Week 26+

Another trip to the doctor today! All is well... Things are progressing along as scheduled. I actually got measured for the first time today...stomach, that is... He said that I measured between 26&27 weeks, which is right on schedule! The heartbeat, which was found on the FIRST try this time (woo hoo), was between 140-150.
I did get spoken to about my lack of weight gain throughout this pregnancy. I didn't get the feeling that I was in trouble at all, but he just reminded me to eat several small meals a day, especially since I'm not interested in food at all and fill quite easily. He suggested that I supplement my calories with an Ensure or a Boost each day to help with calories and to get some essential vitamins that I may be missing from my issues with many foods. We'll see... I don't want to do anything to hurt the baby, of course, so we'll see how things go! :)
We go back to the "lab" next week for the infamous "blood glucose test." This is to test for gestational diabetes. I get to drink a very sweet drink (orange flavor :)), and after an hour, I will have my blood taken to test my sugar level. If I fail the test, I get to go back for the same test again, but the retest would last for over 3 hours. Ryan informed me that he wouldn't be sitting there with me for over 3 hours, so we'll hope and pray that I pass on the first try, or I'll have one very grumpy husband! :) hehe :)
Well, I must sign off... One of my favorite shows, The Closer, is having its season premier in just about 4 minutes... :) Yeah!!!!! :)
:)
Hope all is well! :) Lots of love to all! :)

It's becoming more real!

On Monday, Ry and I traveled to Fredricksburg, VA to officially begin the "baby shopping" life... We had lunch at the Olive Garden! (yum!) Then we shopped a little around at various stores before heading to Burlington Coat Factory's Baby Depot. We had heard that their cribs and other items were significantly cheaper than places like Babies 'R' Us and other comparable stores, so we decided to take the road trip to find out...
We spent over 3 hours in the baby section. I kept saying how overwhelming it was to see everything...it was like we didn't know where to start!
We did register for some items there...things like a stroller, a pack 'n' play, a bouncer seat, etc.
We didn't find lots of clothing items or blankets, though, so we'll register at a place like Target and/or Babies 'R' Us for those items... It was neat to register; we've never had the chance to do that! :) Ryan enjoyed going around and using the scanner on each bar code... :) I think we may have registered for around 50 items...
We also made a decision for the crib... We walked around looking at the cribs and other matching furniture about 10 times...only to find another area with more furniture! The "hidden" area was where we found the crib and hutch we ended up deciding on...it was so pretty! It seemed much nicer than some of the others...and we liked the other 2 furniture choices that matched with the crib. So, we brought home the crib, a mattress, and the hutch... The hutch will work as a bureau first...and then we'll attach the shelves. The hutch will be the changing table, too, which is good...it looks really nice! It's a natural wood finish with a honey tone. (I've posted pictures below...)
We also picked out the bedding - Winnie the Pooh's "Hunting for Hunny." It's really cute...and it features Eeyore, one of our favorite characters! :) It seemed non-gender specific and is a cute, bright, and cheery choice!
I realized a few things while we were shopping...
First, it's really hard to find items for a baby that you don't know the gender of just yet... It's very obvious that retailers cater to those who find out the sex of their little one. I kept telling Ryan that it would nice to know what we were having after shopping at the Carter Outlet and at Burlington! :) He didn't see my humor... I still stand by the wonder and amazement of having a wonderful surprise in October... I think it will be so neat! :) Plus, we have a lifetime of choosing clothes for the baby after it's born... :)
Second, buying things for a baby is really expensive!! :)
Third, there are soooooooooooooooo many things out there for babies! We we were amazed at the choices out there... Wow! :)
Finally, there are lots of nice people who shop in the baby section! :) We met a nice lady with an 11 month old little girl (who was very cute, by the way :)). We were wearily looking at the 15 bouncer seats...and I just said to Ryan, "Choose which one you like the best...I don't really care" after not knowing which to pick! This lady was looking at car seats close to us and asked if we wanted her advice...and thus began our conversation! :) She gave us ideas and her evaluation of things from a more experienced point of view...after all, she knows a lot more than we do at this point! :) She not only helped us with the bouncie seat, but she also told us about the strollers, various brands, and the Consumer Report information she knew about different products. :) She was so helpful... :)
At 8:30, We left Burlington a little exhausted...but I kept glancing at the packed van (with the furniture) and grinned... It's really real... :) I'm getting more excited... :)

America...

As many of you know, we traveled to the mid-west to visit with my grandmother last week. It is a long trip but well worth the time with one of the most amazing ladies I know! :) It takes us around 13-14 hours to make it from VA to little old Fairmount, IL. :)
We decided to break the trip up this year (we usually drive straight through) as we traveled to and from my grandma's. We left IL to return back home home on July 3rd and stopped in Cross Lanes, WV. We had around 5 hours of our trip remaining when we left on July 4th. While driving somewhere in Eastern WV or Western VA, we were surrounded by mountains covered with trees and little streams. As I was looking out the window admiring the beauty, I spotted one of the most amazing birds I've ever seen...a large bald eagle perched on a leafless tree. I've never seen a bald eagle in the wild before...I wish we weren't driving 65 mph so that I could have gotten a picture. So, you'll just have to imagine the eagle...an appropriate symbol of America on this 4th of July. :)

Third Time's the Charm :)

Well, we had our THIRD ultrasound today! :) The second one, about 2 weeks ago, went well but they couldn't get a "good look" at the aorta, the spine, and the cord. (I see Little Rakow is being uncooperative at an early age! :)) So, off to the doctor this morning for a follow-up, and I'm pleased to say that Little R was much more cooperative! :) The aorta, spine, and cord were all "looking good" (as the doctor put it), and as it stands, things with the baby look normal and healthy! :) Here are some stats: Today, the heartbeat was 147 bpm (it was 150 two weeks ago). Two weeks ago, Little Rakow weighed in at 14 ounces, and today it weighed 1 pound. Contrary to the wishes of some, we did not look for certain anatomy during either ultrasound - a surprise will be in store! (Although I think I saw a "little something" between the legs, but I'm not a certified sonographer...maybe it was the cord?) Perhaps Ryan's chants of "third leg...third leg..." for the last 2 weeks may be paying off?! We'll have to see... Oh, and I'm 23 weeks and 3 days along... :) I'm feeling completely normal - no complaints at all! I'm still not really interested in food or eating, but I eat so that we don't have a "malnourished Ethiopian child" (Ryan's words). :) I'm still not wearing maternity clothes...all of my regular clothes fit just fine, so I'm sticking with them for now. As I've said, in this area, it pays to be on the fatter side! :) I think I've lost around 8-10 pounds so far... I do have bouts of heartburn, but 2 Tums or a glass of milk seems to do the trick for curing that small malady. I'm feeling lots of movement now...it feels like I have a roller coaster in my stomach at times. The baby seems most active during the evening and late-night hours... :) I guess he/she is getting me conditioned for those late nights and lack of sleep?
Here are some pictures... :)

Home Wet Home

We had been out of town for about a week last week...a trip to PA for the night and then onward to NY (Albany) for Brittany's graduation...and then back to PA for a few days... It was a good trip! :) We arrived home on Wednesday night around 8:30 to find that we had a leak in our finished part of the basement... I thought there was an animal in the basement but soon realized that the rustling sound was the water hitting a plastic bag I had sitting in a box...

When I poked a hole in the ceiling to help the mystery water drain, about 2 gallons poured out of our ceiling in about 3 minutes... I got smart and turned the water off to the house until we could figure out where this small flood originated. Needless to say, we called for help from Dwayne, our dear friend, and at 10:00 PM, our plumber arrived and had the hole in our cold water pipe to the upstairs sink repaired in about 15 minutes. We have no idea how long the leak had been going on, but we now have a 4 ft. x 2 ft. hole in our ceiling and carpet/padding that's in the process of drying... We are really blessed - we know it could have been MUCH worse... :)

And to think I was anticipating a nice, quiet night in my own bed... :) I got there, eventually - around 1:30 AM :)

Remember us?

In case you forget what we look like...not the best picture of me (pale and tired), but it's good of Ry and Brittany (sis-in-law)... This was taken last Friday at China King Buffet... :) Use it to scare away the mice... :)

Long time...nothing to report! :)

I haven't written in a really long time...so I figured that I should probably write something so no one thinks I've fallen off the edge of the earth...
We only have 6 more days of school...and trust me when I tell you I'm counting down the hours. I really have NO reason to count...my kids are really a tremendous blessing...and I know that I will miss them terribly. However, I'm just so tired and worn out that I will enjoy waving to the big yellow buses on June 6th as they pull away. :) We had a field trip today that involved a lot of walking...I think my poor legs are just plain old exhausted... Early to bed tonight!
I'm still pregnant, I think... My last appointment (2+ weeks ago) was not eventful... We barely heard a heartbeat (the doctor struggles to find it each time...but we heard the heartbeat in the placenta area, I guess, he said... My thinking is that it must be like finding a needle in a haystack?)... I had to have a joyous exam (sigh) b/c of higher white blood cell counts in my urine...but he didn't find anything. I guess we'll see how the levels are when I go back on 6/10.
I lost another pound...the nurse made me think I was going to be sternly spoken with about that...but as it turns out, he wasn't concerned. I still have no interest in food...I eat to keep myself going...but it's a serious chore. For example, tonight I could barely eat a baked potato and some macaroni and cheese... I guess this pregnancy "diet" is just what I needed...maybe I won't be so fat when the kid comes out... :)
I can still wear all of my clothes...and I'm approaching 20 weeks... I know that I'm really blessed...of course, it helps that my fat belly was already fat before the whole baby thing came along... :) I have a feeling we'll be making a trip to Motherhood Maternity soon, however...I don't think I can live in dressy pants for the summer... :)
For the next appointment, we'll be having the last ultrasound... It's the big "do you want to know what you're having" ultrasound... I still don't want to know, but Ryan and every other person we know wants us to find out. My opinion is that there are few surprises in life...and the gender of a baby, at least for the first birth, should be one of those incredible surprises. People are bribing me, telling me it will be so much easier to know... I still feel like I don't want to know... Ryan told me, however, that he knows I'll be able to tell what it is during the ultrasound...I have that weird medical mind (wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember) that can tell these things... Of course, it will probably be more obvious than my medical knowledge... :)
We're not teaching summer school this year... I'm eager to enjoy the lazy days of summer...which won't be so lazy... We have a basement to clean/organize and a baby's room to prepare... I'm sure we'll be shopping for furniture for the baby's room...and taking birthing classes... We'll be traveling some in June... First, we'll head to Albany, NY to cheer on my sister-in-law at her high school graduation... We'll stop in PA to stay with my parents going and coming back... Then, in late June, we're going to Illinois to spend some time with my Grandma... As I mentioned in my first blog, she had a stroke in mid-February...and well, she's an incredible woman... She's now at home and has recovered amazingly... While she said she still struggles for words at times (they're in her brain but she has to "find them"), she has done wonderfully. She enjoys the flowers outside and listens to the birds... My mom and dad will be going to Illinois at the same time...so we'll all be out there together, which will be pretty awesome. I can't think of a better way to honor the two most influencial women in my life... Both of them are just so incredible... These last several months have made me feel so honored and blessed by their strength... :)
So, I will try to blog in the coming weeks...after our next appointment. I love to read what a friend of mine writes about her cool kid stories... I don't have much to share at this point, but at least you all know what's going on! :)
In the meantime, I'll go and finish my "slurpee" from this afternoon...that's really the only "craving" I have... Lord help this child when it comes out hooked to the pure sugar frozen drink... :)
Lots of love to all of you... :)

It's only a matter of time... :)

Well, now that I know there's really a baby in there, I've spread the word among my fellow teachers at school. Lots of hugs and smiles...and a few shocks, too... :) :)

I knew that my kids would start to hear things now that people know (Madison is very small and news travels quicker than the plague)...so I wanted to let them know the news before they heard it on the soccer field or at the local pizza parlor! :) I didn't want them to feel uncomfortable asking me if the rumors were true... :) So, we played hangman with the spaces that spelled, "Mrs. Rakow is going to have a baby." It took several letters before they called the "b," and I knew then that they'd figure it out. A gasp came from the center of the room when one little girl figured it out...and she turned around to whisper it to the others near her. The kids were so cute... :)

The questions were my favorite...

~"Does Mr. Rakow know?"

~"Oh great...so who will our sub be when you're gone?" (after this year and traveling to PA, my kids have seen their fair share of subs! :))

~"Do you know what it is yet?"

~"Umm, did you even WANT kids?"

~"Does it have gills?" (During lifecycles in science, we talked about how, as little babies on our mom's tummies, before we develop lungs, we have gills to help us breathe...)

~"If we hug you, will we crush the baby?"

~"If we hug you and we squish the baby, will it kick us?"

~"Can I tell my mom?"

~"Mr. Rakow wants a boy, doesn't he?"

:)

Thank GOD no one asked, "How did this happen?" :) hehehe :) Maybe they'll think to ask that tomorrow... :)

Hope you all have a great week! :)

a summary and a surprise

Hello, Friends! :) We wanted to share the latest happenings with the Rakows! We feel at a loss to keep in communication with our family and friends...so many of you live far away, and we don't do a great job keeping in touch like we'd like to do! So, a blog seemed like a great way to keep everyone up to date... :) Please come back and check us out often! :) After a challenging Fall and Winter with Robin's mom battle with cancer, Ryan's grandfather passing away suddenly, and Robin's grandmother having a stroke, things are looking up! Robin's mom is recovering after simultaneous radiation and chemo...and also had lymph nodes removed in February. Then, after a roaring infection and 30 days of antibiotics, we really feel like we're on the TRUE road to recovery! We're thankful for everything and stand in awe of her strength and grace! Ryan's family is dealing well with his Gung's passing. Gung was quite sick with metastatic cancer, but he never indicated feeling poorly until 3 or 4 days before his passing. He was a funny, smart, and honorable man...we will miss him. Robin's grandmother is doing much better...after some time in a rehab., she's regained all of her abilities and her friends report that they haven't seen her so good in 8 or 9 years!! We're looking forward to seeing her in the next few months... The blessings are abundant... We're excited (and Robin's still in awe) to report that we'll be welcoming a new family member into the Rakow household in October. A little Rakow will be gracing us with his/her presence around October 17th (which happens to be Robin's mom's birthday). We had our first ultrasound today and heard the heartbeat for the first time, and as Robin said, "I see it...this must be for real." This has been quite a surprise for us...it wasn't what we had planned in the grand scheme of things, but we'll take it! We both feel like it's just what we all need considering everything that's happened over the last several months. Life is more precious and our previous "self-centered" needs and comfort grew to be so small in comparison to what awaits... We'll add a few pictures, too…:) We figure you'll need time to soak in this news, too! :)

The Littlest Rakow

The first two are of the feet and legs (the legs are crossed at the ankles in the second picture). The rest are bird's eye views of the baby from the head looking at the arms, the whole baby (looking at the face) and then a side profile...
He/She measured 4.69 cm and the heartbeat was 176 beats per minute.