Whew...

I finished my coursework last week, and am graduating this Friday. Wow! There is so much to do, and so little time, it seems. I am trying to study as much as I can. My family will be coming in on Thursday for the Friday graduation banquet, which is also my hubby's birthday.

Then after that, a couple more weeks of studying, and hopefully I can schedule my board exam for right before Memorial Day, so I'll have about a week to pack up and move on June 1. We are moving back to Portland. I received 3 job offers, and accepted a position at my former hospital, which I am very excited about. It sounds like it is going to be a great opportunity in a great department. We just got back yesterday from Portland, after spending the weekend looking at houses and apartments. We chose a lovely place in Northeast Portland.

And! We just got back from our anatomy ultrasound. Baby looks healthy, although she wouldn't move enough to get a good look at the cord. Yes, it's a girl! My hubby couldn't believe it...his family rarely produces girls, he has two sons now, and he kept asking if the tech was sure it was a girl. But the images were pretty clear. I had a pretty strong feeling we were having a girl, but didn't want to be set on that, so it's nice to have the pictures and be able to pick a name and not think of the baby as "it" anymore.

So, things are moving along quite quickly...we are busy, but happy and feeling fortunate. I'm healthy, and so far the weight gain seems on track. I'm definitely feeling anxious about it, mainly about losing it afterward, but trying not to worry too much. The good thing is that I still have restriction even though I had fill removed around 10 weeks (or whenever that was). So I have no reason to think the band won't work for me after delivery. I'll just have to get used to eating the old way again...I've been satisfying my cravings through this pregnancy, although trying not to go overboard. I'm not in an "eating for two" mentality (I'm obviously getting enough calories for baby) but when I want something, I go ahead and have it. :)

I do feel lucky that I was banded before getting pregnant, because I think I would be eating way more without it. I've gained about 12 pounds at this point; who knows how much without the band?? With all the risks associated with excessive weight gain during pregnancy, especially for those of us on the "fluffy" side pre-pregnancy, I'm glad I have some help in keeping it in check.

So, I don't know how much blogging is going to happen in the next few months, but I will try to keep some updates coming as time goes along. And some pictures, at some point...