Baby Girl, Maielle!

Let me introduce you to our new beautiful addition!

Maielle James

8lbs 3oz

20 1/2 inches long

Our first family photo...after I tell my birth story you will understand why I look so tired.

It all started at 4am on Saturday, October 23rd. I woke up bleeding and got scared. We ended up going to the hospital, they hooked me up to monitors and I was having contractions. I wasn't dilated much and was hoping that they would send me home to labor at home. After about 2 hours of monitoring, they sent me home and said that I would most likely have a baby within 24 hours. We came home to where I labored most of the day. Looking back I wish I would have stayed home for longer, but not knowing what to expect we headed back to the hospital Saturday afternoon after my contraction got stronger and closer together. When we arrived at the hospital they sent me to triage to check me out. I was only dilated to 3cm and was a little disappointed because I was hoping that I was further along. My contractions were coming regular, around 3 - 4 minutes apart. They admitted me and I got set up in a Labor & Delivery room for a long night ahead! Little did we know how long it was actually going to be. I think I labored for around 24 hours without an epidural and then I just needed sleep and decided to get one. After the epidural I was able to get some sleep and rest up until the next morning. After 30 hours of labor it was finally time to push and meet our baby girl. They turned the epidural off and after about 4 pushes our baby girl made her arrival on Sunday at 11:09am. 

Maielle endured the long labor and did great the entire time! When she came out she didn't not cry much, seemed healthy and breastfed right away! She then had to go to the nursery for 4 hours for them to check her out and she was still doing great! They brought her back to us and my nurse was in the room checking me out. She asked if she could see our baby girl because she was making a grunting sound. She then called the nursery to come back and check her out because something didn't seem right. So we got to see her for about 5 minutes before they came to take her back to the nursery to get checked out. After some time had past we were told that she was getting moved to the NICU because she needed to be on oxygen because she had fluid on her lungs. It was so hard to see her with bruises from being stuck, iv in her hand that ended up in her head and a tube down her throat. All the things that you go in not wanting to happen because you are going to breastfeed...your baby given a bottle and a pacifier...all go out the door when all you want is your baby to get healthy. I worked hard while she was in the NICU. I would go and see her every 3 hours and feed her and then come back to the room to pump so that I would have to best chance at breastfeeding. It all worked out perfectly and we are successfully breastfeeding with no formula! 

They said by her x-rays she should be doing worse than she actually was, but she is a fighter and was on a low level of oxygen. They started antibiotics right  away and we were told that the minimum number of days that she has to be on antibiotics is 3 days and I was going to be discharged in 2 days. So that meant that I was going to have to go home without my baby girl! We ended up working it out so that we could stay another night and go home with our baby girl! So we went from constantly watching her monitors to check her oxygen levels and heart rate to bringing her home with nothing attached to her! 

This picture is from Maielle's first day home!

Since being home, she is now up to 9lbs and is in the 75% in height and weight! She sleeps well and wakes to eat and goes right back to sleep. Every now and then she will throw in a fussy night but most nights she is good! I am surprised that I am not very tired and it is easy to get out of bed when you have a little person wake you up cooing to eat!

We are very happy at home and now have a month old baby! She keeps me pretty busy, because she loves to be held and sleep on my chest. Here are a few pictures from her one month photo shoot!

Shower #2

Almost a month ago, I had my second shower! It was beautiful and once again Baby Girl received so many great gifts!

Here is a picture of the grandmothers and great grandmothers! Baby Girl is loved by so many and we all can't wait to meet her!

This is a picture of all the wonderful ladies that gave me the shower!  

Isn't the cake gorgeous? It tasted even better than it looked...best cake ever!!!

As you can see by all of the gifts...I opened gifts until the very end!

I have since found a place for everything in our very small house. Everything is organized and all the clothes are washed. Now we are just waiting for Baby Girls to make her arrival! I am praying that she will come before Monday, so that I do not have to be induced!

Thank you to everyone that worked so hard for this shower (my sister especially)...it was absolutely amazing!

End Date

I just got back from the doctor and I am dilated to almost 2 cm. Baby girls head is now engaged and everything is progressing! I have stayed home from work the past 2 days because my feet are swelling very bad and they seemed to be getting worse. Today at my appointment my doctor didn't seem as worried about my feet as I thought he was going to be, so I am going back to work half a day until Baby girl makes her arrival. I am praying that baby girl will decide to come within the next few days because if nothing happens by Monday, then most likely I will be induced on Monday. I really don't want to be induced because my birth plan is going to try and go all natural. I am keeping all options open though and will try and keep an open mind! Any suggestions on if I do have to have an induction and opinions on pain meds???? Baby girl has 5 days to get moving and I am going to try all the old wives tales to get her out before Monday! If you want to keep up with us and baby girl, I will be tweeting any changes and updating along the way!

Baby Girl

You are the little miracle that I have dreamed of for so many years. The day that I found out about you, my heart could have exploded from loving you! I have waited to hold you in my arms for far too long! I know when that time does come that I will be overcome with emotions. For we are finally there, a family of three! Know that I have dreamed about you, your name, your face, your hair, and your eyes, for far too long. I was truly blessed because I got to see you when you were only just a little blob with a heartbeat. Then I was able to watch you grow and form into the wiggling and very active baby inside me now!

In the beginning you made me very sick. I was nauseated everyday and all day long, but I enjoyed each and every second of it. For this is what I had prayed for, for many years! Yes, I prayed for morning sickness! I wanted to experience it all, everything that went along with pregnancy! I could not eat meat or Mexican food (which before you came along Mexican food was my favorite). It was a good thing that I was pregnant during the summertime because I had plenty of fruits and vegetables to choose from.

By the time the second trimester came around the nausea went away and I slowly started to get my energy back! I also started to feel you move around inside of me at 17 weeks! That was the strangest and best feeling that I have ever felt! I would get the biggest smile on my face every time I felt you build up enough energy to give me a good kick! You are a very active baby inside of me and this makes me wonder if you will be the same when you are born??? I have enjoyed watching my belly grow as you have gotten bigger each and every day. Your dad and I also enjoy picking out your body parts that you are moving around my belly.

You are beyond miracles; you are truly a blessing from God that we prayed for, along with many of our friends and family! You have taught me so much already and I know that I will continue to learn lessons through being your mother.

Your dad and I didn’t care if you were a boy or girl, but when we found out you were a girl, our girl, we were both very excited to start planning for you. Your dad picked your name in the very beginning even before we knew we were having a girl and we can’t wait to share it with everyone! We have kept your name a secret this entire pregnancy, which was very hard at times. There are many people that are going crazy because we will not tell your name, but we wanted that to be something between your dad and me. I have had so much fun decorating your nursery and picking out outfits for you. You already have so many pairs of shoes!

Your furry sister, Zoe, is also waiting for your arrival. She doesn’t quite know how her life is about to change drastically! She already loves your room, I think she has taken it over as her room for now, but she will learn to share it with you. She is so cute when she runs up to me and just starts poking at my belly with her nose, sniffing and licking you.

I am thankful everyday of this pregnancy that I have had the chance to experience life growing inside of me. I pray that I am a good mother, and never forget how truly blessed I am to be given the opportunity to be your parent. I pray that you come to love the Lord as I have and that you learn to trust in Him and find the peace that I have found in Him.

Just know baby girl that I love you more than I could write or say, more than you could even imagine and this love only grows more and more each day that I carry you. Know that I have enjoyed being pregnant with you each and every day and I am looking forward with anticipation to this next journey with you!

Baby Shower #1

A month ago some awesome ladies gave me a shower at our church! I opened gifts for the full two hours of the shower. So needless to say, I received a lot of great gifts for this special baby girl! Below is a picture of the ladies that gave me the shower! I am so thankful to these ladies that gave me such a great and thoughtful shower! It was amazing!

Baby girl got a jewelry box from Tiffany's from her Aunt Tiffany!!! When she starts getting mobile we will have to put this in a special place :)

Marcus came at the end of the shower to load up the gifts and I was still opening gifts, so he got to help me out and open a few gifts!

Someone painted this little chair to match my bedding! It turned out so cute and looks really cute in her room!

Wardrobe stocked full of clothes and shoes already!

This Sunday I have another shower that my sister, family and friends are giving me. I can't wait because I know they have spent so much time on this shower to make it special for us! Baby girl is so blessed with so many people that love her already, even before she is here! I am just overwhelmed with appreciation for everything that everyone is doing for us!

We still have not decided on her full name. We joked last night that I am going to be in labor and she still will not have a middle name. There are two names that we both like for different reasons! We might just have to see her when she gets here and see what name she looks like the most?!?!?! We also do not have the nursery finished, my hospital bag packed or the car seat installed! Can you tell that there are some pretty major things that we need to get done within the next week! But we did get a little getaway this past weekend. This was the last weekend that I could travel, so we took advantage of it and had a great relaxing weekend away!

Sick

I know it is has been awhile since I have updated on here, but our lives have been very busy. Since my last update we have had our first shower, we have taken maternity pictures, the nursery is getting closer and closer to being ready and much much more! I am so wanting to nest and wash and organize everything, but I have had a cold for over a week now and don't feel like doing anything. I have tried all the home remedies to overcome this cold but nothing is working. I was up all night last night with an extreme cough! My doctor has given me different things to try before going to a prescription, but we are at the point to where we have to turn to something else because nothing is working. I don't really like taking medicine but I am at the point to where I just want to be over this cold and be able to carry on with preparing for this little girl! Also at my last doctors appointment I found out that my iron is too low, so I am now having to take iron. I was worried that this would mess up my body as some of you know iron does, but so far so good...no problems with taking the iron! As soon as I get more time I need to post pictures from my first shower, pictures of the nursery and hopefully I will be able to share some of our maternity pictures with you all!

Overwhelmed

We are so overwhelmed with baby registries!!! We went this past weekend to a couple of stores to register at and the first store was fun. It was a little baby boutique and mainly just one of a kind items and not many decisions had to be made. Then we went to the BIG baby store and were overwhelmed!!! I guess I should have been more organized, but my life seems so crazy right now. I need help making some decisions!!! There are so many choices to make….bottles, breast pumps, supplies for breast pumps, supplies for bottles, swings, bouncers, sheets (how many do I need), bath supplies, clothing (prob don’t need help on this), grooming stuff, and the list could go on forever!!!

What are your favorite brands?

Which breast pump do you recommend?

What are some key registry items?

How many bottles, sheets, and anything else that I am not thinking of, do I need?

Marcus and I were so overwhelmed when we left the store and it didn’t help that the store didn’t have a lot of things that I really liked! Mothers out there….please help me out!!!!

Is love all you need?

All you need is love, love, love is all you need! It’s cliché, but is it true? In the IVF world is love all you need? I would say on some levels this is what gets you through cycle after cycle. But isn’t love all you need in the fertile world to make a baby? In the infertile world you need medical procedures, tons of shots, surgeries, sterile operating rooms and many doctors to even give you a chance of getting pregnant! With all of this going on it is so easy to leave the loving part out of the equation and just go through procedure after procedure. I think this is what tears most infertile couples apart. But you have to remember what the motivating factor behind all of this is! It was your love for one another that has brought you to this point. I know that IVF brought Marcus and I closer together and our love has grown stronger through the craziness of IVF. There is nothing that tests a relationship more than surviving an insanely difficult experience together. I would say that our infertility story is a love story!

It is so easy to focus on my own struggles and heartbreak from these experiences but I have to remember that this is both me and my husband’s journey of heartbreak to joy! He was right by my side through it all. Holding me when I was broken from a failed cycle, giving me shot after shot, holding my hand through cycle after cycle and sitting right beside me through all of the procedures. I could not have made it through the past almost four years without him by my side. Our love is stronger and all we did need was love...love for God and love for each other! This is what has brought us on the other side with a stronger love than we could have ever imagined!

It happened in a blink

On Wednesday, June 30th I experienced something that I wish no one would ever have to experience. I was at work eating lunch with my dad (I work at a family business), and a guy walked in and pulled a shot gun on us and rob us. In the blink of an eye my life was changed. The thoughts going through my head were my baby, protecting my baby and please don’t let my dad get shot. It never crossed my mind that I would get hurt. My heart was racing, but God was there with us. I knew in my heart that if we just gave him what he wanted that he would leave and not hurt us. Since then they have caught the guy and that is very comforting to us all. In some strange way I feel God had prepared me for this. He knew this was going to happen. I don’t know why he did not stop it from happening; all I can do is thank him for protecting us! There is a lot of healing going on and each day I think we all get a little better. There will be positive things that come from this horrible June day….I know!!! I am now always conscience of my surroundings and my guard is up. It is amazing the things you can go through with God by your side! He is amazing and I thank Him every day for protecting us!

The baby and I are doing well. At my last doctors appointment my blood pressure was higher than normal and I had not gained any weight in a month but after everything I had just gone through my doctor was okay with that. At my next appointment I have to do my Glucose test, I am worried about that since I have been Hypoglycemic my entire life.

I feel like I am running out of time to get everything finished. This pregnancy is going by way too fast!!! We do have a crib and dresser and are still looking for an antique wardrobe. We still need to paint the crib and distress it (to be done by my dad & sister), but I know that will get done. I am so excited fixing up her nursery and getting all these baby items in our house seem surreal to me! I hung some of the clothes that we have received as gifts in her closet and Marcus opened the door and was shocked to see those little clothes in the closet! To say the least we are enjoying this pregnancy experience immensely!

Baby Girl!

I went and had a 3D/4D ultrasound and it was a great experience! Baby girl was not very cooperative but we were able to get a few good pictures of her! She has been in the same position for the past two ultrasounds which surprises me because she is very active in there. She was all cuddled up and in some pictures she is hugging her umbilical cord. She is already measuring 2lbs and has a long torso! Looks like she might be taking after her mother. I was a big and long baby. We had a great time sharing this experience with our parents and my sister!

Trust your doctor?

I went this past week for my 6 month check up at my dermatologist. The last time I went, she removed a spot that came back with pre-cancerous cells in it. This is usually the norm for me. I think this might have made her a little more cautious than normal. So I had these other red spots that weren't going away. I have probably had them for a couple of months at least. I showed them to her expecting her to give me something to rub on them....instead she was suspicious of them. Since they had been there so long and were not getting any better, she wanted to remove them to find out what they are. I was reluctant because I thought something had just bitten me and I was healing differently with pregnancy. I even told her this but she kept looking at them and said that she would like to remove at least one of them to find out what it is. So I trusted my doctor and let her remove one of the spots.

After a lot of blooding, I now have three stitches in my arm! My arm is also bruised, irritated and itching! I should have questioned her more on her reasoning behind removing the spot, but I trusted my doctor! I did not show her these spots for her to remove them; I showed them to her to see if she had some medication to put on them. But I now have stitches in a very bad spot on my arm that are driving me crazy! To make things worse, my doctor called me yesterday to tell me the pathologist results. Guess what it was............................

a severe reaction to a bug bite!!!! REALLY I have stitches from a bug bite?????? I am not happy!!!

Growing belly of mine!

Some say I should hide you, fully covered! But I am proud of you! Should I wear a bikini to show you off or should I keep you hidden to myself? I am all for showing you off!

I catch a glimpse of you as I walk past a mirror and I am shocked. Is that me? Somehow in my mind, it seems as though you should still be flat and not hold another life inside of you. But there you are, getting bigger each day that passes and I just can’t get enough of you.

I hold you in my hands and look at you in awe. You mark the growth of our first child, a baby girl. I gladly take all the fat jokes and smile proudly when someone calls me prego.

Each morning and night I massage you with creams to help you stretch, and keep stretching! You are so beautiful, my growing and round belly!

I finally get to adorn you in maternity clothes…some that have been in my closet for YEARS! I feel something move inside of you and I smile at the miracle that you are carrying, silently thanking God!

I know that this is just a brief moment in time and I am cherishing each and every second of this growing belly of mine!

Sneak Peek!

Lately I feel like my life is crazy and I don't have any time to relax! I am ready for the exterior of our house to be finished...getting closer every day! I have narrowed down some of my big selections, but I still have not made a decision on a bed! Here is a sneak peek of the first purchase made for the little girls room! I am doing a vintage theme with mix matched furniture! Can't wait to see how it all comes together!

I still need to find an antique armoire/wardrobe that is not expensive, a bed, a rocker and all the other necessities for a nursery! I could not find any bedding that I liked, but I did find some fabric. So my mom is making my bedding and I can't wait to see the finished product! What are your thoughts on bumper pads? I have read the positive and negatives to using them.

I get a little overwhelmed when I have to make all these decisions at once and feel like I am being pressured to make them fast. I am trying to just remind myself that I have time and there is no need to rush...it will get it finished. I am not gripping though...I am loving doing this and creating a nursery for our baby girl!

Oh, by the way, any girl name suggestions? We have one name that we like but it would be nice to have some other options! We like unusual names!!!

It's A Baby.....

To both of us it didn't matter what we were having, but we are excited to welcome a baby girl into our family! We both were sure that it was a boy and for some reason I was shocked to find out that is was a girl! Like I said it did not matter if it was a boy or girl and now the planning begins! I am overwhelmed right now with all the decisions that I have to make now. I have to design a nursery, find furniture, find bedding, pick out what I am going to register for and so much more!!!! I have been looking at bedding but can't seem to find anything I like. Then there are the decisions on what car seat and stroller do I want? I need help!!!! This past weekend my mom helped me clean out and rearrange some furniture in our house, but we have so much more to do!!! Marcus has been very busy the past few months working on the exterior of the house and I know he will be happy to be finished with that, but it seems like the list of things to do keep growing!

I need some expert opinions:

1. Where is a good place to look for bedding? I have looked online and everything for a girl nursery is too girly for me! I am leaning towards turquoise!

2. I think we are going to Houston to look at some stuff...where are some places that we should go look?

3. What car seat and stroller do you like or what do you have and not like?

4. If I buy a regular dresser that is not baby furniture, will the contoured changing pad work on top of it?

Can you tell that I have too many thoughts going through my head to sort all of this out! I am overwhelmed and need help! I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about all of this stuff! You would think that I had plenty of time to look and think about this but when you are going through infertility it is hard to plan for something that you thought you might never get! So if you have experience please share your knowledge with me! I want the best for this little girl!

Whats been going on!

It seems like our life is always busy and no time to blog, so here are a few updates on what is going on these days:

Marcus is still working on the exterior of the house. We are all ready for this to be finished and I know he is really ready!!! Hopefully it will get painted this weekend...that is the plan at least!
This weekend is our 6 year anniversary!!! We are planning on going to eat at a nice restaurant to celebrate!

We went on a last minute vacation to Gulf Shores for the long weekend. It was a very nice, relaxing get-a-way!!! I just wish we could have stayed longer. The beach was beautiful with no tar or tar balls!

Over the weekend Marcus was able to feel the baby kick for the first time!!! This baby can kick! I love watching the baby move all around in my stomach! I didn't think I would be able to experience these things so early in the pregnancy, since a lot of people told me that I probably would not feel the baby move until 20 weeks.

Today we get to see our baby again!!! I am very excited and hopefully we will find out what we are having...that is if Baby Kyler cooperates! It will be fun to be able to start planning a nursery and come up with a name. To me it really does not matter what we are having...no preference towards one or the other! I just pray for a healthy baby to spoil and love on!!!

Somersaults

Somersaults by our very active baby...that is what I am feeling these days in my belly and it is amazing! Our baby is not very active in the morning, but get very active in the afternoon! Maybe this will continue on until after birth?!?!?!?

I started feeling different feelings in my lower stomach before I even made it to 17 weeks and then around 17 weeks I realized that it was the baby moving. I love the feeling of our baby moving around inside of me...it still startles me at times. I wonder what the baby is doing inside there, it feels like it is turning flips!

I am still having some side affects from my progesterone shots. I am having pain in my left hip that makes it very uncomfortable to lay on my left side. At first they thought that we might have hit my sciatic nerve but now we just think that I have tissue and muscle damage from the shots. Has anyone else had this problem from the POI shots? I am not griping though, I will take the pain with this amazing little miracle turning somersaults inside me. I just got my dreamgenii pillow in and am very excited about trying it out tonight. Maybe this will help with my hip pain. 

I had another doctors appointment yesterday and everything checked out great. He was happy with my weight even though I have not gained the recommended amount up to this point. I schedule my ultrasound and it is earlier than what I expected. My doctor said that he would like to wait until around 22 weeks for my ultrasound, but it is scheduled at 20 weeks. So on June 2nd we will hopefully find out what baby Kyler is!!!! I can't wait...Marcus and I both think that it is a boy.

I also can't get enough of my belly...I love my belly! I still can't believe that is me when I look into the mirror. New clothes and undergarments also come along with this growing belly, which can be expensive! The styles right now make it easier for finding stuff. I have been buying nonmaternity tops and dresses on sale that work perfect. Pregnancy is expensive! My doctor told me yesterday that I could not wear the shoes I had on anymore. So I told Marcus that my doctor told me that I needed to buy some new shoes!!! For a shoe lover like me...that was just what I wanted to hear!!!

I am loving the somersaults, can't wait for the ultrasound, and just can't get enough of my growing belly!!!! 

Mother-To-Be

Of all the Mothers Day’s I have experienced in my life, this one is going to be extra special. I can say that all at once I am excited for what’s to come but also anxious about the unknown. I would have to say that I expect this Mother’s Day to go very different than last year. Last Mother’s Day was a very hard day for me. My emotions were all over the place and it seemed like everywhere I turned I was reminded that I was not a mother. But that surprise answer I got in February has forever changed me!!! Spending Mother’s Day pregnant has made me realize how awesome God is. It amazes me to see all the things that are falling into place for Marcus and me. I now know why God kept telling me to wait; it was a hard year of waiting but worth it all. Although there is no baby for us to hold and others might not see me as being a mother, I am still going to celebrate this Mother’s Day!

I will smile this Mother’s Day, with our baby growing inside my belly, because this will probably be the easiest Mother’s Day I will ever have! There are no sleepless nights, a baby crying all night or a toddler to chase around the house. I will also have to say that I am sooooo looking forward to the sleepless nights, crying baby and every stage of life…this is what I have been asking for, for what seems like a lifetime! For the next 5 ½ months I will be dreaming about what kind of mom I will be? What will our baby look like…will it have dimples, curly hair, and olive skin, will it be a boy or a girl? I am in the dreaming stage and I am trying to soak it all in and dream away!

This Mother’s Day is for Marcus and I to celebrate where we have come from, what we have gone through and most of all celebrate this miracle growing inside of me! So on Sunday, pregnant and a mother-to-be, I will look forward to the Mother Days to come that will continuously find new meaning of what being a mother really is. I am excited about the future and what God has for us!

niaw 2010

Even though I am pregnant, I still deal with Infertility everyday. The thought never leaves my mind that this might be my only pregnancy, so I cherish every moment of this pregnancy. The thought never leaves my mind that the only way for me to get pregnant again is to do another FET.

It has been 3 1/2 years since we learned that we would join the infertility community. This is something that I will carry with me the rest of my life. It was 3 1/2 years ago when I sat wondering if I would ever carry a pregnancy of my own. It has been 3 1/2 years since we sat wondering how in the world will going to pay for IVF!!! It has also been 3 1/2 years of amazing blessings and answers to prayers. Also in those 3 1/2 years I had some of the hardest days of my life, but I would not trade any of those 3 1/2 years.

As I sit and type this, I look down at my pregnant belly and I am filled with joy, happiness, excitement, hope, love, and very thankful for this huge blessing that I get to carry, nurture, and grow!!!

First!

First Purchase!

I made my first baby purchase! I bought these adorable yellow suede booties lined with brown fur. Since we will be having a winter baby I think they will be perfect! The problem is Zoe seems to be very interested in them. Marcus put them on the floor last night and worked with her leaving them alone and it only took one correction for her to leave them alone. Then we moved on to a baby crying to see what her reaction would be and of course she was very interested in that. She eventually went and laid on her bed and was fine with the noise. I hope her good behavior will continue on! She seems to listen to Marcus very well but not so much to me.

First Regular Ob/Gyn Visit!

I went on Monday to my first doctor’s visit and it was a very long morning! I had to have some fasting blood work done, so before my appointment I went and did that. I have blood sugar problems and pregnancy has made that a little worse so fasting in the morning was not good. Luckily the blood work didn't take long and I was able to go and get breakfast in the cafeteria before heading to my appointment. My obstetrician appointment was at 8:30 and we were the first people there, so I figured we were his first appointment...should not assume that ever! Shortly after getting there the waiting room was full of pregnant ladies (some past their due dates)! So they of course went in front of me....as I am sure they were worked in. I was happy to at last be one of them! I have gone to this doctor many times and just starred at the pregnant ladies and wondered if I would ever be one of them. And on Monday I got to join the pregnant club in the waiting room. We sat in the waiting room for an hour and a half before getting called back!!! Once we got called back everything was great. My weight went down, so he is a little concerned about that. It is strange because I have this growing belly but little to no weight gain! I really don't understand that, I guess it is just my uterus slowly moving up. The highlight of the appointment was we got to finally hear the heartbeat! Up until now, we have only seen it beating on the ultrasound screen. It was music to my ears to hear that whooshing, swooshing sound! Can’t wait to hear it again! I have also looked into having a 3D/4D ultrasound and will have that done after my BIG 20 week ultrasound!

First Vacation Planned!

We are going back to Gulf Shores for a relaxing family vacation. My parents, my sister and her husband are all going. I am looking forward to getting away and relaxing before we have a baby. I hope that Marcus and I will be able to get away a few times before the baby arrives, to be able to just soak in this precious time we have as a couple!

Goodbye 1st, Hello 2nd!!!

Well HELLO 2nd Trimester!!! Am I really out of my first trimester???? I told Marcus that today I should miraculously start to feel better! He found that to be very humorous. I am still very tired (I go to bed around 8:30 almost every night) and still nauseated pretty much all day! But I don't care, because I am in my 2nd Trimester!!!! I go on Monday to my regular OB/Gyn and hopefully we will get to hear the baby's heartbeat. Up until now we have only seen it beating on the ultrasound screen, so it will be nice to hear that whooshing sound. I also have to go Monday morning to do some fasting blood work and I am a little worried if I will be able to make it through that without getting sick! So here we are cruising along and loving pregnant life!

12W4D

I am not so good at remembering to take a picture every week. I will have to get better!!! Here is my 12 week 4 day baby bump!

We went to a wedding this weekend in Louisiana and had a great time with family! Marcus went and played golf earlier in the day and forgot to put on sunscreen as you can tell in this picture.

This picture was taken after we got back to the hotel after the wedding. We left the reception early around 12:00. I tried to stay until they left but I was worn out, as you can tell in this picture, and my feet hurt real bad! We found out the next morning that they didn't leave until around 1:30, so I am glad that we left when we did. Here is my belly shot at 12 weeks 2 days.

We had a great weekend but I am worn out. The past few days I have been trying to recuperate from the weekend!