Sunday Night Football in Nashville

This year we decided to buy Titans Seasons Tickets.  Little did we know we'd be 0-5 after last nights massacre against the Colts.  We did have fun Tailgating though.  Frank always throws the best Tailgating Parties along with good food, good music and great friends. 

Here's me and Lance before the game- not too chilly just yet!

My beautiful Mom and Step Dad Ronnie joined us for some tailgating festivities!

Ginger, Beth & Gayle

Lance and Ryan- FANTASY FOOTBALL FREAKS!

We had a great time at the Tailgate but the game was not much to speak off.  It was pretty cold by the 3rd quarter and we had seen all of the but-kicking that we could handle for a night so we left early.  I'm not one for leaving games early, but this was just torture!  Plus, mommy gets tired and turns into a pumpkin at about 10pm.  We headed back out to the tailgate to finish off some of the BEST cupcakes known to man- made by Gayle- and then headed home. 

Hopefully next week against the Patriots will be a better turn out for the Titans!

The Million Dollar Dog

Meet Kirby!

Kirby is our 6 year old toy dachshund.  She is our "firstborn".  I love this dog with ever fiber in my being. She is my shadow.  She is my lap dog.  She is my 4 legged child.  Lance would tell you the same.  Kirby was a Christmas gift to me our first Christmas that we were married.  Lance drove about an hour and a half to a breeder, picked her out, put a little pink finger nail polish on her belly to mark his selection and the rest is history! He took me back a few weeks later to pick her up when she was about 6 weeks old.  We have been wrapped around her kinked tail ever since! 

Kirby has had a rough life, medicaly speaking.  She had 2 back surgeries for treatment of Intervertebral Disk Disease in 2006.  Her back limbs were paralyzed before both surgeries.  After surgery 1- it took about 6 weeks to recover but after surgery 2, she walked out of the doctors office, wagging her tail!  She received treatment from one of the best surgeons in our area.  We owe our deepest heartfelt thanks to Dr. Oshin.  He's one of a kind! 

Recently she developed a lump on her back so we had it biopseyed last week while she was under anesthesia for her teeth cleaning and "pedicure".  The lump came back as negative for any sort of cancer.  Apparently, sometimes when  a shot is administered, a lump can form around the injection site.  Kirby is now lump free and recovering from her minor surgery. 

(This is Kirby on the way home from the vet last Wednesday- she slept all the way home- lets just say the anesthesia had not quite worn off!)

It's been 1 week and 2 days since her surgery and she's back to her frisky self. 

I'm not sure how Kirby's going to handle a new baby and having to share the attention with someone else.  I think she senses that somethings going on. She is slowly moving towards Lance and snuggling with him on the couch instead of constantly being at my side.  I'm fairly certain that she'll always be my baby so hopefully instead of having to split my love with her and a new baby my love will just double for both my babies! 

New Doctor

Today I went to meet my new doctor.  We'll call him Dr. G. 

I had not had the best experience or connection with my previous doctor, so after some deliberation, I switched. He came highly recomended from my boss so I called him up.  He's affiliated with the same group that I was with but just at a different hospital.  I met with him today and he was great!  He was very informative, to the point, direct yet NOT pushy. 

We talked about 2 concerns that I had voiced with my other doctor and he gave me his input.  I was\am unsure of whether or not I want to get the flu\h1n1 shot or not.  He "recommended" that I get it but said I was an adult and could make my own decisions for me and my child.  Now, that's what I like to hear.  I am still undecided as to what to do about these immunizations.  He said if I was to get the seasonal flu or the H1N1 that I would more than likely be sicker than most but that they would treat me with Tama-Flu- same as if I was to get the shot and get the flu.  These are both up in the air for me- but I have 4 weeks until my next visit so I'll decide by then.

The second topic up for discussion was genetic screening.  My previous doctor had been very pushy about genetic screening.  I informed her that no matter what the outcome might be of said screening, we would not choose to terminate the pregnancy.  Dr. G (new doctor) said that unless I even thought I would consider terminating based on results, he would not suggest any genetic testing.  He stated that the 20 week ultrasound would show MOST genetic abnormalities and that genetic tests were dangerous for the baby.  So, enough said- end of discussion.  We were on the same page on this topic. 

We went through 16 weeks worth of questions and he wrote up his own chart for me.   He did say my TSH levels were on the high side of normal so he sent me for some blood work and I should  know those results in a week or so.  I feel very confident in him and his ability to care for me as well as deliver our child.

We have rescheduled the ultrasound to November 2nd at 8am, with my 20 week check-up to follow. I will be 19 weeks 6 days at the time of the ultrasound so hopefully our little one will be cooperative and we will know if he\she is a he or she!  I still don't have a preference as to if it's a boy or girl.  I just want a healthy mind, body and spirit.  Lance put a little poll up at the top for your votes on whether you think it's a boy or girl, so go ahead, make your predictions! 

Stay Tuned,

Annie

In My Next Life...

...I will be a HAIR STYLIST! 

Friday night, after we set up for the Yard Sale, we colored and hi-lighted Ali's hair!

The bottom was to be CHOCOLATE and the top would be blonde hi-lights...

However, dear ole Mom bought MAHOGANY!  OOOPS!

We tried to get Ali to embrace her INNER ROCK STAR DIVA SELF

...but she wasn't buying it...

So, after a midnight trip to the local Wally World- and a box of Perfect 10 Light Brown

applied in the garage early Saturday morning during the Yard Sale...

VOILA- BEAUTY QUEEN!

For those of you who don't know, this is MY 15 year old sister- meet Alison!

How beautiful is she?!?!?!?!

So, in my next life,

I'll be a hair dresser and she'll be my first client! 

Lord knows she's been a guiney pig her fair share of the time.

 Thanks for letting me practice on you!

I love you Ali!

14 Week Check Up

Today was our doctor’s appointment. After yet another 45 minute stint in the waiting room we finally went back. I was a bit surprised at the ease and care-free-ness of the tech on duty when we heard the heartbeat. I don’t know, I guess I thought there would be a big production, a smile, confetti, something…but no, a little jelly on the belly- locate the heartbeat long enough to get the heart rate (a solid 146 I might add) and poof- she was gone. I mean, hello- this is our first time to hear the heartbeat and our first pregnancy wasn’t viable, so I would think maybe a little bit of sentimentality would have been on hand. Nope, nada, nothing. Maybe the doctor would have those missing items in her lab coat. Wishful thinking. The doctor came in, said the heart rate was good, and answered a few of my questions and again- poof. I was whisked away to the check out desk to schedule my ultrasound. That has been scheduled for Monday, October 26th at 8am. I’m sure we won’t be sleeping Sunday night in anticipation of what our little baby is! All in all, I’m a little unnerved about the doctors visit today- the bright spot it- our little baby has a heartbeat and all seems normal for the time being!

Next on the list- Flu Shot or Not??? I’m in a bit of a pickle when it comes to the Flu Shot. I’ve had maybe 3 flu shots my entire life- so needless to say I’m not an avid supporter. However, being pregnant puts me at a higher risk if I did get the flu. I’m not sure what to do- shot or not? What do you think? As for the H1N1 shot, I think I’ll pass. This being the first dose that they distribute, I’m a little apprehensive about its side effects and the safety of it. This has brought up an array of questions for me- as far as what to do and what not to do at the time of birth as well. I don’t want to give any unnecessary pricks and sticks to my little one if not needed! I’ll be doing my research on those items coming up soon!

More to come,
Annie

What a nice surprise!

So, today I received a nice surprise on my front porch.  My new internet friend, Rene Williams, sent me a FABULOUS New Mommy Care Package!  In it was an abundance of new mommy goodies!  She had included Your Pregnancy Week by Week, SuperImmunity for Kids, Pregnancy Pampering Kit, some vitamins, a Green Juice and some post-its stating that I am the Queen!  This was such a nice surprise! 

Rene and I became friends by way of her daughter, Scarlett Lillian writer of a blog I love to follow on her life and her incredible photography career.  Scarlet emailed me a few months back letting me know that Rene was coming to Nashville!  I picked up Rene from the airport and we visited a few times while she was in town.  She came back to Nashville a few weeks back for a conference.  We were able to spend time together then, though it was brief.  Rene has become a spiritual mentor to me, as well as a close friend.  I look forward to a growing relationship with both of these amazing women!

Rene and Scarlett are both participating in a Marathon on February 21, 2010.  Rene is a Breast Cancer Survivor and Scarlett decided to run in her honor and in memory of her Father, Johnny Williams had lung cancer and went to be with Jesus on Feb 21, 2009.  Please visit their blogs and even donate if you feel led!  I know they would be very grateful for your generosity!

Thank you Rene for this wonderful Care Package!

XO- Annie

14 Weeks!

Today marks 14 weeks! Yep, you guessed it, we're pregnant! We've held off on announcing it till we made it through the first trimester, but I'm through, so there you have it! We have been to 3 doctors appointments and so far, everything is going well. We had our first doctors appointment at 6 weeks then an ultrasound at 8 weeks. That was amazing- a true miracle. The moment that little wand made it to the right spot- the sweetest twinkle appeared on the screen. "There's your baby- you've got a strong healthy heartbeat!" she said. (The heartbeat was at 160- for what it's worth.) Oh, what a moment! Words I had been praying for now rang loud and clear. It absolutely took my breath away! At that moment, it was real. I was pregnant! Lance and I were going to be parents! She printed our pictures and off we went.

We told our parents the next night- a Thursday night. They were all very excited- even more surprised that we had known for 3 weeks and hadn't let them in on our little secret. We had planned on waiting to tell them until we hit the 12 week mark, but that twinkle was so real, it was hard to keep quiet! Since then we have had one other appointment which was basically a lengthy stay in the waiting room for a 5 minute visit with the doctor.

All in all, I feel good! Weeks 11-13 I felt a bit nausea's in the afternoon but other than that, the nausea has been minimal. I have been VERY TIRED---think...sleep in your car at lunch tired, or prop up in the bathroom stall at work for a few minutes of shut eye tired, or crawl under your cubicle tired---yeah, THAT tired! I'll have to say that when I hit week 13- September 22nd- the nausea was gone. PRAISE THE LORD! I am still tired, but not as tired as I was! I hear the 2nd trimester is when the energy comes. Well, bring it on, cause I've got things to do!

We go for our 14 week check up on Thursday and should be able to hear the heartbeat so we're looking forward to that. We've been praying for this little one and praying that all will be healthy and 'normal.' We would appreciate your prayers for this as well!

I will update more as more comes, but for now, that's a summary of the past 14 weeks- as far as pregnancy goes!

XO- Annie