Week 16

I think I'm officially in full on nesting mode! I have been going through everything in our house - trashing things, reorganizing things, giving things away, cleaning things, and the list goes on! I am still tired some and have taken a nap or two this week! I planned on trying to eat better, but I seem to still have no self control as i stuff my face with whatever my stomach desires! It is still hard to stay motivated, but I'm still walking/jogging most days out of the week! It is SO HOT these days!! 

My skin is starting to itch... which can only mean one thing: time to break out the stretch mark cream! (which I did last night!) Hopefully it works as well this time around as it did last time!

I'm 90% sure I felt REAL baby movements late last night (not just flutters)... and LOTS of them!!! :)

(we forgot to take my 16 week pic on Sunday so we just took them this morning before my jog... that would explain the hair style I'm rocking in these pics! :-P)

Thursday night (7/24) I had a dream about <visitation from> Miss Sloan. I don't know where we were, or what we were doing, but it was definitely her. I had a dream about her around her 10 month anniversay, and she looked just like that - but older. She had little, round baby teeth, blue eyes, and light brown/sandy blonde curly hair - it was short for her age - still mostly on top of her head. She was walking. Her body was so proportionate - she still had some baby fat, but not big, chunky thigh rolls. She had on a white onesie with a small pink and purple embroidered message on it. I don't remember exactly what it said, but it was intended to let people know that she had gone to Heaven, but that she was still here. I remember walking around with her on my hip, with my little baby bump protruding. It was so vivid and so real. I love dreams like that. Those are the dreams I hate waking up from.

Friday I went to my mom's and told her all about my dream. She was amazed and told me about something that had happened Thursday during the day. She had taken my niece and nephew to Splashway on Thursday and told me about how it started out to be a "rough" day and turned out to be such a good one. She told me about how she talked to Sloan, and asked if she helped them to have a good day. She also asked her "Will you help your mommy with your baby brother or sister?" I wholeheartedly believe that Sloan heard my mom loud and clear and came to me that night to show me, once again, that she is okay - and so is this baby.

And then... Saturday started with a little hiccup. I woke up and started getting ready to go jog, but kept feeling sharp pains in my lower abdomen. I'm very well awre of round ligament pain, and tried to convince myself that that's all it was - but i knew that with the way my crazy mind works I wouldn't be at ease until I was told that that's waht it was. So I texted my sweet nurse to let her know what was going on and she told me that my doctor was on call so to go ahead and call the office. He told me that's probably what it was, but told me to rest, hydrate, take Tylenol and use a heating pad and to call him back if it didn't get any better. Well by 3:30 or so it still wasn't better so I called him back. He told me he couldn't really tell me anything without seeing me, but I could to the ER if I wanted to. I told him I didn't want to overreact but it hasn't gotten any better. He reassured me and told me to just keep resting and hydrating. I was driving myself crazy thinking of all the possibilities. It was like the rational part of me knew that it was perfectly normal, but the traumatized part of me kept saying "but what if it's not". I was so close to going to the ER just so I could hear my baby's heartbeat, but then remembered I had a friend who had a doppler. I texted her and asked if I could borrow it. My mom went to her house and picked it up for me. I used it as soon as i could. I easily found our baby's heartbeat and was instantly put at ease. :) I texted Brady immediately - who was on standby in case I decided to go to the ER - to let him know that I heard it and I think he was just as relieved as I was... even though he was presenting himself in a much more calm and confident manner while I was freaking myself out! I was trying to refrain from buying a doppler for so many reasons, but ended up ordering my own as soon as I got off the phone with the doctor that morning. I figured the positives of having one would weigh out the negatives! 

Baby's heart rate Saturday afternoon :)