9 weeks, 2 days

I'm an avid wearing of heels, I sit on an exercise ball at work, and I have a tilted uterus. Apparently any or all of these three things, or something else, have led to the beginning of experiencing sciatic nerve pain. I mainly get the shoot pangs in the back of my right leg, when I'm sitting or standing with my weight on it. The good news is it's seriously increasing my compassion for others who experience things like this. And it's all worth it. :)

9 weeks (picture)

First off, it's Joey's birthday!! He was sweet enough to let us go to our next appointment this morning to celebrate, which ended up being a short office talk followed by a full physical. I learned my uterus is tilted towards my back, so we'll have to wait until July 25th (our next appointment), to hear the heartbeat through the doppler technology they have. Bummer. We officially have a fetus now :) Everything seems to be going pretty normal, as far as symptoms (nausea, fatigue, headaches, big knockers, etc.), and blood levels like iron and blood pressure are good. I've gained about a pound, but it could be water weight or who knows what. Happy Birthday to future dad and we are still so excited and feeling blessed!

8 weeks, 5 days

2 months today :) We had a great trip in Charleston. We walked around downtown, seeing some the Waterfront Park and Rainbow Row. I drank a TON of water, and got a little swollen in the heat. It was mainly noticeable in my fingers. I'm also feeling a little bloated and clothes are beginning to fit a little differently. I have a little bit of acne, get some headaches and congestion, and visit the bathroom often. Thanks hormones :) I don't have a lot of cravings, but most food is still not overly appealing. No morning sickness, but I still get some nausea. But we're still really happy and I look forward to Joey being able to tell his teammates in a few weeks!

8 weeks, 2 days

Taking our tiny bump to Charleston!

8 weeks, 1 day (picture)

So far I think I've had a fairly normal experience (aside from the shingles), I'm mostly tired and nauseous a lot (although I think both are lighting up a bit!), I no longer multitask, I get up to pee once or twice during the night, vegetables in particular seem kinda gross, and I eat a lot of blandish food. It's pretty surreal, but I've gained 2 inches around my belly button (bloat or baby?), and although January seems forever far away, I'm excited and know it's all worth it :) We took our 8 week picture in more natural light, but it was the fifth? picture, and I wasn't smiling as much then. We learned that our little one is the size of raspberry, my uterus in the size of a grapefruit and his/her taste buds are developing!

7 weeks, 2 days - exhaustion

I'm tired, all of the time. I have a new level of respect in particular for pregnant ladies that are already moms. I know God can give us grace for the stage we're in, but it's hard to imagine having more important responsibilities in addition to what I already have. It's hard to be as good of a wife, employee,  friend, house cleaner, or dog-mom as I want to be. Multitasking is so much harder, it's hard to remember things, and I do just about all I can to get through the task at hand. Joey's been a ginormous help, taking care of the our boys plus Cooper as often as he can, doing 99% of the dishes and 90% of anything getting put away, as well as picking groceries or running errands, and doing anything to help me sleep better at night. (He does even more, I'm just struggling to remember). The workout video I did last night was the fun moderate-intensity cardio. The instructor was extremely peppy, encouraging the watchers with reminders of how good working out is for you and the baby, you'll sleep better, you'll look better, you're being healthy, etc., just about non-stop. I wasn't that annoyed though, because the encouragement is almost needed to push through the "I just want to take a nap" thoughts. So basically, I understand why pregnant women are tired, and I just can't believe I didn't really know about it. I'm thankful I'll know how to be understanding for my family and friends when the time comes for them. I'm so thankful God gives us the strength to get through each day.

7 weeks, 1 day (ultrasound, picture)

Yesterday Joey met me at noon to get our first ultrasound. It took a little while to get back in the room, but it was fun to actually hang out with my husband during the day :) He made me laugh so hard I cried while we were waiting. 

Our lady tried to do an abdominal reading first, but all she really saw was how full my bladder was. After a couple minutes we switched to vaginal, and it wasn't as uncomfortable as I imagined. My manager had warned me about how surprised she and her husband were when they had to go that route, so I was able to warn Joey ahead of time.

We were able to see our little baby's form and hear a healthy heartbeat of 120 bpm! I was speechless. I was so grateful to be able to share it with Joey, especially when he held my hand. How cool technology is! How cooler is God's plan! It's so neat to think that He already has a plan for our baby, and that He loves he/she more than I ever could. It's still a little strange to think that we (I) are made to grow a person inside of us. Here's one of the pictures we got to take home:

 

Isn't that so cool!! (the big circle is the yolk, full of nourishment)

Today I had a possibly baby-brain moment. I took a spinach pie into work to share at a potluck, but left behind my keys in the ignition, with the car turned off and locked. After working late, Joey was my hero and left his evening shift to come pick me up. We're hoping we'll be able to find my spare at my parents' house tomorrow. 

I also go the opportunity to share with my Aunt Julie that we're expecting, with a due date the day after her birthday :) It seemed especially neat as we got married on their wedding anniversary!

One more note, Joey picked up some prenatal workout dvds. I tried my first one today and I now feel SO thankful! I'm a bit of an intermittent workouter, but I would really like to get the 30 minutes in every day. I'm so thankful for all the support I have in my husband, family and friends! We're still trying out ideas for weekly pictures but here's our first attempt:

6 weeks, 6 days

This weekend we got the opportunity to share the news of our little joy with many more family members. I'm so excited about this stage in our lives and I'm excited to share the joy of it with my siblings (and in-law) when the time comes for them. I get really sleepy in the afternoons and was able to nap on Saturday and Sunday. I'm feeling more nauseous today, but Joey got saltines for me to bring into work.
Oh, and I tear up a lot more than I usually do! Disney movies make me cry by the end nearly every time. 

The pregnancy journal we read said that the face of our baby is forming this week, with nasal pits visible. So exciting! We're really looking forward to our ultrasound on Wednesday :)

The Proof

It took three tests to convince us, but we're so excited :)

6 weeks

Today, we have a little sweet pea growing inside my belly! We went to the first visit with the prenatal nurse yesterday morning. While the appointment itself was mostly boring stuff - finding out the due date is in fact January 30, 2013, giving medical history details, peeing in a cup, giving some blood, and receiving tons of information on the dos and dont's of being pregnant, just being at the office with Joey and knowing that they believe there's a little baby growing inside me, etc., made me so excited! I think my excitement and nervousness was obvious, as all the nurses and helpers asked "first pregnancy, huh?" I'm okay with that. 

I found out at my dermatology appointment that I did not actually have poison ivy, but in fact had shingles. Apparently pregnancy is a little hard on the body, and the stress caused an outbreak. I was happy to find out that the baby will be fine, and it's just discomfort for me. We are slowing letting more people know about our little one, and praying a lot about our words and actions, and for health. 

Our next appointment is next Wednesday :)

5 weeks, 6 days

I got a few shirts with a friend over the weekend and being pregnant is beginning to feel a little more real :) I might show a little early, and I think I'm okay with that. I got my new pregnancy journal today and it has such great details about what's happening. It's exciting and crazy to think that there's a child in there being made. I feel hungry or a little nauseous often throughout the day, and a little bloated. I'm drinking tons of water, and Joey's been making sure we have lots of healthy snacks in the house.

I'm really excited to share our news with our families and for our first appointment tomorrow. I'm so thankful and well, tired.