Sunday, June 24, 2012

Week 16



How far along? 16 weeks



Baby Size? an avacado - speaking of an avacado, this past weekend while eating out at a local Mexican restaurant I opted to try out Cliff's side dish of guacamole for his fajitas. Lo and behold, that stuff was delicious! I'm not sure why I've never tried it until now! Yet, I vaguely remember trying it years and years ago and it having an awful bitter taste. So maybe it was just a mental block for me until this past weekend? Who knows. All I know is I will be ordering a side dish of my own next time we opt to eat Mexican.

Total Weight Gain/Loss? 7 lbs - Dr visit on Wednesday proved I have gained an additional few pounds since the last visit. First OB appointment back in April starting weight was around 135. I am now... 142. Ouch. I've never seen the 140's. It's a little terrifying for me.

Maternity Clothes? still a no.

Stretch Marks? none so far.

Sleep? off and on. I found myslef waking up on average three times a night. I get up usually one out of the three to use the bathroom and the rest I wake myself up from tossing and turning constantly. This week, I struggled getting back to sleep after the current wake-up. It's almost taking me an hour each time to fall back asleep. Not cool.

Best Moment this Week? Hearing our baby's heartbeat on the doppler! The heart rate was at 162. According to the ole' wives tales, fast heart rate over 140 means it's a little girl! We shall see!


Miss anything? my favorite jeans - they have officially gotten to the point they are almost impossible to button.

Movement? none. feeling a little more tugging and pulling this week. can definitely feel the round ligament pain when i move a certain way too fast. Doc said it shouldn't be too much longer before I begin to feel the first few flutters!

Food Cravings?  mexican food. chocolate milk. tomatoes. no, not all at once. haven't hit that stage just yet.

Anything make you sick or queasy? nada, I've been rather fortunate I haven't had any bouts with sickness. This week and last, I noticed an increase in headaches.. something I never experience. Actually, just a few weeks ago I told a friend I hardly have ever dealt with headaches before. Obviously, I forgot to knock on wood because they decided to come and stay a while. Doc recommended Tylenol Extra Strength to take care of them and then prescribed me an additional drug of choice in case the Tylenol didn't do the job. I walked out of the pharmacy on Friday with prenatal vitamins, tylenol, and some new facial wipes to help out with this hormonal-affected face of mine.

Have you started to show yet? yes'm. some days it seems bigger than others. guess it depends on how much of an appetite i have for that particular day.

Gender? Won't know for certain until July 18th - follow along as we plan the gender reveal party!

Labor signs? none.

Belly Button in or out? in.

Wedding Rings on or off? on.

Happy or Moody? happy!

Looking forward to? Feeling the first movements & baby shopping!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Five Question Friday

Playing along today with My Little Life for 5QF!

Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky post to appear Friday morning and LINK UP!



1. What do you keep a stock pile of? soap - we buy in bulk so we never have to worry about running out & not being able to bathe. kidding. that's the only answer I could come up with. We don't have much of a stock pile..



2. If Ben & Jerry asked you to invent an ice cream, what would it be? strawberry milk with oreos


3. How do you blow off steam? go for a drive.. alone. radio  up, windows down kinda ride. it always makes me pep up.






4. What would you do if you had an hour to yourself anywhere within a ten mile radius of your home...no kids, no hubby, just you? lay quietly on the couch and relax. no t.v., no talking, just pure relaxation at it's best. Or maybe go get a pedi? The best part is when they put the lotion on and deep massage from the shins down. If we had a clothing retail store within 10 miles, my answer would definitely be to shop! I'm in dire need of a newly renovated wardrobe.


5. When you were 16, what was your curfew in the summertime? 11:30-12:00 depending on where I was and what I was doing.

-----------------------------------------------

YAY for new hair color and thinning of this thick mane!



Happy Friday, friends!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

currently

I ran across this fun link-up last week through Jamie at This Kind of Love. Although I'm not a very 'active' blogger and don't keep up with all the link-up's and such, I still thought this was a fun idea and looked forward to participating this week. Looks like Jennifer, the blog link-up host, is out for vacay and won't be doing it this week unfortunately. But since I worked diligently on it, I'm going to post it anyhow..

current book(s)


{NCLEX study questions - yes, I have still yet to take my NCLEX exam and become an official RN. I'm ashamed. But good news, I should have a date set to take it within the next week!}

{Mom bought this for me as an early Mother's Day gift. It has ALL the answers.}
current playlist
Pandora
Reba McEntire, Avalon, Casting Crowns, or Third Day stations
current color
Coral & Aqua
current food
fried chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, and chocolate milk
current favorite show(s)

{this is a must watch every Monday night. yet, this season is becoming very boring to us!}
current needs
maternity clothing.
current banes of my existence
studying for the NCLEX.
current celebrity crush
{Blake and Miranda - LOVE them}
current #1 blessing
{our baby!}
current indulgence
Hunt's Brothers Pepperoni Pizza
current outfit
{that i am in need of}
cute, maxi dresses from Target and Old Navy!
current excitement
 getting my hair done this afternoon! it's been since february. yes, you read that right.
i'm adding some blonde. getting tired of being a total brunette, i need a summer color!

current mood
happy! we got to hear our baby's heartbeat yesterday. now looking forward to planning our gender reveal partay with Jess. invites have been ordered and being sent out very soon. that's something to be happy about!
current favorite quote or verse
{via Pinterest}
current wishlist item
the wand.
have you seen these things? they're incredible.
my friend's hair looks amazing after using this bad boy.

it looks like a curling iron, yet it has no clip.
instead you use this to wrap the hair around the "wand"


go here to watch a video tutorial via youtube

current favorite product(s)
Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream

LOVE this stuff. I've been working on the same teeny container for 3, probably 4 years now. I use it every night before I go to bed on my lips. It keeps them moisturized for the entire next day. No chap stick can compare!

Hope you all have had a terrific THURSDAY!
Cheers to Friday & the weekend ahead- xoxo

Monday, June 18, 2012

Week 15



How far along? 15 weeks

Baby Size? navel orange

Total Weight Gain/Loss? 4 lbs

Maternity Clothes? I've yet to buy the first article of clothing from the maternity section.

Stretch Marks? none so far.

Sleep? this week was better than last. the breast tenderness is finally easing up a bit, so it was a little more comfortable sleeping on my stomach this week. i still continue to toss and turn constantly. cliff says i'm all over the place.

Best Moment this Week? Celebrating Cliff as a Father-To-Be on Father's Day! We took the boat out to St. Catherine's Island with his Dad and family.


Miss anything? hot baths. I loooove to take a long, hot steamy bubble bath every so often and this week I was dying to just lay down in a tub filled with water and relax. So, I did. Except, it wasn't steamy hot water. Instead it was lukewarm & filled only halfway up so my belly wasn't completely submerged. I lit a few candles, had the bubbles filled to the top, and propped my feet up on the ledge. It didn't last long since I was scared to chance the odds of making my body temperature rise, even though it was cooler water than I shower in, and it effecting the baby. Oh, and beer. Of course, my two favorite beverages would combine to make what is the new "Bud Light Lime-a-rita" in the midst of my pregnancy during the sweldering hot, summer days. I've heard lots of hype about these from friends & family. And no, I have not had or plan to have a single sip of alcohol during this pregnancy.


Movement? none.

Food Cravings? mashed potatoes.

Anything make you sick or queasy? nada.

Have you started to show yet? I'd say yes. I had several family members and random people tell me last week.. "oh look, you're finally getting a little belly!" I'm thinking.. what are yall talking about? It looks feels to me like I've had one for weeks now. For those that wouldn't know, it probably comes off as if I've just gained a few extra pounds!


Gender? we both feel like it's a girl. counting down the days until our gender appointment exactly four weeks away - july 18th.

Labor signs? none.

Belly Button in or out? in.

Wedding Rings on or off? on.

Happy or Moody? this week was a bit on the moody side. i blame it on the rainy weather. it rained every day last week, which put me in a drag. i feel better about this upcoming week! bring on the sun!

Looking forward to? our appointment on Wednesday! Just another quick check-up and doppler of the baby's heartbeat.

Friday, June 15, 2012

wedding festivities {& picture overload}

Last weekend, one of my besties from childhood tied the knot to her high school sweetheart!

The wedding & reception was held in downtown Savannah at the Mariott! Beautiful place.


Since I was a bridesmaid, I wasn't able to snag any pictures of the ceremony unfortunately.
I stole this one from Jess - who by the way - was the Wedding Coordinator and did a FABULOUS, fabulous job :)

Rehearsal dinner was held at Skyler's downtown. Very romantic setting!
I'm a sucker for white Christmas lighting and fancy votive candles EVERYWHERE.
It was gorgeous.
And the food was amazingly good.
Lightly battered chicken breast, steamed vegetables, and an angel hair pasta?
You can't go wrong with that choice.


{Me, Jess, and Rach (high school friend & hair stylist) at the rehearsal dinner}



{Lacey, Rachel's babygirl, stuck me against the wall while playing 'hide-n-go-seek' and said 'stay right here, just like this'. }



{The Mr. & I}

Thank goodness for Cliff's baby sister Madison, who is.. 15.. or I would not have been wearing this cute little number I have on.
I freaked out Wednesday night when I realized I was two days away from the rehearsal with nothing in my closet to wear.. cute, of course.
My dearest Madison heard my frustration cry & came to my rescue.
I walked in to work Thursday morning to a stack of about 10 a-d-orable dresses waiting to be tried on.
I owe her big time.


{beautiful friend, Ashley!}


{Bridesmaids}

You can't see my heels, however, I was stressing about those as well. I'm a flip-flop all the time kinda girl & haven't bought cute heels since I don't know when.
Friday afternoon (yes, before rehearsal), I sweet talked Cliff into leaving a little early and stopping by a shoe department store on the way.
I walked out of there with 2 pairs for $50!


Reg. $34.99, on sale for $15.99, got an additional 50% off
Total price: $7.99


Orginally, I walked in looking for these. I actually wanted the closed toe, but they didn't have me size.
After walking in these for half an hour, I was dying already.
They need some serious breaking in.


{Decorating the table settings after the rehearsal dinner.}

Bachelorette fun: masquerade theme

A few weekends back, we hit the Opera Club in Atlanta for the Bachelorette getaway!
a little shopping, lots of eating, and a night out on the town.







xoxo, Lovies!

Have a great weekend!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Week 14


These updates are going to be a little more detailed than the last series.

How far along? 14 Weeks

Baby Size? At week 14, baby is 3.4 inches and 1.5 ounces, he's almost doubled in weight since last week and keeps on growing.




Total Weight Gain/Loss? 4lbs

Maternity Clothes? Not yet, but I am on the search for some good, decently priced maternity stores! Any recommendations are welcome!
Stretch Marks? None so far. I've been rubbing the belly butter in threatened areas a few times per week.

Sleep? Already uncomfortable. The problem is, I sleep on my stomach. It's the only way I can go to sleep and the position I sleep in for probably 90% of the night. I can tell a difference already in my belly, which makes it uncomfortable to lay flat. I've been using an extra pillow and propping half of my stomach up on the edge of it. Regardless, I'm tossing and turning constantly.

Best Moment this Week? Cliff kissed my belly for the 1st time.

Miss anything? Nope.

Movement? None.

Food Cravings? Not anything in particular. I've been loving Japanese food & apple juice.

Anything make you sick or queasy? Nope.

Have you started to show yet? Yes. Cliff and I can definitely tell. Other people say, "you can tell a little bit".

Gender? We both would prefer to have a boy first. But, we are just wishing and praying for a healthy baby.. we don't care about the gender!

Labor signs? None.

Belly Button in or out? In as of now.

Wedding Rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody? Happy, I would say. Just tired... which I guess could make me moody when I don't get my sleep!

Looking forward to? Feeling the baby kick!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Weeks 1-13

Well HELLO everyone! Long time, no talk eh?

The last 12 months have been a whirlwind. Several gigantic trials, tribulations, and blessings have arised along the way. One day, when I feel the urge to spill out my heart.. I hope to share my story. Until then, I will start with the most recent of these occurrences because it's the one with the biggest blessing involved.

Three months ago, I was completely stressed out to the max. After several days of worrying and wondering, I opted to upgrade from the cheaper versions and buy one of these..


Are you shocked?
Yes, we were. I think we still are actually.
 I'm 14 weeks as of Monday.
Time is flying right on by.

I want to give an update from weeks 1-13 combined in a single post to keep track & record all of the tiny details of this new adventure in our lives.

*Beware: some of the information is not what I would call "pleasant". But, it's still the truth.. and I want to look back one day and laugh about it all.

Shall we begin?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First day of last menstrual cycle: February 27th, 2012
Approximate conception date: March 12, 2012
First positive pregnancy test: Friday March 30, 2012
How many pregnancy tests taken: 4 (week of missed period, all negative) - 4 positive from Friday-Sunday.


How far along: roughly 4 weeks
Told Cliff: March 30, 2012
Told parents: March 31, 2012
Scheduled 1st prenatal appointment: April 11, 2012 at 2:30 pm
symptoms: no appetite, sore breasts, nausea before meals

1st Appointment Recap:

Weight: ~128-130  - I can't remember exactly.

When we arrived at the appointment, we were immediately called back in no time.
The ultrasound technician met us halfway and said that we would be doing the ultrasound prior to the visit with the Doc.

-My heart sank-

I was SO nervous.

This was us waiting to be called back.

Going in to the exam, we had no idea how far along we were. When I called to schedule the appointment, the nurse asked when the first day of my last menstrual cycle was. Because I always keep track of it in my phone, I was able to recall the exact date right away. She scheduled our appointment for what we thought would be approximately 6 weeks along. She said we should be able to see the gestational sac, the yolk sac, and a baby by this time.

Meanwhile, I get undressed and plop up on the exam table wrapped in a sheet from the bottom down while Cliff sat to my left in a chair. Poor thing, he didn't have a clue what to expect. I should've filled him in a little more on what to look for on the screen above.

The nurse does her thing and  within seconds, I saw the little sac I was so immensly hoping to see pop up on the screen. I breathed a sigh of relief. However, I didn't see anything inside of it.
-My heart sank again-

I knew exactly what I was looking for. Not only did I research what an ultrasound would look like at 6 weeks, but I do have a little bit of nursing background and could tell that something wasn't right.

The nurse looked at me and asked "are you sure your last cycle date was February 27th?"
'Yes ma'am', I said.
'Well, here you're only measuring at 4 weeks 5 days. Your date must be off a little. I can see the gestational sac and the yolk sac, which is good.. but it's still too small for it to be around 6 weeks like we thought.'
'I'm pretty confident on the date. Around 99% positive actually. '
"Ok, we will check back at the next appointment to see it's progess", she said.



After visiting with the Doc, he made it clear that all looked well. He didn't seemed too concerned with the fact that the baby was measuring a week and a half behind the calculated date. He said it could be one of two things: 1) ovulated & implated later or 2) date of last menstrual cycle was wrong.

I knew the date wasn't wrong, so I hoped and prayed that I must've ovulated later than expected since my cycles hadn't been regular for about 8 months anyhow.

My fear was that the baby was not progressing like it should be.
I worried.
I probably worried myself sick for the next few weeks actually... 

Cliff was SO funny about it all. Like I said above, I really should've filled him in a little more-so than what I did.

Our nurse wasn't the best she could be. She actually didn't mutter much more than asking about the menstrual date and telling us it was measuring later than expected. She didn't describe anything nor did she tell us what we were looking at really.. More or less, she sucked. Seriously.

After the ultrasound, Cliff looked at me and said
"okkk.. so what does that mean? Are you pregnant or not?

Almost rolling off of the exam table laughing so hard, I said "yes, silly! You didn't see that black circle thing on the screen?! That's the baby's sac. You know, where it starts growing!"

His response, "yea, I guess. But, there's no baby. Soo.. you're not really pregnant yet."

Yall, it was the funniest thing. He just couldn't grasp the idea of it yet.
I think he really wanted to, but it just wasn't sinking in at the time.
I laughed uncontrollably.

Due Date: Doc didn't give us one yet, but it should be around December 14th according to these measurements.

Belly Pic:


5 weeks:

Experiencing any symptoms?: fatigue, nausea (very little), tender breasts - looks like I've gotten a serious boob job, for real. I can feel them becoming heavier & fuller. Facial acne has actually began to clear up slightly and looks better now than it has in two years.
Any scary episodes?: brown discharge (April 2)
How do you feel?: anxious, nervous, scared, fear of miscarriage

I purchased my first baby item. Well, I guess you could call it that anyhow.. it is "baby" related.


This book is awesome! I highly recommend it to any of your pregnany ladies who want to document and keep track of everything going on.
It has questions to answer, pages to put a copy of your ultrasound images, journal space to write, etc.
I bought my copy off of amazon.com for less than $10.
6 weeks:

Symptoms are pretty much the same as last week. Lots of bloating, belching, and more.
I got a sweet gift from a friend!

From Jess over at Stilettos & A Fishing Pole to be exact!
How cute is the tag & bag? She's awesome.
TOO funny.
The book is paperback, and unknowingly, after she writes the message on the inside front cover does she realize it totally bled through. Hilarious!
Again, another recommendation. This book is full of belly laughs, just as it says! Jenny McCarthy is a nut to begin with & this book tells all.
7 weeks:

Experiencing any symptoms?: hunger, hunger, hunger. I can't seem to get enough food. My stomach literally growls minutes after I feed it. I've always loved food, but I'm realizing that my hunger is becoming unaffordable! I want to eat constantly. Any and everything in sight.
..And gas. Serious gas. Bloating, belching, and more. You can use your imagination.
I don't know if it's certain foods I am eating or if it's literally having to do with the fact some of these hormones are slowing down my digestive tract causing decreased motility in the bowel & more toxins to be released into my body causing.. you guessed it.. more GAS. It's horrid.

Any scary episodes?: More spotting -
Started on April 17th: light pink in color, very scarce amount, only when wiping.
Continued to the 18th and turned dark brown in color. Little heavier than the previous day. But still not enough to notice on my panties. Around 7 p.m. that night, I had just finished eating supper and drew my legs up to my chest while sitting on a stool. I immediately felt a gush down below and knew something wasn't quite right. I ran to the bathroom and wiped.. pinky-red tinged blood. Scared me half to death. I slept uneasy that night tossing and turning, worrying myself slap crazy.
The next morning I called the doctor and spoke with the nurse first thing. She said there was nothing I could do about it, just to take it easy and continue to monitor it. Unknowingly, 1 in 4 women actually experience some type of bleeding/spotting during their pregnancy. She said I could lay flat on my back for the next week and still not prevent a miscarriage from happening. If it was going to happen, it was just going to happen. She requested that if the cramping and bleeding continued and seemed to get brighter red and the pain more intense to where I was hunched over it hurt so bad, then I needed to rush to the ER. Other than that, relax and take a deep breath. So that's what I did.
The spotting seemed to disappear on the 19th after I spoke with her. I wiped one time that afternoon and noticed a light brown color, but it wasn't nothing compared to what I had experience the evening before. From that day on, it never happened again. (Thank you, Lord!)

How do you feel?: exhausted. I rush home every afternoon in hopes of crashing on the couch and taking a quick nap.

8 weeks:

Nothing new this week as far as symptoms and such.
How do you feel?: Sense of relief. When you reach 8 weeks, have a good ultrasound and hear the baby's healthy heartbeat - your risk of miscarriage decreases significantly. I can breathe a little easier now. Plus, seeing that little flutter on the screen and hearing that fast paced heartbeat was the most amazing feeling!

2nd Prenatal Appointment Recap:
May 7th
B/P: 112/60
Weight: 134
Questions I asked:
1) Is there a cheaper, generic version of the prenatal vitamins you prescribed at the 1st visit?
They were $30/bottle for a months supply.. I need to save as much as possible and that wasn't cutting it.
Answer: YES!
2) I have a friend getting married soon and this upcoming weekend is her bachelorette party in downtown ATL.. what do you think about secondhand smoke, etc. in a bar setting?
Answer: It'll be fine. Just a night or two isn't going to hurt.
3) Can I sleep on my stomach?
Answer: Sure. As long as you are comfortable. Before long, you won't be able.

We saw a BABY!!!!!!

Talk about a GREAT feeling? Words cannot begin to describe!
As soon as she got it up on the screen, I felt weights off my shoulders being released.
*Holy sigh*
I smiled & looked to Cliff and said "Do you see that?!!?! It's a BABY!! Now, do you think we're pregnant?"
He laughed and said, "Yea! I see it!!"
Again, we had the same ultrasound nurse who didn't give a rats behind about explaining anything at all to us. She sucks. She really does.
I'm just so giddy at the time, I can't get up the nerve to say something to her or slow her down.

I was able to catch a quick glimpse of the baby's heart fluttering and tried to explain to Cliff what it was and make sure he got to see it! Amazing!

She turned up the volume and we were able to hear the heart beating for the first time as well!
Well.. for all of about 5 seconds before her fingers went to typing away and changing the screen again.

This time around, we measured a week and a few days SOONER than we expected. Due to the last visit measuring 4 weeks 5 days, this visit should measure around 8 weeks.
We actually measured 10 weeks!
Super confusing, I know.
Somehow baby reved up his/her engine and sprouted!
It could've been the fact that I was fertilizing him/her reallllyy well with lots of food..constantly!

New Due Date: December 3, 2012


9 weeks:

What's up with my bod? I've gained 4-5 pounds (per my at home scale) since the 1st ultrasound. My pants are getting snug around the waistline. Boobs are steadily growing and are becoming increasingly tender. I feel like I need a loooong nap around 3 o'clock every afternoon. Still no nausea or sickness, thankfully.
What's up with my diet? I'ts never fulfilling enough. I'm starving all the time. Constant hunger. I literally get hungry every 2-3 hours and want to eat any and everything I can get my hands on. I haven't started "craving" anything in particular, I just want to EAT.


10 weeks:

Not much has changed. This weekend was Mother's Day!
I got several texts from a few close relatives and friends saying Happy 1st Mother's Day!

AND, I even got a gift from my Aunt.. included was:


and a pink rubber ducky! She swears it's a GIRL!



11 weeks:

Experiencing any symptoms?: Facial acne has returned and is horrible. I'm almost too embarassed to walk out of the house. My face and back are the only places of concern for now. It's crazy. I've never been one to experience acne and can not figure out for the life of me what is causing it to occur. And now with a pregnancy involved, it's becoming worse.
How do you feel?: I've taken fewer naps this week than normally, but I

Bachelorette Weekend:

12 weeks:

What's up with my head? It looks awful. Seriously. Hair. Face. All of it. My poor hair hasn't seen a straightener in weeks it seems. I just don't have the energy or patience to sit and fix it every morning. The facial acne is something terrible still. But, I think I've found the entire problem.
Silly me.. I figure since Cliff uses a bar of soap on his entire body... including face.. that I could too. Soo.. for months on end now, I have been scrubbing my face with a rag and bar of soap while showering every night. Stupid, right? Yea.. so I've heard. I'm changing it up and totally putting the bar of soap method to a hault for.. forever! Let's see!
What's up with my bod? I'm feeling good this week. Still no terrible morning sickness. Just a few nausea episodes when it gets time to eat and I don't eat right away. My tummy is starting to develop the baby bump. Definitely becoming noticeable in tight tees!
What's up with my wardrobe? I need a new one! None.. ok, two.. two pairs of shorts fit and almost all of my jeans have become too tight for comfort. Here's to exercise attire!



13 weeks:

3rd Prenatal Appointment Recap:

No transvag ultrasound this go 'round. Instead, we did a quick doppler to check the heartbeat from the outside of the belly & had a short visit with the Doc to check the status of everything.

B/P: 112/60
Weight: 138

I've got an audio clip we recorded of the heartbeat. As soon as I can figure out how to convert it to a video file format, I will update it for all to hear!

Doc asked about symptoms, problems, etc. None of which I had anything to complain about.

He said all looked well, and we are now transitioning into the
2nd trimester!
yippee!

We go back in another 3 weeks for a doppler and check-up - June 20th
Then, the next visit after that will be the gender reveal! - July 18th
*We have BIG party being planned for that!*

Follow along with Mrs. Drew over at Stilettos and A Fishing Pole - She's our party planner & will be posting updates about it soon!