Lucky Week 13

I wish I could say this week has flown by, but I would just be kidding myself. Where do I start? The earthquake came this week while I was grocery shopping in Wal Mart. At the time I didn't think much of it and honestly thought it was just the Wal Mart that had been shaking. Boy was I wrong! Then of course Irene graced us with her presence this weekend and I held my breath the entire time. We are so blessed to have no property damage, and Brad cleaned up our yard on Sunday morning. No power yet, but Mom and Dad have been very hospitable! Now I need to worry about getting some scary trees cut down in our yard so I don't have to worry so much for the next storm that comes our way (hopefully no time soon!).

Momma and baby have done great this week. I am still getting those wicked headaches, but not every night. I got a call from my OB's nurse that the test results from my 12 week appointment came back normal. YAY! I forgot to mention in my last blog that I found out after my first appointment that I am RH negative. This really scared me at first because it was something I completely skipped over in my pregnancy books and therefore, knew very little about. I remember seeing it and thinking, "Well that is pretty rare so I don't need to worry about it." Well, I was right about it being rare. Only about 15% of the population has a negative blood type. If the baby's blood is positive, which is likely, my body can develop antibodies to the baby's blood, which can affect future pregnancies. I will get a shot at 28 weeks and 3 days after delivery to prevent this from happening, so no worries.

The tummy has started to pop slightly this week. Some family and friends have told me they notice a teeny bump. I think right now it is mostly bloat, especially after I eat. I am sure the beautiful round bump is just around the corner though. I have been focusing on eating healthier this week. I try to incorporate a fruit and/or vegetable into every meal and snack. I am not always successful but at least I am trying. This is something I definitely need to keep working on! I would like to start an exercise program but the fatigue has not quite let up yet so maybe once I get my second trimester energy wave I will be ready to commit. I have a prenatal yoga DVD that is dying to be used!

Survey time!

1. How far along: 13 weeks :)

2. Total weight gain: +.5 this week, +2.5 total (according to Mom and Dad's scale)

3. How big is the baby? A peach I think?

4. Maternity clothes? Most of the time no. But today, yes. Still mostly wearing dresses and using my elastic band clasp thing. I have pretty much finished shopping for maternity clothes though so I am ready to go when the time comes.

5. Stretch marks? Nope. Still lathering up with my lotion. I have also read that eating healthier and gaining the weight slowly and not exceeding recommended weight gain (25-35 lbs) really helps prevent stretch marks. We shall see...

6. Sleep? No power = no sleep. Waaah

7. Best moment of the week? Trees in the back yard still standing after the hurricane. WOOHOO!

8. Movement? Not yet!

9. Cravings? Still none. But I have noticed that sweets don't appeal to me as much anymore. I am way more interested in salty stuff.

10. Gender? Not sure what I think now. Ready for that 3D ultrasound to confirm!!

11. Labor signs? Heavens no. And lets keep it that way until 40 weeks, thank you very much.

12. Belly button in or out? Way in. I have a feeling my belly button won't pop. That sucker is deep. Haha.

13. What am I looking forward to? Feeling movement, looking pregnant, and knowing if we are having a Phoebe or a Phoebo (sorry, it's Friends reference).

Goodbye 1st Trimester!

Wow, just typing that title reminds me of how quickly this pregnancy is going to go. I have had so many friends and family members warn me that this time flies by, and boy are they right! Since I have been keeping my pregnancy quiet for the past 8 weeks (torture!), I can now fill everyone in on the joys and woes of my first trimester...

I took the pregnancy test on June 24th after being in Texas all week with my good friend, Lauren. We suspected that I may be pregnant, and I was DYING to find out, but Brad insisted that I wait to take the test at home with him. Although it was tough, Lauren and her adorable son Connor did a great job at distracting me and looking back I am so glad I waited for Brad to be with me. The minute I walked through our front door after Brad picked me up from the airport, I headed straight for the bathroom. After "conducting the test" I decided to put it back in the box rather than staring at it for the next three minutes. Brad and I mostly sat in silence with anxious excitement showing on our faces. When I pulled the test back out of the box, my initial reaction was, "Oh it's negative," because the second line was SO faint. But after a closer look, we both realized that it was in fact POSITIVE! I was in so much shock, and I am pretty sure Brad was too. We both decided to tell our families right away, and they were very happy for us. I took a digital test the next morning to confirm, and WAH LA! PREGNANT!

The next couple of weeks were uneventful. I was excited to spread the news so I told several of my close friends and family. When I reached my 6 week mark, Brad and I were in Topsail with my family for vacation. Morning sickness hit me pretty hard that week, and there were a couple days that I was not able to spend much time on the beach. The morning sickness lasted until about 8 or 9 weeks, and it finally let up. I still get nauseaus from time to time, but not everyday like I was. I consider myself VERY lucky.

We had our first doctor's appointment on July 18th and got to see our sweet little embryo on the ultrasound. The coolest part was seeing the tiny heart fluttering away at 135 bpm (Boy??). Although the appointment eased my worries temporarily, I was anxious again for my next appointment to ensure that our baby was still doing well. I went in on August 22 for my 12 week appointment and ultrasound (to test for Down's Syndrome), and again everything went great! Baby had his or her head down which made getting the measurements tricky. I joked that when it is time for the baby to have his or her head down for labor and delivery, he or she will be breech (I hope not!).

Now that I am entering my second trimester, my energy level is still low. I am hopeful I will get a surge of energy in the next couple of weeks, or at least when I start back at work! The nausea is mostly gone, but now headaches seem to be plagueing me nightly. I never really get headaches otherwise, so I am adjusting to how to deal with them. Each symptom, good and bad, is just a reminder to me that I have a beautiful life growing inside of me. I keep reminding myself that God has hired Brad and me for the most important job anyone can do in life, being a parent. We feel so blessed and hope to be the best parents that we can be!

Here is my pregancy survey (I know these are really popular now but they are so fun to read!)

1. How far along: 12 weeks (baby measured 12 weeks 3 days yesterday, but I am going to stick with my original due date)

2. Total weight gain: 2 lbs since my first appointment at 8 weeks (I don't have a scale at home because Brad hid it, haha. He doesn't want me to worry about weight so I can only update as I go to the doctor.)

3. How big is the baby? Last I read he or she is the size of a large lime!

4. Maternity clothes? I surrendered to my first pair of maternity pants yesterday. They aren't entirely necessary yet but they are way more comfortable. I also use the hair tie trick for pants, then other times I just wear dresses.

5. Stretch marks? None yet. I got stretch marks when I was about 11 after hitting a growth spurt so I know my skin is capable of making them. I am using some awesome cream though that my brother's girlfriend gave me to prevent them. Thanks, Calla!

6. Sleep? There are nights when I wake up 3 times to pee, but last night I slept all night. I am still tired during the day though and I love a good nap!

7. Best moment of the week? Seeing my sweet baby on the ultrasound and announcing our good news to the world :)

8. Movement? I know he or she is moving but I definitely won't feel it for several more weeks.

9. Cravings? Nothing really. I need to eat healthier though!

10. Gender? My guess is boy, but we won't know for several more weeks. We may get the 3D ultrasound to find out early.

11. Labor signs? Heavens no. And lets keep it that way until 40 weeks, thank you very much.

12. Belly button in or out? Definitely still in, BUT, because I have scars around my belly button from my gallbladder and appendix surgery, it is easy to tell when my stomach is stretching. So this should be interesting...

13. What am I looking forward to? Actually showing and not looking chubby! haha