Thursday: Things I'm Lovin

My friend Amber made this button and I decided I/we could put it to good use.  I'd like to list the "Things I'm Lovin" every Thursday...therefore, wait for it, wait for it...Thursday's Things I'm Lovin.  ha ha!  Clever- eh?  I might run out of things and if that's the case, then maybe I could go to an every other Thursday kind of deal.  But here we go...for the first time ever!!  Whoo hooo!

• Coupons!  I have registered myself at coupons.com and other baby related websites (Huggies and Pampers most importantly) and have become a coupon hoarder.  I am not sure if other people have known about these sites all along and I'm the last to jump on the bandwagon, but I thought it was worth sharing.  I used to trash them or just ignore them altogether b/c what's 25 cents on a tube of toothpaste...but now I love adding up my total savings at a store (whether it be Target, Walgreens, Fry's, or Safeway).  Those 25 cent deals add up!
• Bio Oil.  So this is for those pregos out there...or maybe for those that have scars and stretch marks in general, but I'm only 26 and really don't want this first baby to "ruin" my tummy.  So I try to be anal about applying bio oil every night.  It's not too nasty- no funky smell, no weird residue, but it is an oil.  It hasn't stained my clothes or anything crazy either.  I usually wait awhile to get dresses though- just so it has time to soak in before my t-shirt does the job for it.

• Blogging.  I know this seems silly.  Our good friend, Doug, who is actually now a roommate, told me to start blogging about the wedding.  He was probably the only one that checked it (and maybe my dear friend Joanna), but he told me it was boring.  Too wordy, not me, unoriginal, and plain...it lacked pizzaz. I didn't post enough pictures and I wasn't good at retelling stories/life events.  I think I've finally got the grasp of it, although it's far from perfected, but I feel friends and family know what's going on with us.  Who knows where this will lead our family, but I love that soon we will have a little bundle of joy to share with everyone.  Granted, I don't want creeps on my blog...especially when we are talking about baby B here, but I feel it's less 'drama' filled, more personal, and unique to oneself.  It kicks facebook out of the water.  That's just my opinion.  

And much like Amber always loves her little man...I will always love our Gracie Goo: (pic of Gracie's rather new sleeping position...she's pretty much sitting on the wall, but laying down.  Freak!)

A is for Avocado

HAPPY 16 WEEKS :-)
Here's the bump at 16 weeks and 1 day (forgot to take one yesterday morning):

The lump, as I call it, is growing daily.  I decided I'm going to take pictures that are more of my side, so you can see the lump growing.  That'll start next week.  I don't want to give you all a false sense of my growing belly.  I'm anxiously waiting to feel that first kick or movement.  Hoping 18 weeks seals the deal...only 2 more to go.

Baby B is the size of an avocado. As I walk through the produce section next time I go, I will surely go by the avocado and pick one up just to hold in my hand. How awesome! He/She is getting SO big.

They baby can now hear my voice and his skin.  Little hairs are growing, so he/she will have eyebrows.  It's funny b/c both Mike and I were born with a head of black hair.  I can't help but wonder if baby B will too.  The difference was that mine stayed and lightened.  Mike's completely fell out and he turned white blonde...then go darker over the years.  Interesting to see how that works.  And fun to imagine what our little bean looks like.  I pray that if I have a girl, she's born with lots of hair and keeps it.  Mike's hair is SO thin.  Fine for a guy, not so cool for a girl.  However, I will love 'it' no matter what.

I really hate using it when referring to our child.  But we don't know the gender and aren't going to till March.  So...it is an it.  Ugh.

**Don't mind the web page construction that's going on.  I don't love what my blog looks like, so I am determined to find something else.  It will probably change a couple times until I get it just right.  Sorry if it confuses things for awhile!***

I am excited b/c I think people are finally reading my blog.  Although, I sucked at blogging in the beginning, I think I am getting better.  I am happy friends on facebook are visiting my site.  And if you want to be super cool, you can become a follower.  I only have 3 currently- lol.  I'm still 'new.'  However, it's an addicting 'new thing.'  I still haven't started a pregnancy scrapbook, but I think I still will.  I dunno.  We'll see.  I like having a physical record of these 40 weeks rather than solely a digital copy.  Hummm...what to do?  What to do?

Absolutely None

On my way home from my workout this morning, this dirty, skanky Ford Explorer flew past me in order to turn onto the highway. This fellow, as I learned, cut me off and took an extremely dangerous, sharp turn too quickly. Now, I know I'm not always the best driver...I tend to follow too close to the car in front of me. But this one corner in particular has caused accidents, some even resulting in death, so being cautious is necessary. Plus, he's driving a car that tips...easily. As this dude and I make this turn, I see an infant seat handle sticking up over the seat through the back window. SAD. I'm hoping and praying that little bundle of joy wasn't in the car...I know several folks who leave the car seat in the car and prefer taking the baby in and out itself. I get over it, but notice his over aggressive driving. And I am pregnant and sensitive to pretty much everything around me. I think to myself, "It could be worse. The guy could be smoking in the car." I have my cruise control set (I usually always do as I tend to have a lead foot and no money for a ticket), so I pass him in the right lane mind you b/c how dare this cool dude get over...only to see HE WAS SMOKING. Three windows were cracked. But that poor baby was inhaling his cigarette smoke. Sick. I was livid as I glared at him through my sunglasses. Jerk. Oh AND, his seatbelt wasn't on.

It kills me. I hate thinking about the children who are brought into this world and know no other life. The mom who used meth her whole pregnancy and is on such a bad trip that she can't care for her children, let alone purchase anything nutritious b/c the money was used on drugs. You see several parents around this area like that. Apparently, Prescott is known for meth. I had no clue as to what this drugs is, does, or what people look like who are users. It's SICK. I've been to the park on Gracie and I's daily morning walk watching kids fight on the playground as their mom sits in the car, messed up on something, unbathed, unpresentable, unfunctionable, yelling from the car window at her kids too many times to count on one hand. It's sad.

So, ABSOLUTELY NONE of that in my house...or in my life. If you're a friend and you smoke, don't come over after you've smoked a pack and expect to hold my child. Sorry. Don't expect to be allowed to smoke in the car b/c the window is rolled down. Not going to tolerate it. It makes ME nauseous, think about how a being 1/16th of my size feels. No offense folks. Just being honest :-) We don't have friends or family that classify in any of the above. I'm just venting, sharing with you my thoughts today, and voicing my opinion.

M-I-L-K

The single thing I could be content with all day everyday. Maybe this is why cereal sounds good. I am happy with my new obsession with milk b/c I know it's great for baby, BUT it is SO SO SO SO SO strange for me. I've gone years without drinking a single glass. This might be my one major pregnancy craving. Can't wait to see what happens once he or she arrives. AND what's weird is that in college I'd randomly buy 1% or skim b/c that's what I liked in my cereal...now it's 2% or nothing. I mean I guess I'd drink 1%, but everything else seems sickening. A gallon around this house lasts a maximum of a week. 3-4 days is standard lately. Costco here we come!!

Other than milk nothing seems weird...I "crave" all things terrible for me. I usually eat them and try to counter act what they are going to do in my body with some protein. No lie- I eat wayyyyy too many carbs :-) But they're oh so yummy and right now I have NO CONTROL over turning them down. I will drive out of my way to get whatever it is that is on my mind. Those of you who knew me before know for a fact that that's not me! Especially right before the wedding. Ah!

I also got a lecture about CrossFit...and it makes me cranky. Real cranky. So I probably won't elaborate much. I've been CrossFitting for 2.5 years. My body doesn't know what it's like to not workout. I've made great gains in those two years- I'm proud of the weight I can 'throw' around and the movements I can do. I am good friends with the barbell and pull-up bar, which I've never touched before these 2.5 years. There are a lot of CrossFitters world wide. There are also a ton of CrossFit haters. And I hate them in return...no jk. You have to be extremely careful CorssFitting while prego. You also can't be stupid. Using common sense to me seems legit. As long as I understand why I can't do certain movements, I will know which movements to stay away from. It is a whole new world. And it's frustrating. I can't be competitive, I can't set PRs, I can't always do what the class is doing...it makes me sad. I know I am doing it for a fabulous reason- to keep mommy and baby healthy and safe. I'm not one to ignore what the docs tell me. And I won't start now. But it's cramping my style. Thank heavens for CrossFit Mom. They have saved my workout life thus far :)

Off to enjoy my 3 day weekend. Wishing Michael James was home with me now though...missing his company, as always!

15 weeks and counting...

It's all good from this end of things. Baby B is now the size of a navel orange!! That would be aproximately 110 grams and 120 mm. He or she is getting bigger every day : ) What is more fun for me is knowing that in a little over 4 weeks I will be five months and that's halfway..whoop, whoop. Not that I don't want to be pregnant or that I am wishing for the end (although having my very own child in my arms is pretty much one of the biggest dreams of my life and all the more reason to want the end of pregnancy), BUT that I will be officially showing, cleaning out the now "office/spare room to store our junk" for baby, and deciding on the decor of the room.

I've been thinking LONG and HARD about this issue...buying stuff for a gender neutral delivery SUCKS. However, I will know the gender of the rest of our children and there will be absolutely no holding back on going blue or going all out pink at that point in time. That makes me rest easy. So I am giving myself some more time to think about what I am looking for in a nursery. It's a toughie folks and I will save that for another post.

And, my friends, this is THE bump at 15 weeks and 2 days. This IS a bump for a girl 3 and 3/4 into her pregnancy. OK?



Leave me alone...it IS bigger. Mike can vouch for me on this...I came home from work the other day and both he and Doug were like, "Whoa! There's your belly." I must say it was the shirt I was wearing b/c when I lifted it up to reveal the "bump" they said, "oh" as if they were let down. I can't keep these guys happy for nothin...I'm either too fat or not fat enough. JK! I think Mike is as anxious as I am to be finally showing...maybe this will all seem more real to him?? Not sure. But anyways...just for the sake of my sanity, I stepped on the scale Tuesday morning and saw a typical # as of lately, at the doctor 4 hours later, I was 2 pounds up from last month and from my at home reading, and at the end of the day I was 1.6 pounds up from the reading at the doctor. I literally feel out of my element at the end of the day. I can't breath b/c there's pressure ALL OVER my stomach. No food sounds good- NOTHING. And I swear I weigh 9 times what I do in the morning. It's SO weird. That's why I wanted to see what the scale said. Out of curiosity.

As I type, here's my furry baby laying at my feet:


I can't help but wonder what she is going to think of all the changes that will come in March. What will she think of the baby? Will she be mad at Mike and I? For some reason, I can see her "blaming/hating" me b/c she is a serious daddy's girl :) But we will have to wait and see. She's still waking up once a night to go outside (ugh) and making sure she barks loud enough to wake at least one of us up in a panic. Little booger. Nonetheless, Mommy loves you to the moon and back G!

Another fun highlight about reaching 5 months (I guess there isn't too much cool about 4 months- ha!) is feeling the baby kick/move. I cannot wait till I/we can feel he or she moving. Before our doctor's appointment on Tuesday (the 21st), I was nervous for some reason. I don't feel any different, so I guess I feel as if I haven't progressed. I had nightmares about not hearing the heartbeat at the appointment (terrible). But we did. The doc put the thing-a-ma-jigy up to my belly and heard it right away. "Oh, that's great" he said, "Nice and strong." We were excited. The whole 30-40 min we were there were great. He's a great doctor...knowledgable and caring. I feel like he truly wants what's best for us...Mike, the baby, and I. It was a much needed appt since I don't know much about him...let alone any doctors in this town. It just clicked.

I'm a little bummed- I had SO much to say on Tuesday, but didn't have time before work and went to bed an hour after I got home from work, so ran short on time. Next time I will write a rough draft no matter how tired I am. Lesson learned.

Until next time...enjoy the beginning of fall, as the first official day was yesterday and take is easy!

Moving right along the produce section

The 'bean' is in fact, no longer a bean and is the size of a lemon. Odd to me b/c I imagine a lemon fairly small in comparason to a peach, but whatever. It's what they say and it makes this waiting game much more fun : )



Come on...now you've got to see the bump growing. It's there. No I don't look prego. I still look like I just ate three meals at home with my mother or father cooking. *Side note: ALL I think about is food...I plan my day around what my next meal will be and I usually have a flashback of what my choice was/will be. So going home sounds ah-mazing! Anyways...we will get there with the belly showing. Once it's "pops" I will post SO many pics, I promise. I cannot wait for that day/week...or whatever. And- just FYI I don't always wear the same thing like a sicko...I am trying to get the same type of pic at each week, so you can see the growth. They're taken weekly and I do laundry on the weekends : )

We're at 14 weeks now. THREE and A HALF WHOLE MONTHS! Yippee!! I am starting the phase of 'round ligament pain.' Not so fun. It pretty much just means that my insides are stretching, which is why you start to show in the 2nd trimester. They're growing pains...and I do feel them. Sometimes worse than others...usually worse on my left side. Strange. And what's rad is the only recommendation for making them feel better is RELAXATION...yeahh buddy! Just gotta get Mike some palm leaves to fan me and some new grapes (I just ate the last of them this morning) and we'll be set.

Interesting fact: your (or my) uterus expands 14 times in size and 20 pounds in weight. Pretty cool huh? All because a woman can carry a baby inside it. SO fun to know. I'm getting more 'sentimental' about my tummy, the being growing inside it, and eventually bringing that being into the world.

What baby can do this month: thumb sucking, toe wiggling, urine making, and breathing the amniotic fluid...it's a busy lil thing. Oh, and it's growing HAIR!!!

Other fun things...Mike is FINALLY home. He went to an air show in the boonies of IL over the weekend. 4 whole days without him were long and lonely!! And he flew himself there in a school plane, which always has me on edge. Even though he's an outstanding pilot. We also got two cool gifts this week. One from Kyle Mays and Alyssa Garcia (Kyle was a groomsman, obviously both attended the wedding and got engaged about a month ago I wanna say)...the Cherish Willow Tree figure. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I cannot wait to add to our 'family' collection as I know there are so really sweet ones out there. Exciting. (Pic to come) And our trainer's wife, Andrea, bought us some bottles, binkies, and nipples on sale...and even threw in some hair gel for Mike : ) The bottles were $1.79 each, nipples 89 cents, and binkies $1.19. Crazy bargains and a great gift!


Alright, off to shower before lunch and work- cheers!

We've Got A Peach

And the bump @ 13 weeks



Not much is new this week. Feeling much more normal now and very, very, very (did I say very?) excited that we have officially crossed into the Second Trimester. All my email this week were saying "Welcome to the Second Trimester" and "Welcome to the trimester most women claim as their favorite." All kinds of positive vibes coming our way! Yayyy! Finally. I know it was only 3 months...but it was a LONGGGG 3 months.

Labor Day Weekend

Yesterday was an awesome day. We went down to Scottsdale for a 'nuchal translucency' test. It's a non-invasive test for Down's Syndrome. We are not at risk by any means, but our insurance covered it and we thought, why not? Better to be prepared! So, we got a Level 2 ultrasound and I got a lovely finger prick. Let me tell you...the stupid needle stabbing your finger hurts worse than getting your blood drawn. Stupid, yes? Why, I have NO freaking clue! But my little index finger is still sore. Ggggrrrr.....

Level 2 ultrasound is really cool. I guess they're just more in depth than a normal ultrasound. And this place had 3D machines in every room...so everyone got a 3D ultrasound too! We saw SO much. Two legs, two hands, two eyes, a heart (all four chambers developing- really cool to see), the brain (you could see the different sections, or lobes?), stomach, umbilical cord, nasal bone, jaw, and then placenta and my ovaries. The 3D part was really, really, really cool. BUT it freaked me out. Sorry, baby B, but you look funny in there. The black and white ultrasounds look much bigger...and the 3D shows this tiny little scrawny thing! It was awesome to see you moving though. Arms and legs going hog wild in there. Too bad I can't feel you yet. We've still got a few more weeks for that fun to begin!





I must say I feel 99.9% better. Maybe it is in part b/c I know we got passed the highest percentage of miscarriages. Maybe it's b/c I've let myself know it's the beginning of the 2nd trimester and things are going to be different. And maybe it's b/c I so desperately wanted to feel all around better. I know, I know...I didn't ever feel that bad. However, mentally I was a basket case! I am not as tired. I am more positive. I am anxious and eager to get everything ready. I am beginning to finally show (although, it's small...it's there!). No weird 'cravings' but when I want something...I best get it, soon preferably. Poor Mike : ) For example, last night I saw an image of something that looked like a green Mike & Ike and it was downhill from there. Mike & Ike's it was for me while watching The Last Song...good movie. Sad. I absolutely HATE watching movies where the Dad dies (and moms too, of course). I refuse to ever think about that...and as far as I am concerned, nobody else in my family is going to pass away. Anyways..before I get all teary eyed again. Geesh.

I am still an emotional basket of fun. I snap at Mike w/out meaning to and when he responds (however, I must say he could react differently), I cry. Ha ha. Help us all.

Matt Lyons is coming into town to hang with us this weekend. Although, we have nothing planned. Well, the boys have a football draft tomorrow, but that has nothing to do with me. It was great b/c I got my fill of my hubby yesterday...now he can have "man time" the rest of the weekend. I don't have Monday off either...bummer! But we never see Matt, so it should be fun just hanging out. So, it's a low key prego holiday. Yippee! What I would give for a Z Tejas Chambord margarita with a Patron floater...you don't even know : ) Oh little baby...I can't wait until you come out! Yes, I will survive though.

Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Labor Day! Cheers!

12 weeks

Happy "end" to the First Trimester- Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!

I never thought I'd get this far b/c time was creeping by at the pace of a slug on the pavement in the middle of summer. Ugh.

But here we are! Baby B is a PLUM
Already a biggin : ) Lol. So, it's funny. Mike and I had a weeks worth of facebook status posts to put up leading up to the 13th week. We were all excited to post them and the very first post, Danielle, called me out. Man, people are good. Not that this was a toughie or anything. But I thought people would be curious to see what the rest of the posts say. Lol. It's great. So I guess the cat's out of the bag. Although, I am not responding to anything anyone is saying until I am 13 weeks...I don't want to jinx anything! Plus, I want to finish our posts of the rest of the week. I called Mike and all he said was, "I told you." Meaning people can read me like a book- no surprises here : ) He knew people would know what I was going to say. Blah.

Hate it when he's right. But love it that more people know. Little baby B...we've got 28 more weeks together. Let's make this go by quickly. Here's the belly @ 12 weeks:

My Little Lime

Baby B is the size of a lime. Man, these babies grow fast. I feel like last month baby B was less than, or roughly, half an inch. So, it's not a basketball in my tummy, it's a LIME! We went to the doctor today and heard the little heartbeat. Doc says that he can't guarantee that we are "in the clear" but he said we have less than 1% chance of miscarrying with the progress we've made this far. Good news...yes. What we wanted...I think so. But I'd rather be 13 weeks already!!!! Aaahhhh!!! Why is time flying by sssssssssssooooooooooooooooooo slooooowwwlllllllyyyyyyy?????

Since we didn't get to see baby today, I looked online for pictures of 'fetuses' at 11 weeks and found a couple of cool images. I guess it's more real that way. Baby B has eyes, a beating heart, bones, skin, a few 'functioning' organs, and a whole bunch of other stuff. He or she no longer has a tail or webbed feet and hands. The body is slightly more straight and more baby looking. I still can't believe I have something, a being, growing inside my gut. A growing gut at that.

Belly @ 11 weeks:


Goodnight to all- besos!

10 weeks- 6 days

Tomorrow is THE day : ) Yayyyyyy! 11 weeks tomorrow, doctor appointment to confirm all is well inside, and the news will be out. I will probably post a pic on facebook, but only after calling my grandparents (soon-to-be Great Grandparents...how exciting!!). Still can't help that I wish my Nana was around for all of this. I know she is here...just watching from above in the form of my guardian angel. It's just hard and not the same. I am thankful I have other grandparents to share this joy with. Our family wouldn't be the same without them around. I love all 4 of them in Rolla, MO...I even have a set of Great Grandparents myself. It'd be awesome to get a picture of 4 generations once Baby B is born : ) How cool to think about. I also have a set of grandparents in Chicago. Getting married is fun because you get more family!!

On the down side (even though I know the post was a downer), I AM SICK! Ugh...not sure what I caught or where. The kids at work might have had it first, but either way I cannot take anything to feel better! Just standard tylenol. I think it's a head cold and I hope it goes away quickly. Runny nose, slight fever, sore throat, plugged ears, and aches all over...just a stuffy head overall. Blah. I can't help but think this is a bad start to the 'flu/cold' season, but hopefully being positive will nip that in the butt : )

Lets hope tomorrow is a happy post- cheers!

9 weeks and 3 days

Still feeling good. Hoping and praying that this baby sticks around. We are almost in the clear! In just 2 weeks we can go way public...I mean like screaming from the rooftop that we are expecting our first. That's also when I will post all these 'belated' blog entries I've been hiding : )

However, I just read that once you hear and see the heartbeat there's a 5% chance of miscarriage. Seems like we're in favor...even though SO much can go wrong.

Question: Do these prego hormones change your 'positiveness'? I feel like I'm way more 'chill' and 'blah' than usual. I guess it's because there is SO much unknown in our lives right now. And it's stressful. Really stressful. Especially for my personality type. I like to be in the know, in control even. I also seem kind of bored...my 'to do' list daily doesn't have too much on it. Workout, eat proper meals, nap, shower, and work. Maybe I am slightly 'depressed' b/c the wedding planning is over...the wedding itself is over...and we've moved on from that to the next step in our life. An expected step, a planned step, an exciting step...I've just transitioned from newlywed to mom-to-be : )

I guess it doesn't help that I don't really feel pregnant. I mean, I eat more, I'm exhausted, and I no longer get to enjoy a glass of wine or Captain and Diet. I have a pooch...that normally isn't there, but it doesn't look like a 'baby bump' and therefore, just stresses me out. I don't want to gain too much with this pregnancy, I don't want to be stuck with a load of weight to try and work off post baby's arrival. And that's probably more stressful than I really think...it lingers around my head fairly frequently. I know I am going to gain weight, I know I will have a baby pooch and my 6 pack with disappear, but I also know it can come back. I've seen it before. No I won't be the same, but that's OK. I've accepted that. It's just the process of feeling the urge to eat everything terrible for me, that I haven't eaten for years, right now. I'm pretty sure my body is in shock!

So I don't know what to do...I'm bored. I'm lonely. Mike's at work most of the time and he doesn't really understand this process (a friend of mine told me yesterday, "Please don't tell me you expected him to understand?!?!" but I did). I don't have friends here...and I wish my family was closer. Kind of has me down. Work has been stressful b/c the twins seems to be irritable, fussy, cranky, and fighting the majority of my time there. Little Miss Caitlin challenges everything I say and do. And Colleen is just bored and needing attention- school in her near future will hopefully help!

A happier post to come for sure. Next appointment is August 24th!

First Ultrasound

OH MY GOODNESS- how cool!! The ultrasound was amazing! We saw the amniotic sac first, then found baby. Such a tiny glop of stuff. We measured you from top to bottom and the computer told us you were 8 weeks...so your due date still stands. March 15th it is. The placenta is forming, as is the umbilical cord. We saw both of those. But I think the coolest part was seeing your little heart beat : ) You are alive in there and it was ridiculous to see. Even daddy was stunned, saying, "wow- that is really cool." Since we were able to see the heart beating, we were able to hear it!! I got the goosebumps and tears filled my eyes. I think your heart is beating at 155 beats per minute. Which was well over the minimum and fairly fast for a lil' bean! We also got to hear mommy's heartbeat in comparison and it was louder and faster, but interesting to hear what you are hearing too.

Happy 8 weeks of life in my tummy!! Only 4 more to go until we are "in the clear." I am still praying these 4 weeks fly by! Our next appointment is August 24th. I cannot believe it's already August...where did time go? How is it almost 2 months since our wedding day?

We got a great book for mommy to read about you in the mail from Grandma Kim (we aren't sure what you are going to call your grandparents yet). And we got a lullabelly from Grandpa Keith- it will play music for you once I download some "Baby Einstein" on my iPod...lol. Your Auntie Hannah (I call her Scooby), helped pick it out.

Also, on a fun note I changed my name on my driver's license yesterday! Now it is official, Chalfant is no longer my name. SO SO SO weird. ID changed, SSN changed, credit/debit cards changed, passport update needed, and I think that's it! We got some good pictures of these highlights last night.

I DID IT!!!!

The little things in life that mean so much : )

Baby B, I had my blood drawn for the very first time ever in all my 26 years of life!!!! I was so brave. I am not being modest here at all...I am downright PROUD of myself! I didn't have an appointment (huge issue #1), so it was all up to me to drive my booty to the lab and know what was in store for me at that time. I was sick to my stomach, no vomit (I haven't done any of that thus far). I am TERRIFIED of needles (huge issue #2). I am TERRIFIED of seeing blood...especially my own(huge issue #3)! I tend to get light headed and pass out at the sight of anything real gory. I have no idea what got me into my car, turned the key, and made the drive to the lab. It was like I was in autopilot and my head was in a very different place than my body : ) But I did it for you Baby B. I knew I had to...and I did. The nurse told me I did a great job. Even she seemed proud of me.

Whew that's over....and I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW! Mommy and Daddy get to see you for the first time in my belly.

Ultrasound #1 tomorrow at 11:15 am. Off to work now, but will report in tomorrow, of course!

First Doctor's Appointment

Little Baby, you really are in my belly! The doctor confirmed that this morning. On my way to the appointment, I was terrified. What if if I am not pregnant, it was just a fluke thing? What if it's a tubal pregnancy? What if something is wrong? Did I do it?

I went in- updated my insurance form and told them about my name change. Then, peed in a cup. It was nothing glorious and it was strange that I peed into a Dixie cup?!?!? I sat in the waiting room for quite some time. Several other pregnant women walked in...most with other children. So clearly not their first child on the way. Most looked really cute and happy and had that "I'm going to be a mom" glow. My nerves started kicking in as people who came in after me were getting called back before me. Was something wrong? Did they have bad news? Then they called me. Stepped on the scale to see a glorious 128 #s and went into room #3. The first thing the nurse said was Congratulations! Whew- we made it, you are real, and I am not crazy.

Now I know it's early. We are only 7 weeks along, BUT I can't help but be excited and have a feeling that I am not going to lose you. I don't know a mom who says they're going to lose a pregnancy, but just for the record I feel great. I still have cramping and I have to go get my blood drawn for the first time ever tomorrow. Please pray for me : )

Dear Baby B,

Your ETA is March 15th, 2011. That is also Grandma Pat's birthday. Will you please give Daddy and I a heads up that you're ready to come out when you do? Daddy may not be in town and I really need/want him there for your arrival.

Love you,
Mommy

4 weeks or 6 weeks?

Lil baby growing in my belly...why are you so confusing??

Doctors go by the first day of your last period in order to calculate how far along you are. I know that date. I also know that's not when baby B was conceived. Then I read that it goes off that date because, in most women, ovulation occurs two weeks after. They say you get a "two week head start." It frustrates me because that means that I am not 6 weeks prego. I am only 4 weeks prego. I did ovulate two weeks after the first day of my last period and that just so happens to be the week of our honeymoon.

Anyways...I still feel weird. And EXHAUSTED. I go to bed around 9 pm and the alarm goes off at 7 am. Usually, I am easy to get out of bed. Not hitting snooze once. But lately, I just want to lay there. Hit snooze. Maybe fall back asleep. Or just lay...comfy in my covers. I go workout around 8 or 9 am, come home, shower, and when I pass my bed on the way into the bathroom, it takes all I have to not climb back in! I feel lazy, but know that I have something to blame. Something really small growing in my belly...but it's a big thing to my body.

Boobs hurt. Cramps still come and go...I might have pinpointed it on sugar!! Imagine that. My body/baby not liking the intake of sugar. We will see. It's not a substance I typically put in my body, so I know this is something I can get used to. I'm overly emotional, which is hilarious b/c I am an emotional person anyways...imagine normal me...times 15. Ha ha ha. It's great. These hormones are crazy drugs! I feel huge- and everything I read keeps reminding me that it's not baby...not yet. It's just bloated. ie. FAT. Ugh. It's miserable. But I know it's for a good reason. And who cares what those on the street think of me!

First doctors appointment is Tuesday, July 27th. Hopefully that gives us confirmation and good news- if there is such a thing at this point!

Goodnight : )

'Tis the Season

Two weekends ago, Mike and I were down in Phoenix for his Aunt's surprise 50th birthday party. This was the weekend after we took our home pregnancy tests. I figured I'd have better luck finding the book "What to Expect When You Are Expecting" in Phoenix. I checked two Targets and a grocery store, but had no luck. I asked an employee if he had some in the back and he said they can't seem to keep them in stock and I quote, "It must be that time of the year!" I couldn't help but replay that line over and over in my head. Every time I do, I start to wonder why? Maybe because lots of people get married in the spring/early summer and are now expecting...like we are. Are there really that many people in our shoes? Seems strange. But fun. I hope I meet more women who are pregnant.

We spent this past weekend in California. I was DD every night and enjoyed almost every minute of it. My favorite part was waking up feeling like a million bucks while everyone else struggled (sorry Mike and Lauren!). We spent close to or more than 30 hours in 3 days at The Home Depot Center in Carsen, CA for the Crossfit Games. It was INTENSE, fun, nerve racking, and an all around great time. I loved it.

Mike celebrated his 26th birthday on Sunday. He is not a real big birthday guy, so we did exactly what he wanted. Kept it low key and went to dinner. I think I love his birthday more than he does...it's a day to be over the top about him. I wonder if he will become a birthday guy once we have baby B. Will Mike then see the importance of a celebration on this day every year? I hope so. I am thinking he will have to change into a birthday guy b/c what kid doesn't want a b-day party?? And I am so not planning/putting a party together solo- sorry buddy!

And yesterday was our one month anniversary of being married. Four whole weeks have flown by...it seems so strange. Honestly, July 19th was unfathomable for me. Where did June go? I want to go back. I want to relive that day, every weekend until it gets old. Ha ha- I doubt it gets old.

Now we sit and wait. Sometime this week, baby B is 4 weeks old. He/She has begun the attachment to my uterus lining and is about 1/5 of the size of this period . Weird. How does that grow into a baby?? Just for the record, Mike keeps saying I have twins growing....and I repeatedly tell him, he does not want my first pregnancy to be twins. Please! We will get what we get and be extremely happy. BUT I am nervous, scared, and flat out terrified at times of ONE...and I don't want to think about TWO. Since we will NOT be finding out the sex of our child, the good news is if it's twins, I get to find out : ) I will most definitely need to better prepare for two and must know what their sex is if this shall come our way! I read you can hear the heartbeat in as few as five weeks, so maybe we get lucky and get to hear what it next week!

Cheers!

Baby B

So, here it is. The next phase of our life. Coming at us like a line drive back to the pitcher.

We let almost everyone know we wanted a honeymoon baby. It just so happens that's what we got! On the evening of July 8th, Mike and I wonder out to our local grocery store and bought a home pregnancy test. We moseyed on over to Chili's to eat salads we were both in the mood for and headed home for a mellow night in. When we got there, I took the first of two pregnancy tests. Peed on the stick then waited for 3 minutes, which felt like 15! Mike had a gut feeling there was going to be one line (meaning I am indeed not pregnant and, therefore, am crazy). I, on the other hand, had a gut feeling that I couldn't possibly be that crazy and there'd be two pink lines. I won. Test #1 was positive at 9:30 pm on Thursday, July 8th.

We freaked. Looked at each other for a good while and said, "Wow. We did it!" Knowing the MANY complications that can happen when trying to get pregnant and within the first trimester, we were slightly worried it would take us awhile to conceive. Yes, we wanted a honeymoon baby, but we weren't going to be all bent out of shape about it. Not trying, but not NOT trying either. In the midst of our celebrations, hugs, kisses, smiles, and, "Wows" we got an email from our wedding photographer announcing our wedding pictures and slideshow posted. Ironic? Meant to be? We think so!

Friday morning I woke up at 7 am and took another test with that first pee of the day, which is supposedly "the best." After another 3 minutes that didn't seem as long, the test again revealed two pink lines! We are pregnant!!

Now it begins- no alcohol (I will miss my wine), no caffeine (therefore, good coffee), no Advil. I am now on Mike's healthcare, so next up is finding a doctor and getting the official stamp of approval from a professional.

Just FYI- decaf coffee tastes like crap. I do have had some pretty scary lower abdomen cramps. They are extremely painful. We are not 100% this baby will make it the 1st trimester...just like with everyone else's first trimester, but we are being positive and hoping for the best. We also know that what is meant to be will be! I will keep everyone posted via this blog on our little baby B : )

Cheers!

Our Wedding Day

Not sure how or where to begin this post. I am speachless...utterly. And that doesn't happen often. Thousands of things running through my mind. It flew by- super fast, too fast. Did I spend time with everyone? Was everyone happy and having fun? What are the bad things that people are saying about our day? Did I mess up? Were there obvious things that went wrong? Did I hurt anyone's feelings?

Once I put all of that aside, I set myself straight- back to reality. I cannot change anything that happened and I don't think I will ever say I want to. Our day was PERFECT. It was us. Our families and closest friends celebrated our love for seven and a half hours. I am not going to lie or pretend- I AM SAD IT'S OVER : )

The one thing that bothers me the most looking back on the event was we didn't give a 'Thank You' speech. Not pointing blame or calling him out, but I told Mike this was extremely important to me and he told me he had it covered. As most of us saw, he got stage fright and I had to step in. At that point, I was livid at him b/c I had NOTHING prepared...b/c he told me he had it taken care of. I rushed through the names and faces of people I saw...probably leaving important people out. I was a mess...from being an hour late to our rehearsal b/c of traffic, then the storm that hit, to traffic to dinner, and thinking I was going to be late again...I was completely 100% unprepared to have Mike throw that on me. Oh well. I told myself I'd make up for it on Saturday and we totally forgot. I had a list of things to say and it sat on the table all night : /

After hours of frustration at the both of us and tears shed b/c I felt I came off as ungrateful, I thought I could use my blog.

I know the wedding was 'destination' for most people. I know it was pricey with flights, hotel rooms, food, and transportation. But I am forever grateful for every single person that attended my special day. I don't even know the exact number in attendance...somewhere around 120. Each and every one of you created our day...your presence was a gift to us in itself. We are beyond extremely lucky.

So, to those 120 folks at The Sears Tower on 6/19/10:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for attending our wedding. I wish I had more time and more fun on the dance floor, but all good events come to an end. It meant more than you will ever know to have your face present. I hope each of you had fun, enjoyed a couple cocktails or wine, and had a full belly. I hope you saw the sunset and caught up/met with other people there. I hope you got the chance to look out the window and see the beautiful city of Chicago. I hope you got to spend at least a couple minutes with me and maybe got a picture too. If you didn't, I am sorry. Terribly sorry. Time seemed to fly by and before I knew it people were leaving and we did our paper airplane exit. I also hope to see all of you within the next year!

Love,
Heather

Is It Really Over?

This might be my longest post yet...but I will try to break it up the best I can.

The week before the wedding FLEW by! I woke up every morning promptly at 6:30- without an alarm. There was so much on my mind, there was no way I could sleep in. Mike was typically up with me or shortly after...helping me out. We went to CrossFit Tri Cities on Monday and had every intention of going a couple more times that week, but we failed on that mission. I did run every day- not just to keep my shape for the dress, but as an amazing stress reliever! It was intense with the humidity- we were drenched with sweat : ) We attended the Cubs game on that Tuesday...yes, the night game that was delayed for 2 hours or something because of the rain...KILL ME. A literally soaking wet Bride-to-be is not a happy thing. We were in the empty bleachers with ponchos. Ugh. After the game, the Chicago Blackhawks brought out the Stanley Cup...that was really cool. However, I was on Mike's shoulders and dropped my camera...nice.

Wednesday we, or I should say Mike, Doug, and Matt, picked Caitlin up from the airport while I organized everything to be brought to The Met Club. She got to eat a Chicago style, Portillo's hotdog- YUMMY! And we were off to the city for the day. First stop, the W for a spa appointment. Then to Doug's hotel to drop off his backpack. Third stop was The Sears Tower, to The Met Club to drop off our not so small load of wedding crap. Fourth and final stop was my Dad's hotel to get ready for dinner out with him and Jenny. We arrived on time to Trattoria No. 11 (I believe that was the name) for a FABULOUS, relaxing, fun dinner. Caitlin and Matt got to hang out and chat it up with us.



Thursday was nothing short of a BLAST!! We had our family, our whole wedding party and their significant others/family attend a Cubs game at Wrigley. It was outstanding to have everyone there altogether and the Cubs owon on a walk off!! I made Mike and I Cubs Bride and Groom t-shirts. Mike's mom sewed a veil onto my favorite Cubs hat...it was a hit! We also made signs for just about everyone in attendance with the role in the wedding. ie. Mother of the Bride, Father of the Groom, Bridesmaid, Maid of Honor, Best Man, Groomsman, and Ring Bearer! It was awesome. However, I do not believe we made it on tv. Oh well...stupid announcers/tv crew.



Friday was an event all in itself. The day started off with my dog-in-law Koty almost dying. He inhaled the bag of dog food too quickly, as he was not supposed to have gotten into it in the first place, and started throwing it back up. And in the process chocked, rolled onto his side, legs stiff, eyes rolling back in his head, and had to be resuscitated by my brother-in-law, Ron. I witnessed the whole thing, ran into the garage telling my sister-in-law, Kim, what happened shaking uncontrollably. It was really intense and scary. Thus, we were late for our nail appointment and because of traffic, I was an hour late to our rehearsal : ) Typical if I do say so myself! as the rehearsal is wrapping up a HUGE storm rolls in. We are on the 66th floor of The Sears Tower, so we have a great view of this monster. However, once it hit we no longer wanted the good view...the building was swaying TERRIBLY...it was extremely noticeable when people couldn't walk straight. We all made it safely down to the bottom floor- whew! (Turns out they later shut down the elevators and people had to walk down from the 105th floor- ugh!) Upon our arrival at the bottom there were several fire trucks and firemen not allowing us to exit. We were then informed that windows were bursting upstairs, therefore making it unsafe for us to leave the building. There was glass everywhere!! After a short while, we were released and then battled the terrible traffic again to our dinner. We were actually on time for that- Thank you, Mag for driving. Mike was late as there were road closures for fires and flooding. It turned out to be a fabulous dinner- everyone a little shaken by the whole ordeal and starving from waiting in traffic for hours : )



Friday night, most of my girls stayed with me at Kim's house. We had French Kiss martinis and dessert- yummmm! I couldn't sit still for too long remembering all that I had to do, but got to relax with some of my closest friends and new family! I got a good nights rest and woke up ready for the big day : )

I get the shakes just thinking about it, but will save that post for later. It's 4th of July weekend and we are headed to the pool.

Cheers! And Happy 4th of July to everyone!!