It's a girl!

20 weeks along, still feeling fantastic!!

I had two days where I dealt with swollen legs. Watching my salt intake, increasing my water and sleeping on my left side have helped greatly!

Compared to many other stories I have heard, this pregnancy is a piece of cake... then again, it's not over yet!

On October 1, Chris and I had our 20 week ultrasound where we found out the baby is a girl. As girl myself, I am super excited, but truly would have been happy with either gender. It was so great to see all the pictures and have organs pointed out to us. We got to see the brain which looks good and most of the body. She was positioned stragely so the tech was not able to get the best spinal views, which means I will get to have another ultrasound at the beginning of November, just another chance for me to see our baby girl!

My friend Joanna also found out she is having a girl about a week and a half behind me. Who knows, maybe nature will have different plans and they will be born closer than that even!

We found out yesterday that our original loan through the USDA will be going through so we will hopefully be closing on our house on schedule October 29 and moving in on the 30th. We are both very excited to finally feel like we are a family. Families come in all shapes and sizes but our vision was bringing our baby home to a house, and not an apartment. We are very fortunate to be able to make this vision come true.

Life is good :)

Heatbeat-again

I am still on top of the world and feeling fabulous! This baby is really being nice to me, hopefully all brothers or sisters that follow will be the same way.

I had my 16 week doctor's appointment that took an entire five minutes but allowed me to hear the baby's heartbeat again. I have loved this baby from the moment I found out I was expecting, but the heartbeat makes it so much more real. That small little "lub-lub, lub-lub" sends all sorts of thoughts through my head, most of which are borderline crazy, but hey, I am pregnant, crazy thoughts are part of my everyday life.

I scheduled my 20 week ultrasound for October 1, which will hopefully be the date we get to find out what the little love bundle is, of course Chris and I will be happy with any baby, but we are both secretly sticking to our own gender in our wants.

We have decided not to pursue any in-utero testing for Down's or neural tube defects. After speaking with several other moms and the emotions and feelings the testing gave them I think it would be better for me to wait until birth. For this pregnancy at least I have age on my side and found out about the pregnancy early enough that I was able to give myself the proper care and nutrition it takes to make a healthy little one. If I end up having kids into my 30s, I may more seriously consider the testing.

The house we put an offer in is literally within reach. The offer was originally rejected based on the fact that the seller forgot to sign one of the documents, but that has been corrected and submitted to the bank again. Hopefully we find out this week :)

Life is GREAT!

Sorry for the lack of updates for a few weeks, just not too much happening with the baby to update. I am feeling fantastic! No more nauseous moments, only some random food aversions, which I have learned to lived with, it could be much worse. I definitely have a baby bump that is starting to show. It probably doesn't help that I was a little chubby to begin with but the bump is actually rigid and hard. I still have not gained very much weight so I am guessing it is just my body rearranging.

We have had some great developments in our lives in the past few weeks. To begin, Chris started his new job with Boldt construction. He is really, really enjoying it. Unfortunately he will be starting his work in Illinois in two weeks, which means he will only be home on the weekends for about two and half months. I guess I would rather have him gone during the 2nd trimester than the 3rd.

Another big development is that we have put an offer in on a home. It happened very quickly, but when we walked into the house, we knew it was for us. The funny thing is that I didn't even want to look at the place from the pictures I saw... the thoughts ugly wallpaper borders can put in our heads. We are hoping to hear in the next day or two if our offer was accepted. If all goes well we will be closing in the middle of September and moving at the end of September.

I have a prenatal appointment on September 1st. I don't think I will be having an ultrasound at this appointment, meaning we probably won't be able to find out the sex until October. Not a huge deal, it will give us something to look forward to after the house goes through (if it does that is.) I am getting antsy to start working on the baby's room, wherever that may be!

Fetal Heartbeat

How I am feeling- I had a terrible day on Sunday and Monday. I am finally beginning to accept the fact that when I put bad food in my body that my body is going to react negatively. I kind of ate junk, and a lot of it, this weekend so Sunday and Monday were miserable. I am starting to get a weird pinching sensation on either side of my lower abdomen. It happens when I quickly change positions or twist. I asked Dr. Waters about it and he said it is perfectly normal and just my ligaments getting a sudden work out.


We had a fabulous day yesterday! First, Chris and I were able to go to the prenatal appointment together. This was the first time I had seen the doctor since my very first visit. The other visits were all lab and ultrasound techs. He confirmed my new due date of February 19 and went over any problems I was having. At the end we got to hear the baby's hearbeat. It was amazing! The baby's heart is beating at a steady 160 bpm, which old wives tales say means it will be a girl, but old wives have been wrong before :) I am so glad Chris got to experience that with me. Dads definitely don't get to be as strongly connected to their babies in utero so it was great for him to have a part of that.

The other amazing part to our day is that Chris got a new job! A job that is actually in his field and will pay him appropriately for all his hard work during college. He will be starting with Boldt in one or two weeks, depending on what Cleary decides to do when he gives his notice. He will be spending three months working in Illinois (coming home on weekends) and will come back to Madison mid to late November. This is an awesome opportunity for him to beef up his resume a little more and finally use his education.

We started cleaning out the "baby's room" yesterday too. We were able to move a lot of stuff out to the garage and make space for the things we will be getting soon. Chris has two sisters who each have two children and they have saved almost everything. I am hopefully going to try to get to Janelle's this weekend to bring a load of baby essentials home that don't depend on the baby's sex. Over the fall I can slowly bring stuff home, one load at a time. I have said it so many times before but we are so blessed with the wonderful family and friends we have in our lives.

This week is a great week!

Mulitple Baby Mamas!!

This is a short one... I just found out that one of my best friends is pregnant too and is only a few weeks behind me! I am so happy and excited to have someone to go through the same stages with. Double bonus because she has already done this twice and can help me out along the way, as she has already been doing. I really feel like I have joined the mommy club now. I am sure I will find other mothers in Madison to hang with and have play dates with but currently have no friends down here that are going through the baby thing.

In other news, my new job is going great! I really enjoy the people at my new bank branch and was able to fall right back into the swing of bank routines. The hardest part is learning where items are kept. If that is the worst of my problems, it will be pretty smooth sailing from here on out.

New Job, New Symptoms

Week 9 marked the beginning of my sick period. My morning sickness is displaying a tendancy to show up around 2:30 in the afternoon and hang around until bedtime. There are pros to this, getting out of bed isn't miserable for me so I am able to get up and going in the morning. Also, I actually go to bed when my body needs me to. The downside of all of this? The food aversions and not eating dinner, which leads to a terrible cycle of skipping dinner and waking up in the middle of the night starving. Somehow, I know I will be able to balance it all out.

Today marks the beginning of my old/new job at Associated Bank. I am very excited to get back in with a company that I know. I truly believe that this position will bring me less stress than my previous position which is what I need right now. I am already exhausted all day long and adding a ton of stress to that was not great on me, my body or I am sure the little one inside of me.

I will write later in the week to update you all on the new work situation and how I am feeling. Hopefully I don't follow completely in my mother's shoes, as she was sick pretty much up until delivery. But if I am, oh well, it will all be worth it in the end.

Letting it all out!

Week 9- This week marks the beginning of my morning sickness. Thankfully I am not throwing up, yet, but I have a lot of food aversions and nausea, which make getting up in the morning just fantastic. I am still able to deal with it and survive the day. I am still totally exhausted!! I am sleeping for nine hours a night and it still doesn't feel like enough.


Telling my parents-

We finally got the opportunity to tell my parents on July 9 on our way to our annual family camping trip. Chris and I drove up to Stevens Point and stopped to meet my parents at their house so we could all drive together. We had some gifts for them from our honeymoon and a framed picture of the ultrasound. We let them open the gifts and then gave them the frame together. It took a couple of seconds for it to register that the photo was an ultrasound but once it hit them they both got a wonderfully happy look on their faces. All my mom could say was, "really?!? I finally get to be a grandma?" You know, because she is so old, haha. My dad insists he knew what was going to be in the frame, but who knows for sure. Apparently there was some speculation going on at the bar due to a recent facebook status earlier in the week when I was legitimately ill that people took as morning sickness. This was followed by a lot of hugging and celebrating. We departed for Lake Owen around 5pm and got up there at 8:30, pretty good time since we weren't pulling the boat.

Throughout the weekend we got to tell our close friends who were camping with us. Everyone was so happy for us. We are very lucky to have such support from both sides of our families and friends. Whenever he got the chance, my brother Nick felt the need to tell total strangers that I am pregnant. Since I am not showing yet most of them looked at him like he was crazy.

In other news, I will be starting a new job on Monday. It is actually an old new job. I am going back to Associated Bank to work as a senior teller, which is what I was doing before my current job as an office manager. I think it will be better for me as far as stress goes. The people I will be working with will be more realiable and I won't have to worry about scheduling disasters every day, as I do now.

Chris and I are looking forward to this weekend, it is the first one since before our wedding that we just get to hang out at home. Who knew home could be so exciting?

Ultrasound and Finalized Due Date

How am I feeling? Still pretty good. I am getting pretty tired by the end of the day but still no hardcore morning sickness. I do have some nauseous moments but they tend to pass with a sip of water or a small bite of something to eat. I am still feeling pretty bloated and my pants are starting to let me know. Fortunately I have only gained two lbs since the wedding, which was a month ago, so I am on a good track for weight gain during the first trimester.


I had another ultrasound yesterday, July 7, 2010. I have had a fear deep down that something was seriously wrong. No matter how many times I told myself my hCG levels were going up, the doctor wasn't concerned, things looked fine, I couldn't help thinking terrible thoughts, mainly that I had a blighted ovum. I have no idea why I was so fixated on this. Proabably because I have wanted to have a baby for so long that it would be the ultimate, "haha, fooled you", to have my body acting pregnant but have nothing in there. The ultrasound yesterday completely cleared that up.

Because Chris is a twin, some members of his family have been insistent that we are going to have twins, cough, cough, Bill. :) I would be happy with any amount of babies that I was given but selfishly would like them one at a time. When I saw the ultrasound I was happy to see that there is only one little baby inside of me. I was able to see the little embryo, who will soon be categorized as a fetus, the yolk sak and the embryonic sak around it all. It was amazing. The technician was able to detect a healthy heartbeat of 160 beats per minute, which made my whole week and calmed any fears I had about nothing being in there. I also got some ultrasound pictures of the baby which I will post later. Another big thing I found out is my official due date! We will be delivering on or around February 19, 2011. I am pretty excited about having a winter baby. With the winter being less activity filled I will get to hole up in our apartment for a minimum of six weeks with our beautiful new baby after his/her arrival. I can't wait!




Telling our families.

We told Chris' family over the 4th of July weekend. I really wanted to have an ultrasound picture to give to his parents as a way of telling them they are going to be grandparents for the fifth time, but we didn't have one. I knew people would be tipped of if they didn't see me drinking at the festivities. As expected, we got nothing but congratulations and well wishes. I think the family is ready for another baby as "the baby" is going to be two in October. It seems like just yesterday we were all eagerly waiting for him to get here!

We will be telling my family this weekend on our annual camping trip. For this one we do have an ultrasound picture so I had a copy made and framed it. Because this is the first time we will be seeing them since the wedding, I am sure they will assume it is a picture of our family or something wedding related and be totally caught off guard by the dark blob on an ultrasound picture. Reactions could vary and range anywhere from tears to excited screaming and jumping around, I will post how it goes. Whatever the reactions, I know everyone will be thrilled.

How far am I?

I have decided to write how I am feeling at the beginning of each post. That way I have actual dates to look back on.

So far, I feel pretty good! I wake up a little bit nauseous but a few ginger snaps do the trick. My prenatal vitamins can make me a little nauseous as well but I have learned to take them on a full stomach, or at least a yogurt. I am feeling pretty exhausted lately, which I hear is normal and am peeing about every 45 minutes, which I also hear is normal.

On to the post....

Chris and I had our first prenatal appointment on June 28, 2010. I thought I was about nine weeks along (fetal age, seven weeks.) After answering what seemed like endless questions about my and Chris' health and family history, I finally had my exam and met my doctor. The moment Dr. Waters walked into the room I felt completely at ease. He gave Chris and I each a nice hand shake and sincere congratulations. I could tell I was in the presence of a doctor who truly enjoys helping babies be born and be born healthy. His beside manner was fantastic and I am so happy he is the doctor I chose. We talked for a bit and he did my exam, the best part was that we got to do an ultrasound!! Being a first time mom it is really hard for me to really believe that a baby is growing inside of me. No matter how many pregnancy tests I had done, it still didn't really set in... then we got to see the ultrasound. After looking around for awhile, we finally saw it, a little embryo attached to my uterine wall, looking perfect and round and with a nice yolk sac attached. The only problem... it didn't look like a nine week ultrasound should, it was looking much earlier. To figure out how far along I really was the doctor added an hCG screen to my blood work that day and asked me to come back two days later to have it taken again to figure out the timing of the pregnancy. Chris and I heard totally different things during the appointment...

Chris heard, "I think you are a little earlier than you thought, let's check you blood work to find out where you are at."

I heard, "Something is terribly wrong. Maybe you have a blighted ovum. Maybe you aren't even pregnant. Maybe you are a mutant and will never have a healthy child."

As I tried to calmly wait (in an attempt to keep my blood pressure down) for my test results over the next few days I did a lot of research, looking for five or six week ultrasounds that looked like ours. To my great relief, I found several of them.

On Thursday, July 1, 2010, I spoke to my nurse who assured me that my hCG levels were going up (from 31,000 to 45,527) and that my pregnancy was probably about five to seven weeks along.

I have scheduled an appointment next week for an ultrasound to do some more complex measurements and dating, which I am very excited for.

I hope my gloom and doom attitude doesn't carry over into parenting, I think I might still be kind of afraid to let myself really think this is all real for fear of something bad happening, but that is no way to live my life. I will continue to take my prenatal vitamins, eat well (except for the occasional crab rangoon binge), read all the baby books I can and tell this baby to hurry up and get here!!


By the way... I think it is a boy : ) My Uncle Billy told me.

The Best Weekend Ever!

Christopher and I got marred on June 12, 2010. The day was perfect! The lighting was great for photos, we had a beautiful location selected, there was no rain (which we all had heavily anticipated) and we were surrounded by many of our loving and supporting friends and family. We had a wonderful reception deemed by many as, "the party of the century." We were pretty pleased with our planning and the turn out of friends and family. The night was filled with dancing, great food and tons of fun.

Once home on Sunday we finally had a little time to relax. We opened some gifts, unpacked and decided to go on our weekly trip to the store for much needed household items. While at the store, we bought a pack of pregnancy tests. Afterall, we were married at this point and would probably begin seriously trying to conceive. Once home, I thought, "I should take one of these tests, just to make sure." I mean it wasn't impossible that I could already be pregnant but highly improbable.

I took the test, waited the necessary amount of time and went back to check it, FULLY expecting the test to be negative. To the shock of Christopher and myself, there were TWO, yes TWO blue lines. We were pregnant!! I immediately took another test which confirmed the results of the first one. We were definitely expecting. Over the course of 29 hours, we had gone from a bachelor and bachelorette to a married couple with a bun in the oven. Needless to say, we both experienced some emotional overload. Neither of us had really even had a chance to get used to being married, and now we were going to be parents?

We both went to bed with our heads swimming with thoughts of the future, so many unknowns had just multiplied in possibilities by something smaller than an appleseed.

The next day I made arrangements to have a test done at a doctor's office. At this point I was still telling myself that because the tests I took were generic (save every penny where I can) that the results couldn't be trusted. The doctor came back into the room with a smile on her face and let me know that yes, my thoughts were correct, I was definitely pregnant, and seven weeks along at that!!

That evening Chris and I bought a couple baby books and began our process of becoming parents.

Having had a couple of days to think and really soak in all the emotions and events of June 12-14, I think all of the events added up to make it the best weekend of my life... this far.