A minor bump in the road....

December 20 2012

So I had a doctors appointment yesterday.  All was well, except my blood pressure :(  it was 131/84 which is in the normal high range but apparently is pretty high for me.  I have been instructed to destress, eat less sugar, exercise more and come back in a week to get it remeasured....if it is still high, it could mean dreaded bed rest or hospitalization YIKES!!!  So for the next week, Max is going to be walked until his legs can walk no farther and no more Christmas sweets (whomp whomp).  

Seriously though, I have worked the last 18 days with only one day off and had to plan two work Christmas parties one which was getting started right as I was heading to my doctors appointment and have slept terribly for the last like week, so I am not surprised my blood pressure was elevated!  Luckily, tomorrow is my last day of work until next Friday so hopefully just not having to work and getting some more rest will bring me back to normal.

On the bright side, the doctor told me not to worry about the kidney issue they found on the ultrasound...apparently it is very very common and ours was so small that it will likely be gone when we go for the check up in January.  That is a relief!

We have ordered our Christmas gender cake :) :) :) only 4 days until we found out if we have a bambino or a bambina!  I appears everyone thinks our little peanut is a boy, I wonder if that is a sign?

Charlotte, and the rest of my family, are coming on Sunday!!!!! I can't wait to see everyone, mainly Charlotte :)  

I set my induction date for April 23 2013....so if the baby hasn't decided to move out by then, it will be a forced eviction.  I am hoping for a voluntarily move out though, I don't want to be a mean landlord :) 

How far along? 22 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? Well with my new sugar restriction maybe I will curve the weight gain....
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks? Nothing yet..::knock on wood::
Sleep? Sleep and I used to be best friends, now a days we have hit a bit of a rough patch in our relationship....I am working to amend this but NOTHING SEEMS TO HELP!  The doctor said I could try benadryl one night so I sleep through the night, my Friday night plans are set!
Best moment this week?  It hasn't been a great week, but it should be getting better after tomorrow!
Movement? Lots of movement!  I went to dinner with Erica and Molly on Tuesday at Outback, apparently our little peanut really liked it because there was quite a party going on that night.
Food Cravings? Nothing really...I actually haven't had much cravings for the last month...I just like all types of food haha
Food Aversions? Forced food aversion, sugar!
Gender? CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Belly button in or out? In.  Still have my belly button ring in as well, but I can see it is getting tighter
What I miss? SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP
What I am looking forward to? CHARLOTTE, CHRISTMAS EVE, CHRISTMAS, NOT WORKING
Milestones?  Nothing......unless you count high blood pressure????

1000 page views!!!!

December 18 2012

We have reached 1000 page views!  Crazy, I didn't even think I would get 1000 in the whole 9 months and we reached it before 6 months!  I am happy people are reading these :)  Thank you friends and family, I love you all!!!!!

I will do a real post tomorrow or Thursday!

Better late than never!

December 15 2012

I am 2 days late updating, whoopsie!  Nothing really exciting has happened this last week....I am just impatiently waiting for Christmas Eve to get here so we can find out if we are having a mountaineer or a mountainette (I may have made up 'mountainette', but i am not sure what you would call a girl mountaineer)!  I have tried a few times to use my laser vision to see what is written in the envelope, unfortunately my laser vision is a little rusty :(  

Yesterday we celebrated Mom Simonetti's birthday....we went to a delicious ltalian restaurant in leesburg, I would totally plug it here if I remembered the name of it.....we also got to watch Elsa and James open their Christmas gifts we got them.   Elsa got Bouncey, a little stuffed dog that barks and jumps around in circle, and James got this TRex hot wheels track....The Trex track was cooler in the box but James didn't seem to mind that the track didn't work haha

I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday. Nothing exciting just a check up, I plan on asking more about this kidney thing our little peanut has so I can give a more informational update as to what exactly it is, maybe even be able to spell it correctly, and hopefully I will feel better about not being able to do anything to help fix it. 

Only one week until I get to see my little niece Charlotte!!!  Oh, and my parents and brother and sister in law :)

How far along? 22 weeks, 1 day! 
Weight gain/loss? I am losing the battle of the bulge, but hopefully it is mostly baby bulge!!!
Maternity clothes? I went to Motherhood Maternity yesterday for the first time.....why have I waited so long?!  
Stretch marks? Still don't have any...fingers crossed for slow growth moving forward to prevent them!
Sleep? This is a sore subject.....seems that my new sleeping pattern involves being awake for at least two hours a night for NO REASON AT ALL!  
Best moment this week?  Seeing Elsa and James open their gifts!
Movement? I have had a couple of kicks but still very sporadic  should start getting regular movement in the next couple of weeks
Food Cravings? Nothing really...I actually haven't had much cravings for the last month...I just like all types of food haha
Food Aversions? Same as with cravings...I am just fond of all foods these days
Gender? CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Belly button in or out? In.  Still have my belly button ring in as well, but I can see it is getting tighter
What I miss? SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP
What I am looking forward to? Seeing my family next week!!!!!!
Milestones?  I had my first kicks this week, or at least I think they were kicks....

We've climbed the mountain, now we can enjoy the ride down :)

December 6 2012

We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday and found out the gender of our little baby.  

But we aren't revealing the gender until Christmas Eve when our families can find out together!!  We had the ultrasound tech write the gender down on a piece of paper and it is sealed inside that envelope.  I have hidden the envelope from Matt since he already tried to open it while we were still at the appointment haha.  Our plan is to get a lovely Christmas cake and have the inside dyed either pink or blue and cut the cake with our families on Christmas eve.  I might die of anticipation before then, but I just want everyone to share in the surprise so I am willing to wait.

Our ultrasound went well, baby is 13 ounces (normal) and has a heartrate of 138bpm (also normal).  Measurements are all right on track for my April 19 2013 due date.  The only minor issue is the little guy (or girl) has acute polythightreeous (that is just sounded out and I am not sure if that is even the correct sounding) which in normal human words means that there is a backup of urine going from the kidneys to the bladder. The doctor said it is kind of like when a hose gets a little kink in it....apparently the normal measurement should be under 3mm and ours was 3mm for the left and 3.3mm for the right.  He said it is fairly common, like 1 in 6 babies have the issue and most of the time it corrects itself on its own before birth.  It raises our down syndrome risk from 1 in 10000 to 1 in 6200, which is still very low, and there is nothing that can be done about it.  We have a follow up ultrasound in 6 weeks to see if the problem gets worse or if it gets better, if it gets worse still nothing we can do until the baby is born but most likely can be corrected with a surgery after birth.  It is difficult knowing that there is nothing I can do about it, but the doctor did say he wasn't terribly worried so that makes it a little better.  Anyone reading who has a baby who had this issue?  If so, I would greatly enjoy hearing about it since google apparently doesn't recognize my sound-it-out spelling....

Below are some pictures from our photo session yesterday!!!

Side profile (I dont know how to flip so tilt your head)

Turning head slight towards us and a hand wave (again tilt your head )

A smile and wave....or getting ready to suck its thumb

How far along? 20 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? I am pretty sure I am probably up around 10-15 pounds, at least that is how I feel.  Good news is it all appears to be going to my belly/boobs, my shirts and pants all still fit in the arms and legs.  Hoping to keep it that way!!!
Maternity clothes? Its all I can wear!  I knew this day would come, about time!
Stretch marks? Still don't have any...fingers crossed for slow growth moving forward to prevent them!
Sleep? I have to sleep with a pillow in between my legs or I wake up with a lot of hip pain and on Tuesday night I was up from 2-4am for some weird reason, I think it was a combo of the unseasonably hot weather and our refusal to turn on the AC in December...but last night I slept through the whole night without waking up which was very refreshing!
Best moment this week?  Finding out everyone is still healthy and growing!!!!
Movement? I am getting some flutters but nothing defined yet....hopefully in a couple of weeks!
Food Cravings? Nothing right now...
Food Aversions? I am back to being okay with Chicken, still not fond of onions but can stand them again as long as they aren't too strong.
Gender? CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Belly button in or out? In.  Still have my belly button ring in as well, but I can see it is getting tighter
What I miss? normal sleep
What I am looking forward to? Feeling a real kick
Milestones? OVER HALF WAY TO THE FINISH LINE!!

11th Commandment: Thou shalt not blog on a holiday

November 29 2012

So I missed last week, but in my defense I spent most of last week either in a food coma, Christmas decorating or online shopping...so clearly my days were packed!  We had a great Thanksgiving with Matt's family, it was good to see Aunts and Uncles and cousins!  I learned that I like ham sandwiches when pregnant, something that are not on my like list when non-knocked up.  

I had a doctors appointment on Wednesday, it went well.  Nothing terribly exciting happened, I gained no weight, my blood pressure is still normal and the baby's heart rate is good.  I met one of the doctors who may be the one who is on duty when I go into labor, she was really nice....thank goodness!  I was getting worried that the doctors would be as moody as their front office staff. 

Next Wednesday is our 20 week ultrasound!!!!!  Hopefully we will see a healthy happy baby of a specific gender!

I did not take a picture of my 'bump', maybe it is just me but I don't feel like mine is a cute as other pregnant women...maybe next week, I wouldn't put all your eggs in that basket though :)

How far along? 19 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? Up 5 pounds...but I had a small food binge starting after my appointment last Wednesday so I am assuming that has to have put some more weight on....
Maternity clothes? Its all I can wear!  I knew this day would come, about time!
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!  My skin has been a little bit more itchy but lotion and aloe has been helpful.
Sleep? It has gotten a little uncomfortable...I can no longer sleep on my stomach so I have to sleep on my sides which makes my hips hurt then I sleep on my back which makes my back hurt, so like every 2 hours I have to switch positions in bed.  Luckily Matt is a deep sleeper otherwise he might have kicked me out of the bed by now.
Best moment this week?  FOOD! seeing family, relaxing with no work for 5 days :)
Movement? I still feel nothing :( 
Food Cravings? Not really craving anything right now
Food Aversions? Chicken, raw onions
Gender? I caved...we will be finding out in December, stay tuned!
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? clothes fitting
What I am looking forward to? ultrasound next week!
Milestones?  In one day, I will officially be half way through my pregnancy!!!  Assuming I go for a full 40 weeks....CRAZY how fast it has gone by.  Hopefully the next 20 weeks are as easy as these last 20 have been!

BUSY WEEK!

November 15 2012

I have been absolutely slammed at work since Monday morning at 630am....just breaking away to give an update on my blog :)  We had a great weekend with my parents, mainly just relaxed and showed them I was surviving (some may even venture to say thriving) as a pregnant lady.  I got to skype with my brother and sister in law and beautiful little niece Charlotte!!!  She is so stinking cute, but I may be a little partial since she has a very striking resemblance to me as a baby :)  Matt and I will be very lucky if our little peanut comes out half as cute as our nieces and nephews are!!! 

I can not believe Thanksgiving is only a week away, where does the time go?!   I am excited to see and hang out with Matt's family for the holiday.  I am going to try and make another pecan pie this year, hopefully this time I can fully cook it (fingers crossed).

Our next appointment is next Wednesday.  It will be my first appointment with my actual doctor and not the nurse practitioner, but I don't think I will get that much new information. Probably just hear the heartbeat and make sure I am still healthy.

Our next Ultrasound is December 5.  If our ever stubborn child is cooperative we will be finding out the gender!!!  Fingers crossed for a cooperative baby :)

How far along? 17 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? At my last doc appointment I was up 5 pounds...I have been trying to eat better food and keep my portions small so hopefully I am not up too much more.
Maternity clothes? Seems to be my only outfits now, even the clothes I reserve as my 'fat' non pregnant clothes are beginning to grow small
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!  My skin has been a little bit more itchy but lotion and aloe has been helpful.
Sleep? One night it will be good then the next I will toss and turn all night.....also Max has gotten very cuddly...changing position with a 100 pound dog on you is very difficult, but at least two thirds of the Simonetti family continues to sleep well haha
Best moment this week?  Seeing my parents, seeing Charlotte!!!
Movement? I am supposed to be feeling it right now, still haven't.....hopefully in the next week or so I will feel it.
Food Cravings? STEAK.......who knew i would become such a carnivore!
Food Aversions? Chicken, raw onions
Gender? I caved...we will be finding out in December, stay tuned!
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? hearing and seeing my little peanut :(
What I am looking forward to? Doctors appt on Wednesday, Thanksgiving!
Milestones? Multiple non-ob/gyn doctors have now approached me to ask when i am due!  Hooray!  I might, just might, get bold enough to take a bump picture next week to share, keep your eyes peeled!

It's a valley kind of day

November 8 2012

So I am officially no longer riding the high of my previous doctors appointments.  I am ready to go back and hear a heart beat or see our little peanut move!!!  In the perfect world, health insurance would cover weekly visits to the doc for first time moms....when I run for president, I am running on this platform..it will be my sole initiative (I had to google how to spell that word, its a tricky one).  That being said, nothing interesting has happened in the last week with my pregnancy....still not feeling movement, sometimes I hold my breath to see if I can feel anything or hear the babies heartbeat but alas all I get is out of breath :(

Good news is my parents are coming to visit this weekend!!! Hooray!!  Haven't seen them since August...hopefully they notice my baby bump more than everyone I see every day does, it will be nice to know people don't just think I have always looked this chubby!!!!

Next appt is November 21 (I think, its the Tuesday before thanksgiving whatever that date is)...less than 2 weeks until we find out if everything is still okay!


How far along? 16 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? At my last doc appointment I was up 5 pounds...I have been trying to eat better food and keep my portions small so hopefully I am not up too much more.
Maternity clothes? I fit!!  The dresses are still not my fav since they are longer but the pants and shirts all work splendidly now.
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!  My skin has been a little bit more itchy but lotion and aloe has been helpful.
Sleep? Not sure why, but the last week has been a very tiring week....I think it was all the election stuff, it just wears me out.  Hopefully it is just a temporarily thing and I will get back to normal this week.
Best moment this week?  I want to be able to say the WVU game on Saturday, but sadly that did not go as we planned :( so I am going to go with the election being over and everyone going back to being normal!!
Movement? SOON! SOON!
Food Cravings? STEAK! Anything gummy/fruit snacky/starbursty
Food Aversions? Chicken, raw onions
Gender? I caved...we will be finding out in December, stay tuned!
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? hearing and seeing my little peanut :(
What I am looking forward to? Seeing Ma and Pa Stringer!!!!!!!!
Milestones? I have nothing......I need more milestones in my life!

I am not creative today...

November 1 2012

Time has really been flying!  I can't believe it is already November?! There is so much fun stuff coming up I can hardly contain my excitement!  We are headed to Morgantown this weekend for the WVU vs TCU football game, fingers crossed it is a win, and to celebrate Matt's birthday. I hope I get to see lots of snowy hillsides on the drive up there!!  It is finally an appropriate time to begin decorating my house for thanksgiving, yessssssssssssss!

Nothing exciting with the pregnancy, I am continuing to grow....I swear every morning I wake up and I am bigger, which is great for now but I hope to slow the trend so I don't end up the size of Texas by April!  I have been feeling really great the last week or so, no sickness or growing pains or anything...it probably helps that i got Monday and Tuesday off of work and spent the whole two days just relaxing around the house. 

Our next doctors appointment is November 23, still 3 weeks to go, so I won't have much doctory updates to give until then...but the student who noticed I was pregnant last week said I could start feeling movement in the next couple of weeks if I am lucky!  My fingers are crossed!

How far along? 15 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? I am up a total of 5 pounds, which my doc said was low to normal for the first 14 weeks.  I should expect to put on like 1-2 pounds every two weeks for this trimester....Yikes!  that is getting big fast!
Maternity clothes? I am so close to fitting everything, give me two weeks and I predict I will be fitting everything comfortably.
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!  My skin has been a little bit more itchy but lotion and aloe has been helpful.
Sleep? It has been great! every night I have been sleeping so sound, makes getting up for work VERY difficult.
Best moment this week?  I had dinner with Erica and Molly last night at Carrabas...Chicken Bryan was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and Erica gave me literally the funniest book ever created....also got to celebrate her engagement and Mollys birthday on the 5th
Movement? SOON! SOON!
Food Cravings? so weird, but I have recently gotten cravings for steak......I never eat beef, like usually once every couple of months I will have a burger....prior to our delicious meal on Monday night I couldn't even tell you the last time I had a steak, at least 5 years ago...I have been missing out!
Food Aversions? Still not eating Chicken, with the exception of Chicken Bryan, and onions...YUCK!   
Gender? I caved...we will be finding out in December, stay tuned!
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? normal fitting clothes
What I am looking forward to? Morgantown and my parents visit next weekend!
Milestones? Finally feel normal again!

It's official the WHOLE WORLD is in on it!

October 25 2012

The first official person, non family or friend, has asked if I am pregnant today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hooray!!!!  Granted it was a woman in one of my classes who is an OB/GYN, but I am still counting it!  Also Matt said this morning that he could see the baby, I am pretty sure he meant that he could see my belly and not the actual baby but i am going to ask tonight just to make sure. In the last week I can definitely tell my belly is starting to round out a bit, finally getting past the awkward spare tire phase! 

I went to the doctor on Tuesday, everyone is healthy and happy.  My blood pressure was normal, I got to hear the heart beat (154 bpm) and I got a flu shot.  It was my first time being brave enough for the flu shot, but I must admit it was not that bad and I have not had any side effects.  I found out my blood type is B- so Matt has to go to the doctor and get his blood type because if he is positive anything then I have to get a shot around 28 weeks so when I give birth my blood and the babies blood don't mix....apparently its a common thing, but I am keeping my fingers crossed Matt is negative.

We have to wait a whhhhhhoooooooolllllllleeeee month until our next doctors appointment :( but now that I can see growth happening I think i will feel more comfortable with the wait time.

How far along? 14 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? I am up a total of 5 pounds, which my doc said was low to normal for the first 14 weeks.  I should expect to put on like 1-2 pounds every two weeks for this trimester....Yikes!  that is getting big fast!
Maternity clothes? My maternity clothes still aren't fitting right, so I bought some leggings (finally my obsession with spandex is acceptable in public) and I am looking to buy some large sweaters and shirts....hopefully my maternity stuff will fit soon!
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!  My skin has been a little bit more itchy but lotion and aloe has been helpful.
Sleep? It has been great, with the exception of Max always stealing my spot when i get up to pee at night.....if only he wasn't so darn cute when he does it, I don't have the heart to move him so I tend to curl up at the bottom of the bed.
Best moment this week?  People starting to notice I am pregnant.  Seeing Elsa, James and Lena in Philly. Hearing the heart beat and finding out everything is still progressing normally.
Movement? Our little guy (or girl) is very active, but I can't feel it yet...maybe a month or so and I will start to feel the dance parties going on. 
Food Cravings? Bagels
Food Aversions? Chicken and meat in general isn't appealing to me very much right now...   
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender, unless Matt is able to convince me by December 5 it is a good idea....I am trying to hold out)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? normal fitting clothes
What I am looking forward to? Halloween candy, my parents visiting in a couple of weeks
Milestones? People can tell I am pregnant!  

6 months 1 day to go!

October 18 2012

What a busy week this has been!  I just got back from California yesterday evening, i was out there for a work conference.  I was very disappointed that no one noticed I was pregnant :(  I bet they all just think I am getting fat, pretty soon I am going to buy a shirt that says 'I am not fat, I am just brewing a baby' and wear it every time I am in public.....or it would be nice if this little peanut would just grow into more of a baby bump and less of a spare tire.  Also, side note, California is having a heat wave which of course I didn't check the weather so I packed for what the weather was like last October....50's and rainy....well on the bright side I may have lost a pound or two from sweating pretty much the whole 3 days haha.

One of Matt's childhood friends passed away very unexpectedly (or is the right word unexpectantly, I am not sure) on Sunday morning.  He had just gotten married in July, I can not imagine the pain his new bride and family must be in right now.  My heart goes out to them, hopefully they know God had a reason for taking him so soon. 

I am going to make a delicious apple pie tonight! Thank you Erica Tuten for the pie recipe, hopefully I don't crap it up!!

Nothing else really exciting to share about the pregnancy, we have an appointment next Tuesday morning so I can give an update after that!


How far along? 13 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? Not sure since I don't weigh myself at home.
Maternity clothes? I tried on the shirts and dresses I bought for maternity wear, still too big...I am having a hard time imagining myself getting large enough to fit in them but I am sure the day will come. Right now, sticking with bebands and my looser regular clothes.
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!  My skin has been a little bit more itchy but lotion and aloe has been helpful.
Sleep? I am back to a normal human!  I have been kind of tired the last couple of days but I think that is because of the travel.  I also have gotten over my fear that if I sleep on my back the baby will cut off my blood flow...it was an irrational fear, I know, but i read an article about a girl who went paralyzed because when she slept on her back her baby was on some important vein and cut off the circulation to her legs and she ended up paralyzed...granted the girl was 8 months pregnant and overweight, but in my imagination I swear it was going to happen to me. With that fear gone, I sleep great now!  Until I am 8 months pregnant and my imagination starts exaggerating again haha
Best moment this week?  Its been a great week...got to see my cousins for dinner...saw a stellar performance on Saturday night...went apple picking Saturday day...Got to see work friends in California ..passed a test for my accounting class...get to make an apple pie tonight...get to see my nieces and nephew (on Matt's side) on Saturday in Philly!
Movement? Our little guy (or girl) is very active, but I can't feel it yet...maybe a month or so and I will start to feel the dance parties going on.
Food Cravings? Cheezits and bagels....I think I could probably live off these for the rest of my life....dramatic
Food Aversions? Sour apples, loved apple picking...thought I was going to be sick smelling the apples that had fallen to the ground and begun rotting.    
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender, unless Matt is able to convince me by December 5 it is a good idea....I am trying to hold out)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? a waistline
What I am looking forward to? Philly this weekend, doctors appointment next week, seeing my parents in 3 weeks
Milestones? Nothing, I feel like I need a definition of what a milestone is....I mean, I stayed up until 1130pm last night that is a milestone for my pregnant self (first time) but really is that milestone worthy?  

The Stroller: Our Friend, Max's Foe

October 11 2012


Almost to the end of the first trimester, phewwwwwwwww!  I am really thankful that I have been so lucky so far, not much morning sickness!  I read an article that says if you don't have morning sickness you are going to have a boy, fingers crossed!  Of course, I will love either gender I just feel like I am more suited for a boy since I am not very girly plus Matt can have another guy to talk sports (I try but most of it goes over my head).  So we made our first purchase for our little peanut, the stroller!  The pic of it is below, please excuse my pink sweatpants (thanks molly, best article of clothing I ever borrowed and never gave back haha), I am pretty obsessed with it.  Also, I have no idea how to flip a picture so tilt your head to the right to get the full effect.

Matt and I got really nervous they were going to discontinue it because it was sold out the two times we went to Babies R Us and for some unknown reason it was 50 dollars cheaper than the other colors of the same stroller, so we decided it was a must purchase. Now, I have made a promise to my mom that I will not purchase anything else before Christmas...hardest 75 days of my life!


How far along? 12 weeks, 6 days! 
Weight gain/loss? Not sure since I don't weigh myself at home.
Maternity clothes? Still primarily using the bebands and work maternity pants.  I am at the awkward stage where people look at me and just think I am getting fat.  Hopefully in a couple of weeks it will turn into a more pronounced baby bump less of a spare tire.
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!  My skin has been a little bit more itchy but lotion and aloe has been helpful.
Sleep? I have stayed up until like 1030-11 every night this week, except last night since I was worn out from the terrible Nats playoff game we went to see.
Best moment this week?  Yesterday as a total was great, I went to my first playoff sport game ever and we got the stroller!
Movement? Our little guy (or girl) is very active, but I can't feel it yet...maybe a month or so and I will start to feel the dance parties going on.
Food Cravings? Cheezits....just cheezits, all the time.
Food Aversions? So if you are my friend, then you know I can chew one piece of gum for hours and hours, well not so much anymore.  I had a piece on Tuesday and after like 15 minutes it was the grossest thing ever in my mouth :( it was a sad day for me.  
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender, unless Matt is able to convince me by December 5 it is a good idea....I am trying to hold out)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? nothing, I am looking forward to what I will gain!
What I am looking forward to? apple picking this weekend!  now I just need to find a good recipe for Apple Pie, anyone reading with a good recipe feel free to share with me :)
Milestones? No real milestones this week...we got the stroller...we found out Max thinks the stroller is a friend of the vacuum which means it is a foe to him, that should work well for family walks in the future............

The feeling of Relief

October 4 2012


I don't know why but in my head I didn't feel like I could get excited for this pregnancy until I had a successful 12 week ultrasound....well that happened yesterday!  Hip Hip Hooray! The little peanut is doing quite well, although a little stubborn and not camera shy (good sign that maybe just maybe it wont inherit my inability to take a normal pic).  It took the ultrasound tech about 45 minutes to try and get the baby to move into the correct position to get a measurement of the fluid in the neck (there is a technical term for this, of course I forgot that name)... I had to lay flat, lay on my side, lay on my hands, get up and pee, try and go transvaginally....literally every position we tried the baby would just stare at us.  So the tech gave up and let the doctor give it a try, about 15 minutes of the same results and finally the tech came back and they were able to get a semi good position for measurement, phewwwwww what an ordeal! Since our little guy was so stubborn we didnt get very many good pics to share, but below is one of the little one waving hi....if you can't tell (I can't) the baby is facing the camera and waving its right arm (I see the arm).

The baby was very active, wiggling all over the place....a sign of a good dancer like its mom I think :)  I am so happy, excited, relieved, every feeling in the world, that everything and everyone is doing so well!  I can't wait for the next 6 months of growth and excitement and new experiences! First things first though, let the shopping begin haha!

Our next appointment isn't until October 23 and our next ultrasound isn't until December 5, but to be honest I am riding on a high from yesterday I don't even mind that I have to wait 9 weeks to see the little peanut again.

How far along? 11 weeks, 6 days! (they change my due date every time I go to the doctor)
Weight gain/loss? Up 4 pounds, need to work on slowing that gain!
Maternity clothes? My maternity work pants are fantastic, I plan on wearing those and dresses for the rest of the 6 months.....unfortunately, my maternity jeans and most of the shirts are too big to wear yet, hopefully I will grow into them so they don't go to waste!
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!
Sleep? Feeling much better this week, actually waking up rested is a good feeling...still going to bed pretty early but at least it is now 10pm instead of 830pm, moving in the right direction!
Best moment this week?  The ultrasound!  The relief of knowing everything and everyone is happy and healthy!
Movement? Our little guy (or girl) is very active, but I can't feel it yet...maybe a month or so and I will start to feel the dance parties going on.
Food Cravings? BLTs, Cheezits, Starbursts. Still nothing out of the ordinary.
Food Aversions? I am slowly adventuring back into spicy food, I knew i couldn't stay away for long.  Still disgusted by onions, although that's how I spent most of my childhood so not something I am unaccustomed to.....
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender, unless Matt is able to convince me by December 5 it is a good idea....I am trying to hold out)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? fitting normally into clothes, so long waistline!
What I am looking forward to? my baby growing, starting to feel movement, my lunch :)
Milestones? We have made it to 12 weeks, we aren't completely out of the danger zone, but we are on the very edge of it and it feels good to know the chances of bad things are so much smaller now!

If only I had been through this before...

September 27 2012

So I had my first real doctor appointment yesterday afternoon (I didn't want to update until afterwards so I could fill you all in on what happened).  Nothing exciting happened though, whomp whomp.  They weighed me, I have gained 2 pounds, they took my blood pressure, 116/72 normal (according to the nurse because I have no idea what is normal or not), they took my blood for testing, I should get the results back in a week, and they walked me through what the next 9 months will be like.....appointments every 4 weeks with some ultrasounds mixed in between until I get to 28 weeks then I go to bi monthly appointments then at 36 weeks I go to weekly appointments   I was hoping for a little more pazazz, maybe a song and a dance, I don't know I guess I wanted more reassurance that everything is okay....but the good news is I go back for my next ultrasound in two weeks so hopefully after that ultrasound I can rest assured that everything is okay.

In case you haven't heard, Matt and I took a trip to Urgent Care last Thursday morning.  I woke up at like 6am, emptied my bladder and started having pretty intense cramps/pressure in my lower abdomen/groin area.....of course, with my vivid imagination, I thought my world or my babies world was ending...I did the only logical thing when I feel pain, I called my mom.  Of course there wasn't much she could do so we went to Urgent Care.  By the time we got there the pains had mostly gone away but they checked me out and everything appeared normal and they said if there isn't any blood then it is most likely growing pains.  It is a little frustrating for me to not have complete control of whats happening, but I guess most women who are having their first baby feel the same way as i do...I just want to know what every little thing I am feeling is so I don't make it into a bigger deal than need be.  I guess this is a life lesson for me about how sometimes you have to take the passenger seat.....I just want my passenger seat to be like the ones in drivers ed cars with an extra steering wheel and brake :)


How far along? 10 weeks, 4 days!
Weight gain/loss? Up 2 pounds, not bad!
Maternity clothes? I caved, I ordered some pants, shirts and dresses from Old Navy...the shirts and dresses are all too big but the pants are a life saver!
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!
Sleep? Still not getting enough of it, but last night i was able to stay up until 1030!
Best moment this week? We went to Baby R Us and explored....found a stroller that we really want and looked at some cribs and stuff.  It is going to be hard not to buy everything right away
Movement? I don't think this question is relevant for a while.
Food Cravings? Starbursts, salads, BLTs.....nothing out of the ordinary.
Food Aversions? Spicy Food :( and onions, yuck!!!!
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? Being in control of my body :)
What I am looking forward to? My 12 week ultrasound in two weeks 
Milestones? Well it isn't a good one, but I have now had my first freak out.....hopefully not every freak out will come with a hefty Urgent Care bill attached to it haha!

Google should know better than to mess with a PREGNANT WOMAN'S BLOG!

September 19 2012

So it seems that Google has marked this blog as spam....I am shocked and amazed and stunned and really angry at Google right now but hopefully they will soon realize my blog about my pregnancy is not spam!  That being said, I don't think anyone is reading this anymore but I will continue just in case someone is able to get past the spam warning.  

Nothing terribly exciting has happened in the last week, Matt and I told most of our close friends and family (welcome to my blog those who have joined) about the exciting news.  We enjoyed a beautiful Saturday at FEDEX Field watching WVU beat JMU....sad but was expected.  We had the most amazing, I recommend it to everyone, dinner at Carrabba's last night.  I had the Chicken Bryan, possibly the best chicken I have ever had, and Matt had the Chicken Parmigiana which he devoured every last bite of...we had never been to Carrabba's before but we might just have to become regulars after last nights meal.  I made my first baby purchase, a baby bag and a baby book from vera bradley.  I haven't received them yet but I will post pics once I get them, I can already predict how wonderfully perfect and patterned they are going to be!  We have our next doctors appointment next Tuesday so hopefully I can give more updates then about the little bambino!!


How far along? 9 weeks, 4 days!
Weight gain/loss? Since I haven't been to the doctor since August and I haven't weighed myself, I would think by now I have put back on any weight I had lost and maybe a pound or two more.
Maternity clothes? The Be Bands are saving my wardrobe right now, must-hold-out-until-12-weeks eeeeeeeeeeeee!
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!
Sleep? Just as tired as ever, hoping this subsides soon or my only friends will be the other 6-8 year olds who go to bed at 830pm
Best moment this week? Dinner last night!  haha but really it was that good!  I also enjoyed seeing old friends at FEDEX
Movement? I don't think this question is relevant for a while.
Food Cravings? Still in my salad phase, probably not a bad phase to be in.  Also really into Starbursts, all varieties!
Food Adversions? Still steering clear of the spicy foods.
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? Wine!  As the fall is coming, it reminds me of my love of mulled wine, hopefully there will still be some leftover next year :) haha
What I am looking foward to? Getting my Vera Bradley purchases! Going to the doctor next Tuesday to make sure everything is still a-okay! My next visit to Carrabba's haha!
Milestones? It's official, all of my pants are no longer comfy when buttoned.....not to say I can't button them I just don't want to anymore!

You had me at your first heartbeat

September 13 2012

Houston, we have a heartbeat!!!!  HOORAY!!!!!!  We went to the doctor on Tuesday morning and got to see our little peanut and see (unfortunately not hear) the little heart beating :) :) :) :)  The heartbeat was 169 bpm, which is normal I think....at least according to my readings it is normal.  We got our first picture, below, not much to see but its still MY child :)  Warms my heart :)  Next up is a doctor appt on September 26 to get some blood tests done and to learn what the next 7 months with my doctor will entail (I know I probably spelled that word wrong, I apologize).  I am so excited for everything! 

How far along? 8 weeks, 5 days!
Weight gain/loss? Since I haven't been to the doctor since August and I haven't weighed myself, I would think by now I have put back on any weight I had lost and maybe a pound or two more.
Maternity clothes? I caved and bought two Be Bands from Target.  They have saved my work clothes.  They make it so it isn't so obvious that you can't button/don't want to button your pants.  I am hoping these bands will get me to at least 12 weeks maybe more!
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!
Sleep? My new bedtime is like 830pm....hopefully in a few weeks I can become a normal person again :)
Best moment this week? Hearing a heartbeat and seeing the little guy!
Movement? I don't think this question is relevant for a while.
Food Cravings? I have been in a salad phase this week, I have had a salad for dinner for 3 nights already, soon to be four if there is enough lettuce left for tonight!
Food Adversions? I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth but I can't do spicy food :( :( It's not that I don't like it,  but I have had some terrible tummy aches from it the last couple of times I tried it so I am staying away to avoid the tummy troubles.
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? Caffeine!  I love sleep and all, but I am ready to have my evenings not be consumed by total exhaustion!
What I am looking foward to? The JMU vs. WVU game this weekend!!!! 
Milestones? The ultrasound was a big one, I feel much relief knowing we have a heartbeat!

The excitement is building!

September 5 2012

Nothing really new and interesting happening...I am getting quite antsy not being able to tell anyone but only 6 more days until the ultrasound and, fingers crossed, a heartbeat! I have been quite tired this last week and a little bit queasy almost everyday but nothing that a little water and relaxing can't fix.  According to everything I have been reading, I am supposed to start feeling normal again after 12-13 weeks, so only a month or so of yuck to go!  Well I will have more to write and talk about next week after my appointment, farewell until then!


How far along? 7 weeks, 5 days!
Weight gain/loss? Probably down a little. I have been trying to eat through my yucky feeling but my appetite is smaller.
Maternity clothes? No, I have noticed my pants are a little tighter, but I am trying to wait until 2nd trimester to buy any clothes.
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!
Sleep? My new bedtime is like 830pm....hopefully in a few weeks I can become a normal person again :)
Best moment this week? WVU winning their first game of the season! 
Movement? I don't think this question is relevant for a while.
Food Cravings? I really wanted root beer last weekend, I got that.  Then it was gatorade, then it was vanilla bean ice cream.....but these are all things that I normally like anyways so nothing super strange.
Food Adversions? Chocolate or anything that is sweet smelling.  Usually i am really into sweet smelling stuff, like ice cream stores or the fudgery at broadway at the beach, but I can't stand the smell of sweets at the moment....probably a good thing!
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? Pumpkin Spice Coffee from Dunkin Donuts.....also it is pumpkin beer season whomp whomp
What I am looking foward to? Starting to purchase things....
Milestones? First Ultrasound in 6 days!  YAY!

TO A BABY OR BUST!

August 29 2012

Fast-forward five days and the news is finally starting to settle in, I have to be an adult within 9 months so I can teach another person how to be one!  Whoa!

Matt and I are really excited for what the next 9 months have in store for us, but like most first time parents we are a little 'deer in the headlights' so it will definitely be a learning experience.

I wanted to start this blog, and if you are a 'blogger' I am sorry I am going to offend you with my lack of blogging experience, for those friends and family who are far away and unable to experience this time first hand with Matt and I.  My plan is to update once a week, fingers crossed this doesnt turn out like all my diaries as a young child where I promised on the first entry to write every day and there are no other entries ever, with any new progress or life happenings.  I am stealing from Tricia McCord, just citing my sources and thank you, in the format of this blog but I promise I will fill it with my own content :)

I look forward to continuing on this journey with all of you and thank you for all the love and support you have given Matt and I, TO A BABY OR BUST!


How far along? 6 weeks, 5 days!
Weight gain/loss? Probably down a little. I've stopped drinking, that's like 2 pounds right there.
Maternity clothes? No, I have noticed my pants are a little tighter, but I am trying to wait until 2nd trimester to buy any clothes.
Stretch marks? None now and trying hard to prevent them in the future, lots of water and lotion!
Sleep? I wish I had more of it! This is probably the worst symptom so far, probably because I was a sleepaholic to begin with....
Best moment this week? Well, I loved seeing the shocked faces of matt and I's parents :) Nice to know I wasn't the only one who didn't see this coming so soon!
Movement? I am moving, unfortunately the little guy is only about the size of a blueberry so I dont think there is much happening down there.
Food Cravings? Nothing abnormal, I am a bit more interested in veggies these days, the baby is a better eater than I am?!
Food Adversions? Chocolate.  I didnt really like it before so I am not really missing out, but Matt made a chocolate coffee drink on Saturday and it was the worst thing I have ever smelled (slightly dramatic but you get the idea)
Gender? Your guess is as good as mine, and will be until the little one makes an appearance.  (that means we are not going to find out the gender)
Belly button in or out? In.
What I miss? Coffee!
What I am looking foward to? Everything!
Milestones? My first ultrasound is scheduled for Sept 11 so I am super excited to hear the babies heartbeat!

Not what I was expecting as a birthday present

August 24 2012 9:31am

So my birthday is tomorrow, what better way to celebrate than to find out I am pregnant!  HOLY COW, I AM PREGNANT!  

To say I was a little shocked would be the understatement of the year.  Matt and I hadn't started trying, we just stopped not trying and where going to start trying at the beginning of October.  Well warning to all those friends who were under the impression that it takes time to get pregnant, as I found out, that is not always the case :)