big baby girl!

So we had our biweekly appointment the day after christmas with ultrasound... the baby is weighing in at 4.5 pounds... about a pound more than "average"... which puts her at 9 pounds if she goes all the way to 40 weeks... and if she only gains the 1/2 a pound per week like she's "supposed" to.

I asked my OB if that meant she would be early and she said... not necessarily... we'll have another ultrasound in 4 weeks to see how big she is then. that's my girl!

Ugly Sweaters Abound

1st annual Holiday Sweater Party...

Good ole USA

Here's an interesting article on maternity leave in the US compared to other countries. For you Californians... LUCKY (think Napolean Dynamite)!

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/LoveAndMoney/TakeTheLaborOutOfMaternityLeave.aspx?page=1

Personally, I'm going to be "docked" for over half of the days I'm missing... thanks to a nasty cold that I've had for 3 weeks now.

On a happier note, I'm at 30 weeks - which makes it feel like the end is in sight. We have another ultrasound on the 26th... I'll post pics if I get some good ones.

12 weeks to go...

... more or less.

It's crazy to think that in that short of time, we'll have a baby to hold in our arms!

Here are some photos of the house - it's coming along... slowly but surely!

Next on the agenda is the baby's room...

Scary Stuff

So, i'm realizing that becoming a parent is a bit scary. The latest fear factor: vaccinations.

Did you know that in the late seventies-early eighties (when Shawn and I were born), 1 in 10,000 kids was diagnosed as autistic?

Today it is approximately 1 in 100.

What is going on?

Lots of people think it has to do with the increased amount of required vaccinations. In doing some research, I found that pharmecutical companies use a preservative called Thermisol in vaccinations that contains a form of mercury. It was "banned" in 1999, but not taken out of the system.

Everything you read says that pregnant women should avoid excessive amounts of fish because of the mercury. Exposure to mercury leads to neurological damage. Infants are highly susceptible to the damage caused by mercury.

So here's my question. Why are we injecting infants with approximately 30 vaccinations containing mercury before they are a year old? By the way, children of the eighties were given only 8!

The flu vaccine is one of the only ones left that is allowed to contain this preservative. It's actually allowed - and they really push that stinking flu vaccine. I've never had one, nor the flu.

All of the government health organizations claim there is not enough evidence to link vaccinations with autism. But there also wasn't enough evidence at one point in time to link asbestos with lung problems.

I'm hoping that I will find a pediatrician that will allow me to exercise freedom in giving our baby girl vaccinations. I'm concerned for especially the uneducated in our nation (i usually end up teaching their children)... and wonder how common autism will have to become before something is done about not just treating it, but figuring out where it's coming from.

I'm pretty tired of greedy people putting the public at risk for dollars. I'm tired of the links between big money and our government. I certainly don't intend to knowingly put harmful chemicals into my baby's body so that companies like Merck can continue to get richer and richer. I wish we could trust the "people" that are supposed to be helping us stay healthy... but I don't think we can.

Each day becomes a bit more scary... it makes the labor and delivery part seem like the least of my worries now.

Week from the Twilight Zone

So last week was weird! It was just a long, weird week at work... and then Thursday happened.

I went with 5th grade on a field trip to the symphony... well on our way back, a guy trying to change lanes lost control of his car, spun out, bounced off the bus we were on and landed facing the wrong way on 183. His car hit the tire of the bus that i happened to be sitting on top of. Needless to say, all of the kids were fine, the driver of the car was fine... but it was crazy to watch it all happen outside of the bus window. I called Shawn and let him know I was fine.

Not long after I called Shawn with the wacky news... one of his coworkers was fired to his surprise.... and then he was told to let one of his team members go. That team member decided to go outside and slash all of Shawn's tires (little did he know how much we needed new tires for the Matrix)...

So Shawn was stuck in Fair Park until 9 o'clock... thankfully a kind-hearted coworker stayed with him - since it's not exactly the best neighborhood in the area.

Meanwhile, I came home after school and called the doctor just to let them know what had happened. They said normally that you should go to the hospital any time you are pregnant and in a car accident. When I explained that we hardly felt anything... they said to drink some juice and lay down. If the baby doesn't move 10 times in an hour, go to the hospital.

Well wouldn't you know, that the baby decided to take a 4 hour nap that afternoon (highly unlikely)... I guess due to the earlier adreneline rush.... and Shawn wasn't home and I started getting concerned.

So mom came and took me to the hospital... Shawn showed up a little while later... and the baby is fine. We got to listen to her heartbeat and alien-like movements for an hour, though, which was pretty cool.

And the guy that slashed Shawn's tires has been reported to the "wonderful" Dallas PD... we'll see if anything happens to him. Shawn tried to follow up on Friday and was told, "Those detectives won't be back in the office until Mondy." Great... crazy men with knives can run around Dallas all weekend with no worries. And people wonder why Dallas has the highest crime rate in the country!

On another lighter note.... the baby seems to like Gloria Estefan and Celine Dion. Whaddya think about that? Scary!

square dance

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Baby Pictures

I thought I'd share the ultrasound pics we've got so far...

9 weeks:

17 weeks:

hola!

Hey everyone...

I figured I should start a blog for the baby mostly... a place where you guys can see pictures and tell me and shawn how cute our little family is. :-)

I'll post more later... I have to go home and check on the latest addition to the family - Roscoe Pico!