Ever since I found out I was pregnant, and finally convinced myself that it was real, I have been researching items I would like to add to my baby registry.
I've actually signed up in a few places (all online only), BuyBuyBaby, Amazon, and BabyList, to check out their registries.
BuyBuyBaby, which I started off with and liked for the most part, has a lot of stuff on their site and was my favorite since they also have a physical store near my area, until my research lead me to some items I wanted to register for that they didn't have on their site. Amazon's Baby Registry has even more stuff on their site, including that item I didn't find on BuyBuyBaby's, and you can read a bunch of reviews as well, so I decided to register with them next. After seeing pin after pin on Pinterest advertising Babylist, I finally decided to give them a try.
BabyList is my favorite registry thus far. I love how the site allows me to grab listings from around the Internet and add them to my registry. The site also allows you to either link or import from other registries if you, like me, decide to switch registries in the middle of creating one. They even allow you to create your own registry categories and I added one for DIY gifts called "Made From the Heart" where I'm starting to link a few things I would like that some people may be willing to make/build for me.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Friday, May 27, 2016
About my OB visits and tests and such
It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted and quite a bit has happened in that time span.
On May 20th, I had an OB appointment scheduled for 10am. When I arrived and checked into the office it was 9:45 and the waiting room was almost completely filled. Since I had done some research into the office and kind of knew what to expect, I settled in for a long wait. Turns out my wait was a lot longer than I anticipated, but not at the same time. When we realized that almost everyone who had been with us in the office when we first went in had already been seen, I finally went up to the front desk and asked when I was going to be seen. I'm pretty sure they forgot about me because they already had my name crossed of their waiting list and they ended up calling me into an exam room about 5 minutes after my inquiry (around 12:45!). I was seen by a nurse practitioner who checked my fundal height (25 weeks!), heard the baby's heartbeat! (nice and strong), received paperwork for a blood draw and glucose test, started the ball rolling on an ultrasound exam, and scheduled my next OB appointment.
On May 24th, I received notice from my OB office that an urgent ultrasound had been scheduled that same day at 3pm. Since I couldn't reschedule, having to wait until the end of June for an ultrasound if I did, I went into work an hour early and left around 2pm to make it to the appointment on time. James ended up having to skip his class that day to be able to make it to the appointment with me.
The ultrasound took forever and I had to pee soooo bad the whole time, having been told that I needed to drink a good quantity of water before the appointment (I drank around 20 ounces). One of the ultrasound tech's was new or a student/learning so I'm sure the exam took a lot longer than it usually does. They took scans and measurements of everything, and then we finally got to learn what we are having...a girl! I'm so excited and happy and apprehensive at the same time. I kind of had a feeling she was going to be a girl -- I had been referencing the baby as a she when I didn't use the gender neutral "it". The first thing we did after the appointment was head over to Carter's and pick out her first onesie, then we clued my sisters in on what we were expecting.
On May 26th, we finally clued my parents in on what was happening. (One of my sisters had known for quite some time and the other had just found out a few days before.) The reveal went better than I, and especially James, had originally anticipated. The expected questions were asked and answered. They learned that we are engaged and were planning our wedding before we figured out we were expecting.
Today, May 27th, I went in for my lab draws. While in the waiting room, after having had my first blood draw and drinking my glucose water, we ended up talking to a lady who was in there for the same reason. Since she was pregnant with her second child, she clued us in a little in what to expect and how to react to different things that are and will eventually happen during and after delivery and while raising the baby. According to the lab tech, my results should be ready in about a week's time, due to the holiday.
Lab tests done/requested are as follows:
Obstetrical Panel w/Reflex
Hemoglobin A1c
HIV - 1/2 AG/AB, 4th w/Reflex
UA, Complete
Culture, Urine Routine
75g 2° GTT (Glucose Tolerence Test)
CF test
Urine Tox
On May 20th, I had an OB appointment scheduled for 10am. When I arrived and checked into the office it was 9:45 and the waiting room was almost completely filled. Since I had done some research into the office and kind of knew what to expect, I settled in for a long wait. Turns out my wait was a lot longer than I anticipated, but not at the same time. When we realized that almost everyone who had been with us in the office when we first went in had already been seen, I finally went up to the front desk and asked when I was going to be seen. I'm pretty sure they forgot about me because they already had my name crossed of their waiting list and they ended up calling me into an exam room about 5 minutes after my inquiry (around 12:45!). I was seen by a nurse practitioner who checked my fundal height (25 weeks!), heard the baby's heartbeat! (nice and strong), received paperwork for a blood draw and glucose test, started the ball rolling on an ultrasound exam, and scheduled my next OB appointment.
On May 24th, I received notice from my OB office that an urgent ultrasound had been scheduled that same day at 3pm. Since I couldn't reschedule, having to wait until the end of June for an ultrasound if I did, I went into work an hour early and left around 2pm to make it to the appointment on time. James ended up having to skip his class that day to be able to make it to the appointment with me.
The ultrasound took forever and I had to pee soooo bad the whole time, having been told that I needed to drink a good quantity of water before the appointment (I drank around 20 ounces). One of the ultrasound tech's was new or a student/learning so I'm sure the exam took a lot longer than it usually does. They took scans and measurements of everything, and then we finally got to learn what we are having...a girl! I'm so excited and happy and apprehensive at the same time. I kind of had a feeling she was going to be a girl -- I had been referencing the baby as a she when I didn't use the gender neutral "it". The first thing we did after the appointment was head over to Carter's and pick out her first onesie, then we clued my sisters in on what we were expecting.
On May 26th, we finally clued my parents in on what was happening. (One of my sisters had known for quite some time and the other had just found out a few days before.) The reveal went better than I, and especially James, had originally anticipated. The expected questions were asked and answered. They learned that we are engaged and were planning our wedding before we figured out we were expecting.
Today, May 27th, I went in for my lab draws. While in the waiting room, after having had my first blood draw and drinking my glucose water, we ended up talking to a lady who was in there for the same reason. Since she was pregnant with her second child, she clued us in a little in what to expect and how to react to different things that are and will eventually happen during and after delivery and while raising the baby. According to the lab tech, my results should be ready in about a week's time, due to the holiday.
Lab tests done/requested are as follows:
Obstetrical Panel w/Reflex
Hemoglobin A1c
HIV - 1/2 AG/AB, 4th w/Reflex
UA, Complete
Culture, Urine Routine
75g 2° GTT (Glucose Tolerence Test)
CF test
Urine Tox
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Playing Catch-up
So many things have happened in the past couple of years, so the following will be a, longer than I originally expected, recap.
Work:
In December 2014, I started a new job at a home health agency my mom works for. I started off as an Intake/Staffing Coordinator and worked in that position for a total of three months before the person I was filling in for returned from maternity leave. At that point, I was promoted (solely in position) from Intake/Staffing Coordinator to HR Representative. My "mentor" ended up transferring to another agency within a month after I accepted the position. I have been working at that agency, in that position from March 2015 to present. I fulfill many roles within the company -- part-time intake/staffing coordinator, payment poster, medical records clerk, administrative assistant, QA clerk -- basically I have my hand in mostly every aspect of the company. Sometimes I even wonder to myself what would happen if/when I decide to leave. I'm really not being boastful or big-headed. It's just a absolute fact, and most, if not all of the other employees know how much I'm contributing to the company. If only my boss were aware of that. For over half the time I've been with the company, I've been saying that I was only planning to stay for about a year or so in total, but I've since been with them for almost a year and a half and, because of circumstances to be written about later, may not leave for another half a year or so. The benefit to working in that establishment is that I sort of have leave to "do whatever I want." I have a set work schedule but have more freedom to go in late or call out when necessary, a freedom which I know I've taken advantage of a few times, but will be a blessing in the very near future.
Travel (within the past year):
Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara - day trip, Seattle, Seattle/Portland
We went to Santa Cruz in June of last year to celebrate James' birthday. It was an interesting experience but not as great as I guess I expected it to be. We stopped in a few of our usual places on the way up and some we hadn't been to before: Anderson's to try some of their famous pea soup, the Avila barn for some fresh fruits and to see the animals, the Apple Farm (they have the best fried artichoke and apple dumplings), and our usual taco spot (to remain unnamed ;D). In Santa Cruz we visited a few coffee places, since James was really into coffee at that time, some really good ice cream places, and the Mystery Spot. We also stopped into Capitola for a bit before heading back.
In July, we had a day trip into Santa Barbara which was actually really nice and relaxing. We stopped by a few coffee places, checked out the Santa Barbara Mission, and the Santa Barbara Courthouse before heading home.
October saw us in Seattle for my annual birthday trip. We checked out the EMP and the Star Wars exhibit, which was really neat, wandered around Ballard on the day of my birthday, went on a chocolate factory tour, hit up a few coffee places, and a few beer places as well. It was on this trip that James discovered his interest and love for craft beer. My favorite parts of the trip were relaxing on the lawn in front of the Seattle Space Needle for a good hour or so after we had finished up at the museum and wandering around Ballard and the surrounding area where we visited their farmer's market, had some great food and dessert, and saw the house that inspired the Disney movie Up!
Our most recent trip took place this past April and was to Seattle/Portland. We stayed at a friends house in Seattle and attended the Emerald City Comic Con. I liked it a lot better than San Diego's Comic Con in how they arranged the con itself. Everything had its own designated floor/level, which made it easier to see things and walk around. My biggest disappointment is that ECC didn't have as many independent artists/writers/creators as SDCC has. I enjoy walking around their booths and seeing all the cute stuff that I'm never going to buy. All in all the ECC experience was good and I'm willing to go again in the future.
Seattle itself was an interesting experience. This time around we rented a car to get around the city easier, but since we were mostly there for the con, we packed most of our exploring into one and a half days. We stopped in to the Pike Place Market for a few hours, visited a few beer places, relaxed at Gas Works Park, checked out the panoramic city views at Kerry Park, and hiked the Foster Point Trail where James proposed! (More on that later.) After we left Seattle we headed into Oregon to explore Seattle and the surrounding areas.
Oh how I love Oregon. One day I want to eventually move out there. I love the greenery, the breathtaking views, the waterfalls, the quirky districts, the food! On our first full day there, we visited the Columbia River Gorge and oh my goodness it was even better than I expected. The weather was expected to be gloomy, but the sun came out soon after we reached our first stop and it stayed nice and sunny throughout our whole trip. We took our time driving up the Historic Columbia River Highway and checked out so many gorgeous waterfalls and vistas. We ended in Hood River where James checked out a few more beer places before we headed back to our hotel for the night. Over the next couple of days, we visited a few more beer places and shopped and checked out the various districts in the area.
Relationship:
If you've been following along through this post then you'll know that I'm engaged! James and I have been together for over ten years now. We've been through a lot of ups, and a lot of downs, but we've weathered them through and are now ready to settle down and make a commitment to each other and our future.
Personal Life:
A number of things have happened to me in the past couple of years, but the biggest one of all is that....I'm pregnant! After being together for so long, and not once having a scare, we're actually pregnant! It's exciting, and scary, at the same time, and is what inspired me to restart this blog, aside from the fact that I actually started writing in a journal, butbeing too lazy to hand write decided to type out a journal/blog instead.
If you decide to follow along on this journey, you'll learn more about myself and my aspirations for my life, family, and relationship.
Work:
In December 2014, I started a new job at a home health agency my mom works for. I started off as an Intake/Staffing Coordinator and worked in that position for a total of three months before the person I was filling in for returned from maternity leave. At that point, I was promoted (solely in position) from Intake/Staffing Coordinator to HR Representative. My "mentor" ended up transferring to another agency within a month after I accepted the position. I have been working at that agency, in that position from March 2015 to present. I fulfill many roles within the company -- part-time intake/staffing coordinator, payment poster, medical records clerk, administrative assistant, QA clerk -- basically I have my hand in mostly every aspect of the company. Sometimes I even wonder to myself what would happen if/when I decide to leave. I'm really not being boastful or big-headed. It's just a absolute fact, and most, if not all of the other employees know how much I'm contributing to the company. If only my boss were aware of that. For over half the time I've been with the company, I've been saying that I was only planning to stay for about a year or so in total, but I've since been with them for almost a year and a half and, because of circumstances to be written about later, may not leave for another half a year or so. The benefit to working in that establishment is that I sort of have leave to "do whatever I want." I have a set work schedule but have more freedom to go in late or call out when necessary, a freedom which I know I've taken advantage of a few times, but will be a blessing in the very near future.
Travel (within the past year):
Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara - day trip, Seattle, Seattle/Portland
We went to Santa Cruz in June of last year to celebrate James' birthday. It was an interesting experience but not as great as I guess I expected it to be. We stopped in a few of our usual places on the way up and some we hadn't been to before: Anderson's to try some of their famous pea soup, the Avila barn for some fresh fruits and to see the animals, the Apple Farm (they have the best fried artichoke and apple dumplings), and our usual taco spot (to remain unnamed ;D). In Santa Cruz we visited a few coffee places, since James was really into coffee at that time, some really good ice cream places, and the Mystery Spot. We also stopped into Capitola for a bit before heading back.
In July, we had a day trip into Santa Barbara which was actually really nice and relaxing. We stopped by a few coffee places, checked out the Santa Barbara Mission, and the Santa Barbara Courthouse before heading home.
October saw us in Seattle for my annual birthday trip. We checked out the EMP and the Star Wars exhibit, which was really neat, wandered around Ballard on the day of my birthday, went on a chocolate factory tour, hit up a few coffee places, and a few beer places as well. It was on this trip that James discovered his interest and love for craft beer. My favorite parts of the trip were relaxing on the lawn in front of the Seattle Space Needle for a good hour or so after we had finished up at the museum and wandering around Ballard and the surrounding area where we visited their farmer's market, had some great food and dessert, and saw the house that inspired the Disney movie Up!
Our most recent trip took place this past April and was to Seattle/Portland. We stayed at a friends house in Seattle and attended the Emerald City Comic Con. I liked it a lot better than San Diego's Comic Con in how they arranged the con itself. Everything had its own designated floor/level, which made it easier to see things and walk around. My biggest disappointment is that ECC didn't have as many independent artists/writers/creators as SDCC has. I enjoy walking around their booths and seeing all the cute stuff that I'm never going to buy. All in all the ECC experience was good and I'm willing to go again in the future.
Seattle itself was an interesting experience. This time around we rented a car to get around the city easier, but since we were mostly there for the con, we packed most of our exploring into one and a half days. We stopped in to the Pike Place Market for a few hours, visited a few beer places, relaxed at Gas Works Park, checked out the panoramic city views at Kerry Park, and hiked the Foster Point Trail where James proposed! (More on that later.) After we left Seattle we headed into Oregon to explore Seattle and the surrounding areas.
Oh how I love Oregon. One day I want to eventually move out there. I love the greenery, the breathtaking views, the waterfalls, the quirky districts, the food! On our first full day there, we visited the Columbia River Gorge and oh my goodness it was even better than I expected. The weather was expected to be gloomy, but the sun came out soon after we reached our first stop and it stayed nice and sunny throughout our whole trip. We took our time driving up the Historic Columbia River Highway and checked out so many gorgeous waterfalls and vistas. We ended in Hood River where James checked out a few more beer places before we headed back to our hotel for the night. Over the next couple of days, we visited a few more beer places and shopped and checked out the various districts in the area.
Relationship:
If you've been following along through this post then you'll know that I'm engaged! James and I have been together for over ten years now. We've been through a lot of ups, and a lot of downs, but we've weathered them through and are now ready to settle down and make a commitment to each other and our future.
Personal Life:
A number of things have happened to me in the past couple of years, but the biggest one of all is that....I'm pregnant! After being together for so long, and not once having a scare, we're actually pregnant! It's exciting, and scary, at the same time, and is what inspired me to restart this blog, aside from the fact that I actually started writing in a journal, but
If you decide to follow along on this journey, you'll learn more about myself and my aspirations for my life, family, and relationship.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Living in the Present
It's been a long time since I've thought of blogging. It's been even longer since I've actually blogged. Considering the numerous changes that have occurred during my life in the past year, I feel it would be beneficial to begin again. For a moment, I considered creating a new blog for the sole benefit of having a clean, fresh new start with no past behind me, but how realistic is that? The past is where it is and is not something that can be changed, only reflected on. The past will remain. What can change is the future. So, here's to another beginning, another try. The past is behind me, the future ahead, but the present...ah, the present, is to be lived!
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