New Home Owners

We finally closed today on our house! There were several hiccups at the end but today we signed the papers. We are very thankful to have that behind us. We will be moving the last weekend of this month.

Things have been super busy for us. In addition to graduate classes, I now have childbirth classes. Gilbert and I are enjoying childbirth classes but they are right in the middle of Greys Anatomy (lol). It is a good thing we have a DVR box and I can record my shows, which is a life saver.

Yesterday we had a baby shower at work. It was very nice and we received a lot of good things. I can't wait until we move so I can start putting Kaden's room together. By the way we did pick a spelling, Kaden.

This weekend we are having a couples baby shower. I will post pictures of that next week.

Delayed Closing

Well we were supposed to close on our new place today, but that is not happening. We are waiting on a signed paper from the seller now to turn in our home owners association application. Everything was going too smoothly until this week were we hit several bumps in the road. We are not sure when we will close now. It generally takes 2 weeks to get approval from the home owners association. That puts us moving at the end of October and will give me the month of November to get the house in order. Unless Caden decides to come early.

The month of October is going to be a very busy month for us. I am going to school two nights a week and for October I will add child birth classes on Thursday nights. We also are going to the UM vs Georgia Tech game and the following weekend we are having a baby shower. Some where in there I hope to close on the house so we can start painting and doing some minor repairs on the house before we move in.

Not much else is going on for us and I don't think we could handle much more right now either.

For an update on Gilbert's mom. She is unconscious but showing small improvements weekly. Please continue to pray for her.

For those of you who were paying attention while reading the first paragraph you will notice I spelled Caden's name differently. Gilbert and I have decided to change the spelling but are trying to decide between Kaden and Kaeden. What do you guys think?

29 weeks pregnant

Yesterday I had my 29 week appointment at the maternity center. I also had my diabetes test. I was supposed to have that the week prior but I was not given the brochure so I did not know not to eat and I did not know to bring a specific meal with me. Yesterday I got there and had my finger pricked, ate my meal, and two hours later when it was time to prick my finger again they had run out of the strips that read your blood sugar level. So they decided to take blood and hold it to test when they get the strips but by the time this was done 30 minutes had passed. So there is a possibility I have to take the test again. While I was there I went ahead and had a prenatal checkup so I didn't have to come back next week.

The week prior (28 weeks) my blood pressure was high and it had been high for a couple of visits. I am happy to say that yesterday my blood pressure was back to normal. That was a big relief for me. At my 28 week appointment they were able to feel where the baby's head was: right under my ribs. This week her head was down like it is supposed to be. Everything else is good. She is very active and becoming quite strong. I am still battling swelling and heartburn. My stomach is so big and in the way now. It is extremly hard to bend over and I can not squueze in small places such as when I open the car door to get out I need to be able to open the door all the way.

An update on the baby's growth:
Your baby has also learned to use its brain to control primitive breathing. This means that if your baby is born now, he or she could probably breathe independently
The baby will be able to turn his or her head to find the source of a bright light. Your baby is continuing to become more sensitive to sounds, tastes, and smells.
The fat layers will continue to form.
The head is in proportion to the rest of the body.
The eyes can move in the sockets.
The bones are fully developed, but they are still soft and pliable.
The baby will begin to store iron, calcium, and phosphorus.

Pics of our new place

Everything is going well with the purchase of our first place. We are set to close on September 28th. Below are some pictures of our new place. I will put up more later but blogger is moving really slow.


Master Bath

Master Bedroom

Backyard

Walkway to backyard

House from street

House Hunting

Well I do believe I might have bitten off more than I can chew this time. Between work and school I do not have much time to do anything. However, some how Gilbert and I have found time to house hunt. We did find a townhouse we like that was such a fantastic deal we could not pass it by. Buying a place has been one of the most stressful things for me. First of all we were not the only bid on the house. By luck the seller choose us and from there things have been rolling fast. We did inspection on the house today and our closing is set for September 28th. This makes October a busy month for us. Not only do I work 40+ hours a week, I go to school twice a week, in October I start child birth class the other two nights a week I'm not in school, we will be moving, and did I forget to mention I'M PREGNANT in my last trimester. My mom tells me I have officially gone crazy to take all of this on.

Tomorrow I go to the maternity center for my 28 week appointment and I have my gestational diabetes test. I will post about my appointment tomorrow.

By the way this is my 100th post!

Catching Up

First, let me apologize for my long absence. A lot has happened since my last post.

First of all I realize I have not given an update on Gilbert's mom. She was doing very well and then we received a call in the middle of the night saying she had a heart attack. She is recovering from this now and getting stronger every day. Please continue to pray for her and our family.

Shortly after this happened Stephanie and her boyfriend, Hart, came down to visit for my birthday. Even though there was a lot going on we were able to have a good time. We went to Cheesecake Factory and then Coyote Ugly for my birthday and had a wonderful time. We had a really good time and I was glad to see Stephanie and meet her boyfriend.


The bar tenders dancing on the bar. It was just like the movie. To bad I couldn't have a drink.

All of us at Coyote Ugly

Gilbert and I

Stephanie and Hart

I had my 24 week doctor's appointment as well. Kayden is doing well and healthy. Right now I am having really bad swelling in my feet. My stomach is growing, I read that my uterus is the size of a soccer ball now. That is crazy. My next appointment is in 3 weeks.

Ok so the last thing is I have gone back to school. I just started my Masters in Elementary Education at the University of Miami. I know I am crazy to take all of this on but I want to go ahead and get started. I am taking two classes one on Mondays and the other on Wednesdays.

22 week ultrasound

I had to go in today for another ultrasound. When we went at the beginning of this month they were unable to take all of the measurements they needed. Kayden showed her face as you see below but she did not cooperate well. The technician needed to take measurements of her heart and had a very hard time doing so. She tried for at least 20 minutes just to get this. The technician was pushing so hard on my stomach, I am sure there will be a bruise. In the end the technician got the measurements she needed of the heart.

Kayden weighs 1 pound 1 ounce and is very healthy. Gilbert does not like this picture below. He says it is kinda freaky but it is the only good one I had from today.

 

gDiapers

I had originally wanted to use cloth diapers for our baby. However, the day care is not going to do this. One day I was watching Good Morning America and discovered the gDiaper. The gDiaper is the first flushable diaper. It is a washable cover and then you insert the diaper, which looks like an oversized pad to me.

Here are a few facts about regular diapers:

Last year alone, 18-23 billion diapers went into landfills across America. That works out to be approximately 38,000 every minute and adds up to about 3.5 million tons of waste!

It takes up to 500 years for a disposable to biodegrade in a landfill. Just in time for your great, great, great, great, grandchild's birth. Not a very nice baby gift.

For an update on Kayden. In case you didn't notice we did pick a name for the baby, Kayden Maryse Biamby. We both really like the name Kayden and Maryse is Gilbert's moms name. You pronounce Maryse like Mah-reez. She is kicking a lot these days and I can feel the kicks getting stonger. My stomach continues to grow as well. My next doctor's visit is scheduled for August 7th.

20 weeks pregnant

I am half way through my pregnancy now. It is going so quickly. I remember the first three months were so slow and I though they would never end. Now I am feeling tired a lot I think from the heat. Gilbert is giving me B12 shots every week to help give me energy. I don't know if it is just me but it is hard to tie my shoe laces and I can't change the nail polish on my feet and it is uncomfortable to wear a seat belt.

The cool thing that has been happening is I can feel her kicking. I started feeling it slightly at 16 weeks and now I feel her moving off and on throughout the day. She is a very active baby.

Last week we had another ultrasound and we did confirm that it is a girl. My mom got to go to this one and she even showed her face this time. My mom and I did a lot of shopping while she was here. We had fun picking out baby girl clothes.

Here is an update on the baby's growth this week: She weighs 10 ounces and is 6.5 inches long. Her uterus is fully formed now and has primitive eggs in ovaries.

Trip to Key West

Gilbert and I went to Key West to celebrate our three year wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful time. We stayed in a cute bed and breakfast, Westwinds Inn. I can't belive I forgot to take a picture of it.

7 mile bridge


In Key West you have to walk every where and it was extremmly hot. One day we were there the heat index was 113. Next time we go we will rent a scotter or bikes. I was a little afraid to get on a bike pregnant this time. This is on our first day right before it started pouring. We were at the sea port.



The first night we went on a Ghost tour. Key West is supposed to be very haunted. It was a lot of walking but the stories were fun to hear. We didn't see any ghosts though. This is our tour guide.



We couldn't resist taking a picture of this dog we saw on the street.



The next set of pictures were at Sloppy Joes. We enjoyed going there for a drink (for me diet coke or water) and to listen to the music.





The next day we went snorkeling. We had a wonderful time doing this. I saw 4 nurse sharks and 2 spotted eagle rays. I still have to develop the underwater camera film.

This is the boat we went out on.


Snorkeling



Spotted Eagle Ray. I took a picture with the underwater camera but I have not developed the film yet.

Gilbert relaxing on the boat.



Coming in from snorkeling.


That evening we went out to dinner for our anniversary and went to listen to a live band later. It was very nice.

On our last day we walked around and did some shopping. Then we went to a Pirates Musuem. It was very well done. Then we went home since it was so hot. We can't wait to go back. It is a very cute town.

This marks the southern most point in the US and is 90 miles from Cuba.


This is at the Pirates Museum

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Gilbert and my three year wedding anniversary. We have grown so much and have been through a lot in these three years but I couldn't have picked a better person to experience life with. I am looking foward to our new adventure of being parents. I know that Gilbert is going to be a great dad and I can't wait to watch him with our daughter. I love you very much and look foward to the many years to come.

Vacation

Gilbert and I are on vacation! It could not have come at a better time. We are both exhausted and need a break. Hopefully we will get to rest because we have a lot planned.

My mom comes into town today. We are going to do a lot of baby shopping and on Tuesday she will go with use to my 19 week appointment. We are also having an ultrasound that day as well. I want my mom to experience this.

On Tuesday evening Gilbert and I go to The Police concert. Gilbert is very excited about this. He had told me before if I don't get tickets to this concert he would divorce. This is how much he wanted to go. We are going with some friends so it should be a wonderful time.

On Wednesday, my mom heads home. On Thursday Gilbert and I are heading to Key West for the weekend to celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary.

I should have plenty of pictures to post by the end of the week.

Floods

On Thursday we came home from work to find our neighborhood flooded. At some points the water was a little over the bumper of our Corolla. It was a huge mess. The front of our apartment complex was bad but the back where we live wasn't to bad. Gilbert and our friend Jean Max made me laugh because they refused to put their bare feet down in the water. They had me give them grocery bags to tie around their feet as you see below. By the next morning the water was gone thank goodness.

Baby Shower

While I was in NC I had a baby shower. Even thought it is kind of early I was not going to be back in NC again until after the baby so we went ahead and had a shower. My family did a wonderful job decorating and Stephanie organized some really fun games. I had such a wonderful time.


The diaper cake my sister made. Amazingly I got it home in one piece so I can put it in the baby's room.



Burwell, Brooke, Lindy, and Tonya (girl from Russia that the Stark's are hosting for the summer)

Me, Stephanie, Aunt Susan, and Aunt Peggy

Me, Dad, Hannah, and Burwell

Lori (Elizabeth's mom), Elizabeth (my best friend growing up), me, and Mom

Kathleen's wedding

Last weekend I went to NC for a friend from Meredith's wedding, Kathleen. It was a very beautiful wedding and it was so nice to see old friends. Below are some pictures from the wedding.


Jason and Kathleen


Rachel and Bennett


Me, Kathleen, Rachel, and Stephanie


Stephanie and I

It's a ....

First of all, sorry it took me so long to post today. The good news is everything is fine with the baby. We were able to see its spine, brain, kidneys, adrenal glands, stomach, arms, and legs. The baby was face down so we did not get to see its face and its legs were crossed. However, we are 99% sure its a GIRL. Her heartbeat was 143 beats per minute. We do go back in 4 weeks for another ultrasound. So hopefully she will cooperate.

Gilbert and I were confident that we were having a girl. He wanted a girl first and I wanted a boy first. But most of all we want a healthy baby. We have a few names in mind which I am not going to announce until we make a final decision.

Ultrasound Today at 1:30

I am back from NC and had a wonderful time. I will post later about my trip.

Today I go for my ultrasound and find out if we are having a boy or girl! I will update when we get back from the appointment.

Week From Hell

This has been the worst week ever. On Monday I had to work until 7:30pm. On Tuesday I found out that I had been a victim of fraud and I worked until 9:00pm. Then later that evening I tripped going up the stairs in my apartment and busted my lip. Wednesday has been a better day, I got my bank account situation fixed.

Tomorrow morning I am flying to NC for a friend from Meredith College's wedding, Kathleen. I am also having a baby shower while I am there. I know it is very early but I will not be in NC again until after we have the baby so instead of missing out completely I am just going to have a shower early. Then I come back on Sunday and Monday we find out the sex of the baby!

Ultrasound Date

Well I finally heard from the maternity center today. My ultrasound appointment is scheduled for July 2nd at 1:30. I was upset to wait that long. I am going to NC on June 28th coming back July 1st and I waned to go before this trip. Oh well! but I will be able to find the sex of the baby out earlier than we thought. I guess it isn't as much of an emergency to have this done as I took it to be.

The Good and The Bad

Yesterday I received some good news and some concerning news. At my last doctors appointment I had blood taken to see if I needed to continue taking the progesterone suppositories.

Yesterday my midwife called me and told me that my progesterone level was high and I did not need to take the suppositories anymore. That was the good news which was followed by a however. She told me that my hCG hormone level was low which is not normal and that they are sending me to have an ultrasound to make sure everything is OK. I asked if should I be worried and she told me no because I had good heart tones at my visit but they want to see why the hCG hormone level is low. The call ended with my midwife saying she will call me back with an appointment for the ultrasound. Of course I still have not heard back this morning and of course I am worried and want to know what is going on.

The positive thing I am bringing out of this is that maybe I will get to find the sex of the baby out earlier than I thought.

Please pray that everything is OK with the baby. And I will update as soon as I know what is going on.