Week 20 bumpdate

How far along: 20.5 Weeks

Baby Size: According to my app, the way of measuring changes this week and they are measured all the way to the toes, not just to the rump.  About the size of a carrot!
 
Weight gain: I'm up to 7 pounds gain.  Looks like it's getting to that time.  Though, I still need to get back to walking.

Maternity clothes: I still need to get more maternity clothes.  I need to find a good place to find them secondhand.
 
Stretch marks: I'm getting little ones on my hips.

 
Sleep:  I still very much love to sleep.  I still wake up some nights to go potty.  Though lately I have been itchy at bedtime, but I'm hoping it's just winter dryness.

Gender: Princesses!  This still concerns me...

Best moment this week: We told our families about the little munchkins!  Even Facebook found out this week!
 
Looking forward to: Some of the baby shopping and celebrating with our friends and family at showers.
 
What I miss:  I'm back to missing pop.

Movement:  They still move around a lot while I'm at work, but they are getting more active all the time.  I actually had one of them kick my hand while it was on my belly.  I did not get the hint and take my hand away though.  I'm already antagonizing them. 

Food cravings:  Still nothing, really...
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Just high sodium content.
  Labor Signs: Definitely not!

Symptoms: My belly is definitely growing!  
 
Belly Button in or out? All the way out!
 
Rings on or off? Still on!

Mood: Happy and excited since we got to share with our families!  Almost every single person had a great first reaction.  It was so great to be able to share with everyone!

Christmas gifts!

This is the photo that we gave to each of our parents.

Baby reveal, round two!

So today was Second Christmas and therefore the baby reveal to my family.  This morning before church we gave my parents their gift.  They opened the photo and my mommy was so very excited, and my dad took a minute, but he was quite happy, too.

Then we went to church and, as it turns out, it is the celebration of the holy family, so the whole thing was about family.  It worked out perfectly!  I spent the mass in the choir loft, where I fit best, and Dale joined me.

After mass we went home and made breakfast and waited for everyone to show up for Second Christmas.  As they slowly piled in, the framed picture sat in a rather unobtrusive spot in the living room.  We were just waiting for one of the new visitors to notice the picture and say something and nobody did!  Of course this was killing my sister, niece and I, but my mom kept telling us to be patient.

Finally mom got fed up, grabbed the picture mumbling about how none of her family is observant, and handed the picture to my sister, Shelly.  She then ordered Lori to look at it too.  They checked it out for a second and then Shelly asked "who are the Andersons?"  Someone answered "...um... Dale."  Then the pieces clicked and they both got huge smiles!

They had to pass out congratulatory hugs and all their excitement.  They are all so very excited for me!  We got to tell a majority of the family this weekend.  With only one exception, everyone was immediately excited and happy for us.  The exception is pretty set in old-fashioned ways, but slowly coming around to see the happiness.   

Weekend visiting in Ohio

This weekend, I got to visit with a few people before doing the full reveal for Second Christmas.

I visited with Jessey and told her that I'd be catching up to her two girls in one shot.  She was so very happy (and a little concerned for my sanity in the near future) but it was so much fun to share with her.  She also sent me away with a full bag of little girl clothes and a promise that we could have Cayla's bed the next time we stop in to visit.

We stopped in to see my sister Jodi.  She was quietly excited, but also in the middle of some birthday celebrations for her little boy who just turned thirteen!  Sadly, we couldn't stay too long due to allergies to the doggies in the house, but it was still so great to see her!

We even told a family member at dinner!  We went out to my cousin's work to visit.  She lives kinda far away, so it was cool to see her.  And her fiancee even came up to grab a bite before he had to work, so I got to visit both of them!  Of course, with their wedding scheduled just weeks after my due date, I felt it would be helpful to warn them there might be some crying children in the back...  I also made sure to point out that my sister will be picking out the most adorable dresses for the wedding.

I was overwhelmed with all of the excitement for my little munchkins.  They will always be surrounded by love.  That is all a mommy could ever hope or dream to have for their little ones.  

Baby reveal round one!

Merry Christmas!  

For Christmas, Dale's family found out that there are two little ones on the way.  There was excitement all around.  It has been so hard to keep this secret, but so worth it to be able to tell everyone in the same day!

On Christmas morning Dale and I went over to his parents house to open gifts.  We started with stockings and then continued with the gifts Santa had put under the tree.  It was hard to concentrate on opening gifts when I knew what was coming, but we both seemed to pull it off.  We waited until we were done with Santa's gifts before giving out our gifts.

The reveal was twofold for his parents.  First, his mom opened an ornament.  On one side it read "Only great mother..." and on the reverse "...become Grand mothers."  When his mom opened that she was talking.  Then she stopped, re-read the ornament, her jaw dropped and her brain stopped.  Then her brain went into overdrive and she started exclaiming in excitement.

When that excitement was over, she opened a framed photo with a photo of each of the girls with a caption that read "Meet the newest Andersons!  Coming Spring 2014!"  Mom just about yelled "Twins?!?"  We both just nodded and laughed.  For the whole night she couldn't get over the twins part of the whole thing.  

In the evening, more family members started to wander in for Christmas dinner. For some of them it took a little time to figure it out, but everyone was so excited!  When the cousins came over Cort even started jumping up and down from all her excitement, lol!

Sadly, we couldn't tell everyone in person, so a few phone calls were made.  Dale's sister called shortly after mom opened her gifts, so mom handed the phone to Dale.  Dale led with "Merry Christmas, Stacy, or should I say, Merry Christmas Aunt Stacy!"  It took her a little bit to process that, so she pretty much flipped when Dale told her that her nieces would be here in the springtime and emphasized the plural of nieces.

Overall it was an amazing (and exhausting) day!  There was so much excitement and I was very relieved to see that the news was met with so much excitement and so little trepidation.  Honestly, I was a bit worried.  Now to conquer my family in a few more days.  I can't wait!

Week 19 bumpdate

How far along: 19 Weeks

Baby Size: 5.5-6 inches inches (about the size of a mango this week)
 
Weight gain: I'm up to 5 pounds gain.  These two kinda snuck up on me.  But I still thing I'm doing just fine.

Maternity clothes: Just bought my first maternity clothes yesterday!  It was just a couple shirts and a belly band.  This belly band contraption pretty much holds up my pants so I can walk around with them undone.  Interesting thought... I like it.  I'll let you know when I try it.
 
Stretch marks: Not that I can tell, but my body is definitely growing fast.

Sleep:Very little issues here.  Though I would like more sleep (always!) I sleep very soundly when I have the chance.

Gender: Baby girls on the way!

Best moment this week: It's a bit of a toss-up between my first maternity clothes and feeling these crazy kids moving around.

 
Looking forward to: Telling the parents!  We will tell Dale's family in a couple days and my family in about a week!
 
What I miss:  Being able to eat without two more opinions chiming in.  :P

Movement:  They still move around a lot while I'm at work, but they are getting more active at home.  I love when Dale can feel them.

Food cravings:  It's not really craving as much as missing eating what I want and knowing what will upset my tummy.
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Food with a high salt content and eating too quickly.
 
Labor Signs: Far from it!

Symptoms: I'm growing... mostly in the middle...  
 
Belly Button in or out? It's popped out and attempting to see the entire world!
 
Rings on or off? On.  Definitely still on.

Mood: Happy and excited but with a little anxiety this week.

   

Week 18 bumpdate

 
How far along: 18 Weeks

Baby Size: 5-5.8 inches (about the size of a bell pepper!)
 
Weight gain: I'm up to 3 pounds gain.

Maternity clothes: I should be, but I haven't had the time to go shopping.  Maybe next weekend?
 
Stretch marks: Nope!  Though, I was worried for a little bit there.

Sleep: Like a baby!  (Yes, I think I'm funny)  As long as work allows the time, I generally sleep well.  I have found that I sleep much more soundly when Dale is there.

Gender: Found out that we will have two little ladies!  Girls!  (I don't know what to do with girls... lol!)

Best moment this week: Finding out the gender of my babies!  Now we will be able to really move forward in our planning.

 
Looking forward to: Telling the parents!  We will tell Dale's parents in just under two weeks, and we'll tell my parents in just over two weeks.
 
What I miss: Soda pop

Movement:  They move around a lot while I'm at work.  It's probably due to my higher stress level at work.

Food cravings: I don't really crave anything.  Every now and then, I really want something, but it's just a random thing and it usually goes away once I've eaten.
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.  Just lately coughing too hard sometimes will trigger the lovely gag reflex.
 
Labor Signs: Far from it!

Symptoms: I'm growing... mostly in the middle...  
 
Belly Button in or out? In, but just barely.  Working on popping out!
 
Rings on or off? On.  And I still worry that it will fall off when my hands get cold.

Mood: Mostly upbeat, but work has been wearing me down this week.

   

And the babies are...

Girls!!

I'm a little let down as I was hoping for boys, but this is still exciting! I've never been a girly girl, so I figure my daughters won't be very frilly. We will spend plenty of time working on cars but also a bunch of time baking.

I'm so excited to finally know! Now we can start planning even more, including names and the nursery. I can't wait to feel like we're actually getting a little closer to being as ready as we can get.

Almost time to find out gender!

I'm so excited!  In less than two hours we will be at the doctor's office .  This is our gender reveal ultrasound!  I can't wait!

I'm hoping that with two of them, it will be easier to find out.  Only one has to be cooperative.  But, let's be honest, these are my kids, so they will both fight every step of the way.

Dale and I have both agreed that we would like a pair of boys.  It would be great for any possible future siblings to have protective big brothers.  Though, I'm a big sister and I was more formidable than my brother at protecting my baby sister, I can definitely see the advantage to imposing big brothers. 

Now, with that being said, since Dale and I agree on this and have been finding boy stuff that we like more readily than girl stuff, we are convinced that these will be adorable baby girls.  And using the old wives tales, the majority agree.  

Most importantly, the main indicator that my own mom had, is pointing toward girls.  She always said that when she was pregnant with my my sister and I she rarely had to shave her legs, but with my brother she had to shave pretty much every day.   It's been a week since I shaved and it's barely more than first day stubble.

I'll let you all know soon.  I have onesies in pink and in blue and I took pictures of each last night.  When we know the gender, I'll send the correctly colored picture to the lovely ladies who are in the loop.  I'll post it here after work. 

Gender Prediction Quiz results

You have a 38% chance of having a boy. And you have a 61% chance of having a girl.

And Here's Why...
You are carrying the extra weight out front, so it's a boy.
The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your preganacy, so it's a girl.
Boys are carried low. You are going to have a boy.
Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the north indicates that you will be having a boy.
Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
Dad-to-be hasn't been gaining weight along with Mom-to-be, so it will be a girl.
The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
You didn't have morning sickness early in pregnancy, so it will be a boy.
You are looking particularly good during pregnancy. Therefore, it must be a boy, because girls steal their mother's looks.
Your chest development has been quite dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a girl.
Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, it will be a girl.
A needle on a thread held over your belly moves in circles, so you will have a boy.
Your urine is a dull yellow color, so you will have a girl.
You have a craving for salty or sour foods, which means that it is a boy.
Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
You have been craving fruits, so it is a girl.
Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl.


We will find out for sure tomorrow!

Week 17 bumpdate

I'm up to three weeks in a row remembering to do this!  Go me!
 
How far along: 17 Weeks

Baby Size: About 4.5 to 5 inches (about the size of an onion) but we will confirm sizes on Tuesday.
 
Weight gain: Staying at around two pounds

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I am truly appreciating the happiness of my elastic waistbands on pajama pants.
 
Stretch marks: Not on my belly, but I think I found a few on my breasts.  Still can't remember to look for something to prevent these.

Sleep: It's been hard to fall asleep, but I blame work stress for that.  Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night, but I can usually fall right back asleep after a potty break.

Gender: Still not sure, but we will find out in a week and a half.  I am taking some quizzes, though!

Best moment this week: Baby's first kick!  Only once so far, but it's bound to increase.

 
Looking forward to:  5 more days until we find out!  :)  I now have onesies in pink and blue and will send the correct color to those lucky few who know.
 
What I miss: Nothing really this week

Movement: Yup!  I can feel them move more often now.  No real kicks except the one, but that's bound to change.

Food cravings: Still no real cravings.
 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still no particular foods.  Though I just realized that I haven't done my scrambled egg breakfast in a while.

Labor Signs: Definitely not.

Symptoms: Bump is getting bigger.  
 
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but it's getting closer to popping out.
 
Rings on or off? On.  It's still wobbly when it gets cold.

Mood: Still happy and excited to find out the gender of these munchkins.  I just need to get rid of the work stress and I'll be good!

   

Baby's first kick!

Yesterday I felt one of these munchkins kick me!  It was very strange, but also SO exciting!  It was rather distinct considering so far I've only been able to feel little flutters.  I know that soon enough I may get tired of them kicking me all the time, but for right now it makes me happy.

I'm trying to keep my stress level down at work because I know they seem happier when mommy isn't stressed (at least mommy is happier when mommy isn't stressed!)  It's been pretty rough lately, but I'm working on improving my habits and performance so I stress less and also mess up less. 

Dale felt the baby move

Yesterday when I woke up one of the babies was on top of the other one. It made for a very odd bulge just a bit lower than my belly button.

I grabbed Dale's hand and put it on top of them. He noticed that my skin felt harder than usual. He thought he felt them move and then he realized that my belly didn't feel hard anymore.

When he realized that they moved right under his hand he got the biggest smile! It was a great start to my day.

Another cold!

And I'm battling with another headcold!  This one is lingering and in my head and chest at the same time.  I got some OJ at the store today, so I'm hoping the extra Vitamin C will help boost my weak immune system.

I also got some Vick's, too.  I'm hoping I can kick this one soon.  I'm so tired of feeling like crap.  I am constantly blowing my nose and coughing.  I feel like I shouldn't be around anyone because I feel like I'm yucky, but I don't feel that bad, overall.

I talked to my doctor and she told me that it is perfectly normal for my immune system to be weaker than usual, so this is no real surprise.  The crummy part is that I can't really take any medicine to accelerate the "feeling better" part.

The boys and I went to the gym tonight for the first time in a long time.  I'm not really sure what I can do, so I kept it low-key.  I walked a mile on the treadmill and then tried out the balance ball.  I didn't do much that was too strenuous, but I also wanted to do enough that I felt that the trip was worth it.  

I kept my heart rate below 180 for the most part.  When it started to creep up, I had to drop my speed a bit.  I am already out-of-shape, so my heart rate quickly ramps up, but with the added stress of ensuring my little munchkins are safe and have enough blood, I don't want to over-exert my little heart.

Week 16 bumpdate

Ooh!  I remember to do this two weeks in a row!
 
Here we go again!
 
How far along: 16 Weeks

Baby Size: Estimated at 4.3 to 4.7 inches.  ( about the size of an avocado.  We'll find out actual sizes soon.
 
Weight gain: About 2 pounds now.

Maternity clothes: Nope, but I'm going to head down that road soon.  I definitely am no longer friends with waistbands and belts.
 
Stretch marks: Nope!  Still can't remember to look for something to prevent these.

Sleep: I've been having some trouble getting to sleep, but once I'm there, it is lights out and I never want to crawl out of bed.

Gender: Still not sure, but we will find out in a week and a half.  I am taking some quizzes, though!

Best moment this week: Felt my little rock start moving around!

 
Looking forward to: Learning which of us is going to be out-numbered.  It's always boys vs. girls, right?  And we will find out right before Christmas!
 
What I miss: I was pining for a Dr. Pepper this week.  I saw them at work and they just seemed like the best drink ever!

Movement: Yup!  Felt a little flutter a couple times this week.  That's the first that they've moved that I could actually feel it!

Food cravings: Nope.  I just never want anything that's in my fridge.  That is absolutely nothing new.  Even though, my lovely sister tried to blame her random craving on me.  (that brat, lols!)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just the usual, being hungry, overeating, and occasional motion sickness.

Labor Signs: Nope!  (Thank goodness!)

Symptoms: Nah... Just a little baby bump.
 
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but working its way out.
 
Rings on or off? On.  It's even loose, though cold weather does that.

Mood: Overall, content, happy and excited.  Though, I did end up in some strange mood swing in that I was randomly mad.  I have no idea why... So strange.

   

Reality stinks

Yesterday our roommate let us know that he has another option for living arrangements. While I am excited at the prospect of having a room to use as a nursery, the added expense is a big reality check.

I am really hoping that work can get me a raise soon so that I can worry a little bit less. I know that I can't count on anything, but it would be great to be paid something close to what my coworkers make. This week I pulled off 70 hours, but that is working every day and I would much prefer not to make a habit of this.

I am also concerned about D in school. He has to worry about a full course load, working enough to pay his bills and the added stress of having twins on the way. He is already frustrated with one of his classes and I'm worried that he will let it get to the point that he can't recover in the class without asking for help.

Right now he is scheduled to graduate in May. The babies are due in May. Our lease is up in May. I'm trying to balance paying off credit cards and saving for the many impending costs in the near future.
Reality stinks!

Week 15 check-in

For a while I have been following Christina at Carolina Charm.  Imagine my happy surprise when I found out that not only is she pregnant, she and I are actually close in due date!  Every week she does a "bumpdate" to update her friends on the progress of her baby.  I've borrowed the majority of her questionnaire and I'll try to make it back here every week to fill it out again.
 
Here goes:
 
How far along: 15 weeks!

Baby Size: About the size of apples.  This week Dale took a picture of the prettiest two apples we have and texted it to me.  He's so adorable!
Weight gain: Up 1.5 pounds (I'm going from my starting weight of 135.

Maternity clothes: Oddly, not yet.  I've read many reports that many ladies are already well into their maternity clothes by now, but not me.  Although, bu pants are getting tight at the waist.  I'm even starting a bump
Stretch marks: Not yet.Though I'm going to have to find a cream or something soon to help prevent this.

Sleep: Some nights, I have little twitchy spasms.  Sometimes I can change sleeping positions and they go away, other times I have to get up and walk around for a bit to get them to calm down.  Otherwise, I sleep like a rock (as always!) 

  Gender: I'm starting to think maybe girls this week.  I'm so confounded because I've been so certain that I'm hanging with boys, that the thought of girls is just strange to me at this point.  Though, my sister has been looking at baby clothes at work and she is finding all sorts of adorable baby boy stuff!

Best moment this week: Realizing that I'm actually starting to have a little bump!
Looking forward to: The next ultrasound when we can find out the genders!  We have a regular appointment next week, and at that point we will schedule our next ultrasound.
 
What I miss: Nothing really. I wish my tummy wasn't quite so picky and would tell me correctly if it was hungry or not.  Though, sometimes I ask for too much.
 
Movement: Not yet...

Food cravings: Sweet things.  And anything else I see...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Salt makes my heart feel like it's going crazy, but that's probably to do with the amount of work it's already doing.  Adding salt wouldn't help one bit.

Labor Signs: Will start answering this in about 26 weeks...

Symptoms: Just some tight muscles at the bottom of the baby belly.  Coughing gets interesting....
 
Belly Button in or out? In, but getting shallower
 
Rings on or off? On

Mood: Happy, excited, anxious about the future and telling our families.

   

Worst cold ever!

So I have my semi-annual cold.  Yay me... And per doctor's orders I can't take anything more than Tylenol.  Ick.

It's also Dale's birthday celebration this weekend.  So since his best friend, Tom, had today off as well, we all hung out today.  I was feeling pretty pitiful, but decided to tough it out. 

I've tried to eat throughout this because my babies should not starve because I'm sick.  Though, this morning I got hit with a bad wave of nausea when I was taking my shower.  I realized then that I hadn't eaten for about 11 hours.  Whoops! 

 So I went for cereal, only to realize we were out of milk.  So I had some dry cereal.  No worries, we were going for food soon anyway, so I just needed something to tide me over.  When we met up with Tom we went out for a bite to eat.

I didn't even finish my little meal because my tummy started getting upset.  I've learned to listen, so I stopped eating.  On the way home (only a few miles) I started to REALLY not feel well.  So I tried to concentrate on anything except the nausea.  It didn't work.  I relived all of my breakfast in the back of Tom's Jeep.  :(

I was so upset and completely mortified!  The guys were very kind and helped clean it all up in the parking lot of the apartment while I went upstairs to clean up myself.  Thankfully, I had a spare pair of PJ pants in the back seat of one of the cars because I was NOT going to go up a flight of stairs like that.  Yes, I changed my pants in the parking lot.  It was the only option that I saw as reasonable.

Then I went upstairs and cleaned up myself as much as I could, then took a shower and curled up in a ball, only to realize that I was hungry again!  The last thing I wanted was food.

I had Dale all ready to go and get me some chicken noodle soup when I remembered we had crackers!  I had 5 crackers in the next few hours and was fine.  I toughed it out and tagged along to Dale's birthday dinner.  I only had about half the food I usually order, but eating it slow, my tummy worked with it (thankfully!)

But yeah, today I accomplished the single most embarrassing thing I have ever done.  I still feel horrible, but Tom was a good sport and helped me laugh it off.  I truly have some great friends and I love them all dearly.

Starting to think about showers...

Since my life is both in Michigan and in Ohio, we've decided to do two showers so that we don't inconvenience too many people by making them travel too far. My sister has even agreed to help me with both of them!

We think we may have some good ideas on venues, but since both of our first-choice options are residences, we've realized that we need to write a guest list first so we don't have too many people in a single space. That, of course, gets me to thinking about who I want to share this with and my list seems so long! I want to share my excitement and joy and love with the whole world!

Part of me wants to hurry this whole thing up because I want to know if I should be looking for pink things or blue things. The rest of me wants to take my time and enjoy this experience. The first time only happens once, right?

Slowly sharing...

This past weekend, I shared the news with my little sister.  She has always been my confidante and it has been SO hard not to say anything.  But, it also felt wrong to tell her in any way that wasn't face-to-face...

So this weekend, I wandered to Ohio for a "girls weekend" which included a "sisters breakfast" at the local diner.  After we ordered our usual breakfast, I handed her something.  She unwrapped it to find a picture frame with "I <3 my aunt" written across the top.

She looked a bit less surprised than I thought she would, but she had reasoned it out, to a point.  She figured that if D and I had gotten engaged, I would be telling the whole world!  This was the next thing she could think of that I would want very few people to know about.

Although, I still threw her for a loop when I explained that she had to help me make a collage of the ultrasound pictures, because I couldn't pick a favorite child.  She never saw the twins coming, but none of us did!  :)

But now I can gush to my sister and we can pick out adorable baby stuff (with D's help, of course!)  She is also helping me figure out some baby registry stuff at Target.  I've missed being able to tell my sister everything.  And now she has to keep the secret, too!  It's just as hard for her as it has been for me.  

First ultrasound done!

We did my first ultrasound on Saturday.  I haven't written here because it's been a whirlwind ever since!  I had to go to work right after the appointment and yesterday was errand day and I just didn't get to typing this all out.

Anyway, down to the juicy stuff... Our first ultrasound went just swell.  We got to see the babies and hear the heartbeats. 

Did you notice what I did there?

There were a couple plural words....

Yup!

TWINS!

The shock is finally giving way to even more excitement.  I still smile when I think about them, of course, but now there are two!

Yesterday, Dale and I went to Babies"R" Us and wandered around to see what kind of things we will be needing (and how much it will all cost.)

I have to admit, the boy has done his homework.  He found out that twins would be just fine in the same crib and that it's even better to keep them together.  They are already so used to each other that if they were separated, it would cause more problems than solutions.

Anyway, now I have to go back to work.  Not that I'll be able to concentrate, but I still have to try. 

I'm going to burst!

This whole waiting-until-Christmas-to-tell-everyone thing is killing me! I want to share my happiness with the world!

I just got invited to my cousin's baby shower. Maybe it won't be as hard as I think it's going to be. Maybe I will be able to start thinking about my own baby shower and I can be excited about her impending little one.

I hope I will be able to put a happy spin on this, and keep my secret, but it won't be easy.

Now for my excitement for the day... I get to meet my munchkin tomorrow morning at my first ultrasound! I can't wait!

First doctor visit complete!

Well, we got through the first doctor's visit in one piece, though, I think they absconded with about a gallon of blood!

It was mostly an informational session with the added joy of a pap smear. Dale was with me and when the doctor went through all the info I'd need to know, he took some notes that I probably should have taken. I even remembered most of the questions I wanted to ask, too!

So far everything seems to be going well with me. I just have to continue watching what I eat and continuing to work on getting exercise.

We also scheduled the first ultrasound! This Saturday we get to see George for the first time and I can't wait!
I'm one happy momma right now. :)

Already have to buy new clothing

I guess it's not exactly clothing, but thanks to George, I am up two sizes in my bra! Got measured at Victoria's Secret the other day and ended up having to get a new bra.

I probably should have gotten two, but I can't really afford more than one right now. When we were in line to check out, the girl in front of us asked if we had a coupon today. I told her no and she gave me a coupon for $10 off any bra! I was so excited to save a few dollars since I had to buy this one out of necessity and not just because I want it.

While we were there I found a multi-pack of perfumes. I'll probably use these as mini Christmas gifts for the girls this year. I love just putting a bunch of random small stuff together as a grab bag.

One week from the first doctor visit

One week from today, D and I will be visiting the doctor and will probably get to see you!  I'm sure we won't be able to see much, as you are currently about the size of a blueberry, but that doesn't mean I'm not SO excited about the prospect.

I was having some trouble finding a doctor with this new insurance through the trucking company.  But I have worked it out and I think I did quite well, but time will tell. ;)

I just have to fill out the paperwork before we go and try not to get too excited just yet.  No promises, but we shall see.

No sugar before bedtime

Lately I have found that I can't have any sugar near bedtime.  None whatsoever.

What happens if I do have sugar?  My brain will work in interminable circles in dream land.  I will be stuck on one thing in my brain and can't switch channels.

The worst part about this is that with my current work schedule, I don't get home until around 10 pm, and I like to have a little ice cream or other sweet treat at the end of my workday.  It's my way of commending myself for making it through the day.

Now it seems that I just have to find another way to treat myself, since George doesn't like sugar before bedtime.

Saving up!

Today we opened a savings account for George. We were already putting away money for the past couple weeks, but now we feel like it is worthwhile to have a joint savings account.

This way we can both put away money from each paycheck and by the time we meet George we will have a decent amount stowed away.  I'm sure we will end up using this little nest egg building up the nest for the egg. We will be able to furnish a good portion of the nursery by May!

Of course that doesn't include daily items like clothes and diapers. But we have no problem looking for some nursery stuff secondhand, either.

Of course this spirals into needing a house in which to have a nursery! Oh how these things add up so quickly.  But I'm still excited and not stressing over those pesky details quite yet.

Dear George 9/20

Dear George,

It is 6am on September 20th, 2013.  According to the internet, you are the size of a lentil right now. As a lentil, you are already changing a lot of everything I do.

First thing that springs to mind right now, I'm awake at 6am. It's not because I want to be awake, it's not because I went to bed early, it's because I had some ice cream before bed and you didn't like that.

It's even sprinkling outside, and listening to the cars drive by in the rain isn't calming my mind. Of course, it doesn't help when there is a car in the parking lot that has a sensitive enough alarm that a low roll of thunder sets it off.

So what am I doing at 6am? Yes, I'm writing a letter to you, but I just finished doing dishes. I remember when I detested doing dishes. Now it had a strangely calming effect. I can let my mind wander a bit, my hands are busy, and I end up with clean dishes!

If only all cleaning could be this easy! And soon enough, you will only be making this harder. But for right now I'm simply enjoying the ride.

I already love you, lentil!
Mommy

Calm before the storm

I'm thoroughly enjoying my time with D as just a couple.  Soon enough we will be mommy and daddy! Right now we are just enjoying each other and taking care of each other as much as possible.

Of course we are still working a lot and D is focusing on school. But when we do get to hang out, we savor it just a bit more. It's just little things, like him putting his hand on my belly and saying good morning and good night to George as well as mommy.

I've always known we were great together and that we would make great parents. Now is the time to focus on just the two of us until there is another of "us" to enjoy.

Photo project

So in the evil clutches of Pinterest, I came across a few examples of women taking a picture every month showing their growing baby bump.  I think this would be so fun to do!

I'm trying to think of the best backdrop to use, since my apartment is rather crowded.  If love to do something outdoors, but not so much in the winter... But then a friend helped me relax about it all when she reminded me that this set of pictures will be all about the foreground and not really about the background at all. (Thanks, E!)

I've decided on doing a grey top with black pants, mostly because this is the most likely outfit that I would have that is form-fitting. Wish me luck, since I stink at follow-through!

The fun begins...

So I've had a little bit of nausea today. I didn't appreciate it one bit. And my tummy reverted to it's old habit of using nausea to tell me that I'm hungry.

That is nothing too new, my tummy has pulled this trick before. I don't ever appreciate it.  It doesn't seem to understand that nausea isn't the best way to remind me to eat.

But that is just aggravated further by a slight nausea throughout the day. Though right now it seems to be mostly right after I eat.

I'm going to be putting this on the back burner in my mind and hope it goes away.

All kids love PB&J, right?

Ours is no exception, yay! Though, I have realized that deli sandwiches don't agree with me as much as they have in the past.

I have been eating healthier lately. Mostly cutting sugar foods more, which I had been doing anyway, and eating when my body tells me that I'm (we're) hungry. The hardest part for me right now is in packing my lunch. I need to be sure I have enough to last my whole shift.

I am proud of myself right now because I haven't had any fast food since I found out. When we eat out, it's sit-down restaurants and I take extra care to choose something good for both of us.

I'm sure at some point I will have a few things that aren't the best, but my goal is to keep those occasions to a minimum. I don't pretend to be perfect, but I want to be reasonably close for the sake of George.

I'm hoping our munchkin doesn't get too picky about what foods we have.

"George"

It seems to be a family tradition to refer to a baby as "George" until birth. It does not matter one bit if the baby is a boy or a girl. I actually like this since we don't have to call our precious baby "it."

I have no idea how, when or why this tradition started, but I'm going to hold on to this one.

So as we continue this journey, I will refer to George. George is my baby.

Saving for baby!

So today being payday, I put away my very first deposit into the 'baby fund.' I'm strangely excited about it, actually. This is all still a bit surreal to me.

Oh, and I got on the scale twice this morning and in the space of a few hours, my scale claims that I lost 5 pounds! I doubt it, but I really hope it's not lying to me!

There are so many emotions running through my head right now that I can't keep them straight!

The Journey Begins...

Last Friday I peed on a stick.  I was actually confused by the results because one of the lines in the results window wasn't clearly colored in.  I had to call D in to ask him "Is this phillips or flat-head?"  Understandably he was rather confused what I would be working on in the bathroom.

He then looked at the stick for a moment.  When it registered what he was looking at he got the biggest smile on his face!  I was so very relieved to see pure joy on his gorgeous face.  That was one of the many feelings I was having, but I was excited to see that he was happy with this major turn of events in our lives.


Today I went to the clinic that I have been going to for years.  I peed in a cup and they confirmed that the stick was right.  Strangely, that confirmation took a huge weight off of my chest.

We are both excited, scared, and a bit lost, but we know that we are in this together and we're holding hands and jumping in feet first.

Now for the interesting part: we aren't telling anyone in our families until Christmas!  That's right, we are waiting more than three months to tell our families.  I can rarely keep a secret from my sister, so we'll see how that goes.  I'm hoping to have them all open their gifts at the same time and see the reactions as they realize what's going on.  By that point we might even know the gender of the baby!

So because I want to record this journey and I stink at keeping big secrets, I will be keeping a blog that our families can read to catch up on the journey.

We love you all!

Surprise!