My loving husband

This is a little snippet of a conversation that H had with one of his patients at work today. He came home and bragged about it, so I had to come on here and brag about it, too. He really is the best husband that has ever lived.

60 yr. old patient, recovering from liver transplant: "So, what's your primary job?" (meaning, in the hospital)
H, my loving husband: "Taking care of my wife."
Patient: "Well, you must really be in love."
H: "I really am."

I mean, seriously, does it get any better than that? :)

The wardrobe and the forgotten video

Little H is acquiring quite the wardrobe these days. In fact, I've been put on clothes-buying probation because I'm getting to a point where I can't stop myself....there are so many adorable outfits!! I've limited myself to about six or seven so far, and we've gotten a few as gifts, but they are all so incredibly precious, I just can't wait to see him in them. Oh, and they look so cute hanging in his closet:

This is the latest addition to the wardrobe, it's a cute little onesy with a hood on it, and it says "3 Little Monkeys". I LOVE IT!And here are the two gift outfits. The one on the right is from my grandparents, and it has a little wolf on it, and the one on the left is from my Dad and Lillie, and it has two little doggies on it, one little and one big, just like little H's sure-to-be-pals, Rocky and Nacho. How grown up will little H look in these outfits!!

The last thing I wanted to post was the video we took when we were having the ultrasound done a little over a month ago. I know, it's been a long time coming, but I kept forgetting that we had it, and so I never posted it. It isn't that long because the ultrasound tech wouldn't let us video the entire thing (legal reasons or something), and even though she said we could film the part when we found out the sex, we noticed it on our own before she got to that part, so we sort of missed the opportunity to film it...that's why the video is sort of dishonest. Either way, here it is, so you can share in our moment of happiness, even it was a bit after it first happened:

What's a girl to do?

Things have been getting a bit rough for me lately, especially in regards to certain "grooming" tasks that I've, ironically, always resented, but am now losing the ability to perform. Specifically: shaving my legs. That's right. I shaved last week for what might be the last time until I have little H in my arms. I'm looking pretty skanky now, and so I might give it a try today, but chances are it'll just frustrate me....but I'll do it anyway. Yes, one more last hoorah. The leg-shaving thing doesn't really bother me that much (I mean, the truth is that I have found myself wasting birthday wishes on "finding a way to never have to shave again") except that I'm wanting to swim, and although I doubt the hordes of old women and men who hang out in the pool area of the gym will be concerned with the hairly-legged pregnant woman in the next lane, it does make me feel a bit embarrassed. And to add to it all, I have officially had to lose the wedding rings. I didn't think that would bother me, but it's interesting: a few weeks ago H and I went to grab some take-out at one of our favorite breakfast places (they have AMAZING sweet potato waffles!) and I was in a pair of sweats and a tank top, looking pregnant as ever, with no wedding rings on (because they don't fit). H stepped out for a minute because the lobby was really packed, and just as he left, this old couple walked in and stood right next to me. I felt like they were staring at me, and I sort of leaned back a bit to check it out, and sure enough, this cranky old woman was staring right at me. I looked the other way and craned my ear to hear their conversation, only to hear her talking about how awful my shoulder tattoo was. I kind of chuckled, because it seemed pretty old-fashioned. Then, surprisingly, she said something to the effect of "and look at that, she's not even married". WHAT?!?! Do people actually look for rings?!?! Are people that petty and judgemental?!?! It really kind of shocked me, but I have to admit that as H walked in, I called out to him "hi loving husband!" and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, just to rub it in her face. He, of course, was still wearing his ring. I should also admit that I am now wearing a larger ring on my wedding-ring-finger, just in case any other cranky old bag dare make a comment. It's stupid, I know, but somehow it really upset me. So honestly, what's a girl to do? I already feel bloated as ever, I'm starting to waddle when I walk, I'm noticing the occasional toot slipping out in public, and now I have to walk around unshaven without my wedding rings? If it weren't for H telling me how beautiful I am all the time, I might be acquiring some serious self-esteem issues. And I thought pregnancy was supposed to make a woman feel beautiful.
Boy, did I get that wrong!

The amazing Dr. Duff and other fun updates

I had the first appointment with my new doctor today, Dr. Duff. I never thought I could like anyone better than Dr. Brazzel, but the truth is that Dr. Duff really impressed me, and I have to admit that I like him just as much, if not better. The nurses were DEFINITELY better than Dr. Brazzel's nurses, and it was nice to have everything available in one building (lab included) and to see a breakdown of our total baby bill with a big 0 on the top of it. Seriously, the breakdown (including the anesthesiologist, the room fees, the prenatal care and the vaginal delivery or C-Section) was somewhere around $20,000....and our copay is 0!!!! I have to say, as anxious as I was about switching doctors, I'm really happy we did it, and meeting Dr. Duff and seeing how great he was really helped. Here are some updates on me, the baby, and the pregnancy in general:

As far as the quad screen test goes, little H has a 1 in 5000 chance of having either Down Syndrome or any Neural defects, which is A LOT lower than the 1 in 800 chance that they give as a standard for women of my age. He had a good strong heartbeat of between 140 and 160 bpm, with a lot of variability, which is exactly what they look for. My uterus measured 24 centimeters from my pubic bone, which is two weeks ahead of where it should be, but perfectly normal. My total weight gain to this point is 17 pounds (eek!) which is apparently normal and healthy, and my blood pressure was right where it should have been, another very good thing. I also got a flu shot to prevent me from getting the flu and to help little H stay healthy in my tummy. Overall, it all looked great, and Dr. Duff was really super nice and amicable...in the end, I think I'm really glad we switched.

On a side note, we forgot (once again) to take my weekly picture at 22 weeks, so I'm putting up another non-tummy-exposed picture that H took about the middle of last week. It's from my 22nd week, just not right at the 22-week mark, so I guess it'll do:

My hair looks really flat because it was wet, and yes, it's all going to come off soon...I've got a haircut scheduled for next Tuesday and I CAN'T WAIT!!! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers and please keep them coming...little H can never get enough!! :)

A visit with family

This past weekend H and I took a little drive to Tampa to visit my grandparents who are there doing some housework (construction) for my aunt and cousin, who live there. It was such a great visit, and we got to not only spend some quality time with my family, but also eat some of my grandmother's world-famous gumbo. It was DELICIOUS....well, except for the gizzards (eek!). Here's a picture of us driving to Tampa, happy as larks to be getting the HELL out of Gainesville for the day:The gumbo was beyond delicious, as was the ice cream that we had later in the day, and we really had a great time. I got to talk about the baby a bunch, H and I got to argue publicly about our office/closet situation, we got to discuss funny names for grandparents, and we got to hear a load of great stories from my grandfather (Pa) about crazy roosters and ladders to the attic. It was great fun, and SO nice to finally get to spend some time with family during this pregnancy. It's ridiculous, really, that we only live two hours away from my aunt and my cousin, and yet we never see them (THEY SHOULD COME VISIT US MORE OFTEN!! :)). Anyway, here are some pictures of us with my grandparents (Pa and Grandmama)...make sure to check out my shirt too, it's the one Grandmama bought me before their visit:

That tummy's really starting to poke out, isn't it?!? Oh, and just a little final comment: it was a rough weekend for my grandparents this weekend since they're LSU fans and Florida KICKED THEIR TAILS!! CHOMP CHOMP! :) I just hope it isn't so long until we get to see them again!

Decisions, decisions (etc.)

I haven't written in a week or so because we've been pretty busy with house-arranging stuff, getting ready for baby H, and getting some other things squared away. As you might have noticed, I'm also missing a belly picture from week 20, which is kind of disappointing since that was a real landmark week for me: THE HALF-WAY MARK!!! Well since the last time I wrote, we've made a few important decisions: I decided to withdraw from classes this semester in an attempt to lower my stress levels, and we've just recently (last week, actually) changed doctors. I'm really sad about that decision, and I admitedly almost cried when I went to say my goodbyes, but it was necessary since our insurance pulled a swift one on us. I still love my old doctor (Dr. Brazzel, he's amazing!!), but H assures me that my new doctor, Dr. Duff (who I meet with on the 14th for the first time) is equally as good.

Basically, our insurance company told us in the beginning that we would be covered 80% no matter where we went, but then we heard just a few weeks ago that actually, if we go to Shands, the hospital where H works, it's all covered 100%. So, for financial reasons, we've made the decision to switch. It was very sad for me, but I believe it will be the best decision for us in the long run. Other than these decisions, we've had a few other interesting developments. First, I've officially lost the ability to wear my wedding rings, which we had to literally ply off with soap after 20 minutes of holding my hand in the air to get the blood to flow out of it. Yeah, that left a mark. The second development is the lovely linea nigra that has developed in the bottom half of my tummy. Here's a picture, in case you're not clear on what that is:You can't see it very much now, but it will definitely get larger and darker. You can see it running from just below my soon-to-be-outie belly button down. The good news, though, is that I'm still safely without stretch marks...I guess we'll see how long that lasts. And, for good measure, here's my weekly picture, where you can REALLY see that I'm starting to "really blow up", as H so lovingly puts it. To quote Jon Stewart: "here it is, your moment of Zen.":

If that doesn't scare you just let me know, and I'll upload the picture I took on my cell phone in the Maternity store the other day, with the adds-three-months-to-your-pregnancy strap-on belly attached. Yeah, that was impressive, to say the least.
Thanks again to all of you for the prayers, thoughts, and well-wishes. Please keep them coming...before we know it, little H will be here in our arms, being adorable and changing our world forever. What a blessing!! :)