Sunday, November 21, 2010

Maternity Pictures





Just wanted to post some fun maternity pics we had taken.
Had contractions every 5 mins for about 1 hour on Saturday, so was a little nervous. But then I hydrated and rested and they spaced out to every 10 mins for another hour and then tapered off! Thank God because I am only 35 weeks. Cook a little longer little one, but not too much!

I had my work baby shower this week and it was lovely. They did a potluck breakfast, played a few games and gave me tons of nice gifts! I've officially divided up the clothes. I have tons of newborn-3 mos clothes, so will need to look at 6 mos and beyond from now on. Have a few more things on my registry but have tons of Target gift cards, so will go on a shopping spree at sometime thanks to all my generous friends and family.

It snowed this evening and stuck and left everything silent and white. My very favorite thing in all the world is snow, so it's been fun enjoying!

more to come,
shauna

Sunday, November 14, 2010

33 weeks




What a busy few weeks it has been!
I'm officially 34 weeks, so 6 weeks to go! I'm feeling overall well, but this bump in the front continues to grow and take over. I actually tried squeezing through a tight space, not thinking about the large bump in front of me. Hurt myself, I admit...Oh well.
Saturday was my baby shower at HyunJu Low's house from church, put on by my sister and by my good friend Tiffany Bone. It was lovely. Had lots of friends, good food, laughter, prayer and LOTS O' GIFTS! I felt very celebrated and special. You'll see the "loot couch" picture attached.
Last weekend, we took professional maternity pictures, I've attached a picture of shan capturing the moment. The offical pics aren't back yet but once they are, I'll post a few as well.
Shan and I layed together the other night and he played a game with the baby. She was so active and so responsive, so he pushed on her foot and she pushed back. He pushed on one side of the belly and she pushed back. Then he switched sides and she found him and responded again. It really was surreal and special!
I have a couple more baby showers coming at work and just feel overwhelmed by people's generosity! This baby should be well-taken-care-of!
I must say it's a gift to have her coming near Christmas! It's making it feel more fun to anticipate and prepare for the holidays knowing I'm also looking forward to her arrival! That was a nice gift, Lord, thank you for this timing!
Mom and Oma arrive on 12/21 and my sister Aubry arrives after the new year, so even more goodness to be looking forward to!
Shan is busy with home projects. He's putting in a kitty door at the bottom of the stairs so we can move the cat box to the garage. HE's still working on the baby room with me. I think we're going to just do Christmas lights in the windows this year so he doesn't have to crawl on the roof for me!
I have an OB appt on Tuesday, then one more in 2 weeks, then we're on every week visits. That helps me know her debut is any time! I really can't wait.
Thanks to all who celebrated us with the shower gifts!

love, shan and shauna (and baby applet)

Saturday, October 23, 2010

31 weeks



Here we are, two weeks bigger, two weeks closer to meeting our little girl!
My body continues to adapt and amaze me. My belly continues to grow and my walk is now more of a wobble! I feel her moving all the time and love the surprise kicks, rolls and hiccups. I marvel at a life growing inside of me, despite me. I marvel that most of this is totally out of my control and I have to trust that God's hand is on me and this growing baby!
I got word yesterday that a baby shower is in the works for Saturday, November 13, so I'm REALLY excited about this. Only wish my mom and sister (ok and friends and family out of state too) could be a part of it. We have belly pictures set up for Nov 6 and then the photographer comes 1-2 weeks after the baby's born to finish the photos with newborn shots. I'm looking forward to these!
I had a surreal moment last week when I delivered a stillborn baby girl who was about 2 weeks behind where my baby girl is. I held that lifeless baby, who looked perfect in every way, and thought what a strange privilege to be able to see in real life what my baby must look like inside of me right now. I cried with her mom who couldn't understand why and carefully inspected the perfect ears, fingers and toes while trying to keep from fearing for the life of my baby. It was another reminder of how much is really out of my control.
We have a few friends right now who are struggling with sick babies and it's reminding me of how blessed Shan and I are to have a "normal" pregnancy and a "normal" baby.
I have an OB appt on Tuesday and next posting will be November already, time is sure flying by. We've picked our baby's name and I'm excited to declare it when she makes her debut. Sorry no hints before then!

Well, signing out for now!
love, shauna

Sunday, October 10, 2010

29 weeks and growing!





Well 2 weeks have gone by and I feel like this has been the biggest belly growth to date! I'm noticing more shortness of breath and having a hard time reaching my feet to tie my shoes...Shan says welcome to his world! Other than that, I'm still enjoying this ride!

I had my OB appt and my glucola was 114, so no signs of gestational diabetes! My weight gain is within normal for pregnancy, sure feels weird to be the weight I was before I lost all my weight on weight watchers years ago, though. Good thing I have a wiggly reason for this weight gain! Am still exercising 5 days/week to balance things out.

We found the stroller we wanted from Babies R Us on Craig's List for 1/2 the price! It's inr really good condition and came with two car seat bases, one for each car. We feel so blessed to continue to find ways to save money with all these purchases. Thank you God!

Looks like plans are under way for a baby shower, that should be fun! Will try to include friends and family out of state as well, so stay tuned!
We've decided on a name for our baby but are keeping it a secret until she makes her debut...this is harder than we thought it'd be.

That's about it for now, here are some updated photos!
love, shauna

Sunday, September 26, 2010

27 weeks




Time flies when you're having fun! I swear I just updated this blog, but 3 weeks have gone by...sigh.
All is well in the Applin house and the baby cooking factory. My stomach continues to stretch and amaze me that my body has this capability. My only complaint is my pelvis and the pain I feel in my tailbone and frequent sciatic pain on the right side. Otherwise I am loving this! Can't say I'm having any weird cravings, but have had one dream about the birth. All I remember is she was born in November (so 4-6 weeks early) but don't remember any details of the process.
We've set up the nursery, almost!
We've set up our cloth diaper service. If you don't have this in your area, let me tell you about it, because it's awesome. For a fee, they deliver clean diapers, a diaper bag and a diaper bin on a weekly basis. You set the amount of diapers you want (they have a guide, because like I know!). Then every Tuesday they come and take all the soiled diapers in the bag (yes I don't have to clean them) and replace with new ones. You're actually asked to NOT do anything with them as they use a special washing system and me washing the diapers messes with that. So I'm excited to do the cloth diaper thing but not have to launder...maybe I'll be more brave for baby #2!
There are a few big baby/maternity consignment events coming up this fall, so am excited to go to those. Our only large purchases left are the stroller and a breast pump and we've been watching for used ones on craig's list. If not, we'll spring for full price but would rather not.
We're working on getting our finances in order for when my income drops. We are in the process of refinancing our house and at first were thinking about trading in our jeep for a cheaper car, but think if we put money down, we can refinance the jeep as well, keeping the car we love AND having a lower payment. Who knew so much change would come with a wee one?
This fall will be busy as usual, but maybe that means it will feel faster as I wait these last 3 mos!
The baby is moving a whole lot more. This last week was the first time where the baby moved and I watched my belly move with her kicks. So cool! She moves some throughout the day but especially when I'm sitting or laying in the evenings/night, do I feel so much movement. She feels like she's laying vertically now instead of horizontally but I can't tell as easily on me as I can on my patients. She also responds to pressure. SO if I sit with my arms crossed on my belly, she kicks and asks me to move. Or last night, Shan had his legs over my belly and she continuously kicked right where one leg was to get him out of her space. Hmm, has she already inherited a feisty trait?
I have an OB appt on Tuesday and I'll do my glucola test. This is the test where they screen for diabetes of pregnancy. Hope I'm negativo. Haven't gained much weight but am eating more foods that I usually skip in non-prego Shauna life (including dessert).
That's about it. Next time you hear from me, my 2nd trimester will be complete and 3rd trimester here we come!

Shauna and baby Applet

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

24 weeks




Wow it has been a long time since I posted. Sorry all.
Things are moving along swimmingly. I'm feeling more and more movement, am enjoying ongoing tailbone pain and sciatica, but otherwise feeling great! Have walked every morning all summer which has been great but alas, fall is settling in here so it's too dark in the morning to walk and usually raining. So now I'm back to my Jillian Michaels workout video and a sad dog watching me NOT walk her! Oh well. Had an OB appt last week and all is well with baby's growth, my weight etc. My next appt is when I drink the glucola looking for gestastional diabetes but otherwise nothing major. We're enjoying the belly growing adventure and have some new pics for you all to see.

We are building our baby supplies one item at a time. We've moved all the decor off the walls in the baby's room and moved the desk down to the basement. We're madly looking on Craig's list for a crib and a combined shelf/drawers/changing table for our tiny room...wish us luck! We had a nursery theme picked out but it's out of stock at 3 locations so we were blessed with a gift of a full nursery set for FREE From friends. The best part is it's not what we had pictured but both opinionated Shan and Shauna agreed on it!!!

I'm pumped that my grandma and mom are coming for Christmas and my sister is coming for 2 weeks in January! My prayer is that the baby will be here for both visits so all can meet the little girl, but we will have to wait and see.

So the adventure continues and we're getting more and more excited!

Monday, August 16, 2010

The Sex


Hey Everyone-
Sorry it's been a while since my last update. Things have been crazy with life and work and then Shan and I joined my family in Playa del carmen, Mexico for the last week at a resort. Got home late last night and had a lovely time of family, rest, sun and heat. We had our first baby shower where we played fun games and received some GREAT gifts. We were pleased to announce in person that we are expecting a baby GIRL at Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone was so excited to get the news and we enjoyed delivering it!
The baby's now the length of a carrot and almost weighs one pound. I am feeling more movement each day! My belly officially looks pregnant and now that I'm back to real life, is reminding me to keep eating well and exercising rather than using this as an excuse to be on a free-for-all!
Anyhoo, we've moved the desk out of the office and are starting to shift everything to make room for a nursery! I'm excited to make it ready for our little girl.
We're sorting through girl names and buying little things here and there as we're already over 5 mos along!
Here are a couple of pics!
love, shauna

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Week 17


I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I posted. Time flies! Since I posted last, my baby has gone from the size of a small avocado to a large bell pepper. Though I'm 18 weeks today, I still haven't felt baby moving, though I'm sure he or she is all over the place. I think the three biggest body changes I've noticed are:
1. Of course, the enlarging belly. Can't hide it now and of course my patients don't understand social graces and many are asking if I'm pregnant. One lady asked and when I said, yes, she said, "Good, I was hoping you weren't getting fat." Wow! With this expanding belly comes more opportunity for creativity in my wardrobe. I can't fit into my regular clothes, but can't fit into maternity clothes yet. So I'm using a belly band, a rubber band and lots of spandex waisted pants. Not a lot of variety in that mix, but oh well. I'm much more comfortable this way!
2. Lots of back pain. As my center of gravity shifts forward I feel it more and more in my back. Shan has to remind me of this and we do some home back-cracking, ice, stretching etc. Tylenol does very little for me, so I don't usually try that since it's one more exposure for baby without desired effect for mommy.
3. My pelvic bones are really sore! Especially my tailbone, which is actually sore to the touch. But any hard surface that I sit on can cause pain all over my pelvis including my hips. Weird stuff...

We find out the sex this Friday at our ultrasound and are very excited! We're going to have to keep it out of public sites (this blog, facebook), because we're planning to give the news to our family in person, when we're in Mexico from August 11-18. But I will link the info in person, on the phone or via private email. So if you're dying to know, email or call me after July 30th!!

We're putting together our registries and will plan to finish them after we find out the sex. We've found some great deals recently including:
1. An antique wood baby cradle for beside the bed. We're going to sand it down and restain it and make it our own!
2. Some odds and ends baby stuff and maternity clothes off of craig's list

I was with a good friend over the weekend, laboring with her at home and then joining her or her birth at Swedish hospital. She welcomed baby boy Clive to this world on July 24 at 0107 and he weighed 8lb 14 oz. She did great, baby and dad did great, and it brought to reality what I'll be doing in a few months as well! Here we go Shan! Would love for a smaller baby, but what do you think the odds of that are with Shan and my genetics?

That's about all for now. I'll continue cooking the bun in the oven and can't wait for this Friday's revelation and our time with family in Mexico. Then it will be fall and the last 1/3 of the pregnancy already...very weird to say!

LOTS OF LOVE,
shauna and baby Applet

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Week 14

I had a pretty uneventful week in my pregnancy this week.
I continue to feel well with no nausea and only occasional heartburn. My love for coffee has returned (couldn't touch it or smell it in 1st trimester), but I drink it in moderation and usually decaf. Side effect? Heartburn, so my body obviously doesn't like it.
I've noticed more ligament pain when I stretch out in bed and sciatic pain when I lay flat or stand in one place for too long, not nice. I brought home a doppler from work and we listen to the baby's heartbeat a couple of times/week. So fun and really reassuring that the little Applet is doing okay.
Shan and I have been able to agree on a few things: baby names, a stroller and the decor for the baby's room. There are other things, however, that will either take time or one of us will have to relent...we shall see.
We had our Ice Cream for Breakfast July 4th event this weekend and it went quite well. Looking forward to next year where our little fire cracker will be with us celebrating but probably not dipping into the ice cream yet!
I'm busy looking into finance changes after the baby, getting paperwork together for leave and figuring out which insurance to put the baby on...all things you don't think about when you dream of being a mommy.
Shan and I keep saying we'll start profile pictures but haven't done it yet. As soon as I do, I'll post as my belly has definitely popped.

All for now, looking forward to feeling the baby move any time!
shauna

Monday, June 28, 2010

Week 13

13 Week Baby Applet!


I had my new OB appt this last week. It was with a nurse midwife who helped train me while I was in my midwifery training. We did the usual exam with pap (lovely), then heard the heartbeat, a nice strong 150 beats per minute, and then played with the US to see my little cherub. The baby was laying with its back to us and then all at once I saw arms punch, legs kick and the baby turned and faced us. AMAZING! We got some cute pictures. Sure looks like it's growing well. It brought tears to my eyes seeing the miracle at work inside of me.




I had a viral thing this week with a sore throat and stuffed nose, but the nausea is gone and the heartburn is pretty much gone as well. So I'm feeling quite well. I know I'm not supposed to sleep on my back, but I'm amazed how my body says this isn't okay when I end up there. So I've invested in a pillow on either side of me to put between my legs. Thankfully we have a king so there's still room for the Shan man! We've set out anatomy US for July 30th in hopes of knowing the sex before we meet up with family in Mexico to share the news in person.




We are hosting our annual All You Can Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast on July 4th! We love having friends, family, and neighbors over for this silly event! If you're in the area, you should come ove between 10 and 1. Bring a bowl and topping to share and we'll provide the ice cream!




Shan and I are starting to talk about: baby names, baby room ideas and the need to register for our baby. I'm excited to register, Shan is not...That's okay I guess. We've decided to do cloth diapers and found a great diaper service that seems quite affordable. So I won't have to launder the diapers, which makes me happy! And I won't have as much garbage!




My belly is poking out all the more. It feels like my body has these major changes and yet I only gained 2 pounds in my 1st trimester, feels like about 15 lbs have been gained...it's all about perspective I guess. I've found these belly bands that I wear over my dress pants so that I can keep the button unbuttoned...weird concept but amazing how much more comfortable it is!




Well this has turned into a random post...so I'll close with some pics of our 13 weeker!


love, shauna


Friday, June 18, 2010

Week 12

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I have been barely holding on with working full time, feeling nauseated and generally fatigued. I spent last week in Washington DC at our national midwife convention arriving on Saturday which was one day short of being 12 weeks. I am not kidding when I tell you that Sunday (the first day of week 12) was a bad day of nausea and feeling faint. But as of Monday, the blessed switch was flipped and I've had NO MORE NAUSEA!!!!!!! God bless us everyone! It's an amazing experience to have that gone! Simultaneous to the nausea switch being turned off, has been the acid reflux switch being turned on. But I'll take this over the nausea, thank you very much. Am already feeiling less fatigued, less hungry and more "normal."

We're going to start profile belly pictures and will post here as able.
I have my new OB appt this coming Tuesday and am excited to hear the heartbeat! I've been amazed to watch my tummy expand, to feel the aches of the ligaments around my hips and lower abdomen cramp/stretch and see other parts of my body enlarge.... :)

We're deciding on which room to make the baby's room and what we need for it. We have started our to do list, to be accomplished before December, God willing.

I think that's the news for the moment. More to come, thanks for following along as we go through this fun adventure!
shauna

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Week 9

I've been given a glimpse of God's grace in my life, in the midst of my daily nausea.

When I have to work, my nausea lasts for a few hours, limited to the morning only. When I have a day off, I'm nauseated for most of the day. As I complained to Shan about this, he brought up this concept of being blessed on the days I have to work with less nausea so that I can do my work. It's true and always amazes me the effect of a changed perspective.



This week was a typical week for me at work and I've had a few people ask what that really means. So I'll describe it to you.



I get up almost every morning at 5:30 to exercise and am on the road by 7:30 to be to work by 8. I'll start by saying clearly, that I am not a physician. However, if you've never seen a nurse practitioner in a clinic setting, the best way to think about what I do is to think of me as a physician. I see patients all day long in an urban run down community clinic. Seeing patients all day long means seeing between 18-25 patients for reasons such as: a sore throat, diabetes follow up, numbness in the left arm, HIV, pregnancy, birth control, depression. I don't see children but I see male and female patients aged 13-old age. My two areas of specialty are HIV and pregnancy (together and separately) but I see the above patients in between seeing these two favorite groups. I share an office with another nurse practitioner and a physician. In between patients we chart, visit, run patients by each other in consultation and even have some fun. We are staffed by medical assistants, nurses, front desk staff etc who help with everything from check in, to rooming patients, to vaccinating, to monitoring of babies in pregnant mommies.



I do sit between patients but I rarely relax. The pace is fast with most patients given 15 minutes with me for a full visit. We often double book patients, anticipating some will not show up. But when they all do, all the more chaos as I try to see two patients in a 15 min time slot. Many unexpected events happen such as a woman showing up in labor, an old man having chest pain needing a 911 call and transport to the ER or an angry patient storming out because he was refused narcotics by me.



On top of managing patients in the clinic, I also manage my patients when they're in labor. This means calling in admission orders, managing their labor, catching the baby and evaluating the baby after it's born. Some of this can happen while I'm seeing patients in the clinic and some requires my presence in the hospital. Needless to say when the day holds a delivery and a clinic day, it's quite exhausting. When a delivery happens in the middle of the night, it affects my next day in the clinic as many hours are usually spent in labor management overnight.



That said, it's been an interesting ride this first trimester of doing my job and navigating a new pregnancy. Add the new burden of nausea for most of the morning, constant hunger therafter and fatigue that I've never experienced before, it's a lot to handle. It does remind me of my need: for sleep, for a restful weekend, for help from Shan and for "the peace that passes all understanding" that only come from Jesus (Phil 4:7).



Turns out our baby is the size of a date, has fingers and toes now and no more webbing, is moving it's arms, is gaining in it's immune system and is moving out of the embryotic phase and into the fetus phase.



Grateful for this little nauseating life and still in awe that this is even possible.



shauna

Monday, May 24, 2010

Week 8


Well it's been a while since I've posted, but I'm back.
Wow, just read my first 2 posts, and I'm way behind.
So the US moved my due date to none other than Christ's birthday, that's right 12.25.2010 is our due date putting me today at 9 weeks and 1 day. Got a cute little US showing a black triangle with a little white peanut, ie our child!

The last 2 days of my MN trip turned me into the nauseated princess. Bad in the morning, but clearing up by lunch. This has become the routine for me. Up at 5:30, with nausea until about 9:30 when it magically vanishes. Then as my coworker observed, I fill my mouth every 2 hours because I'm STARVING ALL THE TIME! You should see my desk. I have food stashed everywhere from fruit bars, to granola, to peanut butter, to fruit. Anything to satisfy me in between patients.


My body is changing. About 5 years ago I went through Weight Watchers because I was sick of my ongoin weight gain and I lost about 60 lbs and have kept it off for the last 5 years with watching my diet and exercising. So this has been a trip to already notice my belly changing and my hunger be huge. My husband has to midwife me and remind me it's okay to eat a little more during this time...I'm not a very good patient.


I'm much more fatigued, so am sleeping much better at night. I am taking lots of naps and making myself sit more than before. It's been good for me. It's amazing to me how the days can fluctuate. Some days like today, are great with real minimal nausea. But this weekend I spent Saturday and Sunday feeling wiped out and nauseated most of the day. Up and down up and down.


I'm reading Dr. Oz's book called "You having a baby." It's actually really good reading on new research called epigenetics and even pregnancy stuff I didn't know, so thanks Aubs for the book!


Turns out week 9 is when the immune system starts to kick in, the heart is divided into the 4 chambers, fingernails are forming and my baby is the size of a grape. A cute little grape at that.


I have my first midwife appt in 2 weeks where I'm hoping to hear the baby's heartbeat at that appointment. So in the meantime we keep cooking this little bun in the oven and count the days until the nausea lessens.
shauna

Monday, May 10, 2010

First OB Appt



I had my first OB appt today with the nurse! I had a big form to fill out ahead of time and we set an appt for me to have my dating US tomorrow since the last few months of periods have been weird due to my miscarriage in January. If you didn't know, they use the last menstrual period to pick the due date so it's important to know. So they drew labs and sent me on my way. Feels fun to be the patient as she went through all I should and shouldn't do while pregnant. I had to remind her to treat me like a patient, not a midwife.

I spent last week in MN and told my brother first about the news! He was so happy for us and even more excited that he was the first family member to hear our news! I spent the weekend with Josh, Rachael and the 3 kids and saw a preview of life to come! What a joy! I loved being called "auntie."
Then I left for my friend, Trang's house who has a 2 month old. Another preview of what's to come! I was at her house for 5 days just sharing what it's like to be a new mommy. She gave me lots of tips on everything from breastfeeding to cool things to buy for the baby. A much needed education as my confidence wanes beyond pregnancy and delivery when I have a real live human to care for.

I have a feeling that I'm further along than I thought. Ultrasound will right this wrong. Way to go midwife, got the first question wrong on the pregnancy quiz...

shauna

Monday, April 26, 2010

Week 4

In January of 2010, I had my first pregnancy and my first miscarriage. We were so excited to be pregnant but knew that the bleeding I was having couldn't be good. My blood levels were monitored twice/week for 8 weeks and the whole proces was completed a little after 8 weeks. What an ordeal! I was grateful that I'm in this business because no one in my medical facility really walked me through it. But Shan was great and I had to say to God, "If this isn't what you have for us right now, then I don't want it either." It was hard, but we were able to trust Him and move on.


On Thursday, April 15th, Shan and I had another positive pregnancy test! Thankfully this one wasn't and continues to NOT be associated with any bleeding. I'm at the beginning of my 4th week and really can't tell that I'm pregnant. Not a lot of body changes and no nausea, so it doesn't quite feel real. We are praying carefully as each day passes for God's will instead of what we want, which is a healthy pregnancy that doesn't end in miscarriage. But in the meantime, I've made some diet changes, I'm on good vitamins and I'm trying to exercise regularly. I get to go to MN for a week and will tell some old friends of our news. When I get back my first appt is set for the OB nurse and then in June, Lord willing, will be my new OB appt with one of the midwives who trained me!


It's amazing to me that it's just a concept right now, I'm not feeling anything, I'm actually believing a little stick that turned with my pee. But in the midst of this and in the midst of past grief, I love this little baby. All 4 weeks of it, with it's newly beating heart. I catch myself putting my hand on my belly or saying "I love you baby" and then laughing at myself. Shan is already talking to my tummy and we're dying to tell people. But that will come with time.


I am really liking pickles all of a sudden.


"For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139: 13-14


shauna