12 weeks

The first trimester is over!!! Three months down, six months to go! :)

Baby bump! July 11, 2012

I can't believe the first three months are done! It seriously felt like that time FLEW by looking back on it. Compared to other stories I've heard from women and their pregnancies...I almost feel like I had it relatively easy! No extreme morning sickness, which I am SO thankful for!

Some symptoms I had and what (mostly) worked for me:

Dysgeusia (metal taste in mouth)--aside from brushing and flossing my teeth, sucking on hard candy, like Green Apple Jolly Ranchers, really helped.

Nausea--eating Saltine crackers, sour green grapes and getting fresh air was best. I felt better if I ate a lot of little snacks throughout the day, so I always had something in my stomach. Also, I had felt sick in the mornings after taking my prenatal vitamin. I switched to taking it at night, right before bed, and that made all the difference!

Bathroom issues--Tucks pads, drinking a TON of water.

Chest soreness--wearing a sports bra constantly!

Sensitive skin/breaking out--I had to switch my body and face wash since it all of a sudden felt like I was rubbing acid on my skin. I've been using the Aveeno skincare products for sensitive skin and they seem to be working great!

Cravings--Since I never craved anything too bizarre, I usually just gave in. :) The first month I was all about green grapes and spicy Mexican food, second month I wanted pickles and fruit, and the third month I wanted pickles, fruit and processed goodies! :-O

Weight-to-date--My pre-pregnancy weight was 111 lbs. I'm now 114 lbs. The doctor said I can expect to gain between 25 to 35 lbs!

Bebs: Baby is almost the size of a lime, weighs almost an ounce, and measures almost 2.5 inches!   Eyes are now positioned in the front of his/her face, and the ears are in position on the sides of his/her head. Reflexes have begun! Bebs' mouth is making sucking movements, clenching eye muscles, curling toes and fingers, hands open and close, and s/he may even begin to suck his thumb! His/her brain has been developing rapidly and the intestines are developing and will soon be moving into his/her stomach cavity.

We had our second ultrasound appointment last night, so we got to see the Bebs on the monitor! This ultrasound was for the first part of our "sequential screening" test. The doctor said that everything looked great so far! We got to hear the heartbeat again and it was a perfect 165! I will post the ultrasound pictures we got (we got 7 pictures!!) with a more detailed blog entry later this week!

Hebs, Hubs & Bebs at Raechel and Corey's wedding on July 7, 2012!
Adorable photo by the very talented Jeff! :)

11 weeks

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July! I'll post some pictures next week from our family picnic at my Uncle Mark's house. (No "belly" pic this week, but I'll definitely have one next week!)

Bebs: The baby is the size of a fig now; s/he's just over 1 1/2 inches long and is now almost fully formed! Hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under his/her gums, and some of his/her bones are beginning to harden. Bebs is already busy kicking and stretching, though, unfortunately I still can't feel it.

Fig!

Hebs: This week was a little rougher than last week, unfortunately. All of my issues seem to stem from food: if I don't eat enough, if I eat too much, if I look at something that's unappetizing...I feel sick. There are a few things that I can still eat no problem--pickles, cheese and crackers. Mmm. Haha. Eating meat has been a challenge, but I'm trying to just suck it up and eat it for the sake of Bebs. It's sad, but pretty much the only foods that sound appetizing to me lately are anything that's been processed or pizza. I could probably eat pizza or processed macaroni and cheese for every single meal now...with a side of pickles!

What's going on in there?

Hubs: Dexter and Hubs have been quite active lately! Hubs has taken up golf and seems to really enjoy it! He has been using one set of clubs from my brother and pretty much golfing once a week. He's been out on the golf course with friends, at the driving range, and even hitting balls in our backyard...which Dex then loves to chase and attempt to gnaw on. I'm really happy that he's found a new hobby that gets him outside!

Dex retrieving a ball for Daddy. Getting him to give it back is another story!

Hubs chipping and putting on Father's Day

Our little pug also has a new hobby--swimming! Hubs took Dex in the pool at my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bill's house. Watching him "doggy paddle" around the pool was the cutest thing ever! At first he didn't seem to like it, but he was able to swim back and forth between me and Jason a few times! Playing with Dexter in the pool just made me all the more anxious to have a baby to take in the water!

Dexy-doo doggy paddling!

Watch out Michael Phelps!

10 weeks

First picture of Bebs! 8 weeks, 6 days

Hebs at 10 weeks

First Ultrasound: Hubs and I had our first ultrasound appointment June 19. I was nervous and excited for this day as soon as I found out I was pregnant! I lay down on a table and Jason is in a chair next to me. The nurse puts the gel on my "belly" and I immediately start laughing. Then she puts the wand on my belly, the lower right side, a little below my hip bone...and voila! The baby magically appears on the screen!!! I look at the screen, then I look at Jason, back at the screen and go "OMG! There's really something in there!!!!!" So then I start laughing, Jason's laughing, the nurse is laughing....and when I laugh, the baby wiggles EVERYTHING! Head, little arm and leg buds, whole body--it was just crazy! Then she zoomed in on the heart and we could see how fast it was beating. Then she turned the sound on, so we could hear the heartbeat, and in that moment I swear to God, my entire world stopped. The heartbeat was loud and perfect, and honestly the most beautiful thing I've ever heard! It sounded like "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" times like a million. It was beating so loud and so fast! She said it was beating at a perfect 188 beats per minute, the baby measured perfectly for 9 weeks, and my due date would be January 23, 2013, like we originally thought. Jason was grinning ear to ear the entire time--it was just amazing. :)

I thought I was going to bawl my eyes out or something, but I didn't. I think one tiny tear ran down my cheek when we heard the heartbeat, but I was WAY too excited to even cry tears of joy. It was just so "awesome" in the true sense of the word. We were able to look at something we created, something beautiful and perfect....we were just in awe. We fell in love immediately as soon as we saw the little bean on the screen. :)

Bebs: Bebs is about the size of a kumquat now! S/he's an inch or so long and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce. Bebs is swallowing flouid and kicking up a storm, though I can't feel it yet. Vital organs are now in place and minute details like tiny nails and peach-fuzz hair are starting to grow! Bebs' limbs are able to bend and the hands should be flexed at the wrist and meeting over his/her heart. In the coming weeks, Bebs should double in size to nearly 3 inches.

Hebs:  I've been feeling really great lately! I had been feeling a bit nauseous throughout the day in the earlier weeks, but it has been smooth sailing for the most part. I've been craving pickles (how cliche!), potato chips, and fruit, mostly. The thought of some meat still turns me off, and seeing some leftovers in our fridge this morning made me run to the sink, but I was fine. :) I'm absolutely exhausted at the end of the day and am usually heading up to bed by 9 p.m....after I've already been asleep on the couch for an hour.

We've been changing up a few things at the Furnace in order to get ready for this new arrival! We've stocked up on painting supplies and have plans to move our bedroom from the third floor to the second floor in order to be closer to the baby's room. Hopefully we'll have this project finished in a few weeks and will be able to start moving furniture out of one of the spare bedrooms so I can go into full "nesting mode." I already have a few ideas for some nursery themes!

What is going on in there?

Believe it or not, I have a picture of myself with a kumquat!
Taken by Jeff at my best friend Jess's wedding.

...and baby makes three

...and baby makes three





We have an announcement to make...Hebs and Hubs are having a baby!!! To say we are thrilled, or excited, or "over the moon," is an understatement. There are no words for the sheer joy we are feeling right now. We've been on cloud nine since May 15, 2012, the day we found out that our world and our life together was expanding.

I decided that it would be fun (ha!) to keep track of my pregnancy journey through my blog. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of posts about our mischievious pug, Dexter, and he will still write his own posts, too. (I would love to hear what he thinks about having a baby in the house!) ;-)

My goal is to write at least one post per week, hopefully every Wednesday, and accompany it with a picture of my growing bump!

I just have one request of you, the three people who read this, if you have a comment/suggestion/tidbit, could you leave it as a comment on here? It'd just be easier for me to keep track of. I'd greatly appreciate it! :)

Check back later this week, as I will post my first "Pregnancy Journey" update on Wednesday, when I will be 10 weeks along.

The baby's due date is January 23, 2013!

26 before 27

So this post may be a month late, but I stumbled across an amazing blog the other day and got inspired for this post....

26 Things to do Before I Turn 27

1. stress less, smile more
2. yoga once a week
3. make homemade Christmas gifts
4. host Summer deck parties with best friends
5. train Dexter to STOP peeing on our furniture
6. watch every James Bond movie with my husband
7. be more productive at work
8. STOP the gossip
9. stay in better touch with my brother, who lives across the country
10. judge less, accept more
11. show my parents how much I appreciate them
12. paint and decorate the downstairs bathroom
13. tell people how I truly feel
14. gamble in Las Vegas
15. learn to sew on a sewing machine
16. eat strictly Paleo for one month
17. read the manual and get better acquainted with my camera
18. clean out and organize our scary basement
19. let my hair grow out
20. spend less, save more
21. redesign my blog...and blog more!
22. do a real girl's get-away weekend--spa, hotel, dressing up, drinks--the full works!
23. start writing a children's book
24. paint and create art again
25. tell the Hubs one thing I love about him every day
26. get pregnant ;-)

I know this list isn't crazy or necessarily exciting, and is by no means my "bucket list"...but they are all real goals that I would like to reach while I'm 26. And that makes me happy.

Original idea found on this awesome blog.

two years

Two years ago today I'm proud and happy to say that I married my best friend.

Love.

I would choose you over and over again. You love me in a way no one else could.

"I'm Yours" through and through.

happy birthday Dexter's dad!

Dear Daddy,

It should not be a surprise to you that you are my favorite person. My pappy Marshall is a close second. I mean, I like Mommy, too, and all, but you guys knew from the beginning that she wasn't my favorite. I bit her when you first came to visit me and I fell asleep in your hand. That's a pretty good example of how our relationship has continued.

Daddy, I love you because you are the first person to let me out of my crate in the morning and give me my breakfast. Mommy stumbles down the stairs and packs her lunchbox and barely looks at me. I've given up getting up when I see her move around the kitchen. I just lay there on my cow and watch her open every cabinet, make her coffee and toast, and leave the peanut butter and sugar out on the counter for YOU to have to put away. Would it kill the woman to wake up on time so she could let me out of my crate first? I'd like to get an extra 20 minutes a day of being crate-free, too, you know!

I love you because you take me for walks. I know sometimes I like to sniff a bit too much, but you just continue dragging me along. I'm thankful, though, because I need my exercise! You and Mommy keep saying I got so big, but I guess I don't realize it. I just know it is much easier to jump up on the couch now, which is good because I NEED to be in someone's lap at all times. No offense, Dad, but Mommy's lap is better because she is a lot warmer than you. You are always freezing!

During these times when I'm on Mommy's lap chewing on my bone or Super Puppy or just licking the couch, we like to talk about you. Mommy told me that she has been with you for 7 years! Seven years is a really long time for you to put up with her, Dad. I'm not sure how you do it. Mommy tells me that you make her happy. She likes that you are able to take care of her and understand her in a way that not everyone can. Mommy likes how you always see the good in people and never make judgements. She likes that you see her as an artist and encourage her to paint, write, and even arrange flowers, as a way to express herself. Mommy especially likes when you do not have a mustache.

As much as I love you, Dad, I think Mommy loves you even more. Happy 27th Birthday!

Love,

Dexy-doo