30 Week Pregnancy Update

First of all can I just say that I think it's completely crazy that I am 30 weeks already! I can't believe I will have a baby in 10 weeks (give or take a couple). This pregnancy has went by so fast, and I know the next couple of months will fly by as well. 

Speaking of going fast, I have NOTHING prepared for this baby! I was putting off any major stocking up/buying anything until we got into our new house. Once we got into the house, we decided to wait until after Christmas before we worked on the nursery. The past few days I've been feeling really anxious about preparing for the baby to come. I woke up yesterday morning with an overwhelming feeling that I HAD to do something. I immediately began stripping wallpaper in the nursery and I had it all stripped in about two hours.

 I feel so much better to finally have started on the nursery. Now I just have to concentrate on stocking up on diapers and wipes. I am also planning on having a huge freezer cooking session in a couple of weeks so I will have meals prepared for when the baby arrives.

How Far Along: 30 weeks, 4 day

Due date: March 6th

Gender: No idea!

Names: Not sharing until we are 100% sure.

Weight Gain: 15 pounds

Maternity clothes: I'm still wearing a few of my regular clothes--mainly stretchy shirts that were a little long to begin with. I wear sweatpants or pajama bottoms around the house and I have taken to  stealing Josh's t-shirts to wear around the house as well.

Stretch Marks: Yes :( A couple of small ones on my lower belly. Thankfully they are pretty light and not deep, so I'm sure they'll fade with time.

Sleep: I'm still sleeping pretty well. I have noticed that I wake up more often throughout the night and it's a little harder for me to roll over. I'm still able to get a comfortable, full night's sleep so I'm loving that for as long as I can.

Movement: The baby is still a little wiggle worm and several people have been able to feel the baby move from the outside.

Missing anything: Being able to get off the couch easily--it's gotten to be quite a workout!

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Food Aversions: I really don't have any food aversions any more, and I actually bought a yogurt parfait from the grocery store today all on my own!

Symptoms: I still have mild heartburn occasionally and the past 3-4 days I've notice some sciatic nerve pain. I have also still been getting charlie horses like crazy. I get them in my calves, feet and toes and they are absolutely terrible. Besides that nothing really worth mentioning.

28 Week Pregnancy Update

This is me at 27 weeks, 1 day.

So it's been a couple of weeks since I've updated! Let's just say I've been super busy. Between getting ready for Christmas, work, settling into the new house and FINALS (ugh!), I haven't really had much time for blogging. Thankfully I finished my last final last night and I have a lot of Christmas shopping done, so hopefully life will calm down a little bit.

I had an appointment on the 4th and everything went pretty well. We had to take the 1 hour glucose test which involved drinking FIFTY GRAMS of sugar and having your blood drawn an hour later. I didn't eat anything the day of the test, but I had went a little candy crazy the day before and unfortunately I failed the 1 hour test. My sugar after one hour was 150 and the cut off is 135 so I had to go in for a 3 hour test. I wasn't too worried because 150 is at the low end of "high" numbers and because the 1 hour test has a lot of false positives. 

I went in Tuesday for the 3 hour test, where I had to fast for 12 hours beforehand. They drew a vial of blood and also tested it with a glucose meter. My fasting number was 82, which is good considering normal is 80-120. Then I had to drink another drink with ONE HUNDRED grams of sugar. I had my blood drawn every hour for the next three hours. They drew a vial each time, but only tested on the glucose meter again at the last time. Three hours after drinking the drink my sugar was 103, which is in the normal range and I personally think is pretty good after drinking 100 grams of sugar. 

How Far Along: 28 weeks, 1 day

Due date: March 6th

Gender: No idea!

Names: Not sharing until we are 100% sure.

Weight Gain: 11 pounds

Maternity clothes: Very, very few of my regular clothes still fit me. Mainly my shirts are just too short. I broke down the other day and bought some more maternity clothes from Old Navy. I love Old Navy for maternity clothes because they are comfortable and affordable. I'm always able to find a sale or coupon to get clothes for a good price. I'm waiting anxiously for them to arrive!

Stretch Marks: No new ones!

Sleep: I'm still sleeping pretty well. I am very surprised because I am still able to sleep on my stomach. I thought stomach sleeping was out of the question when pregnant, but my midwife said as long as I'm comfortable, my body (and the baby) will let me know if I need to change positions. I don't put all of my weight on my belly, most of my weight is supported by my legs/side. So it's like a half stomach/half side position. It sure saves my hips from aching the next morning!

Movement: The baby all the time! I've been able to actually see the baby move from the outside and the baby seems to respond to things that are annoying, like my computer pressed against my belly by a firm kick!

Missing anything: Being able to bend over easily.

Food cravings: I bought a huge box of tangelos, so my fruit craving has been satisfied. :) 

Food Aversions: I really don't have any food aversions any more.

Symptoms: I still have heartburn occasionally, and I've been experiencing "pregnancy brain" moments more and more lately. Nothing too serious though, I'm still fairly comfortable.

25 Week Pregnancy Update--and a New House

After keeping it a secret since June, I can now share the news that we bought a house! We moved in over the course of two days and we are very excited, even though moving is terrible and overwhelming. We moved a mile up the road into an older house. According to the deed, the house was built in 1896. It still has a lot of the original wood work, doors, hardware, etc. It's 3800 square feet and I'm still trying to get adjusted to living in such a big house!

The previous owners lived here for 32 years and moved to Nashville to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren. They are so sweet and even left us a fruit basket and a frozen pizza for our first night here. Buying a house and moving is very, very stressful and I'm so glad to finally be moved in! I'll post pictures as soon as we get completely moved in. We are also planning on doing some serious redecorating, so expect some before and after posts as well!

It's been about 2 1/2 weeks since my last pregnancy update so I thought it was time to have another one.

How Far Along: 25 weeks, 4 days

Due date: March 6th

Gender: No idea!

Names: Not sharing until we are 100% sure.

Weight Gain: 7 pounds--but I haven't weighed myself since Thanksgiving, that number might be a little higher next time I step on the scale!

Maternity clothes: I'm wearing a mix of maternity and regular. Most of my tops are getting too short and each week my wardrobe is getting more and more limited, I need to do some serious maternity shopping.

Stretch Marks: I have a scar to the right of my belly button that's turned into a little mark and a couple more light marks on my side. I expected them, but I hope they don't get too bad!

Sleep: Sleep is getting harder. It does help with the new house that we upgraded to a king sized bed.  I can sleep through the night without peeing, but turning over is a challenge. I feel like a doll with a weighted bottom, only in my belly.

Movement: I feel the baby moving a lot, especially at night when I'm laying still.

Missing anything: Being able to move quickly. I've noticed in the past couple of weeks it takes a tiny bit more effort to get off the couch and roll over in the bed.

Food cravings: I've really been craving fresh fruit, but this a bad time of year for it :(

Food Aversions: I really don't have any food aversions any more.

Symptoms: I've started to notice aching in my hips and legs. It's not too bad but I can really tell if I push myself too hard. Thanksgiving day we were trying to move as much as we could to the new house. I packed several boxes and was on my feet for most of the day. By night time my feet, hips and back were hurting so bad I couldn't lay on the couch. I also got heartburn for the first time ever! I've noticed the biggest triggers are fried foods, so I've been trying to avoid them.

Looking forward to: The 3rd trimester--it has came so fast! I can't believe I'm almost 27 weeks pregnant!

24 Week Appointment

Tuesday was my 24 week appointment. Everything is still going great! The baby had a heartbeat of 148 and my belly measured 24 weeks on the nose.

The last two appointments I have been to have been a part of the Centering Pregnancy program at the hospital. It's a program that starts around 20 weeks until the end of your pregnancy. You go to your appointment and instead of waiting in the lobby to see the midwife you go straight back to a "group" appointment. The nurse is there to check your weight and blood pressure, and there's a screen up with a big comfy chair for the midwife to check the heartbeat, measure your uterus, and answer any questions that are specific to you. Afterward everyone has all the medical stuff checked out, we sit around and talk about different aspects of pregnancy.

So far we've only had two appointments and they have both been a pretty good time. There are about 8 girls in our group and we're all due late February to mid March. I love that after an hour drive I actually have a substantial appointment instead of just the quick medical stuff. I really feel like everyone benefits from it. The midwives there are very supportive of natural birth as well--which is extremely important to me.

My next appointment is December 4th and after that I start going every two weeks. I really can't believe I am to that point already! Which reminds me...Wednesday I crossed a BIG milestone, VIABILITY! While I want this baby to keep cooking for a while, it's some what comforting to know if baby comes early he or she has a fighting chance. This also marks the point in pregnancy where I start counting down instead of up. Less than 16 weeks left!! It's going by so fast! 

23 Week Pregnancy Update

We had a great Halloween! This is a picture of me, my mother-in-law and my two sisters-in-law at my sister-in-law's Halloween party. I was a pregnant cowgirl! Josh dressed up like a nerd!

Rudy was a fireman and he had a great time trick-or-treating. He loved dressing up and asked to wear his fireman costumes for days afterward.

Now for a quick pregnancy update. :)

How Far Along: 23 weeks, 1 day

Due date: March 6th

Gender: No idea!

Names: We are set on a girl name and a first name for a boy, but we haven't really talked much about a middle name for a boy yet.

Weight Gain: 6.5 pounds

Maternity clothes: I can still wear some of my regular clothes but maternity clothes are sooo much more comfortable and actually really cute. I'm wearing a mix of maternity and regular. A lot of my tops are starting to get too short though and I can only fit into two pairs of pre-pregnancy jeans

Stretch Marks: None yet!

Sleep: I am still sleeping pretty good. I can sleep through the night without having to pee and the only issue I have is that my arms and legs fall asleep a lot quicker if they're in a weird position.

Movement: I feel the baby move all the time! Josh felt the baby from the outside last week...it was very exciting!

Missing anything: I still would love a margarita! Today I went to the grocery store and my mouth was watering for a turkey and cheddar Lunchable. I am avoiding deli meat during this pregnancy because of the risk of listeria, but that Lunchable sure looked good!

Food cravings: The previously mentioned Lunchable! I still crave a lot of fruit and I've also been craving chips and salsa.

Food Aversions: I am slowly easing back into eating cucumbers but yogurt is waaaay out of the question.

Symptoms: I'm not sure if it's the hectic schedule I have right now or what, but I have been feeling so fatigued lately. I feel like I can never get enough sleep. I've also had a few "pregnancy brain" brain moments--like the other day when I couldn't remember the word for "peel" an egg. I called it "pre-shelling an egg."

Looking forward to: 24 weeks...also known as viability day. Of course I hope baby stays in there to cook for a while longer but it will give me a little bit of comfort to know that if baby comes early he/she will have a fighting chance.

20 Week Ultrasound

Tuesday I had my anatomy scan! It went well, everything is normal and baby is healthy! Woohoo!

I think I am in for it with this child though. My ultrasound lasted for nearly an hour and a half. The baby was laying transverse but was completely folded up and twisted around, making it nearly impossible for the tech to get the picture she needed. Plus, the baby was wiggling around everywhere and moving like crazy. The tech stopped at one point with the wand just to show me how much the baby was moving--it was insane! I'm  hoping this ultrasound isn't indicative of the future behavior of this child!

The tech had me use the restroom and brought in another tech to see if she could get the pictures they needed. This time the baby had completely flipped around, but was in the same position, if that makes any sense. The combination of me using the restroom and bringing in the new tech did the trick though. At one point they had the wand right underneath my bra line and another time against my hip bone as far as it would go. I asked them if it would help if I did a handstand against the wall! After all of that they were finally able to get all the pictures they needed.

I was 19 weeks, 6 days and baby measured 20 weeks 4 days and weighed approximately 13 ounces. At first they weren't able to tell the sex but during the second round they were able to! They had me close my eyes and look away so I wouldn't see and they snapped a quick picture. I met with the midwife for a few minutes afterward and she put a sticker over the sex on my chart. So now she knows! I was so scared that someone would accidentally tell me so I made sure to tell the techs that I did NOT want to know. I am happy that we made it through the most tempting part of the pregnancy in regards to finding out the sex, I'm pretty confident we can stick to it now.

So, also, my little sister is pregnant. Her due date has been changed around a few times, but I think it's finally settled in on March 11th, 5 days after me. She also had an ultrasound the same day I did and found out she is having a baby boy! I am looking forward to having a son/daughter the same age as my nephew. They will have so much fun growing up together!


How Far Along: 20 weeks, 4 days

Due date: March 6th

Gender: No idea!

Names: We are pretty sure on names, but not 100% so I don't think I'll share those yet.

Weight Gain: 5 pounds

Maternity clothes: I can still wear my regular clothes but maternity clothes are sooo much more comfortable and actually really cute. I'm wearing a mix of maternity and regular.

Stretch Marks: None yet!

Sleep: I'm still sleeping pretty well except I get woken up often from my crazy pregnant lady dreams.

Movement: I've been feeling movement for about 2 weeks now! It gets more consistent/often every day. It's definitely a weird sensation but I love it.

Missing anything: I have been craving a nice cold margarita...that's out of the question for a while.

Food cravings: FRUIT!

Food Aversions: I am slowly easing back into eating cucumbers but yogurt is waaaay out of the question.

Symptoms: I actually feel pretty great right now.

Looking forward to: Finding some fruit to eat ASAP. :)

Pumpkin Patch...and a Bump Picture!

Finally a baby bump picture! This was taken last Saturday at 18 weeks, 4 days. We took a family trip to the pumpkin patch and had such a great time. Here are a few favorites:

We picked up several pumpkins and plan on carving at least one with Rudy soon. We are planning on going back next year because we had such a great time!

17 weeks

Well, let me just say that the past little bit has been crazy. I've been super busy working 3 days a week and going to school full-time, plus taking care of the house and Rudy, AND making a baby from scratch!

It's Josh's busy season as well, so he's been working late a lot. I have homework at least every other day, plus studying to stay on top of my classes. Of course, I also have to make sure I'm spending quality time with    Rudy. We also have a few other things going on that I can't really talk about just yet ;).

On top of all THAT, a couple of nights ago we had to take Josh to the emergency room because of (what he thought were) kidney stones. He's had them several times in the past, and actually has them in his kidneys at all time, but only feels pain when they move or try to pass. He was in terrible pain and I felt so bad for him. He was still able to crack jokes though. They put him in a wheelchair and took him to have a CAT scan. When we got back to the waiting area I told the lady I was 17 weeks pregnant and asked if it was okay for me to be back there. Josh promptly informed her that HE was the one that got me pregnant! She laughed and said that was good to know. It turned out he had a severe bladder infection. He had a few stones at the top of his kidneys, so we also think they may have moved a little bit and caused pain.

Everything has been going great on the baby baking front!


How Far Along: 17 weeks, 3 days

Due date: March 6th

Gender: We still aren't finding out!

Names: We are pretty sure on names, but not 100% so I don't think I'll share those yet.

Weight Gain: 1 pound so far.

Maternity clothes: I found a pair of nice maternity pants at Once Upon A Child for $10. I also ordered a few things when Old Navy was having their maternity sale. I can still fit into my regular clothes, but I know I'll need maternity clothes before too long.

Stretch Marks: None yet!

Sleep: It's gotten a lot more fitful. I went to bed before Josh last night and apparently when he came in I was laying upside down and crosswise on the bed, on top of the blankets which were all twisted up. I've been trying to sleep on my side but it's hard to do. Lately it's been more like a half side/half stomach position.

Movement: Nothing definite yet, though I have noticed some tightening and different sensations. It might be even longer before I feel movement though because I have an anterior placenta, which means that my placenta is in the front. That will make the movement feel muffled at first.

Missing anything: Nothing too bad, a margarita would be nice though.

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Food Aversions: I still can't do cucumbers or yogurt.

Symptoms: I haven't had many symptoms in the past few weeks. A little bit of occasional nausea and I'm still breaking out a lot, but besides that not much.

Looking forward to: My next ultrasound is in about 2 1/2 weeks. Even though we aren't finding out the gender, I'm still looking forward to seeing baby and making sure he/she is growing well.

Second Trimester!

Has it been over a month already?? I haven't updated in a while and so much has happened since the last time I did. Hopefully this won't get too long.

-At 9 weeks and 5 days (on my birthday!) I had an ultrasound. Josh and Rudy both came with me and we had a great time. Baby was measuring 10 weeks 1 day with a heart rate of 170 beats per minute. We saw little tiny arms and legs and baby was wiggling around everywhere. Josh and Rudy were equally infatuated with the wiggling babe :). It was such a relief and the BEST birthday present! We felt a lot more comfortable telling people that are close to us after that, so we told the rest of our families and a few close friends that didn't know, but we were still keeping quiet for the most part.

-The day following my birthday was August 7th, my due date for my first pregnancy. I think the anticipation of the day was worse that the day itself. I had to work that day, so that helped to take my mind off of things, plus the high I was feeling from the previous day's ultrasound really helped to keep me positive. I still thought about my lost baby a lot that day though, but I am so thankful to be pregnant again.

-I started a new job! It is still at the bank, but I went from HR to the commercial lending department. I am now a Commercial Credit Analyst Intern. I love it! It's much more fast-paced than my old job, and I have to think things through, so I think it's a really good fit for me. I told my new bosses (and my old boss, the HR person!) about my pregnancy and everyone was very supportive. I think it helps that I'm only working part-time and that I'm an extra person, so hopefully they won't miss much while I'm on leave.

-A week ago today I considered myself "officially" in the second trimester. According to which source you use, the second trimester can start at 12 weeks,13 weeks and 14 weeks. If you divide 40 weeks by 3, you get 13 weeks 3 days. So at 13 weeks 4 days I considered myself officially in the second trimester :).

-On September 6th I had an appointment with my midwife and everything looked great. It was a quick appointment but I got to hear the heartbeat beating away at 160 beats a minute! Since everything was great and I was 14 weeks 1 day, I came home and announced on Facebook with this picture:

We had family pictures done by my awesome friend Bethany and we took a few announcement pictures as well. I love the big brother ones! The support on Facebook was overwhelming and it suddenly made this pregnancy feel very, very real. The fear lessens everyday and I am getting more and more excited!

In a lot of the pregnancy blogs I read, they will do a weekly pregnancy survey. I thought it might be fun to do the same. I probably won't do one every week (hello it's been a month since I've updated!) But monthly or every two weeks is probably more doable.

How Far Along: 14 weeks, 4 days

Due date: March 6th

Gender: Not only is it too early to tell, but we aren't finding out at all! That's a post for another day though :)

Names: We are pretty sure on names, but not 100% so I don't think I'll share those yet.

Weight Gain: So far, 0 pounds.

Maternity clothes: None yet, but my Mamoo has bought me a lot she found secondhand. My regular clothes still fit, but I have a definite pooch, so sometimes I have to do the handy rubber band trick if my pants/shorts get too tight.

Stretch Marks: None yet!

Sleep: My sleep hasn't been too disturbed. I have to pee just about every night at least once and I've noticed the past week it's starting to bother me to sleep on my stomach. When I have to switch to sleeping on my side is when I'll start having issues.

Movement: None yet, which is expected because it's so early. It might be even longer before I feel movement though because I have an anterior placenta, which means that my placenta is in the front. That will make the movement feel muffled at first.

Missing anything: A cold turkey sandwich :(

Food cravings: None, although a week or so ago I was about to die for fried catfish. Thankfully I was able to get some!

Food Aversions: These have let up a lot. I no longer have an aversion to plain water and I've been eating salads every now and then! Cucumbers and yogurt are still a no-no though.

Symptoms: I have some background nausea occasionally, but not very often. The biggest thing I've noticed over the past couple weeks is pain in my hips, thighs and knees. It honestly feels like growing pains. I haven't gained any weight so I'm not sure how they're hurting already!

Looking forward to: Being noticeably pregnant. Right now I'm in between and I honestly look like I just ate a few too many tacos!

Loss Milestone

Today I am 8 weeks 1 day pregnant. Tomorrow is the day in my last pregnancy that my miscarriage was confirmed. This Saturday I will officially be more pregnant than I have ever been. It is a very bittersweet feeling.

I've been enjoying this pregnancy (as much as you can enjoy nausea and breakouts) but I've found myself thinking about the baby that I lost a lot more. I think it has to do with my estimated due date approaching. Even though I am pregnant now, I feel a twinge of pain whenever I see a woman with a huge 9 month belly, because that's what my belly is supposed to look like right now. I'm supposed to be getting a nursery ready, washing baby clothes in Dreft, dealing with the summer heat.

I don't suppose I'll ever "get over" the pregnancy that I lost. As early as two days after my miscarriage was confirmed I had people telling me to "cheer up" and "move on." At that point I was still in PHYSICAL pain. Contraction like cramps, blood, blood and more blood, back pain; it was all extremely painful. I had barely begun to deal with the emotional side of losing my baby and I was being told to "cheer up." Needless to say that spun me into a lonely, silent depression where I felt like I couldn't turn to anyone about my pain. Over time I have learned how to manage it, accept it, and even amazingly, be somewhat thankful for it. But no, I will never forget, get over, or move on from the baby that I lost.

My first pregnancy was a surprise and I was overwhelmed in the beginning. I felt unprepared and apprehensive. But even though it was unplanned, it was very much wanted. I formed a connection with this tiny baby I had never met and treated my body very well to nourish the tiny soul I was growing. When I saw the flicker of the heartbeat on the ultrasound screen I fell in love. The pain following my miscarriage was real and raw. I lost a child. Not an embryo, a fetus, or an idea... but a child.

Seven months out from my miscarriage I can look back and see the silver lining. Most importantly, if not for the baby I lost, I would not be carrying the child I have now. I have developed an understanding for the hurt of other people going through similar situations. I can sympathize with other mothers that have experienced the same thing. Also, as trite as this sounds, this baby will arrive at a better "time" than my first would have. We will hopefully be homeowners before this baby arrives. I have a better job with better (part-time) hours. I will be closer to finishing school.

Those are all positive things, and I am so thankful for them. However, I don't think I will ever be able to forget that I was going to share a birthday month, week or even day with my child. I was going to have a summer baby. Rudy and my first biological baby were going to be just barely 3 years apart instead of almost 4. I was going to have a newborn in August instead of rounding out the first trimester.

I will always remember the first baby we lost, and I believe my first baby gave me the greatest gift--their brother or sister that will be arriving this March. For that, I will always, always be thankful.

Quick Pregnancy Update

Things are still going pretty great! I'm taking each day as it comes and trying hard not to worry or stress. So far I feel like I've been pretty successful.

The nausea has still been pretty persistent over the past several days, but I've gotten a pretty good handle on not actually throwing up. I've learned that if I stay in bed for a little while, don't eat until I've been up for a few hours, and eat small portions I usually do okay. I feel queasy everyday and while it's bad in the morning it seems like it always hits in the late afternoon as well.

My eating habits have totally changed. I've always loved summer for the fresh sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelon and other yummy vegetables. This summer I want absolutely no part of them. I used to love salads and now they taste like I'm eating grass. It is just so strange to me! Also I've always been a huge water drinker. I used to drink nothing but water, day and night. Now it seems like plain water makes me sick. Heavily laced lemon water is delicious though as well as lemonade. I'm trying to stay hydrated because I know how important that is, but I have to admit I'm not doing a very good job.

I feel like my emotions have remained pretty constant but there have been a few moments when I knew my hormones were too blame. The perfect example was earlier tonight. I had washed Josh's work clothes the day before and left them in the dryer. I pulled them tonight to hang them up and he made a comment about the clothes being wrinkled. I promptly burst into tears. He was joking the whole time and even though I knew that I just couldn't shake the feeling of being a bad wife because of wrinkly clothes! I cried and he was hugging me but laughing at the same time over the ridiculousness of it. It was pretty hilarious...especially when I offered to iron them! His work clothes are worn, torn in places and covered in hydraulic oil, grease and who knows what else and I was seriously about to get out the iron to get the wrinkles out. It was so silly to cry over but I know it'll be something funny that we will look back on some day. Lovely pregnancy hormones! :)

First Appointment

I had my first prenatal appointment yesterday at exactly 7 weeks. It went wonderfully!

Let me just begin by saying that I can't praise my midwife enough. I love, love, love going there and it is absolutely worth the 45 minute drive. The midwife I saw today was the one that confirmed my miscarriage and I really like her. She was so comforting and compassionate during one of the saddest moments of my life and is just all around a great person.

The first thing she said to me was "I'm so thrilled to see you here!" She asked how I was feeling and if I was nervous. When I told her I felt better about this pregnancy, but still nervous and apprehensive she was very understanding. She offered to bring in the portable ultrasound and "take a peak" as long as I promised not to get upset if we didn't see anything. Since I had been charting I knew I was exactly 7 weeks so I was really hoping that we would be able to see a heartbeat.

She used the abdominal ultrasound and we saw the gestational sac immediately...and then, the flicker of a heartbeat! It was such a great feeling. Even though the portable machine was old and fuzzy, I could see the heartbeat clear and strong. She took a few measurements and kind of laughed and pointed to the screen. Baby was measuring 7 weeks 0 days. She said "look, you were right on!" Another reason I am so thankful I chart! If I was going by my last period (which is how doctors calculate your due date) I would have been 8 weeks and 1 day and I would probably have anxiety about baby measuring "small." But since I know exactly when I ovulated, I can be confident that baby is actually right on track.

I had an exam and we talked for a while about a few questions I had. I had my blood drawn (5 vials!) and scheduled an appointment for August 6th (my birthday!). I am having a "real" ultrasound at my next appointment with a meeting with a midwife after. I'll be 9 weeks and 5 days.

I feel so much better after this appointment. Even though my fear is not completely gone, it is very much alleviated. Still hoping and praying for a healthy pregnancy!

First Family Vacation and Our One Year Anniversary

This has been a busy, busy week! Last Sunday was our one year wedding anniversary. We didn't do much except pack because we were getting ready to go on vacation the next day. My sister-in-law was leaving for camp the same day we were leaving and since she was going to be gone for her birthday we all went out to Logan's to celebrate.

After putting Rudy to bed we were super excited to cut into our wedding cake...and let's just say it's really not how we remembered it! We had a raspberry filling in the middle and I think it seeped through the rest of the cake and made it bitter. Needless to say we took a few bites just for a nod to tradition and threw the rest out.

The next morning we left for our very first family vacation. Aside from a few mishaps we had a great time. The first night we were there a drunk guy stole a golf cart in a parking garage and put a huge dent in the back of my car. Luckily Josh was able to get underneath and pop it out so just the paint looks a little worn. My car has almost 140,000 miles on it and has lots of little dings, pings and scratches. It could have been so much worse and I'm seriously not worried about it!

Getting ready to play his first round of golf.

It really is beautiful there!

The trip was exhausting with a 3 year old but we really had so much fun. Josh was a little disappointed because the mountains have lost their charm. It's definitely tourist-y there and a HUGE money suck. But the mountains themselves are still beautiful, so i'm sure we will go back at some point!

In the way of pregnancy updates things are going pretty well. I still have quite a bit of nausea and food aversions. I've always loved salads and vegetables and foods like that but now they just taste so terrible to me. I find it helps in the morning if I just hang out in the bed for a little while before getting up.

I am 6 weeks 3 days today and my first appointment is this coming Wednesday. So far things are great and i'm hoping they stay this way! 

5 weeks 3 days!

Today I am pregnant and I love my baby. Deep breath. I am trying to stay extremely positive!

 I found out on June 25th, just 12 days after ovulation that I was pregnant! I was planning on waiting until my missed period to test, but just for the heck of it I woke up one more and decided to test. I completely expected a negative result. Instead, a second line popped up within seconds! I was shocked! I had planned on telling Josh some cute, creative kind of way. I guess I just wasn't thinking clearly because I took a picture on my phone and sent it to him. He was absolutely ecstatic. I was more apprehensive, especially since I was only 3 weeks 5 days at the time. And that is super, super early.

Now it is almost 2 weeks later and things are going great. This pregnancy is a lot different than my last, and for that I am thankful. Last pregnancy I had zero morning sickness, minor symptoms, bleeding and a nagging feeling that I wasn't bringing this baby home. This pregnancy is exactly the opposite. I've been having tummy troubles, extremely sore, heavy boobs and I've been breaking out like a 15 year old boy!

And oh the morning sickness. Already! I started feeling nauseous about 4 days ago. I had official vomiting this morning after eating an apple. Nothing sounds edible to me. I usually love vegetables but the thought of anything green makes me gag. I tried to eat a piece of broccoli the other day and it was the most disgusting thing ever. Also, the "y" word (yogurt) is a cuss word in this house right now. Today I've had have a sleeve of crackers. Even water sounds extremely gross right now. Even though the nausea really sucks (for lack of a better word!) I am thankful for it. Especially since it's so early, the nausea means my hCG is nice and high, which means baby is growing and my pregnancy is strong and healthy. After having no nausea and then a miscarriage, I'll take being sick if it means I get a take home baby!

Speaking of miscarriage, I'm staying positive this pregnancy. I still worry about miscarriage, but I can honestly say it is not my foremost thought. I am hoping, praying, and believing that this is my take home baby. I am taking each day as it comes, and I admit that I check the toilet paper every.single.time for the tiniest speck of blood, but I don't live my day in fear that i'll face the emotional and physical pain of a miscarriage again.