26 Weeks

Me at 26 weeks preggo! My belly button is a full-on "outie" now.

It's insane that we are already 6.5 months along! Will we seriously be in our 3rd trimester in just 5 days? This whole process is passing by far too quickly. We have been so blessed to have a pretty easy pregnancy so far and we grow more excited each week to meet our darling daughter. We already love her more than we ever thought possible. At 26 weeks her ears are pretty developed and can supposedly hear all of our conversations. She's doing practice breathing, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, to develop her lungs. She's putting on more baby fat, weighing around 1 and 2/3 lbs and is about 14 inches head to heel, the size of a cucumber.

Well, other people can finally see her move now!. My mother also got to see her and feel her move this last week. It usually doesn't take this long for people to be able to feel baby move but, apparently, the position of my placenta sort-of  "pads" her movements. I won't complain as she has yet to keep me awake at night. There is nothing in this world that brings me more joy than feeling her move! 

I said our pregnancy has been pretty easy so far. The only thing I am having issues with lately is my feet swelling a bit. I know I need to stay off of them more and prop them up but I am just not the kind of person who can just sit around. I have to keep busy. I'm trying to be a good patient, and the swelling does go down when I take it easy. 

Thankfully, I passed my Gestational Diabetes test the first time at our last appointment! Score! I was convinced I was going to fail as I am a sugar-aholic. However, I ate only eggs for breakfast and my test wasn't until 2:30 so I just drank water all day up until 2 hours before. Then to take my mind off of hunger/thirst, I went shopping (well, more like window shopping). When I got to the appointment, I drank the little drink (mine was "fruit punch" flavored) first. I just chugged it down because the one time I pulled it away from my mouth, it had an aftertaste of medicine. Other than that, it wasn't that bad. Not as terrible, or even as sweet, as some people made it out to be. The only thing I thought was odd was that I had to drink it in the lobby of the OB's office with all those people watching me. I suppose they have to make sure you get it down somehow, an insurance requirement I assume.

Then, I waited for an hour chatting with another 24-weeker who had just finished drinking her drink. When it was time to draw blood, to my dismay, it was not a blood draw from the arm, it was a finger stick. As much as I hate needles and blood being drawn from my arm, I dislike finger sticks more. That horrible "click" noise the needle makes causes me to jump out of my skin and it definitely stings more and for much longer. When the OB came in and said "Well, you passed by a long shot. 20 points under," I could have fainted, and not from the lack of nourishment. I was SO excited I could have kissed him. (If you fail the first GB test you have to come back, drink the drink again, and sit in the waiting room for 3 HOURS and they take blood every hour on the hour. Um, no thanks.) So, now I am DONE with tests and blood draws.Sigh of relief. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me that day, I know they were heard. I also, of course, got to listen to her sweet heart beat again. That's my favorite part of the appointments (other than when we have ultrasounds). It was beating mighty fast this time, I'm sure mommy's nerves and that sugary drink were to blame.

At our next appointment we will be seeing our baby girl in 4-D! I cannot tell you how excited I am for this. We will be almost 29 weeks at that point so we might get a pretty good idea as to what/who she will look like. I wonder about this all of the time.

Her nursery is coming along slowly but surely. I am hoping we  will have all of our part of the painting done by the middle of this coming week so then we can begin to get quotes for the complicated part (yes, I am being complicated, would you expect anything else?) and decide on that by the end of the week. Then, the next week get that knocked out, so that painting will be DONE and we can being moving her furniture in, which came in this week. I cannot wait to see it all set up! I promise many photographs soon.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know we did. A ton of food, fun, and family time with much to be thankful for and an Auburn Iron Bowl victory to boot! God has blessed us all so richly and far more than any of us deserve. I hope we all take the time to reflect on that, and not just on Thanksgiving day, but every day. What are we most thankful for in our household this year? Leighton Elizabeth McGhee, of course. 

Our First "Children"

Today's post is going to be a little different but no worries, I will do an update, like I always do, at the end. :)

Though Leighton Elizabeth is our first baby, our family actually began about 3.5 years ago. This was when we added our first member, Baron McGhee. He is our brilliant, sweet, and hyper-active Rat Terrier. (Cousin to the Jack Russell)

He was born the day after Valentines day in 2007. We welcomed him in to our family in late March that same year. I picked him out specifically because he had a slight, natural mohawk on the top of his little head. He still has it. Baron is the smartest dog in the whole world, and I'm not just saying that because he's ours. He was potty trained in a mere two weeks, and does every trick in the book. We call him our "circus dog." He sits, lays, stays, jumps, dances, high-fives, shakes, etc. And he does most of these by hand signals that we came up with, kind of like sign language for dogs. His favorite things in the world are: chasing the red dot from the laser pointer, eating, playing fetch, his brother, treats for being a "good boy," his toys, people in general. Most dogs, believe it or not, are not attached to their owners like most people think. Baron is very sweet and loves just lounging with us but he is also very hyper and loves chasing, playing, etc. He does tend to jump on new people (a habit we have tried sooo hard to break, failing miserably) but he is harmless. He will turn 4 just before Leighton is due.

Then, in May of 2009 we added another member to our growing family. 

Barlow McGhee, our Miniature Dachshund, was given to me on my birthday, May 27th. He was born April 3rd. Barlow, well, he's our pretty dog. He is dumb as rocks but my goodness one look at his sweet "please pet me" face and you're hooked. He is the happiest, sweetest dog in the universe and his being dumb is a great source of entertainment for us; there is never a dull moment. It's almost impossible to have a bad day in our household because of him. Baron didn't particularly like his brother at first but now they love each other. They love playing together and only get jealous on occasion. Barlow was a much more difficult dog to train. It took an entire year to potty train this poor thing and there were so many times I'd want to give up and give him away and then he'd crawl in to my lap, turn over on his belly and give me the saddest face you've ever seen. Naturally, I could never do it. Barlow's favorites are; his mommy, his toys, his brother, food, treats, being outside, people in general, and being loved on. Barlow will turn two about a month after his little sister is due.



We love our dogs. We treat them as family members, but not as people. We are a little concerned as to how they will react when Leighton gets here. We have done all the research and gotten tips like "bring home blankets from the hospital with her scent on it before you bring her home" and "before she comes, play crying baby sounds for them often so they will be used to it." We want to know what worked for you? How did you get your dogs used to the idea of a new member? How did you handle jealousy issues? Safety issues? We only have dogs, no other pets, so any advice is welcomed and we thank you in advance.

Now, for the regularly scheduled update. We are 24 weeks pregnant as of Friday! Baby girl is now more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, about as much as an ear of corn. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that her increasingly developing ears pick up are preparing her for when she gets here. Supposedly, loud noises that become familiar to her now probably won't bother her when she hears them after she's born.  She has a tiny figure now, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

I feel her little kicks a lot more recently and I can now see them. 

I have begun to get a little swelling  in my feet when I am on them for too long so I try to rest a little during the day and the back pain before bed is no fun either but luckily once I fall asleep it seems to disappear, it's just the falling asleep part that is uncomfortable.

Gestational Diabetes test tomorrow afternoon! I would appreciate anyone who will say a little prayer for me for this delightful occasion.

I think that's all I have for now, hopefully I'll have nursery progress pictures posted soon. We are working on it right now! 

Baby's First Vacation

Well, the past 2 weeks have gone by so fast! I was always told that after the first half, your pregnancy seems to go by much slower. Not for us! At 22 weeks gestation our baby girl now weighs 1 whole pound (ohmygosh that makes me tear up a little bit... silly pregnancy hormones), and is around 11 inches long, about the size of a squash. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises don't have a colored part yet. Inside her tummy, her pancreas is developing.

Leighton has officially taken her first vacation, which was also her first time out of the country! We went on a cruise to the Bahamas and Key West (one of my favorite places in the Continental US). It was an absolute blast.

While on the trip, I ate so much that baby Leighton may actually weigh more than one pound! ;) I've only had a couple of headaches so that made me happy and I never broke down and took any meds. I don't know why I have been so against taking anything, it just never felt "right." But, I appreciate all of the advice everyone gave me as to how to get rid of them. While on the cruise I read "Baby Wise." It all sounded great and I'm hoping it all works as fabulously as everyone says in the reviews. I would love any advice about it from you parents who have followed it.


I have been feeling her move a lot more recently which is my absolute favorite thing in the world! I have been having some minor back pain that is a little frustrating when I am trying to sleep but it could probably be much worse, so I am not going to complain. 

I 100% understand pregnant brain. I forget everything unless I write it down immediately and that is so not like me, and it seems it gets worse the further along we get. I have so many reminders in my crackberry now, that it's alerting me like every 5 minutes!


Nursery preperation is underway! All of her bedding is in (except for a few minor things) so we are just waiting on the furniture! We have started moving everything that is currently in her room out of there so that we can begin the painting process. It's going to be pretty complicated so I am hoping to begin later this week. This is the most exciting part so far, aside from finding out the sex, of course! 


Also, in just a couple of weeks I go in for the dreaded gestational diabetes test. Any advice for that would be much appreciated as well!

I have had the craziest dreams during this pregnancy. I'll either have the most terrifying nightmares or dreams that are so weird that I'd kind of be embarrassed to share.  

Lastly, here is a picture of me at 22 weeks pregnant! A couple people mentioned they want to see a pic of my actual belly. Well, your wish is my command. Enjoy!



Half Way There

A little Bon Jovi anyone? "Ohhh we're half way there...." too much?
Well, it's very hard to believe that we've made it to 20 weeks. It feels like just a couple weeks ago we were sharing our news with the world and now we have reached the half way mark! Baby girl now weighs about 11 ounces. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel, about the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against it's torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of it's head to it's bottom, the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, they are measured from head to toe.) She is swallowing a lot these days, which is good practice for her digestive system.

I have been feeling her little flutters of movement lately which is SO exciting! I absolutely love feeling her move, it brings me so much joy. I cannot wait until she is kicking enough for others to feel her!

I had my first random stranger come up to me and touch my belly the other day at the mall. I didn't like it. It was weird. I would never touch a stranger's baby bump. Oh, and then this stranger told me she could sell me something for my acne (caused by the pregnancy). Umm, thanks?

Sadly, I think I got a little ahead of myself when I said my headaches were gone. They returned last weekend with a vengeance. I still couldn't bring myself to take any medicine. However, with the weekend gone, so were the headaches again. None this week so far.

We had our 20 week ultrasound this afternoon which confirmed, she's all girl! It was so incredible to sit there and watch my baby girl move. And was she ever moving! She had the hiccups (sooo cute to watch even though I know she didn't like them) so that made her kick and squirm like crazy! We also got to observe her touch her face with her little hands and play with her feet. She is no longer Breech (YAY) but again, she still has lots of room to move around so that could change any time, though we will keep praying that it won't! The u/s tech and OB both confirmed that she is perfect as far as growth of all limbs/organs. 

Oh, and mommy to be is growing well, too. I have gained 9 lbs thus far (and at halfway there, that's pretty perfect). They told me at the start of this process I should gain about 25-35 lbs. I also found out today that my blood type is A+. Yeah, I know it's sad I didn't know that before age 23andahalf but as you know, from reading previous posts, I don't just willingly give my blood away, and I guess I just never really needed to know. Her dad is A+ as well, so I guess it will be no surprise what Leighton is. And, maybe her grades in school will be around that same letter ;) This will be way easier to remember than all of our Social Security and Drivers License numbers! 

We got a video of her u/s today, so hopefully I can figure out how to upload it. Until then, as promised, here are pictures of nursery inspirations (see if you can try and envision what her nursery will look like from these little clues), and an updated "bump" picture.  

Nursery Inspiration Pictures: (Some items pictured may be things we are actually using, some may just be ideas, some may be in there just to throw you off. You just never know...) Cannot wait to hear everyone's thoughts/ reactions!

                                               And....

                               The growing belly: 20 weeks!

18 Weeks

I know, I am a few days late posting the "weekly update." I have gotten a few remarks from some of you that you have been looking for it! Apparently, the food comparisons are a hit, everyone wants to know what "vegetable" she is this week. Ha! Well, baby girl is now around 5 and 1/2 inches long, about the size of a bell pepper. She weighs almost 7 ounces! She's now flexing her arms and legs, so we should feel some kicks any day now!  You can now see her blood vessels through her thin skin, and her ears are in their final position, although they're still standing out from her head a little. A protective covering of myelin (remember that from college Biology 2 class anyone?) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. And, all of her parts that make her female are now in place.


I continue to feel great! Thank you to those who are always asking me, it's great to have so many people who care about mine and baby girl's health. Speaking of baby girl's health, we had a tiny scare last week and after praying about it, I just knew everything was going to be ok, so I decided to wait until we knew everything was fine before I made it public knowledge. I just don't like a lot of drama/attention.


Ok, so you remember at 16 weeks we had all of that blood work done and I wrote about how I agreed to a quad screen? (if not just go down a few posts) Well, last Monday was a week since we'd had it done and we got a call from our OB that morning and they left a message saying we needed to come in to discuss our blood work, and they had an opening at 1 p.m. We knew this meant something bad because they had told us if our blood work came back fine that we wouldn't hear from them, we'd just see them at our next apt. So, immediately I began to panic. I called Jeremy and told him that he had to come home right then from work and I was so upset I could barely speak.

I called the OB office back and told them I could come in and I asked (I just had to) if this meant something was wrong. The nurse said that yes, this meant there was an abnormality in the blood work. My heart fell to the floor. I was so confused. We had just seen her on the ultrasound screen on Friday and she was just fine. I called my mother and told her what was going on.


After a long hour in the waiting room, our OB came in and began to explain the lab results. He said the Trisomy 18 and Downs tests all came back fine. But the test for NTDs (Neural Tube Deffects) such as Spina Bifida came back abnormal. He said that this didn't diagnose anything, it just didn't rule it out. He said the target afp (alpha fetoprotein) level they like to stay around for this particular test is 2.5 and mine was 2.7. He said he had never ever seen such a low number and a number so close to the target number turn in to any sort of defect, that most defects are much higher numbers, like in the 4s. I wanted to hurt someone. They made us worry that much for .2 points. I was angry but I tried to calm down and remind myself that they were just doing their job.


Then my OB said he wanted to take one more vile of blood, run the test again, and if the levels went down, then that would be that. But if they were still elevated then they would send me to do a level 2 ultrasound at UAB. He said an amnio wouldn't be necessary to which I responded, "good because I wouldn't have one done anyway." (I feel like I am way to young for that) After more blood work, they told us we would know by Friday. So, I just gave the situation to God and let it go. I just knew in my heart everything would be fine. God really gave me a peace about it.

On Thursday afternoon my sweet, favorite (and also pregnant) nurse called me right before their office closed to give me the GREAT news; everything was fine! So, needless to say, I am now pretty strongly opposed to this Quad Screen (some doctors call it a tripple screen, they are the same). If you are young and have no history of birth defects in your family, I suggest you skip this little test that causes way more worry than necessary. Not to mention, most of these birth defects can be detected by ultrasound anyway. I just did the quad screen so that we would be prepared if there was something wrong, but as I said, they would have been able to see it via ultrasound anyway if there were something seriously wrong and we still would have been able to be prepared. I will never have this test performed in any other pregnancies I may have. Everyone is entitled to make their own decisions but I am going to take every opportunity to share our story. I love modern medicine, do not get me wrong. But sometimes I think they carry things a little too far these days. Oh, and I should say here: Sis, I should have listened to you! (my sister had a similar experience and her baby girl, who was born this summer, is just fine. She warned me not to do the test and I didn't listen. Lesson learned.) 


On a lighter note, my headaches (knock on wood) seem to be gone! Hooray! Also, last week was filled with starting to pick things out for the nursery! I am dying to show you all everything we have picked out so far, our plans, and where I got my inspiration. My mother has always been the decorating genius and it's all finally starting to rub off on me. I LOVE to decorate, and I think decorating her nursery will be the most fun project yet! In the next post, I will share a bunch of pictures that inspired me for Leighton's nursery so you can try to guess what the nursery will look like! Also, I will put up a new belly picture next time, since some of you have been asking for that. Until then, have a blessed week!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

First of all, I want to say, "Thank You!" to everyone who has wished us "Congratulations" the last few days, it has meant a lot to us! Sorry we haven't been able to respond to them all, but know that we appreciate each one of you who is following our journey and praying for us. It means more than we can say! Ok, on to the juicy stuff... ;)


Friday evening, September 24th, was the night we got the best news in the world, we are having a baby girl! Here is the story: 


When my OB told us we wouldn't find out the sex of our baby until I was 20 weeks pregnant, we thought it seemed like a really long time to wait but, hey, if it was what the doc said, that's how it would be. However, when I announced our pregnancy news to my wonderful AML Float 3 sisters (Mardi Gras Organization) one of our dearest friends who is a sonographer asked, "When will you find out what it is?" When I said "20 weeks is what the OB told us," she said, "Come see me at 17 weeks." I was so overjoyed and thankful that she would do this for me but I had no idea exactly just how much I would appreciate this kindness.


17 weeks came quickly and I became more and more anxious!)  My mother accompanied me instead and I was excited she'd get to be a part of it! We asked our dear friend not to tell us what the sex of the baby was, just to type it on the picture and seal it in an envelope so that my family and I could find out together that night. She did such a good job not giving anything away! She told mom and I to close our eyes any time she went near any areas that hint at the sex. 


During the ultrasound, our dear friend took the time to show me every organ and every bone we could see! She showed me the spine and explained how it looked good, and the same with the heart (all 4 chambers are present and the blood flow looked great), the brain and all of it's parts (which is actually measuring a week ahead of schedule, we may have a little smarty pants on our hands), the kidneys (both are present) the bladder and stomach. She measured the leg and arm bones which are all right on schedule. We also counted the finger and toe bones, and they are all there. It was so kind of her to take the time to do all of that.I owe so much more to our friend than just her telling us the sex. And it's amazing we were able to check all of these things out and gets tons of good pictures because baby was moving.like.crazy. She appeared to be having a dance party. It's so strange to me that she can be moving so much and I can't feel it, yet. Also, during the ultrasound she looked like she was trying to suck her thumb so badly, she just couldn't quite find it. It was the most adorable thing I've ever seen. She's currently breech, and I know we have a lot of time to change that, just pray that she turns eventually. 

After the ultrasound, it was almost impossible to not peek at the pictures but I didn't cheat! When everyone finally got in town we opened the envelope together in front of my mom, brother, and Mark, and announced it was a girl, through tears of joy! We ate a quick dinner and then it was off to tell the rest of our family at their Kids Consignment business, Kidz Klozet (their Fall consignment sale in Mobile is open to the public this week and they have some great stuff, more than they ever have, this year). I had baked two cakes (a blue one and a pink one) and I brought the appropriate cake and all of the ultrasound pictures with us. We showed everyone the pictures first, minus the ones showing that it was a girl. Then we had Leighton's "Honey" cut in to the cake to find out what baby McGhee was. Then, of course, we shopped Kidz Klozet! Everyone is so excited and ready to spoil this precious baby girl! We go for our regularly scheduled 20 week Ultrasound in just a few weeks where hopefully they confirm it's a girl (our friend hasn't ever been wrong) and hopefully baby girl will be just as active.

 What's in A Name? 

As most of you already know, we are naming our sweet baby girl Leighton Elizabeth McGhee. (Leighton pronounced "Lay-tin.") And you may be wondering how we came up with her name. Well, Leighton is just a name we loved. I met someone with this name years ago and always loved it.The name Leighton is Old English in origin and means "near the meadow." The name meaning sounds so peaceful to me. 

Elizabeth was chosen as her middle name for a couple of different reasons. Elizabeth has been a family name on my dad's side of the family for 8 generations, and is also my middle name. Also, we wanted our baby to have a biblical name, be it first or middle. The story of Elizabeth has always been one of my favorites and it's so fitting because it's all about the miracle of having a child, motherhood, and trusting in the lord. In case you are unfamiliar with the story, it is found in Luke, Chapter 1. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were a childless couple who were getting older and had given up on having children, though they wanted children very badly. However, Zechariah has a vision and Elizabeth becomes pregnant. While pregnant, Elizabeth is visited by her younger cousin, Mary of Nazareth, who is also pregnant. (with baby Jesus, of course) When they meet, the both realize their children are a huge part of God's plan. Then, Elizabeth's son John (referred to most often as John the Baptist) is born. There is so much more to the while story but there is a breif synopsis. So, after reading the story, it should come as no surprise that Elizabeth means "God's promise."  

Two side notes: I am officially in maternity jeans. I can wear my pre-pregnancy jeans with a bella band, but it just adds another layer and makes me sweat. Though, it's getting much cooler now so, maybe I'll try it again if I face a situation where all of my maternity jeans are dirty or something. (though not very likely, as I am a laundry freak) Oh, and I appreciate everyone who gave advice as to where to find long maternity jeans! Lastly, I am having dull headaches that last for long periods of time and they come and go at random. My OB said they are caused by the major increase of blood flow in my body, due to there being another person in there and all. He said they could last several more weeks. Boo. I haven't taken anything for them as of yet because it just doesn't feel right to me at this point. My OB scolded me and told me it was ok to take a couple Tylenol and not to be miserable, that baby would be fine, but I guess it just doesn't "hurt badly enough" yet. I doubt I'll take anything, though, the pain seems to stay the same and not get worse. Sorry, this was such a long post. If you are still reading, I love you!

16 Week OB Appointment

We have to say that this appointment was my least and most favorite visit all at the same time. The reason it was the worst: blood work. I am deathly afraid of needles. And I don't care how scared you may think you are of  them, I promise you I am more so.  How do I know this? Have you ever physically harmed a medical staff member (doctor, nurse, etc.) due to a needle phobia? Do you cry your eyes out so hard before the needle touches you that they have to take off the tourniquet, tell you to calm down, and then re-do? Have you ever passed out watching someone else give blood? Does just the thought of needles make you sweat and feel faint?  If you answered yes to all these questions, then we can talk. Yes, that's all true and all about me. It's called "belonephobia" or, the "fear of needles." Yes, its a real condition.

So anyway, we had the routine 16 week blood work done today (about 4 viles worth). A lot of you were praying for us today and we literally felt them, thank you, thank you! I did get a little weepy before hand but the nurse told me I had to calm down so I did. The nurse was quick, efficient, and it wasn't too terrible. It literally took less than a minute and the sweet nurse kept me occupied by talking about my favorite topic right now, my baby! I agreed for them to test me and baby for everything they wanted to test for. Yes, I agreed to a quad screen but it's just because I am a planner. I would never terminate a pregnancy in which the baby was thought to have a birth defect (or any pregnancy for that matter), I would just want to be prepared. We should have all blood work results back in a week or so, so PLEASE pray that everything is fine with our little Tiger! This may be one of the most important prayers you could pray for us and we would appreciate it so much! 

Now, on to why it was the best apt. We got to hear little Tiger's heartbeat again today and this time we heard it immediately and it was very loud and very strong. I could have listened for hours. I am so in love with this baby and I don't have a clue what it looks like or even if it's a boy or girl, but that matters not. I.am.head.over.heels..in.love.with.my.baby. We also got a BPM (beats per minute) reading (which some people read in to to try and determine gender early though it's only correct about 50% of the time) but we aren't revealing what that was. I am going to keep it to myself until I actually know what we are having because we don't want anyone jumping to any conclusions. Sorry, don't hate me! 

One side note, I no longer fit in to any of my jeans, thank goodness for the bella band I bought this weekend so that I can still wear them. I have been unsuccessful in finding any maternity jeans that are long enough for my super tall self. If anyone has any tips on where I can find some, that would be lovely.

Also, I have put up a poll on the sidebar of the blog, so you all can vote on what you think baby McGhee is, as we might (fingers crossed) find out Friday, at 17 weeks. Go vote!