14 Weeks!

How far along? 14 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain/loss:8 lbs. (no weight gain this week at the doc...WOO HOO!!!)

Maternity clothes? Still waiting on the ones I ordered to come in! Until then, it's maxi skirts and dresses all dang day for this girl!

Stretch marks? No, which reminds me, I gotta get some Bio Oil this week! While we're on the subject, Mommys, what was your favorite stretch mark remedy?

Sleep: Sleeping has been particularly rough this week, as I have developed a nasty cough, (Which I think is allergies) And the cough medicine I am allowed to take doesn't work at all!

Best moment this week: Hearing baby's heartbeat on the Doppler at my regular doctor's appointment. (Regular doc every 4 weeks, high-risk every 2....its bound to get confusing at some point)

Miss Anything? Sandwiches! (technically preggos shouldn't have them unless they're heated because the meat could carry Listeria) but I did cheat and have 3 finger sandwiches at a party yesterday...which only left me wanting more!

 Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: Still all things spicy and/or salty. But I did crave my first sweet thing this week...MAGIC SHELL! I think I had ice cream with it on it every night this week, but I really only wanted the shell...and perhaps have considered eating it straight from the bottle at times (I haven't yet, for the record) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: coffee, the smell of paper towels!! (So weird I know, but my theory is that I spent so much time in the first trimester covering my mouth with them when I felt sick...that now they take me back to that time. Hahaha 

Have you started to show yet: definitely popping out more this week then 2 weeks ago, which is strange since I didn't gain weight... but I'll take it!

Gender prediction: Boy and my hubby just revealed he thinks it's a girl!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: definitely so moody this week. I cried super hard twice this week for no real reasons. Once watching Glee, (and nothing super emotional really happened...yet I cried for a solid 30 mins!!) The other was one night while battling the cough and my hubby got up and slept in the guest bed because I was keeping him up! When he walked out, I just sobbed and sobbed. I feel like I have a cry switch I can turn on and off at any time these days!

Looking forward to: Our gender-reveal party and of course finding out what peanut is, and feeling some kicks! 

Grow Strong my little lemon!
Love,
Mommy

12 Weeks!

...And finally starting to feel better! Thank you Jesus!

How far along? 12 weeks, 3 days (in this pic...next week I'll catch up!)

Total weight gain/loss:8 lbs. (this question may be deleted soon...)

Maternity clothes? bought some online while they were on sale, that haven't come in yet! Currently using ye old rubber band trick to hold my jeans up!

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleeping has recently made a turn for the worse! Seems like my days of "deep sleep" are gone for now...or ever.

Best moment this week: Seeing our precious little peanut on screen again! And this time he/she actually looked like a baby!

Miss Anything?Alcohol. Terrible I know, but it smells so good these days!

 Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: Still all things spicy and/or salty. Banana peppers, pickles, buffalo wings, taco bell soft tacos (so weird because that's so not my typical order at The Bell)

Anything making you queasy or sick: coffee 

Have you started to show yet: popping out just a little...

Gender prediction: Boy

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: mostly happy!

Looking forward to:Finding out if it's a boy or girl, and feeling baby move around!

Doctor says baby looks great! But my placenta is a little low, so we're hoping it just moves up over time like it's suppose to.

Grow strong my little plum!!
Love,
Mommy

10 Weeks!

I'm really slacking on this blog lately (Thank you, Hurricane Isaac!), but anyway, a couple weeks ago I went in for my 10 week check up! As always I was quite nervous, but after what seemed like forever, my doctor was able to pick up baby's heartbeat on the Doppler! 172 bpm! Whew! It takes an eternity to find it on there when you're a worrying mom in her first trimester! Doc says baby looks great, and then she dealt me this blow....

I want you to have a C-Section.

Not the first thing I wanted, but it's understandable. For those of you who may be reading but do not know me, I have a mild form of Cerebral Palsy, and one of the ways it effects me is by having a [very] limited gait. My doctor fears that if they give me an epidural, and then stretch me all kinds of ways, I'll end up with a beautiful newborn....and 2 broken legs. No bueno. 

So after getting over the initial shock, I went home and did my research The overwhelming response was that people with CP can have perfectly healthy pregnancies and deliveries, but they always end up through C-Section.

We are going to a high risk doctor in a week for a 2nd opinion [at my doctor's request], but I've pretty much settled on the fact that she will likely say the same thing. 

And I guess if there's any kind of silver lining to this, at least all of our out of town family will be able to be there for the birth.

Anyway, moving on... a few months ago I stumbled upon the cutest pregnancy blog....

http://littlebabygarvin.blogspot.com/

This girl is so adorable & creative.

No, sadly I am not artsy fartsy enough to also do a chalkboard...but I love her little weekly questionnaire, so I will be borrowing that! (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...anyone?)

 Here I am at that ever so awkward phase of, "Is she pregnant? Or just getting chubby?" I often tell my husband that this middle ground of pregnancy shouldn't exist. Women should just wake up one day with a definite bump. 

How far along? 10 weeks, 4 days (in this pic...12 week update soon...I know I'm slacking!)

Total weight gain/loss: 5 lbs...already! Yikes! But, in my defense, we did go on a 10 day vacation before this checkup!

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but my pants sure are snug. 

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well. no better/worse than pre-pregnancy.

Best moment this week: Hearing baby's strong heartbeat <3

Miss Anything? Margariiiiiitas with the family! They were tossing them back the other day when we made our big announcement, and I was so sad I couldn't partake!

 Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: All things spicy. jalapenos [straight from the jar], Rotel, buffalo wings, but also some "normal" things like, pickles, cheese, milk, and fruit!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee, my vitamin.

Have you started to show yet: Definitely by the end of the day... 

Gender prediction: Boy

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Ehhh, a little moody, but mostly happy!

Looking forward to:Finding out if it's a boy or girl, and feeling baby move around! 

Grow strong my little prune,

Mommy

Playing Catch Up!

Not that anyone is reading this (yet!), but we went on a nice LOOOONG vacay with my in-laws over the last couple of weeks, which explains the lack of posting!

Since I last posted, I went for a check-up at 6 weeks 2 days pregnant. The first thing they did was send me straight to the ultrasound room. It was there that I waited for what seemed like an eternity for the tech and the doctor to come in. In those moments, I prayed and prayed that we would hear baby's heartbeat....at 6 weeks it still isn't a given we would hear it, but I wanted to so bad.

Finally everyone entered the room at once (even my hubby who was running late!). And there was our little peanut on the screen for all to see, but I didn't hear anything, so naturally I started to silently worry. But then she turned the speakers up....and I heard the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. A steady "lub-dub" coming in at 120bpm. And if you know anything about me, you know I am a HIGHLY emotional person...so needless to say, I let out the loudest, most obnoxious, cry. I must have sounded like a 3 year old.

Not that this means we're "out of the woods" yet, but it sure was reassuring.

We also told my husband's family while on vacation, which was so special.
While we were all together in the kitchen, Will snuck and took a video as I handed them a card and said, "We just wanted to say thank you for taking us on vacation." (So they wouldn't expect anything!)

Inside of the card was this picture...

 Everyone hugged and cried, and it was such a wonderful moment.

Next week is my 10 week checkup, and a few days after that we will be telling my dad and step-mom (we've been waiting for them to come into town!)

Grow strong my little [green] olive! (That's how big you are now!)
I love you!
Mommy

First Doctor's Appointment

So, I went to the doctor this past Thursday (7/19) for what I thought was my first appointment, but when I got up to the counter the receptionist looked dumbfounded by my name, and then told me that my appointment was actually the following Thursday (7/26).

Pregnancy Brain already?!?

Anyway, because both Will and I had taken off of work, the nurse practitioner was gracious enough to see us!

I was so nervous! But they didn't do a whole lot! I was mostly very anxious to see if they were gonna do an ultrasound...which they did, and it was super cool to see the sac and little seed...but because I was only 5 weeks and not 6, (remember my appointment was for the following week!) we couldn't hear our little peanut's heartbeat yet...bummer.

Naturally, as I think any new mother would do, I went into freak out mode, but the nurse assured us again and again that it was just a little too early and that she isn't worried at all, and that everything she did see on the ultrasound were all good signs.

I am just so thankful that right before the ultrasound I told her my cycle is 33-34 days and I ovulate late, because they were thinking I was close to 7 weeks...and if we didn't hear a heartbeat then it could have been a bad sign, but alas, I am only 5 weeks.

I guess the fact that I'm only 5 weeks could also explain the lack of symptoms, which of course had me worried as well. I don't have any real nausea, (yet!) and I'm always tired...so I don't know if that's anything new. But I do have very sore breasts and a strange hankering for all things spicy!

Grow strong my little pea!
Mommy

Dear Baby,

There is so much I want to tell you.
First of all, I want to let you know that Daddy and I prayed earnestly for you.
We prayed for when would be the best time to have you.
We prayed for the blessing to be able to experience pregnancy.
And now here we are, praying for a healthy, beautiful, perfect, baby.

Mommy doesn't care if you are a boy or a girl,
Or if you are born in Summer, Fall, Winter, or Spring,
Or if you have lots of dark hair like mommy and daddy,
or none at all.
Mommy doesn't care if you have daddy's beautiful blue eyes, or my brown ones.
Or fair skin, or dark skin.
Mommy just wants you to be healthy.
Please, grow strong (and be strong) for mommy.
I'm a nervous wreck.

I love you my little apple seed (That's how big you are now!),
Mommy

So, other than a brief stint at Xanga years ago, I'm pretty new at this "blog thing." I'm literally looking at the screen like, "Ok...so I just type?" Anyway...

So, I promised myself years ago that when my husband and I started a family I would document our journey from the very beginning.

Well, yesterday for the very first time I saw two beautiful lines on (2) pregnancy tests...so here I am!

Honestly, the whole day still feels unreal. We had been trying for a few months without success and like any woman, I started to question if something was wrong with me. (even though deep down I really didn't feel like anything was) I'm just very impatient!

I had worked myself up all week long saying, "Friday is the day!" "Friday is when I'll take a test!" In actuality I was about a week late and could have took one days before then, but I kept thinking if I took one it would just be negative, and then this hopefulness and excitement (I was trying not to get too excited!) would be gone. So, needless to say, its been a long week!

As I sat in the bathroom waiting for the results I just prayed and prayed, "Your will be done." I didn't plead with God to be pregnant, in fact, I asked for him to soothe my disappointment if it was negative and ensure me that it will happen in his timing, not mine.

You ever dream of a day in your head and imagine exactly how it was going to go? Yeah, that's not how this went. I always thought either my husband wouldn't be home and I'd do some cutesy little thing to let him know I was pregnant, or if he was home, he would wait in there with me and when that pretty little positive came up we'd cry and embrace.

Instead, it went a little something like this:

Me in the bathroom in our bedroom.
Will in the kitchen.

Me: (In the most obnoxious white-trash scream) "Willlllllllllll!!! I'm PREGNAAAAAANT!"
Will: "Whaaaat?"

Then we stared at the two tests in disbelief (I may or may not have left them on the counter all day just to look at) and then we embraced <3. But oddly enough there were no tears. Maybe it was the shock?

And then I left to go to work, surrounded by babies all day. How's one suppose to accomplish anything? I couldn't think of anything else.