Wow, I think I really look pregnant now....

Almost 16 weeks....still not convinced there's only one in there....

The first picture is the baby compared to a quarter....the smallest one is 12 weeks, the top one is 16 weeks (me), and the biggest one is 20 weeks

Place your bets!

I went to the doctor yesterday and everything was great. I got to hear the baby's heart beat again, which is always awesome. My blood pressure was actually not too bad this time (especially compared to last time), so that made me feel a lot better. I closed my eyes when I got on the scale...there's no law that says I have to know how big I am getting, right? I figure if I am gaining too much weight, the nurses will tell me. The most exciting part of the appointment was that I got to schedule my ultrasound (the one that tells me if it's a boy or girl). The big day is January 29th. I know it will seem like FOREVER until then! So, is it gonna be a boy or a girl???

Relief!

I went to the chiropractor for the first time on Monday afternoon and got "adjusted."  It was a little nerve-wracking because I have never been to one before, and didn't want him to pop my back and then I have a spinal cord injury or something....haha.  But the guy I am going to is GREAT and specializes in pregnant women, so I was very comfortable with him.  He told me on Monday that I have 4 ribs that are shifting positions enough to press on a nerve, causing lots of pain.  I didn't feel any pain at all until Tuesday night when I sat on the bleachers at Derek's basketball game for 4 hours, so that is a lot of improvement!  Usually my back hurts all of the time.  I went back again yesterday and got adjusted again, which helped even more!  I am going back again next week and then maybe once after that, and hopefully the pain will stay away.  I'll probably still go to get adjusted once a month or so, but that's not too bad.   This chiropractic office also has a massage therapist on site with a special pregnancy table that I'm really excited about for later.  I can't believe Derek and I are going home tomorrow!  Hopefully my back will cooperate for a few days....

14 weeks

Tomorrow I will be 14 weeks!  At this point, the baby can smile, frown, squint, and even suck his (or her) thumb.  I am feeling a LOT better lately  -- no nausea at all and I don't require 12-14 hours of sleep anymore!  Haha.  However, my back pain is horrible!  I really think I have a rib that somehow gets out of place and is then pushing on a nerve because my back always hurts in the exact same spot along my ribline.  My skin will even go numb sometimes (which is why I think a nerve might be involved).  I am making an appointment with a chiropractor who has lots of experience with pregnant women.  Hopefully I can get in to see him this week before Derek and I head home on Friday!  I'm sure my plane ride would be a lot more comfortable if I can get this problem at least temporarily fixed.  But either way, I am REALLY excited about going home and seeing my family and friends.  I think that's about it!  I'll post some pictures of the weekend next week.

Mood swings!

Hello to all who read this!

Me and baby are doing great!  (Or is it Baby and I???? -- Mom would know).  Anyway, I am 12 1/2 weeks and feeling a LOT better!  My back still gives me problems some days, but I've gotten used to it.  Now I'm really starting to want to eat a lot more and more often!  Poor Derek, he has been dealing with all of this really well -- the mood swings are out of control at this point, but hopefully will get better.  I am to the point of definitely wearing maternity clothes, as the pooch just keeps getting bigger.  I get to go home and see family and friends in 2 weeks and I can't wait!  According to my book I'm reading, the baby is about the size of a peach and has all necessary body parts, including fingerprints!  I guess that's it for now!

Well, here they are!  Some current before and after pictures....the first one is the day after I found out I was pregnant and the second one is today (11 weeks and 3 days).  

I found this picture on the internet today and thought it was really neat! This is a 10 week fetus's feet! Obviously, probably not ACTUALLY a real fetus's feet, but you get the point. I will be 10 weeks in a few days, so it's neat to see this picture. They probably didn't show you the rest of the baby because it looks like an alien....haha! I have another doctor's appointment on Monday -- this one will give me a lot of information about upcoming appointments and I think we even get to tour the birthing suites...

Goodbye sickness, hello back pain!

Over the past few days, my nausea has gone down SO much.  It's hardly even there anymore.  On the other hand, my lower back has been KILLING me instead.  So I guess it's a trade-off.  But thanks to back rubs and comfy couches and Tylenol, I am dealing with it.  Being at work is the hardest, but the nurses try and help me out by bringing me pillows to prop up with during my case.  Derek has been great too -- taking over most of the cleaning and grocery shopping and general errand-running.  Today makes 9 weeks and he or she is over an inch long and weighs 4 grams according to what I am reading.  Derek got out our food scale and figured out that 4 grams is only as much as a nickel and penny, but it's still progress!  I've now had a few people at work tell me I am starting to look pregnant, which is kinda neat and kinda weird all at once.  

Smells...

So recently I have decided that certain smells really make me sick to my stomach. The biggest one (and most annoying) is leather. This is very unfortunate considering that our new living room furniture and my new car both have leather. Lying on the couch just makes me so nauseated! And I've been driving Derek's car for almost 2 weeks now. Ugh. Lately I've been just getting a pillow and blanket and laying on the floor at night to watch TV, or going down to the basement to sit on our non-leather couch and watch TV. I hope this goes away soon! Today makes 8 weeks and 3 days....just about a month left in the first trimester!

Baby's first picture!

Here he or she is!  Today was the first ultrasound, which was really fun!  Everything looks good with the baby -- heartbeat is 154 beats per minute, which is good.  And most importantly, there is only one in there!  Phew!  The possibility of 2 day cares at once has got to be expensive.  We got to see the heartbeat, which was just a flicker on the screen, but we also got to HEAR the heartbeat too which was awesome.  It's hard to believe there is something inside of me that has a heartbeat!  My due date has changed too...it is now June 10th!  So I guess I am only 7 weeks and 3 days instead of 8 weeks and 1 day, but who's counting.  

Jeans don't fit!

I found this picture on the internet....a model of an 8 week baby to scale.  Still very small!  I realized yesterday that one of my pairs of jeans just doesn't fit anymore.  Well, technically I can get them to zip but buttoning is tough!  I'm not sure if this is from bloating, but I don't think so.  Last week all of my jeans were tight and harder to zip and button, but I'm pretty sure that was from bloating.  This seems a little different.  Just the buttoning is difficult.  Who knows though.  Either way, I am gonna have to rig these jeans up with a rubberband around the button or put them back in the closet for a while.  I'll start posting pictures soon....tomorrow makes 8 weeks!  

Making progress...

Here's another picture!  7 and a half weeks and counting!  Fingers and toes are even there!

Night Sickness

Well, the first signs of morning sickness have arrived! But actually with me it's more like night sickness. I really don't feel too terrible in the morning (at least if I have my sprite and saltines on my nightstand), but at night right before I go to bed is kinda rough! Yesterday was my first day of just being queasy ALL DAY LONG. The only times that I felt good were when I was eating up until about an hour after eating. But it's just not practical to eat all day long! I have figured out that eating several very small meals during the day is much better than 3 normal meals. Today I am 7 weeks! Halfway finished with 1st trimester! Oh and I AM taking belly pictures every Thursday when I hit a new week. I started at 5 weeks, so I have 3 now. Of course they all look the same, but when they start to change, I'll post them.

I have a due date!

Today was the first doctor's appointment!  So apparently I really am pregnant.  Not that I doubted it, but it's nice to hear from a doctor!  Everything looked "normal" he said and I even got a due date -- June 5th -- He didn't do the ultrasound today....waiting until a week from Friday to do it because he says I am right on the line of being able to see the heartbeat, and he didn't want to do the ultrasound and not see a heartbeat and scare me.  All of that was fine by me!  A very invasive exam and getting stuck several times to try and find a vein for the blood draw were plenty for today!  Oh yeah...I do have a "tipped uterus" which basically means my uterus points toward my back instead of toward my bladder.  My doctor says some women have this and it only really means I will have very bad back pain during the pregnancy as the baby grows.  Yay.  Oh well, could be worse!  

Derek and I went to watch the LSU/UK game yesterday in Lexington, which was a lot of fun, but very disappointing.  Where is your defense Tigers???  Ok anyway, I woke up this morning and while getting dressed discovered that one particular article of clothing didn't fit too well! And no, I'm not talking about my jeans or shirt.  I was warned about this, but didn't know it would happen so soon.  Yikes.  Apparently a shopping trip to Victoria's Secret is in store soon!  I guess there could be worse things to happen to a girl....besides that, my skin is freaking out a little.  I guess all of the hormones are causing me to look like a 13 year-old in puberty again.  Oh well.  Tomorrow is the first doctor's appointment -- hopefully they will do the ultrasound so we can see the heartbeat.  And an official due date would be nice too!

Nothing much to report...I am still very TIRED all of the time. But sleeping isn't the worst thing in the world! The newest thing that I'm experiencing is a tightening in my abdomen (no, I don't have a six pack LOL). Every now and then my stomach will get really hard, kind of like there is a rock in there. I have no idea what that is all about, but it's a weird feeling! Tonight I am in a friend's wedding that I am very excited about, and tomorrow Derek and I are driving down to Lexington to watch LSU stomp all over UK. Other than that, just a few more days until the Dr.'s appointment!

I can't believe all of this stuff has already formed!

Interesting Sensations...

First of all, GEAUX TIGERS!!! Ok, now that I've said THAT, I can move on to other things.  Oh yeah, Go Stanford too.  Anyway, I took Derek to Target yesterday after church to walk around  in the baby section.  After about 3 minutes, he was all sweaty and not feeling too good!  I guess he was a little overwhelmed by all of the gadgets and the fact that I said we needed almost every one of them.  He did enjoy trying on the "man diaper bag" things, though.  The past day or two I've really been feeling lots of strange sensations around my abdomen and back.  Apparently, this is called round ligament stretching and is just the beginnings of my body making room for baby.  Needless to say, it feels quite weird.  Other than that, I'm still feeling decent, just tired a lot.  And I woke up yesterday morning with this intense desire to eat chips and guacamole for breakfast, which I proudly did.  I can't say for sure if being pregnant caused this, but either way, it was a good excuse to eat a bunch of crap for breakfast!  I am getting excited about the doctor's appointment a week from today, mainly because of the ultrasound and picture I get to take home.

Naps Naps Naps

I am very quickly learning that naps are crucial for me at this early stage!  Last night I hosted a bachelorette party for my friend Jill, which was a lot of fun, but I was sound asleep by about 10:30 when we put a movie in to watch.  I guess sleeping 12-14 hours a day isn't the worst thing in the world, but it seems like I'm always asleep!  It feels like I have some little parasite that is sucking the life out of me.  It's amazing what something so small as a grain of rice combined with a surge of hormones can do to a girl....

Yep, that's right.  It's in the middle of the night.  Apparently, insomnia is a common pregnancy thing that I wasn't aware of, which stinks, cause I went to bed 4 hours ago completely exhausted.  But now I'm wide awake.  Oh well!  Not too much is on TV at this time, by the way!  I'm beginning to get a few of the early pregnancy symptoms, but here are the big four: I'm really tired all day long, my back hurts, my emotions are running wild, and I'm not so much in the mood to eat.  I guess these will get better at some point, but they'll probably get worse first!  Still, being pregnant so far is unbelievable!  Mind-boggling, actually.  Derek is starting to realize that this is for real and it's really cute.  For example, last night we made chicken for dinner, and even knowing that I wasn't too hungry, he offered me the bigger piece of chicken.  How cute is that?

There's the proof!  

Here we go!

At the request of a couple of friends, here goes the blogging.  Well, first off, we're gonna have a baby!  It really hasn't set in AT ALL and probably won't for a while.  So here's the story:  I had been feeling a little crappy this past week and definitely knew it was possible that I was pregnant.  Yesterday morning (Oct 3rd), I woke up with the intention of taking a pregnancy test.  I woke up at 5 am because my bladder was about to burst and headed into the bathroom.  Half asleep, I managed to successfully pee on the stick and set the test on the floor right beside the potty while I washed my hands.  In comes Derek to use the bathroom after me (I guess I woke him up) and he looks down and sees the test and says, "Hey, that thing says you're pregnant."  I thought he was kidding so I snatched it up and couldn't believe it.  It definitely said PREGNANT really clearly.  It was the digital kind, so at first I just kept looking for the word NOT that I assumed would be in front of  PREGNANT.  It wasn't there.  It wasn't there 10 minutes later either.  Or 2 hours later.  Or 12 hours later.  OK....guess I really am pregnant!  Needless to say, I called A LOT of people with the news.  I have my first doctor's appointment on Oct 15th for the 6-8 week visit.  I think I'll be around 7 weeks then, but won't really know until I go.  From my calculations, I think we are looking at early June for a birthday, which would work out GREAT, as Derek has the whole summer off.  Lucky him.