25 weeks, so...

This means there's only 15 weeks left!  I'm wondering if I'll go early or if I'll go over my due date. I've heard that 1st timers tend to go over, but we'll see.  I don't want to be induced unless it means Ava's safety.  I'd prefer to let nature/God decide when she gets here.  Here's my birth plan:  enema (if there's time, PLEASE!), epidural (if there's time), and a Jimmy John's spicy italian sub- I've been craving this for so long & I can't wait to sink my teeth into it!  I'm easy!  People who make "birth plans" bug me.  I mean honestly, the dr.'s know A LOT more about giving birth than I do & I trust that they'll do what's best for me and my baby. I'm not going to freak if something has to change at the last minute (like a c-section) or something. I'll just have go with whatever gets thrown my way.

I had the worst dream ever last night....
For some reason I was put to sleep to give birth to Ava & when I woke up, I was at my mom's on her couch.  I asked her where Ava was & she pointed to the other room.  When I went in there, Ava was in my dog's big crate sleeping.  I woke her up & she turned to look at me & smiled.  But she had a mouth full of big white teeth!  Then I picked her up, so I could get a better look at her & she had little tiny arms (like on a T-rex) with two fingers in each spot where there would normally be one finger (so 20 fingers in all!).  And she had 7 toes on one foot & 8 on the other. I started sobbing & asking why the doctors never told me she'd look like this.  All the women in my family were there & kept telling me how perfect she was.  I was scared, angry, and sad.  But I kept telling Ava that I loved her no matter what....

So weird!  When I go to see Dr. C next week, I'm demanding an ultrasound so I can count all of her digits.

Some great news is that we got the house!  We close next Friday (the 27th) at 4pm. We can't wait to get out of the rental...  I'm so ready to start painting Ava's room & the rest of the house. Since J's such a great artist, I'm giving him *most* of the creative control on her room.  He's going to do a mural for her walls. I'll pick the color scheme, of course.  It'll definitely be soft, soothing colors because I don't want too much stimuli in there.  Anyway, it'll be so great to have something that we can grow into together for many years to come. 

On a negative note- my father-in-law is an a-hole. I haven't talk about it here yet, but it's time. Since my mother-in-law passed away (not even 6 months ago!), my father-in-law (i'll call him "T") has met a woman (we'll call her "Crazy") and announced his ENGAGEMENT to the family last weekend.  T has not only moved on faster than I could change my underwear, he's completely ignored his kids cries for comfort and frustration of the loss of their mother (his WIFE of 40 years). He has told my sister-in-law to "F off", because she was curious about where her mother's jewelery is.  Crazy drinks too much and basically lives in la-la land. And she wears fur coats. She's obnoxious and has no idea how her presence makes everyone feel. She acts like we're all accepting of her and T and like my mother-in-law never even existed. I can't stand her & I'm pretty sure she's aware of that fact. I don't care. 

They're both selfish & I'm kind of at the point that I don't want either of them around Ava. Mostly because every time we're with them, they're drunk (it's super classy). And the fact that T talked to his own daughter like she's a piece of garbage. If he treats her that way, what's stopping him from treating Ava like that? I've lost all respect for T and it hurts.  Mostly because for 5 years, I looked at him like he was my dad too.  Once J's mom died, though, his true colors came shining through.  Everything I thought he was has gone away. I have nothing to say to either of them...it sucks for J too. Not only has he lost his mom, he's now feeling like he's lost his dad.  No child should ever feel that way.

The only positive thing from all of this is that J has learned what NOT to do as a father. He's going to be an amazing dad.... 

24 weeks

Just an updated survey...  Sorry, I don't have anything more interesting!

How far along are you? 24 weeks today (according to my pregnancy ticker). That means there’s only 16 weeks left!

How big is Baby? About the size of a corn cob (8.5 inches long). That’s what my “What to Expect” app says, anyway

Weight Gain? About 17 lbs, total. Dr. C says that’s a perfect range, so that’s good!

 Gender? Baby girl J

Maternity Clothes? Definitely

Stretch Marks? None (yet)…I have a feeling they’ll pop up near my delivery date, though.  

Sleep? Some good nights & some bad

Symptoms? None!  Just a big ol’ belly J

Movement? She’s a little dancer in there…she loves when her daddy talks to her, too.  She’s shows off for him!

Food Cravings? Cereal. I eat a bowl every night before bed.  My favorite kind, right now, is plain corn flakes with chocolate syrup drizzled on top. Yummy!

Labor Signs? Of course not

Belly Button in or out? More like flat…

What I miss? My clothes fitting, my waistline, not worrying about everything under the sun…

What I am looking forward to? Meeting our angel. I can’t wait to see what she looks like!

Best moment of the week? Unfortunately, nothing really all that significant has happened this week…

23 weeks....

and I'm feeling like a beached whale. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like by the end of these 40 weeks. I've gained 17 lbs (give or take) and my doctor seems pleased with that number, but it kind of freaks me out a little. 

Anyway, I've been feeling pretty good and Ava's getting to be more & more active every day.  J's only felt her move a little bit, but she loves kicking me when I lay down on my back.  The other day, I was curled up on the couch taking a nap and she kicked me so hard that I woke up thinking someone hit me in the gut! 

Here's my belly (sorry it's been so long!):

It's so weird to know that there's a little baby chillin' in that gut.  I love her so much already & we can't wait to meet her!  I've bought her crib (thanks to my mom giving us some $$ for Christmas to go towards her crib) and the glider for her room.  Also, my aunt gave me a crib mattress (it's 10 years old) but it seems to be in great shape, so I'll try it. She had it for her grandson, but he only slept on it a few times.  Luckily, they aren't that expensive, so if it doesn't work out, I can always go and get a new one. We got a ton of clothes already for her, so I know she won't be hurting in that area.  Diapers and formula are a different story, though....  I'm planning on *attempting* to breast feed, but I'm not banking on it.  I'm going to try to save up lots of $$ to help pay for formula in case we end up needing it.

I'm pretty sure we got the house we've been wanting!  We are just waiting on the actual loan to get approved....we've got 1 week until it's all supposed to be finalized. If it goes through, we'll close on Feb. 3rd (J's B-day!).  I'm keeping my fingers crossed and saying a lot of prayers that this works out for us.  The waiting and wondering is making me cranky, though.  I'm sure I'll know something by next week, so I'll update more then!