Non-Stress Test Today

I have been summonsed to the doctor's office today at 11am for a Non-Stress Test. I've noticed that Allie hasn't been moving quite as much this week and started to become somewhat worried last night. She's passing her kick tests (at least 10 kicks in the two hours following each meal) but isn't moving as much between these times. The doctor said it could just be that the movements are not as pronounced because she is getting bigger and doesn't have enough space to move around but it doesn't hurt to check.

I'm positive that everything is okay but it can't hurt to have her checked out. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers today!

Couple More Pics

We added the butterflies and the beautiful glider to Allie's room this weekend. I absolutely love her room. It has become, by far, my favorite room in the house. I spend a few minutes every morning or evening just sitting in the glider and looking around. It's just so peaceful.

We have a little bit more work to do but are getting close to being done!

Not good, not bad

I'd been dreading our appointment this week for the past few days. I just had a gut feeling that something wasn't right although I couldn't exactly put my finger on what it was. The good, make that GREAT, news is that Allie looked wonderful! She's growing right on schedule and is moving and kicking normally. Her little heartbeat was perfect as well.

The bad news is that my blood pressure had more than creeped up. It wasn't into the worry zone quite yet but it was 2 points below the worry zone. I told the doctor about the anxiety I'd been feeling all week over the appointment so they re-checked my blood pressure again before I left. Same result. That result bought me a repeat visit with the nurse at 8:30am this morning to be re-checked. Not exactly my idea of fun but way better than bed rest!

The good news is that my blood pressure was down slightly this morning and was good enough to earn me a free pass to my next appointment in 2 weeks. I guess they're not too concerned which was a huge relief for me. After the next appointment, we'll start going every week for the 4 weeks until she's born.

Overall, I'm feeling good and not showing any signs of true high blood pressure. I'm hoping to get back on the low-sodium train and drink more water so as to avoid a repeat performance next time.

Only 6 more weeks to Allie!

The Name Game

In other Neptune-related news, we're about 99.9% sure we've decided on a name. Looks like it's going to be Allison Jayne and we'll be calling her Allie. I bought the letters to hang over her crib and glued the ribbon on last night. We're hoping to add them to the wall sometime this week.

Only 6 1/2 more weeks to go before little Allie's arrival!

Making Progress

We're making progress on the room! Grandma-ma bought Neptune's bedding for her as a shower gift so we were able to put it in her crib last night. It is so stinkin' cute that I can't stop looking at the pictures! I absolutely love it!

Casey came over yesterday afternoon and helped Nick move the dresser into her room. It looks really good and makes the room feel more complete.


We're working on some finding some decorations and are waiting for the glider (thanks Shelley & Holli!) and a few other decorations to arrive in a few weeks to finish the room. We also need to find somewhere to put all of these shower gifts! I need to take a class on baby room organization or something because right now they're all piled in the corner.

We get more and more excited as her room gets closer to being completed. It makes it feel a lot more "real" to sit in her room and imagine what she'll be like one day.

Thank you to all of you who have helped with the room. We think it's turning out wonderfully!

Exciting Weekend!

We had a very busy but exciting weekend. Friday night I met up with the girls from my soccer team for dinner and a baby shower at Abuelo's. I hadn't seen any of the girls since I had to quit playing at 6 weeks pregnant so it was wonderful to see everyone again and catch up. I don't think I realized just how much I've missed those girls. We had so much fun laughing and talking and catching up on each others' lives. I can't wait to start playing again after Neptune arrives!

Little Miss Neptune loves Mexican food so she was in total heaven all night! The girls were very generous and gave Neptune loads of toys, gear and bath items. Daddy was very pleased to see the Ohio State blanket when I got home!

Thank you ladies for being such great friends! I can't wait to join you back out on the field!

Nick's family threw me a shower on Saturday afternoon. The theme was the Secret Garden, just like Neptune's bedding. If you've ever been to a Bryant party, you know they know how to do it up right! Everything was adorable from the flowers in teapots on the tables to the butterflies and flowers hanging from the ceiling. They really went out of their way to make everything perfect for me and for Neptune. The food was fantastic and the baby carriage cake was this amazing strawberry cake with strawberry filling. So good! The generosity of everyone there was truly touching. Neptune received so many gifts they took up a good portion of Tracy's dining room! I had such a great time yesterday sorting through everything and playing with all of the fun stuff. I didn't take very many pictures but will post some as soon as I start to get them from other people.

A big thank you to Mike and Tracy for hosting the shower in their new home. I know how much work you guys put into getting the house ready in time. Everything was beautiful! Thank you also to the ladies in the family for making my day so special. Nick and I both really appreciate all you do for us!

Couple of Pics

We're making progress on the nursery. We didn't get quite as far as we had hoped to last night but we did get the crib assembled. It was a very weird feeling to be putting together a crib for OUR daughter. I kept walking back into the room and looking at it throughout the evening. I love the crib and definitely feel like we made the right decision!

Nick has done a fantastic job on the room. It looks totally different than it did when we bought the house. He truly is very talented and worked hard to make sure everything is perfect for his little girl. I can't wait to see the room evolve even more as we continue to add more items.

Before pictures:

bright yellow walls, ugly brown doors / baseboards

After pictures:

new crib, green walls, white doors / baseboards