Night time belly

As many of you read on my facebook, in the mornings I may be a little bigger, but my stomach is mostly flat-ish and just looks like I ate a little bit.... but by night time..... (Tim bullied me into taking the picture. I am really going to struggle as I see the numbers go up on the scale .... It's not fat, it's a baby. It's not fat, it's a baby)......

14 weeks and 5 days

So.... You requesters finally get your picture. I'm going to go and pretend I feel good about this picture (and not post at all that I ate a big dinner or anything at all like that to defend it. It's not fat, it's a baby!).

.....

Also, Tim sold his beloved office desk tonight. All for the sake of ze bebe. He is going to be such a great dad--I can't wait to see him in action.

Update

Today was a long day...but we got some good news!  At the doctor today we found out:

-There is only about a 1 in 10,000 chance of our baby having Down Syndrome.
-Baby's heart rate was 146, which is perfectly good and acceptable. It seems kind of low which makes me think it will be a boy!
-We learned more about birthing options and it has helped calm me and feel better about making a plan a little ways down the road (however, when discussing these things in front of my dad he almost passed out. And I am not exaggerating. It was kind of scary to see my dad's hands start shaking and him having to change his shirts because he started sweating so much.... I guess I'm still "Daddy's little girl.").
-My iron level count has gone up a few points since last visit.

In not so good, but not so bad news:
-Because I have continued to feel dizzy when standing for long periods of time, to the point of having to put my head between my legs and breath and drink something with sugar, my doctor thinks I have orthostatic hypotension---basically my blood pressure bottoms out when I just stand around. When I am moving, walking my dog, walking the halls at school I am perfectly fine because the blood is still flowing. When I am in the shower/drying my hair, standing at bus duty, or cooking, the blood tends to pool in my legs and makes me me feel a dizzy, short of breath, and altogether like my body is shutting down.

Her suggestion? Support panty hose. My reaction?:

I hate all things panty hose, tights, and leggings. They make my legs itch like crazy and the only reason my mom could force me into them in high school were for dance recitals or important occasions (and I still complained the whole time).

Her other suggestion? Doubling my fluid intake with drinks that have electrolytes such as Gatorade and Propel. ....... Unfortunately all of those drinks make me feel very sick most of the time (not just during pregnancy). I guess I will have to choose between the two....yuck.

Also my back pain has gotten more severe over the last few days and has made walking my dog difficult, along with bending over quickly and acting like a normal 23 year old. She says Sciatica is to blame... basically my growing body (even this early on) is messing with my sciatic nerve and it is sending shooting pains. Luckily for me it ranges in severity, sometimes hardly hurting at all. Just gotta deal until August 18th!

Tim and I are very thankful for the good news from the doctor and can't wait to find out what we will be having in four weeks! Thank you for your sweet thoughts and prayers. We are so glad you guys are on this journey with us.

A Belated Winter Wonderland

Everyone, attention everyone.... this is NOT a test---we have our first snow of the year!! Since it is February 19, I was starting to wonder if it was going to happen. Tim had the day off (woohoo) so we just spent the day relaxing, cuddling, and enjoying a little down time. And then late this afternoon, we looked out the window and saw a little bit of sleet bouncing off the ground and now we have at least 1.6 inches of snow on the ground.

I am anxiously awaiting to see if we will have a delay or (oh, please, oh, please, oh pleaaase) a cancellation with school tomorrow. Of course, I am sure we won't find out until tomorrow morning....

About two hours ago--now our patio is covered.

AHHHHH I JUST HEARD/READ THAT SCHOOL IS CLOSED TOMORROW! I squealed so loud, I may as well be five years old again. I love, love, love snow days. I am a teacher and I LOVE SNOW DAYS. They are the best little unexpected gift. Tim just took Jack (our dog) out in the snow and it is his first snow (at least since we have had him). The report? He loved it, too....but now he has laid himself down in front of the fire and hasn't budged in about 20 minutes. I guess he is like me--snow is pretty, but let's stay warm!

In other news, Tim's mom sent us the sweetest most unexpected package in the mail the other day.... they are officially baby's first clothes. She said that they are a little "boyish" but if it turns out to be a girl, we can fancy them up with bows and barrettes and other girly things.

Little BEAR feet hehehe

Tim and I will go on Tuesday to find out the results from the Down Syndrome Screening and to also check on little one's heart rate--- prayers that everything goes smoothly, please. 

There are a few things that no one told me about being pregnant.... the books and websites have since informed me, but people tend to leave these things out. For example:  bloody noses and nasal congestion. Every night I get so so so very stuffy and many mornings as soon as I wake up my nose starts bleeding. We have bought a humidifier and I've tried to keep my intake of water up in hopes of stopping this, but so far it hasn't done too much...Except make me have to wake up numerous times to go to the bathroom. Another thing? Raging hip and lower back pain. It has really amped up the past 2-3 days, but this morning I was so stiff and sore and achey I had to use my hands to push my body to roll over to the other side in bed. Tim has had the intense pleasure of hearing me complain about it all day.... bless him, he just listens and offers to make me a bath (and I am stubborn and refuse and refuse). And another thing.... getting out of breath when doing absolutely nothing. The other night I was on the phone with my sister-in-law and had to keep pausing to catch my breath. The next day I went to the park with Tim and was walking up a big hill and I was just as out of breath as I had been on the phone. It makes no sense to me, but apparently it is normal. Something about increased heart rate in me and how I use my oxygen differently....blah, blah I don't know it just makes me feel like a big fat fatty for the most part. It's pretty sad when you can't breath just because you threw in a load of laundry.

In closing, Saturday was officially (no matter what book or website you read) my first day of the SECOND TRIMESTER!! Everyone do a party dance, because I did. So far second trimester is going great.... Tim has been off work, I got to celebrate my friend Kellie's birthday with friends, it snowed, and school is cancelled tomorrow.  Awesome. And something so exciting to me? I woke up this morning actually wanting some Panda Express orange chicken. I have not wanted that since before I was pregnant, or anything like it. Let's hope this means I will enjoy food again very soon. It is the most curious sensation to not like your favorite foods... it's as if you have amnesia and everyone tries to tell you what your favorite stuff is, but you can't remember it. 

Want to know about baby this week? Read on... this was taken from babycenter.com. Come back soon to hear our doctor results! =]

How your baby's growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Time WIll Tell (the sex of the baby)

As I read books about what to do and what not to do, I can't help but think everyone has had to mess up in order to write the "Do not do" list.  Well publishing companies, when our baby is born, get your pens ready.

The past couple of weeks have been pretty calm.  A "I have to pee" here and a "my body hurts" there.  I think Anna is more stabilized than I am.  We really are perfect together, and know how to calm one another down, and are even learning how to stop panic before it takes over.  For instance, i say something like "It has teeth, what if.......?!?!?!".......and Anna interrupts with "Tim, it can't eat its way out of my stomach."  Not to mention it has fingernails now, and if it really wanted to it could........ never mind.

We want to know the sex of the baby so bad.  We want to start decorating the nursery, buy clothes, and know if I have to buy figure skates or hockey skates.  Anna has planned a party for her family the day we are supposed to find out the sex of the baby.  Man it would stink if the baby didn't want to cooperate and we couldn't find out that day.  More waiting, and it seems that's what pregnancy is all about.  Not just waiting for the baby, but waiting for test results, or waiting in the waiting room, or waiting to wait.  We are really trying to stay away from baby names until we find out the sex.

As we get closer and closer to August 18, the more I think about the miracle that is forming in Anna's tummy.  Those of you who are parents already know, and those of you who are familiar with pregnancy, it's truly a miracle.  How does something that is a ".", turn into a beautiful baby?

Anna is amazingly beautiful, and the fact that her body is allowing a baby to grow is indescribable.  I know people talk about a "glow" that a woman has when pregnant, but I didn't pay much attention to it before this.  Every time I look at into Anna's eyes, i get shivers down my body.  Who needs pregnancy test?  I'll tell you who, those people on "I didn't know I was pregnant".  I watched it again....HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW.......$%^$?!?!?!

Well, i know this wasn't the most exciting post, just wanted everyone to know what's going on.  Thank you all for your support, and I can't tell everyone how much we appreciate their generosity when it comes to their time, baby stuff, and everything else.  Simply, Thank you.

Do it anyway

Hello, hello, hello.

Lately I have been completely overwhelmed and humbled by various people's offers to give us their old baby things.... some very expensive things that would definitely have been tough for Tim and me to swing, at least all in a short amount of time. Isn't it fantastic that God hears our prayers and answers our needs, even the ones we forget to ask for?

"Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the Lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing....and if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and then thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?" Matthew 6:27-30


In other news, I have been experiencing some weird pains today. Some have made me worry.... but really I think my ligaments are vamping up for another growth spurt. I feel achey in my hips and a sore, stretching feeling across my stomach and a stiffness in my back. Think like..... if you do way too many crunches in one day and you feel so sore it hurts.... a day or two after that when it doesn't quite hurt, but still makes you hold your breath when you sit up or stretch. My stomach feels kind of like that. This baby growing thing is weird.

Tomorrow is Friday and I hope we all get to let loose and have some fun.... before we get there, though, I'll leave you with this quote that I read tonight from Mother Theresa (who else? doesn't everyone quote her??) that seems very applicable to many current situations in my life right now.

Oh and by the way, we are going to have a gender reveal party.... more about that later. =]

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. 
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. 
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. 
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. 
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. 
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” Mother Theresa

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always

Good evening, good morning, good afternoon readers!

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers for us today (this is me believing that each of you thought about us today, because I'm sure your busy lives did not get in the way, he he). Tim, my mom, and I got to see our sweet, sweet baby love today.  They were screening for down syndrome, but they said we won't find out the results for at least two weeks.  It was pretty easy for me!--just an ultrasound where we all oooh'd and ahhhhh'd over the sweetest little profile of a baby you have ever seen. Oh, and a finger prick where they put my blood on some paper to send off. Finger pricks=worse than labor I am sure.

Some stats: baby's heart was 148 beats per minute--right on track. I have lost about 2 pounds since my last visit, but they say that is normal for this time. I'm sure I will more than make up for it in trimesters two and three!! The ultrasound tech (nurse? assistant? something) was very nice and kept complimenting how "cute" our baby is....although she couldn't say much of anything, she did quickly whisper that she saw no red flags that concerned her. Here's a gold star and an A+ for you ultrasound lady.

What we loved, absolutely adored the most out of the ultrasound was that he/she was trying so very hard to suck its left thumb.... just like our nephews Eli & Knox did and still do, and (from what my brother tells me) what my niece, Ava, is starting to do. It must run in the family, which is so funny since neither my brothers nor I sucked our thumbs when we were babies.

For your viewing pleasure, the sweetest baby that has ever been:

Hey little nose and lips!

You can see the left hand trying to go into the mouth!

Oh my, how we love you so....

What to Expect When Expecting Chaos

Wellllllllllll, twelve weeks to the day.  It's easy for me to watch Anna go through the motions, but hard to watch her suffer through nausea, headaches, and exhaustion.  Not to mention the carpet has a worn patch from the bed to the bathroom due to Anna's frequent obsession with peeing.

Lately everything around us seems to be about pregnancy.  Phoebe from Friends is pregnant, "I didn't know I was pregnant" on TLC (Seriously, how the #$%@ did you not know you were pregnant???).  Then I go to the mailbox and the insurance company has sent a big book about pregnancy.

As I look around the house, I realize how much needs to be done to baby proof our home.  We need to install those cabinet things so cabinet doors are harder for us to open.  We need to buy a rubber coffee table, move every electrical outlet in the house and mount them on the ceiling, and line the floor with cotton.

As I look back before I purchased this house, I always dreamed about a nice office that could hold a beautiful desk that I had bought when in NY.  The day I was able to place that desk in this house was a dream come true.  Hey everyone....guess which room we are going to turn into the babies room???  BYE BYE DESK.

With all that said, when I sit on the couch, daydream with Anna, and rub her belly, it all doesn't matter.  Everything up until this moment happened for a reason.  The fact that Anna and I met in the first place is a miracle.  Now that we are going to have our first child, it all just makes perfect sense.

This is a short post...but NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!

Kind of a big deal...

I feel like a dud of a blogger today. I kept thinking while sitting here on the couch, windows open, warm sunshiney air coming in, that I needed to update this.... and yet all I have wanted to do is take a nap!! Who cares that it is dinner time?!

This Saturday I will be 12 weeks. 12 weeks, my friends, is kind of a big deal! Depending on what website/book you look at, 12-14 weeks is the end of the first trimester (I don't really understand why there isn't a hard and fast number.... seems like a simple thing to me). I know my body has felt tired--at times feeling like I had overdosed on Benadryl and then been told to stay awake.... I know how very, very nauseous I have felt at times. I know how much I miss enjoying my old favorite foods (Bonsai Japanese anyone? Laurie??!)...... And yet, it seems unreal to me that my first trimester will be over soon. It just seems too.... effortless? I mean, shouldn't I have had to pass a test or something? Work extra hard? Get critiqued and deemed worthy? No? Huh.... weird.

Tim asked me last night if I felt "more pregnant" now that I'm a little further along. My answer? No. I actually feel a little "less pregnant" (pause to calm down Tim from freaking out). I guess because my nausea is much less, I have a little more energy, and my baby "bloat" is kind of giving way to actual "baby," I just feel---well, honestly, I feel like another doctor's appointment would be reassuring! haha. Luckily I have one next week. We will be getting an ultrasound to screen for Down Syndrome--prayers on Monday would be fantastic. You readers are the greatest. =]

Here's a little video of baby from weeks 10-14. If you get a little teary eyed, well you are just like me.