BFP...and hello, 2nd Trimester???

Well, it's been a heck of a long time since I last blogged. It's not because of a lack of things going on, that is for sure!

On June 28, I met my friend Courtney for lunch and we were talking babies. At that point, I was 12dpo and really didnt think I was having normal AF type symptoms so I thought maybe I would test. Steve ended up taking that day off because he wasn't feeling well but went to visit his parents when I got home from lunch with my recently purchased tests. I tested on my own and...lo and behold..there were two lines!! I waited patiently (ok, not patiently) for him to get home and shared the news! Of course, we were both so excited!!

We had planned dinner with our parents that night and it was a perfect night to tell them our news! Everyone was so excited!!

At 7w1d, we had a viability ultrasound and it went very well! We got to see the baby's heartbeat beating and our LO was actually measuring ahead! great news!!

At 10w, we had our first apt with our OB. Again, our appointment went great! I was measuring perfect and got to hear the heartbeat! That was the best sound in the world!!

Unfortunately, at 10.5w, I had a bit of spotting and they had me come in to make sure everything was alright. It was!! Mom came with me and we got to hear the heartbeat again!! The spotting eventually stopped, thankfully!

The 1st trimester was filled with all kinds of nerves, sickness, fatigue, etc but I knew that meant my little baby was growing and thriving! Many days I was pretty uncomfortable but I wouldnt have changed it for the world!!

On Thursday, Sept 3, I finally entered the 2nd trimester and finally, my symptoms started to settle. Some things still make me nauseous (milk!!) and my energy is still low but I am feeling better!

We were able to find the baby's heartbeat on Saturday the 5th with our at home doppler! So exciting!!

Today, we had our 14w appointment and everything went well! Baby's heartbeat was 162bpm!!

I can't wait to start feeling kicks and get a baby belly as opposed to the bloat belly I have now!! :) We were also able to schedule our big ultrasound for Oct 12! Can't wait to find out if we will be expecting a boy or a girl! Hopefully our baby cooperates!!

I plan to be a much better blogger in the future! Right now, Steve and I are off to start cleaning out the nursery! Holy crap! Is this baby really coming??? YES!!!

Lunchtime Visitor & Busy Weekend!

I haven't updated the blog in a while so I thought would sit down and write a few lines.

Steve and I had both had a really nice Easter weekend. While Steve was finishing up his shift on Friday night, my sister and I went to see the Fast and the Furious movie. We both loved the first one and were excited to see this one since all ofthe main characters came back for this one. I think we both really liked it! Lots of action and lots of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. You can never go wrong with that!

Saturday, Steve got home early so we went for dinner and watched our Netflix movie, Righteous Kill. I was pretty excited for this because I love Robert Deniro and Al Pacino. In the end, I was pretty disappointed. It did nothing to suck me in...in fact, I couldn't wait for it to be over. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't good either.

The Sunday Easter service at Kensington was phenominal as always! Definitely the highlight of the day! The rest of the day was spent with Steven's family and then mine eating and socializing! It was a good day!

And last but not least, I had a visitor for lunch today! My hubby! :) It was so nice to spend some time with him since life is so busy with work and school. I am glad he came down and he definitely made my afternoon! :)

31. Make a Pot-Roast

On my 101 list, number 31 on my list was to have my mom teach me how to make a pot roast. She usually makes hers over the stove and I found a recipe for a roast made in the crock pot so I decided to give it a try! This was my first time ever making a pot roast and my first time using a crock pot. Could I master this thing?
So far, so good. Everything is in and the pot was a cookin'. Prep is so easy...I may be in love!
And yep, total success. I had a little bit of help along the way (thanks, mom!) but I knew it was done when it basically looked like it was starting to fall apart on it's own. I did open the lid once because the meat had tipped and half of it was in the liquid and half was out. I didn't want to take the chance of half of it being dry so I opened it, cut the meat in half, and then put the lid back on. The end result was VERY good...dare I say, better than mom's?? It was very tender and it basically fell apart when you put your folk through it. I will definitely be making this again and I am currently looking for other yummy crock pot recipes so if you have one, make sure to let me know!
Finally, is this a pic of a man who is happy to see a home cooked meal?? Especially one that consists of meat and potatoes? I think so! I even went the extra mile and made him dessert! I was a good wife this weekend but truth be told...I take after mom...I love to cook!
Here is the recipe (from allrecipes.com):
INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 (3 pound) top sirloin roast
6 cloves garlic, slivered
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 large sweet onions, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup beef broth
3 cubes beef bouillon
1 bay leaf

DIRECTIONS
1. Rub salt, pepper and paprika into the meat. With a small knife, make slits in the roast. Press the garlic slivers into the roast.

2. Place the potatoes, carrots, and onions in a large slow cooker. Place meat on top of the vegetables. Pour in water and beef broth, and add bouillon cubes and bay leaf.

3. Place lid on slow cooker, and cook for 6 hours on High, or 8 hours on Low.

(I chose to make mashed potatoes instead of putting the in the crock pot but that is the only change I made to the recipe).

My Beta Levels

Since the miscarriage, I have had to go in and get bloodwork pretty much weekly to make sure my beta levels returned to 0. I went in yesterday to get a blood draw and I hoped it would be the last time.

I got my results back today and it was very good news!! My beta levels are finally zero and I am finally in the clear!! wahoo! no more blood tests for a while! Physically, I am finally past the hell I have been in since a week after we found out we were pregnant and mentally, I am coming along as well. I still have my moments where I just want to punch something because I want my baby to be alive so bad but thankfully, these moments are coming fewer and farther between and I am thankful for that as well.

At this point, we are taking it one cycle at a time. This cycle, we are not trying. I want to make sure my body is physically healed 100%. Besides for that, I just dont feel mentally ready. Maybe I never will and we may just have to jump in the TTC waters anyway. Only time will tell...

Jamaica!!

ahhhhhhhh, Jamaica!! We had such a great trip! It was a blessing to be able to take this trip with my hubby. The trip down to Jamaica went pretty smooth. We arrived and got through customs pretty quickly and before we knew it, we were heading to the resort. We chose a resort very close to the airport so we only had about a 15 minute ride and we were in paradise.

The Sandals Royal Carribean resort is beautiful. As soon as we arrived, they offered us a wet towel and some rum punch. Right then and there, we knew it was going to be a good trip!

When we visited the travel agent to pick up our travel documents a week prior, we asked about upgrading our standard garden view room to a concierge, suite level room. The travel agent made a call and informed us it would be a $1,600 upgrade but that those rooms were full anyway. Fast forward to our arrival: we were told we were upgraded to a standard ocean view room. We walked in and it looked awesome but the bell thought it didnt look clean so he escorted us out. At that point, we dropped another couple off at one of those concierge suite level rooms and he asked us if we wanted one as well. Of course we said yes and he made it happen!! We were upgraded to a concierge level suite at no additional charge! That meant a stocked fridge and room service! We were definitely counting our blessings! So far, our vacation rocked!

We ended up never leaving the resort. We were more than comfortable hanging by the pool, participating in resort activities (I learned to basket weave!), eating the yummy food and well...drinking. :) The weather was perfect, the drinks were cold, the food was decent and the resort was beautiful! We could not ask for anything more. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

This is my favorite picture of Steven and I!
Ahhhh, the sunsets were completely amazing and I love how these pictues turned out!


Steve drinking by the pool bar (which ended up being closed for 1/2 our visit) but we managed to survive!

One of my favorite pics of my hubby. Note the green hat...that is the hat Steve bought when meeting one of the guys from the Jamaican bobsled team. The guy came onto the resort and took pictures with everyone and signed autographs. Ahhhhh, and now for the best part of our trip: Kari and Byron. We met Kari and Byron on Sunday at, of all places, the pool bar. Go figure! ;) Kari and I started chatting and the rest was history! We spent every day of our vacation with these guys and they really did make the trip! By Wednesday, we were eating every single meal with them, drinking with them, renting a few cabanas with them and generally, having a blast with them. By the end of the week, we knew Kari and Byron would be our life long friends! We already have plans to go see them in June in PA and they are planning on coming up here in August.

On Monday, Kari and Byron renewed their vows and Steve and I were honored to be part of it. We had our cameras so we took some pictures and I also got to be her matron of honor and flower girl! :) It was an awesome few moments to witness and here are a few photos that captured their renewal:


We love you guys! :)

Overall, our trip was AMAZING and PERFECT. We will definitely do something like this again in the future. Steve and I were able to spend some time talking about our future and where we would like our lives to head in the next few years. As always, we were on the same page and it felt good to talk and plan. Hopefully, those plans are realized soon!

What a Wonderful Weekend!

Even though Steven ended up working the whole weekend, I had plenty going on to keep me quite busy! Saturday morning, I headed over to Michele's for Joann's surprise party and it was nice catching up with my girlfriends. I haven't seen a lot of them since before Christmas!

Saturday evening, I met up with Bonnie, Anna, Emily, Deb, and Hope for dinner at Champps. Hope is in town from Dallas and it was SO nice to see her. I have missed her so much since she moved to Dallas. We used to meet every morning for coffee at Starbucks and worked together for about 6 years. So many good times with her, we could laugh for hours!

Today, my mom, aunt, grandma, sister and I met at moms to make homemade ravioli. The recipe is my grandma's and of course, she was there to direct us quite well. The ravioli are a lot of work but I am SO glad I learned how to make them. They remind me of my childhood and they are probably my favorite meal. So not healthy but SO, SO, SO good! I have to say, they turned out quite amazing!!

Here are a few pics from the day. Can you tell we were starting to get slap happy? My aunt is giving me the finger and my mom decided to get in on the action as well while my poor pappa is totally clueless! :) This picture makes me totally smile!
Here is a picture of mom's old girl. She was sick all weekend with a collapsed trachea but she is starting to feel better.
Nanna and Auntie Mary:
I love this picture of auntie mary. I think she was looking at some old music that my grandpa had put together long ago. He was a folk singer in Malta. We were able to listen to some but it was pretty scratchy.
And perhaps my favorite picture of all! Here is Sonny girl with a smile on her face! She is so beautiful! Look at that face!
All in all, what a wonderful weekend! Well, as good as it could be without my hubby. I have to admit, I am pretty tired and not at all ready for work tomorrow. The good news is we have an appointment with our travel agent after work to pick up our travel documents for our trip on Saturday! Wahoo!! Can't wait!

Been So Long...

It's been so long since I updated my blog! Not too much is really going on right now. Both Steve and I are real busy with work and life has pretty much settled back to what it was before the pregnancy and the miscarriage. Normalcy is good but there are some days where I am just so sad, I ache. Fortunately, those days are becoming fewer and farther in between and it is getting better.

One thing we are most definitely looking forward to is our trip to Jamaica! We leave a week from tomorrow and we are both just so excited. I can't wait to be in the warmth and the sun and am looking forward to leaving our life behind for a bit. Once we get back, I will update with our pictures since we are both taking our cameras.

Physically, I am completely recovered from the surgery which I am so glad about. Though we'll never forget our little bean, it's definitely time to move on. We are both more than ready. :)

Post-Op OB Visit and Our Tribute

Yesterday, we had our post-op visit with our OB and overall, I think it went pretty well.  The doctor went over the pathological report and thankfully, they didn't find anything out of the ordinary so basically, it was a fluke that I miscarried.  I guess I am thankful for that.

He gave us the green light to try again after one cycle (though I think we'll wait a bit longer) and also told us to come in after 3 unsuccessful cycles and they will try to help us.  I don't know that we'll run in after 3 cycles for help but I guess it's nice to have that option.

The doc also told us that the chances of miscarriage go down now that I have had one.  I don't really know if I believe that since I have known others that have had more than one but I need to focus on positivity so that is what I'll be doing!  :)

Also, the doc decided to run some bloodwork because I am still not feeling 100% myself.  I am not sure if its because of my emotions, if something else is going on, or simply that I am still healing from the surgery but I feel more tired and lethargic than usual.  He also wanted to test to make sure my HCG is 0.  I should get the results back tomorrow sometime.

Overall, I think it was a very positive visit.  The doc was concerned about my emotional well-being (I was shocked!!) and he spent about a 1/2 hour with us answering all the questions I had.  The visit left me feeling very hopeful for our future and I guess that is as much as we can ask for at this moment!

Finally, over the weekend, Steve and I bought a little stuffed animal to help us remember our baby.  To me, it's perfect.  It's a mamma doggie holding a baby doggie and from the moment I saw it, I knew it was what I wanted.  At least I can look at and hold this little stuffed animal and remember our little bean...we still love and miss him so much!

Here are a few pictures:

Our Weekend

I have to say, we are having a pretty good weekend.  Steven ended up taking yesterday off so we got to spend some time together and it was really nice.  We even had a date night last night...something we don't get to do very often because of his work schedule.  

We battled through the snow to make it to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner (we had gift cards!) and then went to see the movie Gran Torino.  We both thought the movie was fantastic!  The movie was set primarily in Highland Park, Michigan but also had many other scenes filmed in the Detroit Metropolitan area and although the city wasn't portrayed in a high regard, it was still neat to see our area up on the Big Screen.

During dinner, we really had a good conversation about what happened with the miscarriage and where we want to go next in our TTC adventures.  We both agreed we need a bit of a break to re-group and heal emotionally.  We will re-evaluate in the next few months.  We both know we can't wait too long since I just hit the big 3-2 on Thursday but we both think a little break will do us just fine!

Today, we are headed over to mom's to celebrate Auntie Mary's birthday and mine as well.  Mom is making a feast and I can't wait to spend some time with my family and eat a yummy home-cooked meal.

I also think I am finally healing from the surgery, thankfully.  I am spotting very infrequently and I hope that I am finally past it.  It takes such a toll mentally to heal from the surgery physically.  On Tuesday, we have my post-surgical follow-up with the doctor.  I have some questions I want to ask but more than anything, I want to get it over with.  I am beyond ready to move on from this and get back to our "normal" life.  

Have a good Sunday everyone!

We booked our vacation!

I am so excited to be getting away for a whole week with Steven!!  We could totally use the break from here and need to spend some time with each other.  The sun won't be so bad either!

We are going to an all-inclusive Sandals resort in Jamaica for 6 wonderful nights towards the end of March.  Just under 6 weeks away.  

Here is a link to our resort!

http://www.sandals.com/main/royal/rj-home.cfm

Sister Time and #23 on My List

Saturdays are usually pretty lonely for me because Steve works and I am home. Usually, I am just fine. I use this day to run errands, catch up on TV shows and just relax. This Saturday is a little different. I knew I had to keep myself busy or I would begin thinking of our baby and the miscarriage and I really didn't wan't do that so I decided to spend some time with my sister.

We went shopping at Target and then went to lunch. We ended up at what seems to be our normal Saturday afternoon lunch spot...Olga's. It was very yummy!! Then we were off to the movies to see Slumdog Millionaire.


The movie was amazing and the music was even more fantastic. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. The story keeps moving and really sucks you in until the very end. I get why this movie is up for the Best Picture and I hope it wins.

In other news, I have completed #23 on my list. I decided that for Valentine's Day, I would write Steven a letter to let him know how much he means to me and how much I love him. After the week (and month) we have had, the one positive that has come from all of this is that I feel our relationship has grown to a new level. He is now (more than ever) my rock, my support and my best friend! I can't imagine going through this life without him. I figured the letter would be the best way for me to tell him exactly how I feel. I hope he likes it!

Happy Valentine's Day all! I hope you have a fabulous day!

And, Hello Grief!

Last night was a rough, rough nite for me. I had a very hard time getting ahold of my emotions and working through them and as a result, I got everyone worried about me. I very much appreciate the concern but I just need some time to work through what I am feeling. In the end, I know I am going to be ok but for right now, I need to do my best to work through what I am feeling and deal with it.

Thank you to all who have come forward and shared your stories of loss with me. It makes me so sad that so many of us deal with this but I appreciate the feedback and the knowledge that what I am feeling and going through are normal and that it will get better. That seems pretty impossible to me right now but I am taking it one day at a time.

On a happier note, Steve and I still want to try and take a vacation in March. I cant wait to get it worked out so that we have something to look forward to. I also look forward to spending some time with just him. He really does make me feel better and he gives me hope for our future. Hopefully, we can decide soon and get it booked!

I ask that everyone keep praying for us...we still need them. Thx!

Another Day...

After an extremely rough night of emotion, tears, and comfort from my amazing husband (my rock), we headed to the hospital at about 10am.

I woke up feeling a bit at peace.  Missing my little one, but peace.  Everyone at the hospital was so extremely nice to me and I felt genuine sorrow when they told me they were sorry for our loss.  In fact, one of my surgical nurses suffered a loss herself and she handled me with compassion and kindness.   

My doctor is also amazing.  I absolutely love him.  I recently switched to this practice a year before we started trying to conceive.   I am so glad to have found him.  There is a lot to be said for bedside manner and he has it.  He made all of us (mom came too) so comfortable, relaxed and prepared for the procedure.  He also wanted me to understand that this is not my fault and there is nothing more i could have done.  I am trying to accept it but it's very hard.  The procedure itself went fine.  I am cramping and bleeding a bit but not as bad as I thought it would be.  

At this point, I am still in mourning for our baby but emotionally, I am doing OK.  The doc told us that we can start trying after one cycle and we'll see where we go with that.  Right now, I want to get back to living my life and getting off this couch.  I have spent way too much time on it over the last month.  Steve and I decided to plan a vacation for late March.  I am extremely excited for this.  We both need to get away, re-focus and spend some time with each other.  Maybe we will take our dream trip and go to Hawaii.  We'll see.

I want to thank everyone for their support but most of all, my husband.  He is amazing.  I also have a wonderful support system in my mom and dad, sister, mother and father in law and a few special friends.  I couldn't ask for more supportive people to be around me right now.  We will be OK with time.  It sucks beyond all hell but we will be OK.

Thank you all for everything! 

Devastation

Our worst fears were confirmed today at the ultrasound.  There was no heartbeat and the baby barely grew.  I have a D&C scheduled for tomorrow at 10am Eastern.

Of course, we are devastated beyond words.  Absolutely no words can describe the pain and confusion we are going through.  

We love our little bean.  God rest your soul, little one.  Mom and Dad love you very much.

At My Wits End

I know I am over-reacting but I honeslty feel like I am at my wits end with this pregnancy. God, I really want my baby to survive and thrive but I seriously don't know anymore. I have spent the week on the couch with my feet up and I am STILL spotting. I seriously dont even know what to do anymore except for cry. I have got yet another call into the OB and I am waiting for her to call me back but seriously, what is she going to be able to do? Nothing. I just want someone to tell me that my baby will survive and then I will be able to endure anything. Right now though, I feel like I am just delaying the inevitable and I feel awful.

I know crying and being upset isnt helping anything but I just cant help it. Not to mention, I still dont feel good. This is definitely not how I envisioned my pregnancy going.

I really miss Steve right now. I wish he was home with me but he needed to work. I just feel so helpless right now. I just keep praying the spotting will end and I can start enjoying pregnancy again. One hour at a time...

8 weeks...and of course, issues.

I am going to bypass my "8 weeks" post in light of all the issues we are having this week...it's the perfect trifecta, that is for sure.

Last Friday, I came down with a righteous sinus infection that is still going on. I coughed my ass off all weekend and even made a few comments to others that "I am coughing so much, I am going to cough this baby right out!".

Well, on Monday morning, I woke up to heavy spotting, extremely light flow. ugh, just wonderful. I, of course, called the OB right away and they rushed me in for an ultrasound. By the time I made it to my appointment about an hour later, the flow had stopped and I had light spotting. The tech did the ultrasound but because my bladder wasn't full, it was hard for her to get a clear picture. After a little bit of negotiating, she found our little bean...heart beating strong and measuring perfectly at 8 weeks. I was, of course, over joyed but so sick that I could barely hold my head up. OB's explanation was either implantation or that there could be a little blood behind the placenta that needed to come out. Ugh, I am not sure but all I know is that the bleeding/spotting has stopped and I am taking it easy. Not straying to far from the couch these days....

This sinus infection is just kicking my ass. I went to my regular doc on Monday for this and she decided, knowing that I was 8 weeks pregnant and having issues, to give me tylenol with codeine to help me rest. I took the piece of paper with something in my mind flickering but again, too sick to be my own advocate. When I mentioned it to my good friend Casey, she immediately told me to call the OB because the codeine is a narcotic. I called the OB and he told me to absolutely not take it. Greeeaaaatttt. I am sticking with my tylenol and Robitussin DM. Finally, I am starting to feel a bit better. My goal is to sleep in my bed tonight instead of propped up on the couch!

Lastly, Steven came in yesterday and told me not to worry (he knew I already was pretty fragile) but that we had a major leak in the roof....to the point where he had to pull up the carpet in the spare bedroom and has to go up in the attic and empty the bucket every few hours. We called the condo association but there wont be much they can do until everything melts. Thankfully, Steve is handling it and I am basically just choosing to not go in the spare bedroom and look because if I don't, it's not happening, right?? :)

All in all, it's been another stressful week and to be honest, I am not even a litle bit excited for the pregnancy anymore. I hope that as we go over the next few weeks, it will get better but right now, I am trying my best to be positive but the excitement is completely gone. I feel like I am being robbed of the pregnancy experience but it is what it is.

I may be just one of those special people that bleed/spot during their pregnancy. I may miscarry. Who knows at this point. All I know is that today I am pregnant and I love my baby. I read that on someone else's blog a while back and it really stuck with me.

Keep praying, my peeps!

7 Weeks!

Wahoo!! 7 weeks today! From www.babycenter.com:

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.

Man, the size of a blueberry!! Our little bean is growing!! :)

Our ultrasound this morning!

This morning, we had an ultrasound to make sure the baby was progressing as it should because of the issues I was having earlier in the pregnancy. Our appointment was at 10am and I was feeling a little stressed on the way to the hospital. It's just that this little one already means so much to me and I was so hopeful and anxious to see that heartbeat!

Steven came with me in the room and within 30 seconds of starting the ultrasound, the tech found the baby and, to our absolute joy, the heartbeat! Steven and I were just amazed to see that tiny flicker on the screen...it was SO amazing and I felt a wave a relief just wash over me. Steven was thrilled as well and he said that it made everything seem more real for him.

The tech also informed us that the little one was measuring exactly at 7 weeks...he/she is .68 of a centimeter long! The ultrasound went perfect and we are just overjoyed. I keep staring at the pictures they gave us and it's amazing that I could love something so small so much. :)

We took the pics over to mom and dad's and they were both overjoyed as well. We just feel so absolutely blessed and pray every night that the Lord keeps this little one safe and progressing.

Here are the pics of our little one:

On the pregnancy front, today the morning sickness has kicked in. If I am not starving (even after eating), I feel like I am going to hurl and my stomach is upset. It's funny how my stomach goes from upset to hungry, back to upset in about 2 minutes. I don't care though...it just means our baby is growing!

Next OB appointment will be at the 9 week mark, February 9th. Perhaps after then, I may feel more comfortable letting others know.

Have a fabulous Monday everyone!

Sonny playing in the snow!

I have been itching to play with the new camera just as much as Sonny has been itching to get outside and play in all the snow...what a great combo.  Here are a few of my faves:

In baby news, we go for another ultrasound tomorrow morning.  I hope and pray it goes well and we can see the heartbeat.  I will post an update tomorrow!

6 Weeks!

Today, I am 6 weeks! From www.babycenter.com:How your baby's growing: This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones.

Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean:

September 15 & Other Ramblings

September 15.
9/15.

This day is a pretty important day in my life. I love this day. Things that have/are happening:

• I bought my condo on 9/15/03. I recently found the papers when looking for the name of my inspector for Nicholas and that date popped out at me.
• I married Steven 9/15/07. The best day of my life so far.
• Our baby is due 9/15/09. When I was in the hospital last weekend, they pushed my date forward 3 days to 9/15. How cool is that!

As for the pregnancy, I am feeling a ton better than I felt this same time last week. I haven't spotted/bled in almost a week and I am starting to feel excited for the pregnancy again. I hope I can continue to feel this way. :)

Tomorrow, I start week 6. I feel like I have been in the 5th week forever...and I have! Since when does a week last 10 days? When you think you are 5w1d and they backdate you to 4w5d! I just feel like time is moving at a snail's pace. I am sure though as I start getting back to my normal routine, it will pick up again. I hope so at least!

On the homefront, Steven and I are enjoying his new birthday present...a new LCD HD TV. He loves it and I have to say...I do too. I have a feeling Grey's Anatomy is going to look awesome on this TV. ;) Good times.

Happy MLK day everyone!

Issues

Last Sunday-Tuesday, I had some issues with spotting/bleeding and needless to say, I was scared shitless. I called the doctor on Sunday and he told me to head into the ER. In the end, we found that my cervix was closed, numbers were still doubling and the ultrasound showed a sac. Very good news!

I was told to go home and rest and follow with my doctor. I did but experienced some more bleeding on Tuesday. I thought for sure the pregnancy was over but yet again, my numbers were still doubling and the ultrasound on Wednesday not only showed a sac but a faint shadow of something growing in it! Our hearts literally leapt for joy! My mom keeps teasing that she thinks this baby will be a boy because "It's already being a pain in the ass!!!". Haha, she always knows how to make me smile.

I had a nice conversation with my doctor tonight and he told me that around 50% of women deal with spotting/bleeding during early pregnancy and that it is probably the baby/placenta burrowing in for the long haul. He also told me that my levels are exactly where they should be and as of right now, everything is going well. I really love my doctor, he has an awesome bedside manner. :)

He is sending me for another u/s in 1o days (1/26) just to make sure everything is progressing and he told me that, at that point, we should hear that heartbeat! I so can't wait and pray that everything goes well in the meantime. Maybe I will even try to relax and enjoy this pregnancy a little!

Thanks to everyone for continuing to send those prayers up! I am very appreciative!

81. Start a Family.

On Saturday, 1/3/09, my sister and I were scheduled for a massage and since I heard getting a massage in the 1st trimester is bad, I decided to test and rule it out. To my shock, the test (and multiple tests thereafter) came back positive!!!!!

Of course, Steven was working that day and I couldn't wait for him to get home! He finally arrived home after a long day at work and I surprised him with a gift! I wrapped a little onesie I made him along with the pregnancy test. He opened it and was in total shock! It was a great moment. He was thrilled and more than a little nervous. :)

We then decided to tell our parents with a onesie as well. Both sets are beyond thrilled and my mom even started crying she was so excited. Here is a picture of the onesies I made (Steven's has the number 88 on the back for his favorite NASCAR driver):


Due date is 9/12/09. Only a few days from our 2nd anniversary. We couldn't be more excited!!

My 101 List in 1001 Days

The Mission
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable, or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of effort on your part.)

My list is to the right. I needed some tangible tasks to focus on and when I heard about the 101 list (thanks, Shannie!!), I knew I had to do it. I think it took me about 3 weeks to develop and I have a feeling I will change it as life changes. For now though, it's a good start. I'll use this blog to help me keep track and report on my progress. Time to get crackin'!!

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