14 Weeks! Welcome to the 2nd Trimester

Now.  Some people say the 2nd Trimester begins at 13 weeks... but you will find that most pregnancy books and sites will tell you that your last week of your 1st trimester is week 13 and your actual first week of your 2nd trimester is week 14.  WHATEVER you go by... I'm going by week 14... and I'm here.  I have arrived!  If you remember, I told you in an earlier post that at the end of this month I could possibly have a belly pic for you.  Well.  Here is my first belly pic.  Now.  Mind you... it's nothing major.  My baby is still the size of a lemon so he or she isn't going to be taking up much space.  But.  Here you go.  My 14 week belly.  DISCLAIMER:   I didn't realize I was standing at a slight angle in this picture, I think it is making my belly appear larger than it actually is.

To me it just looks like I ate way too many salt and vinegar chips... but it's getting there.  By week 18 the belly should be taking shape nicely. ha.

Ok.  I am feeling so much better.  The 2nd trimester has proven faithful.  In my previous pregnancies, it marked the banishment of most of my morning sickness... and it didn't fail me this time.  I haven't felt nauseous since a couple days ago.  My energy level has gone up! Thank the Lord!  I have been doing so much lately!  Today I was on my feet nearly all day.  Cleaning the kitchen up, Going out to lunch with my good friend and neighbor Tiffany, shopping for summer clothes for the kids, then for my long walk that I try to take daily.  I have been busy!  I hope my energy level stays because I need to keep up with the housework!

Other than that, not much else to update you on.  Everything is going fine.  Ready for the summer with my kids.  Lindsey had her last day of school on Thursday of last week so I plan on doing lots of playing outside with them this summer.  Even though allergies are kicking my butt.  Can't let that stop me!

Looking forward to this summer!

Week 13

I am in the last week of my 1st Trimester.  So happy.  Week 14 marks the beginning of the golden months of pregnancy.  I am looking forward to it.  I really hope that some of my symptoms go away.

Right now I am dealing with the nightly nausea... heartburn... and a horrible taste in my mouth that makes it nearly impossible for me to drink water.  I am on the hunt for drinks with a flavor but not so high on the calories. Lately I have been sucking down juice and decaf sweet tea... while they don't help the bad taste in my mouth to go away, at least it doesn't taste like I am drinking the bad taste, like it does when I just drink straight water.  This is a new symptom to me.  I didn't get this symptom during my other pregnancies.

So.  I have my doctor's visit today at 3:20.  I am typing most of this out before the visit so that all I have to do is enter in my Dr. visit details when I get home and post it.  I am supposed to hear the heartbeat today. I am a little nervous.  Hoping and praying that the heartbeat is there.  I appreciate so much Christa, from Sugarfoot Speaks, who has been really helpful, supportive, and caring.  It really meant a lot to me that you remembered that my big appointment was today and that you have been praying for me!

And with that... I will tell you that I got to hear the heartbeat!  It was good and strong and fast!  I was so happy! Also, I was happy with my weight.  I haven't been able to drink water so I thought for sure my weight gain would send me into the 140's, but I was pleasantly surprised to weigh in a 138.8 lbs.  Starting out at 135... that weight gain isn't bad at all!  Very happy.  Next appointment is much the same... just check my blood pressure, check my weight, my growth (uterus wise), listen to the heartbeat, and then see if I have any concerns.

After that it's the ULTRASOUND!  So... be looking forward to week 20 peeps. :)  I know I am.

Week 11 &12

I'm starting week 12. Woo hoo. Getting closer and closer to that magical 2nd Trimester. Week 14 I'm breaking out the non-alcoholic booze. (oxymoron).

So far, my symptoms are really subsiding, I hope this doesn't make any of you severe morning sickness sufferers mad at me, ha.  With Bren and Lindsey my nausea was really strong.  I only ever upchucked once with both of them, but my nausea and food adversions were so strong and annoying.  This time around good smells are overwhelmingly good... Bad smells aren't getting to me as much.  My nausea hasn't been too terrible.  It gets me at night if I have eaten a big meal a few hours before laying down.

Really I would take some stronger sickness because now I'm sitting here worried if everything is ok. I haven't had a chance to listen to the heartbeat yet, so I am just taking my mild nausea and growing stomach as a sign that that things are progressing ok. That and the fact that Aunt Flo has kept her distance.

Some annoying symptoms... Acne. I have been plagued with bad skin throughout this pregnancy so far. See...

EWE! Gross right?  Yeah.  My skin NEVER breaks out like this.  This is me no make-up OBVIOUSLY. ha.
Well.  I have been so frustrated with it that I decided to get actual FACE STUFF.  I went and got some cleanser (I usually just cleaned my face with soap because my skin wasn't picky) and then I got some neutagena sensitive skin moisturizer.  I also got some new make-up.  Nothing fancy, just some Cover Girl, Maybelline and Revlon stuff.  However, it takes me from the above to this...

much more visually appealing, if you ask me.  A really good buy.  :)

Cravings... SOUR CREAM... I love sour cream right now.  I can eat bites of it.  It's so yummy, but I prefer to dip food in it.  I have been making these quesadilla's of sorts.  Corn tortillas with a slice of sharp cheddar salted.  Then a big dollop of sour cream to dip the slices in.

Really, I have been wanting just about any dairy products... except for ice cream.  Not a big fan... but Frozen Yogurt?  That is a different story.  Milk, cheese, cottage cheese (which I normally hate), cream cheese, sour cream... list goes on.  Dairy is it!

I get to hear the heart beat next Wednesday and I am so excited.  So rather than blog on my usual Tuesday, I am going to blog on Wednesday after my appointment.  I am hoping beyond hopes that I come back with a good report and that a heart beat was heard.  Even though I am experiencing pregnancy symptoms doesn't mean that everything is a o k.  A body can miss a miscarriage and still produce the pregnancy hormones which bring on the symptoms of pregnancy.  Why can I talk about this so nonchalantly?  Well, because I am a realist and this is just a way things COULD go.  However, I am hoping hoping hoping that Wednesday will be the day that I hear the baby's heartbeat and it will become that much more real to me.  As unplanned as this pregnancy was, experiencing a loss is so difficult.  I had a miscarriage in my 6th week of pregnancy in between Lindsey and Brendan, and it was a very emotionally taxing time.  I am preparing myself for the best and worst.

So much about pregnancy is uncertain.  The whole time you are one big ball of worry.  Then once you have the baby and it is healthy and crying in your arms its a whole new level of worry.  It just doesn't stop.  It slows down but doesn't stop.

10 Weeks!

We are in week 10. Let me tell you things are strange. This pregnancy is so unlike my others. I am usually nauseous all day long, but with this one, it hits at about 6:30pm and lasts until sometime while I'm sleeping at night. It's really weird. I have food adversions, but they aren't strong. I really don't love Mexican food right now. I think I could eat a burrito from some place like Qdoba, but authentic Mexican food is out. I am craving lots of sweet starchy high carb things like donuts and french toast and Panera Bagels (I don't give into these cravings everyday or I would be a big fat fatty, but I am going to have a French Toast Casserole for dinner on Thursday night. I am also craving fruity things. This leads me to believe that I may be pregnant with a baby girl, because even though the adversions and cravings aren't as strong they very much resemble my pregnancy with Lindsey. With Bren I wanted a lot of salty things like hot dogs, chips, mexican food etc. :) Having a girl would be ok with me. Lindsey was my easiest baby. Bren has been my terror, I mean, I love him, he's my cuddle bug, but he tears my living space apart! I don't know that I could handle 2 boys. If I must I must, though.

Heartburn is kicking in. I had heartburn though out both of my previous pregnancies. I could drink water and get heartburn, it was insane. NOT looking forward to that part of pregnancy. Heartburn was a lot less with Bren but I got it. The old wives tale about heartburn meaning a baby with lots of hair... I think it is true. Lindsey, I had VISCIOUS heartburn and she had a full head of dark brown hair... Bren, I had heartburn, but not as bad. He was born with just a bit of golden blonde hair. I still have a while to see how viscious this heartburn is going to get.

Anyway. I think by the looks of things now, I should be able to post some "bump" pictures by the end of this month. Also by the end of this month I hope to hear the heartbeat. May 25. Fingers crossed and prayers being said.

That is about all the pregnancy info that I have for you.

Enjoy your week.

Week 9

I had my Doctor appointment today.

I am 9 weeks along. I love my Dr. Some may think it is weird to have a male OB, but this guy has delivered both of my babies and I just feel comfortable having had him as my OB/gyn for nearly 10 years now. It was surreal to see him again in this situation. Last thing we discussed nearly 5 years ago was what form of Birth Control I wanted to be on. I told him none, because I don't react well to my hormone levels being messed with. He told me to be sure, because nothing else is fail safe and I would end up pregnant again. I was like NAH. ha ha ha. So. He kinda gets an "I told you so" even though he didn't take advantage of it. ha.

So. Had an exam. Hopefully everything comes back ok. He said that I seem like I am a little bit farther along than 9 weeks but not much.  I knew this already because my cycle is not the typical 28 day cycle.  According to my cycle length I am due November 29th... only 2 day difference from December 1st... so not a big deal.   On my blog I will update according to the 11/29 due date, even though my Dr. visits I will be 2 days behind that... no big, right?  Two days doesn't really mean anything towards the end anyway.  The baby will come when the baby is good and ready to. :)

My blood work from my last visit all came back great. I was concerned that I might be hypothyroid... he assured me I was not. My THS was 1.57... they like to see levels below 3. :) So YAY to good Thyroid function. Win.

I gained a pound... putting me at 137. BAH. Every lb I gain just makes me a little weepy. I put so much effort into losing that 27 lbs that I lost throughout the past year 1/2. Oh well. I will just have to put in the work again.

I am walking everyday like a good girl.

Ok. Symptoms. My symptoms are surprisingly not bad. I only get nausea at night as I am lying in bed trying to go to sleep, which is VERY annoying, but I don't go throughout the day feeling sick. That is a good thing. The "girls" are a bit tender but even that is subsiding a lot. I have some mild cramping, probably everything growing, shifting and moving around for the baby.

 MY HIPS ARE KILLING ME! This didn't usually become a problem for me until my 3rd trimester around week 32, but dude! My joints and Hips are murder... I can't get comfortable in my bed. I am really tired a lot. Yet I can't make myself go to sleep... INSOMNIA big time. 

I am not noticing any major food adversions. Some foods don't sound too appetizing, but not like pukey bad... just like meh, I'd rather eat something else. Mexican food doesn't appeal to me. Neither do Hot Dogs. AT ALL. Actually that induced a bit of a gag nausea reflex. Hot Dogs. YUCK... Moving a long. I am loving fruit juice. I had a severe apple craving last week where I had to have apple juice and asked Dave to bring home a bag of apples to make apple crisp. It was so delicious. :) ha. Today I had to get some Juicy Juice... you know how it has a distinct flavor? Yeah, that is what I was craving today.

Really, though, I have nothing to complain about. When my Dr. asked me how I was feeling...I told him "weird actually" ha. I told him I am not really nauseous except at night and it just isn't like any of my other pregnancies. I guess I am just lucking out... because I did chuck up with both Lindsey and Brendan.

Ok. So I think I am going to do a weekly update, but my appointments are every 4 weeks so May 25th will be my next REAL information update. I may even include a belly pic because I will be nearly 14 weeks.

Well. If you made it through all of that, then you really did want to keep up with my pregnancy because I just unloaded a butt ton of info. I hope you all have amazing weekends. See you here next week on Tuesday to celebrate week 10 :)

Week 8

April 21 was Dave and I's anniversary.  10th to be exact.  We didn't do anything amazing.  I was craving Jimmy John's, so we went and got subs.  I got a Veggie sub no mayo with salt and vinegar chips.  YUM.  I ate it all like a ravenous pig.  Then we got Fro-yo at Orange Leaf.  Yum.  Now I am feeling quite nauseous.  Yuck.  I may have eaten too much.  However, I was sort of celebrating... Why? Well...

April 21 was also my 1st Dr. appt for Baby #3.  I am 8 weeks along.  I went and had yet ANOTHER pregnancy test done for confirmation, then blood work, and weight.  I HATE GETTING WEIGHED... but this time wasn't so bad.  You see, I think I started this whole pregnancy thing out at 134 lbs.  I weighed in at 135.6  NOT BAD! right?  I totally expected 140-145 ha ha ha.  That is how HUGE I have felt lately (not because 145 lbs is huge, but because I was feeling 10 lbs heavier than the norm... that's what I meant).  So.  I was pretty happy with that.  WOO HOO!  On the right track.

So Next appointment should be fun.  I have an exam.  Blah.  I MIGHT get a chance to hear the heart beat, which will be awesome if it happens. :)  Next appointment is next Thursday.  Then after that my appointments will be every 4 weeks.

It's all been surreal.  Going into the Ob/gyn clinic that I never thought I would frequent again, at least not in the condition I am in! ha.  I am getting excited too, because this is something that I thought I would never EVER experience again... didn't think I wanted to, yet here I am giving it one more go, and it's kinda exciting.

Well.  That is all from me.  I am quite tired.  I need sleep.

Ten Years

Today I have been married for 10 years!  Holy Cow.

I thought I would just copy and paste today's facebook status.

"10 yrs ago today, I married the love of my life. A tall, funny, HOT, loving, awesome, talented, amazing person that God put on this Earth for me. Dave Martin some yrs were AWESOME, others rough, but I think it's a great thing that I can view our marriage today and say, I am SO glad I married you. You... Complete me. BAH HA HA HA! But seriously. I LOVE you! Happy Anniversary. :)"

I don't have any professional pictures of just him and I.  Maybe soon though. :)