Last Week

I am getting so far behind at posting blogs, sorry about that I know you are all dying to know exactly what is going on in the lives of John and Courtney McFadden...haha. Last Friday night we went to finally register at Babies R Us. Oh my, it was so overwhelming and took at least 2 1/2 hours to do but we did it and what a relief to have that out of the way. It was a lot of fun and of course John really enjoyed scanning everything, from things we need to my head and purse!

Saturday John's family visited and we celebrated his sister, Emily's birthday! We had a great dinner at P.F. Chang's and yummy cake afterwards.

I had my 6 month check-up at my OB/GYN on Monday morning. I was already to go to work first then leave to go to my appointment. I got into my Envoy only to find that the battery was complete dead, nothing was working! I was panicking. I called AAA and they were on their way but I was afraid I would not make it to the doctor. I called my sister-in-law to see if she would take me if necessary. Her husband is off on Mondays and was on our side of town so if I needed him he would come and take me....haha. Luckily, AAA came early and I was able to make it on time! Although having Barron take me to my OB/GYN appointment would have been a great story to blog about!

Everything looked great at the doctor. My blood pressure was down drastically which means no bed rest! There was still blood in my urine but instead of protein this time it was sugar. I could not do all my lab work since I still have 2 weeks left of my steroid and it would cause all the tests to be inaccuarate. So we will be doing all those the week before Christmas. My "skin condition" continues to improve each day! I will be posting the improvement pictures soon. I am still doing Acupuncture once to twice a week.

I made a return to my water aerobic class on Tuesday. It was so relaxing and a great time! John went to his first IU home basketball game that night. They won by 3 points. he is really looking forward to their season this year with such a fresh start. I had dinner with my high school BFF Lyndi. We went to my favorite new restaurant, Noodles and Company. It was fun hanging out and eating the yummy food!

This past weekend was just as busy for us but I will wait a few days to post a blog with pictures. I don't want to have too much up at one time..:)

Rough Week

It has been a little bit of a rough week for me. It started out great! I had an appointment with my Dermatologist on Monday afternoon. Of course when he walked in he called me "the mystery" since I have everyone stumped over my "condition"! He was overwhelmed by how great my skin is looking and healing! So he has decided to taper me off the steroids. I expressed my concern if it came back but he reassured me that if it does he won't let it get as bad as it was. So I have a month left of the steroid to take. Monday night, I had dinner with my college friends, Beth and Allison, at Creation's Cafe downtown. It was great catching up!

On Tuesday I had a dentist appointment at John's office. It was great to visit his girls! My teeth looked excellent and no cavities! Afterwards we went to a steakhouse where once again I had an 8 oz filet that was fantastic!

Wednesday, I called my OB/GYN to check on my appointment for next week for the Gestational Diabetes test. Since I am on the steroids it will register positive no matter what so we are postponing it. I told the RN that my Blood Pressure has been a little high lately so they wanted me to come in for a checkup. When I went in my BP was 130/90, with protein and blood in my urine. They were a little concerned. She told me it could be from the steroid or not. We discussed possible bed rest soon and that I need to take it easy! Hopefully I will not have to be put on bed rest yet, it is still so early. I go to see my doctor on Monday so I will know a lot more then.

Wedding Time!

John had yet another eventful weekend. It was his cousin, Mark's wedding in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He had a great time hanging out with all the other weekend bachelors. Congratulations Mark and Jessica. You both looked amazing!

I decided a few weeks ago that I wasn't going to be able to go with my "skin condition" so I went

to Mitchell to have a relaxing weekend with my family. My body is looking incredibly better each day. I still have many scabs from the scratching but they are slowly fading away. I am starting to see a different in my face and neck due to all the steroids. I think I am going to have to buy a new chain for my necklace just to be able to wear it!

I really hated that I didn't get to go with him to the wedding but I think it was better for all of us. My only request was that he took a lot pictures and to keep me updated on everything. So he did an excellent job of calling frequently, even to tell me he lost his car keys at the front counter of the hotel, of course!

Tomorrow I am going back to the Dermatologist for the first time in two weeks and for the first time since Acupuncture. I am anxious to see what he will say. For dinner I am meeting two of my really close friends from college, Beth (the newly engaged BFF) and Allison (the "experienced mama"). I cannot wait to catch up and visit! We always have a great time together!

Red Meat, Needles & Water...Who Needs More?

For anyone who knows me very well I am a strange eater and somewhat of a vegetarian! Since the beginning of my pregnancy I really haven't had any cravings. I have always loved the strange foods-pickles, vinegar, my strange concoctions and every condiment you can imagine. So this may come as a shock to many of you but I guess you can say that I have been craving RED MEAT and not just any red meat but steak! When my parents came to visit last weekend we went to Texas Roadhouse, upon my request, just so I could eat an 8 oz filet. Let me tell you I ate the entire thing! It was so good! I would say that is the only craving I get, so don't think that means all meat, still no seafood!

I had my third Acupuncture appointment on Monday. He could not believe how much better I am looking. It really is amazing the progress I have made. I am still not sure what is really working here but I am not giving anything up because I feel the best I have in a long time. I am even starting to feel Cooper move a lot more! My body must be doing well because I didn't feel any of the needles this time nor did any of them "stick!" I go again on Friday. I am going to post some new pictures of how much better it looks but wanted to wait until after Friday, which will be two weeks of Acupuncture.

On Tuesday night I went to sign up for Prenatal Water Aerobics at the YMCA here in Greenwood. It was a great experience that I am glad I went forward with. The water felt great and may have even helped my skin! It was definitely interesting being around other Preggers! Surprisingly I wasn't sore this morning. I will be looking forward to next week.

Weekend Update

Halloween has come and gone with all my fun decorations (it is my favorite holiday)! I had my second acupuncture appointment on Friday afternoon. It was the same, we aligned my chi! He put all the needles in the same places, hooked up the current and taped my feet (which was suppose to stay on all week but only lasted until that night) for 20 minutes. This time as I laid there completely still and somewhat strapped down I notice that I felt a few of the needles that I hadn't the first time. The nurse told me you will feel them sometime but not others. The ones that I felt and are harder to pull out are signs that I really needed them there. So I guess my chi was in need of attention. My afterthoughts on the two acupuncture appointments I had: I really do feel that I am starting to have more energy. I had a GREAT weekend-some minor itching but no hives/wheals what I am used to, I only took 4 Benadyl the whole time, and compared to what I looked like a few weeks ago I am 100% better looking, although it still looks bad. I have two more appointments scheduled for this coming week.

My mom came up to stay with me this weekend. She painted the baby room and helped me clean my house. Winston also made his comeback, he has been visiting his mamaw and papaw for the past two weeks while I tried to recover. The baby room turned out awesome and exactly as I wanted it to. I can't wait to see when the furniture arrives!

John had an eventful weekend as well. He was out on the town celebrating his cousin Mark's Bachelor Party. They dressed up as Draculas with face paint and all. He had a good time and didn't return to their hotel room until 5:15AM! Who knew he could still stay out that late only his voice definitely could not handle it and hasn't been the same since.

I want to give a special Congratulations to my very best friend Beth and her new Fiance Matt! They got engaged on Saturday night. I am so excited for the both of them!

Winston and I caught up on some sleeping today. I really missed my little cuddle pug!