Bumpdate: 17 weeks

How Far Along: 17 weeks and 3 days (9/27/2012)

Sorry.  You get a crappy work bathroom pic for the time being because i forgot to do it this morning.

Size of Baby M: Onion! (Note: says average size is 5.9oz, baby M is currently a little over 7, oh joy!)

Weight: Alright.  Let's talk about this.  I weigh myself a couple times a week, on the same scale, at the same time, naked.  Consistancy.  It's important :)  Anyways.  According to my scale (which i make sure is accurate by weighing a weight.  again, i'm all about the consistancy) I had gained 1 pound since last week.  Putting me at the grand total of 5.3 pounds (yes, i count ounces!)  Which would mean i gained around 3.5 pounds since my last appointment.  So imagine my surprise when the doctors scale said i had gained 10 pounds....TEN!!!! In 4 weeks. Holy moly.  How in the world can their scale say i gained over 6 pounds more then mine did.  Here's my guess.  I was dressed. And i had chugged about 4 glasses of water prior.  Next time i go to the doctor, i'm getting naked, right there in the main hallway. And i won't drink a damn thing prior.  Damn them and their mean scale.  Hell i may even bring my weight to make sure the scale is right.

**Sidenote:  I promise i am ok with gaining weight, i know it's necessary for Baby M...plus a chubby baby is a cute baby :)  I am just trying to keep it in check, because i know it'll pack on at the end and i'd prefer to not have to apply for the biggest loser after the turd gets here.  End sidenote! **

Exercise: Well this has been craptastic this past week.  Since we last spoke i had to travel to Boulder for my BEAUTIFUL sisters wedding, so that put a damper in the gym time.  And then it happened....i got sick.  Real sick.  Like i asked travis to cut my throat off and sew my head back on sick.  It was bad people.  It started in Boulder, and by Monday I wanted to die.  I actually went to the doctor, which i hate to do.  Turns out i have a severe cold and allergies....great.  They offered antibiotics, i declined.  Hate taking meds unless i have to.  Well come Wednesday, i had to.  It was worse.  So now i'm on meds, and i can happily say i feel a wee bit better today!! ....Meh, ok back to the topic at hand. Gym time.  Since last Thursday i have managed a whopping 6 workouts.  That's how you know i'm not lying...i have to be real sick to skip the gym. 

Symptoms: oh hey there blue veiny ginormous fun bags. make them stop, serioulsy.  it's out of control.  Other then that, not much in the symptoms department!


Cravings: Nothing really stands out.  Still love fruit.  Still love candy.  But that was true pre-baby.


Sleep: Bad.  Since i've been sick, i've had to wake up about 3-4 times a night to go the bathroom. I constantly have to be drinking water to keep my throat from being on fire....so that's a bad combo. 


Stretch Marks: No new ones.
Gender: Well we know!!! We've informed the parentals, and a few select family members.  I'm waiting for my sisters to get here tomorrow to give them cream filled cupcakes....and then i'll let the cat out of the bag publicly.  I enjoy announcing things in a fun way, none of this boring oh hey we're having a _____.  We sent cupcakes to trav's parents and then skyped with them...so we could see their reaction, that was a good time.

and we made my parents a cake (the didn't want to have to wait till the cupcakes were done on friday, they're just about as patient as me!)

Movement: Tuesday, 9/25 it happened! Laying in bed relaxing, i could feel flutters....it was surreal!!! I can't wait to feel big movements! (i'll regret saying that i'm sure!)


Maternity Attire: Still haven't worn any of my new stuff, but it's there...in the closet..waiting!!!!  Pants still fit so that's a bonus (no way would they fit if i've gained as much as the evil dr. scale said!), shirts are getting a little snug, but it's workable for now!


Looking Forward To: My sister and her new husband, Ben are having a reception here in Dodge this weekend.  So all the family will be here.  If you know my family....you know we're a good time :) I'm also looking forward to feeling better.  That'll be nice :)

(me and my beautiful sisters before the wedding last weekend! Can't wait for them to be here!!)

Oh and we made our very first big Baby M purchase this morning!!!! Thanks to the amazing Granny K, our Potterybarn crib shall be here in a few weeks!!! So we're looking forward to that as well!!

Bumpdate: 16 weeks

(note to self.  Floral patterns make for a hard to see baby bump in pics)

How Far Along: 16 weeks and 3 days (9/20/2012)

Size of Baby M: Avocado! Or i read somewhere, a rubber ducky (which is weird!)

Weight: +1.4 lovely pounds...which brings me to the grand total of 4.3.  Not too shabby i suppose.  I heard that my doc is a weight nazi.  She does NOT like you to gain much at all.....great.  Just what i need, some one telling me I'm fat :)  I hope she doesn't mind me slapping her when she does it, I'll blame the hormones.  For instance, last appointment she told me i should gain 1/2 a pound a week this trimester.  That's wrong.  Everything I've read says 1.  I'm on to her.

Exercise: Meh. I"m still doing it.  Don't feel like I've had any "oh man that was an amazing workout" days....but it's better then nothing.  11 workouts since last Wednesday.  Right on top of it Rose. (What movie?!?! I'll give you a hint)

Symptoms: Bloating is better.  I actually feel pretty darn good!  Boobs still ginormous, and pretty sure they're still growing.  I can NOT afford to buy more bras...besides, what the heck comes after a 32DD? Maybe this one would work...

Cravings: Candy.  Last night i had to run to Dillons for my dad, and came home with peanuts and candy corn.  LOVE LOVE LOVE.  Bad bad bad, but sooooo good :)  and in case you were wondering, no one's got me movie popcorn yet.  I'm so deprived.   Still loving on some fruit.  Apples, cold bananas, and of course grapes.

Hurl-Factor: still nothing.  dang.

Sleep: Not bad.  Up once or twice to pee...but usually sleep pretty good (thanks to the Boppy!)

Stretch Marks:  No new ones. (i have some on my hips from growing i guess).  Been rubbing myself twice daily with body butter!!! It helps that i found a kind that smells AMAZING!!!

Gender: We shall know in SIX days!!!!! I'm sticking with boy. I'd actually be really shocked if it wasn't one. Still can't decide how i want to go about telling people.  maybe i won't.  ha.

(this is obviously not mine, but this is what i'm expecting to see, boy dangly parts.)

Movement: Still nothing.  I'm impatiently waiting. 

Maternity Attire: Haven't worn any yet.  But Old Navy is having a great sale, so i went ahead and ordered up about 6 shirts, 2 dresses, and 3 pairs of leggings.  All for $100.  Didn't we discuss my love for sales last week?

Looking Forward To: We leave this afternoon for my sisters wedding in Boulder.  Super excited for that.  And then I'm excited/scared for the KSU/OU game Saturday.... good thing I'm not further along, I'd probably put myself into early labor watching it.  As far as baby related things....ULTRASOUND!!! 6 days!!! And then I'm shopping.  Oh man am i shopping.  And starting the registry.  I wrote out a list of all the items they say you HAVE to have on your registry.  OVERWHELMED.  Geesh. It's going to take me the whole rest of this pregnancy to finish it. 

Bumpdate: 15 weeks

Only 24 weeks and 5 days to go!  (aka...FOREVER!)

**This was taken after lunch.  See i told you it's way bigger after i eat!**

How Far Along:  15 weeks and 1 day (9/12/2012)

Size of Baby M:  Large Navel Orange (about 4 inches!)

Weight:  -1.  So a total of 2.5-3 pounds.  I'm gonna go ahead and guess this is because I've had a rather stellar few days in the "bathroom" department!

Exercise:  Well, this past week has been a bit hectic.  Between traveling, appointments, and obligations I missed a couple of workouts... but still managed 8 sweat sessions!  Still pretty good!  Running felt better this week.  I think i did a couple of 4 miles runs, and one 6 mile.  Other then that, it's the trusty ol elliptical!  Oh and i did legs like last Thursday...i was SORE till ohhh Monday.  Whoa.  Must work on that.

Symptoms:  Bloating.  Lots and lots of bloating.  Saturday on the way home from Manhattan, i thought i was going to die.  I couldn't bend over to get my purse...it was bad.  Probably all that stellar eating i did...and the fact that my bowels were on strike for a few days.  (sorry, probably too much TMI, but it's the damn truth!)  That finally went away Monday....thank god.  i imagine my level of uncomfortableness to be exactly what I'll feel like in about 4 months.  I very much look forward to that. 

Cravings:  I still REALLY want movie popcorn.  Will someone PLEASE take me to the movie already!!!!! Other then that, still fruit.  Lots and lots of fruit.  I'm trying to not buy grapes.  Mainly because i eat the whole bag in one day and that can't be good.  Peaches are pretty tasty right now... and apples.  And cold banana's.  Mmmmm, i shouldn't write this right before lunch.  Oh and my mom made this amazing cheesy mushroom pull-bread the other day....i dreamt about it two nights in a row after that.  I'm totally making it tonight for a get together with friends....YUM.

Hurl-Factor:  still nothing really.  i sometimes wish candy was on this list....

Sleep:  Still good.  I've learned to not drink much after 8, or else I'll be up a couple of times.  So that helps.  I very much look forward to the cool weather and opening the windows....i always sleep like a baby with the windows open!!

Gender:  Still really feeling boy.  We went and did another ultrasound at our friends last night, and the little turn literally had his legs crossed the whole time.  jerk. Two weeks ago when we went, our friend said he was 70% sure it was a boy.  This week, he said he was 65% sure it was a girl.  I think he's about 100% unsure :)  But the two-week countdown is on!!!! Eeeek.  Travis better hide my credit cards...oh lordy help us.

Movement:  Nothing yet...that i know of.  As I've mentioned before I'm having quite the battle royal with my intestines...so what was the baby kicking or "fluttering" I'm sure I'd have passed off as gas.  Who knows.  The turd seems to have moved a little further down, so the heartbeat has been trickier to find with our Doppler (PS, these are AWESOME!), so i wonder if he's now covered up with more blubber...which would make it harder for me to feel?  i have no idea.

Maternity Attire:  I ordered a few shirts from Zulily...just cause they were cute and on super sale.  I was thinking they'd be great for when it gets colder...but I'm not sure they'll fit then.  I made the mistake of ordering smalls.  I usually wear mediums, but for some reason thought maternity clothes would run big.  Dumb.  Oh well.  I can wear them now....it's cold in my office anyways!  I also ordered some new jeans, but they're not maternity, just a size bigger.  Mine still fit, but again, they were on sale...and I'm a sucker for a deal.

Looking Forward To:  Well i was super looking forward to last night...the ultrasound :)  It's amazing how much has changed in the two weeks since we went last time.  Little turd has grown SO much.  I'm actually a bit concerned with that...I'm thinking we have a large baby on our hands.  And i also worry about how squashed the little turd is....how can i make my uterus grow?!?! (totally kidding, i know they're going to be squashed, but man it looks uncomfortable!)  My parents got to tag along, so that was fun.  But this week i'm looking forward to heading back up to Manhattan for yet another KSU football game!! I just can't get enough of that place!!! and then of course....2 weeks from today we find out if it's bows and tutu's or tonka trucks and dirt!!

Baby M; 14 weeks

Ok.  So I need a better title.  Something fun, something different.  Any ideas??? Mel I know you got something up your sleeve....get on it.  K? Ok.  Moving forward.....

How far along:  14 weeks (on 9/3/2012)

Size of baby:  Medium Sized Nectarine (YUM!)Baby's Length: 3.42 in. Baby's Weight: 1.52 oz.

Weight Gain:  Ugh.  This has been the hardest part for me.  But i suppose it's gonna happen!  I'm up 3.5 pounds.

Exercise: Still able to keep up with my daily workouts!  I've noticed when i run it's getting a little awkward down there....like heavy, make sense?  They make a belly band deal that runners use, so i may have to look into that as i get bigger.  I actually did Yoga for the first time in a LONG time this past week.  I'm officially UN-flexible.

Symptoms:  Lately, there really haven't been any! (besides that awesome belly i'm rockin)  The tiredness has dwindled, the nausea has gone.  My boobs decided to join in on the fun lately though.  HELLO big girls....whoa.  I wasn't sure what was going to happen with them since they were um...enhanced :)  But no worries, they've jumped on the let's get large bandwagon.  I went and got properly fitted last weekend at VS, and i laughed at the lady when she told me what size. 

Cravings:  I can't honestly say i've had many of these so far.  Things will sound good...but nothing that i have to have like NOW.  Fruit's been a big hit...i could eat the shit out of some grapes.  And peaches...oh man i love me some peaches.  The only other thing that i NEEDED one day...was movie popcorn.  I blame the fact that i was at the mall, and that's all i could smell.  But i refuse to just go get popcorn without going to a movie, so i'm patiently waiting for someone to take me :)  I have a free large popcorn certificate, so i'd be a cheap date!

Hurl-Factor: Lucky for me, i haven't hurled yet. Hurray.  I've got close...but no calling of the dino's.  The other night at Aggie Station (have you been there? it's nice. go.) Shannon was pouring a red bull and vodka.  I almost lost my So Long right then and there.  Red Bull is no bueno.  Shit stinks.  Bleh.  Other then that, nothings bothered me.

Sleep:  Oh man i love sleep.  And i haven't really had a hard time getting it...except for getting up once or twice to pee, but that's probably my fault for guzzling water all night.  Trav surprised me with a Boppy...

 

It's awesome.  You should get one, even if you're not knocked up.  Although it is rather large, and awkward, it is super duper comfy!

Gender:  I change my mind weekly on this.  But i think i'm pretty convinced it's a boy.  We know a guy, that has a sonogram machine (for his business, not just for fun...that'd be weird) and he was kind enough to give us a peek at the little turd last week. We couldn't really get a clear shot of the goods...and it probably would have been too early to tell (both male and females have a "nub" at that point in pregnancy, you can tell which it is by the angle of it.  now you know)  But we'll go back to see him next week.  and then on the 26th we have our sono at the doctor to find out for reals. Like i said.  it's totally a boy.

Movement:  Well on the sono last week, the little guy was a moving and a shaking.  Actually, he appeared to be kicking the shit out of me (we'll have a talk about this when he's here).  But still can't feel anything!  Soon...real soon.

Maternity Attire:  Nothing yet.  My clothes all still fit.  Belly is noticeable, so shirts are getting a wee bit snug in that area.  Pants are all fine for the most part.  Some of my work pants are getting uncomfortable because they sit higher.  I think i'll just invest in some tights/leggings and sweaters for the winter, that way i can wear them post baby. 

Looking Forward To:  Well this week i'm looking forward to heading back to ol Manhappiness for the KSU vs. Miami game.  Other then that, i'm just counting down the days till the 26th!! Momma needs to start shopping :)

Cat's out of the bag.....

**Sidenote:  I've never really understood that saying...so i googled it.  here's what i found.  it relates to the fraud of substituting a cat for a piglet at markets. If you let the cat out of the bag you disclosed the trick - and avoided buying a pig in a poke (bag). This form of trickery is long alluded to in the language and 'pigs in a poke' are recorded as early as 1530.*** So now you know.

Well.  It finally happened folks.  After two LONG, tiring, expensive, emotionally draining, and crazy years...we are FINALLY pregnant!

This is nothing short of a miracle...our miracle.  (i'm totally not going to make it through this post without crying!)  We've been through just about everything you can be through on the journey to conceive.  And ya know.  At this point, I'm not sure i'd take it all back.  It's made me look at pregnancy from a whole different perspective....it's made me appreciate EVERY little thing.  It's made my marriage stronger....it's made my love for Travis even stronger.  That man has seen me at my absolute worse, seen me when i swore i couldn't go on, he's wiped away more tears then any one person should ever have to wipe off their wife's face in their first years of marriage, he's held my hand through procedure after procedure and never once, not even for a second....did he stop being optimistic and hopeful.   He was my rock...he was my believer.  He's the reason i kept going.  If anyone deserves a mini me running around...it's that guy.

Ok.  Enough of that.

Back to the story of Baby M, or the little turd, as i like to call him/her (Nice huh!).

I Started testing way earlier than i should have...7 dpo (days post ovulation for you none fertility knowing people) on June 19th.   It was a SUPER faint positive.  But I wouldn't let myself think too much into it.  We had taken a trigger shot (to force ovulation, something i do NOT do on my own!) and those can give false positives if you test too early.  (aren't you learning a lot today?!?)  So i made myself wait a a few more days...the 22nd, still positive, and a little darker! this is good news.  however i'm still not letting myself get excited.  i'm super optimistic can't you tell.  Next day...darker.  start freaking out just a wee bit.  even darker the next...starting to let myself believe this could be it....but still cautious.  I have a hard time believing those tests obviously.  Monday, June 25 i take a digital.  I usually stay away from those, cause i think they're just so mean.  Pregnant/Not pregnant.  No candy lining there.  But for the first time in over 2 years....it actually says PREGNANT!! HOLY COW.  I call my doctors office the second they open, they email me an order for a pregnancy test and i hightail it out of work to the hospital (they're the only place here in town that does them in house, everyone else sends them out and takes a whole day to get results, no freaking way that was working).  I get the phone call later that day that i am in fact pregnant!!

Fast forward two weeks (that was torture!!) and we have our first ultrasound to make sure it's a viable pregnancy.  I was SO nervous.  I think i just always assume the worse, because that's sort of how our luck has been in the past with all this baby stuff.... but not this time.  There is a beautiful single baby in there,  heart just beating away!!! (We were 6 wks 2 days, so heart had just started beating!  Rate was 126bpm)

We are officially in the clear to tell our parents.  (oh i forgot to add, we hadn't told anyone we were seeing the doctor again.  not our parents, not our friends...no one)  We wait a few days to tell my siblings...and wait two whole weeks to tell trav's!  (they were in town for Dodge City days so we thought it would be fun to do it in person!).  We had decided to wait to tell everyone else until later...just to be safe.

8 week appointment:  or Graduation as i like to call it.  This is the last time we'll see our specialist....so it's a big deal.  And scary.  I was so stressed about it the nurse pretty much thought i was dead.  My blood pressure was 80/60 and my pulse was like 20.  i in fact, was not dead.  just scared shitless.  But it all went smashingly well.  Little turd was growing right along (1 days ahead at this point) and heart was thumping like crazy (169bpm).  We were officially getting the boot....no more specialist...just regular ol ob/gyn's for us now.  bittersweet really.

Those first 4 weeks were a whirlwind.  Lots of excitement, lots of worry, lots of sleeping.  Man was i tired.  I didn't really feel bad, little nauseated here and there, but never got sick.  I'd have to say main symptom was tiredness.  Lots and lots of napping took place.

I was bloated to begin with from the meds....so never really started with my oh so flat six pack i swear i had before :)  But the belly has def. made it's appearance...i feel like at 12 weeks was when it became noticable.  (i take these in the morning, you do not want to see what it looks like at night...whoa) 

This past weekend we decided to make it facebook official.  What better place to do that then in manhattan, wearing purple, and with willie :) 

So that's been the journey so far.... it's been a crazy one!!!

P.S.-  I'll start weekly bump-dates soon!!!