17 Weeks! And BABY NAME ANNOUNCEMENT

How is it Tuesday again already!? I guess it sneaks up on me because my weekends seem to fly by these days. This past weekend was awesome. I got to hang out with the beautiful bride-to-be, Amy Rowe, for some bachelorette fun on Friday night. It is hard to believe that she is getting married in less than 2 weeks! I am SO happy for her and I can't wait for the big day. Then on Saturday, Mom and I made the trip up to Northern VA for Abby's wedding. It turned out to be a gorgeous day, and she was a stunning bride. I was so glad I got to see so many of my friends this weekend, especially since many haven't seen me since my big announcement. The general consensus is that I look "full," not pregnant, and that my tatas look grande. I suppose I will take that as a compliment :) I guess it really depends on what I am wearing. Dresses tend to cover the bump, which is what I wore this weekend. However, the dress I am wearing in this week's picture seems to emphasize the bump a bit more. Regardless, in a couple months there will be NO denying that there is a bun in the oven, and I can't wait!

Symptoms seem to change weekly. I have noticed this week that I am a little more nauseaus than I have been. Brushing my teeth is REALLY difficult. I have to force myself not to gag. SO WEIRD. Another symptom that has been popping up is a little disease Brad likes to call CRS (Can't Remember Shit). I forget the little things and I feel so stupid at times. I guess that is why people call it "pregnancy brain." My back is about the same. The biggest relief is that the doctor said it was normal. She gave me a couple tips to relieve the pain, but told me not to worry too much about it.

I meant to do a blog update last week after my doctor's appointment, but obviously that didn't happen. Things went well though and our next appointment will be on October 19th where we will find out if it's a boy or girl. Time for a big announcement people...Brad and I have finalized our name choices!!! For a girl, Morgan Reese, and for a boy, William Isaac. We have had the girl name picked out for a while. We came up with Morgan right after I got pregnant, and Brad picked out Reese during the hurricane when we had no power and nothing better to do than flip through a baby name book. William Isaac has also been on the table for a while, but we wanted to make sure it was 100% what we wanted before announcing it. Both William and Isaac come from Brad's grandfathers. Papa Joe (Isaac), passed away in April and we miss him so much. Brad has always been very close to his "Papas" and we thought it was a great way to acknowledge both of them. We are so excited to find out if we have a little Morgan or William on the way!

Survey says...

How far along? 17 weeks baby!

Total weight gain? Ok it's officially 4 lbs. Mom's scale was either off or I managed to gain a little by my doctor's appointment. Either way, it seems that I am going slow and steady. Hope I can keep it up!

How big is the baby? Sweet potato

Maternity clothes? Yes, and it appears I may need to invest in some new bras before I have a wardrobe malfunction.

Stretch marks? Still no!

Sleep? Yes! I have been sleeping really well at night. I am going to enjoy this as long as I can because I know that as I get bigger, sleeping will become more difficult.

Best moment of the week? My doctor's appointment and hearing baby's heart beating away. (152 bpm). Also seeing a bunch of friends over the weekend, and yesterday ( <3 bitties)

Movement? Still not 100% sure if what I am feeling is digestion or movement. I am paying VERY close attention though.

Cravings? Not really. I ate a bunch of chips and onion dip today though. NOM NOM NOM.

Gender? No clue. CANNOT WAIT!

Labor signs? Please God, no.

Belly button in or out? Way in still.

What am I looking forward to? October 19th!!!

Sweet 16 :) 4 months pregnant!

There isn't much to update this week because my doctor's appointment is tomorrow. I will do another post then. Mom and I went to an awesome, but CRAZY baby stuff sale at Manchester Middle on Saturday morning (Thanks for the tip, Kristin!). We were both overwhelmed by all of the stuff. There were TONS clothes, but they also had toys, strollers, bouncers, highchairs, etc. I ended up buying a lamp for the nursery for only $5. It is really cute! There is another sale in March so I am sure we will be going back to get some more things.

I have been feeling okay this week. My back pain is getting worse, so I plan on talking to my doctor about it tomorrow. I have done some research online and it appears that it is some sort of "posterior pelvic pain." Obviously the internet can be misleading so before I diagnose myself I am going to talk things over with the doc. Other than the back pain, I have been doing good. My energy level isn't great, but I make it through the work day without caffeine. At night I am ready to go to bed at 9:30 and it is really hard getting up in the mornings. Sometimes I wonder how the HECK am I going to wake up 2 or 3 times a night with my baby. I am sure my motherly instincts will kick in and it won't be as hard as I anticipate (I hope!). But for now I am enjoying the spare time I have and resting a lot. I still haven't started my prenatal yoga, whoops. Better get my butt into gear!

Until tomorrow, here are the stats!

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain? According to Mom's scale I have lost a pound, which puts me at about +2.5 total. But I am going to go by the doctor's scale tomorrow.

How big is the baby? I think an onion. These are vague though because I have seen some HUGE onions.

Maternity clothes? Yep! I also bought 2 dresses at a consignment shop on Saturday. They were $18 for BOTH!

Stretch marks? Not yet. Still using my cream daily.

Sleep? As much as possible. Getting up about 1 or 2 times a night to pee. I seriously need one of those body pillows. I hate sleeping on my side.

Best moment of the week? That will be tomorrow when I get to hear my sweet baby's heart beat.

Movement? I have felt what I would describe as "bubbles" in my lower abdomen (not gas, haha). It has happened a handful of times and I am pretty sure it is movement, but I am not 100% convinced just yet.

Cravings? Nope, but my sweet tooth is making a comeback. :)

Gender? No clue. 4 more weeks. I will be making the appointment TOMORROW.

Labor signs? No way, Jose.

Belly button in or out? Inny

What am I looking forward to? Tomorrow's appointment!!!

15 Weeks :)

I know I am going to think this every week, but...OMG am I already 15 weeks pregnant??? It seems like just yesterday I was taking the pregnancy test. It truly is crazy how time flies.

This was a very exciting week. Work has been going great. We have lots of kids in the program this year, which is keeping us very busy. I have not told the students yet that I am expecting. I am going to wait until I feel the time is right. Most of the staff already know though. One staff member who didn't know asked me today if I was expecting because she could tell my I had a bump. Well, obviously I would be quite offended if I wasn't pregnant, but I took this as a HUGE compliment! This is the first time someone has noticed my bump without knowing already. Friends and family are noticing now too. It is great to see their reactions at how we have grown :)

I had a busy, but very fun weekend. Friday, Brad and I went to the McDaniel's house to visit with Adam, Lauren, and Connor. We also got to see Bonnie and Darryl. It was so nice seeing everyone! Connor has grown so much since I saw him back in June. Even though I don't get to see them often, I really appreciate the time we have together. I got to see them all again on Sunday for Bonnie's baby shower. I LOVE going to baby showers, especially now that I am expecting. I made sure to pay close attention to the gifts she registered for and some other cool items I would have never thought of.

I've been meaning to update on my pregnancy symptoms. I was afraid that headaches were going to be a daily problem for me, but as it turns out, they have gone away almost completely (knock on wood). Other things I have noticed are some lower back pain on my right side and numbness in my right thigh after sleeping. I also notice I get crampy if I don't drink enough fluids, so I am really working on that. My acne has been OUT OF CONTROL too. I look like a pizza face. I know its worth it though. But I am certainly not the beautiful glowing pregnant woman that you read about or see on TV. My eating is going well. I feel like I have definitely gained some weight, although I have no clue how much. As you can tell from the picture, we definitely hit a growth spurt this week. I am still trying to be as healthy as possible, as I don't want to gain too quickly. I have an appointment a week from tomorrow so I will know then how I have been doing.

Other big news...the crib is in!!! We still have it packaged for now. We may even wait to put it up after we paint the nursery, which is going to be put off until we know whether it's a Brad Jr. or Pam Jr. (no, those aren't the names we picked out). I will try to get some pictures of the nursery stuff with my good camera for next week. Until then...SURVEY!

1. How far along? 15 weeks

2. Total weight gain? Not sure, but if I had to guess, 6-7 lbs total.

3. How big is the baby? Avacado!

4. Maternity clothes? Yes! And I think I will be buying more tops. They are much more flattering.

5. Stretch marks? Not yet...

6. Sleep? Some nights not so much, last night I fell asleep at 8pm and slept until 7. I better enjoy that while I can!

7. Best moment of the week? Seeing Lauren and Connor this weekend. Love them <3

8. Movement? Soon maybe??

9. Cravings? No. I love all food.

10. Gender? No clue. 5 more weeks!

11. Labor signs? No no no.

12. Belly button in or out? In but stretching...

13. What am I looking forward to? My doctors appointment next week!

14 Weeks :)

Although I am technically supposed to post tomorrow, I figured I would go ahead and do it today since tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I am very excited to go back and see all the little kiddos. I also miss having a set schedule and routine. I am sure in a few weeks though I will be ready to go back to the lazy days of summer. I have always loved this time of year though. I am already thinking about the holidays and how exciting they are going to be this year with our little one on the way.

This was a hectic week again because of the stupid hurricane. Brad and I are so fortunate to have a wonderful family who took us in when our power was out. Brad's parents let us stay with them for a couple of nights this week (THANK YOU!!!). Waylon loves being over there because he gets to play with their Jack Russell, Abby. It's pretty bad when your dog can literally run circles around a Jack Russell. He is NUTS! Fortunately we got our power back Thursday morning. I have never been so excited to have electricity. This is by far the longest I have ever had to go without power and we weren't as bad off as some other people in the Richmond area. As much as I complained I really do sympathize with the Dominion workers who I am sure had very little sleep or time with their families this past week. I am so glad this is all behind us now and I pray that no more come our way this hurricane season!

I had a bit of a scare this week. On Wednesday I noticed I was experiencing some cramps on my right side, so I called my doctor who said that I should drink plenty of water and take it easy, but not to worry. Well, several hours passed and the cramps had gotten slightly worse. They were going down into my leg and felt very similar to menstrual cramps, so I decided to call my doctor again. This time, the nurse told me to come in so they could check things out. My mom was able to go with me, which definitely helped, because I was extremely worried. I didn't get to see my doctor, but the one I did meet with was wonderful. Everything checked out great and I even got to hear the heartbeat on the doppler. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. I could have sat there all day and listened to it. It still brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. The doctor told me the cramps could be caused by several different things, but I shouldn't worry because everything looked completely normal. WHEW!

Other big news...We bought a crib this week! I have been searching high and low for an afforadable crib, preferably with a changing table attached. I did not have much luck in stores, but was able to stumble across a great deal on Walmart.com. (I know what you're thinking, "Ew, Walmart?" But stay with me for a second...it is a Delta brand crib, which is also sold at Target. I found it on the Delta website, which then directed me to Walmart. I got the crib with the attached changing table and a trundle underneath for storage AND a crib mattress for the low price of $288! I found the same crib on Target's website without the mattress for around $280. I am very pleased! We chose the "expresso" finish, which Brad liked the most. We also bought a storage unit which we plan to use as a baby dresser. My Dad came up with this idea and I love it. It is way more affordable than a baby dresser and we will be able to use it in other rooms of our house (office, living room, etc) after the baby upgrades to the big boy/girl furniture that we already have from Brad's old room. The storage unit was originally $51 at Target, but we got it for $39 because of the Labor Day sale. We are holding off on buying the "fabric drawers" to go in it until we know what we are having.

Okay so this was a long post. SORRY! I promise next week is sure to be much shorter. Survey!

1. How far along? 14 weeks (tomorrow)

2. Total weight gain? I think I was up a few ounces when I went to the doctor on Wednesday but I am not sure how much exactly. So let's just say another +.5ish this week and +3ish total.

3. How big is the baby? I should probably start looking this up, but I believe I read he/she is now about the size of my fist.

4. Maternity clothes? Pants, yes. They are way more comfortable. Plus, even though I could get by with my regular clothes, I would rather get the use out of the maternity clothes I bought. It didn't make sense for me to be uncomfortable and put off spending the money on the clothes later. At least now I will get to wear them for several months, and let's be honest, they are SO DARN CUTE!

5. Stretch marks? Nope.

6. Sleep? Since returning to my own bed on Thursday night, I have slept like a rock. YAY!

7. Best moment of the week? Hearing my baby's beautiful heartbeat. (In the 150's by the way)

8. Movement? Hopefully soon!

9. Cravings? Still no.

10. Gender? No clue now. I don't think we are going to do the 3D ultrasound though. It is money that we can save towards other baby stuff! It looks like our 20 week ultrasound will be in Mid-October, which is not far away!

11. Labor signs? Please God no. Let's wait until 40 weeks, or at least until February 15th. (To qualify for FMLA I need to be at my current job for a year. My start date was Feb. 14th and my due date is March 6th. Let's keep our fingers crossed people!)

12. Belly button in or out? Way in.

13. What am I looking forward to? Feeling the baby kick, and seeing Brad's reaction when he feels it! OH, and getting the nursery set up! I believe my nesting instincts are kicking in :)

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