A lot has happened since I last posted an update. But, no doubt the most exciting is that I got to see our baby!!
We went to the doctor on Tuesday, May 14th so that we could find out the sex. And, as most of you already know, we are having a Ms. Paisley Ann Pate!! Yep! We are having a precious baby girl!!!! The most exciting thing I think I witnessed during the ultrasound was that she was lying on her back and opening and shutting her mouth like she was a little fishy. We got to see her spine and apparently her kidneys, bladder and some other things that I seriously couldn’t make out. The ultrasound tech could though, so I guess that’s what matters. My eyes are trained to see that kind of stuff. We also saw her heart; the tech saw four chambers, which is a good sign. Paisley was checked for brain matter as well as head size, femur length and tummy diameter. (I think that is what the tech did with her tummy.) She didn’t say anything that would suggest abnormal growth or slowed growth, so Paisley is doing well, healthy, happy, and I’m sure she’s absolutely gorgeous!!
Later that day, PJ’s aunt and I went to the store to get some things for PJ to announce that we are having a girl. PJ was working at the time of the ultrasound and wasn’t able to get off for it. So, Trish (aunt) and I bought some pink baby clothes, a little door hanger that says “Daddy’s little princess,” a package of “It’s a Girl!” mints, a stuffed bunny, some Extra bubblegum, and a few other things.
PJ wanted a boy and has wanted a boy ever since we found out we were pregnant. I initially wanted a boy too because I always thought that having a boy to protect our baby girl (2nd child) would be perfect. Inwardly, I knew it was a girl though. It was a gut feeling even though I kept calling it a boy. (I was doing this because PJ wanted a boy and it would kind of irritate him anytime I said we might be having a girl.)
Needless to say, PJ was surprised! He saw the pink and thought we were joking. He was a bit shocked and still kind of is to this day. He’s still trying to let it sink in because he was so sure we were having a boy. He said he had planned to do so many things with our little boy. I told him that he could still do those things with a little girl. He’s still getting used to it.
We’ve had a pretty busy week this week and it will continue to be busy.
PJ started his job on Monday. Tuesday was baby reveal day. Wednesday, I went to a birthday party with my cousins, JJ, Katie, Devon and their friend (cousin in a sense) Kalene. We had a nice time, got some sun exposure, and ate some food. Thursday, I chilled at the house while PJ worked. Today, I’ll be helping JJ prepare for his graduation party. Tomorrow is the graduation party, which lasts from 11-8pm. PJ and I are helping with it so we will be there almost all day.
So, yes, busy week for us. AND…AND…AND…I think I’m starting to feel Paisley’s kicks. They come at random moments and my tummy feels weird all of a sudden. Weird as in I could feel out of breath all of a sudden, or sick, even though it doesn’t last long, or just like the only sensation I can feel is in my tummy. They are starting to get stronger though, I think. I’m still not sure of what to expect.
Before I end this post, I must say that my weight has increased since moving to Marion. PJ and I aren’t used to having people to hang out with and eat with and have therefore gained weight because of it. So, I decided that I was going to be more conscious about what I eat and drink. I’ve been making good decisions. If it was the choice between an orange and a poptart, I’ll choose an orange even though I really want that poptart. Or, I’ll choose water even though I really want a soda. It’s definitely helping me and I have a lot more will power especially since I am thinking more and more about Paisley.
It’s all a matter of will power. And, I’m actually quite hungry right now. I think I’ll go get a yogurt (with active cultures ;)
In the days prior to moving (and actually up until this particular moment) things have been hectic! PJ and I have been busy running around all over the place trying to acquire what we need in order to be “Ohio citizens.” I’ve made about 350 phone calls to various places trying to get the information we need, we’ve made about 50 trips to and from places to get the right documents at the right offices, and we will have several more especially since some of our important documents are nowhere to be found. (I still don’t understand how our marriage license just randomly disappeared.) I’ve had to order a few of those things, which could take up to 30 days.
PJ and I have decided to get a filing cabinet. I’m tired of having to order these documents when we need them, which is a very rare occasion. It’d be nice to know where the heck they are when the time arises. Plus, we will be bringing a child into this world and it’s important to know where his stuff is too. A filing cabinet is a necessity.
Apart from all the stuff that we don’t have, we DO have: Ohio license plates, bank accounts and debit cards to that account (they made them while we were there which is something I’m not used to. Usually, you have to wait for two pieces of mail: the one with your PIN and the one with your card.) We paid our license plate registration fee (which was $170 LESS than the one we would have had to pay in Kentucy. <<I like that!!) PJ has an interview for Whirlpool, and I have sent out for those lost documents.
We still need our Ohio licenses, which requires a whole list of crap…stuff in order to get them. I don’t see how 10 days is enough time to transfer that stuff if you need to send in for documents. I’m kind of aggravated at the entire situation just because transferring PJ’s license from Ohio to Kentucky was SO EASY. In Ohio, we have to have our marriage license to prove that my Kentucky license with “Pate” on it is my correct name (I guess,) we need our birth certificates, proof of address, social security cards, retaking the written part of the test AND our first born child. Well, I’m just kidding about that last part. But, they are needy! I probably wouldn’t be as upset if we actually had what we needed on hand. I’m more heated about the written test. It’s been years since I took that test and while I’ve been driving for a while, Ohio might be different in a few things. PJ got a book for us to study and to say that I am not excited about going through it is an understatement.
Oh well, once all of this is transferred, it won’t be a big deal, we will have the documents we need for just about anything that ever comes our way and we’ll be focused on something else to do. I’m excited for that day because I will be able to cross things off my list! (I dislike an unfinished list.)
In other information, the immediate preparations for the actually transferring of us three to Ohio was easy, practically stress free, and FULL of the Lord’s favor! On Monday, we returned our internet modem to Comcast. I actually thought I might have had to “fight” with them about our contract. Nope, it was simple, she accepted the modem, gave me a receipt and wished me good luck with the move. (I like when things are simple.) We went to the consignment shop that we frequent and got the balance out in order to help us with moving expenses. It turned out being about $15 more than what I was estimating. AND, PJ bought me some mace in a pretty red case.
That day, we also cleaned the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room. I’m very thankful that PJ was so willing to do the oven because the fumes were powerful! I would not have been able to do it, especially with the little ventilation that we have in the house. I was cleaning the bathroom as he was doing that. The finished result of all three of those rooms was pristine perfection. My toilet was like a porcelain masterpiece!!!!!!
After all the cleaning was done, we dined and chatted at my mom’s house for a few hours. The food was great, the conversation was let’s just say entertaining and the goodbye wasn’t as emotional as I thought it would be. (I think the reason for this is because I was able to I’d accepted everything about the move. I was no longer in fear or nervous about it and I know I will see them again. Sure, it won’t be every week, but I will see them again.)
On Tuesday, “Go Time” came. We went to pick up our 12’ truck without a ramp and were surprised with a 16’ with a ramp (no extra cost because they didn‘t have it available in their lot.) We chose a 12’ because we thought it’d be easier to maneuver on the roads. As it turns out, the 16’ truck was much better than what we originally picked out. It had JUST ENOUGH space and a ramp!!! When we got back to the apartment to start loading, I had the brilliant idea of asking the maintenance guy if they had a dolley. They did!!! PJ was very thankful that I had asked for one because it saved his back and many trips to and from the truck.
For much of the loading, he would put a bunch of boxes in and I would organize them like a puzzle. Let me tell you…we had a perfect puzzle. Nothing moved, broke, shifted, fell, etc. I made it so that we had an even layer of stuff throughout and it was all snug. That was a proud moment for myself.
The truck got packed, we blew up our air mattress and left for some nom noms from Parkers. The food was fantastic and PJ and I got to have a nice conversation. After that, we did some last minute errands and headed home for some sleep. (This was extremely difficult without curtains because the sun was illuminating the entire room and closing your eyes and not seeing black is hard to sleep through.) After a while, I turned around and was able to get some sleep. PJ tried but was unsuccessful. He eventually got up and left to go walk or something. All in all, I got about a 3-3 ½ nap before getting ready, packing the car with the mattress and trying to track down PJ. We left shortly after 8pm.
To cut out extraneous details, the drive was great! There were barely any cars on the road, only a few construction areas, and lots of dead animals on the side of the road. I only had to stop for a pee break about 4 times and one of those times, PJ was CRAVING a cheeseburger. (I asked him why and he said “I don’t know, I just want one.” lol). I also saw two deer ON the left side of the road. Thankfully, I was on the right.
The only bad thing was that my neck and shoulders was starting to ache. They still do, but we were both alert the entire drive. Needless to say, we crashed as soon as we got in.
Once we woke up, we got ready and started the process of transferring from Kentucky to Ohio, unpacked the truck with the help of my amazing cousin, JJ, and unloaded boxes and set up our room. It’s kind of like an apartment in a room. We have our bed, a “closet” made out of a bathroom rack that goes over the toilet. (The bars are high enough to hang clothes.), a desk with my sewing machine and my beautification process products, a dresser with our tv on it, our couch with our coffee table and that’s about it. It’s comfortable and I’m thankful my in-laws were so generous to let us live here until we found a more permanent place.
One thing I also want to highlight before I go is that the room we are living in has 10 windows in it. I’m not much for the sun and had asked for measurements of the windows so I could make curtains for them. What I didn’t know is that my father-in-law was apparently planning to make them himself. He even borrow Katie’s sewing machine (Katie is PJ’s cousin) to try to do it. He wasn’t able to figure out how to work it and keep it working but just the fact that he tried means a lot. He stayed up late the night be were driving to clean the carpet and try to figure out the sewing machine. He ended up taping the fabric together and sticking it on the curtain rods. I appreciated the gesture because I wasn’t expecting it at all. He also picked out a really pretty purple fabric to make them out of.
I decided to help him out a little, break out my sewing machine and I have two curtains done already. My machine was getting a little hot so I took a break from it for a little bit though.
In baby news. I am 17 weeks today. Little Poppy’s cartilage is starting to harden into bone, he weighs about 5 ounces, and he is starting to move his joints. I think my lower abdomen is starting to firm up a tad. It’s a squishy kind of firm, but I did notice it hanging out of my pants yesterday. Lol. It’s also more round on the bottom but I think that’s mostly after I eat something, not necessarily because of Poppy. I haven’t felt any movement yet either and I really think Poppy is using my bladder as an air mattress to sleep on. I have to use the potty so many times, it’s ridiculous!
I suppose I’m done for the day. I’ll update y’all when we figure out our doctor, date of our first Ohio appointment and if it will be the one to tell us the sex. (I’m pretty sure it will be because I’ll probably be closer to 20 weeks when we get everything situated.)
Until next time, have a great day!
Momma Sherri
P.S
This was written a few days ago. Since then, we were able to get a doctor, schedule an appointment and find out about how long it would take to figure out what the sex of our baby will be. We still have three weeks, which is a big bummer, but at least we have a doctor and have set something up. I should be able to find out by the time my birthday rolls around, the 24th. <<At that point, I will be one day shy of 20 weeks.
