3rd Timester has begun!

We're 28 weeks pregnant and I feel like I'm finally starting to "look" pregnant...not just fat :) LOL

I'm feeling a lot better now too. I still have a stuffy nose that's not too pretty and a slight cough, but my energy is back up and I'm not feeling sickly. Thank goodness! This has been a rough two weeks.

We also narrowed down the name even more (see title of blog)  :) We're going with Ethan Elwood Turner. Elwood is Craig's middle name that we both like and want to keep passing down. **We'll save Brandon Felix Turner for baby #2 .... My side of the family will get that joke.  :)

Today, Craig and I went to Burlington Baby Depot because we got a flyer in the mail that said 80% off cribs and we scored!!! We got a 3-in-1 convertible crib (crib, toddler bed, twin bed frame) for only $129.00! It's a dark cherry color that will match the guest bed and dresser in the same room. Now we just need to pick out some sheets and a mattress. Any tips on what you're supposed to look for in a crib mattress? Firm, soft, or just plain cheap? Also, any tips on where to get an inexpensive one?

Here is a bump picture we took today...

Craig passed his test!

I know this isn't directly baby-related, but in order to reach a large audience (and to brag)...

Craig passed his Professional Engineering test that awards him his license!

We're so happy and I'm so proud of him! This has been a wonderful year :)

Still sick :(

It's been a rough past 9 days. I've been sick since last Saturday and haven't gotten much better. I went to the doctor last Monday and she put me on some medicine that hasn't made a dent in my recovery. :( On Wednesday night, I got the worst tooth pain I've ever felt and was up for a couple hours in the middle of the night suffering through it. The next day, after we drove to Palm Harbor, I went to my old dentist and had them take a look. The thought of suffering even more over a 4 day weekend didn't sound like fun.

The dentist told me that the pain is 2 parts related. Part is from my sinuses (I never knew your teeth could hurt from a cold???) and the other part is pregnancy gingivitis- Which is supposed to clear up once the baby is born. Since they couldn't do the flouride rinse since I'm pregnant, they gave me an Rx for Tylenol with codine. I'd normally be stoked about this since I'm such a wimp and will take whatever medicine the doctor prescribes me, but in this case, I was a little hestitant because it's such a strong drug, but the doctor and my OB promised that it wouldn't harm the baby. So, I took it and most of the time it did relieve some pain. As wonderful as it was to see family this weekend for Christmas, being sick was a miserable way to have to spend my time with them. Each morning I think I'm starting to feel better and then as the day progresses, it just gets worse and I get discouraged. How much gunk can a person's sinus' hold? I'm soooo over it!

That being said, Craig and I had a wonderful time with family this weekend. We drove to Palm Harbor on Thursday morning (with Kona) and came home yesterday afternoon. While we were home we inherited some baby booty from my brother and Jen (via Amanda driving it down from Atlanta) as well as Brandon and Jenn (via Aunt Poppy and Uncle Don transporting it from Dallas). Thank you everyone for all your help and your "donations" :) We're so thankful! In addition to all the baby booty, we both received some awesome presents from family and friends. We're so thankful to all of you!

This week is a 4 day work week so hopefully I'll be feeling better by New Years. Fingers crossed! We love you all and will update with a picture soon.

26 wks 5 days

Sorry it's been a while since I've updated the blog. Things have been pretty busy leading up to the holiday. The weekend before last we went to Dallas for an early family Christmas. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a bump picture so it might look a little drastic from 2 weeks ago to today. We're all thrown off now. Then, this weekend I got a terrible sinus infection and haven't felt very good at all. I went to the doctor yesterday and finally got a Rx that's safe for me and the baby that will clear up the nastiness. Our Christmas shopping is done and we only have one more day of work! Yeah!

We got a referral from a work friend of Craig's for a good pediatrician. We were supposed to go to the doctor's open house for possible new patients, but I was too sick, so we rescheduled for Jan 3rd. We have a few recommendations for pediatricians here in Orlando, but still need to meet them all before we decide. Who knew how much work this would be? But, then again, I was blessed to have a wonderful pediatrician my whole childhood and it really made a difference that I liked going to see him. We're hoping to find that for our baby too. If you know of any good pediatricians in the Lake Mary/Winter Park area, please let us know!

Here is a picture we took tonight, we're 26 weeks and 5 days pregnant :)

Hospital Tour

Each time we complete one of these pregnancy "steps" it gets more and more real: the first ultrasound, finding out the baby's a boy, touring the maternity ward, etc. It's all so exciting! Last night Craig and I toured the Winter Park Dr. Phillips Baby Center. (Dad, you'll be happy to know that the RN that gave us the tour is a die-hard Auburn grad. She looks forward to meeting you and talking football.) Vicki (the RN) was really nice and personable. She gave us a very thorough hour and 15 min tour of the baby center. We saw the room where we'll go initially, the room we'll deliver in and the "retreat" room where we'll stay for the next 48-72 hours. Thanks to Craig's involvement with designing the baby center (and his subtle name dropping), we were put on the list for one of the two VIP suites if one's available when we arrive. This VIP room is much bigger and has a huge bathroom. Normally you'd have to pay extra for this room or be a hospital employee to get upgraded. Good job Craig!

We got some very detailed information so I'll share it all here, but if you want to skip over, feel free. :) When we arrive we'll go straight to the second floor of the baby center unless is between 9pm- 4am in which case we'll have to go through the emergency room (Craig knows this, but Steph, you're my back up ride). I can't forget our cord blood kit (I'll explain this at the end) because when I check in they need to draw my blood for the kit in the inital set up of the IV and other connections. We did early registration so we won't have to do much paper work when we check in. I'll go into the inital exam room when we arrive where they'll examine me to make sure I'm not "faking it" and we're ready to deliver. If I'm ready, they will move me into the labor room which is really nice (ipod docking station, big screen tv, dvd player, WiFi, etc). This is where we'll stay until an hour or two after I deliver.

At the baby center, they always keep your baby in your room unless there's a problem. Once they move us into the "retreat" I'll be able to wear pajamas, eat, have a smoothie of the day at 3pm (I'm really excited about this perk), get a massage (another nice perk!) and walk around. They also serve room service for breakfast, lunch and dinner- for me, not for Craig. But that's okay because I'm sure he'll go to across the street to Mellow Mushroom anyway. :) The labor room and retreat room both have an oversized chair that pulls out into what looks like a pretty comfortable bed that Craig can sleep in. Hopefully we'll both get some sleep once they give me my epidural (yes, I'm getting one, I'm a wimp). We'll also have a mini fridge for snacks in the retreat room. Grandparents are allowed to visit anytime in the retreat room and friends can visit from 12pm-8:30pm. I have a feeling I'm forgetting some details, but it was so thorough that I'm counting on Craig to remember what I don't.

Craig and I have chosen to bank our baby's cord blood through Viacord. If you want more information on what that means, feel free to check out the website because there's no way I can explain it correctly. It's basically an insurance policy for our baby and for our peace of mind. http://www.viacord.com/

5 month check up

Our 5 month check up went really well. Baby's heartbeat is a strong 150 bpm and mommy is good too. The doctor scheduled me for a gestational diabetes test the Monday after New Years so I got a "stern talking to" about the amount of sweets I'm eating  :( This is a routine test, but if I don't lay off the brownies, donuts and cookies, I'll be putting myself at risk. So, I've got a month to change my destiny! If I eat right and pass the test, I won't have to take the 3 hour follow up test and won't have to worry about an even stricter diet for the remainder of my pregnancy. So, I guess I've really timed this badly with Christmas season. I'm going to need some strong willpower over the peanut blossom cookies!

We have a very exciting week coming up. On Monday, we get to tour the Winter Park baby center and pre-register for delivery. I'm very excited and have tons of questions. If they let me take pictures I will and then I'll post. Then, on Friday, we'll be heading to Dallas to celebrate an early Christmas with family. This will be our last trip before the baby. So, we're very excited.

Craig and I have narrowed down baby names and so far (unless something even better comes along) we're planning to name the baby Ethan Felix Turner.

24 weeks

Thanksgiving

Hi everyone! This past week, Craig and I went on a cruise with a few of my family members for Thanksgiving. We went to Costa Maya, Mexico and Cozumel, Mexico. It was a very relaxing weekend and much needed. During the cruise, we entered our 23rd week of pregnancy. (Bump picture below) We read on our email baby update from babycenter.com that our little boy is now the size of a mango. He's still flipping around and having a great time in my belly. No noticable kicks from the outside yet, but we're hoping to see them in the next month.

Before we left for vacation, Craig and I tackled Target and created a baby registry. We're also registered for some things on Amazon.com. We actually had a lot of fun making the registry and received some great tips from my cousin Jenn that helped guide us. When we got home from vacation, we found the energy to put up our Christmas tree and it looks great. I know these holidays are going to fly by and March will be here before we know it. I can't believe Thanksgiving is already over. Cruises definitely make you forget about holiday stress you'd normally feel.

I'm proud to say that before the cruise, we completed 95% of our Christmas shopping. We're running out of free weekends so we had to act fast. Last year, I waited too long to buy presents and ship them. This year, I'm going to be stress-free and knock it out early. I'm excited to embark on a relaxing Christmas season this year. I hear how hectic and sleep deprived I'll be after the baby comes, so I'm storing up on memories of what it's like to be relaxed and well rested.

We go to the doctor again this Friday for our monthly check up so I'll keep you posted on how we're doing. Here are some pictures from our vacation: