and we're LIVE!

Welcome, welcome!  It's about time I've had some visitors; I've been talking to myself over here for weeks!

In the last 2 months since I found out about my pregnancy, I've been writing about the knocked-up experience and sharing weekly photos of my growing baby bump.  I started this blog privately as to not accidentally divulge the news of the bean before we were ready.  Well, now that we've gone public with the bun in my oven, it's time to finally share my idiotic ramblings with all of you!

Because I've been posting here for 8 weeks, feel free to read all the way back to the beginning when I first found out we were expecting (yes, there is a photo of the pee stick but you can't see anything, you know, on it).  And I know that the site is kind of boring and ugly plain now, but please bear with me as I continue to add more content in the coming weeks.

Most importantly, I'm thankful you've stopped by and hope you enjoy reading about our pregnancy experience as much as I will enjoy sharing it with you.  Eric and I couldn't be more excited to be welcoming a new addition to our family and we can't wait to introduce our little one to you in late February.

Happy reading!

pregnancy [week 13]

I'm still in that in-between stage where I'm definitely showing but it just looks like fat.  It's weird to say, but I look more pregnant without clothing on than I do when I'm dressed.  Why do my clothes make me look chubby?  I don't know... but I am looking forward to when my belly pops so I don't have to worry about those awkward stares from strangers wondering why that chunky lady is walking around rubbing her gut.

On a lighter note: the weather has finally cooled a bit and I was able to take this week's belly photo outside.  Yay natural light!  Eric took the dog for a walk today and we've even had the air conditioner turned off for the last 2 days.  I'm hoping that this means we're headed toward cooler temperatures (at least temporarily) so I can get back outside for my walks.  While I move around quite a bit at work, it's not as much as I could be doing.

Speaking of work, I was really thinking I was almost out of the woods where morning sickness was concerned since I felt great during my first 2 days back.  WRONG!  Mistake #1 was thinking I could wait to eat breakfast until I was in the car rather than eating before leaving the house.  Mistake #2 was assuming I'd be able to take my prenatal vitamins right before my meal instead of right after.  What did these 2 mistakes cost me?  Try having to pull over 4 blocks from home on my way to work the morning of the first day of my 13th week to throw up stomach acid and a whole prenatal vitamin.  WHOLE!  Talk about scary and embarrassing.  Luckily I was quickly able to get back on the road and eat my Cheerios.  I've since returned to having my cereal at home.

I learned later that day that the first trimester is actually 13 weeks long rather than 12, which was what I had originally assumed.  At first I was disappointed that I'm not in the second trimester yet, but since the nausea has hung on here and there every day this week I'm glad that I still have an excuse for feeling sick.  Now that I'm at the end of week 13 I've noticed less nausea and more headaches in the last 2 days, which both have had the same outcome of me sitting on the couch feeling debilitated.  But I feel better and better each day and I'm trying to remain positive that my morning sickness is coming to a close.  Please, let it be so!         

Baby boo is the size of a peach this week and is developing fingerprints!  It's hard to believe just how much is going on inside of me that I can't see or feel.  Our little honey is growing like crazy and creating new body functions daily.  I wish so much to be able to feel some movement from the outside but I know that will come with time and eventually won't stop.  I told Eric today that I miss the baby and wish I could see him or her, but I have to remember that before we know it our son or daughter will be here on the outside and we'll get to see, hold, and love our child everyday for the rest of our lives.  That, I'm really looking forward to. 

My bump, week 13:

pregnancy [week 12]

12 weeks marks three full months of pregnancy for me!  It's hard to believe that I've been pregnant this long since I've known for less than 2 months (and yes, I know you're not technically pregnant for the first 2 weeks after your cycle).  This week also marked my return to work after summer break and our big announcement of my pregnancy on Facebook.  The whole world officially now knows I've got a bun in the oven!

I was concerned about going back to work with morning sickness still lingering on, but so far my first 2 days have been fine.  With a completely packed lunch box and loads of water, I've continued to remain active without throwing up... woo hoo!  Spreading the news to my coworkers was very fun and was met with lots of excitement and many congratulations.  Working with so many moms and grandmothers will mean I'll be surrounded with lots of helpful, experienced advice over the course of the next 6 months.  I'm truly lucky to share a workplace with such sweet women!

Our announcement on Facebook was met with a stunning number of comments of well wishes and love.  Eric and I had a good feeling that our pregnancy would be well supported by our family and friends, but it still blows me away by just how excited everyone has been about our bundle of joy.  I believe wholeheartedly that our child is going to have and endless number of people loving and caring for him or her and tons surrogate aunties and uncles spoiling our babe like crazy.  It feels good to know that while we might not have all the money in the world, our child will be very rich with love.   

The little nugget is now the size of a plum, averaging 2.1 inches long and .49 ounces in weight.  I feel like the baby should be bigger considering how big I feel, but I have to remind myself that while I am sporting a small baby bump, a good amount of that is baby bloat.  I'm up 4 lbs. (and struggling to button my pants comfortably; a coworker showed me the hair tie trick and it's helping!) which is normal this close to the end of the first trimester, but again it feels like I've packed on so much more... and I'm not even close to being done!  But not to worry, I'm dedicated to maintaining a healthy pregnancy weight as best I can and plan to focus on realistically not gaining more than baby and I need.  I know that every pregnancy is different for every woman, but I think as long as I try to be the best mommy-to-be I can, we'll both reap the benefits! 

Check out the little one at week 12:

pregnancy [week 11]

Our friend, Nick, was over at our house after I took this picture and I was still wearing these same scrubby clothes and messy hair-do.  I pointed out my bump to him and he said he didn't really notice anything different.  Are all men pregnancy-blind?  I did not eat one too many Big Macs... there is a baby in there, people!  And I know I am growing because the stretchy running shorts I'm wearing in this photo were not fitting the same way they used to... comfortably!

The biggest highlight of this past week was that we got to see and hear the baby again!  My 11-week appointment consisted of a brief physical, a pelvic exam, and a review of my labs from last month's visit (all normal!).  Then we had the ultrasound.  It took a second to get a good view of the baby, but when we did we saw our loved one very clearly.  Someone must have been in a good mood because we got a great shot of the little bug bouncing around and waving its little arms at us.  Seeing such rapid, healthy movement brought tons of happy tears to my eyes and hearing that amazing heartbeat warmed my heart.  As I lay there, crying with joy over the sight of the precious life growing inside of me, looking at Eric and seeing the smile on his face, I felt so incredibly blessed and relieved that my little one continues to be healthy and safe.  I spent the rest of the day looking at the ultrasound photos and missing my baby.   

I hit a huge milestone yesterday: I finally threw up.  Twice.  And it was awful.  The first time was in the early afternoon shortly after eating an Orange Creme Yoplait yogurt.  Everything came up orange-colored and my nose ran pretty badly afterwards.  After the shakes went away I was able to eat again and felt normal.  In the late afternoon I was feeling horribly nauseous again and decided to eat a Skinny Cow Cookies 'n Cream Truffle bar, which had successfully cured a particularly bad bout of morning sickness earlier in the week.  This time it only made me feel worse and want to throw up, but I did not want to experience that again.

I held on until dinner that night; Eric made a plate of spaghetti for me and we shared a salad.  The carbs seemed to calm my stomach immediately and I even went back for seconds on the salad.  I was fine for almost an hour before the barf-feeling returned and I continued to resist it for another 30-45 minutes before losing the battle completely.  The second round was AWFUL!  With a full tummy, everything I had eaten for dinner painfully came back up, including the broccoli from my formerly delicious salad.  I cried, Eric fetched me water and comforted me as I sat shaking on the bathroom floor.  The pain in my throat felt like I had swallowed glass.  Needless to say, I didn't eat anything else for the rest of the night and even skipped my prenatal vitamins.  I was happy to find that the swallowing pain had subsided when I woke up the next morning, and so far I haven't vomited since!      

Our wiggly, waving baby is the size of a lime this week, roughly 1.6 inches long and weighing approximately .25 ounces.  The Bump says it now has a 1:1 head to body ratio which means it looks a lot more like a baby now!  When I picked out this lime at the grocery store to show Eric how big baby is, it honestly blew my mind that our little bug has gotten so big so fast.  And maybe it's because I refused to didn't have a prune to photograph last week, but seeing and holding this lime in the grocery store made it feel humungous in my hands.  And the best part?  Babe still has so much more growing to do, and I have many more weeks of excitement and surprise to celebrate over our little lovey's growth.  Grow, little baby, grow! 

pregnancy [week 10]

Okay, so I may have to strategically place my hands a certain way in order for it to be visible, but there DEFINITELY is something up in that tummy.  I am officially to the point where I can no longer suck in and the little gut that I get immediately after consuming a meal (regardless of size) is the same gut that I wake up with in the morning.  I've got a Baby Bump.  And I like it.

Not much news to report from the last week.  My body is beginning to show more signs of pregnancy.  That 2 1/2 lb. weight gain that I mentioned last week has turned out to really be a 1 1/2-2 1/2 lb. fluctuation.  I've been weighing myself more frequently and the number will go down, go back up, or stay the same.  So I've barely gained anything yet, although I already feel like I'm carrying around extra baggage.

I've also recently sprouted a nice case of pregnancy acne on my forehead.  It looks completely prepubescent and is sometimes itchy at night or when I'm not wearing makeup.  I've seen some visible veins begin to appear around various areas of my body, which The Bump tells me are carrying extra blood to the baby.  Oh yeah, and I'm having those crazy pregnancy dreams now!  It's amazing how vivid they are and how clearly I remember them after I wake up.  Most of the time they make no sense and aren't worth sharing, but I have had one actually related to my pregnancy.  Let's just say that I forgot I was pregnant and accidentally drank nearly an entire beer.  Eric thought this was funny and I thought it was THE. WEIRDEST. THING. TO. DREAM. EVER.  Not only would I never do that, but lately the smell of beer has grossed me out.  Nice try, hormones.

Our little love bug is now the size of a prune, and because I hate anything and everything prune-related I do not have a fruit photo this week.  Even Eric was like, "I can't help you out with a prune because I hate them!"  I briefly considered dehydrating a plum myself and even purchased a bag full from the store, but after doing the research and finding that the process takes, like, forever... I decided that I am not that dedicated.  I have been enjoying the plums, though.  They're delicious.

I found this really cool "watch: your bump" video on The Bump and it turns out that each video corresponds with a specific week of your pregnancy.  So instead of regurgitating all of the exciting info I read about baby, I can show you!

 

This whole baby thing is sure gettin' real over here!