friends and flips

It's been a bit since I've last written.  It seems like I've been a bit busy these past few weeks.  We made 2 trips to GR, one for a visit to Drew's moms and the other was to celebrate our friend Amiee's 40th bday.  They were very fun trips filled with trips to the baby Gap as well as nights full of laughter.  I love getting together with my friend Amiee.  The times always end up with me laughing so hard that I have to think of something sad to stop laughing because it starts to hurt my stomach so bad.  For real.  I've got some really funny friends.  I'm so thankful!

People have been SO generous to me!  We have and keep receiving many gifts from maternity clothes to gifts for the baby.  Thank you everyone for your help! It's making my life so easy! Even drew has gotten in the baby buying mood.  He's bought a few outfits for our little guy and even some cute Sesame Street books.  He loves Sesame Street. I have to admit, I do too. Classic Sesame though, we haven't really seen it in a while but I imagine the voices are different as we all get older.

Drew is in New York this week.  He has to go to either New York or California for classes once every term.  This time it was New York.  It's the first time he met all his classmates that he will be studying with for the next 5 years.  He said overall it has been awesome.  They basically sit around for 8 hours talking about the meaning of life, God, dreams, man etc.  He is in Heaven.  I miss him so much, but every time I talk to him he's having such a blast and he sounds so happy.  I've never been more thankful for him starting school.  He's been waiting a long time to do this and I'm so excited for him to get into the program and start walking towards his life long goal of teaching.  And he's excited too.  He sounds like a kid who just walked into his first trip to Cedar Point.  So many things to experience, adrenaline pumping, ready for those upside down rollar coasters.  He walked a TON the first night, mostly because he was excited.  So by day 2 he had a few blisters that he has had to baby a bit.  But it really didn't stop him as we went out walking the next night too.  He's just so excited to be in the city. I don't blame him.  The city is exciting.

I can't remember if I mentioned my tooth ache.  I think I did.  Well, since then, I've been in ZERO pain.  I'm so thankful.  My appointment was still scheduled for May 21st to get my tooth removed, until last week. On Monday my gums started swelling next to the "toxic tooth".  Again, no pain, just swelling.  The next day it was bigger.  The third day it was like the elephant man but only in my mouth.

 ******CAUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!  THIS NEXT PART IS COMPLETELY GROSS!!!!!!!!********

I got to work that morning and I was looking (looking, not poking...just looking) at my gum when all of a sudden it....well....it....exploded.  There, I said it.  So nasty puss and blood was gushing out as I grabbed kleenix after kleenix at my desk trying to not faint from disgust.  Even now it makes my stomach turn and feel upset. It was by far one of the most disgusting things I had ever experienced.  Yes, I called the dentist begging for a closer appointment.  Again, I'm not in any pain and I'm SO thankful, but as I've been praying that God would just heal this thing so I don't have to go to the dentist again I realized, well, I guess I should just get it over with and take the stupid tooth out.  So now I'm scheduled for Tuesday.  We have a very busy week as Monday we have an OB appointment and then Tuesday I will go in to get it removed.  I'm going to tell him to remove both the back teeth if he thinks they both need to come out.  I have a feeling they both do and I dont want to be back here again in a month doing this over.  So...yeah.    He told me to start my antibiotics (which I HATE that I have to take, but with every pill I swallow I pray that God will protect our baby boy from any medication that might hurt him.  Everything I've read said these antibiotics are ok for the baby and my dr also said that so I guess I should just trust them) so I started them yesterday. I take 4 a day. FOUR!  But I'm guessing they are a lower dose spread out throughout the day so that makes more sense to me than taking 2 heavy doses twice a day.   Idk.  I'm not a doctor.  I'm a little nervous about the procedure as when I got my wisdom teeth out I was put out.  This time I will only have my gums numb.  But I know it will be over soon and it will be ok.  When I saw that nasty stuff in my mouth all I wanted to do was get rid of it so it didn't spread and hurt the baby.  So that's my goal.  Do what I have to do to get rid of the infection.  Infection = bad.  I'm also thankful it's not my front teeth as there will be no replacing the teeth until after the baby is born.  :)  Good times.

I'm hoping I feel good the next day though.  I might ask to work from home that day. I don't know how much pain I will be in, but I don't really want to take any time off work because I only get so many days for maternity leave and every sick day I take counts against it.  I'm trusting God to provide for us so I can take as much time off as possible.

LEAKING! Holy crappers, I'm leaking.  I'm 23 weeks along and I'm leaking.  I'm talking to my doc about it Monday, and I've been told it's normal, but for the last few days strange marks are showing up on my shirts out of nowhere.  Luckily it only happens at night, but it's STRANGE! Laura told me again, that's it's normal.  She's my #1 pregnancy meter.  I feel our pregnancies have been pretty similar so I've asked her about the strange body changes all along.  She always says, "yup. that's normal".  Thank God for normal.  But I thought leaking would start more around week 35, not 23.  So I will see what my doc has to say.

I've got so much to do and really, really, really trying to get motivated to do some of it.  It's getting to the point where I just have to do it.  We have our first shower at the end of June and the invites are going out soon. So this week we have to register so they will know what to buy.  Registering is one of those things on my list that I've been avoiding.  I know it will be fun, but there are so many choices about things.  So I know you all have your favorit things you love and hate (even you aunties who take care of the babies sometimes!) so please message me and let me know what to get.  I think we know what stroller we want, but besides that I'm pretty much clueless.  I plan on breastfeeding but I think I need some bottles too.  Do you know how  many kinds of bottles are out there? Sheesh.  Not to mention the disposable vs. cloth debacle.  I have a feeling this is just the beginning of many many decisions.