13 weeks....a little bit late. 10.24.11

Well.....I'll be 14 weeks tomorrow, so nothin like waiting til the last minute to write my 13 week blog.  Oh well. :)  We have been super busy this week.  A day in this past week has gone like this.  Wake up and realize I overslept.  Get to school by 7:10 for a 7:15 parent conference.  Work all day long....inlcuding during lunch.  Leave school at 5:15.  Go home and try to switch over the laundry before sitting on the couch for 15 minutes.  Be at church by 6:00 to work on things for the Harvest of Blessings.  Work on Harvest of Blessings things until 9:00.  Go home.  Try to relax and enjoy a bit of the evening before bed.  Then I realize I have grades left to enter.  So I enter grades until 11:00.  Then I go and get in the bed.  Repeat.  That's how my week has gone.  I have just been exahusted.  Flat out exhausted. 

Here is a picture from the beginning of the week, back when I still had some energy.  I wonder if I will ever get that energy back.

The belly is definitely growing.  It's getting to be harder too.  It's strange.  It doesn't feel like my stomach at all.  It feels like I have strapped a fake stomach to my body, haha.  It's weird. 

I am still feeling the baby move.  I usually feel it right after I sneeze or when I am sitting.  It was exciting for me, but everyone (except my husband, one of my friends, and a lady I work with) thinks it's too early, and that I'm not really feeling it.  So that takes most of the excitement out of it. 

Here is what has been going on this week with me:

This is the last week of your first trimester, and your risk of miscarriage is now much lower than earlier in pregnancy. Next week marks the beginning of your second trimester, a time of relative comfort for many women who see early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and fatigue subside. Birth is still months away, but you may have already started making colostrum, the nutrient-rich fluid that feeds your baby for the first few days after birth, before your milk starts to flow.

Here is what is going on with Baby Hare!

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Thanks Baby Center

Well, of the 3 extra pounds I am carrying, I can blame the baby for an ounce!  Ha! :)  Hope y'all had a good weekend.  I am going to go rest and enjoy the rest of it!

12 Weeks Pregnant 10.17.11

Well, this post is up late.  Since I teach school, I have been on fall break this week.  I have been busy relaxing and getting the house in order. It's funny how I planned to use this week to really get on top of things, but unfortunately that didn't happen. 

Just before I turned 12 weeks, we had an ultrasound!  The baby is adorable.  It was sleeping, and the ultrasound tech had to get it to wake up so we could get the picture we needed to measure the neck.  She had to jiggle my stomach a lot.  It was funny.  You may remember from 11 weeks that we were getting this done to test for Down's Syndrome and some other disabilities.  The results would not have made any difference to us, we just wanted to be aware and be able to prepare ourselves if things were not progressing normally.  Thankfully, the results came back normal, and we got some cute pictures out of the deal.  You can see his/her hand up by the face! 

The second picture is freaky, I'm not gonna lie.  The other two are cute though. 

What was not so cute was the finger prick I had to endure.  The nurse who did it was in training, and after they stuck me (which hurt way worse than getting blood taken), I wouldn't bleed.  So they had to squeeze my finger really hard.  They had to get enough blood to fill 5 circles on this little piece of paper.  It was so painful.  No lie, I couldn't use that finger for a week.  It bruised so badly, and it was just killed me to touch anything with it. 

I wish I had a picture of the bruise it left the following days.  You seriously just can't imagine.  It was a botched finger prick for sure. 

I promise I am feeling movement from the baby.  I know everyone says it's too early, but I have never felt this before.  It has been going on for a little more than a week.  It is possible if you have a small uterus, which must be my case.  If I have been laying down for a while, I can feel a little flutter.  I know that has to be what I'm feeling.  We have also been using our doppler.  I promise I will do a post on that soon. I keep saying that.  We are still at 160 beats/minute!

This week I had my first meal where I could tell for sure that I was pregnant.  I would never normally eat this.  It's kinda making me gag looking at it now.

Hot dog and Easy Mac.  Not one of my best moments. 

Speaking of gagging, I had my first round of morning sickness this week.  This was on Monday, the day I turned 12 weeks, and the first day of fall break.  I think it was because I slept til 9:30 and didn't eat until 10:30.  I let myself get too hungry I think.  I'm hoping that was all it was.  The rest of the week I have made sure to keep something in my stomach at all times.

The belly continues to grow!  I have actually had a hard time with it this week, because NONE of my pants fit anymore.  Not even really with the Be Band. 

Pre-pregnancy pants getting packed away.  See you next year....I hope!

I am definitely not going to be one of those girls that can just wear her same pants for most if not all of pregnancy.  It has made me a little depressed.  I am excited about my belly growing, but I was just hoping I would be one of the few that got to stay in the same clothes.  Oh well.  The scale still says I have only gained around 2 pounds, so I guess things inside are just rearranging themselves.  Here's what's going on with me this week!

Your uterus has grown to the point where your healthcare provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. You may already be into maternity clothes, especially if this isn't your first pregnancy. If you're still fairly small and not yet ready for maternity clothes, you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.

You may begin to feel heartburn (also called acid indigestion), a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of your breastbone to your lower throat. Many women get heartburn for the first time during pregnancy, and those who've previously had bouts of heartburn may find that it gets worse. During pregnancy, the placenta produces a lot of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. Particularly when you're lying down, gastric acid can seep back up the pipe, which causes the uncomfortable burning sensation. For many women the problem doesn't begin (or get worse) until later in pregnancy, when your growing uterus starts to push up on your stomach. The discomfort may range from mildly annoying to intense and distracting.

Here is what is going on with baby this week!

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Thanks Babycenter!

I'm just a few days now from 13 weeks.  It's hard to believe!  The time has started to go by faster.  I will be super busy the next couple weeks with school and church activities.  I have 3 special ed meetings next week.  We will also be at church every evening next week getting ready for the Harvest of Blessings.  I will do my best to keep up with the posting.  Thanks for reading!

 

The Measure of Your Days

Today, I miss my mother in law terribly.  As most of you know, she was tragically killed one evening when she went out to the driveway to move the cars.  We believe she heard a tree fall next door, close to their driveway, so she wanted to get the cars out of the way in case that tree shifted.  She was able to move the truck to the road, but as she was walking back down the driveway to move the car, a tree fell in their backyard, came over the front of the house, and landed on her.  She was killed due to blunt force trama to the chest.  This happened Labor Day evening of this year.  Just over a month ago. 

Adam and I still battle with why and what for, but we ultimately know that God was in control.  It was no accident, as freak as it seems to us.  He had control over the wind and the rain.  He knew when Micki was born, that evening would be her evening.  He knew all of that.  But if I had known that, I would have lived a lot differently.  I would have spent more time with her, hugged her more often, called her on the phone to see how she was doing, asked her to teach me how to make her famous cheeseburger soup, and so much more.  She was such an amazing woman and wife.  She took such wonderful care of her two sons and husband.  She loved them dearly, and it showed. 

She was always a do-it-yourselfer.  She tiled the backsplash in her kitchen, tiled the kitchen and bathroom floors, helped her husband install beadboard in the bathrooms, kept up the flower beds in her yard, mowed the grass, and so much more.  She cooked delicious meals, created an inviting home, and showed me love from the beginning.  She was always accepting and loving toward me, even though I was the girlfriend (now wife) of her baby boy.  She trusted me with him, and that means more than most things.  She gave this to me the night before our wedding.

She knew that she was to be a grandmother.  We told her a couple of weeks before this happened.  She was very excited.  When we told her, I gave her a book that she could read to her grandchild when he/she was here.  The morning after she passed, I found the book on the table, next to her chair in the living room.  It was where she had just been sitting.

This is a really sweet book.  We also like it because the main characters are hares.  Micki had her house decorated in hares.  You could find several hare figurines and stuffed animals in every room.  She inherited most of them, and bought several.  I have carried on the tradition.

Her death has changed how I live life.  I now realize that the last time I talk to someone may be the last time.  I try to choose my words more carefully.  When my husband leaves the house, I hug him tight and tell him how much I love him.  I make an effort not to pick at the little things that bother me.  I just appreciate who my husband is, and I focus on all the good things I love about him.  That's what we're supposed to do anyway.  But it is so easy to get caught up in the everyday.  You just assume people will be there forever.  Don't assume.  Because it can be taken away in an instant.  You may not have another chance to tell someone how much you love them.  You may not get another chance to hold them.  You may not have another chance for anything. 

So tell your loved ones that you love them.  Go out of your way to make their day special.  Say the things that God puts on your heart.  Cut things out of your busy schedule and make time for your husband, kids, and family.  Live like you may never see that person again.  Because they won't be here forever.  None of us will be.  We just don't know when that time will come.  Not everyone will pass when they are old and gray.  My hope is in Christ, and not in this world.  So I don't mean for you to hold onto the things of this world.  But I do believe that we only get one life to live on this earth, and we should make it count with our relationships.  Not with t.v., not with internet, not with extra activities, but with our relationships.  First, our relationship to God, second our relationship with our spouse (our parents if you are unmarried), and our relationship to our kids, and family. 

 When your family comes home tonight, hug them.  Tell them how much you love them.  Make their favorite dinner or dessert.  Spend quality time with them.  You may not get to tomorrow.  Life is too short not to live this way everyday.  From someone who is on the other side of things and knows what it is like to see my husband lose his mother so unexpectedly, please do this.  When yours or their time comes, you will be so thankful you said everything you could and showed love to them every way you knew how. 

You won't regret it.

“O LORD, make me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting I am!

Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!"

(Psalm 39:4-5 ESV)

Thrifty Entry Way Find

This afternoon I had lunch with my mom and grandmother (Nannie).  We ate at Panera Bread.  I usually have something like the Tomato Mozzerella Panini and a Classic Cafe Salad, but my stomach just would not let that happen today.  My sickness has set in (boo!), so I had to eat blandly.  It was still REALLY good though.  I had a 1/2 order of chicken noodle soup and a 1/2 of a chicken salad sandwich.  I enjoyed the company as well as the food.

After Panera, my Nannie and I shopped around at a local furniture store.  They have a really nice glider rocker there that she would like to get for Adam and me for the nursery.  That thing is SOOO comfortable!  I will post a picture on here whenever it comes in.  I could have fallen asleep in it right there in the store.

After that, we headed over to one of my favorite antique shops in town.  It's not one of those "old-timey, we have a million sewing machines that don't work" type places.  They have a lot of unique things in there.  Today I found a real treasure.  I have been wanting to make an entry way in our kitchen where I enter from the garage- a place to hang up my purse, keys, jacket, etc.  Adam comes in through the front door since he parks in the driveway.  (Both cars won't fit in the garage.  He drives a beast.)  So Adam has the painted entryway furniture that you probably remember me writing about.  Go here if you didn't see that post.  So I needed me a little bit of organization for where I come in the door and usually dump everything.  Behold, my thrifty find.

This mirror with hooks was only $17.  What a steal!  It doesn't even need to be painted.  There are plenty of hooks for me to hang all of my things.  I found similar ones online to compare prices.

The entry mirror below is from target.  It is $84.99.  Now on sale for $71.24.

This mirror is from West Elm.  It is extremely simple looking and......$199.00.

This Crate and Barrel 2 (CB2) mirror without hooks is $179.00

I'm quite happy with my steal!  It pays to shop around locally.  You can get some really great deals if you're willing to look around.  I'll be sure to update you as I fix up my little entry way.  Thanks for reading!

Hardee's- Home of the Lust Burger

This post may make people think that my husband and I are over the top....and that's ok.  I would rather spend God's money in a way that honors God instead of supporting a company who will use God's money to promote lust.  I realize that there are other companies besides Hardee's who have immoral business practices, however, Hardee's has put it in my home, in front of mine and my husband's eyes.  It cannot be ignored, and it will be addressed.

I have not in the past several years, do not, and will not ever purchase any food or beverages from Hardee's.  I'm sure you all are familiar with their advertising.  It is disgusting.  I have seen everything from a close-up of a woman's bottom sporting bikini bottoms that barely cover anything, to Hardees goddesses who are advertising who-knows-what Hardees product cause all you can do is look at their boobs.  Their commericals are just shocking to me.  I can't believe that sort of thing would ever make it to local t.v.  My husband and I only have 5 channels- 3, 9, 12, 45, and 61.  So thankfully we are blocked by most of the junk out there.  However, local programming is getting just as bad as HBO (Hell's Box Office) and Cinemax (Sin to the max).   So Hardee's commercials are probably not that shocking to most, but for Adam and I, they are too much.

Something I think the world is trying to tell us these days is that if you are mature, you can handle looking at immodestly dressed women.  You can watch a commercial, and not be swayed or excited by a woman dressed in skimpy clothing.  You can buy a burger, and it will have nothing to do with what you think about the advertisements.  I think....I know....all of that is false.  That is all a lie the world wants you to believe. 

"But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5

"For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world." 1 John 2:16

There are sooo many more verses in the Bible where God addresses lust.  Just LOOKING at a woman's bottom or boobs means you have ALREADY committed adultery with her.   It has been done.  That should shock you.

We do not watch Hardee's commercials.  When they come on the t.v., we immediately look away.  Both of us.  I don't need that junk in my head telling me I should look that way, and my husband doesn't need those images in his head.  Looking away is not something I make him do or even ask him to do, he does it on his own, and for that I am so thankful.  When a new commercial comes out, we may accidentally see it.  But it's not something that happens again.  We choose to watch advertisements and television proactively.  I don't say any of this to try to act like my husband and I are perfect or are the most holy people on the planet, because we aren't, not even relatively close.  We mess up all the time.  Every day.  But this something we do to protect our hearts and to honor God and keep His commandments.  If you haven't already, I encourage you to think about what you watch, what you spend your money on, and by what you justify your thoughts and actions.  I'll be happy to answer any comments or questions whether you agree or disagree.  Thanks for reading!

11 Weeks Pregnant! 10.10.11

Happy 11 weeks to baby! I am finally getting caught up on these pregnancy blogs.  Life has been busy as you know.  Today I am 11 weeks and 2 days.  So I'm almost back on track! :)  My energy has just been sucked dry this week.  Everyone keeps telling me things will be so much better in the 2nd trimester.  I can't wait!  I'm ready to get some things done around this house.  I'm ready to get started on cleaning out the office (soon to be nursery), actually put the clean clothes away (yes, I'm still having trouble with that), get ahead with my school work, and start cooking more regularly.  So, I need some energy! 

The baby bump continues to grow!  I hope I'm starting to look more pregnant instead of fat. 



We have an ultrasounds this week!!!!!  I can't wait!!!!!  It's for the 1st trimester screening to check for chromosomal abnormalities.  They do a finger prick on me, and then they do an ultrasound to measure the fluid in the baby's neck.  All babies in the womb have fluid in their necks, but it should be less than a certain amount.  The more fluid, the greater the chance the baby could have Down's Syndrome or another chromosomal disorder.  Of course we are praying for a healthy baby, but we know that the Lord does NOT make mistakes, and nothing is out of His control.  Whatever comes out of this ultrasound, He intended for it to be that way. We originally were not going to get this scan, but I really wanted an extra ultrasound!

Here's how baby is doing this week!  Thanks Baby Center!

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

I think it is so awesome to learn about what is going on inside of me.  I love reading about it.  I really really can't wait to start feeling this little one.  It will be awesome!  I forgot in the last post to let you know that we have scheduled the gender ultrasound!  It will be Thursday, November 17.  We will hopefully have the gender reveal party Friday, November 18!!!  I will do some posts on our preparations for the party!  Ahhh, I can't believe it!!!  Yay!!!  Also... coming up next week...........FALL BREAK!!!!!! What a nice way to spend the last week of the first trimester. Hopefully I will go back to school and into the 2nd trimester with new energy! I can only hope! :)  Thanks for reading!

9/10 Weeks Pregnant!

I was 9 weeks on Monday, Sept. 26, and I was 10 weeks on Monday, October 3rd.

I need to do a better job with keeping up with these.  The past couple weeks have been so crazy.  I barely have any free time.  School is taking a lot of my attention right now.  I teach 1/2 time EIP (Early Intervention Program) and 1/2 time Special Ed.  But...I have to know 100% of each job.  So it's really like working 2 jobs.  I am trying my best to learn each job, but there is so much to learn.  It is just exhausting.  Add being pregnant on top of that....and I literally just come in and crash...every day.  Some days I don't get home til after 6.  Some days I get out of there by 4:30.  It just depends on my energy level and if I'm about to gag or not.  Nausea hits me in the late afternoon.  It definitely hits me if I have an empty stomach.  I always have to have a snack on hand.  Favorite snack this week would be....pickles!  Cliche, I know.  But the salt and vinegar taste is SO good.  This is the kind I've been eating. 

Oh yes.  Yes yes.  They are so good.  I just love anything salty.  Probably a little too much.  I went to the doctor for my 10 week appointment.  Everything went great!  I got to hear the heartbeat....160 beats per minute!  (Girl??  I dunno.)  They also weighed me.  I had only gained 1 pound!  Sweet!  This was on Monday, October 3rd.  So I continued to eat as I was since it wasn't affecting my weight.  Only....this week, I packed in the pickles.  I weighed myself Thursday, October 6, and was shocked to find that I had gained 4 pounds since Monday!!!!!  What the what??!  After talking to some of my co-workers, they suspected that it might be my salt intake and lack of water.  I'm so bad about drinking water.  So the rest of the day I chugged water like nobody's business.  Everywhere I went I had a glass of water in my hand.  I even drank water in between talking while teaching.  The next morning on Friday I weighed myself again, and I had dropped 2 pounds!  I didn't change anything I ate, just chugged the water.  That was what I needed apparently.  I'm just retaining water and salt.  Not a good combination.  So I'm trying to become more aware of drinking water.  I've also tried to decrease the salt a little bit...although that is hard!

I am already showing.  I'm happy to be showing, but at the same time I feel like I am showing a lot for how far along I am.  I'm proud of it, but a little embarrassed at the same time.  I have always been SO excited to get a baby bump, but now that I have, I feel like it's too early.  Oh well.  Not much I can do about it!  It's still in the "is she gaining weight?" phase, but hopefully it will be more bump-like soon!  Am I carrying high or low?  I can't tell.  I have the shortest torso in the world, so that makes it really difficult to tell.

My regular pants are getting tighter and tigher every day.  I actually dared to wear capris and an already snug small shirt on day.  I will not do that again.  I could barely breathe the whole day, and the capris left deep marks on my stomach.  Ow.  I was feeling daring that day.  It was the day I dropped 2 pounds.  I didn't even use the Be Band.  Not smart.

Here's the week 9 and 10 update for the Baby!  Thanks Baby Center!

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.


10 weeks:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.  He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.  If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.  In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

A lot going on!  We purchased a fetal doppler off of Amazon so we could hear the heartbeat whenever we wanted to.  I will do a post on the doppler and what I think of it.  Also, one quick question.  Where did you buy your maternity clothes?  I have one pair of maternity pants, and I am needing more than that, so please leave me a comment below this post and let me know!  I would love to spend next to nothing, so keep that in mind!  Thanks for reading!!

Free Baby Magazine Subscriptions!

Hey guys, I was reading Modern Mommyhood's blog, and I saw that there are some baby magazines that are currently offering a FREE subscription!  Yes please, I'll take me some free.  I'm normally not a big magazine person because they are mostly filled with trash (unless it's a decorating/organizing magazine...love me some of those!) and cost way too much money, but with a baby on the way, I find myself wanting to read more about babies all the time!  The first free subscription is from American Baby magazine.  It's a sister magazine to Parents magazine.  The subscription is for 6 months.

Click here to sign up for a FREE subscription to American Baby magazine.

The next magazine offering a free subscription is from Baby Talk magazine.  The subscription is for 1 year.  They too are owned by Parents magazine.

Click here to get a free subscription to BabyTalk magazine.

Speaking of subscriptions, if you haven't already, I would LOVE it if you would subscribe to my blog! You can subscribe by e-mail in the box on the right hand side of the screen, or you can subscribe by clicking the blue button on the right hand side that says "Join this site."  I prefer to subscribe to blogs the blue button way because I can keep track of several different blogs at the same time.  Google Friend Connect (the blue button "join this site" people) organize the blogs and list recently updated posts.  It's like a little website you can log onto to check all the blogs you read and see if anyone has updated, and it's free (like I would have it any other way....) Thanks guys!  I hope you have a wonderful Friday!!! :)

8 Weeks Pregnant

*I turned 8 weeks on Monday, September 19, 2011.

Well, here we are at 8 weeks!  It's really hard to believe!  I remember how a couple weeks ago I was saying that I couldn't wait to be here.  Now, I can't wait to be in the double digits at 10 weeks.  Haha.  But I have decided if I keep wishing this pregnancy away, I am going to miss the whole thing.  So I have decided to embrace where I am and treasure this special once-in-a-lifetime event with my sweet baby. 

Since I am writing this at almost week 9, I will talk about my 8th week of pregnancy.  It has actually been a lot easier than previous weeks.  I have not been as tired this week, nor have I been as nauseous.  I am trying to take that as a good sign and not worry.  I don't even feel very big anymore.  It's weird.  Maybe the bloat is going down.  Who knows.  I still haven't really gained any weight.  This week I got a sinus infection.  I hate sinus infections.  My doctor started me on a zpack, and after only 2 days of it, I am already feeling a lot better.  So this week...

I've been feeling:

-a little more energetic

-hungry!

-worried

-sick (sinus infection)

I have been craving:

-orange juice

-Welch's white grape juice

- fried pickles

- bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit

Have I eaten everything I crave?  Yes sir, I have.  Why?  Cause I can....and cause my hubby brings it to me!  He's a sweetie like that.  But the bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit I craved when he was working and was not able to bring it to me.  I texted him to see if he was in the area and could bring me some breakfast.  He said that he wasn't close by and had a lot he had to work on.  I almost cried.  I was really upset.  This is the first emotional thing I have had in a while. (Remember the fish tank incident?  Who could forget?) Keep in mind this happened when I was in the bed, borderline fever, sinus infection, and covered in Kleenex.  I jumped out of bed, slipped on some shoes, and I was out that door in 3 minutes.  I had to have the biscuit.  I could not take no for an answer.  It was sad, really. 

Oh happy day.

 I'm not proud of it, but someone has to eat it.  Here's what the baby has been up to this week!

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Thanks Baby Center

Since I'm writing this so late/early (I don't really know), I'm almost 9 weeks!  Yay!  Maybe I will try to write these in the middle of whatever week I'm in.  That way I can write about how that particular week has gone.  I dunno.  Makes sense to me I think.  I usually say "7 weeks pregnant" because I am, but then I talk about week 6 cause I obviously dunno what's gonna happen in week 7.  We'll see how it goes.  I usually just write these whenever I get the chance.  I'm gonna go enjoy what's left of my Saturday evening! (= get in the bed early so I can get up in the morning.)  Have a great evening!

7 weeks pregnant 9.12.11

*The content of this post was originally intended for Monday, September 12, 2011.  This is when I turned 7 weeks.

Well, this has been the LONGEST pregnancy week EVER.  Literally.  As you probably noticed, I thought my weeks turned over on Fridays.  I was just guessing, but thought I was spot on.  I was actually a few days behind that.  We had our ultrasound this past Thursday (September 8).  I thought I was going to turn over to 7 weeks the next day.  Instead, they dated the ultrasound at 6 weeks 3 days, so that meant I wasn't 7 weeks until this past Monday (Sept 12).  So in my mind, I was 6 weeks pregnant for 10 days.  That is foreeeeever in pregnancy weeks.  Ok not quite, but it felt like it.  During the ultrasound, we got to see and hear the heartbeat! What a welcomed sound for Adam and I during such a difficult time.  Our baby was beautiful, even if we couldn't tell what we were looking at. :) 

The round cheerio (as Adam calls it) is the yolk sac.  The rest of it is the baby! 

As you know, we had a lot happen during 6 weeks pregnant.  Adam's mom tragically passed away.  I would like to do a post on her life soon (if it has not already been done by the time I put up this post).  School started, and it has kept me busy, overwhelmed, and exhausted.  I literally come in and lay down on the couch and go to sleep.  That is the end of my day.

Nausea has started this week.  If I walk around at night, I am constantly gagging.  So I have to lay flat on my back all night.  I know that doesn't sound so bad, but when you have LOADS of laundry to do, supper to cook, it stinks.

My stomach has been getting much more round.  My pants are barely fitting, so I had to buy a BeBand.  It's Target's version of the Bella Band.  It is basically a stretchy piece of fabric that holds up your pants so you can leave them unbuttoned and unzipped.  It works and makes life soooo much more comfortable. 

 

Here is baby!

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

Thanks Baby Center

I'm sure there is a lot I left out.  This past week has just been hazy. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.  They are so greatly appreciated.

6 Weeks Pregnant 9.2.11

*The content of this post is from Friday, September 2, 2011.

Aliens have stolen my body.  No really.  Who is this crazy person?  I don't know her!!!  All she does is sleep and cry.  That's it.  This week has been crazy.  It has seriously been a rollercoaster to say the least.  One minute I'm great, and the next minute I'm crying over a fish or sleeping in my car. 

Just before 6 weeks (I forgot to include this in my last post), we had a fish that was sick.  Normally, I feel bad for the fish, but I go on with my day, and wait for it to die so my husband can flush it.  No big deal.  But not this day.  This day, the fish was dying.  Another fish started biting at the dying fish.  Suddenly, the dying fish was my family and my blood.  It was my brother, my mom, or my dad.  This fish was my life.  I got really upset.  Sobbing would be an understatement.  I was hysterical.  I started beating on the glass of the fish tank trying to scare the mean fish.  After beating on the tank for 5 minutes straight, the mean fish wasn't scared anymore.  So I started yelling at it.  I don't think it heard me.  This went on for over an hour.  I called my husband, and he told me to scoop the dying fish out with the net so I could put it in a cup of tank water and let it die in peace (bless him for trying to help).  But I couldn't do it.  I'm afraid of scooping fish out.  They might flop out, and I don't pick up fish off the ground.  I just don't.  So finally, I just couldn't watch it anymore.  But I couldn't take my eyes off the tank.  So I did what anyone would do.  I ran back to the bedroom, yanked the top sheet off the bed, ran back to the living room, and covered the fish tank. 

I cried the whole day that day.  I was terrified I was getting pregnancy depression.  But the next day, I realized how crazy I was.  At my doctor's appt that day, I told her what had happened.  She reassured me that my behavior was normal and that I would have more of it in the future.  Yay.  So my husband has that to look forward to.  At least he doesn't have to live it!  But don't get me wrong, I will take the craziness.  :)

I have also been extremely tired.  Extremely, very, tremendously, indefinitely.  It never goes away, but it is always at its worst right after lunch.  In-service started this week at my school.  We are just starting back because we were delayed by the tornado.  So after lunch one day,  I realized I still had about 15 minutes left on my lunch break, so I decided to take a quick power nap in my car since I was almost not functioning.  I dozed off quickly, woke up once still half asleep to crank the hot car, and went right back to sleep.  I woke up......45 minutes later!!!!  Oh my goodness.  There is no telling how many people saw me crashed out in the school parking lot.  How embarrassing.  I also woke up in a pool of drool, half of the makeup smeared off my face.  How's that for pretty?  Not one of my most attractive moments.  I quickly grabbed my purse, downed my vitamins, and stumbled back to my classroom.  I have not let myself do that again!  But I have been napping when I get home from work.  I usually feel a lot better after a nap. 

I got some more lab work done this week.  Everything is going great!  Woo hoo!  We have our first ultrasound next week!!!  Yay!!!!  We can't wait to see that heartbeat!  Maybe then we will make our pregnancy public knowledge.  I dunno though.  I'm pretty comfortable with 8 weeks.  I dunno why.  I guess because it's in the "heart" of the first trimester.  Still newly pregnant, but also not really so new.  But we'll see.  We have slowly let the news leak to a few more people.  We just can't help it!  We are so excited.  Plus I'm walking around like a psycho zombie, so people are starting to wonder.  I have had several people at school ask me, "Are you ok?"  I just tell them I'm getting back into the swing of things.  Yeah, right. 

I am definitely getting bloated this week.  I wish I could say it was the baby, but unfortunately it is bloat....and Arby's.  That is my #1 craving.  Arby's plain roast beef sandwich with Arby's sauce.  SOOOO good!  I have had it twice this week for lunch.  The fries are good too of course, but I just LOVE the sandwich right now.  It's delicious.

That's embarrassing.  Oh well, part of pregnancy.  I need to weigh myself.  My eating habits have been awful, and I have not had the energy or time this week to exercise.  I gotta get back to it!  I am SO excited about the ultrasound next week!  I will be 7 weeks next week, but I really can't wait to get to that week 8. 

And, for the baby's update! The baby is now the size of a lentil! The nose mouth, and ears are forming!  There are dark spots where the baby's nostrils and eyes will be.  There are small depressions on the side of the baby's face where the ears will be.  The baby also has small leg and arm buds! Its heart is beating between 100 and 160 beats/minute which is about double my heart rate!  I can't wait to hear that sweet sound.  Its brain, glands, muscles and bones are all forming right now! 

Thanks Babycenter.

We can't wait to meet this little guy/girl!  (Although, we have to admit, our guess is boy, and we are going to be shocked if we are wrong!) Thanks for reading!

I was featured on Domestically Speaking!

This past week, I was featured on Domestically Speaking's 93rd Power of Paint Party!  I submitted my tutorial on How to Paint Your Countertop and was thrilled to find out that my link was the #1 most clicked link!  I'm so glad people were interested in my experience, and hopefully it helped a lot of people who are thinking about painting their countertops.  If you haven't checked out Domestically Speaking's blog, I encourage you to do so.  She has a lot of great ideas on there, but what I especially like about her is her heart for the Lord.  Her heart, as is mine, is to be a Proverbs 31 wife.  She also blogs about weekly Bible verses with specific topics.  It was an honor to be featured on her blog.  Thank you to all of my new followers who clicked the link!  If you haven't already, I hope you will subscribe!  Thank you for reading!