Monday, March 29, 2010

Just a couple quick things I am excited about.

-Yesterday Chris and I celebrated 4 years of marriage. I was happy that our anniversary fell on a weekend that he had off (he works at a hospital, so has to work every other.) We got to spend a ton of time together and it was great. We have had our bumps in the road here and there but I cannot complain--he is a really terrific guy and such a great husband, and we get a long so well. I am so lucky!

-I am 99.9% sure that I am going to start taking a Prenatal Yoga class tomorrow!! I have been wanting to do this for a while but just have not really had the energy until the past couple of weeks. Thankfully I live in a city that has a lot to offer, and tons of options for this sort of thing. I took Yoga before when I was a member at the YMCA and really enjoyed it, so I believe that this will be really helpful during my pregnancy.

-I am getting very excited/nervous for my appointment on Thursday. My OB is going to use the doppler and we should get to actually hear the heartbeat for the first time. I am hoping to take a little video. We saw it on the ultrasound at 10 weeks but did not get to hear it, so I am looking forward to this, but I am still a little nervous, hoping that everything is going OK in there! I wish so badly that she could also just do another ultrasound, just to see everything, but that is ok. I just have to wait 6 more weeks for the anatomy scan!
Patience is a virtue, right?

Thursday, March 25, 2010

13 Week Survey

How far along? 13 Weeks. So happy to be in 2nd tri.
Total weight gain/loss: +0 this week, yayyy
Maternity clothes? Just maternity pants, love em
Sleep: Still sleeping great, thankfully
Best moment this week: Watching State win on Sunday, buying the cloth diapers and getting my PPB bag and maternity order in the mail!
Movement: nothing yet
Food cravings: Subway, sushi, gyros and vanilla caramel shakes from Steak and Shake
Gender: Thinking boy now. But wow, Chris has decided he really wants a girl. It is cute...but we do not get to choose!
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? Innie still
Stretchmarks? Same ones as always
What I am looking forward to: Hanging out with my bf tomorrow, seeing family Saturday, and hanging out with a doula on Sunday.
What I miss: nothing
Weekly Wisdom: I guess I have none this week.
Milestones: Making a couple bigger purchases and entering 2nd tri! OH and feeling completely normal again. I do not feel nauseous at all anymore and I feel like my energy levels are back to normal. *knocks on wood!*




*Mrs. D--these are the Old Navy skinny jeans...sooo happy I decided to try them. Thank you!*

How your baby's growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I am in love.

Ok, first off.......am I seriously into 2nd tri. already?!?

Ahhh!! I can't lie, I am pretty happy about this. I cannot believe how quick (and slowly) it came. And a bump check will come with that a little later....

On to the original reason for this post. We got another big purchase. And I finally got it in the mail yesterday and I LOVE IT!!! Even the non-pg ladies at my work were coveting it. I am so excited.


Pretty much ever since I got pregnant, and well...even before that I must admit, I have been scouring the interwebs looking at baby stuff. I mean come on, who hasn't, we all do it.
Well diaper bags are one of those things that I have looked at frequently, trying to find the perfect one that would become my everything baby holding tool/purse. Because let's face it, I am not carrying purse along with the bag, so it must become both. It must be somewhat gender neutral and it must be somewhat cute.

Well I have had my eye on the Petunia Pickle Bottom bags by Baby Chic for a while but could not bring myself to buy one at full price, there was just no way. Until a couple of weeks ago when I discovered that you could purchase them off the Gap website. And then the whole 30% off Give and Get came along. Hmm.....would Gap let me get the bag at the full 30% off? YES!!!! Yes they would.
And so yesterday in the mail I received this beauty:


I wasn't sure if I would like it as much in person, if I would think it would be big enough etc. but I really like it so far. And I just checked Gap's website and they must be out of this color because it isn't an option anymore!
Also, the only reason I bought this for myself is because this bag wasn't something I thought someone else would buy for me, and it wasn't something we could register for at any of the stores around here. And it was a great deal!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Our first "big" purchase

So on Saturday I went to my first ever Mom-to-Moms sale. I met up with my friend Kendyl and her mom which was fun! She is due literally like 5 days before me. It was pretty much what I expected it to be--an insane amount of tables with clothes/toys/baby goods etc. and an insane amount of people! When I first got there the line was crazy long and we all stood outside in the freezing cold snow waiting to get in. It totally reminded me of Black Friday!! Before I was even 100 ft. to the door, women were running out with all the good "big ticket" items, and by the time I got inside all of the nice strollers and what not were already gone. I was hoping to maybe scope out a nice jogging stroller but no such luck.
The problem was that I am not far enough along yet to know what we are having, so I wasn't going to buy any clothes...and that was mostly what was for sale. TONS and tons of kids clothes, I just could not believe it! I saw my friend Dana there that I work with and she told me this morning that she easily made a couple hundred bucks there, I was like wow!!

Anyways, we had decided last weekend (as in, Chris finally agreed he was on board with me) that we would cloth diaper as much as we could. Kendyl is going to be doing this as well, so we were really excited to find a table with all kinds of cloth diapering products and a couple of women explaining info to people. I ended up settling on the Flip One-Size Diaper System which is a product from bumGenius. Chris and I wanted something that wasn't completely a cloth diaper...something that you could just change the insert and use the cover a couple of times, that way we weren't changing the entire thing every time. And also something that "grew with the baby", that way were weren't having to buy several covers in different sizes. They have some great cover features, plus the adjustable snap system, so when I found these I was like PERFECT!! (Oh and they have gotten great reviews from what I have read online.)

(This is my fav. color that I got, called Ribbit)

It was nice too because not only were they selling the covers and inserts for a less expensive price that day, but you also were not having to pay tax, and the shipping you would have to pay if you ordered them online. I just could not pass up the deal. I ended up getting the "Flip Day Pack", four extra covers, and two extra inserts. I did not buy any pink ones, since I figured that a girl can get away with wearing light blue covers, but I do not particularly want pink covers if we have little boy. I was so excited to go home and show Chris, and he was very happy with my purchase as well!

I also bought two very cute, homemade burp clothes from a Doula named Juliea that I am probably going to have labor with me, but that is a post for another day. ;)
Hope everyone is having a GREAT week!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Yay!

Ok, I am excited for two reasons.

The first one is kinda lame but whatev. I order some girl scout cookies from a rep. that I work with (for his daughter) what seems like months ago and they finally came in today! Thin mints......yuuuumm. Love them!

And secondly, I had my first dream last night where I could tell the gender of the baby!! And.......it was a girl! But then in the middle for some reason it switched to a boy for a second, but then was back to being a girl. The whole dream was all about nursing and pumping. Weird huh...but I think I know why. I was going to order a pump off of the Gap's website if I could use the 30% off discount towards it, but it wouldn't let me. I originally was SO stoked because there is no way you could get that good of a deal on a brand new Medela anywhere else. I am bummed but that is ok. I will wait a couple months to purchase that. I guess I am thinking that there is no way someone will spend that much on a breast pump for me, so I was just going to buy it myself. Oh well though. Back to the dream......I was excited when I woke up! A girl. But then everyone at my work keeps telling me they think I am going to have a boy, so who knows. I guess I keep going back and forth now!

:)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

12 Week Survey

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!!!

How far along? 12 weeks!! I cannot believe I am almost done with 1st tri!
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 lb. this week..ahhh!! That is up 8 lbs. total. In 8 weeks. What is going on here?! As you can tell from my pic below, it is ALL in my belly, I swear.
Maternity clothes? Love love looooooove my maternity pants. Also investing in a few pieces from Gap and Old Navy. I can't pass up the 30% off Give and Get deal, and it's for such a great cause. Also if anyone wants to get in on this just comment your email and delete it, and I will send you the invite.
Sleep: Still sleeping like a rock. Which is awesome...except I keep waking up incredibly late!!!
Best moment this week: Seeing family this weekend, enjoying this AMAZING weather (it has been getting in the 60's here....it is still March in MI people, that is awesome!!) and hearing some great news today.
Movement: Actually I have been feeling some stuff moving around down there, but since it is way too early to feel the baby move, I am assuming that it is organs and intestines and what not. Anyone else experience this?
Food cravings: Fruit and pasta
Gender: Still thinking girl!
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? Innie still
Stretchmarks? Same ones as always
What I am looking forward to: Getting out of work so I can enjoy this awesome weather, and getting my hair done sometime within the next couple of weeks. OH and 2nd tri!!!!!!
What I miss: Sushi
Weekly Wisdom: Try to stay calm!! I hate any sort of anxiety.
Milestones: Ummm not too many this week I guess. I am just really looking forward my second trimester and all that comes with it!

And in lew of St. Patricks Day, here is a special belly shot this week of us in our green! These are two of my coworkers who are also pregnant along with me!



Erin, 36 weeks--Kerri, 18 weeks--Anne, 12 weeks

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Weekend Fun

This weekend we traveled to Indiana and then down to Ohio to celebrate 3 Birthdays and an engagement! It was a lot of driving but worth the fun, and such a busy day!

The newly engaged couple, Marideth and Jesse!


Nataleigh is such a good girl and getting so big so quickly. She did great on the long car drive down, and only fussed for a while on the way home on Sunday.


Cousins Samuel and Nataleigh were so cute playing together. He kept calling her baby, baby! It was so cute.


They are adorable!! And Nataleigh is getting so strong, she can stand on her own now leaning up against things for a long time.


Nataleigh trying on some of her new Easter goodies, love the ears and new flower headband.




Sam was pretty excited about opening his Birthday presents. He turned 3 this month. We got him an outfit and the movie UP. He got some of the cutest outfits and little shoes too!! It is so fun watching kids open presents.


Jesse and Sam


It was a fun trip but I have been exhausted! I have slept so hard the past two nights that I have not been waking up to my alarm (Chris either!) and I have been running late getting ready and to work for the past two days, haha.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

11 Week Survey

Back into the bathroom this week, and in PJs to boot. If you were to come to my house after work, 95% of the time, this is how you would find me! I LOVE comfy clothes.

How far along? 11 weeks!!
Total weight gain/loss: +1 lb. this week..eeeeek!!!
Maternity clothes? Last night I caved and bought some pants at Target. I did not plan on wearing them yet until my SIL said to me last night, "Why don't you want to be comfortable!?" I was like wow, good point so I wore one of them today and it was awesome. I also found a shirt on clearance, score.
Sleep: Slept like a rock last night which was awesome since I haven't slept well the last couple nights prior.
Best moment this week: Nothing too big, but a lot of little moments. Like when Chris touches my stomach, or people tell me that it looks like I'm "getting a little belly." It's cute.
Movement: not yet
Food cravings: Pasta and other carbs...fruit, juice
Gender: We both think girl now! Which if it is a girl, I have some awesome ideas for a nursery!
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? Innie still
Stretchmarks? Same ones as always
What I am looking forward to: Hanging out with my fam. this weekend, and Chris having the weekend off with me.
What I miss: Feeling comfortable when trying to sleep. And the worst is yet to come!
Weekly Wisdom: Accept that growing belly. Who cares about clothes.
Milestones: Having Chris tell me that he can tell I am "getting bigger." Having people at work tell me that "I am starting to show a little." And....my work shirt not fitting very well today. I wore a nice, long sleeve, collared button down shirt, and I know I will not be wearing it again for a long time. I typically do not wear "flowy" shirts, they are mostly fitting so yeah, my wardrobe is dwindling quickly. It was hilarious when I came home and mentioned how uncomfy it was all day and Chris replied "Yeah I noticed that this morning, the buttons were just screaming for help." I was like whaaaaattt?!?! It was so funny though we both just cracked up laughing. And then it was straight into the PJs!





The Bump this week said that bebe is as big as a lime....that seems huge to me!!! So exciting!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

So Sad.

My heart is breaking for Kristin. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
Kristin's Blog

Camden Joseph

On Saturday afternoon I had the privilege to finally meet little Camden in person. He is the son of Chris's first cousin Erica and her husband Joe. Erica and I are pretty good friends. I do her hair for her and she was in our wedding, she has always been so welcoming and considered me one of her cousins right away! It was a beautiful day, so I was completely happy to make the short drive over to Holland to visit and hang out for the afternoon! Camden was born on Feb. 21st, so he was just short of two weeks old. He is soooo cute and looks just like his daddy!










I can't wait to visit the little guy again soon!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Our First Appointment!

Yesterday afternoon was our first appointment with my OB. We sat down for a long time and she went over lots of info, and all of the do's and don'ts and asked if we had any questions. The best part came at the end when she said we would do a quick ultrasound.
I was pretty excited because all I have really wanted is some sort of verification that there was actually a baby in there since I got my BFP. The office I go to just doesn't do ultrasounds at the drop of a hat, you either have to be having problems or not know how far along you are, and I was not about to make stuff up. She knows me better than that anyways, especially since we were about to do the IUI. And I have been lucky--only some mild cramping the first couple weeks and no spotting at all. And just mild nausea, no vomiting or anything unmanageable. I feel blessed that I have had a really great pregnancy so far!

Right away she was like ok, yup, there is the baby!! I was desperately searching the screen for the heartbeat but had no clue what I was looking for. And she was like ok, there is the heartbeat...and you could see the tiniest little flicker!! I felt instantly relieved...she measured the heartbeat and it was 165 bpm which she said was totally normal! (Everyone keeps telling me now that I must be having a girl since the HB is higher!) So yeah, basically she said that everything looked great....cervix was nice and closed tight, you could see two arms, two legs, eyes, etc. Heartbeat was there. She also said that since everything looked so good that my chance of having a miscarriage at this point was very very low. It was awesome...and just so completely surreal. It's like Ok, there is for real a baby in there. And the baby was flailing all around, it was so cute. Chris said that it looked like the baby was boxing. Also it was awesome to watch his face, and just see all his expressions and that look of awe. I can't wait to find out what it is, just to see his face again!!! It was such a great moment. We were so happy!

Afterward we were both pretty hungry so we went and ate at Noodles & Company. I told him that I think we should make it a tradition that we go and eat somewhere after our appointments, just because it is only going to be the two of us for a little while longer. We have to enjoy it while we can (not that we will miss it, or not that we haven't enjoyed it the past 5 1/2 years we have been together!)

Today I also told my boss. He was really great about it, and has been joking around with me all day ever since. I am thankful for that! My coworker actually came up and thanked me for putting him in a good mood, I was like wow! ok! That kinda surprised me!

And now, for some pictures of our little bean!



Alien baby!



I think it is funny that you can see the reflection of my BRIGHT green t-shirt in this, haha. (I took the pictures with my camera, I didn't have the patience to scan them.)

10 Week Survey

*We did the belly shots in the living room this week!* :)

How far along? 10 Weeks and 2 days....according to my ultrasound though I would be 11 weeks today!
Total weight gain/loss: +0.5 lbs. this week
Maternity clothes? The bellaband still. Although I have worn my new jeans a couple times, they are so much more comfortable.
Sleep: Pretty good, I usually wake up once though.
Best moment this week: Having our ultrasound yesterday, seeing the baby for the first time and see that there is a heartbeat, and having the doctor tell us that everything looks great. It is such a relief. (This will be a new post for later!)
Movement: not yet
Food cravings: Fruit, cereal, popsicles, apple juice, pasta
Gender: Feeling boy again this week!
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? Innie still
Stretchmarks? Just the ones I have always had!
What I am looking forward to: Telling my boss today and getting it over with! It is stressing me out, haha. Also this weekend I am going to see Chris's cousin Erica and her new sweet baby boy Camden!
What I miss: Warm weather. I can't wait to get outside and be more active. Also NOT being nauseous all the time. My OB said it should end soon though!
Weekly Wisdom: sleep sleep sleep
Milestones: Having an ultrasound and seeing the heartbeat. Praise the Lord!!

I think my shirt here is hanging funny off of my back and making me look bigger than normal.





How your baby's growing:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Random Stuff

So I have been getting headaches. I am pretty sure that it is probably pregnancy related because I rarely ever get them so of course I've been a huge baby about it.

I cannot believe that I am almost 10 weeks!! Holy moly...double digits. I am excited to be getting closer to the 2nd trimester though.

I am always sick at night while I am trying to relax and watch TV. I hate it because it makes me get all anxious which REALLY makes it hard to relax. I forgot to take my B6 this morning before I left for work and I thought for sure I would be regretting it but I have been ok so far today. There was a moment as I was heating up my food for lunch that I felt like I might lose it, but I am pretty sure it was because I was hungry. The second I am hungry I get nauseous, it is so weird. That whole "staying full" thing works. Which is probably part of the reason I am still gaining weight at record speed. :) Oh well!

I bought a pair of maternity pants from Old Navy this weekend because I had a $20 coupon that was about to expire, and I hated the rest of the clothes that they had there. I was surprised because I even found that one pair. I guess I am picky. They are cute though. And then I ended up wearing them to church on Sunday. They are SO comfy, and I am sick of all of my pants being tight. They are still too big though, there isn't enough of something there to hold them up so they kept falling down, it was sort of funny. I also found out that the Pea in a Pod store in Macy's will let me use my Macy's gift cards there, I was super excited! So my next purchase will probably be a pair of black dress pants for work. I am still fine will the bellabands, but just thinking ahead I guess!

Thursday is my first appointment with my doctor and I am SUPER excited!!! I am praying that she does a quick little ultrasound so we can see that everything is looking ok, and then I will most likely tell my boss, if someone else has not already which I would not be surprised. And I am sick of him asking me questions and me having to beat around the bush about stuff, it's no fun. (Like my running and whatnot.)

I have been super irritable on and off too. I will be in a great mood one moment and so very annoyed the next. You think you can try to control but sometimes you cannot!

Chris has been awesome and super sweet about everything though. He rarely complains and has been cleaning and doing stuff around the house like a rockstar. I love my husband!