Doctor's Visit Success!

Adam & I headed to the OBGYN office this afternoon.  Just the monthly check-up,  we got to hear the heartbeat and make sure my urine was still magically awesome.  I hadn't gained a billion pounds like I'd thought and so everything is looking good. 

 The best news, though, is... we get to find out the sex on November 11th!  

Now, given:  The baby has to cooperate and show us his or her undercarriage.  But we are excited.  We have faith!  Go baby, bust a move.

Although today, when we listened to the heart beat and it sounded slow-ish to me.  So maybe the baby is a boy?!  I guess we got a 50/50 shot.  

Happy Halloween!!

Baby Mama

Saturday night, Adam & I watched Baby Mama.  He had spent a long day dealing with pelvic exams and so we ordered chinese food and laughed our pants off.  

Baby Mama is about a corporate woman who has worked and sacrificed to become a vice president in her company.   Along the way, she forgot to get married and have babies and now, after trying lots of different fertility treatments, she is told she cannot conceive.  So, she seeks out a surrogate mom and ends up choosing a quirky nut and they ultimately end up as roommates.  

This movie is not only clever and hilarious but it is also really sweet.  We highly recommend it.

By the by, it's snowing like a banshee outside!  

By the by, still working on (thinking about) our halloween costumes for the party Friday night.  Nothing like some good procrastination.  

Hair Shortenings.

Here are our pumpkins that we carved Sunday night! (Pictures by Brooke)

(L to R): Adam's ghost, Freeland's awesome window display, my cross-eyed bat

not pictured: Brooke's really, really complicated pumpkin. (Do you have pictures of that now, Brooke? )

See what I mean? I am the weak link!

Tonight I am getting my hair low-lighted and cut. I haven't done anything to my hair since the beginning of July and it is in serious disarray. I've got some serious brassiness going on with these old highlights/lowlights. But I didn't want to do anything with color first trimester even though the doctor says it's okay. Because then if something did happen, I'd be like, "It's because I highlighted my hair."

Good news, though, is that the highlights are in foil and don't really touch your scalp.


Some (Cut not color) ideas:






Any thoughts?
...Ali?

Weekend Review

You'll be happy to know that Adam had a successful "sensitive exams" Saturday. I woke up with him at 6 a.m. (miracle!) and made cinnamon rolls. We got to sip on some coffee and pray for his crazy day doing male and female pelvic exams. Yee-haw!

Without going into too much detail, they went well and Adam was exhausted by the end of the day- combination of nerves, standing up a long time, and slight discomfort! But he didn't hurt any of his patients (Don't worry- they're paid for doing this) and he even gave a real pap smear, palpated ovaries, and checked a man for a hernia (plus much more!).

Last night, Brooke & Freeland had us over for taco soup (delicious!), pumpkin carving (delightful!), and Charlie Brown's It's the Great Pumpkin (coggone dynamite). I like D words. Anyways, it was fun but pumpkin carving ain't what it was when you were a kid. There are kits involved and multiple instruments! No more emptying out the pumpkin with your mom's spoon that ends up severely bent. They have a scoopy thingy that you purchase with the kit.

I will post our finished results once Brooke uploads her pictures to Flickr (ahem, Brooke.... just kidding). Adam & Freeland, ironically, had the best jack-o-lanterns by the end of the night. (To be fair, Brooke's was REALLY intricate and not complete once we left) But still. The boys with the best jack o' lanterns? Hmmmm.....Future surgeons?

S.P.E.C. Day

Saturday is a very important day for Adam Jennings. 

On Saturday, Adam along with about 11 of his fellow students will have their S.P.E.C. day. 

"What is S.P.E.C.?"  You ask

.  

Sensitive Patient Exam Commitment. 

That's right.  On Saturday, Adam will give his first pelvic exam.  

To real human beings.  Male and female.

I mean, having a pelvic exam is uncomfortable already (with a doctor who has performed thousands of them!).  Can you imagine if you were having one by a medical student giving their first pelvic exam?  

I think Adam might be a little bit nervous.

I am preparing a hardy breakfast for this most important day.  Perhaps some innuendo foods for funsies and to gear up Adam for the mission ahead.  

He's going to be the best darn pelvic examiner this side of the Mississippi.

Weird to say, huh?

New Sheriff

When Adam & I got ready to tell our parents about the baby, I racked my brain trying to think of cute ways to break the news!  However, Adam had the most genius idea and here we will show you. 

First, we found the most adorable pair of baby cowboy boots online.  

We placed each of these boots into a package and mailed each to our parents.  

The note attached was specially burnt around the edges by Adam R. Jennings and we wrote, "There's a New Sheriff in Town..." 

 and then the inside said, "Baby Jennings April 19, 2009"

Adam's mama thought it was a weird political advertisement before she got to the inside!  

The parents loved them.

Adam is brilliant.

P.S. I spelled Sheriff wrong on the real thing- Two r's...whoops.

Feet Tattoos & Baby Tristyn

While Adam was studying for his test...



I gave him foot tattoos!
That's right- it's Harry Potter saying, "Oooh my scar!"

And now some pictures of my best pal, Mary Lou, and Brian's baby- TRISTYN!

I think she looks just like her mama!

Week 15!

Praise the Lord, we're trucking along and into trimester two!

Here was my baby bump back at the beginning of WEEK 7.



Here is my stomach (presently) at the beginning of WEEK 15!



I am still fitting easily into all of my old clothes, thankfully.  (I guess the waist is below my bump?)  Once they start getting tight, I'm going to ghetto-rig the waist with ponytail holders and belly-bands.  Then, once the pony tail holders pop, we will talk about maternity clothes.  So far, though- so good!

I am happy to say that 2nd trimester is waaaaaay better than 1st trimester so far.  

Morning Sickness = BAD (but also weirdly reassuring)

P.S. Lovely photo, Adam.  I'm glad you captured that beautiful moment of 1st trimester fun.  

I would like to add that it is really weird to be putting pictures of my bare stomach on the internet.  But we are happy to show the baby's ( and mama's) progress!  

Special shout-out to my Baby's Daddy, Student-Doctor Adam R. Jennings.  Who is beyond gracious and servant-hearted to me during this season and lets me sleep, guilt-free, to my heart's content and even does the dishes and makes his world-famous quesadillas when I don't feel like cooking.  I love you!

Baby, head-to-rump this week- 4.5 inches

Current week 15 cravings- oranges and egg rolls.

Great News!

Mary Lou & Brian had their baby girl this morning! (If you don't know them, see previous post.)

Tristyn Baylee Oswalt

born: 7:04 a.m.

7 lbs. 14 oz.

20 inches long

Praise God- woohoo!

An Open Letter from My Best Pal

Remember my best friend, Mary Lou? She was due this past Sunday. Well, actually she was supposed to have a c-section LAST Tuesday because the baby was in breech. But once they got to the hospital at 4:30 a.m. with the family, hooked her up to an IV, and prepped her for the surgery, her doctor came in the room to do an ultrasound to see where to make the incision.

Guess What? The baby had flipped. Mary Lou & Brian took it as an answer to prayer (she was uneasy about the c-section) and went home and sent the family back.

However, this past week has not been easy on ol' Mary Lou. She has been slightly frustrated as life is on hold until the baby comes. She had wrapped up work and is now just waiting with hormones sailing through her baby-filled body. The following is an email she wrote me the other day.

Now, normally, Mary Lou is just sweet as a peach. Patient, thoughtful, always thinking of others. So, hormonal, over-due Mary Lou is HILARIOUS to me. She is fiesty and very entertaining to me (Listen, she can make fun of me in 5 months). So, I give you (with permission from the author), Mary Lou's email:

Just wanted to update you all on the lack of news in my life. Today I am 40 weeks and one day pregnant. So when people ask the happy question "when are you due?" I get to tell them YESTERDAY. I came as close as I ever have to hitting a little old woman with my Bible at church yesterday. "Have you had that baby yet?" Gee lady.....does it LOOK like i've had that baby yet!!?? Other favorite questions/comments include "when are you going to have that baby?" (if I knew that, I could probably predict the future right?) "you look like you're about to pop!" (does it make people feel better about themselves to say this?) and the classic "Are you dilated?" (no thanks I do NOT want to discuss the condition of my vagina/cervix with you, perfect stranger) Here is a comprehensive list of the things that I have tried to "have that baby"

1. walking....around 45-50 minutes a day....tried running (after conversation with linz when she said she tried the same with hallie) but ended up looking like a penguin trying to escape from the zoo

2. pineapple...supposedly helps to induce labor. in the last 3 days have had 2 pineapple smoothies and am currently working on large plastic container from the grocery store

3. bouncing on exercise ball (my mom is somehow convinced this will hurt her head?)

4. sex- ironic that the very thing that got us into this mess is supposed to get us out of it eh?

5. baked "labor-inducing cookies"....these lovely gems have a long list of ingredients including ginger, cloves, cinnamon, honey, and cayenne pepper. All I got was heartburn and then diarrhea

6. Spicy foods...been adding tabasco to my peanut butter sandwiches. Had jalapeño nachos - no help.

7. vacuuming- will be trying this today. Someone at my work claimed that helps. I think it's a ploy by someone's husband who was trying to get out of doing chores.

8. Riding down bumpy roads

Any other ideas -crazy or not -welcome. I am a desperate woman here. PLEASE COME SOON BABY!!!!

LOVE YOU BESTY!  Thanks for letting me share your story!

Oktoberfest

Saturday, after the power nap, we met up with Brooke, Brooke's mom, and Freeland at Oktoberfest.  

L to R:  Freeland (nice legs!), me, Adam, Brooke

 

The best part was the clothing!  All the people working there had on Germany, Van Trap family singers-like apparel.  I wish'd I'd worn my milk-maid dress.

I love these two gentlemen.  Seems like they should go yodel.  

We sat outside and the boys sipped on some beer and then played this game.   "German CornHole" or something like that...Anywhoos, you try to throw the beanbag into the hole.  

Honest Summary?  Oktoberfest was fun but it was no Greekfest.  However, my opinion comes from the fact that while we were there (Saturday night from 5:30-8:30ish) there were supposed to be bands playing but they never went onstage.  Sooo, it was mainly converse amongst yourself and visit the different rooms and areas of the church and people watch- which was pretty cool!

Today,  I came home from work and there was a package with my name on it.  I hastily opened it and, inside, it held the most wonderful pair of pants. 

Maternity pants.  Ah, the wonder.  I readily examined them and they looked so stretchy and nice.  Now, I really don't need maternity pants yet but they are just sooooo darn comfortable, I may never take them off.  

Thanks, Mom!!!

Part Deaux

My wonderful buddy, Bethany, turned 25 (go rent a car!) and we celebrated on Friday night!

Isn't she lovely?

(Please note the crown & sash her husband picked out)

She had one of my college favorites,  Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets...

with an assortment of sauces!  (Hmmm...Wonder where that freshman 15 came from?)

Sarah liked the chicken nuggets, too. 

And...

What party is complete without Catch Phrase?  

This is when you really get to know a person...watch them play a board game.

Sweet, innocent Natalia turns vicious when it comes to board games!

 

Particularly when it's boys against girls...

Spouse vs. Spouse

Bethany has a family tradition of a singing candle.  You just twist the top and Voila!

Mingle, Mingle, Mingle

A few of our girlfriends celebrating Sweet B's life.  

Happy Birthday, Bethizzle! 

Tune in tomorrow for details on Oktoberfest 

and the great debate:  Baby Belly Growing or Just Plum (prune) Constipated? (Hey, I'm keepin' it real, folks.)

Perfect Fall Weekend, Part 1

Even though the parents weren't here this weekend (tear), Adam & I buckled down and enjoyed this beautiful fall weekend.   

After taking a morning walk, 

Adam & I drove out out to the country.


To a pumpkin patch.

See the pumpkins?

Only problem was...we were not alone. Behind us, rolled in hundreds of suburbans filled with tiny children. No, literally, there were hundreds of people there. And, yes, we were the only folks there lacking (visible) children. Then, we saw the admissions booth (requiring money) and we decided to flee to less-packed territories.

I would've liked to try the corn maze and hay ride though.




Anywhoos, we fled to one of Adam's lil' fishing spots. It's by this old rickety one-lane bridge. The bridge squeaks and squawks when you go across like it's about to just lean over and roll into the river.



Here we are!

Secret (not really) Fishing Spot

Adam casting while Powers ventures into the cold waters to help. 

Powers & I frolicking through the woods. P.S. These are my favorite work-out pants ever.

 Just F.Y.I.

See the baby bump? 

We wrapped up the morning with lunch in good ol' historic Waterford, PA.  It was the best day to be outside enjoying creation!  

Then, we came home and had a power-nap in preparation for Phase 2 of Saturday:  Oktoberfest.  

To be continued in Part 2...

Also, to be covered is Bethany's 25th birthday shindig on Friday night... 

Dum, Dum, Dum...

Sad News, Happy News

Well, the sad news is that my wonderful parents were supposed to come in today but, unfortunately, with the market dropping, my dad needs to be at work for his fellow brokers and for his clients. Lots of people are scared and he's good at supporting them. So, Mom & Dad, we'll miss you but we understand! There's always next time!

The happy news is that Bethany's birthday was this week and we are having a dessert party over there tonight complete with Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples. So what, if I can't have a glass of wine. There is CHOCOLATE, hello!

And speaking of dessert, yesterday I was in an 11:00 meeting and all of a sudden, I was overcome with the most INTENSE, ravenous hunger that I have ever felt in my life. It was urgent. It was violent! I wanted to chunk the table through the window I was so hungry. It made me angry, weirdly enough. Luckily, a bit after one o'clock (the meeting dragged on) and I was able to shove my face with leftover spaghetti. Whew.

It's weird to be so HUNGRY after being nauseous for weeks and weeks. I have to keep some perspective though. Yes, I am eating for two. But the one is only the size of a peach. Ah, whatever...pass the gravy!

Today is my last day of my 1st trimester. Tomorrow, I enter into week 14!!!!

Enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weekend. Adam has a test today so we will get to play outside lots, I hope!

SIMPLE THINGS

Today, I bought two fall-y candles.  Pumpkin Spice and Autumn Wreath.  Both smell delicious and make me so happy to walk inside our home (as if I didn't have enough reasons...)

In other exciting news, Student-Doctor Adam Jennings is planning his rotations!  That's right, folks.  During years 3 and 4, he will be doing one-month stints at various hospitals with various programs.  His first one (in June), is Psychiatry.  So, he'll come home with lots of good stories! 

These rotations make it so REAL.  That there is an end to medical school, that all this hard work and sacrifice is going to lead to this vocation of treating people.  So Cool!  

Also, Adam will have a couple of elective rotations where he can choose the hospital and the specialty.  We plan on heading back south for a couple of those which will be exciting and fun with Baby J and Powers in tow.  Luckily, he has an elective rotation in December, 2009 so maybe we will be home for a good, long Christmas break!  

Post-Thanksgiving Supper Belly

Whoa, the poll is at a dead even! (See below Blogher Ad on right column.) Will we have a boy? Will we have a girl? The truth will be revealed in about six weeks.

Belly pictures...belly pictures. I've had a couple of requests for belly pictures.

Here's the deal: I am not so much with a bump, I feel, as with some thickening of the waist. Yes, thickening as my mother calls it. So, until I look more so pregnant and less so post-Thanksgiving meal-y, the pictures will wait. Although I do have my day-we-found-out picture (6 weeks prego.)

Moving on,

Powers, Powers- how will he adjust? Is he ready to be a big brother? Let's face it, he's kind of our baby (four-year-old) right now. Powers actually had his yearly check-up at the doctor's office two weeks ago and we asked the vet about bringing home a baby with a dog.

He was very encouraging and said that boxers are known to be extremely good with kids. However, we need to make sure that Powers knows that he is below the baby in our pack. We also read in Marley & Me that you can bring home a poopy diaper from the hospital for Powers to smell and investigate to prepare him for the baby & baby smells. Adam is definitely the alpha male and so we've also heard that he should be the one to bring the baby into the house.

Any ideas? Thoughts on bringing home a baby with a dog in the house?

Geocaching!

When Adam & I lived in Waco, our favorite weekend activity was geocaching!  In case you don't know about geocaching- it's basically a big "treasure" hunting game using a GPS.  So, we download all of these coordinates into Adam's handheld GPS and then we go out hunting for the treasure.  Usually, we end up in the woods feeling around in dark holes in tree trunks.  Anywhoos, there are all kinds of caches (prizes or goals) to find.  People can leave big caches in the woods under a log, medium-size caches on the back of a rain gutter, or teeny caches behind a guardrail (these are magnetic caches and are tiny.) 

Adam & I are huge dorks and love geocaching.  Many caches have a prize left inside of them that you can take and then you leave something else for the next folks.  Typically, it's something pretty junky but sometimes you get lucky and get a really good prize, particularly if you are the first person to find a cache.  Otherwise, especially with the tiny caches, you just sign your name and then go home and log all your finds on the computer.  When Adam & I lived in Waco and Adam had his big honkin' jeep, we (including Powers- but he's not very good. ) would drive out on these trails and then hike in to find caches.  Lots of fun. 

Anywhoos, my favorite geocaching memory is when Adam & I decided to go night-caching.  We took off after dark and did a lot of down-town caches.  At one point, we were on the corner of two busy streets, in the parking lot of a closed bank, using our head lamps to dig through bushes to find a little cache.  I'm sure the police were on their way for the suspicious bank robbers digging through the bushes.  

So, this past Saturday, Adam, Powers, and I went geocaching in Erie.  There are some hidden in the woods near us and in Asbury Woods.  BEAUTIFUL day to go and I had forgotten how much fun it was.  So, if you're interested, check out this website.  You won't regret it!  It's good family bonding time!

The Man Behind The Fetus...

Adam, holding the positive test,  in disbelief over impending fatherhood. 

I just want to give a shout-out to my Baby-Daddy, my sweet husband- Adam Rutledge Jennings. In the midst of slight hormonal shiftings, he has been a trooper.  Doing laundry when I really, really wanted to lay on the couch and shut my eyes for a few minutes, eating whatever I didn't have an aversion to at the time and smiling about it, and researching all things baby so that he can fill me in.   He's swooped in and picked up all the things that I've dropped and never made me feel guilty about it.  

Even with butt-loads of studying to do, he's been so selfless and so patient.  Plus, he's going to be a great dad.  So, Hey Adam...thanks.  Now, do you want to have ice cream for supper?  

Hiatus Over- Happy News Time

Dear Bloggy Friends,

Well, after a loooong 3-week hiatus, we are back (a day early- I'm a bit impatient) to show you...

Baby Jennings!


debuting on April 19th!


We are ecstatic! I start my 13th week tomorrow!  

So, we had our first sonogram on Thursday.  I was so stinking nervous.  But she squirted my stomach with some gooey stuff and pushed the wand down and BAM!  There was the baby.  Incredible.  

At first, the baby was sleeping like in the two pictures above.  The sonogram tech. had me try and cough to wake the baby up.  Instead, the baby just slid around.  Which made me laugh.  And cry.  THEN the baby woke up. 

So cool!  The baby started jumping around.  Literally, the baby looked like he/she was jumping up and down and throwing his/her hands around.  It was amazing.  (See the umbilical chord?)

I kept laughing uncontrollably and so we couldn't get a clear picture.  So then, I tried some deep breaths and the laughter got under control.  Adam & I were amazed.  


Baby's got a pretty roomy pad right now.  Lots of space to jump around.  



So, PRAISE GOD!  We are in awe and have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support of our families, friends, and community.  Now that the cat's out of the bag, this pregnancy seems more REAL.  Not just mind-numbing fatigue and constant nausea.  (Which I did pray for, so I will not complain.  At first, I had no symptoms and I was scared that the baby wasn't okay and so I prayed...God, I need some symptoms.  I'm worried.  And, I tell ya what- the Good Lord answered my prayers.  Ha Ha.)  

So, now you're mostly caught up.  I will continue the debriefing session over the next few days.  If you are so inclined, please remember us in prayer.  We want to prepare well and sow in prayer over this child's life.  

If you want to come over and jump and down and squeal with us, come on!  We love doing that.

  I will praise the name of God... and will magnify Him with thanksgiving!

-Psalm 69:30