Movement!

I'm 21 weeks and can finally feel baby girl move around in there! It's not very strong yet, and it doesn't happen very often, but it's a great feeling. When I start to feel her kick I'll stop what I'm doing and just feel for her with my hand on my belly. Tom can't wait to be able to feel her too. He's getting very excited now that I'm showing (pic tomorrow) and she's moving. :)

I'm starting to feel a little more prepared for her arrival. I know we still have 4 months, but I like things done in advance. ;) I've been buying things we need here and there as they go on sale and I have a list of things we still need. It's nice to cross things off the list as I get them. It's been hard not to buy any clothes, but I know that's what most people are going to give as gifts, and I don't want a bunch of outfits she will outgrow before she gets to them, so I'm holding off for now.

Hearing all the stories about other people visiting Santa and getting ready for Christmas has me really excited for Christmas next year. I can't wait to play Santa and experience the holidays through the eyes of a child again. It's going to be so much fun!

IT'S A GIRL!

Looks like it's team pink for us! She was very shy, but healthy! I also have an anterior placenta (which I figured since I haven't felt any movement yet.)

...She will never have a name though. I have literally gone through THOUSANDS of names. And Tom doesn't like a single name I like, and I don't like any of the names he likes. We can't even come close to agreeing on anything. I am so sick of looking at names. :(

Other than that, I'm slacking on the belly pictures and need to get on that since I'm already half way done! I can't believe how fast time is moving along!

Cancer

My mother-in-law has cancer. Tom found out last night. I guess it's on her lip/mouth. They did a small biopsy that showed it was cancerous, but they don't know if it's just skin cancer, or another form that has spread.

Obviously all cancer is bad, but right now we are hoping for skin cancer. That will be a much easier road that any other form of cancer. She is having surgery on Halloween to remove all of it and they won't know exactly what type of cancer it is until a week or so later.

I know Tom is nervous, but his dad also had skin cancer years ago. They cut it all out and he has been fine. So I know he is assuming the same thing is going to happen to his mom. And I hope so too.

3 weeks, 2 days

I only have 3 weeks & 2 days left until we find out if we are on team pink or blue. It feels so far away, but yet I can't believe I'm so close to being half way done with this pregnancy already!

I was thinking yesterday about how I am rushing this pregnancy. I couldn't wait for my first OB appt, couldn't wait until I was out of the 1st trimester, I can't wait for my scan, etc etc. I need to slow down and stop rushing it. I feel beyond lucky that I was able to get pregnant easily and have had a pretty good pregnancy so far. These next 3 weeks will be the last 3 weeks of my entire life where I am wondering if my first child will be a boy or a girl. I will never have this time back. (and just writing this is making me tear up!)  I need to stop wishing the time away and enjoy the here and now. The baby will be here in the blink of an eye. No need to make it come faster than it already is.

I think my hormones have kicked in because I am seriously sitting here trying not to cry because in 3 weeks I will know the sex of my baby. I'm officially crazy.

Daycare vs SAHM

So I started looking into daycare. Without my income things are going to be very, very tight. So I figured I would keep working at least part time.

Um, it's not going to happen. I've e-mailed and price checked a ton of daycares around our house. (both centers and in-home.) Most were out of our price range (Um, $325 per week?! No way.) All of the ones in our price range are booked until 2013 (or about 2 years from now) and have a long waiting list already in case a spot opens up.

So let me get this straight...I was supposed to get on the waiting list for daycare about 2 years before my baby is actually born? How is this possible?!

The daycare we can afford is full. The daycares with openings are too expensive. I'm 99% sure I'm going to stay-at-home. It's not the end of the world, who wouldn't want to stay with their baby? But I'm really nervous because money is going to be really, really tight. We are going to have no extra "fun"money. Tom was really stressing about being the sole bread-winner. But since looking into daycare some more, he's come to accept the fact that we might have no choice.

If things get really bad I could always get a night/weekend job. But I think I would rather scrape by than go that route. I would never see Tom that way and I don't think that added stress will be good for our marriage on top of a newborn.

I've recently picked up more shifts at work now in order to save up as much as I can before April. I just hope it's enough. I'm not anti-welfare at all. It is there for people in need, which was my own mother after she got divorced. We truly needed help. But it does get abused and it makes me mad that we are struggling to have ONE baby when we are responsible, working adults when there are people who have 4, 5, 6 babies and don't have to pay anything for them.

Rant over. :(

Hypoglycemia

A few times earlier in my pregnancy I would have little episodes where I got kind of dizzy & felt like I might pass out. I ate something or drank some juice and felt better. It was never really bad, just slightly annoying.

However, the past few days it has been happening every single morning and it has been bad. It even happens if I eat breakfast (but it's worse if I haven't eaten anything yet.) This morning was so bad I was late to work. It hit me like a truck. All of a sudden I got really hot & sweaty, my heart was pounding, I was nauseous, dizzy, and felt like I was going to pass out. My legs were so weak I couldn't even stand. It was pretty scary. I drank a bunch of apple juice and sat down for a bit and it passed. I figured I better call my doctor because I was worried about diabetes.

The nurse I talked to said it is definetly a blood sugar issue. She said I need to increase the frequency of my meals and change what I'm eating. They want me eating before I even get out of bed. They want me to eat every 2 hours. I have to eat like I'm diabetic. Mainly focusing on getting more protein. (and of course avoiding sugar)

While this problem is better than having high blood sugar (where I would have to monitor my levels daily and possibly be on insulin!) It still sucks that I have to deal with this. My doctor thinks it can be taken care of with diet, and I hope so. They want me to make sure I'm getting enough calories. (which I'm sure I am.) I'm eating when I'm hungry, I'm not eating a perfect diet, but I'm not eating total crap either. So I guess I'm a little shocked that I have to deal with this.

I guess I'm going to the grocery store tonight after work and getting some extra eggs, cheese & nuts! Meat is an aversion I have so I have to look at getting protein from other sources.

It's amazing what having your blood sugar be off (even slightly) can do to you. It was a really scary morning feeling so sick and weak. At least it seems to be a pretty easy fix! (and my fingers are crossed that I don't get full blown G.D.)

14 weeks

I had my 2nd appt yesterday at 14 weeks. I was nervous because my last appt was a month ago and I know a lot can change in a month (especially during 1st tri!) But I went in and they found the heartbeat right away. I'm also in the 2nd tri now so I'm starting to relax and become excited. My baby is due in less than 6 months--wow! I can't believe it! I've gained about 7lbs so far. I'm also starting to gain a pound a week. Which freaked me out at first, but I did the math and even if I keep gaining 1lb a week I will gain about 32-33lbs by the end. Although I would prefer to gain only 25, I'm ok with 30.

I'm also having a ton of cramping. It started a couple days ago. I guess it's round ligament pain (or just normal stretching) It doesn't hurt, it's just uncomfortable.

I'm also measuring slightly over a week ahead. I know my dates are 100% because I was charting. But my OB said if I'm still measuring over a week ahead at my A/S next month they will change my due date. I am SO EXCITED for our scan. Only 5 weeks and 2 days to go!

14 weeks

Last week my mom came down and wanted to go crib shopping. I know it's early but she was so excited! We got a good deal on the Simmons Summer Harvest. (pictured below) So I guess we can cross that off our list!

Our first appt

(So I know this is a little late because I went to my first appt 3 weeks ago now.)

We went to our first OB appt when I was 10 weeks. I had Tom go with because I knew they were going to check for a heartbeat and I needed him there in case something was wrong. I was super nervous. I just wanted some proof that I was pregnant and that there was a baby in there. (No, the 7 positive pregnancy tests weren't enough "proof" to me that I was actually pregnant!)

So we get there and they go over my paperwork, and do a little talking. Then they have me gown up and they pull out the doppler. She was searching all over and couldn't find a heartbeat. She must have been trying for 10 minutes. I started to get really nervous. She said that she was going to grab the ultrasound machine really quick to determine viability. (yikes) As soon as she walked out of the room Tom turned to me and said, "Uh oh."

Thankfully as soon as they turned the machine on, a little baby blob showed up and I saw the little heart flicker. It was a huge relief. The baby was measuring a week ahead, but they kept my due date the same. The baby was also moving around which was crazy because it felt surreal that there was actually a baby moving around inside of me!

We left feeling relieved that everything was on track. And Tom promptly spilled the beans to a bunch of people! Almost everyone we see on a regular basis knows we are pregnant now. We are waiting to tell Facebook until after my appt next week. I want to hear the heartbeat and make it to 14weeks before we are out to the entire world.

12 weeks

 Below is my 11 & 12 week bump pics. I didn't feel like there was much of a difference from last week to this week...but seeing it side-by-side I can tell a difference for sure!

11 weeks                                                                          12 weeks

Updates

So...it's been awhile. To be fair, in my last post I did say how busy I was going to be. Although I think my lack of blogging has been from tiredness/laziness. I will post my first official bump pic and my 12 week update tomorrow. (Yeah...all the way to 12 weeks now! How did that happen?!)

I guess I need to update on what we've been up to the past month... I'm going to start with how we told our families the big news.

First the story about how we told my family (except my brother, who wasn't there.) My little sister was going to come stay with us for a week so we went up there to pick her up. My mom needed to look through our wedding pictures because she hasn't ordered her pictures yet (8 months later...) So I printed off a picture of the digital test and the word "pregnant" and stuck it in the middle of the album. So her and my sister are paging through the album, commenting on the pictures and marking which ones they want to order. Finally they get to the "speical" page...

Sister,"What's that?!" --points to pic of test

Mom, "I don't know. What is that? It looks like a pregnancy test? What is that doing in here?"

* They are both in complete denial*

Mom asks again, "How did this get in there?"

Me, "I'm pregnant."

Mom & sister, "NO YOU'RE NOT! OMG, NO YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE LIEING! SCREAMS. OMG"

Me, "Yes, I am pregnant."

Mom, "No you're not! Are you? NO WAY! more screaming & lots of crying..."

...Needless to say that was a lot of fun and my family is excited!

So since my brother wasn't there, we made them keep it a secret so we could tell him in person. I told my brother that we were coming up to see Tom's family and I wanted to meet for lunch. So we get there and talk for a bit and order some food. After awhile I told him that I have an early birthday present for him. I pull out this... 

He grabbed the blank side first, so it took him a second to turn it around and read what it said. Once he got it he got a little smirk on his face and looked at me with tears in his eyes. I'll never forget the look on his face. My macho, 19 year old brother, tearing up when he found out he was going to be an uncle. It was great. :)

I'm not going to waste much time on the reaction we got from the in-laws, because of course it sucked and Tom's still hurt by it. Not even his mom (who we though FOR SURE would be beyond excited) seemed very un-excited. She was happy, I guess. But it was very luke-warm. Considering she only has 1 grandchild and that grandchild lives in Texas (we're in Minnesota) you would think she would be happy to have one in the same state? I don't get it. Tom's brother never said one word, Not even a fake congrats. Tom's dad asked why we didn't wait longer, and that he thought Tom was too young. (Um, he's THIRTY!) He also asked Tom if he was happy to be having a baby. Tom said, "Of course, this baby was planned--by the both of us. We wanted this." What a loser. :/

Anyway, I promise I will update more. I'm starting to feel better and I want to document my pregnancy now that I actually feel (and am starting to look! eek!) pregnant!



How I'm feeling

I'm a little over 6 weeks and the nausea and EXHAUSTION started a couple days ago. So far I haven't gotten physically sick, but I feel like I have the flu 24/7. By the time I get home from work (my job is not tough) I am too tired to do anything. Cooking dinner or unloading the dishwasher wipes me out for the night. The biggest thing I'm dealing with is never being hungry. I have no appetite and all food makes me feel gross. I have to force myself to eat but yet I look so bloated you would think I've been eating pizza & beer for dinner every night! I've had some cramping (mainly weeks 4-5) but it's starting to fade away now. I don't have my first appointment until I'm 10 weeks...so I still have another month to wait! :( Hopefully we will hear the heartbeat then and we can relax a little bit.

We have such a busy month, I don't know how we are going to finish everything! We have to go 3 hours away to see Tom's family this weekend, we have to finish painting the outside of our house, go to a friend's wedding reception next weekend, we needs to put new trim up in the kitchen, clean our house...Oh, and I'm planning a big party for Tom's 30th birthday in two weeks! I have NOTHING started yet. No food/cake ordered. No decorations. Nothing. I had grand plans for this party. Somehow, I don't think everything I wanted to do is actually going to get done...

3rd time was a charm!

 This is the story about how I found out I AM PREGNANT in a campground bathroom. Oh yes...

This past weekend we went camping with a couple of our friends. I took a pregnancy test before we left even though I knew it was too early (only 9DPO) Of course it was negative. I wasn't too upset, because even though our timing was 100% perfect this month, I had a (TMI) horrible yeast infection right around/after O time so I thought we were out. 

We headed out camping and had a great time. It was a nice campground. They even had a mini golf course and a creek with a wicked current that you can float down with your tube (and beer of course!)

 

 

 

On Saturday morning (11DPO) I decided to take another test. I brought one with because we were doing a lot of wine tasting that day. I know drinking in early pregnancy (especially BEFORE I even miss my period won't harm the baby...but I wanted to know.) So I went off to take a shower at 6:30 am when everyone else was still sleeping. I took the test (in a campground bathroom! lol!) almost right away there was a faint line. I was in shock and decided to jump in the shower because I couldn't sit there and wait the 2 minutes for the test to fully develop. I was a shaking mess! After I put shampoo in my hair I actually dumped body wash in my hair instead of conditioner! After my shower I picked up the test and there was no mistaking that there was a 2nd line there. It was pretty light, but I know that "a line is a line." I've taken lots of pregnancy tests and I have NEVER seen a 2nd line. So I was pretty sure I was pregnant. I started crying, and thankfully no one else was in there with me. 

I went back down to our tent and woke up Tom. I leaned over and said "Our baby has already gone on his first beer tour. " (We had toured a brewery the day before.) And he laughed and told me "No he didn't. You're not pregnant."

Me: "Yes I am"

Him "No your not."

Me "YES I AM."

Him "How do you know"

Me "I took a test"

He then asks to see the test...

Him " It's too light. It's not as dark as the other line. It must be negative."

I grab my iphone (Thank goodness for the iphone!) and google "faint positives" and "a line is a line." 

He finally believes me.

We went home the next day and I took a couple more tests right away to confirm. We are cautiously optimistic. Tom is BEYOND excited. He is always rubbing my tummy. (Which is nothing but bloat at this point!) He makes sure I am eating and feeling well. He asks me multiple times a day if he can tell someone yet. (and I keep telling him it's too early!) It's starting to sink in and feel more & more real. My EDD: is 04/03/2012. I guess God knew to wait until I was ready. This was the first month I didn't feel nervous, and we got our BFP! I'm praying that everything goes well and this is a sticky baby! 

Adding the normal disclaimer: if you are my FB friend (or you are a lurker and know me?) Please don't say anything. It's way too soon. Thanks! 

I finally get it

So this is our 3rd month TTC. At first, Tom was the one who was ready, and it was his idea to start trying earlier than we planned. I was so nervous & scared...and not sure I was ready. 

I AM SO READY NOW!

I don't know what changed, maybe I just needed a few months to get used to the idea. But I have NEVER had baby fever like this! It's literally in the back on my mind 24/7. I desperately want a BFP this month and for once, I think a BFN would really sting. The past couple didn't bother me...but I know this month will be a different story.I finally "get it." The desire for a baby, for a family. I never REALLY felt that urge before. And man, did it ever come full force! 


Thankfully we've been really busy with BBQ'S, spending time with our friends, wine festivals(!!), and camping. But the desire to have a tiny baby is still there. 


I'm ready. And I can say that for sure now. I don't think I was meant to get pregnant right away because I wasn't really ready. Well, now I am so bring on the BFP! ;)

3rd time's a charm?

We're starting our 3rd cycle of TTC now. I can't believe we are starting our 3rd month already! It feels like we just started! But in any case, I still feel really hopeful about it. My body has had a couple months to regulate (and things seem to be going well) so now we can get serious about it ;)

We have been keeping busy as well. We are still working on painting the house. We've had a lot of rain every weekend and have been unable to finish. We also planted a herb garden and cut down a tree in our backyard.

We've gone to a bunch of garage sales & found some little treasures. We've also done a lot of hanging out with friends, grilling & have drank our fair share of margaritas ;) I guess it's been a pretty good summer so far! I think having the nice weather and a bunch of house projects to do have kept my mind off TTC for a bit. Hopefully we are pregnant before this winter when I have nothing better to do but worry about it! ha!

Hopefully our 3rd time will be the charm!

5 years!

5 years ago today Tom & I went on our first date! We met at a bar and he bought me a couple drinks. Then we spent the rest of the night/early morning taking a long walk and talking/getting to know each other. In no way did I think he would be the man I married, but I'm glad he was. :)

He got me a cute card & a bunch of candy. Not good for the tummy size, but it was very sweet.

Tonight we are going out to dinner and maybe a local happy hour after. It's only fitting to have a drink in a bar to celebrate, considering that's where we met. ;)

No Bueno

Guys, TTC is not fun. I'm pretty sure we have a 1% chance of getting pregnant this month.

I can't bring myself to write about this even though I have a feeling it's really common...

So we need to figure out how to fix this problem, make TTC fun again, and move onto next month's cycle.

Not much else is new. One of our friends, who are going to be TTC in August, came over last weekend. They asked me if I would seriously be open to watching their future baby for them. We have talked about it before, in a half serious/half joking manner. Well, I know they are actually serious about it. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I guess it all depends on when we both get pregnant. I'm not sure I can handle 2 newborns at once as a first time mom. But we'll see. It's something to think about...

Feeling like a teenager

And NOT in a good way! Last month was my first month off the pill. I was prepared for all the side effects that came alone with it. Except...nothing happened. I didn't break out, I didn't gain weight, my PMS was only slightly worse, I had a perfectly normal cycle, etc etc.

HAHAHAHA. Apparently my body just needed a month to get into a groove because now that we're in month #2 my face is HORRIBLE! I feel like a teenager again! I had horrible acne when I was younger and thankfully going on the pill helped a lot. I'm using all the drug store washes but nothing is working. :( I hope this will even out soon because this is NO FUN!

I've also started gaining weight. Partly because I am starving all the time. My stomach will literally ache and grumble even after I've eaten dinner!

When I was younger, my Doctor thought I probably had PCOS. I had every single one of the symptoms. I'm worried that my first month off the pill was a fluke with my perfect, symptom-free cycle and now I'm getting into the "real" ones. I could go 3-4 months without a period, had horrible acne, was overweight, excess hair (omg yes I admit it!) I was really hopeful after last month...but now, not so much. :(

Anyway...any ideas on how to get my body back into control?! YIKES!

Smurf Blue

Our house is now painted "smurf blue."Ha! ;) We got the majority of the house painted this weekend. We still have all the little detail/touch up work to do. The paint was a little brighter than we thought it would be, but it's MUCH better than the nasty grey the house was before. Let me tell you, painting a house is A LOT of work. Our next house better have maintence-free siding!

We went to a couple garage sales last Saturday. I bought a wood rocking chair. It was only $15 and in really good condition. I told Tom that I needed it to rock our baby to sleep...and he agreed...even though I'm NOT pregnant yet. So the chair is sitting in our guest room for now.

Not much else is new. I need to get back into working out because I have really slacked since the wedding. And recently I've been letting TTC get in the way. I tell myself "why bother when I could be pregnant anyway?" OBVIOUSLY that is not the right way to think because what if it takes us awhile? I can't skip working out for months and months. Plus I know pregnancy will be easier on my body if I'm in shape BEFORE. blah blah blah. I just don't like working out and I need to suck it up and stop with the excuses. :(

Jessica Graduated!

My youngest sister graduated last weekend. I'm really happy that she made it. There were times when we all thought she wouldn't make it so I'm proud that she got her diploma. My mom officially has all of her children grown up now. (although not all have left the "nest") Below are some pics from last Saturday.

My brother, sister, & me

                                                   
                                                   Jessica & Rex

                                                    The husband & Jessica

                                           Jessica & Miss Emma

This weekend my brother is coming down and we are going to paint the house & the garage. The paint on our house is so old & faded, it's about time for a paint job! The house is a blue/grey right now because it's so faded. We picked a new blue and it looks so bright--but I'm hoping that's just because I'm so used to faded paint. Either way, we have 10 gallons of the bright blue that we need to use so I hope my neighbors are ready for a bright, cheery house! Ha! ;)

Robbery

Tom's dad was robbed this morning. He lives in a very small, safe town. I don't understand what is wrong with people. I guess the kid kicked in the door when his dad answered it. He threw him on the ground, punched him, and stole his wallet. Then he went and stole a few other things like some guns. I don't know the whole story but I guess the kid (high school aged) left a backpack there. Hopefully there is some sort of I.D in there so they can catch him. It makes me nervous because it goes to show you, you are never really 100% safe in your own home!

In baby news, I got a stark white BFN today and a huge temp drop. I think AF is on her way tomorrow. I know getting pregnant on the first try is rare, so I'm ok with it. I'm just really happy that I had a pretty regular cycle right away and it looks like I ovulated, so that's promising! Now I wish AF would just show up so we can get the show on the road to cycle #2!