9 Week Survey

No bathroom shot this week!! I think we will be officially moving into our dining room.

How far along? 9 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +1....I have officially gained 5 lbs. It is kinda scary...I haven't weighed this much in a couple years and it is totally starting to show in my face, which I hate!! I am actually torn because part of me feels like I need to "start watching what I eat" and then I'm like wait a minute....I am pregnant? I do not know what to think. The nurse told me that if something sounds good I should eat it since not much is appetizing these days. I can't help that I do not want to eat salads and vegetables for every meal like I could before. Any advice here??
Maternity clothes? Bellaband! I told Chris last night that I am sick of my pants all being tight. My goal is to try and hold out at least one more month before I go and buy a bunch of maternity pants. I just cannot justify getting them yet.
Sleep: Great as long as I can stay comfortable! I wake up a lot and move around.
Best moment this week: Chris's cousin Erica, who is a good friend of mine had her baby boy Camden on Sunday morning. I am so happy for them and can't wait to go and visit! Also, having the girls night on Saturday....we ate lots of food and watched Anne of Green Gables...I won't have the freedom to do whatever I want for forever.
Movement: not yet
Food cravings: Cereal, juice, cheese, potatoes, pasta....nothing ever really sounds very good until I start to force myself to eat it, then it tastes good. I cannot stand the smell of food when it is cooking, especially meat. Or the sight of raw meat. Chris has made turkey burgers a couple times and I seriously just have to hole up in the bedroom until he is done. But once I start to eat them I love them.
Gender: Last week I thought girl. Now I am not sure. Obviously all we want is a healthy baby! I used to always think I wanted a boy first, until just recently I started thinking maybe it would be nice to have a girl. Which makes me think that it will probably be a boy, haha. I do not care either way! :)
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? Innie still
Stretchmarks? Just the ones I have always had!
What I am looking forward to: Tomorrow night we are having my sister and husband over for dinner and then we are going to see Dave Ramsey! Then this weekend I am going home for a couple hours to see my little brother Charlie and celebrate his 21st birthday. He is also going into the army soon and will be starting boot camp, so it's a chance for everyone to get together.
What I miss: Running. And having energy. I regret sooo badly that I did not continue running after Thanksgiving and when I found out that I was pregnant it had been about two months, so I did not try to "start up" again all of a sudden. I am so mad at myself!
Weekly Wisdom: Umm...I am drawing a blank here. My brain has not been with it lately!
Milestones: Making it another week. Oh and I think my boobs might finally be starting to get a little bit bigger.

Thanks to my friend first and foremost and coworker Jess who was over last night and helped me with my belly pics! Love ya girl!

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

Quick Question...

Where all the Bumpies posting these days?? I have not been on The Bump in forever....

8 Week Survey

How far along? 8 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +0....I can't lie, I was a little thankful after the big jump last week!
Maternity clothes? Just the Bellaband still. Love that thing!
Sleep: Pretty good. Still having some weird dreams here and there. Getting up once to pee.
Best moment this week: Getting some maternity clothes and a onesie in the mail from my mum and calling the IF place to cancel our appointment!!
Movement: not yet
Food cravings: Fruit still, juice, popsicles, cheese. I am always very thirsty! Oh and right now I LOVE strawberry ice cream with a banana in it.
Gender: I am starting to think girl!!
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? Innie still
Stretchmarks? Just the ones I have always had!
What I am looking forward to: A bunch of us are having a "girls day" on Saturday. We are going to watch Anne of Green Gables and Jane Austen movies. Oh and eat tons of food. I am bringing a fruit bowl and dip (fruit, what else?!?) Should be fun!!
What I miss: Having more of an appetite.
Weekly Wisdom: Try B6. I swear I have had hardly any nausea since I have been taking it....*knocks on wood.* Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself, I probably did.
Milestones: Making it past 7 weeks, this makes me so happy! I am also not cramping anymore which is AWESOME.

p.s. I hated all my pictures of myself today. Hopefully I can start conning Chris into taking them for me soon.





My pants are getting tight....and this is one of my bigger pairs!!! I see a difference between this week and last week.

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Just a friendly word of advice.....

Whatever you eat, you will burp up. All. Day. Long.

Choose wisely young grasshopper.

Choose wisely.

More Awards!!!

I cannot keep up with all of these Blogger Awards!! It gives me something fun and different to do when I am bored at work though. :)

So yes, thank you to Jessica, the witty and gorgeous author at The Southern Belle Baby. I feel a special connection with Jessica because we sort of had the same little miracle happen to us.....just about to have an IUI and then getting a huge surprise. I have also followed Jessica's blog for a long time now and watched her through her struggles, which has now turned into joy! She has a great story.

So here they are!

Sunshine Blog Award:

The rules for accepting this award:
Put the logo on your blog.
Pass the award along to 10 fellow bloggers.
Link to those nominated within your post.
Let the nominees know they've received this award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love & link to the person from whom you received this award.

Lemonade Stand Award

Happy 101 award:
List 10 things that make me happy.
Try to do at least one of them today.
Tag 10 bloggers that brighten my day.
For those 10 bloggers that get the award, you then link back to my blog & create your own "makes you happy" list.

So, the 10 things that make me happy are.....:

1. Knowing that I have a relationship with a loving, forgiving and gracious God.
2. I AM PREGNANT!!! woot woot!!
3. Chris
4. My family
5. The fact that I have a stable, decent paying job that I actually enjoy and do not hate.
6. Traveling and being on vacation.
7. Going out to eat!
8. Having date nights!
9. Being a home owner.
10. The Holidays

Best Blog Award

The Instructions for the Best Blog Award:
1.) To accept this award you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who granted you the award and link back to them.
2.) Pass the award on to approximately 15 other bloggers that you recently discovered and think are great.
3.) Contact the bloggers and let them know they have been chosen for the award.
4.) List 3 things you would like to learn how to do.

I would like to learn:
1. How to sew. I would love to make funky vintage-y looking blankets, quilts, pillows, baby bedding etc.
2. Techy type stuff. I wish I knew how to fix/build computers. It always seems to be such a hassle, I wish I knew how to do it myself.
3. How to take amazing pictures. I think it would come a little naturally, but I know that it mostly involves some great equipment, which equals lots of money. So not totally a necessity right now....

Ok, so I am just going to nominate a few other blogs here, that I have not nominated yet:

Carolyn at Our Family Photo Blog
Stacey at A Life Full of Love
Lindsey at Neck Rolls and Toe Crust
Lexi at We're Really Great

Can't wait to see some of the responses.
Hope everyone has a really great weekend!

Dreams and other great things....

So last night I was having a dream that I was trying to nurse my baby. I cannot remember if it was a boy or a girl in the dream though!!! I am sure that the dream will be the first of many. I keep waiting to have some "bizarre" dreams but nothing too crazy yet.

I also had one of the most over-whelming feelings come over me yesterday. The first thing I always do when I get home from work is let the dogs out into the backyard and go and get the mail from the mailbox. Well yesterday I received a big envelope in the mail, from the Infertility place that we have our appointment with, which is set up in March. I was confused at first but then realized what it was. I started to cry a little as I opened it, thanking and praising God that I do not need to fill these out. That I can throw them in our paper recycling bag. That I am pregnant. That I can call the office and cancel the appointment and tell them "It is a MIRACLE!!!" I was so happy. The past couple months had been rough, basically thinking that there was a very, very slim chance of ever conceiving naturally and basically being told that we would probably need IVF, and that ususally we wouldn't be sent in the direction of an IUI first.
I just feel so, so very lucky.
I am looking forward to making that phone call this afternoon, and canceling that appointment.

7 Week Survey

How far along? 7 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +2.5 this week. Officially 146 lbs. Not sure what happened there...yikes!!! I am hoping it is because, according to Babycenter, my ute has doubled in size in the past 5 weeks.
Maternity clothes? THANK goodness for the makers of the Bellaband. I would be screwed without it!! I cannot button any of my pants officially, except for my skinny jeans which are stretchy anyways. But all of my work pants, forget it.
Sleep: Really good! I wake up at least once or twice though.
Best moment this week: Making it to 7 weeks and having my first appointment yesterday, it was sort of surreal!
Movement: nope
Food cravings: Fruit!! Especially pineapple.
Gender: No feelings yet.
Labor Signs: NONE
Belly Button in or out? Innie
Stretchmarks? Just the ones I have always had!
What I am looking forward to: My 10 week appt. where I will hopefully and finally get an ultrasound. Three more weeks!!
What I miss: Spicy tuna rolls.
Weekly Wisdom: In this stage, the bellabands and saltines are your best friend!
Milestones: Having the first appointment!

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

Our little blueberry has hands and feet now!!
My first appointment yesterday went well. It was pretty much just like an interview with the nurse, wanting to know all of my medical information and past health history, along with our families and whatnot. She gave me a lot of pamphlets and we talked about a lot of stuff, most of it I must admit, I already knew. I did have some questions for her though regarding sleep positioning and when I should stop sleeping on my stomach and back. And also if the B6 dose I was taking was too much, but I guess it is not. I think that it is really helping. Ever since I started taking it I am hardly nauseous at all, it is really great!

Another Blog Award!

Thank you to the lovely Jennifer over at Thoughts From a Blonde!




Here are the rules for the award:

~Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.

~Copy the award and paste it to your blog.

~Tell us 7 interesting facts about yourself.

~Nominate 7 bloggers that you love and link to their blog.

I have to think about 7 more random things about myself??

1. My husband and I met online! It is a fun story, maybe I will write about it sometime.

2. My most recent favorite show is Gossip Girl. I have become slightly obsessed over the past month or so and have already watched Season One and I am about to complete Season Two tonight!

3. My husband and I consider ourselves foodies at heart. We love good food. And we love going out to eat and trying new places. I was never like that until I met him, he is sort of a food snob and it has rubbed off on me.

4. We love sushi. It is one of our favorite foods. It has been fun trying sushi from all of the different places we have traveled over the past couple of years. Some of my favorites are Spicy Tuna Rolls, Philadelphia Rolls, Dragon Rolls, and Eel Rolls. I am missing it now that I am pregnant, but it is worth it!

5. The Prestige is one of my favorite movies. If you have not seen it, you should. Google it. (Hugh Jackman AND Christian Bale!!!)

6. I love presents. Giving them and receiving them. I looooove my Birthday and Christmas. I wish I had more money because I love to buy people presents so much!! It is so fun watching people get to open them.

7. I always think about what I would actually do if we won the lottery or something and had tons of money. I would want to give all of our close friends and family money so that they could pay off all of their debt. I hate debt...it is so stressful!

And now, the seven people that I nominate:

Rachel at Rachel Dancing
Rebecca at Princess and the Sweet Pea
Little Lotero at Stories From (Beyond) My Ute
Mrs. MidAtlantic at MidAtlantic Mommy
Mrs. Trophy Wife at Exploits of a Military Momma
Mrs. Baby Fever at Baby Fever Blog
Mrs. Bro at The Thomas Chroniles

The Big 2-5.

I am officially a quarter of a century old.
I can honestly say that this is my best birthday yet by far.
We are so thankful.
:)

P.S. Nicki you should have that baby TODAY!!! What a great birthday!!! haha :)

6 Week Survey

How far along? 6 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +0.5 this week
Maternity clothes? Still doing the rubber band trick with my pants. I need to invest in a Bellaband.
Sleep: I feel like it is all I have been doing! I am too exhausted to get myself motivated whatsoever. I am usually sleeping by at least 10, but there has been a couple days where I am dozing off around 9-9:30.
Best moment this week: Realizing that I have been blessed with the greatest birthday present of all this year!! I turn 25 tomorrow.
Movement: Does gas count? haha...
Food cravings: Nothing right now. Nausea does not make you "crave" things.
Gender: Still a question mark in my head.
Labor Signs: NONE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? Just the ones I have always had!
What I am looking forward to: My Birthday tomorrow. And all of the celebrations and time spent with family that it is going to involve.
What I miss: That gag feeling in my throat not being there.
Weekly Wisdom: Eat Saltines. It does help.
Milestones: Just making it past Week 6, and still "feeling" pregnant. I just want to know that everything is going OK in there!!

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

Aww. My sweet little lentil. I love lentils.
I cannot wait to see the little bean!! One more month until my ultrasound!!! I can't wait!

This is slightly embarrassing.

But you asked for it! Here I am about 6 years ago, in my little punk/emo phase. Haha...









Some of the pictures are really small and I could not resize them, but you get the idea. :)

My Pregnancy-5 Weeks and 100th Post!

See the big picture

*Originally written on Jan. 27th, 2010"

How your baby's growing:

Deep in your uterus your embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point, he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues. The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel. His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue. The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.

Wow. There is a lot of stuff going on this week. No wonder this is part of the "critical time". The bebe is growing growing growing! So I am not really nauseous yet too badly. I get waves of it on and off, especially in the morning when I am in the shower. I have started eating an apple while I get ready in the morning and by the time I am ready to leave for work and I am SO incredibly hungry. I feel like I am hungry all the time actually, it is odd. Like no matter how much I eat I cannot get completely full! I am gassy too.
My little "bloat bump" is really starting to show too. It is crazy!! The other day my friend Jessica that I work with even told me that "she noticed it when I took my coat off that morning." And that "I was probably not going to be able to hide it for as long as my coworkers did because I am so thin to begin with." I was like OH. CRAP. Haha....that is ok though. I am looking forward to it. I want to look pregnant!! I am so excited. Two more weeks until my first appointment!! :)

5 Week Survey

*Originally written on: Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010*

How far along? 5 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +1 this week...ahh!!
Maternity clothes? Ok, I know this is probably really bad, but I totally bought some maternity shirts this past weekend at Motherhood Maternity. I had no plans on doing this, but I just happened to walk in and found some good deals on a clearance rack. Also, my pants are getting tight and uncomfortable. Ugh. Today I had to do the little rubber band trick thing. As happy as I am, I will miss all my nice Banana trousers for work.
Sleep: Great! I have noticed though that I wake up, every night, at EXACTLY the same time to pee. It is ALWAYS at 2:30 am. So weird.
Best moment this week: Seeing a couple people either start to cry, or almost start to cry when I/we told them the news.
Movement: None.
Food cravings: Salty stuff. I want chips and salsa every night. Chris thinks it is hilarious, and I can eat a whole container in one sitting if I am not careful!! Also the past couple days I have been wanting french fries. I am trying not to give in to that one.
Gender: No feeling about this yet.
Labor Signs: NONE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? Just the ones I have always had!
What I am looking forward to: I cannot wait until this Friday night, when I get to see my sister and tell her what has been going on, it has been SOOO hard keeping this a secret!! I am looking forward to sharing this part of my life with her. And then telling the rest of the family on Saturday.
What I miss: My pants fitting properly, haha.
Weekly Wisdom: Try to not worry. It is not in my control.
Milestones: My nipples are getting bigger. I think my boobs overall are too, but it is not that noticable yet. But the nips def. are!!! I love it. It makes me "feel pregnant."

Sugar Doll Award

I graciously and thankfully accept The Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award, courtesy of the lovely Mrs. Gardner! Thank you! :)



And now I am supposed to list ten different things about myself.

1. I sneeze a lot. I mean A LOT. And loud too. I am convinced that it drives some of my coworkers nuts because out of courtesy they are constantly having to tell me God Bless You. The thing is, I do not know why. I am not allergic to anything as far as I know. Today I kept burping, I think it might have something to do with this whole pregnancy thing? Well I actually sneezed AND burped. At the same time. Did not know that was possible, but it is!

2. I absolutely love to chill out in bed and watch TV. It is a huge guilty pleasure. I love our bed, and when I am relaxing at home it is one of my favorite places to be (we have a Sealy Posturepedic, like a faux Temperpedic, it is incredible). Some of my favorite shows are: Gossip Girl, Friends (I have every season on DVD), Glee, True Blood, The Bachelor/ette, The Biggest Loser, Days of our Lives (been watching it since I was little, don't judge), Castle, and The Office.

3. I went through a huge emo girl/punk phase when I was 19/20. I never got a tattoo or anything, mostly because they were too expense, but trust me I wanted to. Had I had the money I probably would have a huge back piece and one full sleeve. I had 7 piercings in my left ear, 5 in my right, and my nose and lip pierced (in a tasteful way). I also chopped off my hair a couple times and colored it all different colors from black, to red and black, to really blonde. I loved music (I still do) but went to different shows and concerts all the time with my friends. My favorite shoes were my chucks. In fact these were some of the things that my husband fell in love with me for.

4. I do hair and makeup. And I LOVE it. I just prefer not to do it in an environment where people have the authority to criticize me and tell me what to do, hence why I do it on my own time and not work in a salon. I work much better that way. I went to cos. school when I was 19 and going through said emo/punk stage. I attended the Douglas J Aveda Institute, which is one of the most amazing, and well known schools in the country. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. And I think I am pretty good at it.

5. I now work for an insurance company/investment firm. Weird huh? Talk about the opposite end of the spectrum. Ideally it is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it is a great, stable company to work for, there are lots of perks, and I make great money. Oh, and I have access to the internet all day long when am not busy. I cannot complain.

6. I am a huge water drinker. You will never see me without my water bottle. I drink it 24/7, even before bedtime. Which results in a close relationship with the bathroom. I am always thirsty.

7. I initially went to Michigan State going Pre-Med, with the intention of becoming a doctor. Ha ha. I still dream about becoming a nurse one day though. I would want to be a L&D nurse.

8. I am a Christian, and proud of it. :)

9. Even though Chris and I could have nicer vehicles, we don't. We drive older models and will not get newer ones until our cars die. I love not having car payments and that will last as long as possible.

10. And last but not least, I am married to one of the most incredible people I know. My husband Chris is amazing. He loves me so much, and would do almost anything for me. Puts up with my crap. Doesn't care if I did not clean up kitchen, or put the laundry away. Is incredibly caring about others and what is going on in the world. Very into religion and politics. Loves our puppies. Gets out of our nice, warm, cozy bed in the morning, just to start my car, brush off the snow, and warm it up for me. And puts my english muffin in the toaster. Works very very hard. Kisses me allllll the time. Will wait on me hand and foot if I am not feeling well. Is very affectionate. Oh, and did I mention that is a phenomenal cook? It is crazy, some of the things he thinks of to make us, spur of the moment, and they always taste great. I just have a feeling that he is going to be a really great Dad. I am so lucky.

So, there it is. A little dive into the inside of Anne's mind, past and present.

I'd like to give the award to the following ladies. Just copy your award photo from my page and tell your readers ten things about yourself!

Nicki from The Lowdown
Shannon from Faith, Hope and Love
The Baby Fever Blog
Ashley from I Love You More Than Carrots
Jennifer from Thoughts From a Blonde

My Pregnancy-4 Weeks

See the big picture

*Originally written on Jan. 20, 2010* ALMOST done updating...promise!

How your baby's growing:

This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until 10 weeks, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and some will even begin to function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development. Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop. The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow so that the developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week. Also present now are the amniotic sac, which will house your baby; the amniotic fluid, which will cushion her as she grows; and the yolk sac, which produces your baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to her until the placenta has developed and is ready to take over this duty.

Yay, our wee babe is an embryo now! Very exciting. So far I am still cramping on and off. No spotting which is great. I am nauseous on and off, but am expecting that. And my chest is hurting a little more each day. It is so awesome to not be on my period, I am loving it, haha. :) I cannot wait to tell our families next weekend!!

My First Survey-4 Weeks

*Sorry about all this posts but I am trying to get caught up here!*
*Originally written on Jan. 20, 2010*

How far along? 4 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 142 lbs. starting off.
Maternity clothes? Def. not yet!!
Sleep: Good so far since I have been super tired all week!! Except last night I had trouble falling asleep since my mind was all over the place.
Best moment this week: Seeing the positive pregnancy tests and telling a couple people.
Movement: None.
Food cravings: Just water so far, I am so thirsty.
Gender: I don't have a feeling either way yet. Chris thinks it is a girl. The Bump gender predictor says boy.
Labor Signs: NONE
Belly Button in or out? In
Stretchmarks? Just the ones I have always had!
What I am looking forward to: Having an appointment and hearing a heartbeat.
What I miss: Nothing yet!
Weekly Wisdom: God can work a miracle, keep praying, there is always hope.
Milestones: Becoming pregnant without any fertility drugs or procedures.

And for your viewing pleasure, my 4 week belly pics starting off:

So Surreal

Originally written on: Monday, Jan. 18, 2010

My period is officially late today, woot woot!!! I am so happy.
Except that every time I go to the bathroom and wipe I am still a little paranoid. I just keep praying that God will protect me and this baby, and that everything will be OK. I do not want to live in fear every day! I also need to call my doctor soon and find out what the first steps are and make an appointment. I can't wait to see the little bean on an ultrasound and hear that precious heartbeat!

Here are some pictures of when we first found out. :)







Best. Day. Ever.

The day our lives changed forever.

Originally written on: Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010

Warning in advance-This post is going to be super long.

I cannot believe I am actually writing about this.

Yesterday, on Saturday, January 16th, 2010 I found out that I was pregnant. Pregnant.
Like I said, I cannot believe it. I still don't. We are very cautiously excited and still in disbelief. I say this because it is truly a miracle. The day before, Chris had spent $40 on clomid for himself, in hopes that it would help his hormones. That Saturday morning, I myself had picked up my clomid, in preparation for our IUI. Our IUI that we were planning for our next cycle. That was going to cost $150 out of pocket. We also have an appointment scheduled mid March to see the RE. An appointment that was going to cost $250. We have been desperately praying that we would not have to go this far and take all of these extra measures, and God has answered our prayer.

When I picked up my clomid on that Saturday I also bought my OPKs for the IUI and some pregnancy tests. I took a nap later when I got home and when I woke up before we were leaving for our "couples night out", I used the bathroom and decided, "What the heck, why not?" I thought it was odd that my breasts were still sore, considering I was about to start my period. I mean, they always hurt after I ovulate, but always return to normal a couple days before the start of my next cycle. The tests are always negative, why should this time be any different? At first it looked negative so I'm thinking big surprise, as always. And the longer I stared, I started to think I was going crazy and seeing things. This was also the first time I had ever used these particular tests so I was convinced that it had to be some sort of a fluke. I stood there for a couple of minutes just staring, in awe, thinking God is this for real? Finally I snapped outo of it and started crying and yelled Chris!!!! He was like WHAT?! And I'm like COME here now!!! He thought I had freaked out because something was happening with one of the dogs or something. So he runs into the bathroom and I'm just standing there, teary eyed, mouth opened holding the test up. He looks at it and looks at me and was like NO freakin way...... at this point I'm like OK, seriously I do not know what to think. Then we laughed, then cried, then laughed, then cried (well I was crying, Chris was just a little teary at first). And then I took my digital because I still did not believe it, even though I seriously had to squeeze out every last drop of pee that was possibly in me. I left the bathroom to quick change since at this point we were seriously running late and Chris took the dogs out. By the time I got back to the bathroom sure enough, it said PREGNANT!!

After this happened I was seriously an emotional wreck for like two hours. I had to tell one of my best friends Kerri, right away since we were hanging out that night. We hugged for a long time. It was so nice. We are not going to tell too many people though, just in case. That is the hardest part because I am so happy, I just want to shout it from the rooftops. The hardest part is not telling our families. We want to wait until we see them, which we will see my family in two more weeks and then Chris' in three. And personally the hardest thing for me is not being able to tell my sister Megan for two more weeks, but I want to tell her in person. We are telling everyone in person, it is more meaningful that way. I cannot wait, and I think everyone will be surprised since this is all so unexpected. It also stinks but I am sorta trying to lead people astray on my blog so that no one suspects anything until I am read to post this.
I also know that I need to go to my OB and get this pregnancy confirmed. She is going to be shocked. I have decided though that I think I am going to wait a little while.

The only thing we did different this cycle was that we took Sudafed. I would take one tablet four hours before, Chris would take 3, and then he would take another 2 tabs 2 hours before. I always felt so bad for him because he complained about how dried out it made him feel. We also did it consistently every other day right after AF ended.

Looking back now there were some things that make sense to me as far as pregnancy symptoms:
-My face broke out really bad, worse than usual.
-My cervical mucus was like sticky and yellow all the way up to this weekend which never happens.
-I have been so tired every day. I hardly did anything this past week.
-One day at work I got really emotional and started crying and two of my coworkers looked at me like I was crazy.
-I was nauseous on and off.
-My breasts continued to stay sore.
-A couple days ago in the middle of the night, one of the dogs threw up in the kitchen, and when Chris cleaning it up I could smell the cleaner all the way into our bedroom, with the door almost completely closed.
-When Chris and I had sex in the past couple days nothing happened and usually it will make me spot right before AF.
-I usually spot right before AF anyways, and I never did.
-I keep feeling insanely hungry.
-I take one zantac every AM for my heartburn. This past week I kept getting it at night too, which is weird and had to take one in the evening as well ( I will not be continuing to do this, but I HAVE to take the one in the AM unless I want to be miserable all day long.)
-Kerri also told me I was acting weird and saying weird things at work, haha.

I have been getting slight cramping on and off the past two days and getting nauseous as well. When I finally start eating it seems to pass for a while. I plan on doing my first belly pic tomorrow at 4 weeks. And hopefully, God willing, they will continue up to 40 weeks.

Welcome to my new phase of life.