I have been a slacker on posting!! Since my last post I have had two other ultrasounds!! A 12 week and almost 14week one (today's). I came with a gang at my 12 week- my mom, Alex, and Alisha, a bestie :) The 12 week ultrasound was amazing because The Bean no longer looks like a "shrimp"- it looked like an actual human being. And The Bean was a Mexican jumping bean! That child was kicking up a storm...sadly it is still to early to feel movement. The Bean kept throwing up an arm up to the face like "woe is me"! The heartbeat was strong and Alisha was able to film some of it with her iphone (shhhh we weren't suppose to!). When I make the time to get over to her house I will upload the video!!

Now I am considered a "high risk" pregnancy because of a procedure I did a few years ago to remove some pre-cancerous cells from my cervix. Because of the procedure, my cervix can thin out and/or open too early. To make sure everything is okay I will be going in every two weeks until 22 weeks to make sure everything is a-okay. Today was my first visit to check and I got two thumbs up from the doc. The tech who does the sonos and ultrasounds is AHmazing! To check for my cervix I have to have an "internal" sono (the same test you get pre- 12 weeks). As she was performing this test she moved it around so we could see the baby. The view she got was from The Bean's booty! She tried to find out the sex but it is still too early to get a good read. Because my tech is AHmazing she gave my an ultrasound after so Mike could see the baby in a better view. Mike was away for work at the 12 week apt. so this was his first time seeing The Bean non-shrimp like in person. This kid had a bag of chips and was in his/her lazy boy. The baby was leaning back and feet kicked out and crossed! His arm was up by his/her face again- it is The Bean's pose! Our next appointment will be Monday Jan. 3rd and we will find out if we are team pink or team blue!!!

Since the last time I have posted I had a crazy allergy attack again! Of course we have no idea what triggered it- the cold weather, or putting the heat on for the first time??? Anyways, My allergist and my OB gave clearance for me to be on a high dose antihistamine 3x a day. It seems to be helping and it is safe for the baby! I just hope I don't have to be on this for the whole pregnancy. So fingers crossed that this is a one time flare up during the pregnancy!

Sending some love to my dear friend Carly who is newly engaged!!! Jaime FINALLY put a ring on it! I am so thrilled for them and can't wait to help her with anything she needs while planning her wedding! I love you Car xoxo!

So if I become a slacker again and do not post anything until after Christmas- Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you and your families are enjoying this fabulous time! Now off to Pittsburgh for a wonderful white Christmas (please puh puh please snow while we are there!!!)

Got a little help from The Bean today :)

No The bean didn't cure me of my nausea- sadly that is still going strong. I have outdoor drapes that hang on one part of my backyard (conveniently blocking the crazy neighbor!)- and I ordered some new ones from West Elm. Like most situations between Mike and I, he convinced me to only order 4 drapes when I knew I needed 5. So of course, I had to order one more when Mike hung the 4 up and there was a nice hole that still needed to be filled ;)  And dummy me ordered the 96" length when I needed the 108". Well I have been putting off calling West Elm to see if it was to late. Man I lucked out with the nicest lady on the phone. As she looked up my order she said it was placed in SEPTEMBER!!! And they have a 30 day policy. She then began to tell me that they sometimes bend the rules and asked if I had a reason for not calling. And then I used my unborn child to help me get West Elm to bend their 30 day policy.
me: "Well Peggy, I am pregnant and have had horrible first trimester nausea..."
Peggy: {gasp}  "Oh MY!"
me: "I have been basically been living out of my bed for the last two months..."
Peggy: "You need not say more....that is the best excuse!"

So, I felt bad when I first hung up thinking, "Geeze I can't believe I just used The Bean like that..." Mike walked out and said "that was good news," (obviously listenting in to see if my procrastination costed  us!).  I told him I felt bad and he said... "Well it is true..." and it is. I really have been a sick and lazy momma to be. So thanks to my little bean (who is now the size of a plum or large lime today!) I got the hook up!!

We have three more days until the 12th week marker...HOORAY! We are only two days away from seeing and hearing The Bean again! Wednesday we go in for another sono and testing to make sure the baby is healthy and on track.  We will post new pictures on Wednesday!! Until then Mike and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family!

Less than 2 weeks....

Well we have less than 2 weeks left 'till we are out of the first trimester!!! I am counting the days hoping I will be one of those preggos that gets out of the first trimester sickness. Yep still sick! I am eating so much- literally every two hours to help fight off the sickness but mostly I have to or my stomach starts having loud conversations it is embarrassing! I can't believe how hungry I can get in such little time after I eat....so strange to me still. I am still having some cramps; however, the worst is back pain. My mom asked me today, "what did you do to your toe?", then I realized I am walking like an old woman with this back pain!

Still pretty tired, but not as bad as before- I can actually go a whole day without feeling like I need a nap....trying to cut back on the napping so I can sleep better, correction- TRY to sleep better! I cannot get comfortable, tossing & turning and right when I do get comfortable I have to pee! I average 2 to 3 times a night having to get up and use the restroom- and boy it is dangerous!! I am usually half asleep trying to navigate and hit a shoulder, arm or leg on one of our closet doors. I have been stubbing my toe on our scale- every time I do it I ask myself why I haven't moved it yet....(thanks Amy for the reminder!). One night I hit the closet door so hard Mike woke up- he figured out what happened and that I was okay and then we both laughed...one of the only funny symptoms/situations I can laugh at thus far!

This week two friends have and are currently giving birth! Skyla gave birth to a handsome little man, Tyce. He is such a sweet baby and mom is recovering at home and amazingly has been getting more sleep than expected! Lauri was induced Saturday evening and still no baby. She might have had it but no word yet from them. Lauri is having a boy too and surly will be a cutie pie! Holding Tyce was a real eye opener. It was crazy to think in 7 months that is where we will be!  So amazing! Speaking of boys - it seems like everyone is having a boy- except my friend Meg in Orlando- she is the only one on team pink! Mike and my mom think I am going to have a girl.....main reason- that folk saying that girls take your beauty....this baby has made me feel and look like I am 13 all over again with some nice acne! Fabulous!  We will find out the sex probably the last week of Dec- the 30th or first week of Jan.! Whatever the baby is girl or boy we just hope he/she will be healthy and happy!!

Throwing in the towel....

Man I am beyond happy and blessed that I am pregnant BUT this first trimester sickness is for the birds. There have been a few days lately that I have woken up feeling great; however, by lunch I am feeling poopy again :( The last two days I have felt horrible pretty much the entire day!

This weekend is the wedding of two dear friends, Nick Laughlin & Erica Lesko. Mike is the best man and I am reading in the wedding. The two soon-to-bes came down this past Saturday and have been staying with us until today when they headed down to St. Pete beach where the wedding is going to be. I am pretty worried that I will feel horrible during this amazing moment for our friends & that is a reason why I am throwing in the towel. We have our first appointment with our OB, Dr. Irvin, tomorrow am. I am excited to have a first sit down and go over the typed list of questions...but also to ask for some help with this sickness. I am not asking for a magic pill just so I can have a great time at the wedding, but so that everyday from tomorrow on can be easier! It is so hard to be productive when you feel like you want to hug the toilet AND have 30 lbs weights on your eye lids....

We have a fabulous restaurant here called City Fish and it is a fact we will go there when Nick & Erica visit. Last night we were all so pumped to go and chow down on the most amazing app steak madiga. As we were ordering Mike and I both wanted to share some yummy crab legs.....yummy was the last word I thought when it arrived to the table. As soon as the server placed it in front of us the smell made me want to jump across the table and head for the restroom. I tried to look down at my own food, steak and spinach, and concentrate on that and not the gawd awful nastiness in front of us. But, the smell kept me from eating another bite..... Mike picked up on the situation and then so did everyone else. Thank goodness Mike, as usual, had attacked the crab legs and there was hardly any left. He quickly moved the basket and I sipped on H2O. I tried to eat dinner but that smell took my appetite. Thank goodness Erica is my soul sista and ordered their fabulous tableside banana foster- Mmmm Mmmm good. So My dinner consisted of some great bread, 4 bites of my steak & 2 bites of spinach and ice cream with banana foster!

So less than 4 weeks until this first trimester is over and hopefully I will gain my energy back and can say GOODBYE to nausea!!

The Bean's Debut

Words cannot describe how happy today's doctor appointment left us. Today we saw The bean for the first time and heard his/her heartbeat! Music to my ears ;) The tech measured the beats and The Bean has a strong healthy heart beat for 7 weeks. Yes we found out I am 7 weeks, still early. Today we also decided to go public with the news. A dear friend, Shauna, told me to just go for it. That no matter what happens it is better to have the support of family & friends, and I totally agree! I will be sending this blog out to family and friends, as I will not be posting everything online & not sending out 30 different emails with each update:) This little blog is just so much easier!

So The Bean is healthy and the size of a centimeter! The small round looking thing to the bottom right attached to the baby is actually not a manatee tail (what I dubbed it), it is the yolk sac- what is feeding the baby because Lord knows Taco Bell is not the best! Hopefully this crazy carb/ greasy food phase is exactly that....a phase! You cannot see it, but you could see the heart race as it was beating- so amazing!

As I type this my stomach is talking to me- I have to run and eat before I get sick! Will post later- but for know we would like to introduce you to The Bean!

Rip Van Winkle

Fast food was my best friend last week....this week my pillow, soft sheets and my bed (THE most comfy bed on the planet) are my BFFs. I can guarantee that I will take a nap everyday in the afternoon and it is for at least TWO full hours! Before I was having issues with taking a nap and then not being able to sleep during the night- well now I can't get enough of it. I am always so dog gone tired! I have learned a trick- I have to eat something filling prior to bed to help with the nausea and to help me fall asleep :) Last night I had a slice of bread with pb & honey....Mmmmmmmm, my mouth is watering! Nausea was horrible this last weekend. I laid around in pjs and was lazy lazy lazy. On Sunday we woke up and ran to get dog food and stopped by Macy's to order a chair Mike wanted for his office. Mike did an awesome job picking it out- it is a chaise that you can just melt into and take a nice little nap(everything revolves around sleep!). On our way home we picked up some Moe's (that was allllll Mike!) and by the time I finished my taco I was curling up on the sofa and then OUT! Sleeping is my forte!

Mike's new COMFY office chair ;)

And so it begins...

The sickness was NOT due to lack of sleep...it is the start of the first trimester sickness! I have yet to share this blog with anyone yet....just logging my daily thoughts and emotions...but when anyone starts to read this I can describe what I'm feeling very easily.....the WORST HANGOVER EVER! At no point in the day does it get better. The only positive is that I have yet hugged the porcelain god, or get sick while out working or running errands...and I only hope that I don't! By 1:30 I am walking zombie. I am beyond tired and afternoon naps are a slice of heaven.

I am so glad I lost 14 pounds over the past few months because fast food has become a best friend (rolling my eyes & sticking out my tongue). My friend Skyla loved her some Chick-fil-a and talking to her today made me crave it. Thank goodness I have a mom that was two seconds from one and kindly dropped off some chicken nuggets, waffle fries and a large diet lemonade! (Thanks Em for the suggestion on the drink- it was amazing, after the first sweet-then-sour sip it was Mmm Mmm good!) Now usually people become obsessed with one place, but I do not discriminate....In the last 3 days people I have had taco bell, wendy's, jimmy johns ( deli meat is a no no but I could NOT resist), and now chick-fil-a. I laughed when I listened to my preggo friends when they told me all they wanted was greasy food or carbs...now it is no laughing matter. Well yes it is....they say you can learn a lot about a person by looking in their trash.....and that is a fact. As I went to throw away my chick-fil-a I laughed when I opened my trash can. On the top were two empty fast food cups and three crunched up fast food bags....can't wait until Mike gets home tonight and sees this...My close friend Emily shares the same OB and she is six months preggo and sadly still feeling like poo. Today she made me feel fabulous when she told me what out doctor told her..."If you can only eat twizzlers, then only eat twizzlers. At least you are eating something, it will pass".....I have less guilt as I shoveled my waffle fries :)

Today I ran by Babies-r-us to purchase some preggie pops. They are lollipops that are suppose to help with dry mouth and sickness. As soon as I got in the car I popped one in and it was a sad moment. I wanted to just cry. I was excited for it to work so I could be more comfortable while working. It was nasty! It made me want to throw up & I spit mine out....so back to the drawing board. Hopefully this stays as a first trimester thing!! Don't know how some of my friends had this longer than 12 weeks....

Just wanted to send a BIG THANK YOU to my sweet Emily Ley. She has been a source of information being 4 months ahead of me :) She also has been a great ear especially when I had my first of many crying sessions about my first doctor's visit. Emily was kind enough to give my little blog a much needed ELP/ELC facelift! You should have seen what the blog looked like before...so fuggly! Thanks to her fabulous eye and creative talent she threw together my blog design in a snap an I LOVE IT! Emily owns Emily Ley Paper and I highy suggest you look at her website as I am in love with her paper goods! And if anyone needs some branding help, Emily Let Creative has done some amazing work too! So Thanks again Em!! xoxo

bleeeehhhh

To first start off on a positive note, I have THE best mom! She helped me basically gut out my garage and put together two new shelving units to keep things organized. It took all day Saturday and since I have not been feeling that great & cannot do heavy lifting, my mom did most of the work. Today she came back over and tackled my two guest rooms! I cannot believe how much crap we threw away! I knew I liked saving things; however, I had no clue how much of a pack rat I really was...borderline on embarrassment.

The bad part of today was that I felt horrible- feeling very tired and fatigued. All I could eat was a costco blueberry muffin & milk until around 2ish where I snacked on a handful of oyster crackers. I had no appetite at all and often got waves of nausea. Tonight I managed to get some strength and make some pasta with broccoli and now hoping that I can stomach it.  I will be praying not only for the Bean's health but for some sleep too! I tried so hard to sleep last night, but was unable to crash until 5, waking back up at 9:30. Ridiculous if you ask me. Wondering if my icky feelings today were from the lack of sleep? OR has that time come where first trimester sickness will start to kick in??? Whichever one it may be I pray for a goodnight sleep tonight. I can get through work feeling sick, but sick + tired + fatigued....no way jose.

First Ultrasound

Today has been a flood of emotions. I can first off say that I do not have a ectopic pregnancy and my initial blood work came back confirming that I am prego. So the glass half empty part - during the ultrasound there was this small dark round thing and it turned out to be the "sac" the baby will be in. Will be.....they said that they can't see the baby yet. So this put my mind in a frenzy of emotions. Turns out that I am a lot earlier than I thought. I keep telling myself that this is a GOOD thing. But I only prepped myself for this appointment to either find out that I was ectopic or that the Bean is okay and I would hear the heart beat. Didn't hear it and didn't even see him/her....that was something I wasn't ready for so of course I became a emotional wreck. You know when you are so sad & scared that you are on the edge of a huge crying session but you suck it in because you don't want to look like a hot mess??? That was me. I was trying so hard to not cry but it was impossible. I met Dr. Baker who works with my doctor, Dr. Irvin. She was so sweet and gave me a hug and told me to have tea when I got home. My tea turned out to be grits, eggs, and biscuits and gravy at Cracker Barrel with my mom and dear friend, Emily. It was exactly what I needed. Bad southern food with a dose of girl talk! So what is next? Tomorrow I go to give blood and I am crossing my fingers and will be having a little convo with God tonight that my numbers come back as they should. Good results will give me that extra boost in confidence to last me two more weeks until another ultrasound. Find it ironic that as I type, I am watching Grey's and tonight Meredith's doctor told her she has a "hostile" uterus....this is where I am suppose to be glass half full and say at least I did not receive that news...well I am happy I didn't get that news, BUT wish I heard and saw the bean today.....2 more weeks....

"Say a little prayer..."

Famous singing scene from the movie

I woke up WIDE awake at 5:45 this morning...but I woke up singing- literally, I started to belt out the song from "My Best Friend's wedding" with Julia Roberts....

"From the moment I wake up

Before I put on my makeup

I say a little prayer for you..

While combing my hair now

And wond'ring what dress to wear now

I say a little prayer for you..."

It is a good thing that Mike is back in Chicago for work because he would have thrown a pillow at me! The two nights before I haven't been able to fall asleep until 12 or 1 and woke up at 3 or 2...my nerves have to be getting to me because where is all this rip-van-winkle stuff I hear I am suppose to be experiencing??? Nerves.....well I have had cramping, which is normal, however mine have been staying to one side. Along with this I have had a lot of spotting. Being a first time pregnant woman I have been on edge with a ball of nerves, often tearing up in hopes that everything is okay. I called my doctor's office the other day and to air on the side of precaution they want me to come in to have an ultrasound. Yesterday I did some blood work(which I hear I have to get used to...yuck!), and I go back Friday to do more blood work to make sure my numbers are okay. But today is the day I find out if our little bean is okay. All I want to know is that he/she is where they need to be, and not ectopic. My one-side cramping and spotting are signs of an ectopic pregnancy, hence the reason for our ultrasound appointment.

I am trying to keep high hopes and think happy thoughts, but it is hard. I am 6 weeks and 4 days and that is so early and anything can happen. Our bean's heart has started to beat already & I might be able to hear it today. If I hear that beautiful noise I will be ecstatic! They say that once you hear the heart beat there is a small chance that you will miscarry.... so I guess my mind has resorted to belting out in song to keep me from a mini meltdown! As I was blow drying my hair I started singing songs from Les Miserables, my favorite musical. I am seriously going crazy. I am acting out a musical while flat ironing my hair and then I stop & cry. stop then sing. stop then tear up again. I am one big hot mess and God willing a healthy pregnant hot mess. I know no one is reading this yet, but it feels so good to write this out. A little therapeutic. So I am going to go, pick up my mom (support team) and go face this ultrasound. God gave us this amazing gift and I hope I get to meet him/her today.

Chicago & The Bean

Mike and I just got back from a truly unforgettable weekend in Chicago. On Thursday 10.7.10 I woke up to get ready for a day of sight seeing in chi-town and noticed that I was resembling a lot like Dolly Parton and feeling like I was carrying two watermelons (TMI -I know, but hey that is me!). I grabbed my bag took a pregnancy test and hopped in the shower thinking that it would be negative like the other 15 I had previously taken.  I glanced at the test and was shocked when I saw TWO lines...yes two lines = pregnant!!!!! I can't tell you the flood of emotions I was feeling. I ran to my phone and called Mike who was downstairs working out- "Um, babe.....I uh took a test. A uh pregnancy test.....and we are pregnant!" Mike was in total shock. He ran blocks to find a drug store so we could buy another test to confirm.....and we got another positive!!  They tell you that women can tell when they are pregnant, well I knew. I was using a at home ovulation kit and as soon as my test told me I was ovulating I was so nauseous. I read that it can be normal for women during ovulation. I continued to feel icky off & on the entire day all the way until Chicago. Also, a week prior to leaving on the trip I was drinking our Crystal Light and it tasted gosh awful! I told Mike it tasted like chemicals; however, he said it tasted fine! At night I was really gassy- having small burps (thank goodness I was at home during this!). All the while I felt it. I knew. But every test, 15 of 'em, came back negative. I guess I wanted it so bad I tested a wee bit too early;)

On that day, 10.7.10, Mike and I found ourselves in Millenium Park standing in front of the famous bean sculpture....and that is where the baby was given it's first among many nicknames...The bean. Today I am 6 weeks and 2 days and online it says that the baby is the size of a lentil. Our bean is the size of a bean:) how am I feeling now....well I still get feelings of small sick icky feelings but nothing as bad as some of my friends have experienced. I have a bit of acid reflux where I am tasting acid in the back of my throat, lovely huh? And I am experiencing an added height in smells...today at one point every time I got out of the car I smelled pumpkin goo!?! So strange! I am feeling a little tight in some of my clothes already...yes this I found strange but all my readings confirm that one can start feeling bloated at this time. The one part of this amazing happy experience that is a little difficult is what I call the "Dolly Parton part". My chest is super sore and has kept me up for the past two nights. Boooooooo!!!!

Don't want to be a complainer right now because I am feeling so blessed. SO BLESSED. Thank you God for giving Mike and I this amazing gift. Chicago will always be such a fabulous trip and will forever be talked about!

Day By Day...

So why do I need to join the many other bloggers out there???  I needed an outlet. A place to let it all out when needed. A place that I can let out all stress. All the happiness. All the insanity that is our crazy life. There have been numerous life changing events that have occurred in our life in the last couple years and I am sure those events will appear as goosebumps compared to the mountains that await in the future ;)

{The phrase 'day by day' was adopted while Mike and I were jumping the Lyme hurdle in 08'-09'.  We learned that each day can bring a complication, a new hurdle, happiness, sadness, or unexpected joy...so to cope when people asked us how we were doing we said, "Oh just taking each day by day!"}