Ummm, so yeah...

I never actually got around to posting more pics of the snow.  We got 7 inches, by the way, which is like a major snowstorm to us.  Duke played, we built a snowman, the in-laws annoyed me, blah, blah, blah.

That has been life for the past week, and I'm sure you have enough problems of your own that you don't feel like listening to mine.  Here is my laundry list anyway:

• Too much freakin' schoolwork
• My house is in desperate need of some attention
• As is my husband
• I still despise my job (but am very grateful to have one)
• My kidneys hate me and are intent on causing me as much pain as humanly possible 

I think that about sums it up.  And on top of that, I've had to battle with my mother-in-law, via the hubbs of course, about why I am a paranoidcrazypsychopath for not wanting my baby to sleep in the crib that my husband slept in as a child.  Excuse me?  Are we really going to debate this.

You are damn right we are.  Because she raised two children and obviously knows better.  Safety standards be damned!  J didn't get his head caught in the bars and suffocate, so why should I think that 30 years later my child might? 

The bottom line, aside from the fact that every bit of research screams DO NOT DO IT, is that I am not comfortable with it.  I am the mother, so I still get a say, right?  Right???!!!  For some reason, she feels that a Pack 'n Play will not suffice.  God forbid my child sleep in that contraption. 

Long story short, over a stack of IHOP pancakes, I convinced my relatively sane husband that this was not the best idea.  In other words, your mother is wrong and it ain't happenin'.  Is it possible that the simple cause of kidney stones is, in fact, a neurotic mother-in-law?   

Snow in the South

The beginning of our first big snow in about 10 years...

And a gratuitous shot of my dog...

Hope everyone is staying warm!  I'm sure I'll have more pics tomorrow!

The BIG U/S!

No, we did not find out the sex.  Now that the big question is answered, on to the fun stuff!  My teeny leetle Baby J:

"Shut it people, I'm trying to sleep!"

How ridiculously cute is that?  Okay, I'm biased.  The tech gave me an abundance of pictures, as well as a video, but I will not overwhelm you with more cuteness than one person should ever have to endure, mmkay?

Anyway, the important stuff... everything was measuring perfectly.  I was told that my baby has a perfectly shaped head, a strong heart, and nice spinal cord.  The face looked great, as did all of the other organs and apendages we were able to see.  The tech did get a look at the goods, but the answer to the big questions will not be revealed until June 25th-ish.  Well, that is, unless we get uber-curious and must know.  The answer lies in a sealed envelope in the doc's office.

In other news, my doctor also referred me to a urologist because I'm still have some pain in my kidneys.  Apparently, I have some sort of malfunction that can happen when you are pregnant.  Please do not ask me to repeat the name because I have no clue what it is called... hyrdo-narsomethinoranother, whatever.  It seems to be worse on the right side, which is funny because most of my pain is on the left side.  I likened it to being kicked in the kidney by a steel-toed boot.  No fun.

But you know what is fun?  My precious doctor suggested that I relieve some of the pain by having a prenatal massage.  I love that woman.  J is all for it.  He said whatever keeps his baby (the child, not me) fat and happy.  Yes, he said fat.  I assume that is not in reference to the weight that I have gained.  The nurse said that overall I had only gained 11 lbs so far.  I'm not sure how they chose their baseline, but methinks their calculations are off.  However, 11 seems acceptable, so we will go with that. 

Maybe J praised the idea of the massage because I had just shot him a dirty look for calling me his "cute little buddha."  Hmmm....

So I guess I am the halftime show afterall

All of my excitement over hitting the 20 week mark faded fast Friday night around 7pm.  What turned out to look like the beginning of a wonderful weekend turned sour when I was struck very suddenly with extreme pain in the left side of my back.

The pain lasted about 3 or 4 minutes and then eased off.  J insisted that I call the on-call doctor.  He said he was pretty sure it had something to do with my kidneys.  The doctor agreed that it was probably my kidneys and said to drink a liter of water immediately, lay down, and call her if I experienced any more pain.

Shortly after our conversation, the pain flared up again.  I was literally writhing around on the floor.  Never in my life have I experienced pain that bad.  J called the doctor back and she told him to bring me in to the hospital.

I was pretty out of it by the time we got there because at this point I had been in excruciating pain for about two hours straight.  In the ER, they had me fill out several forms, which I could barely even read.  I didn't even care.  We only waited in the ER for about 10 minutes before they got my room set up. 

My nurse was wonderful.  She got my IV started and gave me a shot of Demerol and then Phenergan because I felt sick.  The Demerol definitely helped both the pain in my back and my nerves.  The worst part of it all was that I had to have a catheter, so they could get a "clean catch."  Thank God that was only temporary.  She brought in the doppler and the baby's heartrate had dropped into the 120's (it was 157 at my last appointment), but she said the baby was sedated along with me.

I spent the night going back and forth from being passed out and being in pain.  They did a renal ultrasound around 7:30 the next morning.  Past that, it was just a waiting game.  When I finally saw the doctor, she said that I had developed kidney stones and that I could stay in the hospital and wait it out, or they could send me home with Percocet.  I chose home.  The Demerol made me feel drunk- in a very bad way- and even though I knew they wouldn't give me anything that would hurt the baby, I still didn't want it.  They checked the baby's heartrate again before I left and it was back into the 150's.

I stayed home from work yesterday.  The baby had not been moving a lot and I was still really tired, so I took the day for both of us to relax and recoup a little.  However, today is much better.  My back is still sore and I keep having twinges of pain.  I'm not sure that I completely passed everything, but I guess I can't stay home forever- although that would be nice! 

Tomorrow is my big ultrasound!  J and I have to get up super early and make the trek to be at the doctor's office by 8am.  We will not be finding out the sex of the baby, but we are excited to see how he has grown and make sure that our baby is as healthy as he is wiggly!

Ladies and Gentlemen, your halftime entertainment...

 Yep... Prince is performing for my halftime show.  Be jealous. 

Stats as of the halfway mark:

• How far along?: 20 weeks.
• Total weight gain: With the realization that my scales are approximately 4 lbs off, I think I’m holding steady around 15 lbs. We shall find the correct answer to this question next Wednesday.
• How big is baby?: the size of a cantaloupe.
• Maternity clothes?: Ah, yeah.
• Stretch marks?: Nope.
• Sleep?: Falling asleep before my head hits the pillow, then sleeping off and on between about 3:30 and 5:45 when the alarm goes off.
• Best moment this week?: I felt the baby kick on the outside. It was only once, but it was amazing!
• Movement?: Most definitely! The baby wakes up around 8-8:15, and is constantly moving throughout the day… especially right after I’ve eaten.
• Food cravings?: Still sweets. Although, I would kill for a big ass cheeseburger right now.
• Gender?: I think my mind is set on boy.
• Labor signs?: Nope.
• Belly button in or out?: It is swiftly approaching FLAT.
• What I miss: Same ole’ story… red wine.
• What I'm looking forward to: My big ultrasound is coming up on Wednesday!!!
• Milestone: We are halfway there!!!
• Weekly Wisdom: Sleep or rest any chance you get.

Mama goes on a shopping trip

Hallelujah, praise the Lord... I have discovered the absolute joy of maternity clothes!  God bless you creators of all things elastic, stretchy, and empire waisted.  Yes, even those tops that look like tents will probably be grandly appreciated one day soon.

There is, however, one thing I do not understand about maternity tops.  Most of these gloriously comfortable, and I mean pajama-comfortable, pieces seem to accentuate the one area that is in NO need of help... my bewbs.  Splain this to me, puh-lease!  These suckers are practically jumping out on their own, they don't need an extra boost to get them over the fence... yaknowwhatImean?

Two examples from Kohl's.  Yeah, I know, it is the V-neck.  Unfortunately, it has been my experience that there is not much of a selection of decent, moderately priced maternity clothing available in my area. 

Regardless, I heart my new clothes.  Like most people, I am not allowed to wear yoga pants to work.  Maternity clothes are the next best thing!