Here we go....

Thus far, this blog has been basically private. I had commented on another person's blog with this name, but other than that- I hadn't ever even told anyone I was keeping one.


I started a blog when we started trying to get pregnant, to document our journey. When I had the miscarriage, it became too painful and I deleted the blog. So, it wasn't until I really knew this pregnancy was healthy that I started blogging about my feelings and journey. Now that I have accepted that THIS Is the baby I am going to have, and things are going to get more and more interesting, I have decided to finally let it be known that I am keeping this blog. I don't expect a lot of readers, nor do I really care. I just know it might be easier for the people who want to know, to all find out the same information. I plan on posting updates on here, some pictures, and letters to Bug.

14 week appointment.

We got to hear Bug today :) Heartbeat at about 145 bpm. Loud and strong, I thought it was my own. Laying right in the middle, and awfully high, she found it instantly and Bug didn't run away. I told Bug, "Good job! You get a cookie when you get out of there." Dr.Schram laughed. 


The appointment went well, she wasn't concerned about my weak, light-headed feeling. She said to just make sure I sit down or lay down right away, no matter where I am- which I have been. She said the pain I experience is called sciatic nerve pain, uncommon this early in pregnancy. She said I will most likely skip the whole "honeymoon period" of the second trimester.....YAY!  LOL. 


I schedule my blood test marker for Down Syndrome in two weeks, my ultrasound in 5 weeks, and an appointment with Dr.Schram directly after the scan. I cannot wait to find out the sex of our baby. Boy or girl, we are so excited. I won't lie, I have a preference, but no matter what- I wouldn't trade THIS baby for any gender. I want THIS baby, love THIS baby. But, I still want to know, Bug- are you a

I felt you!

I felt you, I felt you, I felt you! You protested when I switched positions too quickly, you protested when I drank some caffeine. 1/23/12- I felt you move. :) It felt like a tap tap on the inside of my low low belly. 


In other news, I am 14 weeks pregnant:

Baby Names!

I think we have decided on baby names :) We aren't announcing until we find out the sex. So, we have this secret in between us until March. It is driving me crazy! But, I really don't want to hear anyone's opinions and I feel like it is less likely is sex known and we have already "named" the baby. 


There are some CRAZY namers out there. Let me tell you! I am on a birth club board full of women due the same month as me. There is a woman who had some stupid name picked out for baby in her belly. But her already born and named daughter was named.....Nipsey. Not joking. I am tempted to tell people we are naming our child some God awful name like Nipsey, have them be upset for a bit, then say our real name. This way, even if they don't like it, they will just be thankful it isn't Nipsey. That poor child is going to get so many Nipple jokes in her life......


In other news- our milk we bought today will expire after we find out the baby's sex! :) Granted, it is organic, which keeps for a good while, but it makes it feel closer. We will know an exact date for our ultrasound this Friday, I think.

Letter To Baby

Oh Bug.
Today Mommy and Daddy took a walk, talking about you. We were discussing whether we thought you were a boy or girl, what we thought you were going to be like, what we hoped to be able to provide for you.  I can't believe that this year, I will get to kiss your sweet mouth. I can't believe in 6 months (Six months!!!!) I will get to hold you and count your toes. I can't believe in like a month and a half we will find out whether you are a boy or a girl and finally get down to business on giving you your very own name. You are already so loved by so many people. Grandma Shirley is anxious to know if you are a boy or girl so she can start making baby blankets. Papa Dave calls me often asking how you are doing. Nana Shell has been waiting for you for her whole life. And Grandpa Bill? Don't even get me started on him. He is already asking to stay for a few weeks after you arrive to help take care of you (A.K.A steal you from mommy.) 


I was realizing last night, my life's dream is going to come true. Everything I have ever wanted is within arms reach. God has blessed us so much. He is giving us you, Bug. No matter if you are a boy or a girl, if you look like mommy or daddy, if you cry all the time or are always happy, if you grow up to need time outs or always a perfect angel....we love you Bug. We are so excited for you. So excited to meet you. 


Mommy
PS- if you wanted to let mommy feel you inside her belly one of these days, that would be okay ;)

Appetite?

Is this...I think it's.......hunger? I barely remembered what it felt like. Yesterday and today I have finally been hungry :) A couple things have actually sounded GOOD to eat rather than just okay. I am so excited. 

Probably the first time I *almost* cleaned my plate since finding out I was pregnant.

I have also been much less sick. Being less sick is really good because although I only have two of them, my long days at school are LONG. 7 hours plus-makes for a tired mommy. Fridays are only an hour, so much easier to handle. Round ligament pains are kicking my butt! I have a feeling this term is going to be interesting :)


Here is a current belly picture- 12 weeks, 3 days:

My bellybutton is ugly.

Well, lately my belly button ring has felt tugged on every once in a while. There was sometimes a slight burning sensation surrounding it. I decided to just take it out. It is so bizarre. I don't like it. I am kind of struggling with some of my new body changes. I feel ginormous. Although I am still losing weight, my belly is huge. I have stretch marks on my lower hip/upper thigh area--which freaks me out for how many I am going to have by the end. Oh well, I guess. If I wanted a cute body, I should have a)lost weight a long time ago and b) not gotten pregnant. Right? ;) 

I am having really bad round ligament pains when walking across campus and am incredibly uncomfortable....and I still have two more trimesters to go...

If considering trimesters by development instead of gestation (gestation is what doctors use), I am in my second trimester :) Here is why: "Development uses actual developmental stages to divide up a pregnancy. From LMP to 12 weeks the embryo develops all the major organs and becomes a fetus. From 12 weeks to 27 weeks the fetus continues developing and reaches viability. From 27 weeks on the fetus finishes development and prepares for delivery. Here the second trimester begins at 12w 0d and the third at 27w 0d." But, the doctors won't consider me in my second till January 19. 

Had a new first the other day, a stranger asked to touch my belly. I am in no way weird about people touching me, it doesn't bother me, so I said yes. I am now called "the baby" by a few girls in the UO Gospel choir. I am hoping that will pass, I am a person....not just an incubator (though I don't always feel it....)

Pregnancy Survey

BASICS

NAME: KATELYN
AGE: 21(ONLY FOR A COUPLE MORE DAYS.)
BIRTHDAY: JAN. 8
BIRTH PLACE: CONNECTICUT
HEIGHT: 5’5" ISH

BFP
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?: I THINK I KNEW I WAS PREGNANT. BUT, BECAUSE OF THE LOSS I WAS AFRAID TO BELIEVE. SO, I TOOK A TEST ON NOVEMBER 15TH.
WHAT KIND OF PREGNANCY TEST DID YOU TAKE?: FIRST RESPONSE EARLY RESULTS,
HOW MANY?: 2(ONE IN MORNING, ONE IN EVENING)
WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST SYMPTOMS?: WEIRD DREAMS AND FATIGUE.
WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?: LIAM :)
WHO WAS WITH YOU WHEN YOU FOUND OUT?: ATHENA KITTY
WAS BABY PLANNED?: VERY
WHEN WAS BABY CONCEIVED?: HAHAHA. MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDMA.
HOW FAR WERE YOU WHEN YOU FOUND OUT?: UMM EITHER 4 WEEKS OR A COUPLE DAYS SHY. 

MY BABY
DUE DATE: JULY 24TH
DO YOU KNOW THE SEX?: NOT YET.
IF SO, BOY OR GIRL?:
ANY NAMES?: YES BUT WE AREN'T SHARING UNTIL WE HAVE MADE A DECISION.
ANY ULTRASOUNDS?: ONE AT 7 WEEKS AND ONE AT 11 WEEKS.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE HEARTBEAT?: YES! TO ME, IT WAS COOLER THAN AN ULTRASOUND, WHICH IS NICE BECAUSE I WILL HEAR THE HEARTBEAT EVERY 4 WEEKS AND THEN EVERY TWO, AND THEN EVERY WEEK. LOL.
BABY ETHNICITY?: CAUCASIAN---HOPEFULLY. LOL
WHO DO YOU THINK BABY WILL LOOK LIKE?: NO IDEA. WE BOTH HAVE FAIRLY DOMINANT GENES.
WILL BABY HAVE ANY SIBLINGS?: SOME DAY.
HAVE YOU AND DAD FELT BABY MOVE?: NOT YET

MISCELLANEOUS 
DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?: YES. BUT NOT JUST MORNING SICKNESS.
DID YOU HAVE ANY CRAVINGS?: DIFFERENT CRAVING EVERY DAY, LOL.
DID YOU HAVE ANY MOOD SWINGS?: NOT REALLY. UNLESS I AM TIRED, THEN IT IS WWIII
ARE YOU A HIGH RISK PREGNANCY?: NO
ANY COMPLICATIONS?: I HAD SOME HEAVY BLEEDING THIS WEEK, WHICH IS WHY I GOT ANOTHER ULTRASOUND.
FORMULA OR BREASTFEEDING?: BREASTFEEDING
HAVE YOU BOUGHT ANYTHING FOR BABY YET?: YES. WE HAVE BOUGHT 2 ONSIES AND SOME PACIFIERS. OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BOUGHT STUFF TOO :)
WHEN DID YOU START TO SHOW?: WHO KNOWS. LOL IT'S COMPLICATED.
HOW LONG COULD YOU WEAR YOUR REGULAR CLOTHES?: I WAS IN DOMINANTLY MATERNITY BY WEEK 9.
ARE YOU EXCITED?: EXCITED, CONTENT, AND SOMETIMES SCARED.
WHO WILL HELP WITH BABY AFTER THEIR BORN?: DADDY, OF COURSE. AND THEN MY MOM WILL DO SOME HELPING.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING PREGNANT?: JUST THE IDEA OF THE CHILD. FEELING OF RELIEF AFTER THE LOSS.
WHAT IS THE WORST THING ABOUT BEING PREGNANT?: EVERYTHING HAS GONE WRONG.
WHAT ONE THING DO YOU MISS DOING SINCE BEING PREGNANT?: EVERY BEING PHYSICALLY COMFORTABLE.
ANY DAYS YOU WISH YOU WEREN’T PREGNANT?: NOT AT ALL
ARE YOU READY FOR BABY?: YES
HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?: A MILLION
DO YOU TALK TO YOUR BABY?: SO OFTEN :)
DO YOU LIKE KIDS?: YES
HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU NOW?: 11 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS. 

Bump is back.

When my uterus first started growing, it started pushing all my insides up and forward, giving me a bump. It left for about a week. This morning it came back, hard as ever. I can't wait to see if this one stays around since baby is measuring big and my gestational sac was big too. 

Teeny loves the baby.

Experience Thus Far.

Pregnancy has been very difficult for me. The main problem has been that I have barely been only pregnant. Thus far (as of week 11) I have experienced: bronchitis and a double ear infection, a boating accident, traveling repercussions, an allergic reaction to a flu shot, and a fluke heavy bleed. I have been to the ER twice- for the flu shot reaction and for the bleeding/cramping.


Although it has sucked for me, our second ultrasound yesterday showed our little Bug must be having the time of his or her life, measuring 5 days further along than the last ultrasound! So we are officially measuring 4 days ahead of estimated due date. I know it doesn't mean much, but I am glad s/he isn't measuring behind. Speaking of s/he- I am so ready to know the stinking sex of the baby so I can stop using unisex terms. We won't find out till the beginning of March, probably and I am not super impatient about it. We haven't really made any decisions on names, I am fine waiting to shop till later, and I will be so excited for either gender. But, I am tired of not being able to say "he" or "she" instead of him or her or s/he. It takes too much time.


I am about 2 weeks away from the second trimester and I could not be more impatient for that. This first trimester has been long and has kicked my butt. My nausea is now about every other day instead of every day, which is nice. But I am ready for all the fun the second trimester will bring. I really cannot wait to feel the baby moving. I am reading about so many women already feeling flutters, and I keep waiting for it to happen....but nothing.


I am so glad Bug is healthy and everything looks good. I am so glad to be pregnant. I am so excited for the changes in the next year.

Creating Baby

It was exactly 2 months and one day since our wedding day. Liam and I were out to dinner for Valentines day. We were seated next to a family: Mom, Dad, and little boy. Liam said, "I can't wait until we have a kid." That was it, my womb felt empty, my ovaries were shouting "We have babies in here for you! You need a baby NOW!" 

A year and a half later, we were on a vacation in Disneyland when I threw out the pills. We had been discussing it a while and decided it could be good timing. Then at dinner at the vineyard in California Adventure, after a glass of wine, Liam said "Let's do it!" I waited until the next day to make sure he was serious (and sober) and that was it. 

I won't get into all the details about trying to get pregnant. But know that we got pregnant twice in 6 cycles(5 and a half months!) First pregnancy was lost early on and was very devastating. I knew from the beginning that something was wrong. November 15th I got a positive at-home test! Our betas (pregnancy hormone in blood) tripled in 48 hours(you want them to at least double.) 

The first thing I did was head over to the college to tell Liam. We met up for lunch because "he had my book." I traded him the test for my book. We were both so excited! We ended up playing hooky from school that day and going and painting pottery. 

And the journey begins......