Wednesday, January 29, 2014

14 Weeks (Again!)


After a month that felt like 4, we finally had another ultrasound yesterday afternoon.  Baby Guy is doing great and was wiggling all over my belly.  He/she is gonna be just like daddy, because it was sucking its thumb just about the entire time.  I've been debating whether I wanted to use pacifiers and it looks like baby has already found what it likes to suck on.  =)

Although everything looked normal, the tech said that baby was measuring a little smaller, so the due date has been pushed back to July 29th.  That is also Reggie's birthday, so that would be sweet if I delivered then.  I'm secretly hoping baby comes on July 11th though, as long as baby is healthy, of course!

Since we had the ultrasound yesterday and one back in December when I had a little scare, the insurance company won't approve another one for a few months, which means we won't be able to find out the gender until the end of March.  I was definitely very disappointed in hearing that news, but I'm just happy that Baby Guy is healthy - at the end of the day that's really all that matters.  

I really think God is just trying to teach me a little lesson in patience and honestly I need to be taught that lesson pretty often.  I struggle with having to wait and it's probably one of the worst things about me.  I literally have no patience.  God has a not so funny way of teaching us lessons... doesn't he???

I'm undecided as to whether or not we will do a gender reveal party at this point, since I'll be finding out the sex when I'm 22 weeks along.  By that time I'll be excited to get busy registering for items for my baby shower! 

We spent the previous weekend in Texas visiting my sister and her family.  I found a few maternity items at Target and I'm slowly building a wardrobe that fits.  I have gained back about 5lbs from the 11 that I had lost since conceiving.  With the nausea subsiding all I've wanted to do is Eat. All. The. Food!!!  So I've gotta get a hold on my portion sizes again.  I 'm really determined to have a healthy weight gain during this pregnancy.

Please continue to keep us and Baby Guy in your prayers!

 


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

14 Weeks!

 
 
Hello second trimester!!!
 
My baby bump app says that Baby Guy is about the size of a lemon, which definitely doesn't explain why it looks like I'm showing already.  My sister says there's gotta be two in there - I just hope if that's the case that we find out next week during our ultrasound.  My theory is that the baby is just pushing my pre-preg fat forward.  I still have yet to gain a pound and I'm so thankful for that! 
 
I scored some maternity clothes at a local consignment shop for next to nothing last week.  My SIL also gifted me some of her old maternity clothes, which will help a ton.  I now have 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of capris, and a few cardigans that will hopefully get me through the next couple of months.  I'm sure at the rate that my belly is protruding forward I'll be trying to acquire more clothes to keep me covered!  =)
 
This past weekend I finally felt like my energy levels are getting back to normal.  I started walking about a mile every evening just to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having.  I plan on kicking the mileage up in the coming weeks, but for now I'm just trying to get used to being more active.  I also mowed the yard on Saturday to get rid of the leaves and dead grass that was covering it.  It was nice to finally feel like doing something other than take a nap!
 
I've also started cooking again and the hubby is oh-so-happy to have his wife back to normal.  We've been eating a lot of cereal and sandwiches, so having steak one night, chicken quesadillas the next, and lasagna the night after that, has been a welcome surprise (to the both of us). 
 
We're so excited for our ultrasound next week and are even more anxious to find out the gender, so we can start doing a little bit of shopping.  I'm also ready to get going on a registry and we plan on having a gender reveal party around the beginning of March.
 
Please continue to keep us and Baby Guy in your prayers! 

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The First Trimester

 
As of today I am 13 weeks and in the last week of my first trimester.  The weeks are flying by and although it's exciting, it's also a little nerve-wracking.  Holy hell this baby is coming - ready or not! 

We have our next OB appointment on Tuesday, the 28th and Graham will finally get to experience seeing an ultrasound and hearing the baby's heartbeat.  Can't. Freaking. Wait.

Since I'm so overweight to begin with, I'm not sure when I'll start actually looking pregnant and not just fat.  I've lost 10lbs so far since I got pregnant, which is good since it's recommended that I only gain 10-15lbs during the entire pregnancy.  I haven't really been trying to lose weight, but I just haven't been able to eat as much.  Between nausea and just feeling full faster it's helped to keep from eating everything in sight.  On a positive note, I haven't experienced any vomiting so far.  Thank God for that!

Food has been a touchy subject for the last few months.  Nothing has really sounded good and I can't say I've really had "cravings".  I'll want something, eat it, and then not want it again for weeks.  It's so weird.  I also haven't wanted to cook... AT ALL.  Anyone that knows me, knows that this isn't normal.  I'm hoping all of that will go away in the second trimester.  Also, my sense of smell is super-sensitive; which I think has been one of the main reasons I haven't wanted to cook lately.

I have definitely noticed changes in my body: my chi chi's are growing (and hurting!), and I no longer fit into any of my jeans.  I bought a couple bella bands the week before Christmas and have been wearing them to keep my jeans up ever since.  I'm trying to avoid having to buy maternity jeans for a few more months, if I can help it. 

So far the most exciting parts about being pregnant is thinking about how we're going to decorate the nursery, planning a gender reveal party, and looking for ideas on Pinterest for when my sister throws me a baby shower.  I'm also loving that my hair hasn't been falling out anymore and it's beginning to look really full and shiny - it's so pretty!  I'm debating getting a "mommy-cut" this summer, but the hubs loves the long hair, so we'll just have to wait and see. 
 


Monday, January 13, 2014

Sick Days & Scentsy Open House



I was looking forward to getting back to blogging after the new year and finally being able to announce that we are EXPECTING!  The beginning of this year has been rough in the ol' Guy household so far though. 

Graham found out he had strep on the 31st and was sent home for a few days with antibiotics.  He spent 3 days at home and the symptoms just never seemed to ease up at all.  I was home on the 1st and his throat had gotten to the point that it was so swollen he couldn't swallow water, so I decided to take him to the ER.  The physician prescribed him a different round of chewable antibiotics (that would be easier to swallow), as well as shots for an antibiotic and steroids.  Over night he finally got some relief and was starting to feel better.  He had to go back to the ER for a follow-up appointment and although he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, the dr said it wasn't going away fast enough, so he prescribed him another steroid - this time in liquid form.  After a couple of days, which ended up putting him at home for a full week, he finally started to feel like he was getting back to normal.  My poor hubby; I'd never seen him so sick in my life.

During his sickness, I kept my distance which included me sleeping in the spare bedroom (soon-to-be nursery) on the futon to keep from catching it as well.  About half of the guys at work had been passing around a bad head/chest cold that I was unable to run from for very long.  I started getting a burning sensation in my throat that sunday, the 5th and I stayed home Monday so that I could go to the dr.  Long story short - since I had such a high fever I was tested for strep and flu, but luckily they were both negative.  I was home for a couple days before returning to work.  It took me a good week to finally feel back to normal.

Saturday morning I hosted my first Scentsy Open House and I ended up having a really great time.  I had drawings for a free bar and $25 gift certificate, as well as snacks and drinks for my guests.  I didn't have a huge number turn out, but I did gain a couple more customers which makes me excited to do it again next month.  Hey, whatever it takes to make a little extra money for diapers and daycare!


 


 
On another note, anyone have any ideas as to what kind of curtains I could put up in this sun room?  Those seen in the picture above were left by the sweet previous owners, but it just makes the room look so blah!  I really would like to use sheer fabric, to let as much light in as possible, but those ugly curtains have got to go!  End rant.  =)
 
Have a great day y'all!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Baby Guy Coming July 2014!!!

We are excited to finally be able to announce that we are having a baby y'all!  On Sunday, November 24th I took a pregnancy test after feeling abnormally tired and experiencing severe heartburn for a few weeks prior.  Positive.  It took all of 3 seconds for that test to show that little positive sign.  It was by far the most life changing experience I've ever had.  I took another one the following morning just to "make sure"... which of course was also positive. 

We had so many thoughts racing through our minds, my first being I need to get to the dang doctor - I know nothing about pregnancy and I need to get some answers!  With it being the week of Thanksgiving, our primary physician wasn't able to see me until the following Monday, which seemed like an eternity.  That appointment just confirmed what we already knew.  I also made an appointment with an OB/GYN and they wouldn't be able to see me until the 30th.

On Thanksgiving while my family was in town to spend some time with us, Graham let our secret out during the prayer before we had dinner.  I'll save that story for another post.  =)

The month of December was a whirlwind and we kind of just kept to ourselves in order to keep from telling everyone too early.  We had a little bit of a scare around the 8th week which led to me being able to get an OB appointment sooner than expected.  I had my first sonogram that afternoon and was so blessed to be able to see/hear the heartbeat - what a truly amazing experience.  My only regret was that Graham was unable to go with me, since it was a last minute appointment.  All of our fears were put to rest as we found out that Baby Guy was coming along just like he/she should be.

 
 
We decided to wait to tell everyone else once we were a little further along and Christmas day would put me right at 10 weeks, so we figured that would be the perfect time to tell Graham's family, since they would all be together at that time.  We had a couple photos taken to send to family and friends once we were ready to spill the beans and we decided that picture would be perfect to give to Graham's mom as her Christmas gift too. 
 
I was so anxious to tell everyone at Christmas and it felt like the day just drug on and on!  Finally after dodging the huge pitcher of sangria all afternoon and trying to come up with good excuses as to why I wasn't drinking, it was time to open presents.  The kids each opened their presents first, then the grandparents, and then finally it was Debbie's turn to open hers.  At the last minute I thought it would be a good idea to try to get their reactions on video, so I asked Staci to take care of that for me.  The picture isn't the best quality, but it's so awesome to be able to look back and see how excited everyone was for us and our big surprise!
 
 



We had our second OB appointment on 12/30 and as fate would have it, Graham came down with a horrible case of strep (which later turned into tonsillitis) and he also had to miss that visit with our doctor.  It was mostly routine stuff including blood work and meeting with the billing department to get everything in order.  I was able to hear the baby's heartbeat via the fetal doppler again.  Amazing.  God is so good!

I sent out our announcements to everyone on the 31st, just shy of 11 weeks.  I had intended on waiting until I was out of the first trimester, but I was worried that some of my family would find out about it from other people and I didn't want any hurt feelings so we sent them out a little early.  I'm a little nervous about everyone finding out, but it is also such a big relief to not have to keep it to myself now!!

Please keep our growing family in your prayers.  We just want a healthy Baby Guy!!!