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I'm 16 weeks now and Georgie's the size of large peach. I'm feeling a-ok. I really should not complain. The only thing going on is my back pain.. I'm having a lot of it lately compared to never having back pain in the past. SO I'm thinking it's due to my weight gain and growing belly. We'll see. I'm thinking of seeing a chiropractor soon.... if insurance will pay. :)

On Saturday at 10:45 a.m. we went to Baby's First Images in Naperville for the sneak peak.  Dave was very excited to find out. I was feeling good and kind of just had a lot on my mind.

Dave 11-20-10

Kathy 11-20-10

Me.. all goo'ed up and ready to go.

We couldn't take any pictures of the ultrasound tv. We didn't spend the $15 for the DVD image cd as I knew we'd be getting more pictures of Georgie in 4 weeks at the 20 week appointment. Those will be equally as cute as Saturday's. :) 

So we got to see the baby's on the screen a lot. I still HAVE NO CLUE WHAT I'M LOOKING AT when I'm watching the tv. I look at the tv and I feel like Rachel Green, from that episode of Friends, when the doctor points out the baby and Ross sees it but Rachel doesn't. Dave COULD EASILY see Georgie's head, legs, and body. I on the other hand couldn't really see the baby. There were certain parts during our session that I could see Georgie but other parts I couldn't see. Oh well.

Dave & I found out the sex of the baby. I wasn't going to find out but ultimately, curiosity killed the cat. So I was excited to find out and Dave was so happy to a.) see the baby and b.) finally feel like he can start envisioning the future with Georgie. For me, when I was sitting there the whole thing was very surreal. I was really happy to be at peace with whether it was a boy or girl. I always wanted a girl... I love doing girl's hair, painting nails, and talking! So naturally... a girl would satisfy all that. Right? :) :) I also know I would really want a boy.. because a.) my nephew, Mason and our son would be 9 months apart.. and b.) Dave always wanted a boy to bond with... so I know seeing Dave and a son would be an endearing sight :)

So I'm at peace and am SOO happy about our future. Today I went shopping for fabric for Georgie's 1st quilt. :) It'll be really really cute. 50 x76 lap sized. I decided to go with a bright bright quilt. There are adorable, whimsical fabrics in both girl colors and boy colors... but I ultimately envisioned a quilt I could lay on the floor and the baby could really let his/her imagination go crazy. So I picked 10 fabrics of bright bold colors.. and the backing of the quilt.. I tried to find like a road map type of a quilt. So the baby could learn the colors, shapes, animals, and common toys like dolls/teddy bears/ trucks/ animals/ trains/ planes/ cars.. etc.  I found this really cute bright blue fabric with all sorts of baby toys on it :) It'll turn out cute.

I'll be done with it mid- December. I'm in a 3 part quilting class right now to learn 'french braid, stained glass' quilts. :) Pix to come....

Here are some pix of the bump.

Profile pic

Me & Georgie. 4 months.

Ernie & Me & Georgie 4 months

Ernie is giving me kisses... I had to include :)

My first son, Ernie. :)

15 weeks and baby sex update

Georgie's the size of an apple!

This weekend we went to the Iowa vs. Northwestern game...sadly, Iowa lost. Sadly, it rained and was windy! It was overall not the best first Iowa game for me or Georgie so we won't dwell on it.

We did see some friends and caught up so that was nice. Dave & I hadn't seen most of these friends since Alexis' wedding in July 2009 so it had been like 16 months since then. Ha! Alexis' friend Kristen was pregnant... and now has 6 month old triplets since then. So lots of news and changes to catch up on!

Kristen & Alexis

 In other important sports new, we went to mom  & dad's house and University of Arkansas won! We also watched the Blackhawks game that went to an overtime shoot out and they lost 4-3! Oh well! Saturday was a sporty Saturday!

View from our seats behind the end zone

me & Dave.. keeping dry with hefy bags on our benches and ponchos on!

Linda & Ted Nash

Me & my in-laws

trying to get back in the game!

Sunday, Georgie and I went to Chevy's for some mexican food with Meg! Then, we went shopping with Meg to Target. I bought Emalee some Christmas presents: 2 sets of flashcards, a Princess Tiana sticker book, and a 'are you ready for Kindergarden book?' It'll be a nice Christmas gift! I also went to Kohl's and hit up some sales.... I finished shopping for Ted, Linda, my mom, an dmy dad! :) 5 done... just Brandon, Dave, and the dogs! I finished a very crafty present awhile ago for Mason so his shopping is over, as well :)

Baby update:
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

Me update:
Some things I've noticed is last week in church, I had some very-minor nose bleeds. I read that there is an increased blood flow to your mucous membranes.  This condition is so common, there's even a name for it: "rhinitis of pregnancy." Some pregnant women also suffer nosebleeds as a result of increased blood volume and blood vessel expansion in the nose. So we'll see if it progresses!  I also noticed, not to get too graphic, but I noticed some colostrum developing already late last week. I talked to my friend Leah about it and she was like 'wow.. already?' and my other gf, Lauren said 'welcome to motherhood, it's completely normal'! :) haha!

Baby sex update:
We cancelled our 11/11/10 appointment! It was a long story... basically we were told that the girl who would be performing our test was not 'as experienced' as 2 other ultrasound technicians with 'early gender check' aka 15 weeks. So we cancelled that appointment and found a place closer... no longer in Oak Park but in Naperville. This place doesn't take 15 week patients. So I'm going 11/20/10 to the doctor and then Dave will find out the sex of the baby. If I had to place bets, it's a boy. Then again, Dave had a dream about 2 weeks ago that it was a girl! So who knows what that means. In an earlier blog, I posted about the 'chinese baby chart' predicting it was a girl based on my age and month of conception. :) We'll see..

Georgie's been to:

1. Atlantis Bahamas
2. Chicago
3. Iowa
4. Evanston

Upcoming for Georgie:

1. Chicago for Magnificent Mile Festival of Lights
2. Orlando, FL for NYE in Epcot and seeing the Busby family

14 wks, 5 days today! and tomorrow's sneak peek appointment!

Week 14 email alert!

• My uterus' ability to expand (14 x in size, 20  in weight) is awe-inspiring; in practice, it kind of hurts. I agree! I have some aches and sharp pains hit my belly! Very few and far between so I should not complain.
• I'm still not showing!
• By now, my risk of miscarriage has gone way, way down! Makes me happy :)
• Baby is now the size of a lemon 3.4 Inches long. 1.5 oz in weight!
• 
• Our little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, making urine, and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys, and spleen continue to develop.
• Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over his/her body for warmth.
• My baby can now squint, frown, & grimace!
• His/her kidneys are producing urine, which he/she releases into the amniotic fluid around him/her-- a process he/she'll keep up until birth.
• His/her body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck.
• By the end of this week (11/13/10), his/her arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his/her body.
• His/her liver starts making bile this week-- a sign that it's doing its job right-- and his/her spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells.
•  I can't feel his/her tiny punches and kicks yet, but my little pugilist's hands and feet are more flexible and active.
• Now.. the decision of finding out the sex... is looming it's way!

According to www.babycenter.com

Benefits of finding out:• Many women say they feel a deeper bond with the baby once they know the sex and can picture a little boy or girl.
• You can prepare an older sibling for the arrival of a new little brother or sister.
• You can narrow down your list of baby names.
• You can pick out a gender-specific nursery theme or baby clothes, if you want to.

Benefits of waiting:
• You, your partner, and your family will have a delightful surprise on the day you give birth.
• Your desire to know whether your baby is a boy or a girl might motivate you during the toughest parts of labor.
• You'll be following in the tradition of your parents, your parents' parents, and so on.
• There will be no mistakes — what you see is what you get!

Tomorrow we'll be sure to bring the camera with us to Oak Park for the sneak peek! Dave is 100% going to find out. I'd still love to be surprised and wish I could convince him otherwise. One thing is for certain, Dave is sworn to secrecy about the baby's sex. He is not allowed to tell anyone. We will use "he" and "Georgie" to our friends/family in dialogue. That was the condition of finding out the sex of the baby. He had to know but no one else can know. I want there to be a surprise! I'm pretty sure I won't find out the sex of the baby. We are getting the sneak peek, and the DVD video of it! :) Hopefully the baby is not shy but I'm fully aware that at 14 weeks 6 days... there is a 50/50 chance of us finding out. We can always go back for free in a week or so! :) I'm fine with waiting! :) lol

My coworker Toni, her son Joe had their Dr appointment on week 20; 10/28/10 and the baby was shy! They went again to a non-doctor appointment, like what I'm doing, and found out Tuesday 11/2/10 that it was a girl! So I'm fully aware 'finding out' is a priviledge but not to expect a GIRL or BOY announcement.

Stay tuned... for pictures!

week 13.. baby's first visit to Iowa!

peach... check!
almost 3 inches long... check!
fingerprints... check!
formation of teeth and vocal chords... check!
2+ millions eggs in her ovaries (if she's a girl)... check!

I'm technically wrapping up the 1st trimester and going to the 2nd trimester! I feel a-ok and cannot complain!

This past weekend we went to Iowa and spent some time with friends and celebrating Megan & Mike's engagement party. Here are some pictures...

Mike, me, and Megan

Danielle, Alexis, and me

Me, Megan, and Annie

Watching the game at Joe's Place ... shot time. Dave, Alexis, Megan, and Adam

Dave thinking he's GQ. downtown Iowa City

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I will see some old LTF Friends on Friday night so I'll tell them I'm nearly 14 weeks pregnant there. And, on Saturday we'll be seeing my family at my parents house. It'll be nice telling my aunt, uncle, cousin and seeing Mason again! I'm sure he's really big. He's nearly 3 months old!! 

All in all... things are great here. I'm feeling 100%. :) Hopefully my 2nd trimester will be as easy as my 1st was! :)

Hearing the heartbeat

Dave and I went to my 2nd appointment at DuPage Medical Group, in Edward Hospital, yesterday 10-27-10.

He took a personal day off work so he could come. Afterall, this would be the appointment where Dave and I HEAR THE HEARTBEAT. We got there at 10:50 a.m. and got called up at about 11:25ish.. grr. I really hate waiting. ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAVE 60 MINUTES FOR A LUNCH BREAK. I didn't have time to really ask a lot of questions and same with Dave. This appointment lasted all of 13 minutes!! Between getting weighed (+5 lbs from last appt.), blood pressure was good, urine sample, and then the heart machine came out :) and it was overall, a quick appointment.  It took a few minutes to find...

but there IT was. the heart beat. The nurse said, "usually you don't hear it this well". She said it was 160 bpm. Very good! Dave looked really happy and I was extremely relieved. Now, we are 'statistically speaking' in the clear. There is <2% chance of a miscarriage in addition to the fact that most miscarriages happen in the first trimester. We are in our 2nd trimester.

The doctor then came in after all my stats were done! Dave met the Dr. Pete Weeks. Dave likes him a lot! The doc asked how I was feeling. I said "like I'm not even pregnant". He asked "are you tired????" I said "no". I told him "besides a cold I had last week, I'm not feeling anything out of the ordinary." Then he went over my results from my blood work. I'm A +. That is good for the baby since I'm not RH negative (-). He said all my blood tests, HIV, and STD tests came back negative as well. :) woo hoo! He told me "you're a rockstar!'. :) This made me happy. I'm also excited to know my blood type. I was always curious.

This Saturday the baby is the size of a PEACH! We are 13 weeks on 10-30-10!

Dave later told me, he told a friend how fast the heart beat was, and she told Dave... "Fast heart beats usually mean it's a boy". LOL :)

We'll see.

In other related news, Leah, my roomie from NIU. Had her baby last night 10-27-10!  On Saturday, when we last spoke, she was 5 cm already so she knew it'd be soon and her doctor said get to the hospital as soon as you feel discomfort.  Landon Bernard Maura was 7 lbs, 6 oz. 20.5 inches, and born at 10:39 p.m. Leah's parents Roger/Kathy were there in additon to Leah's big brother, Eric and his wife Jackie!

Leah got to Good Shepard hospital in Barrington at 7:30 p.m. Got the epidural at 9:00, and started pushing at 10:00 and out he came at 10:39 p.m. ! PRETTY QUICK FOR A FIRST PREGNANCY! Now.. Leah's the rockstar. And I called it, I knew she'd have a boy. I had a feeling!!!!

I hope our birthing story is similar to Leah's! Leah is doing great and feels fine! :)

Baby Nash's name

So our lil, nearly 12 week old, Georgie Nash has a name... on November 11th when the sex is determined we can finally discuss some more.

First off: size update: 12 WEEKS = size of a plum... next week... peach ;) stay tuned.

Dave and I went out to eat to Sweet Tomatoes on Wednesday night. I was craving salad and corn bread! yum!

We discussed names.. here are the ones we agreed on... and in order. What's your vote!?!?

We didn't really look at MEANING. We looked into 'family names' and then what sounded nice with Nash. I love all Irish names! Dave likes names that don't remind him of annoying students past/present! lol. SO many name are ruined for Dave. Sadly.

Without further a-do...

Baby Boy Nash Names:

1. Brady Alan Nash
2. Andrew Theodore Nash
3. Micah James/Theodore Nash
4. James Alan/Theodre Nash

Baby Girl Nash Names:

1. Ellie Grace Nash.. on the birth certificate it'll read Elisabeth Grace Nash but we'll call her Ellie and all monograming/announcements will be Ellie as to not get people into the Beth/Liz/Lizzie nickname habits
2. Avery Grace Nash
1. we also like Mary/Claire/Mae as a middle name

I also like Ella, Elle, Ellianna, Caitlin, & Peyton for girls too. Ellie is our #1 agreed-upon-name though with Avery being our back up in case she comes out and looks more like an Avery than an Ellie. I've loved the name Ellie since high school.. when I saw the movie Contact in Mr. Aiken's earth science class in 10th grade. I loved the character Ellie Arroway and have loved the name Ellie since. I have 2 gfs that named their daugthers Ellianna and Elliott... "ellie" but none in Illinois yet. So I'm hoping Ellie is still unique and not-top-10 by the time we have a daughter.

I've always love the name James and Micah for a boy. Dave and I agreed as Brady as our #1 name though. So we'll see..

t- 1 day until I'm 3 months!

Today I'm 11 weeks 6 days pregnant. Or nearly 3 months! I will have to post a picture of what I look like from the side. I notice nothing but ya never know. We are approaching the end of the statistically-dreadful 1st trimester. I'm excited for 10/23/10 because that officially is the end of the 1st trimester  according to my droid cell phone application! LOL.

I got my 11 week email on Saturday and it says what is going on:
"By now, you're surely familiar with the prenatal symphony of burps, flatulence, and rumbling tummy. Small, frequent meals should help with the discomfort. And make sure to eat and drink slowly to prevent swallowing extra air. You'll later use this technique when feeding baby! Prenatal yoga can also help settle down your belly and -- side benefit -- soothe those mood swings."

On Saturday and early this week.. it didn't really apply to me..

but the last 2 nights... I HAVE BEEN SO BURPY! I even had this horrible lump in my throat and a little bit higher than my sternum but near the clavicle.. I don't think it was acid reflux as nothing 'burned' and nothing came up. I still have yet to experience nauseau. I have not vomitted either. :) :) Go me! However, I did feel really uneasy yesterday, Wednesday with this lump and burping.

Plus, the Cold fairy delivered me my first cold since February! and first cold of the pregnancy! I think a coworker, Barb gave it to me as I haven't been around anyone sick lately! She however frequents the kitchen section in our sales department. Her ass also is a workaholic and doesn't understand the concept of staying home if you are sick. I'd stay home if my company gave me more than 3 sick days a year! But, I used my last one in September so I'm spreading the LOVE to my coworkers. According to my Dr. I can take mucinex and non-alcohol cough syrups... then according to the pharmacist I should do nothing the first trimester but liquids/rest. So here I am, on day 5 of my cold. No drugs and spreading the disease! It definately could be worse though. I've been sneezing, coughing, blowing my nose like crazy, and overall just feeling not 100% this week.

More updates on the baby size:

• 1 1/2 inches long
• size of a fig
• the hands will soon open and close into fists
• tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums
• some of her bones are beginning to harden
• she's busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet
• You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two -- nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Not my baby, but an example of what it looks like from http://www.babycenter.com/

now let's say it together... awwwww!