23 Weeks Pregnant!

I am now 23 weeks pregnant! The baby is getting bigger and I feel more and more pregnant every day. She moves around like crazy. I am convinced that she is going to either be a soccer player or a karate kid! She especially likes to move around when music is playing or when I am laying down. The little stinker loves to wake me up at night or wake me up just as I am drifting off to sleep. Scott has been able to feel her move around. I love feeling her kick because it helps me feel like she is okay in there. It also makes everything a lot more real to me and to Scott. It has been a great bonding experience for us. We are having a baby!!!! All of our patience finally paid off! Big changes are coming and we are really excited!

I had my Gestational Diabetes test last week and everything was fine. However, my Iron level is lower than ever even though I have been taking my meds. I am feeling better but they are still really concerned about my levels because they are way lower than they should be. Please pray that I am able to get that up soon. I notice it the most when I go to bed. I have trouble breathing and feel so fatigued that I have trouble falling asleep. I am still battling fatigue during the day, but it seems to be better than initially. I just couldn't understand how my level would be lower after taking medication. As the baby grows, she requires more and more from me. So, my level probably has increased but the baby is also using more. Anyway, they are going to test me again in a couple of months. I am going to try doubling my Vitamin C intake in order to help my body better absorb the Iron. I think that I have had this problem for most of my life but am just now discovering it. I think it is a hereditary thing because my sister had the same problem for both of her pregnancies. I am determined to get it under control. I think it will really make a difference in how I feel! If anyone has any suggestions, please send them my way!!!!

I have another appt. tomorrow morning. They are going to do another sonogram to check the sex of the baby again. Fortunately, there is not going to be any charge for this one. :) It will nice to be able to see little Faith again! There will be another one at the end, but I have heard that by that time the baby is usually so big that you only get a portion of the baby on the picture. I love sonograms and am so grateful for today's technology! I just cannot wait to see little Faith in real life!

Well, we are back to the drawing boards. Scott isn't sure that he wants to use Noelle as the middle name. He is pushing for McKenna, but I really want Noelle. At least we came to agreement on Faith-that was a miracle! I would love to know what you think! Which name do you like better-Noelle or McKenna?

I still have not been able to find a Tricare approved pediatrician. It is really discouraging, but I am hoping that the nurse at my doctor's office will be able to recommend someone from my list of 125 names. There are a lot of doctors who take our insurance-just not any of the 20 or so that have been recommended to me. :( I really want a good doctor for our little sweetie! There are so many bad ones out there; it makes me nervous. I am just praying that God will open a door and give me some direction.

I am hoping to take a tour of the hospital tomorrow after my appointment. Since Scott is leaving in September, I am really wanting to squeeze everything in before he leaves. Hopefully, tomorrow I will get a schedule of all the classes that they offer so I can start planning out the last few months of my pregnancy. I am excited about that! It will be really good to learn some things from the pros! I know that if I am going to have any chances at succeeding at this breastfeeding thing, then I am going to have to take a class. I have a friend who recently had a baby. She swelled up like crazy and the baby would not latch on. I cannot help but wonder if things would have gone better had she taken some classes and gotten some advice about breastfeeding. She went into it completely blind and unprepared. Her experience was bad for both her and the baby. Now she is strictly formula feeding him. There is nothing wrong with that, but I at least want to give breastfeeding a try. I want to be as prepared as I can be for Faith's arrival! She deserves that!

I will post pictures soon. Hopefully, I can find my charger so that I can actually get my camera charged up again and take some pictures! I know you are just dying to see my expanding waist line! Ha! :)