13 Weeks (Formerly Known as 12 Weeks)

Sorry 12 weeks, you got the boot. I turned (or should I say Baby Shark turned) 13 weeks yesterday. Of course my stupid digital camera died so we had to take photos with Chris's cell phone. This is me trying my very hardest to look pregnant. The only time I actually want to look bigger in photos!!! I'm trying to stick out that belly and shape it the best I can haha. I have noticed in the past few days though that it's been sticking out more and more. I think Baby Shark is still nestled down in my pelvis but it's pushing everything else out of the way! Chris gets his hair cut out at the beach so we thought what could be a more perfect backdrop for my first belly shot than the ocean?? I know babies can hear sound (although I'm not sure yet when that develops a little more) so I hope he/she could hear the ocean. Taking a nap on the beach was one of my very first memories! I remember being under the umbrella on the blanket and my mom or dad must have put me down. I was probably around 4. I would love for that to be our baby's first memory. We talked about how we can't wait to take him/her on adventures and day trips with us and explore. We hope for the baby to enjoy all those things with us.

Not much new to report on the "how I'm feeling" front. I took some unisom last night to get a good night's sleep (it's approved for pregnant ladies) and although I did wake up once or twice I fell right back asleep. As my sister said, I have plenty of time to be sleep deprived so I should try to get as much sleep as I can now!

Now a little letter to baby (I'm thinking maybe of printing all these out to go with my belly book - thanks Katie & Charlie) ...

Dear Baby,

Your dad and I were so excited to see you the other day! We couldn't believe how big you were already. You waving to us was a nice treat. I wouldn't mind seeing more of you but I know I have to be patient. It was such a relief to hear your heartbeat and get the seal of approval from the doctor. I am trying to be nice and healthy for you but I was relieved to know you're doing well in there. I feel closer to you now that I've seen you. You aren't just an "idea" now. You're a real little human. I feel less and less nervous and more and more excited and happy. I know there will be a time closer to when I will meet you for real that the nerves will return but for now I am enjoying a peaceful and happy feeling knowing that you're perfectly content to grow and grow. Your dad and I talk about all the fun things we want to do with you someday and the things we want to show you. Your dad is a fun guy! He makes me laugh a lot and I know he'll make you laugh too. I hope I can be a good mama to you. I know for sure I can love you lots! I hope I can encourage you to chase after all your dreams. I think about that a lot. I know you're going to be a very special person (and clearly I'm not biased in any way) and I hope I can do everything I can to support you in every way. Well, Baby, until next time (and before my pregnancy hormones start making me get any more weepy haha) I want you to keep on growing and I'll take care of the rest!

All my Love,
Mama

A Surprise at the Doctor's Visit

No, not twins! Although, believe me there were a few seconds there I thought that was a possibility and I almost had a heart attack. One at a time please.

We went to my second doctor's appointment yesterday (which is technically the first time with the doctor as the first is with a nurse practitioner). We were scheduled to hear the heartbeat so we were very excited. We were not expecting an ultrasound as we had elected to not do any genetic testing so we knew we would be waiting until the "big" ultrasound at 18-20 weeks to find out the sex of the baby. Well, we got a pleasant surprise!

The doctor had to do a physical exam on me (at which point Chris turned his chair around and stared at the wall haha, no need for front row seats to that). As he's doing it he goes, "oh, your uterus is larger than I expected." This is where the twins part flashes through my mind. I got um okay what does that mean?? He goes well it could just mean your bladder is full (is this TMI yet?) or your dates could be off. He proceeded to listen to the heartbeat which was nice and strong and fast (but sorry for you early predictors out there I didn't get the # so you can't predict if it's a girl or boy off that just yet; next time I'll ask) which was great enough in and of itself but then he ordered an ultrasound to see for sure what was going on. A freebie ultrasound? WOO HOO!

He hooks up the machine and WAM there's a baby!!! I mean you might say, "well, what were you expecting in there, a pony?" Well, I wasn't expecting to see such a fully formed baby, holy crap! We could make out everything - head, eyes, nose, body - and then... he/she waved! He/she stuck up its skinny little arm and gave mom, dad and the doctor a nice wave as to say "hey yeah I'm here can you leave me alone now?" That had to be the absolute coolest thing I've ever seen. I will NEVER forget that. Chris and I just stared at the screen with our mouths open. Just to see this little guy/gal moving about in my body but not be able to feel it yet is downright trippy! He/she looked very cozy and snuggled in and the doctor soon left the little guy/gal alone and did some other measurements and everything checked out 100% healthy. It turns out I am almost a full week farther along (by the way if someone can tell me for sure if it's farther or further I'm open to correction) than we originally thought. How that works when certain things can only happen at certain times of the month is beyond me! The measurements told him I was 12 weeks 5 days as of yesterday therefore I'll be 13 weeks as of tomorrow and Wednesday will be my new "turnover day." The most distinct possibility our dates our off is because I was only off the pill for a month before we started trying so that could have thrown things off. Fine by me! Our new due date is 10/12/2011. I am hoping for a 10/10 birthday!

Still too soon to tell the sex. We asked the doctor and he looked at Chris and he said "sorry, but nobody is THAT big at 12 weeks" haha. We really like our doctor. I have to see everyone in the practice because we don't know who will deliver the baby but I am hoping for him!

So that was our fun little surprise. A week older and a surprise ultrasound! What a great feeling. We were on cloud 9 after that. He told us everything looks great and I am a "normal" pregnant lady and I should feel free to tell whomever I want as the riskiest time is over. Well, that's music to a pregnant lady's ears!

I am feeling better but not sleeping great which the doctor said is normal. Sometimes it takes awhile for bodies to adjust to pregnancy & hormones so it's causing a lot of restless sleep. Other than that, I can feel my energy is better and my morning sickness is all but gone. I didn't end up gaining any weight since my last visit so if I were to guess I probably would have only gained a pound or two total (depending on what my real start weight was). Fine by me for 1st trimester. Now I'm ready to put on good baby weight! The doctor said to continue to exercise and workout and feel good so that's what I plan on doing!

Our next appointment is May 2nd. Just routine checkup as far as I can tell. We'll be able to get the orders for the ultrasound then which will probably take place toward the end of May. I'll have to put a poll up to see what everybody thinks.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be doing my belly shots and weekly updates! Stay tuned :)

11 Weeks

I'm carrying a fig! Since I won't start doing belly shots until next week I thought I'd give you a nice painting of a fig instead. Here is a link to where the photo came from so I don't get sued - fig painting. I googled some real fig's but most of them showed the fig cut in half which kind of grossed me out when comparing to my unborn child. As an aside though, the inside of a fig is pretty cool. It's actually a very pretty fruit. Thus ends our little fig lesson.

Well, I had been feeling better. We have had a lot of visitors lately which we LOVE. One of the hardest things about living down here is obviously not having all your family closeby. One of the best things is when they visit. I feel like you spend more time with them when they visit then you even did when you lived 20 minutes away! Chris's cousin and her family were up first and then Katie spent the weekend and Chris's sister, Sarah, is here now. When people are in town it is like we are on vacation too which is awesome but man is it exhausting! I think I pushed myself to my limits especially this past weekend and I paid the price the past couple days. I was completely exhausted and miserable and felt sick to my stomach all over again. I guess your body really will tell you to SLOW DOWN when you're moving too fast. I am feeling much better today after a good night's rest. I think my morning sickness and lack of energy were getting better and will start getting better again now that I took some time to rest. The lack of energy is hard. I am not a hyper person but I do like to do things and be out and about. It was hard feeling like I couldn't keep up with Katie & Chris some of the times. I'm sure it was hard for them to deal with a cranky, pregnant chick too haha.

Regardless, it's still awesome to have all this family around. Katie brought me down a bunch of books (including a Belly Book from Mr. Charlie for my bday) and all the thoughtful questions from everyone (and a little belly rub from Sarah haha) are really heart warming. I don't prefer to be the center of attention but I don't mind my little fig getting some! It's fun to talk about things post-baby too. Like holidays and vacations next year. We're a party of 3 pretty soon! We're so excited to have our little peanut with us on adventures. Little adventures and day trips are such a big part of who Chris & I are that we really want the baby to experience that too. It gets more and more real every week that goes by!

p.s. Still no real bump yet. Tummy still sticks out a little by the end of the day. I'm not sure what I've gained but will find out next week at my appointment. My goal for the 1st trimester was 4-5lbs. So far, I think I'm on target. It is weird though, you can start to feel a hardness in my belly!

10 Weeks & Chinese Gender Predictor

Not much new to report! The baby is now the size of a kumquat or prune both of which are very odd examples but that's what my baby email tells me. Not to ruin the surprise, but next is a fig. I don't think I've seen a fig outside of a fig newton. I digress...

I found out about this Chinese Gender Predictor. You calculate your Chinese age when you conceived (the Chinese calendar is different than ours) and then you figure out the date on the Chinese calendar when you conceived and it will predict if it's a boy or girl. This website makes it really easy - http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/PredictSex.htm.

Supposedly, it is 90% accurate. I was told it was a girl. But for all of you rooting for a girl, I'm not convinced! I still feel very strongly it's a boy. Katie took the test with Charlie and he was supposed to be a girl as well! Maybe it's just our family haha. What is everyone else thinking now, boy or girl? For those that are mamas, see if you can take the test and if it was accurate or not. I'm tempted to ask my mom but I don't know if I want to know when she conceived me ;)

9 Weeks

9 weeks as of Tuesday! The past few nights I have slept better than I have in weeks and it is GLORIOUS! Haha. Now that I work from home, I mostly set my own schedule. Typically, I start my day around 8 or 8:30 and by start my day I mean I roll out of bed and walk 10 feet to my computer. I know, you're jealous. Working from home has its downsides but sleeping in is not one of them! I have even let myself sleep in to close to 9. I kept thinking I should get up and then I'd think I have plenty of time to be sleep deprived and woken up at the crack of dawn so the hell with it! That extra time has paid off! I have more energy during the day and just overall in a better mood. My naseau has gotten much better. I still have a lot of food aversions and my appetite isn't quite "normal" but I don't find myself holding my breath as much going into the fridge. My new trick is to take a small sniff of whatever it is I think I want to eat and if it passes that test on to my belly!

I have been exercising every few days. As I feel better I hope to increase that even if it's just a relaxing 30 minute walk. Feels good to stretch out and get some fresh air. At the gym it feels good to do some light weights and feel some muscle tone. The baby is now the size of a green olive (mmm olives mmm). No bump for me yet but I got some nice bloat by the end of the day, sexy right? That digestion is still sluggish at best. I've definitely learned to eat smaller portions more often and that helps quite a bit. I haven't gotten that scale yet but when I weighed myself at the grocery store (on the giant scale in the vestibule after making sure the coast was clear) I seem to be about the same each time so that's good enough for me! My doctor's appointment is 1 week from this coming Tuesday and I cannot wait! Heartbeat here we come :)

Lots of exciting things to look forward to. My 29th birthday (well that number I'm not excited about haha) is tomorrow & Chris is taking me out to a fancy pants dinner where I plan on having a refreshing shirley temple haha, then Chris's cousin & her family come Sunday, Katie comes next Friday and Chris's sister comes the following Sunday. So excited to have all this family come down to visit. It's such a great feeling to see everyone. I especially can't wait to see my big sister and give her a hug! I have many fun things planned for us and I'm glad my energy is starting to return so hopefully I can keep up with everything! I'm going to be hunting for a one piece bathing suit soon as the bikini is seeming less and less appealing to me. I don't feel like sucking it in all day haha. I want to eat my fried pickles at the snack stand in comfort thank you very much!

No St. Patty's Day celebrations for us. Chris has work and well I'm not really in St. Patty's Day form. I wouldn't mind some green coffee and some irish potatoes though, hmmm...

p.s. i think starting after my doctor's appointment & week 12 I will start taking belly shots!

8 Weeks

8 weeks as of Tuesday! Nothing too different to report. Still tired and still slighlty naseous. Monday morning was a rough one! I went downstairs to get some breakfast and there were dishes in the sink from dinner the night before and something apparently rubbed my nose the wrong way because it had me sprinting to the bathroom, ugh. I had a real dose of morning sickness right there. Nothing "slightly queasy" about it. Although if I had morning sickness that severe day in and day out I'd be singing a different tune, the level I have is just a nice reminder that everything is progressing the way it should be. Fingers crossed I just stay the course of a "normal" pregnancy and symptoms get better in a few weeks. Looking forward to not feeling like such a zombie all the time and not having to get up to pee a million times in the middle of the night! Surprisingly, the 2nd trimester (which apparently is easier for a multitude of reasons) is easier with that after your uterus rises out of your pelvic bone. Crazy! Then gets bad again during the end of 3rd trimester - no surprise there. Mood swings are a little better or maybe I'm just used to them by now! Appetite is very odd. Never know quite what I'm in the mood for. I'll be starving but not in the mood for anything in particular (no cravings) and then eat half of what I normally would and be stuffed to the gills. My digestion seems to be awfully slow. I thought it would be a fun treat to have a small little milkshake and little ole burger from McDonald's yesterday, a little splurge if you will, and I was in misery for hours! It felt like I had eaten Thanksgiving dinner for 3-4 hours afterards! Lesson learned. Small meals only and nothing over-indulgent. I'll save that for when I get the real belly I guess haha.

I had my routine bloodwork done today. Wasn't too bad. The people there were actually very friendly. The guy taking my blood asked if I knew I was having a boy or girl and if I'd find out. He had 4 kids and found out with 2 and was surprised by other 2. And when I asked how many kids he had he said "4... for now." Haha wow I can't imagine keeping up after everybody! I think Chris and I ideally would like to have 2 kids. That could change after this little one (more or less i guess) but I think probably 2 is where we see ourselves. Of course, having 1 boy and 1 girl would be just right if I'm putting requests in!

I'm going to buy a scale and weigh myself once a week. I'd like to really keep tabs on my weight, especially in the first trimester. My goal is 4lbs. Last I had checked I was somewhere between 1 and 2 (I honestly don't know exactly what my weight was before I got pregnant). If I can stick to 4 in the first trimester I'm hoping that will give me some wiggle room (pardon the pun) in the other trimesters. Why do I have a feeling I'll want to throw that scale out the window by the 3rd trimester? I've been eating pretty healthy (save for the milkshake and burger) but have been eating more carbs than normal because they seem to calm my tummy more. And I have to have a decent sized snack before bed or I wake up with hunger pains in the middle of the night and I am too damn lazy to walk downstairs to feed myself at 2am!!!

Looking forward to the coming weeks. The baby's heart should be beating nice and strong and the arms and legs are developing more. I get excited thinking about the different ideas I have for the nursery and all the baby stuff there is out there. Obviously, I'm obsessing over maternity clothing but I won't lie I'm happy I still fit into my skinny jeans for now!

First Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday marked 7 weeks & our first doctor's appointment! It's funny how much of a relief it is to have the doctor's office officially declare you pregnant. Not that we doubted it haha but it's now official, official. They even print out that little receipt for you!!! A tangible piece of evidence for you take home. First baby book memorabalia!

Chris went with me to the appointment and of course we were late. I made the appointment at 9am which wasn't a smart move since the doctor's office is downtown but it also happened to be a rainy morning causing even more delays. Bless Chris for driving because I would have had a meltdown. We called the office and they were able to push our appointment back to 9:30. Did the paperwork and they called my insurance to verify everything (that might have been the first relief of the appointment actually).

The first appointment we just met with the nurse and she went over a TON of information with us and gave us a bunch of take home info and she asked us questions and we asked her questions and in typical Liz fashion I had a typewritten list of questions ready to go. I ran through all my questions, found out some surprising things (Boar's Head lunchmeat from Publix -okay; Tuna - not okay as of 2 weeks ago!) and answers I expected but it was nice to have a human giving me a response rather than scary internet stories. I think the only disappointing thing I heard was my weight goal is 25lbs haha. Now, I don't expect to go pack on 50lbs but yowza 25 ain't a lot. Well, I guess it's a good goal to have. I'm a pretty healthy eater and I have been trying to exercise when I feel good so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and see how it goes. I need to stock up on the healthy snacks. I seem to be getting hungrier and hungrier between meals and even the middle of the night!

We made our next appointment with the doctor in April. That will be the one we get to listen to the heartbeat!!! I am beyond excited for that. I remember listening to Katie & Charlie's heartbeats and it was such an amazing thing to hear that I imagine with my own child it will be nearly overwhelming. I have a feeling the next 4 weeks will drag until then!!!

After our appointment we went to a nice brunch at TooJay's (for those of you unfamiliar with TooJay's it's a diner-like restaurant which is rare in Orlando or probably Florida in general). I had the yummiest omelette ever and I was one happy camper!!!

I think my worst symptom now is being tired. My sleep is just terrible. And it's not the anxiety. That, thankfully for now anyways, has subsided. It's the getting up to pee, finding a comfortable position (which is scary considering I don't even have a belly), and I'm guessing the hormones in general from what I've read. I am sleepy during the day and can't get good sleep at night, argh!!! I've been resting when I can and Chris has been a huge help with stuff around the house and getting dinner together and I am very thankful for him.

I have had some nausea over the past few days but still very mild. It would come in waves and feel like car sickness. No cravings but plenty of food aversions! The mere thought of lots of foods make me feel ill haha which is not normal for me! And smells. Smells are grossing me out!!! The fridge is not a happy place for me let me tell you. It looks like I'm taking after my mom for the most part. She said she didn't get/feel sick at all and I was mild & her biggest challenges were tiredness & food aversions & smells. I feel blessed I am not getting horrible sickness that's for sure!!

All in all, week 7 is bringing some great things. Tiredness aside, I am just so happy. We are starting to tell people and it's so exciting to start spreading the news (cue the music). Chris & I are such private people for the most part so it's fun taking a step out of our little bubble and sharing such exciting news. I am accepting the unknown of everything and it's a really, really great feeling.