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2011-11-15T20:53:00.001-05:00

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Hi Blog! It's been awhile!

2010-09-28T10:28:00.002-04:00

Wow, so I've totally been a blog slacker... and it really sucks. I was hoping to use this as an online journal to share all of Calyn's milestones. Well obviously that didn't happen, but I'm making a change.

It's such an exciting time in our lives, Calyn is pulling herself up, walking along the couch, and causing a lot of trouble.

One of my great SK sisters is making Calyn's invitations for her first birthday party which I can't believe is coming up SO soon.

I have little fingers coming from behind the computer so it's time to go and hopefully I'll be able to keep posting.

Dear Mommy (aka Ashley),

2010-06-23T21:18:00.000-04:00

You are a blogging slacker. Yes I know I keep you very busy, but come on woman I need to know what my life was like when I was a baby.

Love,
Your Daughter Calyn

Another milestone.....

2010-03-08T20:27:00.001-05:00

Calyn rolled over today!! She was in her crib on her belly fussing and the next thing I know she's on her back happy as ever!! My baby is growing up so fast!!!

Two months.. ALREADY???

2010-02-18T15:05:00.001-05:00

Well our little monkey is two months old. I can't believe it! She is growing like crazy! She talks and smiles and follows everything with her eyes. She's also holding her head up great and can lift it up to 90 degrees when she lays on her belly. One of her favorite things to do is lay on her play mat and she has figured out when she hits the toys with her hands they make noise. So cute!!

She had her two month appointment yesterday and she did really well. She got 3 shots and one oral vaccine and was a trooper. She cried as loud as I've ever heard but once I picked her up she calmed right down.

Now for stats:

Length: 24inches - 95%
Weight: 11lbs 14oz - 75%
Head Circumference: 15.25in 50%

Time flies when your having fun...

2010-01-20T16:33:00.000-05:00

I've used the expression in the past, but never before have a seen the true meaning. Sure summer vacation used to fly when I was in school, and Lyle's times home from deployments always seemed so much shorter then the actual deployment, but the last 5 weeks of my life has flown by. My baby is 5 weeks old. The last two weeks of the pregnancy seemed to drag on forever and now it seems so far away!

Motherhood is something you can't put into words, it's like my heart is outside of my body and is carried around by this wonderful little bundle. I knew parenthood would change me, but I didn't understand it until she came. Lyle and I are so blessed to have this little girl and I now could never imagine life without her.

Calyn has changed so much since we brought her home. She is getting so strong, holding her head up and looking around, she's growing like a weed - that little peanut we brought home from the hospital is the length of her 3 month outfits. And the best of all she's getting a personality. About a week and a half ago she started smiling in response to our voices and smiles, what an awesome sight! And just this morning I heard her rousing in her bassinet and I peaked over and gave her a smile and said good morning. In response I got the biggest smile, if that doesn't make your heart melt I don't know what will. She is just awesome!

Other than that Calyn is a well seasoned traveler, she has been all over area and is such a good girl when we travel.

As for me, I have my six week follow-up next week and I can't believe it. Although it will be nice to have some of my questions addressed and hopefully I will get the all clear for all activities! can't wait to do my ab assault! I've been working out for the past two weeks in hopes to lose this 20 extra pounds I put on during pregnancy.

To end this post I'll put in some pictures....

Calyn 3 Weeks and her first bath:

Calyn 3-4 weeks - First Smiles caught on camera!:

2 Weeks 1 Day Doctors Visit...

2009-12-30T17:02:00.000-05:00

We took Calyn to the doctors on Tuesday December 29th for her two week visit. Everything went well, she is gaining weight - she is now 8lbs 9oz and she is 21.75inches long.

Calyn was so well behaved and barely cried at all. The Dr. listened to her heart for about two minutes and he could no longer hear her heart murmur. I could not be happier! Her heart rate is now normal with no skips or extra beats and within normal range for beats per minutes. We're so relieved... Her next visit is at two month where she has to get 5 immunizations :(!

A picture post...

2009-12-22T19:47:00.001-05:00

Our birth story...

2009-12-17T20:53:00.001-05:00

We had planned to be induced on Monday, December 14th one day after my due date. I woke up during the middle of the night having period like cramps which I thought was probably just my mind because I knew what was coming. Woke up to get ready for the big day and I was having noticeable contractions they were more of an annoying pain then something I couldn’t breathe through, so we headed off to the hospital. On the way my contractions got stronger and were coming about 8-9 minutes apart. It seemed as though my body wanted to start things on its own. We were to arrive at the hospital at seven to get things started.
When we arrived we got lost in the hospital because of construction some of the hallways and elevators were closed. Our nurse was waiting for us when we arrived at the women’s and children’s unit and off to our room we went. They hooked me up to the monitor and sure enough my contractions were recording. Calyn was very active during this whole time so her heart rate was in the 140-150’s.
My nurse midwife came in and we talked about the plans for the day. Since I had been contracting on my own they though the best thing to do was to break my water and see what happens. I was only 3 centimeters dilated and 95% effaced, baby was still at -1 station. So she broke my water and they headed off to clinic and would check on me in a few hours. After they broke my water my contractions started getting more intense and closer together but nothing I couldn’t handle. So we went for a little walk and then headed back to the room. She came and checked me around 11 and I was only dilated to 4 and baby had dropped to station 1. My pain level had been increasing so I decided to go into the Jacuzzi tub to see if it would help with the pain. At this point I really had to breathe through contractions and hold on to DH to get me through. I was in the tub maybe for 20 minutes and my pain level just kept increasing. I asked for some IV pain meds and they gave me fentynal. The fentynal made me loopy and I was able to relax through a few pretty bad contractions. After about twenty minutes my pain level was 10 out of 10. I was crying through contractions and just couldn’t handle it. She offered the epidural and I accepted she checked me again and I was dilated to a 7.
I was still loopy from the fentynal and all I could do was cry and breathe through the contractions. The anesthesiologist came in, and thank goodness let me stay on my side. He was super fast and did an awesome job. My pain was pretty much gone but I had severe pressure. My nurse midwife checked me again and in that time I dilated from 7 to 9.5-10. I had some pretty bad pressure so she said to call the nurses when I was ready to push.
About five minutes later I had the urge to push and in came the delivery team. I had the perfect amount of epidural I couldn’t feel a lot of pain but I could feel when I needed to push and I had the sensation to be able to concentrate my pushing. I pushed in sets of three through all of my contractions. In between the contractions the whole room was talking about the WII and movies. It was actually a very nice distraction. I pushed for about an hour and a half and our little girl was here. The last twenty minutes were the worst because I could feel the burning and stretching of everything down there.
The little munchkin came out with her hand by her mouth so that’s what took so long to get her head out. After she was out they put her on my chest and I heard the best sound ever her little cry. She was born at 1454 weighing 7lbs 14oz and 21 inches long.
I only had a few superficial tears and needed 6 stitches overall I felt pretty good after and only need Motrin a few times.
I got to jump into the not so joyous part of motherhood right away. Around 7 o’clock the nurse came in to take our vitals and noticed Calyn’s heart rate was on the low side. She called the pediatrician and he wanted her to go to the special care nursery to be monitored and have an EKG and chest x-ray. Within hours of her being born she was whisked away I bawled. I think knowing the medical side of things makes it worse. I knew what it could be and of course thought the worst. Calyn was diagnosed with a heart murmur and hypertrophy of the ventricles. The nearest pediatric cardiologist is an hour away so everything had to be faxed up there and we had to wait for the results. Calyn was in the special care nursery for about 16 hours and it was the hardest 16 hours of my life. Everything finally came back Wednesday evening with the all clear, so we will just have to follow up clinically. Her murmur seemed to be improving through our stay so hopefully it will resolve itself. She’s perfect in so many ways and Lyle and I feel so luck to be blessed with such an awesome gift.

Got some great news...

2009-12-10T18:31:00.000-05:00

If this stubborn little girl doesn't decide to make an appearance on her own we will be induced on Monday. I couldn't be happier and can't wait to meet her!!!

39 Week Apt

2009-12-08T14:28:00.001-05:00

So I went in for my 39 week apt, I gave my urine sample and when I came out the nurse was on the phone with my MW, she was upstairs getting ready to deliver. She took me back to the room and asked what I wanted to do. I could see a NP who doesn't deliver babies or wait for my CNM.

With my crazy hormones I burst into tears (lol) Calyn's heartrate was acting up again on Sunday when I took it and I wanted to talk to her about it, plus my due date is 5 days away and I was hoping she would scrape my membranes.

Well the nurse felt sorry for me and hooked me up to the NST, Calyn's heartrate was good and then went low (again), I was also having some contractions.

In the mean time the woman upstairs had her baby so Elaine was on her way back down to the office. She looked at the NST and said it wasn't "horrible" but to be on the safe side she was going to send me for a biophysical ultrasound. She scraped my membranes which didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would and sent me down to the ultrasound room.

Calyn scored an 8/8 on her biophysical profile and they did see one decel, but her heartrate quickly recovered and looked great on the monitor.

So home I came, my midwife also said she was surprised she hadn't seen me upstairs yet, she though for sure I would have gone into labor by now. Just my luck I guess. Hoping things speed up from here and we can meet our little girl soon.

38 Week Visit

2009-12-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

I went in and saw my CNM today... Everything went well with Calyn, her heart rate was good and she's measuring well. I also got checked.. you know that uncomfortable girly kind of check. Well I am 90% effaced 1.5-2cm dilated and -1 station... YAY! She told me to go home and have sex and walk lol... Hopefully Miss Calyn will make her arrival soon! We can't wait!

38 Weeks... Ok Ok 37w6d haha

2009-11-28T10:08:00.000-05:00

Ok Miss Calyn, mommy and daddy are ready, your hurting mommy so you can come ANY TIME now.

We had our 37 week appointment and everything went well. Calyn passed her NST again with flying colors, and I even had a contraction during it. We no longer need to have NST's because Calyn did so well, so that is a big relief. We have her car seat base installed and ready to go so all we need now is the baby. I can honestly say I cannot wait to be done with work... It's so tiring and I get so grumpy there. lol Not that I'm not grumpy at home too... I guess it comes with the territory.

Since it's been awhile since I've updated here is the link to our baby shower photos, we had an awesome time and were thankful so many people could make it out.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043905&id=1344549790&l=5c8070dc0d

Everything else has been uneventful around here... Here is my 37w5d belly pictures :)!

36 Weeks

2009-11-19T20:29:00.000-05:00

We had our 36 week appointment and ultrasound this week. Calyn is measuring just under 6lbs which is in the 50% percentile. She was such a little stinker and wouldn't show her face, she is so low in my pelvis it was impossible to get her whole face. We got a picture of her ear but that's about it. She was active and had one of her hands up to her mouth... So cute!

Everything looked great but her heart rate was a little under "normal levels." So because of that they made me do a NST (non-stress test). While I was hooked up to the monitor Calyn wasn't really moving too much so her heart rate was still low. At one point her hear rate even dropped down into the 90's. My CNM, wanted to repeat the test before the end of the week.

I went back today to have another NST and everything looked great. Calyn's heart rate was around the 130's and peaked after she moved, she was a lot more active this morning so it was quite the relief. My CMN told me she was thinking about the strip since Tuesday and if the NST looked like it did on Tuesday she was going to send me to L&D and possibly induce me... YIKES!

So now just for precaution I have to have a NST with every visit. I don't really mid the chair is comfortable and it doesn't take too long.

Hoping Miss Calyn decides to make her entrance sometime after Thanksgiving now that all the stuff in her room is ready and mommy and daddy are prepared.

35 Weeks...

2009-11-08T10:49:00.001-05:00

We had our 34 week appointment this week, Lyle came with me so he could meet Elaine and we got to meet her student who will probably be there for the birth. Calyn's heart rate was great and my weight and measurements were good. We talked about the birth plan a little, I kind of felt like she was trying to talk me out of an epidural. I have a few more weeks to think about it, but I'm pretty sure I know what I want. Our next appointment is in 2 weeks with an ultrasound. we will hopefully be able to get a few 3D pictures out of this ultrasound.

I think Calyn has dropped, I can feel her lower in my pelvis now and when I move a certain way there is a lot of pressure "down there." I've also been having braxton hicks contractions, especially when I do too much. It's getting closer to her arrival... and as long as she holds out till December 1st I'll be happy!

We got two of the four pieces of Calyn's bedroom set. We have the crib all set up minus the mattress... lol! I also started organizing her clothes, i need to wash the ones she'll be wearing right away just to get that part out of the way. we have our shower next weekend, so hopefully we'll have more of an idea what we need so we can get everything in order the weekend after Thanksgiving. I'm hoping to have everything set up and ready just in case. We have a lot of the house stuff done so we have time to put into her stuff.

And finally.... My 34 week belly picture:

Almost 32 weeks....

2009-10-17T07:32:00.000-04:00

We've been so busy with house stuff, work and school I haven't had time to update my blog. We are officially moving into our house on Wednesday, I am super excited. We have plenty of time to get ready for Miss Calyn's arrival! Our baby shower will be on November 14, so hopefully I'll have a good idea of what we need so we can get it all done before I'm too big to want to go out (lol).

Had my 31 week appointment this week, everything looked good. She said my weight was "great" haha I told the nurse what she said last time so I'm sure she relayed the message. apparently the nurse DID write my weight down right, my MW just subtracted incorrectly. Oh well.

Calyn's heart rate was good, and she whacked the monitor a couple of times. She's been going through spurts. She's super active for a few days, then she
s calm for a few days. Her new favorite thing to do is stretch. And I can tell you she is long already! lol I can feel her from one side to the other, so uncomfortable! As I'm getting bigger it's harder to be on my feet all day, I was planning on working until she arrived but I don't know if I'll be able to do it. I am exhausted by 3 o'clock and my feet have been KILLING me at the end of the day. I have some time to take off so I will probably be taking advantage of that every other week.

Tomorrow I will be in my eighth month of pregnancy... So scary to think about! We start child birth classes October 28, and I'm a little nervous! The closer it gets the more nervous I get. I guess that's with every first time mom though right? Either way I know everything will be fine and I can't believe she is due in LESS THAN two months!!

Here are my 31 week belly photos:

And this is the stroller we finally picked out for Calyn, it's a little dark in the picture.

28 Weeks....

2009-09-26T04:56:00.000-04:00

Had my blood work done on Saturday of last week, then followed up with my NM on Monday. Appointment didn't go as well as I had planned. I passed the glucose test (Yay!!), but I am anemic. Only borderline, so I'm on a high iron diet which hopefully will help. She had mentioned that I have gained too much weight already and I needed to watch what I ate for the next few weeks. To say the least I was devastated, even cried when I got in the car. I'm not eating super healthy, but I also know almost all of my pre-pregnancy clothes still fit everywhere but my belly. So I was pretty bummed for a couple of hours when I got back to work. I decided to get on the scale AFTER I ate lunch, and low and behold my weight was about 12lbs less then what the doctors office had gotten. I really didn't pay attention to what the scale said at the doctors, but to say the least I was furious. I came home and confirmed my weight with my Weight Watchers scale I have gained quite a bit of weight in my opinion, but it's totally within the normal range for a singleton pregnancy just starting the 3rd trimester. Everyone told me to call over there and tell them, but I've decided to wait it out till my next appointment. I'm going to start taking my weight every Monday morning and keep a log to bring with me to all my future appointments.

I'm officially in my last trimester of this pregnancy. Calyn is getting so big, when she stretches I can feel her from the bottom of my pelvis all the way to the other side of my ribcage. She's going to be one long girl. She also not "kicking" so much, I more feel her move and wiggle. Don't get me wrong every now and then I get a good whack but most the time she's pretty calm in there!

We took back the stroller system we bought, it sat in the back of the Yukon for about 2 weeks and every time I got in the truck I disliked it more (haha). Poor DH, we took it back and OF COURSE, the system I want was sold out, and we weren't even to order it. So back to the drawing board... BLAH! I can't believe all the stuff we have to get done. I'm starting to want to nest and have no where to do it.

We painted some of the rooms in our house. And when I say we I mean Lyle, his parents, my little brother, my mom and her boyfriend. I was so thankful for the help, and they did an awesome job.

One of the rooms we painted was Calyn's here is a picture:

All of our rooms are missing all of the trim and the chair rail in her room and the dining room, but the colors turned out great. This picture does not do it justice. We are going to do an appliques over the aqua behind her crib wall. Just a few more weeks and we'll be in our house! All the flooring arrived and after that they are pretty much done... YAY!!!

We're in double digits!!!

2009-09-05T18:57:00.000-04:00

Today marks 99 days till our little girl is due. I can't believe we are in double digits!! Calyn has been making mommy's life a little uncomfortable lately, on Thursday I was so exhausted on top of that she decided to snuggle in a horrible spot. I was having pretty bad pelvic pressure and pain that radiated down my legs, on top of that my legs were incredibly swollen. I was scared, but after keeping my feet up most of the day Friday I felt much better. Thank goodness! She has seemed to find a better place now and I'm grateful! haha!!!

We went down to PA today to go shopping and we found Calyn's stroller system.

We must of "test drove" 10 stroller systems, all pretty much the same with different designs. And of course I couldn't resist getting her a couple outfits as well.

I have my one hour glucose tolerance test next week and I'm hoping I pass... Should be interesting to say the least... I'm not a fan of orange soda to begin with so a super sweet version should make my tummy feel great!

24 weeks down....

2009-08-23T21:22:00.000-04:00

So I ordered Calyn's bedding today... They only sell it online so I bought it early to make sure I liked the colors "in real life" before it's too late to find something else I really like... I'm picky, annoyingly so to DH so I figure timeliness is of the essence. haha Here's a picture of the bedding:

I'm also 24 weeks pregnant today so here are my belly pic....

2009-08-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

I haven't updated in awhile... I had my 23/24 week appointment yesterday, everything looked and sounded good. Calyn doesn't like the Doppler and she rolled over the entire time my midwife was trying to get her heart rate. She asked some standard questions about breastfeeding or bottle feeding. Haven't talked about labor quite yet.. which is good because when I think about it, it freaks me out! haha I have to do my glucose tolerance test before my next appointment ... should be interesting. Calyn is moving more and more and she's kicking me pretty hard at times, she even moves the laptop...

I have to take my 24 week belly photos this weekend, and get some more pants because mine are getting too tight.

On the house front they have pored all the concrete and are working on the drywall upstairs. I can't wait till we can paint Calyn's room and actually buy furniture!

Here is a picture:

Is there such things as...

2009-08-02T21:06:00.000-04:00

blog abuse? I've been on strike against the Internet lately... I just don't have ANY patience!! That and I never really believed in pregnancy brain until now, I feel so dumb all the time, I always have a loss for words and forget what I was saying in the middle of a sentence... lol. Oh well just an addition to blonde brain I have! haha. I'm more then half way done with my pregnancy, sometimes it's hard to believe. 20 week appointment was very uneventful.. everything looked good and my NM confirmed we're having a little girl. Baby has been moving a ton which is awesome and give me the reassurance I need. I starting to look more and more pregnant... Here is my 20 week belly photo...

A daddy first....

2009-07-23T20:18:00.000-04:00

Lyle finally felt Calyn kick today... she hates when you press on her little legs and will "kick you back." She's done it to me plenty of time but for the first time DH had his hand in the right place at the right time... So awesome :)! YAY!! She has seemed to find a "favorite spot" and only moves from that position every once and awhile... so cute!!

We're off to a weekend of camping, should be a nice weekend I can't wait!

Our stubborn little girl....

2009-07-21T07:29:00.001-04:00

This is the one and only picture of her we got...

We're having....

2009-07-15T20:42:00.000-04:00

a little GIRL!!!. She was measuring perfect, she caught up from earlier ultrasounds and is measuring right on her due date. Everything they measured looked perfect and her little stomach and kidneys are already working!! She was rubbing her head and kicking her legs but the little stinker wouldn't show her face at all the whole 30 minutes of the ultrasound.... She was laying on a Braxton Hicks contraction and didn't want to turn over even being poked. haha! She was not afraid to show her goods.. hehe! She gave us plenty of views to prove she was a little girl. Her name is going to be Calyn Ann, we're not sure on the spelling quite yet but we've had the name picked out for over 5 years!

We are excited and I can't wait to go buy some things for her!!!

18 weeks....

2009-07-12T10:46:00.000-04:00

So I'm officially in my fifth month of pregnancy... Hard to believe!

I think I'm finally "out of the woods" with my round of food poisoning, and happy to report the baby's HB was strong the whole way through. I was definitely scared that something was going to happen to the LO! I'm glad we went to the ER and I got the two bags of fluid.

This weekend was also the LO's second concert and the second time hearing Hinder.. We also got to see Papa Roach (who was AWESOME) and Nickleback. The concert was great and I'm so glad we went. I was not the only pregnant woman there which was nice to see! lol We also went to Niagara Falls and made it there right before the rain started... We did however, get stuck in Canada immigration which cracked me up I've lived in NY for 19 years of my life and have never had a problem crossing either the Canada or Mexican border. All in all it wasn't so bad and we got to sit inside while it pored... we were in and out in about 30 minutes with only a little questioning.

Our trip home was a mess it pored and I mean pored... My anxiety was CRAZY and I'm so glad DH is a good driver because I thought I was going to lose it. We saw a Mustang hydroplane, do 7-8 360's, then hit the median... definitely scary and I was glad we were going slow enough to stay on the road. We made it home safely and in plenty of time to enjoy the evening!!

These next three days are going to go by SO slow... Work is going to DRAG!!!! The countdown begins till we find out the sex of this LO!!!

I think....

2009-07-07T19:53:00.000-04:00

I've just been kicked.... I felt three small pokes on the left side of my pelvic area... Just enough to notice, it was an awesome feeling! Yay! Only 8 more days till we find out what this little soccer player is :)!!!

16 Week appointment!

2009-06-30T18:29:00.000-04:00

Everything went well, it was very brief and I was in and out in 30 minutes which is VERY good for that office! The baby's heartbeat sounded great and it was within normal range for bpm. We scheduled BIG ultrasound for......... July 15th! I'm so excited and can't wait!

16 Weeks!

2009-06-28T12:23:00.000-04:00

Since I haven't taken a belly pic in quite awhile I decided to go ahead and do one today.... My baby bump is still tiny :(, but all the bloating is gone haha!!! I have my 16 week appointment on Tuesday and that should be the day we schedule our big ultrasound!! Yay!!!

The Post

2009-06-25T21:54:00.001-04:00

So not only are we expecting... we are also building a house! It's a lot and sometimes I think I'm going to lose my mind... but this week has been one of progress and I wanted to share a photo show of the things that have been happening this week :)!

Another pregnancy first!

2009-06-19T21:22:00.000-04:00

I bought my first pair of maternity pants. Not that I look anything but fat, but I can't button my jeans any more (lol)! So we went to get something to eat then over to Kohls... I found a cute pair of maternity pants that are low cut and actually fit!!! I can actually say I'm excited to wear stretchy topped pants!!!

On a low note I injured my ankle pretty bad... so I limp and the pain is horrible. I was trying to fake it for DH but it wasn't working very well! Hopefully with some rest it will be back to normal by Monday if not my MD is making me go to get a X-ray... YUCK!

Something fun....

2009-06-17T20:25:00.000-04:00

So we have four weeks until our "big" ultrasound, I saw this neat urine gender test and for $35 how could I pass it up? lol! And in true OCD fashion when I saw it arrived via UPS today I couldn't wait till tomorrow.

And here are the results.................

So hopefully nothing changes and we'll be confirming our little boy in about four weeks!!!!

So it's been awhile...

2009-06-16T18:08:00.000-04:00

So I've been slacking A LOT, it might have something to do with he two funerals and three birthday celebrations we've had. Not to mention my lack of ambition I've seem to have caught with this pregnancy. Anyways, things are going smoothly, my OCDness has caught up with me and I rented a doppler so i can hear the babies heartbeat whenever I want. I've decided to keep it only until I can hear the baby with my stethoscope. So we're down to four weeks until we find out the sex, I can't believe it's the middle on June already!!

We've told everyone on the need to know basis we're expecting, not to mention DH's mass text message to all his Marine Corps buddies (rolling my eyes), and our pictures on Myspace. To be completely honest the reveal wasn't as terrifying as I had imagined (haha). But I am glad it's over with and we don't have to live in secrecy anymore.

Totally changing topic here--------------------------------------------------------------------

I still have the littlest non noticeable belly... WTH?? I'm 14 friggen weeks pregnant and all it looks like is that I've gained about 10lbs, all in my belly :(! Will I ever show??? Even DH commented last night "I thought you'd show more by now." And with my crazy hormones I think 'oh great I suck at being pregnant' lol... Ridiculous I know!!!

I think that's all for today... my little lemon is making me tired!!

I heard the heartbeat!!!

2009-06-01T20:11:00.000-04:00

It was so cute and strong. My midwife said everything looks great, my uterus is the right size, and the baby's heartbeat was 158 beats per minute. At first she couldn't find it, but as soo as she did it was amazing! My next appointment is June 29, 2009. Then two weeks after that we find out the gender! I can't believe that in 6 weeks we'll know if it;s a boy or a girl! AHHHH!

So since we will be moving into the second trimester soon, we will be telling our families this week! We bought customized M&M's that say "We're Pregnant," "Due 12/13/09," and a picture of the baby from the ultrasound. I can't wait for them to arrive, and see every ones reactions!!

Happy Birthday Lyle!!!

2009-05-30T09:26:00.000-04:00

Today is DH's 25 birthday so we're off to celebrate I'm going to try my luck again at golfing (last time it was miserable... I almost hit a car - YES I made it over the huge curtain on the side of the range...lol) Then to a movie and to dinner with the in-laws. I can't believe June is right around the corner! I'm starting to feel more human again... and a lot less pregnant I'll be 12 weeks tomorrow and hopefully all these first trimester symptoms will continue to fade away!

On a sad note my second cousin (my mom's cousin) passed of Lymphoma yesterday. He had a type of Lymphoma with a very poor survival rate. He was only 50 years old and never lost his will to fight. Not only was he family but he was under my care as well, which at times makes it harder, like a double loss. If for nothing else I will use this time to "teach." Routine check ups at the doctors are as important to our soon to be little ones as it is for ourselves. Never think your too young, or you have no family history. Because unfortunately disease has no barriers, it isn't prejudice and it will at some point effect each and every one of us.

There are too many times I see patients, both men and women, a few more men then women but I digress, who haven't seem a physician in many years. Our best form of defense is prevention, but when that fails it's early detection. I simple blood test can sense if something is wrong. I'll step off my soap box now... and no this isn't a post for job security (haha).

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and spends it with the ones they love, because in an instant life can change, and we have to appreciate what we have while we have it.

I'm a slacker

2009-05-25T17:05:00.000-04:00

But I'm catching up!

Here is my 4 week belly shot:

and my 11 weeks belly shot:

You can't tell with my shirt down, which is a relief since we spent the weekend with the in-laws. Otherwise our weekend was nice and relaxing... can't wait to get back to work (sarcasm). But YAY for four day weeks, hope it goes by fast!

And since I am a (former) Marine wife... I just want to say thank you and I am grateful to all of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Happy Memorial Day!!

I have a belly....

2009-05-21T17:06:00.000-04:00

and I can't suck it in.. lol! So maybe is bloating or the crap that I've been eating... but my belly is definitely getting bigger. Even DH noticed and he never notices anything! I have to start taking picture, because I know that once I really start to pop it's going to happen "over night."

It stinking 90 degrees outside and I have to pack for camping this weekend. well not real camping but camping in our camper, which is as far to camping as I will get (ha)! Especially because I have to get up at least once to pee! hehe

Off to packing and complaining of fatigue!

Who stole my energy?

2009-05-19T18:11:00.000-04:00

Now don't get me wrong... I'm grateful to be pregnant, but man am I tired I mean like haven't slept in 10 days tired *yawn*. That and I'm a grump I mean I a down right beeha at times.. lol I don't mean to be it just comes! I don't like to be mean all the time, so I'm really hoping this passes soon!

On a better note Friday we meet with all our contractors so go over the final house plans... so hopefully this house will be done before the baby gets here... I can only hope! And..... we were house stalking (driving by the same house we're building in a different neighborhood) and happen to see the owners come out of the house... well low and behold DH works with the owner so hopefully tomorrow we'll get to actually see the inside of the house. Since the beginning I've been worried we're going to build this house own our 5 acres and I was going to hate it! So now I don't have to worry... hopefully it'll be everything I dream about :)!

Now just waiting for DH to get home so we can decide what to eat... not many options since most food at the moment makes me sick!!

10 Weeks today!

2009-05-17T12:42:00.001-04:00

So I'm 10 weeks today and feeling good... the spotting is gone and I was able to do housework and laundry! We'll be off to DH's parents to cook out and enjoy some family time!

Week 9

2009-05-17T12:32:00.000-04:00

This was another scary week for me... I had some more spotting and cramping and Friday when I got to work my cramps had been the worst they have been since I found out I was pregnant. To say the least I was scared and couldn't concentrate on work so the lovely ladies I work with called over to the OB's and got me an appointment. At that point the cramping had stopped but I still had the spotting. They sent me for another u/s and everything looked great. The LO (little one) was measuring a few days behind my due date, but because my cycles are so wacky I could be off up to 6 days. Anyway the LO's heart rate was 168 and he/she was moving around. They found a little bit of fluid which was probably part of the spotting but everything looked great!! The downside: no sex for at least 2 weeks (I know TMI) but our LO looked great!!! So I left the appointment feeling much better and with a picture of the LO :)!!

On another good note I met the second of the two midwives and she is just as great if not better then my first midwife, they share the call schedule so i could get either of them. I feel comfortable with the office and can't wait to get further along!!

Let's play catch up....

2009-05-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

Ok so since I got this great idea during my 10th week I'm going to do a brief synopsis of the last 8ish weeks. Here goes nothing:

Week 4: Where's AF (Aunt Flo aka My Period)? So I'm at my mom's for a birthday party and I'm freakin exhausted... So I decide to take a nap on my brothers bed... While sleeping my nosey and outspoken mother (love ya) asks DH (dear husband aka Lyle) if I'm pregnant... After I wake up DH tell me what she said and I said yeah right... we drank last night that's why I'm so tired! So Sunday comes and still no AF.. WTH? I've been cramping I know, I know TMI(too much information) but come on now. Monday morning came and I happen to have a $ store test so WTH if she's going to play mind games let's see what's going on.... too my surprise this is what I come out of the shower to:

Week 4 con't: OMG! I have to be at work in 30 minutes and I can't even concentrate. So I hurry up and get ready and haul off to work. On my way to work I'm thinking "This is a Dollar Store test, what if it's wrong?" So I head for the CVS down the street from work and grab a FRER (First Response) test... and although it wasn't the greatest time I took it at work...

Week 4 con't: Now WHAT? I have to tell DH, I need to call my MD.. is this real??????????? So I call the MD's office and they order some blood work and an U/S and now to think of a way to tell Lyle.... I couldn't hold the news so I told him at lunch. His response was less then what I had expected and in all honestly was a bit disappointed. So in true OCD fashion I stopped at CVS once again on my way home to pick up a digital test, because at this point I still didn't believe it.

Week 4 con't: I promise I'm almost done with this week.... So DH finally came around to the idea and I headed off for my first blood work. All looked fine and we were on our in the first trimester.

Week 5: We had our first U/S, called a viability U/S except, in all honesty it was ordered a week too soon and we didn't see much.

Week 5 con't: All we saw was a gestational sac and a yolk sac.... which at five weeks was completely normal... but I had to go back. That Saturday I had some scary bleeding and some cramping and thought the worst... I was devastated but tried to keep positive.. it didn't work well. I was a mess!

Week 6: Came another viability u/s because they couldn't determine on the first... we got two good view of the baby. They could find no cause for the bleeding and we saw the heartbeat!!!! The little ones hear rate was 120bpm and perfectly within normal range!!!

Week 7: Very uneventful week.... just waiting for my first OB visit!

Week 8: First OB Apt: I picked a midwife to deliver and see me through my whole pregnancy. She is wonderful and my apt went well. We set up another appointment for 12weeks where we could finally hear the baby's heartbeat and all was well!

So I'm sure I forgot some things.... but you get the idea right??? LOL!

I'm starting a blog....

2009-05-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

So I've been thinking about this for awhile, and although many of you online friends know we're pregnant, our family and friends don't. YIKES! We've decided to wait until after the first trimester to share our news which at times has been a little difficult!!! I'm by no means an alcoholic but I do like my beer (lol) and coming up with excuses to not drink has been difficult. Especially since we've had about 5 birthdays and two Easters to celebrate!

Since this is our first pregnancy I've decided to create this blog to share the milestones and difficulties, so that when our little miracle is here... and time flies by I can look back and see where it all started.

So I think this will conclude my first post and hopefully I will be able to "catch up" so to speak on the past 9 weeks... ooops I mean 10 weeks, of the pregnancy!