25 weeks! :)

Smiles all around! We have reached 25 weeks! Another notch on the belt of Elliott's pregnancy!


Elliott should approx. be weighing right around 1.5 lbs! Big boy! We have officially graduated onto being the size of an eggplant! I am feeling him much stronger now and I'll take it. Pack on those pounds kiddo! Elliott could be anywhere from 12 inches-14 inches long this week! They say that at this point of his development, all of the systems are there...this time is a rapid weight gain and growth for both baby and mom. His nostrils have opened and now that his lungs started producing surfactant, he can now officially practice breathing! At this point too, babies tend to start moving into position, meaning head down to the pelvis. Not all the time is this the case, but it starts. I feel Elliott all over, mostly low, but I think he is just a wiggle worm that likes to dance around in there. One website I get my information from also told me to have my spouse put his ear up to my belly. The potential is there for Evan to actually catch Elliott's heartbeat! How AMAZING is that?! I was shocked. We haven't tried it yet, but by next week I will have a report for you!


I have to constantly remind myself now to smile...It has been a very difficult past 5-ish days as I was put on modified bed rest at 24+2 days. I went in for a cervical length ultrasound again with our tech Jeremy, here in Grand Forks. They couldn't fit me in day of to go back to see the doc. so I had to wait until the following morning. When I arrived at the office, I did the same old routine of giving my sample and waiting, being called back and getting weighed and then I waited for the doc to arrive. He walks in, "Hey Kiddo...How you feeling?" Tears started to well up in my eyes, but I kept my composure enough to get through...I was nervous. I felt like I was going to get bad news but I still had a glimmer of hope I wouldn't be put on bed rest. He read me my results. I went from a 2.54 measurement from Fargo to a 2.78. Doc felt it was necessary to do a cervical exam himself and I was glad he did. "Holy Cow! That baby is low! No wonder you don't look 6 months pregnant!" Those are the exact words that came out of his mouth. I knew then, I would be on bed rest and not long after he goes..."You do what for a living?" "I do hair at Avant, downtown...your wife was suppose to see me in like 2 weeks!" "I don't think that's going to happen now! You need to take it easy..." "Take it easy as in..." "You can't work, there is no way I am going to let you work 8-9 hour days, on your feet, having that baby push down any further. Is that okay?"


Is that okay? I thought to myself...well, really? Do I have a choice? Would I risk the life of my unborn child? How will Evan and I survive? Can we really do that? I responded back to the doctor, "I'll do anything to make sure he is okay. He is my top priority" ...I am not allowed to work however I can make myself lunch,  use the bathroom, run to the store but only in and out...sit at a restaurant and eat is okay, but mostly have to be sitting and laying down. It has been hard. For most of you, you know that I cannot sit still. Even when I am working, when I have a color client that is processing, I am constantly still doing something...eating, checking on/talking to client, cleaning...To have to sit/lay for the majority of the day is difficult. But then I think of why I am doing this. I am doing this for Elliott. He is my top priority. Elliott will benefit from this. This is for him. I think I might have to write that down on post it notes and put them up every 5 ft. in my house. Just to have the little constant reminder, not that feeling him moving isn't enough of one...Just when I start feeling down I have something to look at too. I have been feeling “small” for being pregnant. Some days, I don’t feel like I look it at all. I have only gained about 7 lbs. Seems low, but it is okay because of my Gastric surgery. Baby is nutritionally getting everything he needs, but it scares me the fact that now I know why I don’t look too pregnant. Baby is not growing up and out, he is growing moreso within me and pushing down.



I am very thankful that my parents are lucky enough to have flight benefits through Delta. After I got the initial call that I needed to go on bed rest, my mom was here 4 hours later. I called her at 10:30 a.m. and she landed at 2:30 p.m. Amazing! My Dad had to work and came to town a couple days later and I have been so lucky to have them here. My mom wouldn't let me do a thing when she got into town. "Sit down!" she'd say. That's when this whole bed rest thing really kinda hit me. Hours in. I cannot even unload the dishwasher, do a load of laundry...pick up my cats. Doing nothing seems so ideal at the end of a day but for me right now, its hell. My dad made us breakfast Friday morning and it was so nice. Of course we hit up Paradiso  for my mom (my mom loves this place...Mexican place that has amazing cheese enchiladas!) then had China Garden for my dad. We grilled and ate in the rest of our time. It has just been nice having them here right after the initial shock of not being able to do stuff. When they leave, it will be another story. I am thankful though that I have friends, clients, coworkers all offering to come visit...It's so sweet. It brings tears to my eyes. Sometimes I feel so alone in Grand Forks but then this support comes and it reminds me of why I don't really mind it here.


My mom and I were thinking of things I could do to busy myself throughout this time. I still have 15 weeks to go until Elliott is suppose to come. We now are putting ourselves on financial lock down because I have absolutely no income coming in so it is hard because what doesn't cost money these days. Of course there are books I have, movies and TV I can watch...but there is something about working with my hands. When you do it for 8-9 hours a day and are creatively thinking about balance, proportion in a haircut, color...My mind and hands were exercised. We decided to grab some felt for the owl mobile that I posted in my last entry. That will keep me busy hopefully for a week. I haven't decided exactly how I want the owls to be shaped but that's part of what I get to decide after my parents leave. We also got wooden letters I am going to paint that of course spell out  "Elliott". Lastly, we got the start of a project I am not sure I know what the outcome even will be. In my last entry I talked about how I wanted more of a neutral nursery with owl accents. Something not too cartoon but something he can grow with or things we can easily change. I picked up 3 small birdhouses I plan to paint. What will they end up doing in the room...I am not sure...but they are really cute and I am excited to get that started! What's best about this all, is that it cost me nearly nothing...I didn't feel too guilty.



I am going to hopefully start with some "work from home" with the salon actually. I am really excited about it. My boss's niece is going to be working at our salon, and I have been asked to work with her on "Aveda". "Aveda" has such a way of working things with customer service, techniques through services, all of it and I am excited I get to teach her the in's and outs. I love Aveda and I believe in it and I am glad they asked me to do it. It also is one more thing to keep me busy! Tara, who I will be training, will most likely be coming over to my house and I will work with her from my couch! It will be perfect. I am honestly, so excited about it I can't stand it!


Evan and I are both doing okay. Needless to say, its overwhelming. I feel like this post is all over the place but that is how my mind is working. Evan did finish the trim work we had started. It looks fantastic. It's amazing how polished a wall can look with that there. I have gotten so use to seeing it without it, its a nice refresher to see it new! It is like a whole new room. We are going to "put the house back together" now and get all of the chores done, and by "we" I mean Evan. Bless his heart. He is taking amazing care of me. I couldn't have asked for a better person to share my life with. This phase of our pregnancy has been difficult on him. He is use to being in control and the fact that we seem to be in constant limbo is unsettling. He will be very busy the next few days not only with work but with figuring out all of our finances for the next how many ever months. We are really going to have to figure things out...I think I take a bi-monthly paycheck for granted now that it's gone. You really don't realize how scary it is to not have any means to live on...It is a really odd feeling. Evan will have everything in order here soon and I am sure my stresses will disappear. He rocks. He seriously is the calmest and most level headed person I think I know.



Well, I think I will wrap things up here. I don't have to much more to say...I have another appt. on Thursday this week and we will see what happens from there. It is another cervical length ultrasound with doc. appointment after. I hope that I can be told you may go back to work, but I think that it may just be wishful thinking. Oh well, a girl can dream right? The following week, we are heading back to Fargo for another full ultrasound on the little man. We will see where is Echogenic bowel has progressed and it will be nice seeing how he has grown! I will probably frequent the blog more than just my Sunday updates, as I will have increasingly more time on my hands ;) Feel free to visit me!!!! Hahaha!!



Happy 4th of July everyone! Talk to you all next week-or sooner.




Love,


The Hortons- Rachel, Evan and Elliott