Taking a Minute to Complain

Morning sickness at 35 weeks pregnant? UGH!  I've been battling nausea off and on all day today and last night I woke up multiple times feeling a little "off."  I can't really describe the feeling other than light-headedness and a weird sensation in my gut when the baby is kicking.  It really feels like he is playing kickball with all of my internal organs and it doesn't feel good.  Starting next week I will be going to the doctor every week until Calvin (yes, we've decided on a name) gets here.

Yesterday after being on my feet for only three hours, I felt miserable.  My back hurt so badly that I could barely get in and out of the car and my feet were so sore that I finally broke down and went in for a pedicure last night.  Next on my to-do list is a maternity massage... but only if those aren't super expensive - I haven't looked into that yet!

About a month ago I noticed some very light stretch marks forming on my belly.  Since then, they have multiplied pretty much every day and look horrible.  They make me so sad and I am praying they go away eventually.

My house is a complete and utter pig pen.  I can't wait until tomorrow when I can get it back to normal... and since Jonathan is on vacation this week I will also be utilizing his help.  After the house is back in shape, I can get to working on my baby room projects!

Merry Christmas Eve's Eve!!

Our Christmas celebrations officially began today!  Jonathan's mom and step-dad, brother and sister-in-law, and grandma all came to our house to visit, eat, open gifts, and to do a little work on the baby's room.  I am one exhausted Mama tonight and we still have two days worth of travelling, staying up late, and family time on the agenda.  As tiring as it may be, I wouldn't trade it for the world - how lucky are we to have so many people who love us and want to spend time with us for Christmas?!!?

Marc has been working hard on some very special Christmas gifts for the baby.  He took my ideas for the nursery and made them into a reality!! He built some forward-facing book shelves for the wall, an abacus frame for above the crib, and is currently working on some corner shelves for behind the glider and a side table made out of an old stump we found.  The baby's room is really coming together so I thought I would share some pictures of our progress.  I can't wait to start adding the little touches, like pictures and decorations!  A big THANK YOU to Annette too for sewing the adorable curtains for his room and for being Marc's awesome assistant in all of his projects as well.

bookshelves

abacus frame (ready for beads to be added)

glider/ottoman and new elephant print curtains

newly painted dresser

closet doors and mounted tv

I have lots of ideas for finishing touches to the room that I will be adding over the next weeks.  Jonathan and I both love how it's all come together so far and can't wait to see the finished project!

Jonathan's dad and step-mom went on a long European (I think) cruise right after Thanksgiving.  After they got home, they both came down with horrible cough/colds.  Roger has finally gotten over most of his sickness, but poor Barbara is still hacking away and feels miserable this week.  We had plans to spend Christmas Eve with them so I'm hoping she feels well enough tomorrow to at least open her gifts and visit for a little bit!  There's nothing worse than being sick on Christmas!  Last year we had to miss my step-mom's family's Christmas because I felt so deathly ill with a bad cold.  It's no fun... so I am definitely praying Barbara feels better ASAP!

Santa came to our house early this year since we won't be home Christmas morning.  We got a 2011 wedding ornament, our yearly dated Jim Shore ornamnet, and fruit in our stockings!  I also got a hot air popcorn popper and some Zignano running shoes from Jonathan (to go with our new treadmill).  The baby got some super cute things as well today... we are already so excited to spend next Christmas with the little guy.  He will be eleven months old this time next year which means he could possibly even be walking - it's so hard to believe!

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends!  We send our love and hope for a great new year to each and every one of you (even if we didn't get around to sending out actual Christmas cards).

More To Be Thankful For

Jonathan passed his Professional Engineer's exam!!! We found out on Friday morning that all of his long nights and weekends of studying didn't go to waste. We were very nervous at the thought of having a newborn and then having to start the process all over again for a re-take of the test, but thankfully, that is not even going to be an issue. 

To celebrate my husband's awesome news, we had a delicious Italian dinner at Villa Farotto and then went to see Sherlock Holmes 2 at the theater.  I found out the hard way that this will be the last movie I see in theater before the baby's born. I was so uncomfortable that it was hard to even focus on the show; I just kept looking at my watch, willing the time to go faster.

Over the weekend I was able to get the baby's dresser all painted.  I color matched my old wooden dresser as closely as I could to the navy blue of the new chair and ottoman.  I will post some before and after pictures of the dresser once we get it out of the basement and into the nursery.

Christmas, my favorite holiday, is only five days away! All of my shopping and most of my wrapping is complete so now I'm just waiting until the family fun starts. Friday and Saturday we will be with Jonathan's family, Saturday night is Midnight Mass with my aunts, and Sunday afternoon we will be over at my dad and Kim's house - I'm so excited to see my niece and nephew open their gifts!!

thebump

Shortly after learning of my pregnancy back in June, I registered online with thebump.com.  It has since become a weekly destination in my web-browsing.  They have endless articles written just for moms for every step of the way, from your first trimester all the way up to your 12 month old child.  I've really enjoyed going through the "pregnancy checklist" every week - it's made me think of things I didn't even know I needed to do!  Our doctor's appointments always seem so rushed (we see the doctor for about two minutes every time) so we forget to ask the questions we have while we are in her office.  It's amazing how many moms have my same questions, and it's all accessible from one website!

Lately I have been curious about how we are going to handle those first couple of weeks alone at home with our newborn.  Are we going to be able to make sure all of his needs are met?  Will he cry non-stop?  Will he like his new home?  Are Jonathan and I going to be calm and collected or on edge and cranky?  Today I got my weekly email from thebump.com and what do you know, the main article for this week was entitled, "12 Surprising Survival Tips For Baby's First Weeks."  It is a list of tips from real moms, and I've found it very helpful and reassuring!

“It’s okay to cry. You’re going to be emotional; most moms are.” -- Kristin B.

“Shower and get dressed immediately before doing anything else. It makes a huge difference in the way you act and feel.” -- threehautemamas

“Accept help -- friends and family really do mean it when they offer!” -- Cliona F.

“Keep reminding yourself that this is the hardest part and that you’re doing an amazing job. Also, keep visitors at bay for as long as you can!” -- ParentMaze

“Sleep when your baby sleeps, even if that means sleeping all day and being up all night for the first couple of weeks. It’s important to stay rested!” -- Mindy G.

“Trust your instincts. Quietly listen for them -- they’re there!” -- Joann W.

“Remember that this part goes by quickly, and before you know it, you’ll forget that they used to spit up all day.” -- Amanda M.

“Trust your partner and let him do as much as possible while you rest and heal. Take it one day at a time and stay positive.” -- Julie C.

“Snuggle with baby and take lots of pictures. Don’t let visitors distract you from enjoying it.” -- Liselotte

“Force yourself to slow down and enjoy sitting still. Enjoying a slower pace doesn’t come naturally to most people, but try!” -- Shevi

“Be patient, give your baby lots of love, and the housework can wait!” -- Tiffany C.

“Try to get outside with baby daily if possible -- it helps boost everyone’s mood and helps baby learn day and night.” -- Lisa Z.

If you're trying to conceive, are pregnant, or already have an infant, then this is the website for you! There are so many tools in one place and thousands of moms who are going through the exact same thing (at the same time) as you!  I originally found thebump.com because I used theknot.com through the entire wedding planning process and they are affiliated sites.

Sleepless Nights

I remember laying awake for hours in the middle of the night in the weeks leading up to the wedding.  My brain felt like it was going 100 mph with no brakes.  In fact, sometimes it would get so bad that I would feel like the anxiety was taking over my whole night - sometimes I dreaded going to bed because I knew that it was not going to be a restful sleep. The weird thing is that a lot of times I wasn't even thinking about the wedding, it was like my mind was going other places to deal with the stress of everything I had left to do.  I remember saying the "Our Father" prayer over and over and over and over in my head... hoping to distract my mind and put me at ease.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

Well, I'm back to those anxiety ridden nights.  They are becoming more and more frequent again and I DO NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT! My list of worries aren't even a concern after the sun comes up, but for whatever reason, at 1:30AM, they are the most pressing thing in the world.  Plus it doesn't help that I'm famished every time I wake up in the middle of the night - luckily I'm far too lazy to ever actually get up to indulge myself.  I've taken to roaming around on Facebook and Pinterest to distract myself, but that only works for about 30 minutes.  Last night I emailed Jonathan's work account (better than calling him and waking him in the middle of the night, right?) but that didn't seem to help as much as I thought it would.  My go-to insomniac friends, Ray and Jones, have real jobs now and therefore no longer stay up all night so I couldn't even text with one of them.  So basically I stayed up for about two and a half hours until I was completely worn out and eventually fell back asleep. 

Maybe if I write out my fears/concerns/crazy thoughts I will be able to get a great night's rest... be prepared, some of them might not make any sense to you, but this is seriously the stuff I worry about:

-the baby is kicking too much
-oh no, I haven't felt him kick in a while, I hope he's okay
-the baby won't like us as his parents
-I won't be able to breastfeed for some weird reason
-my sister (I can't help but worry about her, she's my little sister!)
-Christmas gifts
-the baby won't like me holding him after he's born
-my mom (living 750 miles away makes it hard to keep tabs on how someone is really doing)
-painting the baby's dresser
-wondering if the baby is comfortable or not in my belly
-my friends not wanting to be my friends anymore (weird, but it is really a fear after marriage and kids!)
-the weather/roads on our drive home from the hospital
-going into preterm labor for whatever reason
-not having someone to drive me to the hospital if I go into labor while Jonathan's at work and need to get there quickly
-becoming official members of our church - and getting Jonathan to go with me, which always proves to be a struggle
-the baby won't like his name when he's older (we're leaning towards Calvin or Dexter, by the way)
-the process of getting the baby Baptized
-living in St. Peters... will our family come and visit us and the baby?
-what is going to happen with work?
-our financial situation
-house remodel plans

and the list goes on and on... somehow all of these things are magnified by 2,000 in the middle of the night.  I know I can't be the only one who goes through this night after night... right?

8 Months and Going Strong!

Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks pregnant... yes, that's eight months!!  Only about 57 days left til our little boy makes his appearance (we are just a little excited)! Jonathan accompanied me to my doctor's appointment today and everything is checking out perfectly so far.  The baby is in the correct position for birth, head down, and he's measuring up to 3 weeks bigger than normal haha.  The doctor says she can't know for sure yet about how much he will weigh, but as she put it, "you're not having a six pound baby, that's for sure." It makes me happy that he is growing so big and strong - I hope that means that he will be healthy when he makes his way into the world!

I've gained another two pounds in the past month, bringing my total up to 26 pounds! Lately I've found myself browsing online for post-baby work outs... I can't wait until I can exercise and feel strong again.  Jonathan and I purchased a Livestrong treadmill this week and I'm pretty jealous I won't really be able to use it for a few more months.  We already have a Bowflex free-weight set and bench so now that we have the treadmill, we won't need a gym membership. Now Jonathan's on the prowl for a good deal on a TV for our living room so that we can move our current TV downstairs to our "workout room."

Speaking of TV's, somehow my husband talked me into allowing a TV for the nursery.  For some reason, I think it's so strange to have one in there, but after listening to him for a while, it did start to make more sense to do it.  We I will be spending a lot of time in there rocking, feeding, and hanging out in the middle of the night, so to have something in there to keep me entertained will be a big help.  My sister-in-law swears she will have a TV in her next nursery because there is only so much thinking, praying, and reading you can do before going half-nuts.  Also, I want to fully enjoy my new glider and ottoman and I'm afraid that if I am bored in the nursery that I will find myself more in the living room when I should be in the baby's room helping him sleep.  SO, on Black Friday, we went to Target and got a 22" LED TV for the nursery wall.

We have so much to be thankful for this year - the top things that come to my mind are:
1.  marrying my best friend (who also happens to be an amazing and supportive husband)
2.  a loving family to back us
3.  having an "easy" pregnancy - at least compared to some of the horror stories I've read
4.  my girls - they are some of the greatest people in my life!
5.  my boys (Jonathan and the baby) - I never knew I could love anyone as much as I do these two!

"Nesting"

Jonathan and I both had yesterday off of work, and thanks to our service men and women, Veterans Day allowed Annette, my mother-in-love, to be off work as well.  She has basically painted our entire house up to this point (with our help of course, but she really is the professional) and so of course we called her up for some help painting the baby's room.  She came down yesterday morning and we knocked it out in one afternoon.  You'll notice she is not in any of the pictures, but don't let that fool you - she did practially all the hard stuff (like the dreaded trim work)!

Not only is Annette a painting pro, but she is also awesome on the sewing machine! So I ordered some very cute brown and white elephant material today for her to make some curtains. I can't wait to see this fabric in person, hopefully it will be as cute as I think and that our baby boy loves animals as much as I do!



Today we went to a baby boutique in Chesterfield, MO called Treasure Rooms.  Jonathan and I have been visiting this store periodically to test out gliders.  They have one that is made for taller people like us so that our heads are a little more supported for those late night feedings/rockings.  On our trip today, Annette and Marc actually purchased this set as a gift for us and the baby.  I could not believe the generosity and love in this gift - it definitely brought me to tears!  Each chair is custom made to our specific fabric and color choices and so it will be ready for pick-up in 4-6 weeks.  This is an example of what the gliding chair/ottoman set looks like, navy blue with white piping:

After a delicious lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, we parted ways with Annette and all went home.  This evening I went to Weekends Only (our favorite discount furniture store) and found what I thought was the Chupacabra of rugs - a cheap, but cute, tangerine colored rug that is at least 4x6'.  I've seen a couple options onine for about $150 but I was not about to spend that much on a rug.  Luckily, I found one for $68, so I had to go ahead and snatch it up just in case I never see another one again... I have seriously been looking for the past couple of months in every possible store!

Jonathan and I faced the daunting task of putting the crib together when I got home from shopping.  After watching the horror that every expecting couple faces on the TV shows, we were a little nervous that this evening would turn into WWIII.  Luckily, it was a fairly simple process and nobody got mad or started crying.

The crib is beautiful and I'm so happy we found it for such a good deal on amazon.com!  Here is a picture of the newly painted room, our new crib/mattress, and new rug:

My camera does not capture the wall color very well, but the name of the color is "Tame Teal" - it's a cross between a teal and an aqua blue :)  We have so much more to do on the nursery, but now that we have some of the basics completed, the fun decorating can really start!

Onto the Third Trimester...

This past weekend I took a trip up to Chicago to see Mary Poppins at the Cadillac Palace Theatre with some of my Quincy girls!  It was so much fun to see the movie come to life on stage - my favorite part was definitely the "Step in Time" number.  Although three days later I'm still singing "Practically Perfect" haha

Left to right: Trudi, Becky, Josie (Trudi's daughter), Emily, Jessica, Me, Beth, Katie

I made the five hour drive up on Friday morning so that Emily and I could have all afternoon to hang out before all the other girls got in town.  She has an awesome new camera and wanted some practice with it, so we did some pregnancy pictures of me out around her house.  Here are some shots that she got - I am exactly 27 weeks and 3 days along:

Sunday morning I woke up at the crack of dawn (literally... thanks to the time change) to head home to my husband and the NFL Sunday Ticket.  On my long drive home I started to come to the realization that our little boy will be here in 12 weeks!  We have so much to finish start on his nursery.  I've worked really hard on planning exactly how I want it to look, but now we are to the point where things need to actually start happening.  I'll make sure to snap pictures along the way - we are hoping to get the painting done this weekend!

Pregnancy update:

I had my 28 week doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is progressing right on schedule.  I am 23.5 pounds heavier than I was six months ago and it kind of freaks me out to think about having to lose all of this weight after the baby gets here.  We start our childbirth/newborn/breastfeeding classes next Sunday night at the hospital where we will be delivering and those will last for five weeks.  After next month, I will start having appointments every other week, and then the last 4 weeks (all of January) I will have an appointment every week.  My due date is still January 31st!

November 7, 2011, marked our six month wedding anniversary.  I couldn't ask for a better partner to go with me through this crazy life.  God really knew what he was doing when he put us together :)  I have no idea where I would be today if it weren't for Jonathan; he has taught me what it truly means to love and I promise to cherish our marriage vows forever! xoxoxo

Mary J. Blige says...

"NO MORE DRAMA!"

How is it that my little corner of the world can be so calm and happy but at the same time I'm stuck in the middle of craziness between people who don't know how good they really have it?  My family members are the most important people in my life and it kills me to see any bad blood between any of them.  I've tried to be supportive of everyone and it's almost like by not picking "sides" I have become part of the problem.  These people have their health, a roof over their heads, families that love them, and food in their bellies - what more can you really ask for in life? 

My heart starts pounding, my face gets flushed, it gets harder to catch my breath to even speak, and my brain starts going 100 mph... this baby does not like my body when I'm stressed out.  It's like God's way of telling me to step away from the situation and focus on the health and happiness of me, my husband, and our little one.

I hope that by removing myself from the conversation, they can vent/talk to each other instead of putting me in the middle.  If only I could be like Dorothy and click my heels to get away from the craziness of The Land of Oz my family's drama.  At least I will be in my happy place tomorrow night!


"There's no place like home."

Good Luck Jonathan!

It's a beautiful fall day today! I get off work at noon to head home to Jonathan and I can't wait.

We are driving to Columbia tonight to stay with his aunt and uncle because he is taking his Professional Engineer test bright and early tomorrow morning.  My prayer for him is that tomorrow all of his many hours of studying will pay off and he will recall everything that he has learned these past couple of months.  He's missed weddings, parties, family gatherings, and seeing friends so that he could attend classes and study for this one test - he has been so dedicated and I couldn't be more proud of him!  I'm most excited to see his stress level go down after Friday - we won't find out until January if he passed, but at least he can relax until then.  Maybe I'm especially biased, but my husband is seriously the smartest, hardest working, sweetest, most loving man I know and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have found and married him :)  Good luck tomorrow, baby! You will do great!!

26 down, 14 to go!

Weeks, that is.

After being hounded for months by belly-crazed friends and family, I finally took a picture of myself in the only full length mirror that we own (in the garage).  I've gained 11.5 lbs so far!


25 weeks, 3 days

On October 11, we had our third ultrasound.  Our baby boy is developing normally and is already the cutest little guy in the whole wide world!!!  We can't wait to meet him :)  Here are some pictures!

3D image - left profile

standard image - profile (look at that little nose and chin!!! AWWW!)

3D full facial

If you're wondering how I'm doing with that daily prayer journal... well... I've got exactly two entries.  I feel like the days are a blur sometimes; I really need to take a breather and dedicate some time to God!

On a not-so-lazy note, I have gotten all but about 50 of our wedding Thank You's finished! It only took me five months... Procrastination really should've been my middle name. My goal is to sit down and knock out about 20 of them tonight, but my 5 AM wake up, two hour drive, followed by an 8 hour work day will probably force me into napping from dinner until bed time. So is life.

"Pray, and let God worry." - Martin Luther

For the past couple of years I have been meeting with a small group from my Quincy church, Blessed Sacrament.  We have been working through the Why Catholic? study books for a Fall and Spring session each year.  Last night was our first night of this year's Fall session.
I love talking about faith, religion, God, and the Church, but more than that, I love having the safe place outside of work/friends/family where I can interract with other Christians.  Our group is diverse and everyone has an interesting "story" of how they came to be where they are today.  It's so fun for me to get to know these people more and more every session.

This six week session is dedicated to Christian Prayer.  I have a lot of experience in the Protestant religion where praying is spontaneous, natural, and is an open dialogue with the Lord.  In the Catholic religion, there are many structured prayers and I was actually pretty resistant to learning these prayers, as I felt conversation directly with God was more natural.  However, the more I read these written prayers that have been said for so many generations, I began to realize how meaningful they truly are.  Even though the majority of my prayer life is still speaking to God like a friend, there are definitely times when I have to turn to a memorized prayer to help me focus on Him, during times when my brain seems to only want to focus on Me.

This week for "Living the Good News" (suggetions our book makes for a personal connection between faith and action) I am committing to keep a prayer journal for the next six weeks.  I think if I write down the things I am thankful for/struggling with/needing that I will be more aware of answered prayers.  I know that I am constantly missing the little things that God provides, so I think to see them on paper will bring me closer to the prayer life I aspire to have.

"Give us ears to always hear your voice, a heart to listen to the message, and a will to live it out."

Long overdue!

It's been 10 weeks since my last post, which means I am now 23 weeks pregnant! We've hit some major milestones these past 10 weeks.  I've definitely got a nice baby bump going on, we have both felt the baby kicking, we've had another ultrasound and discovered that we are having a BOY, and have been making plans for the baby's room. It's been a very busy 10 weeks so I'll try to play catch up with a shortened version:

• My nephew, Ostin, turned one on August 14 and we had a pool party over at our aunt and uncle's pool.  Mom came in town too and stayed with us for a couple of days.




Ostin covered in blue birthday cake!

• The following weekend, Jonathan and I went to Kansas City to visit our newly engaged friends, Nathan & Sarah.  We also got to spend some fun times with Daniel & Wendy and two of my closest girl friends! It was a fun weekend and we should not wait so long next time to make a visit to KC!
• Roger, my father in law, and I went on a trip to Tennesse on August 25-29.  On the first day, for the first time ever, I felt the baby moving! I would call it a fluttery feeling... but I knew exactly what it was! We went to a BBQ and music festival in Nashville, ate our way across the state, went on a couple of touristy visits, and all in all had a great time.  Roger may have gotten food poisoning though because he became super sick on the last day of our trip :( 
• On September 12, we had our 20 week (halfway mark!) doctor's appointment.  We had an ultrasound, standard and 3D, and found out that Jonathan was right, we are having a boy! The ultrasound technician could not see a certain valve in the heart due to Baby's positioning, so we will have another ultrasound in 4 weeks to determine that this valve is developed correctly.



profile and left shoulder - 3D Ultrasound

• For my birthday, we had all of our immediate family over to announce it's a boy! We surprised everyone by coloring the inside of the cake blue. My friend Lauren made this cake special for us :) It was a really great day and I loved having everyone over to our house.  The next day, I was laying in bed and felt the baby kicking and moving so hard - I looked down and could actually SEE him moving in my belly. It was so weird/amazing!  It didn't happen again with Jonathan around until a few days later, so when he finally got to feel the baby, it was twice as amazing!

Baby Reveal Cake by Lauren Kerkhoff

These days my only symptoms are a sore back and uncomfortable clothes.  I finally bought a pair of maternity jeans.  They were $56 from the Motherhood store in the mall.  Of course I ended up having to buy the designer jeans because I would not fit in any of the generic smalls or mediums... I'm in a halfway size which stinks.  I can't even button my "fat" jeans anymore so now I'm down to wearing my one pair of maternity capris and one pair of maternity jeans... of course at home I only wear sweatpants and oversized basketball shorts though!  Luckily my friend is coming over this weekend to let me look through her maternity clothes to borrow.  How sweet of her :)  Cold weather maternity clothes are definitely not on sale yet and of course that's exactly what I need most!

I've been down in the back every few days in these past 4 weeks or so.  After talking to my friend Ashley, I think the baby may be pressing on my sciatic nerve.  When she was pregnant she described her pain as identical to what I've been feeling - shooting pain through my lower back, into my butt, and even upper legs.  When we go back to the doctor I'm going to ask her what I should do because there are some days when I can barely even move... it's a miserable feeling. 

On October 28, Jonathan takes his PE Test (Professional Engineering).  This is a very important test that he's been studying many hours.  He also has been taking about 16 hours per weekend in online classes to prepare.  This test is only offered twice a year and so if he does not pass, he won't be able to take it again for another 6 months.  I'm very optimistic that all of his hard work will pay off and he will pass with flying colors :)

WEDDINGS

Jones & Jesse got married on September 17... beautiful wedding and even better company! Had so much fun catching up with Bo and meeting new friends at the reception :)

Andrea & Ryan get married on October 15... absolutely can't wait! I'm so very happy for them and have had a lot of fun with her as she's planned for this wonderful day :)
Alexis & Joe... newly engaged! They haven't set a date yet but they would like to get married ASAP. This couple is very special to my heart and I think they are wonderful together! Also, I initially set them up so that makes me the ultimate matchmaker :)

It's a.... PEACH!

I am now 13 weeks pregnant - meaning I'm now officially into my 2nd Trimester! And Baby is now the size of a peach!

Jonathan and I went to my doctor's appointment on Monday.  I absolutely love that he is able to be there for me all along the way - we just schedule my visits for in the afternoon and then he takes off work a little early that day.  We are very blessed that he has the ability to do this! Once we got into the exam room, the doctor pulled out a funny little machine (I was desperately hoping she wasn't going to do an pelvic exam with that thing).  Much to our surprise she had me lay back and placed the handle of the machine on my belly.  She moved it around for a few seconds and found the heartbeat!!!! It was the most amazing sound!  Both Jonathan and I just stared at each other, listening to our baby's strong heartbeat, with big goofy grins on our faces.  I wish we'd had a video camera to capture that moment - I've been looking online for a good deal ever since!

My heart was so full of joy leaving that appointment.  I will always remember the moment when we heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time!  Of course, being the loving husband he is, Jonathan took me out for frozen yogurt after we left. 

Pomegranate yogurt with fresh blackberries from Red Mango!

In a short seven weeks I will be having the sonogram that will determine whether we're having a boy or a girl! Once we know the baby's gender, I think I'm going to throw a party in Baby's honor for our immediate families.  It's time to start celebrating this little peach's life!

Good-bye First Trimester!

It's been almost a month since my last post!

On June 27, Jonathan accompanied me to my first doctor appointment.  We both really liked my doctor and I'm so happy I was referred to her!  We set up an appointment for a couple of days later to have my first ultrasound.  It was so exciting to be able to see our baby on the screen.  Baby even did a flip! It was amazing and we were so grateful to be able to get a print out of our little one to take home.  This picture was taken at 9 weeks - Baby is about an inch long at this point!

The 4th of July was a super busy weekend for the Baileys - we played Mud Volleyball in Hannibal Friday night and Saturday.  It was so much fun and we definitely plan on playing again next year with Alexis and Joe.

On Sunday we drove to Quincy for the Holtschlag family reunion, then drove to Ewing to hang out with my family at the farm, and then finally made the 2 hour drive home that night.  Sadly we did not make it to even one fireworks show this year but we made up for it by watching Macy's show on TV... we were just too pooped to leave the house!

Jonathan spent last week in New Orleans and I cried like a baby having to be home for a night without him.  Can you say hormones???

For the most part, I've been feeling great lately! Although I've lost a couple of pounds according to the scale, my pants seem to be fitting a little more snug this week than they did last week.  I'm 12 weeks pregnant, so next week I will officially be in my 2nd Trimester... WOOHOO! After my doctors appointment next Monday I just might be ready to announce it to the world that I'm pregnant.  It's not that I've been hiding the fact or telling people not to tell... I just haven't been really forthcoming about my pregnancy for some reason.  I think maybe that fear of losing the baby made me keep my lips pretty much zipped - BUT everything I've read said you're basically in the clear of having a miscarriage once you reach 12 weeks so I'm getting very excited.  Another good thing about the 2nd Trimester is that I'm supposed to be regaining my energy again!  The last couple of months have been draining so I'm so happy to know more energy is on the horizon.

CRAVINGS:
McDonalds Cheeseburger - this one is weird for me. I haven't had a McDonalds Cheeseburger since I was probably 10 years old and in the past I've always hated McDonalds sandwiches (except for the "McChicken with only tartar sauce and lettuce" - what I loved to eat in college after a night of drinking).  I've only let myself have one cheeseburger so far, and immediately swore off fast food for the next two weeks because of it haha although I just can't stop thinking about how good they are...
Tomatoes - I've always loved them, but I literally can not get enough these days.  I go through a container of cherry tomatoes every week while I'm at work and then I go through 6-8 sliced tomatoes every week while I'm at home.  I read up on it, and apparently it's pretty common to crave tomatoes during pregnancy! The only draw-back is that my mouth hurts a little bit from all of the acid.

Blah Weather = Blah Mood

I don't know if it's the weather this week or just me being a sour-puss, but I feel so drained and sad.  I miss my husband more than anything... and the three days away this week felt more like ten.  I'm really not looking forward to when he has to go back to New Orleans for work next month. 

All that it's going to take to make me feel better is to get home, have some dinner with Jonathan, catch up on our shows together, and go to sleep in my own bed.  I can't wait!! Only three hours left until I'm walking in the door :) See, I already have a smile by just thinking about it.

Father's Day Weekend

Yesterday was Father's Day!  It was the day we had planned on telling all of our family about Baby - it was way too hard to wait though so we told our parents as we saw them in person the week before.  The last thing I wanted was to have them hear from someone other than us or over the phone (except for Mom, who lives too far away to see in person). Yesterday we made the big announcement to the rest of the family.  Everyone is just so overjoyed! It's a wonderful feeling to know how loved Baby is even before we've seen the first sonogram! This morning I sent emails/texts/calls to all my girlfriends to let them know the big news too... I am beyond blessed to have these awesome women in my life!

Our weekend was exhausting!  It seems like just about every weekend is jam-packed though.  We had my cousin's wedding on Saturday afternoon so we had to leave home Saturday morning to get to Quincy in time. Kim's birthday was also on Saturday so we wanted to spend a little extra time with her before heading to the wedding.  After the wedding (which was beautiful) we headed to Hannibal to meet Jonathan's parents at the movie theater to see The Green Lantern (stupid).  Then we went to the new Mexican restaurant and told Grandma Shaw our good news :) This will be her first great-grandchild, so she was thrilled. Sunday, after making our Father's Day rounds, we finally headed home and walked in the door at 8:45PM. LONG DAY!

I have no doubt that my husband will be a wonderful father.  Not only does he have multiple examples of great fathers in his life, but he also has a heart of gold and wants nothing more than to take care of those he loves.  So HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to you Jonathan, even though Baby isn't here yet, you are most definitely already a father and we love you more than anything in this world!

33 weeks to go...

I am 5 weeks pregnant (7 weeks if you go by how the doctors figure from your cycle). The only symptoms I've had so far is some slight cramping last Tuesday night, extremely tender chest, and a craving for Wendy's (I've only let myself eat it once so far). I've been trying to eat very healthfully, drink tons of water, cut out all soda/tea/coffee, take my vitamins, and get plenty of sleep because I'm seriously tired all the time now. The doctor said it was good for me to keep up the same levels of exercise I was doing before so I'm still playing sand volleyball twice a week... just drinking lots of water now instead of beer ;)

For breakfast this morning I had a pb&j sandwich... about 5 minutes later I got extremely nauseous and thought I was going to lose it in my office trash can. After some deep breathing (and some sweating) I was okay and have felt a little queasy since, but am much better. This may or may not be my first bout of "morning sickness?" There's no real clear answer of when you begin getting morning sickness, but I was hoping that maybe I would skip that whole unpleasant period of time. I remember how sick both my sister and sister-in-law were when pregnant. I hope it's not too bad!!

Playing Catch Up

So much has happened since my last post 9 months ago!
January: Girls weekend in KC for New Years Eve :)

February: My niece turned 1 year old!!! We had a PJ party at their house and she ate cake like nobody's business.

March: I had my first bridal shower. My aunts threw me a beautiful shower and I received what seemed to be everything on my Kohl's bridal registry.

April: My awesome bridesmaids threw me the most fun bachelorette party ever - bowling, karaoke, and gambling!! Our cousin/friend Tommy passed away from a massive heart attack early on Easter morning (we miss him more than I have words for).

May:  The wedding went off without a hitch, we spent an adventurous, wonderful, relaxing honeymoon in Hawaii, my hubby got accepted into the 3rd tier of his Leadership Development stuff (I say stuff because I don't really know the details yet).

AND... on June 6 we found out that I am pregnant!!! WOW!

We have told a handfull of people our exciting news but are waiting until after our June 27th appointment to tell all of our friends. I'm praying hard every day for a healthy pregnancy!!! Immediately after taking the pregnancy test and talking about it with my husband, I went to Target and bought prenatal vitamins, a planner/calandar to keep track of important dates along the way, and my first pregnancy book (I can't remember the name of it off hand but it's very informative and takes you through your pregnancy week by week).

My first very serious concerns when seeing those two little blue lines were of my lifestyle choices in the first few weeks of pregnancy. I cried knowing I had been drunk a few times and had drank socially 4 or 5 times as well and prayed with all my might that it wouldn't have an affect on my pregnancy. My husband was so supportive - he "Googled" my situation and assured me that everything would be fine and that the majority of women don't know they are pregnant in the first few weeks.

There are a million questions and fears I have... I hope to learn as much as possible along the way and to document my progress so that I can look back later and remember everything as it happened :)