We are officially 28 Weeks along now as of this morning! I really can’t believe how fast the last 10 weeks in particular have gone. I also can’t believe that our baby girl will be here in less than 3 months! Making it this far is huge for me on so many levels. With each passing day, I am becoming less fearful of the things that could go wrong and more excited in anticipation of Sweet Pea’s arrival. This particular week is significant to me for another reason. About 6 ½ years ago, my nephew was actually born at just 28 Weeks. He was just 2 pounds at birth and spent the first 2 months of his life in the NICU. Today, he is perfectly healthy and one of the sweetest, funniest little guys you’ll ever meet. I love him to death, and I find myself reflecting today on just what a miracle he is. He's actually coming down with my brother and SIL in a couple of weeks for a visit, and I am just super excited to see them.
Our baby girl (who is still without a name!) is definitely getting bigger, as evidenced by both my growing belly and the more pronounced movements coming from my belly. Last night in particular, she was moving like crazy- and I am thrilled that Dave was home and able to feel her with me. That’s definitely the most active she’s ever been at one given time, and it was a huge blessing for Daddy to get to feel his little gymnast J . Thankfully it’s still a pleasant experience to get to feel her, though many have warned me that as she gets bigger (she’s already around 2 ½ pounds and about 15 inches!), those movements might get a bit more uncomfortable. For now, I’m enjoying every little kick…though her aim at my bladder is a little TOO precise at times, lol.
The next few months should be an incredibly exciting time and will hopefully fly by. We have already signed up for childbirth classes, already registered with our hospital and picked a pediatrician, our crib arrived a few days ago and will be set up within a couple of weeks, and I’m down to my last month of work until after maternity leave. We’re even getting our plans set for when little one arrives, coordinating with family and friends on who’s visiting when. Everything is starting to fall into place, which means, um, I think there really might actually be a baby coming soon! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness...is it possible to ever truly be ready for your baby's arrival? Lol, I love her so much already, and I know I "know" what to do in taking care of a little one (it is my profession after all, lol), plus we've been moving towards this point for almost 5 years- BUT, oh Lordy, are we ready?!! Ready or not, she's a comin' soon...J
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
A Very Happy New Year!!!!!
Okay, so I’m WELL overdue for an update on our little Sweet Pea, so here we go!
Saturday, December 10th was a very exciting and pivotal day for us and our growing family. Not only was it my beautiful sister’s 25th birthday, but it also marked us reaching the 22 Week point of our pregnancy. This was very significant for us, as our first pregnancy with Angel lasted exactly 22 weeks. Mentally, passing this milestone was huge, and reality started to hit home that baby really is coming soon! Just to prove how healthy she is, Sweet Pea decided to let Dave feel her presence for the first time this day J . Although I feel her movement inside my belly regularly throughout the day, it’s rare even for me to be able to feel her from the outside of my belly. It was a great moment for Dave to feel her for the first time- I think it made things just a tad more real for him, lol.
We were extremely fortunate this year to have enough time off from work to travel up North for several days and visit with family over the holiday. It was our first Christmas trip back home since we moved away 4 years ago, and it was wonderful to see everyone. As expected, the trip was all about our baby girl and the ever-growing bump in front of me J . I have to say that the best part of the trip was the surprise baby shower thrown for us. It was so incredible to me that so many of our loved ones were able to make it the day before Christmas Eve! The ironic part is that I had had the thought months ago about having a shower while we were up there over Christmas since I don't know if I'll be able to come back again before baby is born, but I figured the holidays are just too hectic to throw an extra party in the mix, and just dismissed the idea. I was so wrong! We had a great turn-out, and I am so grateful for everyone who came and celebrated with us. The party was perfect; I couldn't ask for anything better. Super-secretly planned by my bestie Nanci, my sister Elizabeth, and Nanci’s mom Violet, it was held at Violet's house. It was simply beautiful. The Christmas décor, candles, and flowers created a classy setting, enhanced by pink and green “Sweet Pea” decorations. The food was amazing, with many of my favorites showing up on the menu, including Muddy Buddies and Wildfire restaurant’s Chopped Salad. Head chef for the evening was Violet’s husband Ken, who delighted us all with a great variety that included steak sandwiches and a chocolate chip cookie dessert that was to die for. YUM!!! After food, everyone literally “showered” us with gifts for our little one. I am still overwhelmed, grateful, and just feeling incredibly blessed for everyone’s generosity in helping us prepare for our Sweet Pea’s arrival. It was quite amusing to see how well Dave puzzle-pieced Sweet Pea's gifts into the trunk of our car J. Although not everything made it down in one trip, he did a pretty great job getting most of it in! I can’t say “Thank You” enough to everyone who joined us for the shower, for everyone who gave us gifts for our baby girl, and for all of the hard work, time, and effort put into planning such a memorable evening for us. I love you all SO much! The best part is knowing that Sweet Pea is already loved by so many J .
So today is New Year’s Day, which is super exciting in and of itself! Of course, this year will be extremely exciting and busy for us with our little one preparing to make her arrival. Speaking of “our little one,” “our baby girl,” “our Sweet Pea”…um, we don’t have a name yet, lol. Granted, this is still plenty of time left to make a decision, but, well, we haven’t agreed on ANY names yet. Apparently we have completely different ideas of good names for our daughter! I am totally up for any suggestions, lol. Last night while we celebrated New Year’s Eve with some friends from Dave’s work, it became quite the discussion as to what we should name our baby girl. I would just like to point out that most women that hear the names I like completely agree with me, LOL. But of course, we want a name we both like, so the search continues! Suggestions are great- keep them coming!
As always, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers throughout our pregnancy that our baby girl will be full-term and healthy with a complication-free pregnancy J . Happy and Healthy New Year’s wishes to all!!! J
Saturday, December 10th was a very exciting and pivotal day for us and our growing family. Not only was it my beautiful sister’s 25th birthday, but it also marked us reaching the 22 Week point of our pregnancy. This was very significant for us, as our first pregnancy with Angel lasted exactly 22 weeks. Mentally, passing this milestone was huge, and reality started to hit home that baby really is coming soon! Just to prove how healthy she is, Sweet Pea decided to let Dave feel her presence for the first time this day J . Although I feel her movement inside my belly regularly throughout the day, it’s rare even for me to be able to feel her from the outside of my belly. It was a great moment for Dave to feel her for the first time- I think it made things just a tad more real for him, lol.
We were extremely fortunate this year to have enough time off from work to travel up North for several days and visit with family over the holiday. It was our first Christmas trip back home since we moved away 4 years ago, and it was wonderful to see everyone. As expected, the trip was all about our baby girl and the ever-growing bump in front of me J . I have to say that the best part of the trip was the surprise baby shower thrown for us. It was so incredible to me that so many of our loved ones were able to make it the day before Christmas Eve! The ironic part is that I had had the thought months ago about having a shower while we were up there over Christmas since I don't know if I'll be able to come back again before baby is born, but I figured the holidays are just too hectic to throw an extra party in the mix, and just dismissed the idea. I was so wrong! We had a great turn-out, and I am so grateful for everyone who came and celebrated with us. The party was perfect; I couldn't ask for anything better. Super-secretly planned by my bestie Nanci, my sister Elizabeth, and Nanci’s mom Violet, it was held at Violet's house. It was simply beautiful. The Christmas décor, candles, and flowers created a classy setting, enhanced by pink and green “Sweet Pea” decorations. The food was amazing, with many of my favorites showing up on the menu, including Muddy Buddies and Wildfire restaurant’s Chopped Salad. Head chef for the evening was Violet’s husband Ken, who delighted us all with a great variety that included steak sandwiches and a chocolate chip cookie dessert that was to die for. YUM!!! After food, everyone literally “showered” us with gifts for our little one. I am still overwhelmed, grateful, and just feeling incredibly blessed for everyone’s generosity in helping us prepare for our Sweet Pea’s arrival. It was quite amusing to see how well Dave puzzle-pieced Sweet Pea's gifts into the trunk of our car J. Although not everything made it down in one trip, he did a pretty great job getting most of it in! I can’t say “Thank You” enough to everyone who joined us for the shower, for everyone who gave us gifts for our baby girl, and for all of the hard work, time, and effort put into planning such a memorable evening for us. I love you all SO much! The best part is knowing that Sweet Pea is already loved by so many J .
So today is New Year’s Day, which is super exciting in and of itself! Of course, this year will be extremely exciting and busy for us with our little one preparing to make her arrival. Speaking of “our little one,” “our baby girl,” “our Sweet Pea”…um, we don’t have a name yet, lol. Granted, this is still plenty of time left to make a decision, but, well, we haven’t agreed on ANY names yet. Apparently we have completely different ideas of good names for our daughter! I am totally up for any suggestions, lol. Last night while we celebrated New Year’s Eve with some friends from Dave’s work, it became quite the discussion as to what we should name our baby girl. I would just like to point out that most women that hear the names I like completely agree with me, LOL. But of course, we want a name we both like, so the search continues! Suggestions are great- keep them coming!
As always, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers throughout our pregnancy that our baby girl will be full-term and healthy with a complication-free pregnancy J . Happy and Healthy New Year’s wishes to all!!! J
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Awesome Article on "How to Talk to Little Girls"
I actually first saw this posted on FB, but I wanted to put it on here so I make sure to re-read it in the future. This article is from The Huffington Post and was written by Lisa Bloom. I completely agree with what she's talking about it, and now that I know I'm having a girl, I want to make that conscious mental switch to be careful what words I say to little girls (not just my daughter)- and to think about what message I'm sending them. I know this kind of wordage is something I have certainly been guilty of in the past- it's so hard not to! Anywho, here's the article...
I went to a dinner party at a friend's home last weekend, and met her five-year-old daughter for the first time.
Little Maya was all curly brown hair, doe-like dark eyes, and adorable in her shiny pink nightgown. I wanted to squeal, "Maya, you're so cute! Look at you! Turn around and model that pretty ruffled gown, you gorgeous thing!"
But I didn't. I squelched myself. As I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are.
What's wrong with that? It's our culture's standard talking-to-little-girls icebreaker, isn't it? And why not give them a sincere compliment to boost their self-esteem? Because they are so darling I just want to burst when I meet them, honestly.
Hold that thought for just a moment.
This week ABC News reported that nearly half of all three- to six-year-old girls worry about being fat. In my book, Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, I reveal that 15 to 18 percent of girls under 12 now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and 25 percent of young American women would rather win America's Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize. Even bright, successful college women say they'd rather be hot than smart. A Miami mom just died from cosmetic surgery, leaving behind two teenagers. This keeps happening, and it breaks my heart.
Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments.
That's why I force myself to talk to little girls as follows.
"Maya," I said, crouching down at her level, looking into her eyes, "very nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," she said, in that trained, polite, talking-to-adults good girl voice.
"Hey, what are you reading?" I asked, a twinkle in my eyes. I love books. I'm nuts for them. I let that show.
Her eyes got bigger, and the practiced, polite facial expression gave way to genuine excitement over this topic. She paused, though, a little shy of me, a stranger.
"I LOVE books," I said. "Do you?"
Most kids do.
"YES," she said. "And I can read them all by myself now!"
"Wow, amazing!" I said. And it is, for a five-year-old. You go on with your bad self, Maya.
"What's your favorite book?" I asked.
"I'll go get it! Can I read it to you?"
Purplicious was Maya's pick and a new one to me, as Maya snuggled next to me on the sofa and proudly read aloud every word, about our heroine who loves pink but is tormented by a group of girls at school who only wear black. Alas, it was about girls and what they wore, and how their wardrobe choices defined their identities. But after Maya closed the final page, I steered the conversation to the deeper issues in the book: mean girls and peer pressure and not going along with the group. I told her my favorite color in the world is green, because I love nature, and she was down with that.
Not once did we discuss clothes or hair or bodies or who was pretty. It's surprising how hard it is to stay away from those topics with little girls, but I'm stubborn.
I told her that I'd just written a book, and that I hoped she'd write one too one day. She was fairly psyched about that idea. We were both sad when Maya had to go to bed, but I told her next time to choose another book and we'd read it and talk about it. Oops. That got her too amped up to sleep, and she came down from her bedroom a few times, all jazzed up.
So, one tiny bit of opposition to a culture that sends all the wrong messages to our girls. One tiny nudge towards valuing female brains. One brief moment of intentional role modeling. Will my few minutes with Maya change our multibillion dollar beauty industry, reality shows that demean women, our celebrity-manic culture? No. But I did change Maya's perspective for at least that evening.
Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she's reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You're just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does.
I went to a dinner party at a friend's home last weekend, and met her five-year-old daughter for the first time.
Little Maya was all curly brown hair, doe-like dark eyes, and adorable in her shiny pink nightgown. I wanted to squeal, "Maya, you're so cute! Look at you! Turn around and model that pretty ruffled gown, you gorgeous thing!"
But I didn't. I squelched myself. As I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are.
What's wrong with that? It's our culture's standard talking-to-little-girls icebreaker, isn't it? And why not give them a sincere compliment to boost their self-esteem? Because they are so darling I just want to burst when I meet them, honestly.
Hold that thought for just a moment.
This week ABC News reported that nearly half of all three- to six-year-old girls worry about being fat. In my book, Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, I reveal that 15 to 18 percent of girls under 12 now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and 25 percent of young American women would rather win America's Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize. Even bright, successful college women say they'd rather be hot than smart. A Miami mom just died from cosmetic surgery, leaving behind two teenagers. This keeps happening, and it breaks my heart.
Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments.
That's why I force myself to talk to little girls as follows.
"Maya," I said, crouching down at her level, looking into her eyes, "very nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," she said, in that trained, polite, talking-to-adults good girl voice.
"Hey, what are you reading?" I asked, a twinkle in my eyes. I love books. I'm nuts for them. I let that show.
Her eyes got bigger, and the practiced, polite facial expression gave way to genuine excitement over this topic. She paused, though, a little shy of me, a stranger.
"I LOVE books," I said. "Do you?"
Most kids do.
"YES," she said. "And I can read them all by myself now!"
"Wow, amazing!" I said. And it is, for a five-year-old. You go on with your bad self, Maya.
"What's your favorite book?" I asked.
"I'll go get it! Can I read it to you?"
Purplicious was Maya's pick and a new one to me, as Maya snuggled next to me on the sofa and proudly read aloud every word, about our heroine who loves pink but is tormented by a group of girls at school who only wear black. Alas, it was about girls and what they wore, and how their wardrobe choices defined their identities. But after Maya closed the final page, I steered the conversation to the deeper issues in the book: mean girls and peer pressure and not going along with the group. I told her my favorite color in the world is green, because I love nature, and she was down with that.
Not once did we discuss clothes or hair or bodies or who was pretty. It's surprising how hard it is to stay away from those topics with little girls, but I'm stubborn.
I told her that I'd just written a book, and that I hoped she'd write one too one day. She was fairly psyched about that idea. We were both sad when Maya had to go to bed, but I told her next time to choose another book and we'd read it and talk about it. Oops. That got her too amped up to sleep, and she came down from her bedroom a few times, all jazzed up.
So, one tiny bit of opposition to a culture that sends all the wrong messages to our girls. One tiny nudge towards valuing female brains. One brief moment of intentional role modeling. Will my few minutes with Maya change our multibillion dollar beauty industry, reality shows that demean women, our celebrity-manic culture? No. But I did change Maya's perspective for at least that evening.
Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she's reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You're just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
It’s a Girl!!!!!!!
I can’t believe today finally came and that the outcome was so positive. I have been anticipating/dreading/looking forward to this day since the plus sign showed up on the pregnancy test 4 months ago. Today was the day when finally found out if our little one was growing healthy. With our first pregnancy with Angel, it was at this pivotal moment in his pregnancy that we learned he would not survive, so you can imagine how hard it was NOT to have fear of what today’s outcome might be. But it couldn’t have gone better. Baby was moving like crazy, showing off for us all. The ultrasound tech’s words: “You’re gonna be chasing this child all over the place,” LOL. Out little Sweet Pea is weighing in at almost a pound already and is measuring just right for this 20-week mark. And baby decided to cooperate and let us know that she is a she! Dave and I were so convinced she was a boy, we were both pretty shocked- but extremely excited about our growing daughter. I, of course, immediately started crying. It’s no secret how badly I wanted a daughter, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up because a healthy baby was so much more important than gender. But now I know that I am carrying my daughter in my belly…Daughter- how crazy is that?!! I have to say, this has made everything so much more real- she’s healthy, she’s growing, she’s moving- she’s, um going to be here in just a few months! Oh lordy, I need to get ready, lol. First things first, time to shout it to the world! That’s right, sometime in the next day or two, we will actually be Facebook official! LOL. If it were up to Dave, we’d have announced on FB awhile ago, but I just needed today to go well first. And it so did- in the words of our doctor, “Baby is perfect.” Love it. Love her. Love my husband for making me a momma, and I cannot wait to see him holding our baby girl. Lots of love to everyone and thank you so much for your continued thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes! *Hugs*
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Feeling Happy :)
Feeling increasingly GOOD, physically and mentally! Physically, the nausea really only shows up at the very end of the day now, and I just go straight to bed so it nips it in the bud. Plus, I now have a raging appetite which is a nice change from hating all food, lol. Mentally, I have had 2 great things happen that are making me feel positive about this pregnancy. #1 My 18-wk appt yesterday went really well- the nurse found the baby’s heartbeat immediately and it is still strong at 152 bpm. Then the doctor showed me how to feel the top of my uterus just below my belly button- very cool. Even cooler- my sister, who was in town for a long weekend and attended the appt with me, was also able to hear baby’s heartbeat and feel where the baby is in my tummy. Good times! Next appt will be the big ultrasound, so stay tuned in a couple of weeks for an update! And #2 great thing that has happened…I can feel baby moving J . It’s every once in awhile, not even daily, but seriously the coolest thing I’ve ever felt. I can’t help but smile every time it happens- so amazing, such a miracle going on in my body! It’ll be really incredible when baby is big enough that Dave can feel him moving as well.
So a major hurdle (for me) is over with- creating our baby registries. Whew! Thank God I had Elizabeth and Tiffeny there to help me- these girls got me through it when I wanted to go all crazy pregnant woman in the store. Let’s just say that I don’t enjoy shopping in general, and when I have to spend 3 hours in a store making decisions like which pacifier out of 20 options do I think my baby will like best, I basically wanted to pull my hair out. But we survived, and the registries are up at both Target and Babies R Us. Whew!!!!!
I would like to wish everyone a very blessed and happy Thankgiving. I am feeling especially blessed this year, and I hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday with people they love J .
So a major hurdle (for me) is over with- creating our baby registries. Whew! Thank God I had Elizabeth and Tiffeny there to help me- these girls got me through it when I wanted to go all crazy pregnant woman in the store. Let’s just say that I don’t enjoy shopping in general, and when I have to spend 3 hours in a store making decisions like which pacifier out of 20 options do I think my baby will like best, I basically wanted to pull my hair out. But we survived, and the registries are up at both Target and Babies R Us. Whew!!!!!
I would like to wish everyone a very blessed and happy Thankgiving. I am feeling especially blessed this year, and I hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday with people they love J .
Sunday, November 13, 2011
17 Weeks and Counting!
Each Saturday morning, I wake up excited to mark a new week in my pregnancy. This Saturday, we officially made it to 17 weeks. At this point, our little one is about the size of an onion (last week was an avocado…gotta love the fruit/veggie comparisons!). He (I’m about 95% sure it’s a boy, lol) can hear sounds now, which is just amazing. I am not yet feeling him move, but I don’t really expect to for a few more weeks still. It’s amazing how much growth and development has already happened in just the past 4 months- our little one already has fingernails, hair throughout his body, and is starting to accumulate fat around his body. He’s kicking his legs and stretching his arms and looks, well, like a baby! Just really, really tiny J .
Part of my journey through this pregnancy is maintaining a lot of faith and hope that our little one is healthy and that at the end of this pregnancy, we will become parents for the first time. At times, I do find myself becoming anxious as the fear and worry begins to creep in. To help me have some peace of mind, I ordered a home Doppler to listen to baby’s heartbeat. It arrived last week, and although it’s not easy to find since he‘s still so little, I have been able to hear his heartbeat at home on a couple of occasions. It’s definitely reassuring for me, though I am trying not to listen too much. It is tempting to listen daily, but I will probably only listen once every week or two, whenever I feel overly stressed. I can’t let it become an obsession, which would be easy to do! The next month or so should be really exciting as everything becomes more "real." Over the next month and a half, we will be creating a baby registry, finding out if we are having a boy or girl (um, basically confirming that it's a boy, lol), start feeling the baby move, and getting to see much of our family with the holiday season. The next 6 weeks should be a pretty incredible time!
Part of my journey through this pregnancy is maintaining a lot of faith and hope that our little one is healthy and that at the end of this pregnancy, we will become parents for the first time. At times, I do find myself becoming anxious as the fear and worry begins to creep in. To help me have some peace of mind, I ordered a home Doppler to listen to baby’s heartbeat. It arrived last week, and although it’s not easy to find since he‘s still so little, I have been able to hear his heartbeat at home on a couple of occasions. It’s definitely reassuring for me, though I am trying not to listen too much. It is tempting to listen daily, but I will probably only listen once every week or two, whenever I feel overly stressed. I can’t let it become an obsession, which would be easy to do! The next month or so should be really exciting as everything becomes more "real." Over the next month and a half, we will be creating a baby registry, finding out if we are having a boy or girl (um, basically confirming that it's a boy, lol), start feeling the baby move, and getting to see much of our family with the holiday season. The next 6 weeks should be a pretty incredible time!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Egyptian Flu!!!
We’re pregnant!!! I heard someone joke that they had the Egyptian Flu as a fun way to announce their pregnancy (Google it J ), so I couldn’t resist borrowing the term. We are 15 ½ weeks along, and finally shared the news with family and friends last weekend. It was important to us to make sure we were far enough along and that everything was healthy before sharing, which thankfully everyone seems to understand. Trust me, it's been so hard not to tell people! Allow me to catch y'all up...here’s a summary of my pregnancy so far…
We found out we were pregnant very early, at just 3 ½ weeks along, on August 10th. You might notice that I actually posted a few days before then, feeling sad that I thought AF had come. It turns out that what I thought was AF was actually implantation bleeding (sorry if TMI!). When a couple more days went by and the spotting stopped, I knew I was pregnant. That, and the fact that my ladies were getting sore (again, sorry if TMI, lol), made it so clear to me, I didn’t even need the test- I knew I was pregnant. To be honest, I knew the week before, which is why I was so upset when the first test I took was negative. Turns out I had just tested too early the first time. Anywho, I took the second PG test first thing in the morning that Wednesday and sure enough, it was positive. I took it more to convince Dave, lol. He was still home, so I just smiled and handed him the test. We were both happy, but cautious from the beginning. We decided to just take it day by day, and would be grateful for this baby however long we had with him/her. We had some scary moments over the next few weeks, as I had some spotting issues up until almost 10 weeks. On more than one occasion I thought we were losing the baby. Definitely scary, and it has wound up limiting my activity level significantly. It’s hard because there is no reason the doctors could see for the spotting, so they said it's probably just because the cervix is very sensitive. Thankfully, I have a very understanding doctor, and he’s already let me have 4 ultrasounds. The last one was done at 10 weeks, 5 days and everything at that point looked healthy. I specifically asked about some of the issues Angel had had (which would have showed up on that last ultrasound), and those issues are not present with this baby. And our little one has had a strong heartbeat from the get-go, which is definitely a good sign. I got to hear the heartbeat from the Doppler for the first time a week ago, and that was definitely cool. I’m not feeling any movement yet, which is not a surprise as many women don’t feel the baby until closer to 18-20 weeks, if not later. I never felt Angel kick, so I am definitely looking forward to that milestone.
As far as how I’ve felt this pregnancy physically, it has been rough- no sugar-coating it! My “morning sickness” (aka “all day sickness”) started once I was 6 weeks along and is still with me. I am finally getting some relief during the earlier part of the day, but like clock-work, come 4pm through the rest of the night, I’m crazy nauseous. I tried some medication for a few weeks, but it caused more issues without eliminating the nausea, so I stopped that. I guess the one positive from not wanting to eat (food is kind of the enemy right now- strong aversions) is that I haven’t gained weight yet. For women who start their pregnancy fluffy like me, that isn’t a concern. Of course, I am making sure to take my vitamin daily and get as much nutritionally-sound food in my system as I can, so no worries- baby is definitely getting the needed nourishment J . It’s weird though, I still don’t FEEL pregnant. Yes, I have the symptoms- fatigue, nausea, ladies that won’t stop growing, superpower-strength sense of smell, ligament pain from time to time- but I haven’t made that mental connection yet that I’m going to have a baby. I think that when we find out the baby’s gender (around Christmas), that will help a lot because I’ll be able to think in terms of my son or daughter. But I bet it won’t be until I feel baby really moving that it’ll all be real. Or maybe when I start showing, which I’m definitely not yet. That’s not to say I’m not wearing maternity clothes already- they’re so comfy! Lol.
While I am obviously so excited to be expecting again, the fear of loss is always there. I know that once we make it to the 20-week anatomy ultrasound that I will have more peace of mind. Until then, I’m just doing my best to stay positive, hopeful, and to limit my stress level. Now that our news is out, I’ll try and update my blog more frequently. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers during this exciting, terrifying, and wonderful time!
We found out we were pregnant very early, at just 3 ½ weeks along, on August 10th. You might notice that I actually posted a few days before then, feeling sad that I thought AF had come. It turns out that what I thought was AF was actually implantation bleeding (sorry if TMI!). When a couple more days went by and the spotting stopped, I knew I was pregnant. That, and the fact that my ladies were getting sore (again, sorry if TMI, lol), made it so clear to me, I didn’t even need the test- I knew I was pregnant. To be honest, I knew the week before, which is why I was so upset when the first test I took was negative. Turns out I had just tested too early the first time. Anywho, I took the second PG test first thing in the morning that Wednesday and sure enough, it was positive. I took it more to convince Dave, lol. He was still home, so I just smiled and handed him the test. We were both happy, but cautious from the beginning. We decided to just take it day by day, and would be grateful for this baby however long we had with him/her. We had some scary moments over the next few weeks, as I had some spotting issues up until almost 10 weeks. On more than one occasion I thought we were losing the baby. Definitely scary, and it has wound up limiting my activity level significantly. It’s hard because there is no reason the doctors could see for the spotting, so they said it's probably just because the cervix is very sensitive. Thankfully, I have a very understanding doctor, and he’s already let me have 4 ultrasounds. The last one was done at 10 weeks, 5 days and everything at that point looked healthy. I specifically asked about some of the issues Angel had had (which would have showed up on that last ultrasound), and those issues are not present with this baby. And our little one has had a strong heartbeat from the get-go, which is definitely a good sign. I got to hear the heartbeat from the Doppler for the first time a week ago, and that was definitely cool. I’m not feeling any movement yet, which is not a surprise as many women don’t feel the baby until closer to 18-20 weeks, if not later. I never felt Angel kick, so I am definitely looking forward to that milestone.
As far as how I’ve felt this pregnancy physically, it has been rough- no sugar-coating it! My “morning sickness” (aka “all day sickness”) started once I was 6 weeks along and is still with me. I am finally getting some relief during the earlier part of the day, but like clock-work, come 4pm through the rest of the night, I’m crazy nauseous. I tried some medication for a few weeks, but it caused more issues without eliminating the nausea, so I stopped that. I guess the one positive from not wanting to eat (food is kind of the enemy right now- strong aversions) is that I haven’t gained weight yet. For women who start their pregnancy fluffy like me, that isn’t a concern. Of course, I am making sure to take my vitamin daily and get as much nutritionally-sound food in my system as I can, so no worries- baby is definitely getting the needed nourishment J . It’s weird though, I still don’t FEEL pregnant. Yes, I have the symptoms- fatigue, nausea, ladies that won’t stop growing, superpower-strength sense of smell, ligament pain from time to time- but I haven’t made that mental connection yet that I’m going to have a baby. I think that when we find out the baby’s gender (around Christmas), that will help a lot because I’ll be able to think in terms of my son or daughter. But I bet it won’t be until I feel baby really moving that it’ll all be real. Or maybe when I start showing, which I’m definitely not yet. That’s not to say I’m not wearing maternity clothes already- they’re so comfy! Lol.
While I am obviously so excited to be expecting again, the fear of loss is always there. I know that once we make it to the 20-week anatomy ultrasound that I will have more peace of mind. Until then, I’m just doing my best to stay positive, hopeful, and to limit my stress level. Now that our news is out, I’ll try and update my blog more frequently. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers during this exciting, terrifying, and wonderful time!
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