimen again! Wish me luck!

Today's real post!

So since Thursday my body decided that rejecting food in the form of vomit and diarrhea was the way to go, so the midwives put me on an all liquid diet for the past 24 hours. Thankfully, I kept it all down...the threat of an IV may have helped. Despite all of this, I am still feeling yucky and now my husband is sleeping in the guest room because he doesn't want to get it. I figure I must be looking pretty unhappy if he's scared of getting it...the boy didn't even move out when I had morning sickness, but I guess that isn't contagious.

We celebrated hitting the halfway mark today (20 weeks) with dinner at beyond bread...all this meant was a bowl of soup for me, but it was good to get out. I am too excited that every week from now on is on the down slope of this whole being pregnant fiasco. I'm sure some ladies just completely love the experience of being pregnant, but I have no desire to ever go through this again no matter how cute that baby is (can you say adoption for our next child?). I'm not sure Kev would survive taking care of me and a toddler if we tried to do this natural for a child #2!

That's all for now, next appt is on Monday, so I'll try to post after that!

A Delayed Post...

Blogger was down, so here is my delayed post from Thursday...

So, the news I have is indirectly related to baby...I feel yucky. This is probably due to the fact that Kev and I spent last night in the ER waiting to have my infected, pussing, incredibly painful right eye examined because Benadryl made it worse! Turns out I have an infection (conjunctivitis?) and have to do antibiotic eye drops for the next week, three times a day. Now where did I pick up this fabulous little infection you ask? Well, that's a good question...seeing as I was frequenting middle and high schools the past two weeks, I assume I got it there. If you've been in contact with me recently (like the past week), wash your hands a lot and be on the lookout for red, pussy, painful eyes. Regretfully, I've felt like crap since waking up this morning...now this could be from lack of sleep, the sore throat I'm now experiencing, or the queasiness. All three just aren't making me a happy camper. Baby has been particularly active, most likely due to the change in his/her schedule I assume! Our next appt. is on Monday, so I'll give you an update then. That's it for now!

I would post more but...

Just a brief aside...and I warn you that this one is bigger than the last! Thanks Grandma Pam!

Yea for an update!

Just a brief update: I am feeling good most of the time...a few yucky days here and there. My belly seems to grow in spurts; Kevin's mom took a picture at 18 wks and I think it will definitely rival the picture she took at 16 wks! I'll keep you updated on when that picture is posted! I had been experiencing little flutters and such feeling the baby move, but my first real good thump occurred on March 24th, right before Good Friday. The midwives call this your "quickening" date; whatever that means! Since then I get thumped pretty regularly about 3 times a day...usually around the times when I eat slightly larger meals than my typical grazing. If I miss out on a larger meal, then the thumping gets really insistent; one of the girls I talked to said my baby is already ordering "womb" service...hehe.

On the cat front, for those of you that didn't know, my cat has become an annoying terror since I became pregnant. She would wake us up at all hours of the night, multiple times and meow as if she was dying. We sent her to Kevin's mom's house for a week or so, but that didn't seem to help until I started playing with her right before we go to bed! Now she sacks out and lets us both sleep as much, and as late, as we want!

In other news, we have a doula: a.k.a. a birth assistant. Now I hear you thinking, isn't Kevin your birth assistant? Yes, yes he is, but how would you like to be the ONLY encouragement for a laboring women if labor goes on and on for hours. Also, since neither of us have really experienced or done this before, I thought it might be nice to have another assistant there. Now, I hear all you family members saying "I would gladly encourage you during your birth" and of course I know this. However, there are certain things I will feel more comfortable doing and saying to someone I won't be seeing the next day than to a family member who will remember it for the rest of my life, so that's one of the reasons I wanted a doula.

And lastly, we finally have a date for our ultrasound: April 20th at 11 a.m.. That's it for now!

So we'll be driving down the road and I usually ride passenger side, so I'm watching all the shops go by and I see a pizza place...mmmm...that sounds good, then next door I see a sub shop...mmm...that sounds good, a 1/4 mile up the road a Chinese place...mmmm...that sounds good too. It doesn't matter where we're going, every food place I see makes me crave something they make and the last food place we see before we get home is what I usually want for my next meal. Regretfully, this is usually the Jack in the Box up the road, but oh well. I think I now understand why so many woman have told me that they gained 50-60 pregnancy pounds instead of the suggested 25-30...you are so hungry and EVERYTHING sounds good!

Not only does this happen while driving around, but also when we watch TV. I can't even tell you what we used to have to do when food commercials came on: mute the sound, cover my eyes, turn the TV off; just because I would get so sick just watching/hearing those commercials. Now the food commercials just make me crave different foods, but it doesn't only happen with food. Last night there was a hotel commercial running and I said to Kevin "I want to go stay in a hotel tonight!'. LOL.

Heavens...I am feeling better today after taking my full dose of unisom + B6 last night. Weirdly, I actually threw up before breakfast, not just dry heaves like usual. This baby is definitely growing because my ligaments are sore everyday now! Here's to showering before 11 a.m. today!

Rollercoaster Ride

So, once again, a lot has happened since my last update...I am feeling better, or was feeling better. See, Kevin has this thing about taking pills, and one of the "no more puking" strategies I have is to take a combo of unisom + B6 every night. We saw our midwife yesterday and she said it was fine to keep taking it, but Kevin insists on trying to wean me off of it. So last night I took half pills, instead of whole pills, and I feel yucky today.

On that note, I have been doing better lately! Those daily tasks such as showering, brushing your teeth, actually getting dressed, and EATING are all happening. It's so nice to eat. I've actually gained back the 10lbs. I lost during morning sickness including 2 post pregnancy pounds; Right on schedule!

We had our first group prenatal appointment last night and it was great! You take your own weight and blood pressure, then have one on one time with the midwife, there is a topic we talk about, ask questions, and really dialogue about our experiences. It was soooo nice. All the other couples are expecting their first child also, except for one! We not only heard our baby's heartbeat last night, but we could hear the baby MOVING! It was too exciting! We are officially 16 weeks 3 days in to this adventure.

This weekend was really wonderful because it was the first time I had seen a lot of my extended family since finding out we were pregnant! They were very excited and supportive. Also, Kev's mom took our first picture since I've started showing, so I'm hoping she'll post that soon on her own blog!

And finally, I did do just a little registering for the baby, so if you're interested, here's the site and you can find our list under Kevin or Mindy Harkins. The rest of our registry will be through Target here in a couple of weeks (after we *hopefully* find out if it's a boy or girl). We'll be in Phoenix just about every weekend from here through Easter at least, so give us a call or drop us a line if you'd like to get together!

Just kidding...

Last week was going pretty well early on, well, kind of. I puked real badly after taking my unisom/b6 combo before bed on Monday, so I stopped taking the combo altogether and felt pretty good until Thursday. I can't even explain how bad it was on Thursday, so I eased myself back on to the unisom/b6 combo and today is the first day I've felt fairly well.

In fact, I took a shower, brushed my teeth (without getting queasy!), drove downtown, acquired my teaching certificate, got a soda (soda is like nectar from Heaven lately for me) with Kevin between his classes, did a little shopping, and came home. That is the most I've done by myself since we found out we were pregnant! I must say I am exhausted.

As far as baby stuff is going, we've decided on an "alphabet" theme for the the baby's room. We've chosen to go unisex with the room decor no matter whether it's a boy or girl so if we are blessed with another surprise in the near future, we won't have to purchase new nursery fabrics/accessories, etc... I definitely have a belly now if you see me in profile, which is kind of cool, but also scary. We're officially 14 weeks and 3 days along, which means welcome to the 2nd trimester. Our next appt., if you could call it that, is March 14th. We won't know if we're having a boy or a girl for at least another 6 weeks, if not a little longer.

Well, I have to go eat again or I'll be queasy in no time...Here's to hoping for more frequent updates and feeling good!