emma james fitch

The ultrasound was Monday, and went fairly well. My appointment was at 830, the first of the day, and something seemed to be off about the machine, but the tech got it all together fine and started. She looked at all my bits, which are all in the same general places as the last two times shes done this... but I know its her job. Then went to get a peek at baby and the first thing we see are legs spread open. Normally they take baby's mesurements first, then show you boy or girl, but she couldnt skip it and hope to get just a clear view again so we got to know at the very begining that baby is a girl. The very first thing we learned about her is that she is not very cooperative. We never got to see her face, and took just over the hour alloted to get a decent view of everything else. Emma also told us that she will not be holding still. She started out breach, and dancing, then half way through the ultrasound she flipped over completely. We never knew where to look to find her arms or legs or feet, except in front of her face seemed to be her favorite place. In the two pictures above, her face is behind her knees, then behind her tiny fists. Below is the best profile we got, and here her little face is smooshed up against the placenta so we still couldnt see it.

I have to go back for a fourth ultrasound next monday in order to see her little face to check for any deformities. I dont mind the extra appointments and pictures, but Im not looking forward to paying for the extra ultrasounds. Only one is included in the estimated cost that we are making monthly payments towards, so I am going to make an extra payment this month, just to help out.

After the ultrasound, Jason and I went to the zoo. We had a great time. I have never been to a zoo before, just to the deer park in Bandon, OR, and to Wildlife Safari in Windston, OR. Both were a lot of fun, but nothing like a zoo. They are more free range, and petting park types. We both bought things to bring home, Jason a new shot glass, and I got a very soft bright orange monkey.

We finished the day with a little shopping, and Jason picked out Emma's first clothing purchase- a onesie that says in sparkly pink letters "I'm not a boy!" We told Heather, next door, and she was very excited. She let me know that they have planned a yard sale for August second with several other women on my street who all have baby things to sell... Kristy said they are starting at 8am, and there are boy and girl things, from infant to around kindergarden age (as far as I know thats the age/size range.)

Tonight Jason had his first softball practice and I went out to dinner and a movie with the girls in the neighborhood. I was a little shy, because I only kind of know Heather, and Ive met Tereasa, but didnt know Kristy at all. They are a lot of fun. We had Tereasa's twelve year old daughter Miranda with us too. All of them are great, and I feel more like a part of our subdivision now. Or at least a part of this end of the street. While I was out, cable one came and got our internet installed, and Jason had it all set up before I got home, so I am sitting on my staircase (where he had my computer) checking my email, and letting everyone know the news! From the convienance of my own late night home.

Oh, one last thing, I invited my mom to come to the next ultrasound, she will be in town thursday night untill the following monday (a week and a half) so I thought it would be nice if she could come. Hopefully she will enjoy getting to see her grandbaby while shes still inside of me.

pregnant me

I hadn't shown you any pregnant pictures yet, because I hadn't taken any. But in the last month I have a few to show.

These are Jason's parents, on the playground at the seminary in Guatemala City. I am 17 weeks.














Jason and I after Tim and Rachel's wedding, I am 20 weeks here.



















I know it is recomended that you don't make any major hair changes while pregnant... but it was time, and I cut off all my hair.

And here is tummy, right around twenty weeks. (This is my back yard too!)

quick update

In the three days our house has been on the market, it has been shown three times, by several different realtors. Yay!

Also, I am sick. As in I have a stuffy, runny nose, really sore throat, and painfull cough. Poor me.

One last thing, baby is kicking more and more, and apparently likes it when I am on my swing in the back yard. I like it too. Hopefully this means baby will like being rocked to sleep.

That is it!

this and that and being back in the country

First off, Guatemala was amazing. It is beautiful there, the people were great, and sicknesses were kept to a minimum. We have been back for a week and a half, and I am finally starting to feel like things are normalizing. If you want to know more, just ask me about it and I will give you the whole run down of the twelve days and show you a million photos. :)

Jason and I got a phone call from Arlen while driving back into Nampa from California last monday night saying he has someone he wanted to show the house to, when would it be finished? So we spent all day on the 4th, all day the 5th, 2-10pm on the 6th, and several hours the morning/early afternoon of the 7th getting absolutely everything finished. We even bought a tiller and tilled the garden spot after pulling and bagging all the weeds. At 6pm monday night we signed paperwork with Arlen and tuesday morning the house went, officially, on the market. then, last night Arlen left us a list of things to touch up before this morning, because he had found a second person to show it to today, and the original woman is tomorrow. We were there till eleven last night finishing up touch up paint, some little cleaning things, and I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees. I just pray that someone wants to buy the house. That they see all the hard work we have put into it, even though its 14years old. It has been such a burden, and I'm ready to be done with it.

Besides the travel and the cleaning, baby is also doing well. I had a doctor appt on the first, and heart rate was 150. Getting lower each time so we will just have to wait and see if old wives tales are acurate or not. :) The ultrasound appointment is July 21st at 830 am. Jason gets to come with me to that one, but then he cant go to any more appointments because of his new work schedule and Dr Anstine's schedule. I am excited to find out, a little tired of waiting. I want a girl most, but I think I have come to terms with either option. There are benifits both ways. Now I am mostly hoping that we are able to tell. That would just be terrible if we waited so long and baby wouldnt let us see! I will be at twenty one weeks two days at the next appointment.

Okay, I think that about covers everything in the last month or so thats happened. I will let you know when I know more.

something!

Right at 16 weeks, after really feeling what Sarah called the "sham" part of this pregnancy (meaning, nothing happening for weeks and weeks except peeing, and eating, and growing, with nothing to show for it) after my five am potty trip I layed in bed unable to go back to sleep willing this child to kick me. And baby did just that! At five thrity I felt two little pokes and another one at six. It is just a little thing, and nothing more since then, but at least that made Saturday morning a little better.

I appear pregnant to most of the population now, so I have stopped getting the "is she...? or maybe just....?" looks. And Ive taken to asking Jason if baby makes me look fat. :) I am feeling better, mostly because in two days I will be landing in Guatemala City with my husband and inlaws and bits of their church for a ten day work and whitness trip. And, if that werent good enough, the day we get back I have another doctor appointment and just two weeks after that, we should find out if baby is a boy or girl. Finally, there is something to look forward to that is not an eternity away.

Also, in the mean time, if any of you know anyone (or are someone) who would love to buy a nice three bedroom, two bathroom house (1000ish sq ft) on a ginormous lot (16ooo sq ft) (its all back yard, Im not kidding) with brand new paint inside and out, and all new flooring in the entire house, fridge, dishwasher and gas range included for around 135000$, please, PLEASE, send them our way. Or to Arlen. He is our fantastic realitor. We are hoping to have it off our hands by the end of the summer. If you dont know someone, just pray. :)

So, tomorrow night Jason and I drove down to California and Thursday early afternoon, we fly out of San Fransisco and into Guatemala city. Tonight, we pack.

The next time I write, there ought to be some exciting news.

impatient

I HATE waiting.
For anything.
I want progress.
I want to feel baby move.
I want to know if I can buy pink or blue baby things.

I just want something new to happen besides my new and startling similarity to the Venus of Willendorf.

I will get over myself soon enough. And all these things will happen soon enough. And unfortunatly the similarites I share with the Venus will only grow as I wait. But I will get over that too. (And if I dont, I will have my wonderfull husband to make me feel better by calling me a school bus. :P Im not kidding. I was wearing a yellow shirt.)

two months!

So this really doesn't have anything to do with baby, except that I won't be able to talk about baby online for at least two months because Qwest doesn't have internet in our new subdivision yet! Boo! :(

I am dealing with this fairly well, except that today is the frist day I have been online in a week, and I feel So out of the loop. I think I will be regularly visiting the M for a while in order to catch up!

Now something baby relevent. I had another Dr appt on tuesday, thirteen weeks, four days. Baby's heart rate was 160, 16 lower than last time, but baby is also not working quite as hard to grow as last time. Crossing fingers for a girl still, though I see someone out there thinks I will be putting all those boy clothes to use. :) We will see. Everything else looks good. I am gaining weaight just fine, not too much, I just carry it all in the front so I look a lot more pregnant than I really am.

We are going to guatemala before my next appointment, so instead of geting in the 25th, it will be July 1st. that would make my ultrasound at around 23 weeks, so I am going to ask that they bump up the July appointment to get us back on scedule so it will only be a little over 21 weeks when we find out. I cant wait that long! It's too bad I couldnt just know now!

Did I say this already? We are moved. Everything out of the old house is moved into the new house, in a box. Or bag. Or just scattered all over the floor. (It's scary.) The house makes weird noises and doesnt have any window coverings yet. And I'm afraid of the master closet. (At night, it looks REALLY scary. I cant go to the bathroom if the closet door is open.)

Jack is getting used to the back yard too. And to getting into trouble again. He has been so good for so long, I knew it wouldnt last. His first night I got him a new toy to keep him entertained, but it only lasted two nights. For the last two nights he has been a terror. We have two trees, the garden, a row of strawberries, and six rosebushes back there that he had left alone for a long time, untill two nights ago. the Gala apple tree (which has higher branches than the Fugi) was attacked first. he ripped down one of its largest branches, along with six or seven others. We are trying to graft it back in, and save the life of the tree (which cost us seventy dollars, and we need it to pollenate the Fugi). Then last night, he ripped out two rose bushes (that are already struggling because we recieved them bare root). Jason planted the bushes again this morning, and tonight I am giving them a good dose of vitamin B1. Jack spent the rest of the morning, and day, tied up on a fairly short leash, away from everything. When I went out to feed him breakfast late this morning, I noticed that he had ripped another branch off the tree that Jason had missed earlier in the morning, stripping more bark. I have that one in water, waiting to be grafted back in this evening, and we will give the tree another dose of B1 and pray it lives.

So those are my struggles right now. I know he wants to be a good dog. He has been fetching so well this week, and listening when we tell him things. If I say rope, he brings the rope. Or tug, and he tugs with me. He finds his ball, and sits when he's supposed to sit... but he's been so destructive again! Ripping up the tree two days in a row, and pulling out those rose bushes. I dont even know how he got his mouth around them. Ouch!

I will let you know again how things are before Guatemala. I have my last immunization tomorrow morning with Jason, and my anti-malarial drugs are waiting for me to pick up at walmart. By the time I get back, I should be feeling the baby move!