Trip to Disney World at 27 Weeks

This has been a LONG, exhausting, but very fun week. I left for Disney World with my parents, Kyndell, Hayden, & Presley on Monday night. We drove to Nashville, then flew out at 6:15 Tuesday morning. I was a little nervous to be flying at 27 weeks pregnant, and to leave my husband for 6 nights. But the flights were good, no motion sickness at all, and BJ survived a week without me. Upon arriving at Disney, we unpacked our bags and immediately hit the Magic Kingdom. We didn't actually get into the park until about 6:00 pm our first night, which turned out to be a huge advantage for us. We ended up with shorter lines on all the rides since it was close to dinner time. This was Hayden and Presley's (my cousin's children) first time to go on a real vacation so they were soooo excited when we finally got there. We got to go on more rides in 3 hours the first night, than any other day due to the crowds. Pretty much every ride had a warning sign that said "Expectant Mothers Should Not Ride." This was a little discouraging at first because I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to do anything. After lots of research online and in our Disney book, I decided to use my best judgement on each ride, and ended up doing a lot more than "Disney" said I could do. At Magic Kingdom I rode Splash Mountain, It's a Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion. Everyone else got to ride Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Tea Cups, and some Race Car ride. We stayed at Magic Kingdom late enough to see the big firework show. It was awesome! This was the most exciting of all the parks I thought.

The second day we went to Animal Kingdom. I think we were all surprised at how much fun we had at this park. We thought it was going to be boring, but there were actually several really fun rides. We started the day by riding the River Rapids ride. Presley and I got completely soaked and the others barely got wet. It was hilarious! After that everyone but me rode the Mt. Everest roller coaster. The boys loved it! Next we rode Dinosaur, a ride that was pretty jerky. I rode this ride, but would not have ridden it if I could do it over again. It was fun, but I can see why pregnant women should not ride it. We also watched "It's Good to Be a Bug," a 3D show. This was a great time filler. We finished the day at Animal Kingdom by going on the safari ride. We got to see all kinds of live animals, which the boys also loved. After the rides, we ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe which was a fun experience.

On Thursday, we went to MGM Hollywood Studios. This was also a very fun park. We started the morning off by going to the "American Idol Experience" show. Ofcourse I loved this! It really felt like being at a live recording of the show. I had to sit out on the Rockin' Roller Coaster which was everyone's favorite. We did the Toy Story ride, which was a 3D ride where you feel like you are going through a live arcade game. You get to shoot at all kinds of stuff and accumulate points. I had the least amount out of our group :( . To fill time, we watch the 3D muppet show. This was the worst thing we went to. We all did the Tower of Terror. This was actually a very smooth ride, but so scary. It scared Hayden and me to death. We screamed the whole time! Everyone else enjoyed laughing at us as we held on for dear life, and screamed.

Friday we visited Epcot. This was definately the park for older people. We started the day off here by waiting in line 75 minutes to ride Soarin. This was a fun ride because it felt like you were flying all over large cities in the US. The ride was short considering the amount of time we had to wait to ride. It also made me feel like I was going to vomit. After Soarin, Dad, Kyndell, and the boys rode Fast Track. While at Epcot we did the "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" 3D show. All the 3D shows were fun, but the 3D images in this one made me a little sick to watch. After we finished at Epcot, we took the monorail back to Magic Kingdom to do a few things we missed the first day. The boys got to get the funnel cakes and cotton candy that they had been wanting all week.

On Saturday, we went to the Blizzard Beach water park. This park had a lazy river that went all the way around the entire park. We rode it a couple of times. It was very relaxing and a nice change of pace after being on our feet all day, everyday. We rode 4 or 5 different water slides, and the boys played in the wave pool for a long time. By the end of the day we were all absolutely worn out. We went to downtown Disney that night to get souvenirs. I bought Baby Brewer a little onesie from the ESPN store that says "I watch ESPN with my Daddy." It has a soccer ball, baseball, football, and basketball on it. I thought it was cute! I got Sydney a few little things, and BJ and I a Christmas Ornament.

The one thing that bothered me the most was the extreme number of strollers at all the parks. I have definately decided that I will not take our children to Disney World until they are old enough to walk all day. I could not believe the number of parents that were pushing two in a stroller, holding one's hand, or carrying one on their hip. They all looked miserable. It's too crowded, and too much walking for babies and small children. Our trip was wonderful, but my body is tired all over! I did better than I thought I would, but it was definately hard to keep up some days. I am sure the baby was wondering what in the world I was doing all of those days. I hope the rides didn't scare him too much. My biggest fear for the whole trip was that something would happen to me or the baby while I was away from BJ. We all survived, and came back without any injuries. This is definately a trip I will remember forever, and I hope that we can take little Walker back in about 10 years.

Good News

BJ and I went for another ultrasound yesterday. It had been 4 weeks since our last doctor's visit and ultrasound. Last time we went the placenta was low lying, so we had another ultrasound this week to have everything checked out. We got great news yesterday! The placenta has moved up, and our baby is growing. They said all of his measurements looked great. He was being stubborn yesterday so we didn't get any good pictures. He was sitting on his feet with his legs crossed underneath him. He must have been sleepy because this was the first time he wasn't moving like crazy for us. However, at 4:00 that morning he was having a great time turning flips inside of me, keeping me awake. This was my first doctor's visit during this entire pregnancy, where everything looked good for me and the baby. I am FINALLY feeling good every day, and have gained 1 lb this month.

I have started referring to our baby as "wiggle worm" because that's all I feel these days. We still have not finalized a name for this little boy. I am feeling him move constantly now, which is the neatest and sweetest feeling ever. (Except when he kicks my bladder in the middle of the night causing me to get up, and not go back to sleep.) You can see him moving on the outside of my stomach.

We have had an exciting week as far as the nursery goes. We recieved his crib and got that assembled. We also got our bedding and it's already on his bed. I absolutely love the crib & bedding. I picked out both off of the internet so I was a little nervous that they would look different in person. I have finally decided on the paint color for the walls, so hopefully I will have the room painted by the weekend. Once I get the room cleaned out, I will post pictures of our progress.

Week 24

This has been a great week so far! I have finally started working on the nursery. Hopefully, if I do a little each week it won't seem so overwhelming. (and BJ will adjust easier since the baby is taking over "his room.") Yes, we currently each have our own rooms in our house. He keeps all of his clothes and junk in one room, and I keep all of mine in another. BJ is not one to adjust to change very easily. I am the complete opposite. If I get an idea, I act on it very quickly. So, if it were up to me I would have cleaned out his whole room Sunday and painted the walls. Knowing that he would not be OK with this, I decided to put a few sample colors on the wall, break down the queen bed, and empty our desk. It doesn't sound like much, but every little bit helps. I have decided to paint the room a silvery blue color. My crib should be here any day, so I am going to wait until I see the color of the crib before I (or BJ) paint the whole room. Hopefully we will have the crib assemled and the walls painted by the end of the weekend.

Last night I decided to attempt to play tennis for the first time since I have been pregnant. Still not sure if this was a good or bad idea. I enjoyed playing and having fun with my tennis girls, but today I am hurting all over! I didn't realize how quickly I have gotten out of shape. Plus, having a belly to tote around on the courts made things a little harder. My center of gravity has definately changed, causing my strokes to be off. I am usually the partner that is fast, and can get to the ball anywhere on the court. Oh how things have changed! This baby has definately slowed me down, and I am not physically capable of getting low to hit those difficult shots. My poor partner, Amy, is going to have pick up my slack if we are going to win any matches this year!

Once the crib gets here and we get it put together, I will post some pictures of the nursery in progress!

21- 23 Week Update

I said I wasn't going to post pictures of my belly, but after a few requests I decided to go ahead. Can't promise I will do it again (especially as stretch marks form), but here is a look at my 23 week bump.

I wonder what it would be like to have an "easy" pregnancy! I am so jealous of all you girls that have felt wonderful throughout your pregnancies. I wish I could say the same. The past two weeks have been interesting for me. I have had alot of great moments, and some really strange ones. Last Monday I had to go see Dr. Woodford because my left ribs were hurting really bad. It hurt to breath in, laugh, cough, and anytime I pushed, pulled, or lifted something. He said that I probably pulled an inner muscle in my rib cage, or could have possibly cracked a rib from puking so hard. He gave me some medicine and told me to rest. There is really nothing I can do to fix the pain. While I was there Dr. Woodford went ahead and measured my tummy. I measured 23 inches. He said that he thinks our son is going to be a big baby! This was reassuring because I have been a little worried about his size since I have not gained much weight. Being so sick makes me scared that he is not getting enough nutrients to grow. After talking to the doctor, I feel much better about the placenta being low. Dr. Woodford said he is pretty sure that as the baby and my uterus grow, the placenta will move up. I left this visit feeling much better about everything.

I experienced another new "first" this week. I woke up Saturday morning with a nose bleed. I have never had a nose bleed in my life. I broke my nose in Jr. High and it didn't even bleed then. I have read that this can be common during pregnancy. I understand that these things happen, but can I please just go one week with no issues!! On a better note, I went 3 days without getting sick this week. One of those days I didn't even take my Zofran. My energy level has been great, and I have finally started feeling like my old self again.

I can't wait until the end of this week. I hope I hear great news from two of my very good friends. They both think they are pregnant, and they are due on the same day! I am so excited for both girls, and can't wait for their first ultrasound results this week.

21 Weeks

I can't believe my pregnancy is already half way over! We went for our big ultrasound yesterday, where they take all the baby's measurements. It's still a BOY, and he looked healthy. They wrote "very active boy" on his ultrasound photo. It was so sweet to see him all curled up inside of me. He had his hand on his eye most of the time. Everyone that knows me, knows that one of my habits is to rub my eyebrows (especially to go to sleep.) I think the baby is already taking after me! We got a great shot of his feet and they looked pretty big, like his daddy's.

After the ultrasound I had my regular visit with Danielle. We found out that the placenta is low right now, meaning it is under the baby rather than on top. We have to go back in 4 weeks to have another ultrasound to see how things are progressing. They seem to think that as the baby grows, the placenta will be pushed upward. I would appreciate everyone's prayers that this will happen. If not, the diagnosis is placenta previa. I am not going to worry until we get our results at the next appointment. However, if the placenta does not move we could have Baby Brewer sooner than expected!

So far, I haven't gained any weight with my pregnancy. I can not believe this considering the fact that my bump is growing daily. For the next few weeks I am really going to focus on eating good healthy food to ensure that the baby is growing. Hopefully that will push the placenta up to where it needs to be!

Baby was "Bumpin"

This weekend was very busy, but a lot of fun. This was the first time that I felt super protective of myself and Baby Brewer. BJ and I went to Birmingham for the weekend. As we were driving down 65 on Friday night the roads were beginning to ice over from the snow earlier that day. Once we got into Birmingham we passed about 15 wrecks in 10 miles. It was very scary, and all the cars, ambulances, policeman, and firetrucks gave me super anxiety. I kept telling BJ to slow down which only made him frustrated. All I could think was "What if we get into a wreck and something happens to our baby?" After much anxiety, we finally made it to dinner safe. After we ate I was walking to the car and slipped on an ice patch. This made me nervous again. You think about getting hurt in a wreck, but don't ever think about a "slip and fall" accident hurting you or your unborn child. I was very relieved when we made it to our hotel Friday night.

Saturday night we went to the Black Eyed Peas concert with Matt & Leah McKenzie, Lauren Dupuis, Jake & Lesley Hames, and Abbey Mann. When we got there Ludacris opened for the Black Eyed Peas. This was a suprise to the audience. Some other girl that nobody had ever heard of was supposed to be opening. BJ and Matt were so excited when they heard Ludacris come out. It was fun to see a Rap concert, but I definately got worried because the sound was soooo loud and the vibrations from the bass were very stong. Our baby was definately "Bumpin." They say that at 18 weeks, your baby can hear noise and recognize those sounds once it's outside of the womb. I really hope that the noise didn't damage our poor child, and that he will not come out singing any Ludacris songs!

Purple Monkey Boutique

Tonight Julie Lane and I went to the Purple Monkey Boutique which is a children's consignment show. While I was there I ran into Grace Ann Melson, Jessica Martin, Robin Otte, and Brandy Wallace. It was fun to see other young moms out shopping for their new little ones. It was really fun to go buy Baby Brewer his first little clothes too. Since this show was for Spring/Summer, I didn't have too much to select from. I had to stay on the 0-3 month rack. Not to mention the fact that there were about 20 racks of girl clothes, and only three racks of boy stuff. I understand that little girls need lots of accessories (bows, shoes, tutus, etc.), but baby boys need cute clothes too. Since I have never dressed a boy before, I think it's going to take me awhile to figure out what is "cute" for a boy. I ended up with two Polo onesies, some Gap seer sucker pants (like his daddy wears), a sweet blue gown with a train on it, and a little green play outfit with a puppy dog on it. BJ seemed to be pleased with everything I bought. Even though I know that all babies wear gowns, I still felt a little akward buying a gown for a boy. I was afraid BJ would think it was a dress. I did pass up several sweet hand stitched outfits in hopes that I may get a brand new one made specially for my child as a gift. Overall, it was a great experience. I thought this was a great way to get nice name brand clothing at a good price.

It's a Boy!

Today has been a very exciting day! We went to the doctor this morning and found out that we are having a BOY! The entire time I have been pregnant I have had a strong feeling that we were going to have a boy. BJ has been thinking a girl the whole time. It was so fun to get to do the ultrasound and for the nurse to say "It looks like you have a little boy!" After she said it, I kindof got the giggles, and a huge wave of excitement came over me. This is the first boy in the Dempsey clan so everyone is so excited. I think my sisters were the most excited of all. BJ said he was completely shocked and suprised.

Having a boy in the family is going to be a totally new experience for me. I think that a lot people were thinking it would be a girl because I have always been so into girl things. Cheerleading, dancing, dressing up, baby dolls, etc. Now I get to look forward to sports, trucks, and G.I. Joe's. (something I know nothing about!) When we were leaving the doctor's office I got chills thinking about what kind of father BJ is going to be. The whole way to work I thought about how fun it's going to be to see them play together and for BJ to get to teach him how to play sports and do "man things." I know what it's like to have a wonderful Mother/Daughter relationship, and I can't wait for BJ and our son to get to have the same kind of Father/Son relationship. I know that boys bond with their mommies too. I hope that I will be able to teach our son how to be independant, the leader of a household, and how to treat a lady. I pray that God will give BJ and I the guidance we need to be wonderful parents, and the strength and wisdom we will need to raise this precious boy.

14 Weeks

Today BJ and I went to the doctor for a follow up appointment. After hearing some sad news from a friend, I was very nervous and anxious to hear our baby's heartbeat. I wasn't scheduled for an ultrasound today, but I had already decided that I was going to ask for one for reassurance. When the nurse came in she tried to find the baby's heartbeat on the dopplar. She was having a hard time finding it and was only picking up my heartbeat. I told her that made me nervous, so she asked if I wanted to see the baby so I would feel better. I was so excited and thankful that she asked. I didn't get to go into the big ultrasound room, but I was able to get an "old school" sonogram. It was such a relief for us to see that healthy heartbeat and baby. The nurse told me that if the baby was turned right, we could tell the sex today. However, baby Brewer was reclined back with it's arm bent over it's face (like I sleep). The baby would never turn so that we could see. I was OK with that since it's still really early, but I get to go back in 2 weeks to find out the sex! BJ thinks we are having a girl, but I feel like it's going to be a boy. Once again, the baby looked good but I have another bladder infection. I got another shot today, and will start antibiotics tomorrow. They said I will have to take them the rest of my pregnancy. Once my infection is gone, I think I will have conquered morning sickness!

My First Trimester

So I haven't written about my pregnancy since the night that our friends found out we were pregnant. I have been debating on whether or not I want to actually continue blogging throughout my pregnancy. I love reading everyone else's blogs, but I feel like once you commit to it, it's alot of pressure. Once your friends start reading about your life, they expect you to keep your blog up to date. Since I have alot of friends (and a sister) that I don't get to see much, I decided that this will be a good way to keep them updated on all the changes with the baby. This is a summary of my first trimester. I can't believe I'm already 13 weeks!

We decided to tell our families that we are expecting on Thanksgiving Day. At this point I was only 6 weeks so I still felt nervous about telling people because so much can happen during those first few weeks. We had lunch at my parent's house first, so we told them as we were leaving. I was anxious and excited all during our lunch. I wanted to just blurt it out, but there never seemed to be a good time. Finally when we were leaving, we decided to just make the big announcement. Everyone jumped up with excitement which was so fun to see. When we told them BJ looked like he was going to pass out. He was totally white and didn't say much. We were still in shock at this point and it was so weird to be telling our parents that we are going to be parents ourselves! It was really special to tell our family on Thanksgiving. That day I was very thankful to have my sister, Kyndell, who lives in Texas, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother who is 96, all there to share the news with. This will be the first grandchild in my family.

After lunch with my family, we went to BJ's mom's for dinner. We told his family late that night after dinner. Again, everyone jumped up with excitement. It was such a great feeling to see how happy our families were. Even BJ's sister Sydney, who is 12, was excited. However, she thinks it is very funny that she will be an aunt at age 12. BJ's aunt and uncle that live in Atlanta were there when we told his parents. It was also special to share the news while they were in town because we do not get to see them very often. This will also be the first grandchild with BJ's mom's side.

We tried to tell BJ's dad on Thanksgiving night, but they didn't get home until late so we weren't able to go tell them until Saturday. Unfortunately, in Florence news gets out fast so his dad and Brenda found out before we told them ourselves. It hurt our feelings really bad that they didn't hear it from us first. Regardless of how they heard, they were estatic! This will be the 3rd grandchild for them, and they are wonderful grandparents already.

The first 7 weeks of pregnancy were pretty good for me. I had a few food adversions at first, but no real symptoms of early pregnancy. Then week 8 came and boy did that change! Morning sickness kicked in at full force and was no fun at all! I puked every morning several times, and could barely eat anything all day. Then at about 4:30 p.m. I started getting sick again and stayed that way til I fell asleep at night. At 9 weeks I also got the stomach virus and a kidney/bladder infection. This totally wiped me out. I had to be taken off work for 3 days, and could not do anything buy lay on the couch and cry. This was the most miserable feeling I have ever felt.

Thankfully we got to go for our first ultrasound at 9 weeks. It was so amazing to see our little bean for the first time. Everything with the baby looked great. The heartbeat was 175! However, momma was not doing so good. I had lost 6 lbs. and that's when they discovered the kidney/bladder problems and that I was dehydrated. I got some medicine and my first prescription for Zofran, which has saved my life! Since then, everything has gotten much better. I have been taking Zofran several times a day for nasea which has eased my morning sickness tremendously. At week 10 I began feeling really tired. It's not like me to lay around and do nothing, but that's pretty much all I did during the Christmas Holidays! Now that I am 13 weeks, I am feeling much better. My energy level has come back some, and I've started exercising again which has been great! One of my friends and new neighbors (Sara Welch) is also expecting, so we have become walking partners. It's been a great way for us to relieve stress and help each other stay motivated to be active during our pregnancies.

I had a check up last Tuesday and the baby's heartbeat was 163. Everythings seems to be going great. I had lost a little more weight so I have to go back in another 2 weeks to let them check me again. Hopefully, we will get to find out the sex of the baby in 4 more weeks! The doctor said they can tell me at 15 weeks, but I think it will be later than that because of the way my appointments will fall. I also don't want to find out too early, and the sex to change! This first trimester has definately been difficult, but I am so excited about the baby and know that it is all TOTALLY worth it! (Sorry this was such a long post. I will try to keep everything up to date from now on.)