25w6d

Did you notice my ticker?? 99 days to go!! I am in double digits!!! I know that may sound corny, but that is a big deal to me!!! :)

I went to the doctor about 2 weeks ago. Everything looked GREAT!!! Ali Anne was weighing 1 and half!!! She had super fat legs!!! We didn't get any good pictures though!!

My blood pressure was 90/60 and I weighed 134 - I have gained 8 pounds total!!

I went home this past weekend and helped give a baby shower for my cousin and his wife. We also had Noah's 3rd birthday party on Friday night. I took TONS of pictures but they are huge so I am downloading them to the computer tonight and will edit them to make them smaller and post them in the next day or two!!!

22w4d

Everything is GREAT with Ali Anne!!! She is growing away and I am feeling her move a lot - I LOVE IT!!! I know eventually it will start to drive me nuts but I absolutely love it right now.

Burt and I just got home from a long weekend in Hot Springs. It was so relaxing. Now we have gotten home and realized how much cleaning there is to do in the house and that we have TONS of projects to do to get ready for Ali Anne. I am ordering the fabric for the curtains tomorrow. The bedding should be ready in a week or two. I had it custom made - I hope I like it when it comes in. The furniture should be delivered this week or next. We still have a daybed we need to move out of the baby's room but other than that it is clean and ready to go.

19w6d

WOW!! So much has happened in the past couple of weeks. I went to see the maternal/fetal specialist, Dr. Perry, last week. He did a targetd ultrasound. My baby girl is perfectly healthy and measuring right on target. Did you catch that - my baby girl - they were WRONG at 16 weeks. No boy parts whatsoever. Ali Anne weighed 9 oz and measured 18w6d (I was 19w1d). I have pictures scanned in but I forgot them at work. I have an appt with Dr. Connell tomorrow so I will post all of the pictures after I scan the new ones in Thursday.

Dr. Perry wants me to have an ultrasound at least once a month. He said that because of the hyopthyroidism, MTHFR, and positive APA that I am high risk for preeclampsia, toxemia, and stillbirth. But he said as long as I take my medicine everything should be fine. So we are going to focus on the positive. He said after 28 weeks they will start watching me REALLY closely b/c at that point they can take the baby if something goes wrong. I also have to see my thyroid dr every 4 weeks - starting tomorrow.

Dr. Perry also increased my heparin dosage to from 5000 units twice a day to 7500 units twice a day and then at 28 weeks I will increase it to 10000 units twice a day.

18w3d

Meg - are you happy now??? She has been on me for a while to put a ticker on my blog!!

Everything is still going GREAT with the baby. We will go see Dr. Ken Perry - maternal/fetal specialist - Thursday for a target growth ultrasound because I am on heparin.

Burt left early this morning for a business trip to Estes Park, CO. He will be home late Tuesday night. He landed about 11:00 this morning - his luggage just landed. His luggage made a detour through Minneapolis even though he had a direct flight from Memphis to Denver!! The airline said his luggage is out for delivery and he should have it soon though.

I've been sewing all day. Had a few baby gifts for friends that I needed to make and I have been monogramming towels for graduation gifts - yes I know I am behind - but everything with Papaw set me back just a bit!!

16w1d

I went to the doctor yesterday. Blood pressure was 112/70 and weight was 126. I have gained 3 pounds and am back to pre-pregnancy weight.

Dr. Connell said the baby's head is symmetrical which is a good sign that there is no genetic defects. The umbilical cord is a 3-vessel and the kidneys were working well yesterday. I go see Dr. Perry (Fetal/Maternal Medicine) in 3 weeks.

But the BIG news is.......

It's a BOY!!!

Clay Noell Flanagan is healthy and on target to arrive on November 4th!!!

15w2d - Papaw

Today is 15w2d. I can't believe it!!! I go back to the doctor Wednesday. I am going home this weekend to see Mom and Nannie.

Papaw passed away peacefully Sunday morning about 9 am. Nannie, Mom, Aunt Ann, Uncle Olyn, Lori, Amy, and I were with him. We had visitation Monday night and the funeral Tuesday afternoon. It was a beautiful service and burial. We had a military graveside service.

Obituary
Funeral services for Talmadge Wesley “Dick” Clay, 83, of Enterprise were at 2 p.m. today at Enterprise Baptist Church. He died May 10, 2009, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center, Meridian. Burial was in Enterprise Cemetery. Robert Barham Family Funeral Home, Meridian, had charge of arrangements.Mr. Clay was born July 31, 1925, in Noxapater to Hollie Talmadge and Abbie McBrayer Clay. He graduated from Noxapater High School in 1943. He married Virginia Murphy of Louisville on July 26, 1947, and they moved to Enterprise in 1952. He was a member of Enterprise Baptist Church and enjoyed more than anything fishing and playing with his great-grandchildren.Mr. Clay earned the rank of sergeant first class in the 186th Railroad Operating Battalion and served at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. After being discharged from the Army, he worked for GM&O Railroad for a few years before going to work for Southern Natural Gas in 1949 where he worked until he retired in 1985.He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Helen Chambliss.

Survivors include his wife, Virginia; three children, Ann (Sonny) Turnage of Meridian, Olyn “Sonny” (Gaytha) Clay of Aberdeen and Susan Moore of Enterprise; brothers, Mantel (Betty) of Louisville and Charles (Patricia) of Georgetown, Texas; a sister, Sylvia (Carlos) Cordon of Franklin, N.C.; seven grandchildren, Trey (Sidnette) Turnage of Brandon, Lori (Kenny) McGowin of Enterprise, Rae (Scott) Taylor of Orlando, Fla., Brandi (Nicolas) Johansson of Sweden, Wes Clay of Aberdeen, Amy (Todd) Brand of Meridian and Beth (Burt) Flanagan of Greenville; and six great-grandchildren, Essi Morales Turnage, Anna Kate McGowin, Macy Taylor, Mya Johansson, and Eli and Noah Brand. Mr. Clay was anxiously awaiting the arrival of three more great-grandchildren.Pallbearers were Clint Lee, Kenneth Murray, Cecil Melton, Steve Helms, John McPhearson, Wayne Kidd, Randy Kidd, and James Robert Kamper. Honorary pallbearers were Butch Goodin, Noffett Boggan, Charles Helms, Jimmy Helms, Dan Kersh, Mark Kidd and the Eugene Walker Sunday School Class.Visitation was Monday from 5 to 9 p.m. at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home, and one hour prior to service at the church.The Rev. Taylor Wallace, the Rev. Richard Cothern and the Rev. Arlis Nichols officiated.

14w2d

I'm ok. Things are good. The baby is fine.

My Papaw had a massive stroke last Friday night and is not doing well. He is paralyzed on his left side and his esophagus is completely closed. The doctors told us yesterday that he is slowly deteriorating and that what we have now is the best it will ever be. That it is only a matter of time until he passes. Nannie, Mom, Aunt Ann, and Uncle Olyn decided yesterday to slowly start withdrawing everything from him. We decided as he pulled tubes out we would leave them out. The doctors say that he is not in any pain but that if any starts they will keep him comfortable. He pulled out the feeding tube (which they were only using for meds) and the trumpet tube used to suction his chest yesterday. Today he has pulled out his IV. He has pneumonia now.

We have had a very special week with Papaw. We figure he will pass sometime over the weekend. I have been home since Sunday and don't want to leave but I guess if nothing has happened I will go home on Sunday. I had about 10 minutes alone with him yesterday and we talked and I was able to say good-bye. I had some things that I needed to say that I really didn't want the rest of the family to hear. I had a very special relationship with my Papaw. He helped raise me after my Dad left when I was a young girl. He was the only male role model I ever had - he was my Daddy. He even walked me down the aisle to my Mom when I got married.

Tuesday night it looked like it was the end. All of the family happened to be here and he asked for all of us. The ICU nurses have been WONDERFUL. They allow us to go in anytime we want as long as there is nothing going on back there and they let as many of us go in at a time as we want. So there were like 10 of us in there that night. He told us he wanted to pray so we did, then he wanted us to sing - so my sister and I sang to him, and then he wanted us to say the blessing so we did. He then told us he was ready to go home and see Jesus and to stand him up. we told him we were all standing and he could go on home.

Today he still recognizes all of us but it very weak and only stays awake about long enough to say "I Love You". He did tell us today not to cry. He was going to be fine.

I will try to keep you updated as things change. I just got my laptop here at the hospital.

Nannie and Mom, Aunt Ann, and Uncle Olyn sat down and planned his funeral earlier in the week before Nannie got too tired and weak. We are going to pick out the casket tomorrow. I wrote the obituary yesterday. We were worried if Nannie waited she would be too upset to remember what Papaw wanted.

I had another ultrasound yesterday. The hospital was gracious enough to do it for me giving the circumstances. We were hoping that we would find out what it was so we could tell Papaw but the tech couldn't tell - so I'm thinking a girl b/c we knew 2 of my nephews were boys this early. I could be wrong though - it could be a stinky 'ol boy!!!! Nannie is putting a picture of the great-grandchildren in his casket and she wanted an ultrasound picture to go in there too and that is what really prompted us to go get an updated ultrasound photo done.