boy! He’s measuring about 8 ounces. They weren’t able to get a good view of the spine, so I have to go back for a repeat ultrasound. Since we only get one with the military, it’ll be nice to get a second peek.

The tech tried not to stay too long when she was identifying the sex but she was training a new tech, so she had to pause a bit. I had a hunch that what I was looking at was what I thought it was.

They moved my due date from December 30 to January 20. That more closely aligns with what we thought. Jim was in the middle of a two-week stint in the field when a Dec 30 conception would have occurred.

We have three names on our list. I have my favorite and have been calling the babe by it. Hoping it soon becomes Jim’s favorite too. My stepdad was sure it was a boy from the getgo and has always called him Sampson. I tried to talk Jim into putting that name on the list but he declined. LOL

Elizabeth cried & cried when we told her. She wanted a girl, evidently. The past two days she has been saying that I have a kite in my belly. I’d love to know where she got that!

My ultrasound pictures are posted here. Since we waited to find out the sex, we have no pictures showing proof.  Cory, do you think Sampson will look like me again?  You were spot on about E last time!

We had our ultrasound yesterday! My mom drove back from IN with us so she and Elizabeth accompanied me.

I am measuring about 3.5 weeks behind what my LMP predicted, which is about what I thought. So my due date is January 20 instead of December 30. The baby’s mouth was moving every time they went by it—just like Elizabeth’s was. There wasn’t much movement but we did see the heart beating well. The heart rate was a little low but not still within normal. Two hands, two arms. They couldn’t get a clear image of the spine, so I may have to go back so they can check again that everything closed up (spina bifida concerns).

The baby is a……
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<Knocking hard but quietly on some wood…> Sleep has been going SO well this week!! Bedtime is taking less than 30 minutes and she is only waking up ONE TIME! O-N-E T-I-M-E!! It has been more than two years since she has woken up so few times for more than one night in a row. Oh, how joyous it has been! I’m not holding my breath that it will continue but I’m soaking it up while it does happen.

I have a trike-rider! We have a Radio Flyer that has an adult push-handle on the back. Back in June she was getting *so* close to doing it on her own. Yesterday it cooled off and I was feeling decent (only threw up a couple times yesterday!), so we went out so she could ride. It was the first time we have had it out all month. She got on & started peddling w/o me pushing her! She doesn’t quite have the coordination to get going if she stops with the peddles in the wrong spots. It was so fun to watch her go!

When E does her prayers at night, she always thanks God for the ‘bae in ma’s tu’ (baby in mama’s tummy).  Lately she’s started adding thanks for ‘dad take shower’.  LOL  I have NO idea where she came up with that line but it cracks me up every time.

I’m planning a trip to Chicago when we go to IN next month (Vicki, check your e-mail!). But I’m leaving E with my mom. This will be the first time we’ve been apart over night, let alone for an entire weekend. I am SO looking forward to getting to sleep through the night!! Seeing old friends will be a plus, too. I think she’ll be fine with my mom. They are really well-bonded. Mom will sleep with her as she does when my niece stays over. I have lots of family in town, so there can be lots of ways to keep her distracted. And if things go sour, I can make it home in about four hours. Still, its a long time away from me. And me from her!

Tonight we were talking about the baby and what the baby will be able to do/won’t be able to do. She commented that the baby will have to nurse b/c the baby can’t eat popcorn. She then said there isn’t a lot of room on mom’s lap, so she’d have to wait her turn to nurse. Uh, sorry to break it you, but that’s not happening!! LOL Its common for an older non-nursling to want to try. After a few months of not nursing, though, they lose the ability to remember how they did it. So some people recommend letting them try, since they won’t succeed. But even after 13ish months of not nursing, I have no doubt that *my* child would still remember and take back up!! LOL I’m not against tandem nursing at all but, in this case, that’s not a scenario I want!!

My update….I threw up only one time today!!! And I mostly even felt “normal”. I don’t remember the last time I felt even semi-”normal”. Jim leaves for ranger this weekend, so I’m REALLY hoping this is coming to the end of the worst of it.

Being sick  I haven’t had to go back to the ER since last Monday!  I’m not doing well but I have only had one day where death sounds like the better alternative!  (I’ve had moments like that but only one day.)

Maternity clothes  I never wrote about my shopping experience before Jim’s graduation.  So I went to the mall, with everyone’s store recommendations, sure I could find at least a pair of pants or capris.  I started at JCPenney’s and hit every store in the mall.  Not ONE had any maternity clothes!  Not Penney’s, not Dilliard’s, not Macy’s (the three anchors).  Ann Taylor & GAP were also busts.  How in the world do you have a mall without any maternity clothes in an area of 200,000 people??!   Our Target has three racks (consisting of about 2 different choices per rack), Kohl’s has four racks, Old Navy none.  I haven’t checked Sears yet.   The PX has one rack.  Where in the world do people buy maternity clothes??!  I did buy a few things yesterday at Motherhood Maternity.  But I really dislike shopping them because of some of their business practices.  I hesitate to buy online because of size inconsistencies & having to pay to ship things back.  I’m heading to IN in a couple weeks, so I’ll do some shopping there.  And, then, if needed, I’ll buy online I guess.

Step-dad  He finished his radiation a month or so ago (he had six months of it).  This week he had his six-month check up.  In the CT scan, they couldn’t spot any more cancer!  He has six more months of daily chemo still.  Thankfully, he handles the chemo well enough that he can then work a full day after he gets it.

Jim  10 more days until he starts ranger school.  I know he’s looking forward to it but I’m not looking forward to three-ish straight months of him being gone!  After he finishes, he’ll have airborne school for three weeks and then we’ll be getting ready to move!

Birth  I had my VBAC consult yesterday.  I went in ready to argue anything the doctor had to say to try to dissuade me.  HA!  He was awesome!!  After going over my birth history, he began listing the pros of having a VBAC.  I knew then that I wasn’t going to have to fight.  He then talked about the cons of a VBAC.  He then commented that the only real pro to a C-section is the convenience factor.  I said something about it only being convenient for the parents & doctor, not the baby who hasn’t shown signs of being ready to come out (by starting the labor process).  He just chuckled.  I really liked him!  [Obviously, if I didn't meet all of the qualifications for attempting a VBAC, I'd do a repeat C.]  I don’t get to see him because they are terribly short-staffed so only high-risk patients get to see the OBs.  Not that it matters much since I won’t give birth here anyway.  And that’s a whole ‘nother post.

Blogs  I am SO behind on reading blogs.  I’m hoping to catch up this weekend.  I miss reading about ya’ll.

Big Brother  What is with this year’s cast??  Weird.   I can’t get into the season yet.

I’m still sick, sick, sick.  This pregnancy is kicking my butt.  I’m not sure I’m any sicker than I was with Elizabeth but I didn’t have a 2.5 year old to care for and DH was gone for the worst of it, so I was on my own schedule to sleep when I wanted, etc.  No such luxury this time.  Elizabeth is having constant meltdowns that I’m sure are a reflection of the attention I can’t give her.  I try when I can but I can’t do much.  I’m down another two pounds.  Threw up yellow bile (?) at the grocery today.  I’m throwing up at least once a day in spite of the Zofran.  I have a feeling I’ll be back at the ER for fluids tomorrow.  Jim has 24-hour duty on Tuesday, so I need to feel somewhat better before then.

Don’t bother asking about the state of my house….

Not much sounds good, esp. not anything I need to chew.  I got some Little Debbie Swiss Rolls today and those tasted good.  And I got some push-up pops.  That tasted REALLY good.  Anything I can put in my mouth & swallow sounds the best…unfortunately, those really aren’t healthy foods.

Good thoughts, prayers, whatever are much appreciated.  I’m not handling this pregnancy well, physically or emotionally.