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Aw :( You are looking at DS pics...of course you are. We can't help it. You're right....I would tell you that the only thing to do is remain positive and wait for the ultrasound. So...I shall do the same. xoxoxo

Hopefully I'll stay busy this weekend and I won't have to think about anything terrifying. I have a funeral this evening for my great aunt though. Hope that doesn't set the mood. She was very old and ill for a very long time. And I really wasn't very close to her. But it's sad, nonetheless.

Tomorrow I'm going to a Mom2mom sale. It's like a big rummage sale at a church. Love them!! I'm hoping there's some mom's there selling maternity!! Then I'm going to Hobby Lobby to do some window shopping and some really shopping for baby shower stuff. There are projects I'd like to get started on sooner than later. :-) I also need to get a couple new maternity bras. This is getting ridiculous. lol I'm in at least an E now. Ugh. I'm also going to try to go to the dollar store. There are a few 'generic' things I need to get (tissue, shredded paper stuffing [like for an Easter basket], balloons and candy). The candy I need for my candy bowl at work. It's looking pretty pathetic. I also want to see if they have any graduation stuff out yet. I found a site online that sells plastic table cloths and tableware pretty cheap. I think I'll go with them for the shower and for Caleb's party. I got a great deal on a hall....I rented it for both parties! :-) Seeing as though they are a couple weeks apart, I need to get busy with the planning and organizing!! lol I'm going to need a small fortune just for the food!

Anyway, I plan to keep myself busy these next few days. You have until the 8th, that's a week. You better find something to keep you busy too. And not more researching, girly!! It is what it is...I know you can't help it. And I can't either. I guess it's a good thing we have each other. Everything is going to be ok. It has to be.

WOAH! Reading what your plans were made me exhausted. How do you do it? Especially the shopping part. Yikes. That makes me so tired. I'm tired right now. I'm sorry about your aunt....it's nice that you're going even though you weren't too close.

That mom2mom sale sounds awesome!! I can't wait to peruse rummage sales this summer. So many things to pick up. OMG...I am stuffing myself into my only bra left that will hold me. SHEESH. I HAVE to go today to get some new ones....I know Kohls sometimes has sales. That's so convienient you found a place for both parties. I have been realizing that it will cost lots to throw the baby shower for my friend....

School is keeping me pretty busy. I have come to terms with trusting my OB. He's been doing this for so long....and I like that he isn't jumping the gun I guess. He's probably just trying to save me a weeks worth of worry (hopefully for nothing). This whole pregnancy is a lesson in control and trust for me. You have two more days until ultrasound....We will make it...we will be fine I am so glad you understand. Yep. We gots each other .

OMG! I got so much stuff at that sale!! I got about 20 maternity shirts, 2 maternity pants, a belly band, a maternity swim suit, 3 outfits for baby and a car seat snuggle thingy.....for $30!! I probably got more shirts than that, I didn't count....but holy cow! I will definitely be going to the next one!!

We went to Hobby Lobby and were able to get a bunch of stuff there too! The theme for my shower is 'She's about to pop' and we're doing it in blue, brown and white. I was able to get plates, napkins, a big plastic bottle for the 'guess the candy' game, card stock and paper for the invitations and some of the other things I'm making, fabric for the blo pops, ribbon, a 3" paper circle punch, fabric markers for the 'design a onesie' table, fabric for the baskets we'll be using for pens, markers and other necessities, and a few other odds and ends. We spent under $100 there. I still have stuff to get but it was a great start!!

Ok, so get this. I'm leaving the mom2mom sale and my sister says she has some stuff for me in her van. She had a big bag of maternity clothes and a bag of baby clothes she picked up for me. She is just the sweetest! After all the 'festivities' with my sister, mother in law and aunt I was headed home and Caleb called me. He wanted to know if I could give him a ride to his dad's on the other side of town. I really just wanted to go home and nap because I'd been up since 5:30 a.m. But I took him. When we pulled in the drive way his dad was standing there with a huge garbage bag full of MORE maternity clothes! His wife just had a baby about a month and a half ago and said I could have/use whatever I wanted. Let me tell you, I felt nothing short of blessed on Saturday!!

I'm a little nervous about the u/s Wednesday but Barry is definitely going with me so that makes me feel better. I talked to another friend with a 2 y/o daughter who told me her test came back 1:10 for Down's. She's only 28 y/o! And it was her first child. Her daughter was perfect! Anyway, a lot of the fear has gone and now I'm just anxious. I just want to get it over with so I can move on with the happier, more exciting part of this pregnancy.

It sounds like you have 'calmed' down a little too. That's fabulous, my dear. Now try to stay that way!

Oh! And Gabe and I got his room cleaned pretty darn good. Next week we'll start moving stuff upstairs so I can start prepping that room for baby!! Yay!!

What??? The ONE pair of maternity pants that I bought costed $40 something dollars!! That's amazing all of those clothes just RAINED down on you!! How awesome!!! I would love love love the swim suit. How fun!!! Does your sister live far away?

Your adventure to hobby lobby sounds awesome. My friend decided she wants elephants...but is NOT finding out the sex. So at least I have a theme, AND I asked her for addresses, so those bits are done :) You sound like you really have a lot of great ideas.

I'm so glad you have Barry going...and I'm super glad that you had someone to talk to about the Down's. I kept reading about stories ending up like that, but I'm glad you had someone to talk with :) Yes....I think a calm has really just settled in...I just have to trust the OB. Give up the reins and trust. So I am....until Friday ;)

I also called a birth center and got insurance quotes for that. Even out of network the place only costs a total of $2,600. I could birth in a pool, have a mid-wife. Their transfer rates to hospitals is 1% in ten years. I'm scared a little though....making that kind of commitment is a bit scary. I told them I had to find out what my ultrasound says on Friday....

I thought about a birthing center. I guess I just feel better about the hospital, myself. I'm some what of a worry wart.

I've been sooooo busy at work today ( ) that I decided to work on some more baby shower stuff. I'm making the invitations so I got started on the printed material for that. I just created it in Microsoft Word. I have a Cricut at home so I plan to use that too. I also got the printable tags created. I'm doing "Thanks for popping by" tags for the Blo Pops and "She's about to pop" tags for the invitations and for the centerpieces. I'm still deciding whether or not I'm going to have balloons attached to the centerpieces. It's more money and more work...that I don't want to do. lol The rest of the decor is going to be pretty simple. We're putting some plates on the wall in such a manner that they look like bubbles floating up the wall. I need to make a banner that says "She's about to pop" to put near the 'bubbles". My boys are going to help me with the outdoor signage. There's a little nook/window thing off the kitchen at the hall and I think I'm going to make a diaper cake to put on that ledge and then hang string with paper circles of different sizes (blue, brown, white) around it. I'm doing a baby clothesline too. We're having a 'decorate a onesie or bib' table so I thought it would be cute to have everyone display their 'artwork'. Other than that, it's going to be pretty simple. White table cloths, blue and brown plates, circle confetti, popcorn tubs (2 per table) that say 'She's about to pop" on the side, and a kids table with 'entertainment' for the wee ones. There's no play ground or anything so I thought I'd better do something for them!

I'm also trying to come up with ideas for Caleb's party, which is 3 weeks after my shower. I think I'm going to do candy bar keepsakes with dog tags on them that I'll make with card stock and twine or something. I'll put Caleb's birthday, graduation date and enlistment date on it. I'd like to do a 'career' table to show what type of work he'll be doing in the military, a graduation table to show memories of him with his friends and a birthday table to show him growing up through the years. That's it for decorating for him. lol He said he doesn't want anything lavish. It's about his time with his friends and family, not how much money I put into it. He's such a sweetie. I'll figure out something eye catching though. My MIL asked him yesterday if he wanted gifts or money and he said money. lol Go figure. He said he wants to buy a car when he returns from boot camp and AIT. He hasn't gotten one yet because he didn't want to leave it sit from July 8th 2013-January 31, 2014. That's how long he'll be gone.

Gabe is my 11 y/o. He told me yesterday when he grows up he wants to be a prop guy in Hollywood. He wants to make props for scary movies. Oh Lord. lol

It's funny...I agree with the theory behind a birthing center. I do think there are too many interventions at the hospital. What I don't like is the potential for placental abruption and being far away from a hospital, or maybe the baby needing an intervention immediately. It freaks me out. I am going to see if I can have kind of a hands off laboring time at the hospital. I can't get the nagging feeling out of my head about the AFTER delivery. I WANT to have labor in a tub, BUT I don't want to have the baby be in trouble afterwords. I can't do the birthing center.

I should get started on my friends baby shower stuff. I'm not quite sure how many people...maybe I can figure that out this weekend and get going on the invitations. I LOVE YOUR THEME!!!! So cute. I might steal your idea with the clothesline. That's adorable. I want to do a diaper cake for her too....Maybe I can cut out elephant's to put all around it. (SHOOT me if you don't want me stealing all of your ideas). There was this thing on Pinterest where you can make tissue paper huge ball decoration things....I think I'll do grey and white with some other color....green? Idk.

Geez....18. Brandon is 17. They will have so much fun looking through the pictures. Where will you get the dog tags? That's an awesome keepsake!! Where do you get all of these good ideas girl???

LOL! My little guy says he just wants to "build stuff"....if they only knew how much of the world is at their feet

Remind me again...the shower you are doing...is it for a baby boy? Sorry...I was too lazy to read back through our posts to see if you mentioned it. lol Maybe she isn't finding out and that's why you mentioned green as the third color. Sorry, I'm just trying to figure this out so I can make suggestions. One game I thought of for you would be the cotton ball game. You have 2 bowls, one with cotton balls in it. The player is blindfolded. They have a spoon in their mouth, handle first. Then they are timed to see how many cotton balls they can scoop up with their 'trunk' (the spoon) from one bowl to the other. It's next to impossible to know if you even have a cotton ball on the spoon because they're so light. But it's super fun to watch! lol I personally try to stay away from traditional baby games unless it's a very small shower. It's too time consuming and it bores the guests.

Party planning is the job I never had but should have. I love, love, love to do baby showers and weddings. Barry calls me 'crafty' all the time because I just love to make things. I use my Cricut all the time. I'm planning to make the dog tags from card stock and twine or something. I just thought they would make cute and appropriate tags. Caleb's school colors are blue and red but he said he's not in any clubs and really doesn't do much with the school so he doesn't care to have a school color theme. I'll probably just do the black/graduation theme. Then I'll dedicate a table/area for his military career. I'm really having a hard time.....crafters block? lol But I'll come up with something.

Anyway, I'm doing the tissue balls for my shower too! The tissue can be purchased at the dollar store pretty cheap. As for the onesie/bib clothesline...I'm going to have everyone decorate them and then I'll pick my favorite and that person will get a prize. I'm going to have around 60 people at this shower so I didn't want to plan too many time consuming activities. We do have a couple cute games in mind though. Pin the sperm on the egg...like pin the tail on the donkey. I'm making a diagram of the female organs (with posterboard). Then I (mommy) will pin the eggs on the ovaries and the guests will be blindfolded and spun before they pin the sperm. The one who gets closes to the center of a sperm, wins. We're also doing "tinkle in the pot", which might be my favorite. We have so many people we have to do it relay style with groups of 5. Anyway, each group lines up single file. At the word 'go', the first mom has to blow up a balloon, tie it, put it under her shirt, put a quarter between her knees and without dropping either the balloon or the quarter...walk across the room and drop the quarter in a tub/bucket/bowl/whatever. Then she goes to the end of her line and the next mom goes. First 'team' to finish wins. I'm buying baby a piggy bank so we'll keep all the quarters and put them in the bank. Then we'll tell anyone who wants to that they can put baby's first change in the bank. Then unbeknownst to the guests I'll ask them to guess how much money is in it. Closest guess wins. One game I wanted to play but can't (because there will be children there) is called "pregnant or porn". You print out pictures of just the woman's face. It could be a picture of a woman getting 'railed' or a woman giving birth. Let me just tell you how funny this can be!! lol Sometimes it really is hard to tell.

The food ideas are kind of hard because I wanted to try to stick with the 'she's about to pop' theme. So...we're doing round things and things you can 'pop' in your mouth (finger foods). Meatballs, jalapeno poppers, chicken pepperoni bites, little smokies, pico de gallo and chips, and a fruit and veggie tray. But I'll probably do a pasta and potato salad too. We're doing a candy station with only blue, brown and white candies. We have a candy store that has a ton of candy color coded so it'll be easy to pick some out. I have a bunch of different sized jars and bowls (glass) and I'll just make labels and tie a ribbon around each one. Kinda simple.

If you want some ideas, just ask. I love this stuff.

Hi Shannon! I just got back a little bit ago. Barry and I went to eat and do a little shopping together. It's not often just the two of us. :-)

So the genetic counseling lasted about an hour. She went through our entire family tree. I'm pretty blessed to be surrounded by so many healthy people!! She went over the markers they would be looking for in the ultrasound. She said if baby had 3 or more of the soft markers they would suggest Amnio.

Ultrasound was also about an hour. First they did trans-v to measure my cervix. Under 2" would suggest pre term labor possibility. Mine was 4+. :-)

Then the abdominal. Everything looked perfect to me. His little hands were all over! Lol he even gave us the thumbs up to let us know everything was okay. :-)
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After that we met with the Dr. He went over every measurement with us in detail and baby has NO soft markers!! He's measuring perfectly! He's 9 oz. already! He does have a small cyst on the right side of the brain that doc said is normal and he's not worried. But I'll be high risk for the remainder of the pregnancy and will get u/s every 2-4 weeks. :-)

So baby is perfect. Thank you so much for all your positivity and love!!! especially in spite of what you've been going through.

Here's our little blessing, 18w4d:

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