26 Weeks...Again...

I will wait to post bi-weekly updates now until after my doctor's appointments...

Just a quick update that the doctor's appointment yesterday went without a hitch. I was in and out in 15 minutes! While the scale keeps going up, my belly keeps going out, our visits become more frequent, and B2K keeps kicking more there are no concerns to be mentioned! I have had a sharp pain in my left side since about Sunday afternoon but I chalked it up to over-doing it over the weekend trying to clean our house then golfing that afternoon. The pain continues so I mentioned it to Amie and she suggested that it might be a case of Sciatica based on my description of the pain (aka: baby sitting on my sciatic nerve). Outside of a pregnancy massage, which I am so lucky to have gotten three months of from my wonderful husband for mother's day and get to enjoy my first one tonight, and ice press there is really nothing that can be done about it accept to wait until she is out of there and here with us and off of my nerves. So guess what...she really is on my nerves before things even get started! ; )

We will return to the doctor bi-weekly, as mentioned, and will do my glucose screening at the next appointment on June 3rd when we will also get another u/s that Daddy is very excited about!! (he worried that he wasn't going to be at the appointment yesterday and they were going to do one when he wasn't there!) Otherwise, nothing to report other than another week down...14 (give or take) to go!!! : )

26 Weeks

Here I am again...bi-weekly update...wow! One website that I have tracking B2K's progress each week indicates that this is the last week of the 2nd trimester and another one says that next week is the last week...but regardless, I have to say that I am shocked, scared, excited all in one that we are less than a week away from the final stretch of B2K making her presence!! I can't believe we are 26 weeks already...we are in the double digits of number of days to go...98 days remaining, give or take a few!! Holy cow!!

Jay and I continue to make strides in getting home projects done in between other things going on. This weekend was the first weekend in 5 weeks that we have been home for the weekend and made the best of it. He is working on getting the closet done for me today and tomorrow so I can start hanging up clothes that I finally started to get washed this weekend! It is slowly coming together. We have our wall decals ready to put up from Uppercase living which making a long story short are not the "right" ones because this pg lady wrote down the completely wrong number (not even on the same page of the catalog) but luckily only ended up with clouds instead of bubbles so it wasn't a complete disaster and I think I can make them work! And if not and I let the anal, crazy pg lady side of me get the best of it, I will just re-order the right ones and do whatever with the clouds. : ) Hopefully we will be able to tackle that project the next free weekend we have...

On other terms of the Kern household, Jay had his first Midwest Champions Series last weekend at Lasoski's in Warrensburg, MO...Mother's Day weekend. Our Saturday experience was less than ideal and had Jay wishing that he could pack up and go home. After making a few changes to tires and a motor he went out Sunday with a new mentality and an outstanding turnout!! He was able to bring his Mom and this Mama a WIN! He finished 1st and 2nd in his classes for the day. Outside of being a long time coming for a "W", he was able to dedicate it to all of the girls in his life and it was a terrific mother's day!! He has his second race of the series this weekend at Newton Speedway in Newton, IA. Mom and Dad have always had to work weekends and were only able to see a race or two since Jay and I have been together, they finally get to come up and see him race a whole race. And of course Ashleigh is ecstatic to get to come too...she loves helping Uncle Jay at the trailer. So he will have some extra supporters at the track when his brother gets to come help and his niece and nephews there to cheer him on; he doesn't get to have his family there watching very often. ME......I have finals for the current class that I am taking this week. I will start another class the following Tuesday for another 6 week period then it's the final stretch! My classes are just another crazy reminder for me (outside of the 3 websites that I get reminder/progress emails from each week) of a countdown until B2K...like I could forget! : ) Classes being over means B2K being here with us!!!

Finally, we/I have a doctor's appointment this Tuesday which will entail a quick blood pressure/urine/heart doppler checks. The only "milestone" of this appointment is that it is the first and only appointment that Jay has not been with me. But I have no doubt that me and B2K can handle it and we will get through it with minimal anxiety (I say minimal very loosely) but we know that Daddy will be just as nervous as we are until he gets that phone call from us when we are done! Outside of that, I anticipate no additional updates outside of the fact that we will be going to bi-weekly appointments after this one! Crazy!!

Angel's Letter

Angel Girl: Not that you ever leave my mind completely, but I have thought about you even more so than usual the last couple of days and felt the need to write you my thoughts. It's hard to believe that it is approaching a year since we had to say good-bye to you. I find myself looking at your memory book, looking at your shelf of things in the office debating if I am ready to put away some of those things...sometimes I think that I am ready to do that, other times I am not ready to close that chapter yet. I will never forget you and not think about you just because the few things that I have of yours aren't displayed on your shelf; I know this. But I still cannot bring myself to pack them up and put them away. I never want to feel that I am disrespecting you or "forgetting" you but the last few weeks as it becomes more apparent that I am pregnant, I can't help but feel that. When people ask if this is our first child and I am quick to answer yes even though I know that you are my first. I want to say that I have an angel in heaven but don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable; which in turn makes me feel even worst about myself and the fact that I worry about other people's feelings than I do announcing that you are my little girl too. I am terrified of what is to come when your sister is born. I "know" that I am going to love her as much as I would have (and do) love you...but I still have that trepidation that I will resent her in some way because it's not you...I never want to do that to her. Again, I know deep inside that I will never do that and I know that she is your gift to us and that I will love her endlessly as well. I have to know that this is your way of telling me that it's going to be okay, just like you always made sure we understood...it just took us longer to figure it out. Even though I felt the need to cry some tears for you tonight, I smile at the thought of how happy, taken care of and spoiled you are with everyone that I know loves you as much as we do!

Last weekend was Mother's Day. I would have thought this would have been my first mother's day with you but instead it was my first mother's day without you. But I thought about you the whole day! And your daddy won a race and made sure to make it known that it was for his girls...all of them!

I will make sure that your sister knows all about you. We will celebrate you as we would if you could be on earth with us and know that you are always looking out for us, taking care of us. You're our little gift giver. It doesn't make me miss you any less, but the pain is less when I think about you and instead I feel the joy that I have you as my guardian angel until I get to see you again! I picture you and who you look like...Daddy's eyes? My hair? I love you Angel! I will always love you and I know that you understand the choice that I will make soon to "close" a chapter to "start" another chapter that you have granted us! I have to believe that you have a hand in this and will give me strength and encouragement to do so when I am ready!

All my love,
Mommy