Snipes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

.... That's what little BOYs are made of.

Scott and I are going to be the proud parents of a precious baby boy! 

Clearly this little man is like his father, not shy! The tech put the little monitor thing on my belly and bam! there was his little goods :) I looked at it, and she said you want to know the gender of the baby? I know, do you have any guesses? I blurted out, that's not a little girl! And started crying! She said, congrats you're having a boy! I think Scott's mouth about hit the floor. And my mom got all teary eyed too. Scott just stared up at the screen in total disbelief. He nor I have ever seen something like this before, an ultrasound that is. So to be able to see EVERYTHING is absolutely amazing.

I knew they measured things to make sure baby is growing properly in there, and I believe she was measuring his head and I looked at her, very concerned, and said - "Does he not have arms??" She kind of giggled and said, Oh I'm sure he does we just haven't moved down his body yet! So to reassure me, she stopped what she was doing and found both his arms for me! One, as seen above, was constantly up by his face (right arm) and the other was so very graciously punching me in the bladder the whole time. The gal we had was very nice to us and made sure to explain everything and re-explain if we didn't see exactly what she was telling us. 

From what I can tell, he's a very polite boy. Haha! His little legs were crossed right at the ankles the entire time, until she started jabbing him trying to make him roll. Instead he just arched his little back, kicked and moved his arms. Not a happy guy. The reason she was wanting him to move was to get a better picture of his aorta. The tech was able to watch the blood rush through it, but was not able to get a good still photo, so I need to go back in 4 weeks and have another ultrasound. Any chance to see my son is fine by me. Even if I do have to have a full bladder, again. I think the next time I go in, I'm going to have Scott's mom and sister come with me so they can see him.

That was the worst part of the whole experience. My back and kidneys ached all day afterward! Making a pregnant girl hold it for over an hour after drinking a quart of water is rude! Haha.

According to his measurements, he is about 5 days ahead of schedule. So instead of being 18w6d he's 19w3d. Anything to avoid being pregnant ALL of August, I'll take it. But he looks absolutely perfect. Right before we ended the ultrasound, he honestly gave us a wave. I almost died, it was the most precious thing I've ever seen. Kinda like a, 'Bye mom, dad, and grandma!' Melted my heart right on the spot! The tech said him being able to open up his hand like that is a really good sign, it removes questions of disorders or syndromes.

I was so excited to tell everyone and their dog yesterday that we were having a boy, but we had decided before we told people we wanted to make sure our families knew. We had planned a dinner that evening, so all day I was busting at the seams to squeal. We had told the Nelson's that baby was stubborn and didn't give up the gender and that we would have to go back. I knew if I told Sadie she would pry and pry until I told her! It was such a cruel joke, but it made it that much sweeter when we were able to see their faces looking at a single blue balloon. 

Scott and I loved this baby from the moment we found out. But to be able to see him on screen and watch his movement made it so real. Scott and I were getting ready for bed last night and I told him, we are going to have a baby boy. A son. Can you believe that? He just smiled and said "I know. I heard Watchin' You (by Rodney Adkins) and got a little teary eyed over it." 

The funny thing about this whole situation, I've mentioned how set Scott was on this baby being a little girl. He actually told me he was sad he wasn't having a baby girl. Not that he isn't totally ecstatic over a little boy, but he did want a girl. Scott is such a man's man and it shocked me to see he wanted a girl so badly. Guess we'll pray for one next time :) 

FYI: He's been moving while I type this. Must know he's being talked about.

Tomorrow

When I had my last appointment 6 weeks ago or so, I never thought tomorrow would get here. At least not as quickly as it did. And now here we are, less than 24 hours we will know whether we are having a baby boy or girl. The reality of it all is overwhelming, in a good sense. 

God trusted Scott and I enough to let us bring a baby into this world. That together we would raise it right, teach it wrong from right, love and provide for it... Not everyone gets to experience what we are experiencing right now. I feel an incredible love and trust from my Savior to give me this chance. And to be honest, I don't think this baby could have came at a better time. 

I've focused a lot on 'this year'. We are still trying to piece our lives back together without Boede, and we still feel his absence everyday. I think, for Scott and I, knowing that as one life was leaving us knowing we were bringing a baby into this world made the hurt a little bearable. Granted I would do anything to have Boede back. To see Scott struggle to go to work everyday is devastating, and to see his son notice him in pictures and yell for "dada" breaks me into a million pieces. I hope when Boede got to heaven God handed our child over to him, even for just a minute, and he taught him/her something-anything really. (How ironic, as I write this "I Drive Your Truck, Lee Brice, comes on Pandora. It was played at Boede's service. He's listening...) 

Tomorrow is a big day. I've had emails and texts from people just as excited as we are to find out. Grandparents are placing bets as to what Baby Nelson is, and all mom and dad can do is sit back and watch the excitement. We will be having a dinner tomorrow after work to announce to the family what we're having. As long as this baby has 2 arms, 2 legs, and is function the way a baby should be - i don't care what we are having. 

Not the way I envisioned a Saturday

I don't know how many of you know, but I work a second job one Saturday a month just for the heck of it at East Idaho Home Interiors in Pocatello. I picked up some things there for my wedding and one of the gals recognized me and asked if I had pictures. I just happened to have my iPad in my purse and showed her some, she called over the owner - Jenn - and after looking at a handful asked if I wanted to work there. Done deal. That's all it took. I really like. It was hard leaving the shop 3 years ago, I had clients that I truly adored and still miss to this day. This shop is a little bit different from the Holiday House, but it's such a change of pace and I really enjoy it. Some of Jenn's clients even happen to be my old clients. So it's great seeing familiar faces.

Anyway, onto the story... I had to work March 9th from 11-5 and by all accounts it was a normal day. Wasn't feeling sick or bad, just got ready and headed off to Poky. I hadn't even been at work for 30 minutes when I was ringing someone up and started getting very dizzy and lightheaded. So I told Jenn I needed to sit down, that something was wrong. I started drinking some water, but kept getting SO warm, so I walked to our back room where it's typically cooler and sat in a rocking chair. The last thing I really remember is sitting there thinking 'Oh, sh*t'. I woke up to Jenn hovering over me asking if I was okay. It took me a minute to realize I was on the floor and about that time I got so sick. Like, profuse vomiting, cold sweats... In between episodes I was able to call my mom and tell her she needed to come and get me because I was dying, I called Scott and told me basically the same thing and he said he'd be there shortly. Well by the time my mom drove across town, got me, and was back home - Scott pulled into the drive about 5 minutes afterward. He didn't waste anytime. They went back to the shop, grabbed my Tahoe and Scott took me to the ER. I can handle the throwing up and feeling like hell, but it's no longer a one man show, so I wanted to make sure passing out didn't cause any harm to the babe.

So, lucky me, I got the privilege to get poke, prodded, and jabbed, and not to mention the ever fabulous peeing in a cup... My blood pressure was a little low, passing out does that... and my blood sugar was normal. After 2 bags of standard fluids, they figured out I had a bladder infection but the ER doctor wasn't totally convinced that was enough to throw me into this episode. On a more positive note, the babe was fine, had a steady heartbeat and had normal movements. The doc wrote a notice I couldn't drive until cleared, I needed to get a follow-up with my OB and wrote me a scribe. I had to take one tablet of meds before I left the ER and held it down for about 2 seconds. The mere look of water made me start dry heaving, at this point that's all I had left. I had not eaten or drank anything since 11am, we're talking about 5pm by this point.

When I went to doctor on Monday, everything with Baby N is still checking out nicely. Which is a huge blessing. I have read some things that passing out doesn't affect the baby, but being alone in the back room, I had no idea how I had gotten from the chair to the floor or how long I'd be out. So I would rather be safe and get checked out than not have a clue. I have not had any more episodes since that day and I am praying it was a one time fluke. Apparently with an expanding child it puts pressure on your blood vessels and the blood in a mother's body just doesn't travel as fast as it should back to the brain. I was telling Scott this is what I get for bragging about how EASY everything has been - literally from the conception till that Saturday. Lol. Maybe I should be more humble about all that... :)

You can expect a very HAPPY post a week from today. It will reveal the gender of this little babe. Daddy is still 100% sure baby girl. All mommy knows is that it's a baby! So stay tuned. We are really antsy at this point, especially when people bring it up - "one more week!' Are you so excited?! What do  you want it to be?"

Tomorrow we are going to be taking a jaunt to Idaho Falls and buying baby a bedroom set. This will be our first big baby purchase, it's kind of frightening, exciting, overwhelming, and any other emotion you can think of. As soon as we get past Tuesday at 9:30am (ha) I'll know what kind of room I can set up and, as you know I do love decorating, I can't wait. We are going to do a light grey wall and the accent wall where the crib will be placed will have horizontal white stripes. I've found some bedding I am in love with, again, just need to know what this kid is!

We are so excited and I must brag about my sweet husband a moment, he is so connected already. He'll want to see if he can feel where the baby is and he'll be so gentle trying to poke around and see if he can feel what side it's hanging out on. And then when it gets sick of him poking, it'll move and he'll say 'its not there anymore!' "Well check the other side now", and he'll just grin. He's taken such good care of me since we found out in December. If I didn't feel so bad and guilty, I probably wouldn't even have to get up off the couch if I didn't want too. He is going to be an exceptional father and I am so lucky this baby gets to have him for a daddy and that I get to have him for a husband.

Well, Happy First Day of Spring everyone! 

Hope everyone is doing well, you'll be hearing from me soon!

-M

2nd Annual Hatcher Wheatley Benefit

Hey all, I wanted to give everyone a heads up about a benefit coming May 4th, at the Bannock County Fairgrounds (covered arena). This event is near and dear to my heart - this year one of the little boys the bull riding event and silent auction will be for is Owen Paul, Boede's year old son. If any of you are interested in donating, big or small, please let me know. The money raised is going to start a college fund for him. The other little guy it's for has had numerous surgeries, 9 I believe being open heart surgeries. Money for him goes to help his family with their mounting medical bills and progressive treatment. It's for a great cause. These two little cowboys are going through more in their young lives currently than most of us will ever have to in a lifetime. If you can't donate, please come and support the cause and check out all the amazing, selfless people who have donated items to be auctioned off. I can't tell you how generous businesses have been to support this event.


Also, if you are on Facebook, here is the link to the event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/417675231659322/

Please, please spread the word. The more people we can get to attend this, the better. Last year there was 5,000 we are hoping for much more than that this year!

When it rains, it pours

I was really hoping 2013 couldn't get any worse than it has been the last two months. Losing Boede was traumatic. We still aren't over losing him. A dear, dear friend of mine lost his mother the beginning of February to brain cancer...

I was praying after our trip to Jackson Hole things would settle down, but luck has never really been on my side. The 27th of February I was at work and got a hysterical phone call from my mom. Between the screaming and hysterics, I managed to get out 'Mia' and 'fell'. So I told her I was on my way. Mia is my Norwegian Elkhound, Chow, Lab mix. I knew at 75lbs I couldn't pick her up if it was bad, and by moms reaction, I knew it was bad. So I called Scott long enough to say 'get to moms now.' and hung up. I managed to call the vet and tell them I had an emergency and I would be there in a few minutes.

When I got home, Sissy was laying on the deck and Scott was hovering over her, she was shaking profusely. Scott kinda shook his head at me and I knew what that meant. We tried as gently as we could to pick her up without hurting her anymore than she was already and get her in my Tahoe. I sat in the back with her and tried to give her some comfort and I tried to comfort myself for what was coming. We ran into one of the rooms they had ready for us and had to sit there with her until the vet came in, it felt like forever... All the vet had to do was come it, look at her front leg and feel it. He told mom, Scott, and I that it was broken and we only had one option...

Mia was standing on Moms deck and Diesel was running out of the house and just bumped her enough on her left side that she lost her balance and fell on her right shoulder. That's all it took for it to break.

We are completely devastated and heartbroken. We rescued Mia when she was 8 or 10 weeks old - almost 12 years ago. I should have known she was stubborn when we picked her up, she was all alone from her brothers and sisters trying to chew her way through a metal cage. I remember bringing her home and she sat in my lap the whole way. She was this tiny, round white fluff ball. And so freaking cute. But as mentioned, she is stubborn and so so naughty... She has ate: drywall, retainers, door jams, eye glasses, rocks, etc. She may have very well been part goat along with everything else. The people we took Mia from originally named her "Isabella" and called her "Bella" but she was not a Bella at all. So at that time, the first Fast and Furious was out - I was obsessed. So I named her after Vin Diesel's sister  in the movie, Jordana Brewster  - "Mia".

It has been so hard going home and not having Mia meet me at the door. Even the boys have been looking for her, they've never been at Grandma's and not had sissy there. It's just not home without her there. I don't know what I'm struggling with more, losing Mia and the whole circumstance behind it all or the fact my mom is all alone now. It kills me. Since Scott and I left, it's been the two of them. And now she's gone. I hate it and I hate I live so far from her.

I'm sure there are some of you that aren't dog people, or animal people for that matter, and are confused to the fact of why I am so distraught over this entire event. I've been raised around animals my entire life. This baby will also be raised around animals. In the short amount of time you get to spend with them, I have learned they teach you so much about life. I can leave the room for 5 minutes and when I come back, a dog is happy to see you. They spend the majority of their day just waiting for you to come home so they can give you loves. Nothing makes me happier than seeing pup tails going a mile a minute just because I've pulled into the drive. They know when you are sick, sad, happy, mad... And act accordingly. They don't leave your side. They are your protector. They are your personal heater or pillow.

Like I said, we are devastated. As with everything else, it will take time. Although we'll more than likely get my mom another dog, there will always be a hole in our hearts for our sissy girl. No one can replace that little white fluff ball and her goat like tendencies. But I do know, there are 100's of dogs out there who get no love on a daily basis and are in dire need of a home. When our hearts are ready to bring another dog in, we will rescue one, in Mia's honor. The hole we fill right now will be slightly filled with the love for a new pup, but she will always be in our hearts. Here are some recent pictures: