Appointment Update

Today my mom and I went to my last appointment before the weekend. At each appointment I am having an ultra sound. Lady Duoss has been looking fabulous through all of this, but my doctors are playing it safe and watching her closely for any small or early signs of distress. Thankfully, none so far.

The awesome side to this is that I get to see my baby girl twice a week!! Today was particularly fun because the office I go to has a 3D version of the ultra sound. She has always had a hand, foot or the chord in front of her face, so it’s been hard to get a good picture of any of her facial features. Today, she felt like showing off a bit and gave us a peek! It is just amazing how much you can see.  I’ll keep the details a surprise for all of you, no reason to spoil the fun, but of course in my very biased opinion she is already a looker!

The appointment went well beyond that. Bed rest is working for us now and we are all happy and healthy, and looking forward to a low-key weekend. 

Book Review: The View from Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik

I’m not going to claim to be an expert on literature in any sense, but as long as I’m reading as much as I am right now, I thought I would give you my opinion on the books I’m reading. Maybe it’ll give you some ideas for your reading list this summer!

I just finished a book called, “ The View from Mount Joy”. It is about a high school boy in his senior year that finds himself moving to Minnesota. It gives you a pretty good look into a teenage boys’ mind. The typical story plays out, boy meets girl. The twist is that boy not only met girl he met a whole lotta crazy. As the book progresses he moves through life: college, new graduate, entrepreneur, and family man. Crazy comes in and out of his life at different times of each new stage. The message of the book is that life will have highs and lows, things happen for a reason and even though life may not turn out as you thought, you can end up with a view from your personal version of Mount Joy.

Although this book wouldn’t make it on my top ten books, I really enjoyed reading it. It was easy to following along and super quick to get through, It brings you back to some of your own high school memories and inspires you to look for the best in each situation you are presented with. It defiantly gets better as you get into it; there are many unforeseen twists that make it a page-turner in the second half of the book. If you are familiar with the Twin Cities area you will love the location references! Overall, a worthwhile read if you are looking for something easy and fun to keep you entertained.

Bed Rest Visitors

Our first bed rest visitors! Ali, Joe and Bailey stopped by to have a bite to eat with us and visit. For me, this was a VERY exciting part of my day! We got to show them the nursery and catch up. It was an awesome end to my day. Thanks for coming over guys!

Exactly What the Doc Ordered

When you are on the brink of becoming a mom yourself, you would think the last thing you NEED is your own mommy, but that is exactly what the doctor ordered. I think both Nate and I felt a huge sense of relief when my mom showed up toting movies, books, magazines and food.

She has only been here one full day and our laundry is already done, we’ve had a home cooked meal and our house is on its way to becoming more organized for when this little girl comes. The best part? Nate didn’t have to do it all on his own.  My mom’s not your typical domestic goddess, but right now that is exactly how I would describe her!

Thanks, Mom!

**Special Note from my mom: she is currently here in MN with us and will be here for the foreseeable future. She has a cell phone (and is learning to use it :P); you can reach her at 608-774-8033 if you need to. The baby shower that was scheduled in WI over the first weekend in August is postponed until Baby Duoss arrives. 

30 Weeks Took an Interesting Turn

Well, man have we had a week here at the Duoss household. Last week my blood pressure was very high and my doctor put me on bed rest to see if it was the heat or the way my body was reacting to me gaining weight for the pregnancy or if it was a condition called preeclampsia. As the week progressed my blood pressure did not get better so I was schedule to go into the hospital for some tests on Saturday. Friday night I woke up with a horrible headache, which is one of the signs they asked us to call in about.

When we called they had us come in right away to do the tests we were scheduled to do on Saturday. They ended up keeping me over the weekend for observations. They have concluded that I do have a mild case of preeclampsia.

This is a condition that happens only in pregnancy and it takes a toll on the mom's body. The only cure for it is delivery, and since I just turned 31 weeks yesterday, the doctors want to keep me prego as long as possible.

Thankfully, the baby is TOTALLY OK! She has had a regular heartbeat and has been happy moving around my tummy the whole time.  She’s a little gal, but, hey, that’s expected when your mom is 5’2” and your dad isn’t a huge guy either.

Right now we are balancing my health with keeping Lady Duoss safe and sound in my tummy to grow a little more. She will probably make an early appearance, so we are happy for each day we have her inside my tummy still.

Right now, we are back at home on strict bed rest until I have Lady Duoss. All is looking well and we are just taking each day as it comes!