...just think (pink!): twenty-six weeks!

we had our twenty-six week ultrasound and dr. appointment on the 27th of april and if you've read the blog, you know i was very anxious and nervous for it. we started off with the ultrasound, and i must say... i wish i had a sonogram machine in our house! it is so cool to see the baby...actually, i take that back. it is so cool to see the inside of your body! [i had an ultrasound on my leg later in the day and i was mesmerized by that, too!] so we were able to see our little lady--rechecked to make sure she is still a girl (ha!), saw her moving around, measured her head, belly, leg, and the fluid around her. after her fluids were checked, the sonographer asked if she could do a scan in 3-d. really lady, you had to ask?!

now that was something else! check it out for yourself!

if you are able to get one of these done, i recommend it.

it is super neat to see their features!

...compared to this.

[however, any time you get to see your little one is special.]

after we were given our pictures, we headed back to the waiting room until a nurse called us in. the worst part of appointments...the SCALE! hahaha, i cringe every time i step up onto the thing!

(this was tim's first time meeting dr. L and i knew he was a bit nervous to go into the room and even what dr. L does during the appointment. they have a tray set up with tools and i could see him eyeing them, i told him they are always set up in the room so it is ready for a patient that is having that done and not to worry. i also told him dr. L checks the heartbeat, asks how i'm doing, and lets me know of anything new from the ultrasound. i think he felt a little better after the clarification...and knowing dr. L wasn't going to do anything more!) so tim met dr. L and he cut right to the chase. he said that stella looks good and he does not see the cysts anymore, they have dissolved! i cannot remember what i said, but he was surprised with my reaction, asking if he made me worry and i told him it was a combination of him and knowing there may be something going on. he then said that it is a normal thing to be seeing now-a-days. he also shared with us how much weight i have gained thus far, but didn't say anything further, so i'll chalk that up as good news, too ;) speaking of weight, dr. L told us that little lady is weighing in at 2 1/2 pounds already! [yikes! stella may be a big baby... :/]

then dr. L asked how i have been feeling and i told him about the swelling i have been having in my left leg/foot/ankle. i told him it is more noticeable on the left leg/foot/ankle than on the right one, but i do notice some swelling on the right side, too. he squeezed it a couple times, looked a bit puzzled, i chuckled at the puzzled look, and then he said that it could be a sign of a blood clot even though if there was a blood clot it would look different and be bigger than what my leg was looking like. he asked if my legs/feet hurt at all and i said no, so he said that he would have monica call in to the hospital and set me up with an ultrasound to check if there are any blood clots. he also said that she would fill out paperwork for me to get my 1-hour glucose test done. (thankfully i took the whole day off...)

so timmer and i left relieved to hear about stella, and i was still feeling anxious as there were more appointments to figure things out.

i made my way over to the lab to get my glucose test done and i must say, i had a pretty sweet set-up!

a nice comfy recliner, flat screen tv on the wall, and low-lighting...not too bad!

and here is a picture of the lovely orange drink. i did my best to drink it as fast as i could because it was room temperature and did not taste very appetizing. it could have been worse, but it wouldn't be my first choice. so i drank the drink and hung out in the chair...the sugar rush made me want to pass out and made me feel a little loopy at the same time. after an hour, i had some blood taken and was on my way.

hopefully i passed and do not have to take the three-hour test!

i was able to make it home for a few minutes before i had to make my way over to the hospital for my ultrasound appointment. i really, really do not like hospitals (i had my friend shannon come with me the last time i had to go, but since this was during a work day, i was on my own, eeek!) so i was a bit on edge. luckily i found my way around okay and was eventually greeted by a male sonographer...little did i know that it was going to get a little awkward once i got into the room. oh! i even got a hospital bracelet--i thought this was fun even though i'm sure it is a policy in hospitals these days.

yes, i take a picture of everything these days. document, document, document.

the ultrasound was really neat, it was just awkward how high up on my leg he had to go... anywho, thankfully he turned the monitor towards me some, he must have seen me straining my neck to see it at first, and he told me what was on the screen. he turned the color on too, so i could see the blue and red veins and watch them get bigger and smushed when he squeezed my legs. it went pretty quick and he walked me back to the waiting area and told me that either a doctor would come to talk to me or the doctor would call dr. L's office and i would speak to them over the phone. the later is what occurred and i was told all checked out okay, no clots, and i was good to go. phew!

so that was my lovely day off, filled with appointments, but appointments that were necessary and which all gave out good news.

i saved the best for last...the belly picture.