Today, I had my 12 week appointment. It was a pretty good one. Dr. Magee came in asked if there were any problems or concerns. I had some cramping a couple of weeks ago, but he said that is normal because of the stretching of the uterus and the muscles around it. It sure does feel like Aunt Flo is coming and I have to run to make sure she hasn't made an appearance. But I'm feeling good about it all now. I know sort of what to expect and what seems to be normal and what doesn't. I'm just trying to take it all in stride.

After telling him my concerns, he brought out his fetal doppler and said, let's see if we can find the heartbeat. I rolled down my pants and undies just a tad and he placed the doppler on my little pooch. He found my heartbeat first and let me know that it was in fact mine. Then, he moved it ever so slowly just a notch or two, and there it was, a nice fast heartbeat. That my friends was music to my ears. I couldn't help but be in amazement. I listened, smiled, looked at Jordan, and probably repeated that a couple of times. Even after having an ultrasound at my last appointment and seeing it for the first time, it just didn't seem real. But today, this doppler made it real and hit home that, yes, we are indeed going to have a baby. Just writing this makes me smile from ear to ear. It's just a wonderful thing to hear.

I got home and started researching some at home dopplers, but goodness, they are like $500 a pop to actually buy one, and you can rent one for as low as 0.90/day. I'm on such a high right now that I'm not thinking straight. Just knowing that everything is ok and trusting that God is in control will make it all worthwhile.

I'm looking forward to June when we get to have a detailed ultrasound. This is the big decision day if I want to know the gender. After seeing it 4 weeks ago and hearing the heartbeat today, I'm beginning to rethink my stance on whether or not I want to wait. It's addicting, let me tell you. It was hard for me to have Dr. Magee take the doppler away. I was mesmarized by what I was listening too.

Next month will be yet another talking session but a possible blood draw. This will be testing fetal proteins to see if there is anything wrong with the baby in terms of Down's or other congenital defect. It's an optional blood draw, but it's something that Jordan and I will discuss. And even then, these blood draws are not always accurate. They are only like 70-80% accurate from what I've been reading. It's a high percentage, but not high enough for me. I would rather it be in the 90th percentile.

Anyway, it's been a great day. I'm looking forward to June already. 

Today's Baby Forecast: Happy 

It's finally here. This is the last week of the 1st Trimester. Woo!! I have hit a big milestone in my pregnancy and it is the coolest thing in the world.

After having a pitiful day on Saturday because I was forced to work, Jordan and I had a real nice day out yesterday. We did a few errands and had a nice leisurely lunch at my favorite restaurant in the world, Chilis. I can't get enough of that place. Up until recently, I never had an inkling about what our baby will be in terms of gender. For the past week or two, I have had the strong feeling that we will indeed be having a girl. I'm not sure why, and it isn't because of all the talk by others, but it just feels like a girl. I'm secretly hoping for a boy, because 1) it'll carry on the Chambers family name, and 2) I think it will be easier for me to raise a boy. It will be my luck that our girl will totally be a girly girl, and frankly, I never was that way, so I have no clue as to what to do, what to buy, or anything. I'm a tomboy, always will be, so a boy will be so much easier for me. Now, if our girl turns out to be a tomboy, then it shouldn't be a problem. I'll be fine.

Until I decide if I want to know the sex, I'll be neutral in calling baby he/she.  

It was nice to talk about what we will do in certian situations such as "Mom, Dad, I went to this party and this guy touched me here". Jordan just gave me this look and said, "And what was this boy's name?" It was so cute. Already protective. Then i said, yeah, but it could be a girl who touched her too. He just looked at me after that and said true. LOL. Poor thing.

We then got on the subject of clothes and he commented on WalMart selling thongs to early teen girls. It doesn't really surprise me as it's the fad now, but it is a little sad when you think of it. What ever happened to the innocence of kids now a days?? Why do they feel they need to grow up so quickly. Maybe it happened in our day too, and I just can't see it or remember it that way.

Then we talked about sleep-overs and how our girl or boy is going to have one. Jordan corrected me and said that girls have sleepovers and boys just crash. Like there really is a difference. It's the same thing. We did decide that we will need to come across like the cool parents so that kids will want to stay at OUR house so we know what's going on. 

The baby isn't born yet, and we're already talking about keeping tabs on the little one.

It was a nice day out and it really was nice to have Jordan talk about what we'll do and so forth. The more we talk about it, the more excitment I see in him. 

Weekly Baby Forecast:
Your baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Your baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.

I've just now noticed that the only time that I write in this journal is when I don't have to work. That's just too funny.

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There have just been so many changes to my body since I've found out I'm pregnant. It's been rather interesting and frankly, I'm not sure if I can remember then all. It woudl have been neat to start a list of things and keep them going, but I forgot. I'll try to post a few here that I remember. Now I say a few, but it could turn out to be a book report by the time I'm done. Obviously they are not in order, and I'll apologize because it may get a little personal:

nausea
vomiting
hips widening
sore breasts
protruding pooch
thirsty
mood swings
bloating
constipation
diarrhea
frequent urination
short of breath
back aches (lower back mostly)
headaches
hunger
fatigue after doing chores or outside work
get tired quickly
want to sleep
blood is thicker (from blood work...takes forever to fill up a tube)
lack of energy
energy bursts
no sex drive
cramping
increased vaginal discharge (i've read this is normal unless it turns color or has an odor)
dry skin

Honestly, I think I got them all.

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I found out yesterday after I got home from work, that my grandmother passed away. She was 89 years old and would have had her 90th birthday next month.  It was my mom's mom. Mom is doing ok, but I think she is more upset with how her other sisters are treating her, like she doesn't exist. My mom is a very caring individual and will just about anything for anyone. Last week, she spent the entire week helping her one sister out (Aunt Louise is her name and was the caregiver of my grandmother). By Saturday, Louise wasn't even speaking to her. Like she was pouting or she was so angry that mom was leaving the next day. The silent treatment. By Sunday morning, when mom was about ready to leave, the silent treatment was still going on, and mom just left without even a goodbye from them.

Wednesday afternoon, her neice-in-law called her and let her know that my grandmother slipped into a coma and the end was near. They were sure if it was going to be Thursday, Friday or sometime within the week. Mom decided to leave early Thursday  morning. She arrive at my grandmother's and aunt's home at 9:25 and was greeted by my cousin at the door saying, "Hurry, there isnt' much time". Mom went into the room and watched my grandmother take her final three breaths. It was called at 9:28.  Even with the passing of her mother, the sister's never once made contact with my mom, nor did they invite her to have lunch with them.

The funeral is Saturday, and my mom and dad will go to that, but will drive immediatey home after the service. Mom had asked me if I would like to go and I told her I was torn because I would like to pay my respects because it is the right thing to do, but I know at the same time, that if they are still treating my mom without respect, the bitchy side of me will come out and lash out. DON'T MESS WITH THE PREGNANT LADY!!!

So, it's better for me if I don't go because I know I will say something and frankly, that isn't the time to be doing it.

Maybe later.

Today's Baby Forecast: Feeling Good, but tired 

This morning I had this real big urge to go out and mow our yard. I figured, hey, if I have the urge and the energy, I'll do it. So, I got ready, had a banana to give me some Potassium and the extra energy, and got myself outside. I decided that the big chore was going to be the backyard, so I started with that first since it's so big and hilly. BIG MISTAKE. After one pass up the hill, I was exhausted. So much for that urge to mow. My energy was used up with one pass. HOWEVER, being the anal person that I am, I couldn't just leave the rest of the yard be long while that one pass was cut. So, I cut the backyard. I was miserable with each pass, but I did it. Several times, I had to just stop the mower and sit down. I could feel myself getting worn out and feeling hot. But I took each pass slow and finally finished the backyard.

Then, I thought, well, the front yard can't be left long with the backyard looking good. So, you guess it, I continued to the front yard and side of the house. That was done in about 15 minutes since our front yard is smaller. I had one little burst of energy and ran that mower into the garage, where it currently sits without being cleaned, and got myself in the house. I ran to the stairs, literally, and plopped down. I felt sick. Really sick. I didn't think I was going to be able to pry myself off the stairs sick. I took off my shoes and socks, got up and slowly got up the stairs to get me some water, where there was only a little bit left in the bottles in the fridge. I'm not a tap water kind of girl, and I can't stand the water from the tap, so I prefer filtered, but I just felt too sick to actually get me a glass and fill it up with water.

I got upstairs again, turned on the overhead fan and the fan that's on my side of the bed and just sat there with the rest of my water in the bottle. No matter how much wind coming from the fans were hitting me, I couldnt shake off how sick I was. I ran to the bathroom thinking I was having to go worship the porcelin God again, but instead I just sat there. I took off all my clothes and just sat there. After the feeling passed, I got up and laid down on the bed and within a few minutes, I must have fallen asleep. I woke up at 2:30 and realized I never got in the shower. I felt stronger, so I got up and washed up and laid back down.

I'm feeling better, but I've come to the conclusion that baby doesn't want me to be doing work like that because it makes him/her hot, and he/she makes me miserable when he/she is hot. I will not be mowing the lawn again until after this baby is born, let me tell you. This was the most miserable experience I have felt in a long time.

Today's Baby Forecast: Feeling better but still feeling bad

Last night was the first night since finding out I'm pregnant that I couldn't sleep. My back ached so much. More than likely from being on my feet all weekend at work. No matter what position I would try to sleep in, I just couldn't get comfortable. I use a body pillow and THAT didn't even help. I wound up having to walk around a little bit to try to stretch my leg muscles and my back. I finally was able to get to sleep around 3-ish. And of course, having to get up at 5:45 didn't help. Right now, I'm just dog tired. I've tried to get a nap, but between my dogs getting tangles up with one another and parker barking because he can't get free, and the neighbors dog(s) barking, it isn't happening. Tomorrow and Wednesday I have off, so I'm hoping to get some catch up sleep.

Today marks the 11 week mark. Woo!! One more week to get through and I'll be in the 2nd trimester.

I'm definitely showing now. I'm not sure why because I still think that it's too early for a first time mommy, but my belly is getting so hard and poofy. Some of it is bloat, but the rest is definitely baby. I'll have to post an 11th week belly pic, but I'll do that probably tomorrow since I just don't feel like doing much of anything right now but lay down and rest my eyes.

Well, I lied.

11 Week Belly Pic:

Today's Baby Forecast: Tired and Achey

Weekly Baby Forecast:
Your fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, your tiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, you won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20. 

Last night I actually got out some shorts from my closet to wear. They fit fine until later on in the evening after dinner then my body just decided that enough was enough and was going to bloat. Holy Cow!! I went from a small bumb to 6 months pregnant in a span of 2 hours. CRAZY.

So, I put the same shorts back on again today and this time they were just tighter. I wasn't bloated, but I think I'm beginning to show. I haven't really eaten anything out of the ordinary as of late, other than actual food, but it's all in moderation and I know it isn't weight gain.

So, I decided that I would go to Target and see what kind of maternity clothes they have. They didn't have much. At least anything that I liked anyway. I'm just going to have to go to one of those maternity stores, or baby stores and see if they have anything there. There was a few cute things at Babies R Us when we went a couple of weekends ago, but of course I wasn't looking for anything then. Mom is bringing something with her when they come out at the end of May. It'll be neat to see what she brings with her.

I'm feeling a little better today. I was a little on the irritable side this morning when I woke up but after going out for a little bit to run some more errands, I'm feeling much better.  

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It's going to be close to 90 degrees today. Hello!! It isn't summer. We are supposed to be only in the 70's if that. The good thing is that the wind is blowing so it doesn't feel to terribly hot, but the heat is on. I went outside and watered my plants in the yard since we haven't had rain in a bit. They probably were feeling a bit neglected.

I need to remember to hydrate today with it being so hot. Otherwise, baby bean is going to make it known that he/she is not happy and make me sick.  

I'm just going to relax for the rest of the day and enjoy the weather and the coolness of the fans in the house. I might just go out for 30 minutes and get a sun tan.

Today's Baby Forecast: Hot 

It's near 80 degrees today and you can't ask for a more perfect day to be out doing something. After an emotional episode at work yesterday, being sent home and basically sleeping and being in a catatonic state for the most of the day, it was nice to get out and enjoy the sun and the fresh air.

Today, I just needed to be out with the rest of the world. It was nice. It was good to be out with people walking beside me not having a care in the world. I was able to get alot done today and when I did get home, I sat with the dogs for awhile to enjoy more sunshine and fresh air.

Emotional days are bad. You feel like everything is crashing in all around you. You feel like you're the only one going through it all, even though you know deep down in the pit of your stomach that it's all a fabricated lie that your mind is telling you. I'm just so tired of the mood swings. And yesterday, I had to confront it full force.

The worst of it all is that poor Jordan is having to deal with it too. After talking to him a lot about everything, I'm beginning to feel that he can deal with it, and bless him for being so supportive and giving me his shoulder, chest, tummy, and arms to cry on.

I love pregnancy, but let me tell you, I'm looking forward to when the mood swings are gone forever (at least in the pregnancy stage)

Today's Baby Forecast: Happier 

Boy did I have the energy spurt this weekend. Jordan and I did some work around the house. I still need to take some pictures, but I can at least tell you about it now and add the pictures later.

On Friday night, Jordan and I bought 15 bags of Mulch, 10 bags of top soil and I think like 15 plants to put around our house. We planned to start early Saturday once Jordan finished the mowing.

Saturday morning came around and the grass was still wet, so we weren't able to get an early start. I think Jordan started mowing about 10am or so, and he was done probably around 1130-noon. While Jordan was mowing, I re-mulched the north side of the house. Then, we did the main work that we wanted to do this year. Pull up grass around the tree in the front yard so that we can have a nice big flowerbed. It took us probably 4 hours when it was all said and done, mostly because I tired out quicker than I did last year with the other flowerbeds. We planted 10 pots of petunias that are going to be our border plants, then I planted 10 bulbs of blue lillies that I acquired last fall from a co-worker who's daughter was participating in a school fundraiser. Once that bed was done, we planted the rest of the plants we got (2 delphinniums, and 3 dasies - 1 purple, 1 pink, 1 white) we re-mulched the rest of the flowerbeds in the front of the house and the south side.  We got done probably by 6:30 and we really didn't know how sore we were going to be until AFTER we took our showers. Whoa, did we use a lot of muscles.

Sunday, we remulched our new maple and the crepe myrtle, and that was it in terms of landscaping. We'll be doing more I'm sure once mom and dad come Memorial Day weekend for the fence, etc.

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It has been a nice reprieve to not have morning sickness for the past 5 days. I felt good, I felt energetic, and it all came crashing down this morning. I jinxed myself yesterday when I was talking to our neighbors Kevin and Ann when we told them our news. I should have just kept my mouth shut, but no....little bean must have felt a bit slighted because he/she notified me this morning that there was more up its sleeve.

I've noticed that I say this once a week, but it doesn't seem like I should be at the 10 week mark. Just 2 more weeks and my 1st trimester will be over. Yeah!!! I'll enter a new phase in my pregnancy.  

The 10 Week Belly Pic:

Weekly Baby Forecast:
Your baby is no longer an embryo! Though she's barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, she now has completed the most critical portion of her development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in her body rapidly grow and mature. Her vital organs — the liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs — are now in place and starting to function (although they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy). Her liver continues to make blood cells, and the yolk sac, which previously supplied these cells, is no longer needed and begins to disappear.

During the next three weeks, your baby's length will more than double to nearly 3 inches. Her head is proportionately smaller now than it was a few weeks ago, but it's still almost half the length of her entire body. Her forehead temporarily bulges with her developing brain and sits high on her head; it will later recede to give her a more human appearance. Each day, more minute details — including tiny fingernails, toenails, and peach-fuzz hair — start to appear on her body. Her fingers are now completely separated; her arms bend at the elbow and curve slightly; her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart; her legs are lengthening; and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. She is busily swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking her legs.

If you could take a peek at your baby this week, you'd be able to clearly see the outline of her spine through her parchment-thin skin. Spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from her spinal cord. 

Remember last post when I thought maybe morning sickness was gone? Oh no. I was right. It came back in full force on Wednesday and Thursday. Lordy, Lordy. This little bean of ours is just playing games now. We're going to have a nice long talk during the 2nd trimester when little bean can hear me. Oh yes.

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Today, I had this real burst of energy. I went outside today to take a look at our red maple that we got in May last year, and realized that the poor little tree was dead as a doornail. Every branch I was bending just snapped. No green to it at all. So, I decided I was going to take it back to the nursery since it was still under warranty. I dug it up with one shovel full. The root system didn't even take hold.

I wound up getting a new tree that is bigger and fuller and thicker in terms of trunks. This tree will stick no doubt about it. I dug up a bigger hole, and put the tree in the hole. The tree, obviously, was a little heavier, but I took my time and didn't hurt myself. I tell you what, it looks weird to actually see a tree in the ground rather than the twig that was there. I'm not really sure what happened with the last one. It truely was a sad looking tree.

So, I wonder if this is just a taste of the energy I'm going to feel during the 2nd trimester. If it is, I like it because I haven't felt his much energy since losing all my weight!! Holy cow!! Monday and Tuesday I got so much done and today, I planted a tree. Talk about energy!!!

Today's Baby Forecast: Energetic and Hungry!! 

Today is the first day in a couple of wleeks that I felt NO MORNING SICKNESS!!! Could this be the end? Could I now be entering the point in my pregnancy that I won't feel nausea or vomit every morning??? Probably not. I say that because frankly, I don't want to get my hopes up. I do that quite often. I think that something good is going to happen, and then it slaps me in the face the following day. Why must mother nature play these rotten games with me?

Today was a much better day than yesterday. I'm still rather emotional and moody, but since I wasn't worshipping the porecelin God today, I was actually able to do a few things around the house like washing and polishing my hardwood floors. Woo!! My floors look absolutely amazing. So shiny and new looking.

I even made it a point to make some rounds around the house to see what is growing in terms of shrubs that we planted last year, flowers and trees. Now that spring is here, I'm seeing a few things budding around and it's really looking like a home now.

Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor to get some blood tests. Turns out, one of the newborns that I took care of at delivery and while on the ventilator in the NICU over the weekend, has Parvo and it isn't necessarily a good thing for pregnant women. It's a harmless virus, but there is a chance for anemia or miscarriage in early pregnancy. It only happens in like 5% of women, so honestly, I'm not too worried at the moment. I'll find out in a couple of days as to whether I have the antibodies or if I have the virus, in which case, I'll be monitored. The worst that can happen to me is that I'll have a nice pretty rash to go with my scrubs. Yeah!!

I do want to end by saying Thank You to those that have emailed me and to you Amanda, about yesterday's blog. It means so much to me at this point because I'm on an up and down roller coaster. I am truely blessed to have friends and family such as you.

Today's Baby Forecast: No sickness!!