Lincoln's Birth Story

So to stay true to form, the end of my pregnancy was completely unexpected. Throughout the majority of my pregnancy, my blood pressure was great...better than normal even. Until I hit about 34 weeks. Then it started getting higher. Then I started spilling protein in my urine. At my 35 week appointment, my doctor decided to get some blood work done to make sure everything was okay. I also started having pain underneath my right rib, which is a symptom of pre-eclampsia. I was off this day because my baby shower was the next day. After the appointment and blood work, I went and got some things for the shower and got my nails done (navy blue with cute anchors to go with the shower theme of course!) When I got home from my errands, my doctor called me. She told me my blood work came back abnormal and that I needed to get to the hospital within the next couple of hours. Ummmm....okay.... "do I need to pack a bag?" "yes, you might be here a while"... "will I be home by tomorrow, my baby shower is tomorrow..." "no, you're going to have to cancel your baby shower because you'll be in the hospital". "Oh my god...well, will I be able to go to work on Monday?" "No, you might be having a baby on Monday." ::insert complete panic mode:: I quickly packed a bag (me being a procrastinator, I hadn't done this yet) and I had NO freaking clue what to put in it! I ran around my room for a good 20 minutes trying to figure out what the hell to put in it, without packing a thing! I finally rationalized the process by telling myself it would be like I was going to spend the night at a friends house for a few days - what do I need? That helped and I started packing. Joel was at work so my parents came to get me to take me to the hospital. I had to call my sister who had to start notifying people that the shower, which was supposed to be held less than 24 hours away, was cancelled. At that point, I really didn't care about the shower,  I was freaking out because I was barely 35 weeks pregnant...this isn't supposed to happen...I'm supposed to make it to at least 37 weeks. I know I had been saying I wanted him to come early, but this is too early. I was so scared. 

In the hospital they continued to monitor my blood pressure and do a bunch of other tests. I was told I possibly had pre eclampsia (which btw is pronounced E-Clamp-See-Ah, not E-Clamp-Sha) and would need to be monitored to see if my levels got worse or stabilized. If they got worse, they would induce labor. If I stabilized, I'd be sent home on bed rest. I was admitted to the hospital on Friday. Flash forward to Monday and my levels had not only stabilized, but improved. I was sent for an ultrasound to see if gallstones were the reasoning behind the pain underneath my ribs...turns out, it was. Since my levels had improved, I was told I could go home...and either be on bed rest or go back to work. The whole weekend was seriously a freaking roller coaster, but I was glad that my baby boy would be able to 'cook' longer.

Anyway, I decided to go back to work to see if I could manage working and having my blood pressure be stable. At my next appointment, 36 weeks, my blood pressure rose again and my doctor decided it would be best to put me on bed rest. Truthfully, I was not complaining. I have worked practically every day since I was 17 and I welcomed the "rest". 

Due to the blood pressure, we decided to induce labor at 38 weeks....and my doctor was so kind to let me pick the date I wanted to be induced. I chose my birthday, March 12. 

March 11

We arrived at the hospital at 5 PM to stay overnight and have cervidil placed, which is supposed to "ripen" your cervix and prepare it for labor. Prior to being admitted, I was not dilated or effaced at all. Overnight, I started having some mild contractions and it made me excited because I had read horror stories about failed inductions, so I thought surely I had dilated some and the cervidil was working. 

March 12

I was checked early in the morning and was told I was a fingertip dilated and 75% effaced. I was SUPER excited, like giddy excited. About an hour later, my actual doctor came to check me and crushed my spirit by telling me that I hadn't changed at all and was still not dilated or effaced. I was so upset but I still didn't lose hope. I was going be started on pitocin and I just knew my body would know what to do and start progressing. WRONG. I started feeling contractions and they started getting painful...to the point that I asked for some pain relief and was given Stadol, which by the way is pretty much awesome. I called Joel over to my bed and whispered "I'm high!" My doctor came to check me later in the evening and I was told that I was just now a fingertip dilated and maybe 50% effaced. After being on pitocin for over 6 hours and close to the maximum dosage, we decided it would be best for me to go home and come back in a couple of days. Happy birthday to me. I was supposed to be getting a baby as a birthday present, and all I got were discharge papers from the hospital. I laid in the hospital bed and just cried. Joel tried to console me but it wasn't working. I threw a pity party for myself. On the way home, we got stuck in traffic (all I wanted to do was get something to eat since I hadn't eaten since the night before and go to sleep). I started feeling nauseous. I had to ask Joel to pull over on the side of the highway because I felt like I was going to be sick. Sure enough, I puked...on the side of the highway...in traffic...near an entrance ramp. Definitely not how I pictured my birthday turning out. 

March 14

We went into the hospital to begin another induction. This time, my doctor wanted to use something called a foley bulb. Of course I googled the crap out of it and was terrified of it hurting....which it did, but once the procedure was done, I was okay. For about an hour. Then I started having a contraction....except, it wasn't going away. This isn't normal, contractions are supposed to come and go....why isn't it going anywhere?! I was writhing in pain and Joel called the nurse, who then called my doctor to see what to do. We ended up removing the bulb and as soon as that was done, the contraction went away. I had cervidil placed again so we tried to get some rest that night to prepare us for the next day. I think I got maybe two hours of sleep.

March 15

I really wish I would have written this sooner, because for the life of me I can't remember much about the morning of the 15th. I think I was too sleepy to really pay attention to what was going on. I want to say that when I was checked in the morning, I was dilated to a 1 and still 50% effaced. I was wheeled down to Labor and Delivery and they began the pitocin. I wanted an epidural as soon as possible because I could not take my doctor checking me anymore. It hurts! I got an epidural when I was dilated to a 1...yes, I know. The epidural worked...but it kept losing effectiveness on my sides, so I would have to change the sides I was laying on so the medicine would start working on both sides again, if that makes sense. My water was broken around 9 or 10 AM. 

I made progress throughout the day. Slow progress, but progress. Around 7:00 PM I was checked again and we found that I had pretty much stalled out at a 4 or 5 (I can't remember) and my cervix was starting to swell. Lincoln also had not dropped any. Since my cervix was swelling and he hadn't dropped, my doctor recommended a c-section. Thankfully I had not gone into this whole situation with an idea of how things would turn out, so I didn't have any issues with a c-section and just tried to roll with the punches. I also had a feeling that he wasn't dropping for a reason, so I agreed to the c-section. At this point, I was tired, in pain from contractions and I just wanted my baby out and safe.  

It took about 45 minutes for them to take me to the OR. I was so nervous that I wouldn't be completely numb when they started the surgery and that I would feel everything. I had an amazing anesthesiologist, Dan, that talked me through the whole thing. He made me feel so comfortable in such a cold, sterile room. I really need to let the hospital know how much he helped me. Joel was allowed in I felt so much better when he got there. My doctor and another doctor in her practice started the procedure and I didn't even know it! It didn't hurt at all, thank goodness. The only bad part is that I was shaking uncontrollably. I just remember laying there and looking at Joel and trying to be as calm as possible. Then I heard my doctor say "Oh my god, he has RED HAIR!!" I had been telling everyone that he had to have red hair because he was stubborn, even in the womb. Everything was done on Lincoln's terms...not mine or Joel's. I laughed when she said that and was still looking at Joel. 

8:43 PM 

We heard the most beautiful noise in the world - our baby boy's first cry. With that sound, it hit both of us...holy hell, we have a baby! We're parents!! We both started laughing and crying. It was the best moment of my life, hands down. In that moment, I was relieved my baby was okay, I was happy that I was finally a mom...something I had wanted for a long time...and I was so happy that I got to share this moment with Joel. I will never forget this moment. 

My nieces visiting me in the hospital, the first time (February)

The morning of March 15

The time of Lincoln's birth

8 lbs 6 oz....I couldn't believe he was that big!

Our first picture as a family

What I'd like to remember most

I am thirty-seven weeks pregnant today. I have 21 days until my due date {but will more than likely deliver within the next two weeks} and as the countdown numbers continue to dwindle down, I am finding myself thinking that maybe...just maybe....I might miss being pregnant when it's all said and done. I can't believe I'm actually writing that because to be honest, pregnancy is a lot harder than what I thought it was going to be and I continuously told myself, I can't wait to not be pregnant anymore...but I think I will miss it once it's done. Then I started thinking about some of the things I wanted to remember about this pregnancy...there's so much! Let's see:

• I want to remember the first time we saw Lincoln on an ultrasound at 8 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I don't want to forget the pure elation I felt and the amazement that something that tiny was making me so sick!
• I want to remember the excitement we felt when we learned that we would be having a little boy. I have always wanted to have little Joel's running around my house! I'll never forget when we made the phone calls to let everyone know it wasn't a girl as previously thought, but a boy!
• I want to remember how good Arby's tasted while I had morning sickness. It was the only thing that got me through some days. I think I ate Arby's like 5 times in one week! :)
• I want to remember all the times Lincoln would make me laugh with his movements...bouncing back and forth side to side.
• I want to remember that Lincoln goes crazy when I listen to Ke$ha's Die Young song...he likes it :)
• I want to remember all of the conversations between me and my mom or me and my sister, and them comforting me and telling me that what I was experiencing was completely normal.
• I want to remember the nesting feeling. I hope it sticks around.
• I want to remember how good I slept throughout the first and second trimester...and even the beginning of the third one. I have a feeling it will be a long time before I sleep that good again.
• and most importantly, I want to always remember how Joel showed me a completely different side of him that I have never seen in our whole 6 1/2 years being together. I never want to forget the times he would hear me puking my guts out and come bring me a glass of ice water with a cold rag. He would hold the rag on my face as I recovered from losing my breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc. I don't want to forget the first time he kissed my belly goodnight. I don't want to forget all the times he would text me that he loved his babies (me and Lincoln). I don't want to forget him being protective over me when I sprayed bug spray in the house. It annoyed me at the time, but looking back I realize he was looking out for me and his little boy. I don't want to forget all of the little nice things he did for me throughout the pregnancy: tell me I look pretty, let me eat those two five extra cookies, prop my feet up after a long day at work, cook me breakfast or take me somewhere I really wanted to eat. He has been awesome during the pregnancy for not only doing all of these things, but for putting up with my craziness.

Of course, there are also some things I'd like to forget, but at the end of the journey, I have come to realize that the good times outweighed the bad and that in the end, I will have an amazing, one of a kind treasure to show for it. 

Looking back on the pregnancy, I can't help but think that God was trying to teach me a lesson....that things never go as planned and that I cannot and will never have complete control over any situation. I think that lesson is essential to learn as I transition from pregnancy to motherhood. 

If I could offer one piece of advice to any newly or soon to be pregnant women, it would be this: expect the unexpected. Don't buy into the cute movies....you may be sick the entire pregnancy, things might not go as planned, you might get stretch marks (if you're prone to this, invest in some bio-oil and use it from day one {another lesson learned the hard way}), you will more than likely gain more than you originally intended, you probably won't work out as much as you thought you would, you may have a few scares along the way and you may not be the cute 'cries at everything pregnant woman that people feel sorry for', but instead the mean 'grumpy one that people can't wait until you've had the baby so you can stop complaining and being a total raging bitch'. 

It's a scary emotional roller coaster, but one definitely worth riding. 

Third Trimester!

The holidays have come and gone and it's made the time fly by. I hope time keeps going by fast, but I have a feeling it will start to slow down after my baby shower in February. Today we have 64 days until my due date. It's so crazy how fast time is going!I feel like I was just telling myself I had 150 days left.

The third trimester has been fairly kind to me so far. I'm sleeping well, only throwing up about once a week and still have a decent amount of energy. The only complaint I have is the heartburn, and even that's tolerable as long as I watch what I eat.
During the past several weeks, we've had a lot happen so I'll just recap everything.

Let's start with the painting of the mural on Lincoln's wall and the arrival of his crib. The painting turned out exactly like I wanted. While this might not be some people's "taste", me and Joel love it and I think it suits Joel's son perfectly. Joel has tattoos and loves tattoos and it is the perfect mixture between the tattoo look and the nautical look.

And here's a picture (kind of blurry...taken by Joel) of the painting and Lincoln's crib.

My talented sister finished Lincoln's quilt, which I think I will hang over his crib. I love it! It's perfect and it's one of a kind!

We went to a wedding.

We had two 3D sonograms...both of which were on the disappointing side. Not sure if it's because I have extra 'fluff' or what, but we weren't able to really see Lincoln's face like we wanted to. We did manage to get this shot....I think he is going to be handsome! I love his lips!

Then here are a couple of belly shots. He's getting BIG! First up, 28 weeks.

Then 30 weeks.

We registered last week and Joel was great during it. He did ask to register for a couple of dumb useless things, but other than that, he did great. He really helped me pick out the perfect stroller! We're getting ready for our baby shower, which will be on February 16. Here is a picture of the invitation.

I have no idea where this nautical stuff came from. I hate when people ask me why I did his nursery with a nautical theme. I have no idea! I just like it, okay? Same reason I have a freaking robot tattooed on me. I just liked it. I hate when people look for meaning in something that is so trivial. Sometimes, you just do something because you like it.

We also took a childbirth class...that was interesting. Joel said I kept asking about the epidural. He said they would be talking about breastfeeding and I would raise my hand and say "Okay, so about the epidural..." LOOK, I'm only concerned about it because I know it will make my experience more tolerable and I just want to make sure I know everything about it, that's all.
As soon as we walked into the class, I saw they had a TV set up with chairs around it. I was so excited, because for some reason I really wanted Joel to see a video of a birth. I have no idea why, but I want him to be prepared for the grossness and awesomeness that is childbirth. Watching birth videos does not bother me, AT ALL. I tell my sister all the time about me watching childbirth videos (she has three kids) and she can't understand why I do that to myself. I watch them to prepare myself for what's to come!

One thing I found out about pregnancy, AFTER getting pregnant....is that it, quite frankly, sucks. Don't get me wrong...I am so thankful to be pregnant and I feel truly blessed. Really, I do....but, someone once told me that pregnancy is a means to an end. Wow, what a true statement. BEFORE I got pregnant, I honestly viewed pregnancy with rose-colored glasses. I fantasized about being pregnant and honestly believed it would be the most happiest, best time of my life. Being pregnant for me, has been challenging and hard. Anyway, my point being...I'm scared that if I don't truly prepare myself for childbirth and taking care of a newborn that I will be highly disappointed with the experience. So I'm mentally preparing myself for not being able to get an epidural...or if I do, one that doesn't work, and literally feeling EVERYTHING during labor. I'm also preparing myself for a non stop crying baby, that I can't breastfeed and me not losing any weight and being horribly depressed. I'm doing this because 1) if they DO happen, I'll be prepared for it and 2) if they don't happen, I'll be pleasantly surprised and content...thinking, this isn't so bad. :)

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss? Nope

Stretch marks? Yep. I knew they would come, but I'm still sad.

Sleep? Still sleeping good, thankfully!

Best moment last week? Can I have a worst moment of last week? I'm negative Nancy. The worst moment was taking my 3 hour glucose test. The best moment of last week was when I went home and took a nap afterwards.

Movement? I feel him move all the time. I've started feeling hiccups, too. He's so cute!

Food cravings? Sunkist and sandwiches

Belly button in/out? still in but it's definitely getting more shallow.

What I miss: beer

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower!

Milestones: I've made it into the thirties and I've recently noticed I've developed that line underneath my belly button. Linea nigra is the technical term. I'm not sure why, but this totally excited me when I saw it! 

End of 2nd Trimester Doldrums

I don't really have anything new to report. The past week has been fairly smooth as far as pregnancy goes. No throwing up. Been sleeping good. The only complaint is heartburn. It's getting worse. Also pregnancy brain...but other than that, I'm still feeling pretty good and anxiously awaiting Lincoln's arrival!

Christmas is 11 days away and I wish Lincoln was here and that this was his first Christmas. I know I have to be patient, but I can't wait to celebrate Christmas with Lincoln! By the time next Christmas rolls around, he will be 9 months. So crazy to think that this time next year, I'll have a 9 month old little boy!

We are signed up for a childbirth class on January 2. We are also signing up for a Baby Care class that will cover diapering, bathing, feeding and most importantly, CPR and how to relieve a choking infant. I really hope the class has baby dolls and I get to see Joel change a diaper on a toy. I think it will be funny!

I'm starting to get pretty anxious and sometimes I have to sit and think really hard about the reality of having our first baby in less than 14 weeks. I don't think my brain has fully wrapped around the idea of our lives completely changing. Sometimes I feel like I get it and understand it, but then sometimes I don't feel like I get it at all! I'm not sure if that makes sense....it's kind of hard to explain. It's easy to get wrapped up in all of the planning....stocking up on diapers, planning the nursery, buying furniture for the nursery, planning the baby shower, etc. and to forget about what all of this planning is actually for!

How far along? 26 weeks

Total weight gain/loss? 13.5

Maternity clothes? I don't like this question

Stretch marks? I've seen beginnings of two :(

Sleep? Still sleeping good, thankfully!

Best moment last week? sewing my baby boy's fitted sheet.

Movement? I've been feeling him kick much higher (under my ribs), which leads me to think he's no longer breech.

Food cravings? Hot fudge sundae. I had one this week and it was glorious!

Belly button in/out? still in but it's definitely getting more shallow.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: our 3D sonogram, which I scheduled for 12/20!

Milestones: Hmmm....I made it a week without throwing up!

15 weeks left to go!

Last Saturday, my sister Tracy and I started working on the baby bedding. The fabric is seriously beyond cute. Here is a little sneak peek at some of the fabric.

My sister is tackling the quilt and I was responsible for making the fitted sheet that day. I haven't sewn since I found out I was pregnant and before that, I had limited experience with sewing. So it practically took me all day to make the fitted sheet. Maybe not all day, but a good 3 hours. I have to be honest, I absolutely LOVE sewing. I love pinning pieces of fabric together and sewing them together and having it turn into something! The bad part about sewing, is that pressing and cutting is a BIG part of sewing. I hate pressing and cutting fabric. It's pretty hard! I have never been a good cutter and I blame the fact that I have to use right handed scissors when I'm left-handed. I also can't use left-handed scissors either so it's a no win situation. I do have a rotary cutter and I love that, but sometimes you have to use real scissors in sewing and it sucks for me! The pressing part, now that's just my laziness coming out. I don't mind pressing the fabric to make sure it isn't wrinkly, but when you have to press down a seam, I hate that. HATE it. But, the great part about sewing, is that it all pays off in the end. If you're lucky, you end up with something uniquely created by YOU that no one else has and you're left with a great sense of accomplishment.

So like I said, I had spent a good 3 hours on the fitted crib sheet and it turned out lovely. I was so proud of it and it looked exactly how I wanted. I go to get in my car, after leaving my sisters, and put it in my front seat...only to have something {I think my earbuds} get caught on a McDonald's cup of Dr. Pepper in my console, making the Dr. Pepper tilt over and spill on my brand new, HANDMADE, fitted sheet! I was so upset I wanted to cry! Here, I had just worked on something very hard for my baby boy and now there's damn Dr. Pepper on it! I didn't want Dr. Pepper to christen the sheet, I wanted Lincoln to do that! Thankfully, after many attempts my amazing sister was able to get the stain out.

Other than our sewing adventures, I have had a pretty uneventful week. I have gotten sick {read: vomit} twice the past week and I'm not sure what's up with that, but I hope it doesn't continue.

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss? I think 13 : /
Maternity clothes? The outfits I bought last week were a major disappointment so I'm still in my same outfits.

Stretch marks? none yet

Sleep? I slept so much better this week! Thank the Heavense!

Best moment last week? sewing my baby boy's fitted sheet.

Movement? I've been feeling him kick much higher (under my ribs), which leads me to think he's no longer breech.

Food cravings? Ice cream sandwiches

Belly button in/out? still in but it's definitely getting more shallow.

What I miss: being able to eat normal non-spicy food and not getting heartburn. I got heartburn from a tuna fish sandwich last night. WTF

What I am looking forward to: our 3D sonogram, which I scheduled for 12/20!

Milestones: I made it one full day without a coke! (trying to cut back on my splurging)

SIX months!!

How far along? 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? I think 10 : /
Maternity clothes? yep. I ordered some new outfits on Black Friday and I can't wait for them to get here already! I think I am most excited about the maternity leggings I bought!
Stretch marks? none yet
Sleep? ughhhhhhh
Best moment last week? Seeing Joel paint Lincoln's name and Joel feeling him kick
Movement? he loves to kick me in the cervix and bladder
Food cravings? cheeseburgers.
Belly button in/out? still in.
What I miss: I miss sleeping without my hips hurting.
What I am looking forward to: our 3D sonogram, which I need to schedule!
Milestones: I made it to viability!


I'm six months pregnant today! This feels like a huge, major accomplishment. I have now reached viability, which means that if something were to happen, Lincoln could survive outside the womb. Last week was pretty busy, with Thanksgiving and painting the nursery. Joel started on the nursery last Monday and I'm proud to say it's finished! Well, pretty much anyway.

Daddy being sweet and painting Lincoln's name on the wall

We have a few spots to touch up on but then we'll be done. My parents ordered us a glider and it should be here within the next few days. I still need to order the crib {I will probably do that within a week} and I need to order his dresser/changing table. Unfortunately for Joel, I think everything has to be put together. We've received all of the fabric for the bedding so this Saturday we'll get started sewing it together! I can't wait to see what the nursery is going to look like all put together. I have a bunch of ideas and I can't wait to get started on them.

The past week has been kind of hard on me as far as sleep goes. I'm normally a very light sleeper anyway, but I feel like me being pregnant is making it worse. I don't know if it's my body preparing for motherly instincts but I feel like I wake up super easy and it's so hard for me to fall back asleep. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I am guaranteed to be up for at least two hours. This is fine on the weekends because I can sleep in, but during the week it pretty much sucks. I start to get anxious about how many hours I've slept so far and how many I'll get if I fall asleep right now and my mind just won't shut off.

The day before Thanksgiving, Joel finally felt Lincoln kick. I think it weirds him out a little, but he thought it was cool. My mom also felt him kick on Thanksgiving.

I got this ornament from Joel's grandmother, Dado, yesterday. It's so cute and it made me tear up when I opened the box!

Here's me this morning at 6 months pregnant! Wooohooo!

So this is what the 2nd Trimester is supposed to be like....

Happy 22 weeks to me!! I have felt pretty much AMAZING for the past week and I am ever so thankful. While I have had a couple of episodes of nausea, I have made it more than a week without Zofran and am no longer nauseous in the mornings. I have had great bursts of energy and I feel like my old self again. I'm cooking, cleaning, reading and staying up past 8:00! I'm going to take advantage of feeling normal again by getting things ready for the nursery. We are painting it next week and I've ordered the fabric for the bedding so me and my sister, Tracy, will start working on the bedding soon. I'm also ordering the crib this week. It's all starting to become real with the constant kicks from Baby Lincoln, making baby purchases, etc. I get overwhelmed sometimes when I think about all of the changes to come, but I know me and Joel will make everything work. So since my nausea has disappeared, I have noticed that I'm starting to get super duper emotional. I cried all morning on Saturday because I was watching YouTube videos of kids being surprised on Christmas and being surprised with trips to Disney World. I have no idea why I tortured myself with these videos, but they really pulled at my heartstrings. It made me excited for the future to be able to do things like that for Lincoln and it made me wonder what he'll want for Christmas. It made me excited to think about how much fun Christmas is for kids and I just can't wait to experience that with Lincoln.

Unfortunately with the crying fits, comes the unexplainable rage that my poor Joel has to deal with. I get mad at him for taking naps. Like, legitimately mad. WHY? I can't help it....I get mad because he farts. These are just a couple of unrational things that I have been getting mad at. Thankfully, it doesn't last long and he is understanding, but I know it can't be fun for him.

I can tell Lincoln is getting longer because I can now feel him kick me near my belly button. We went to the movies this weekend to see the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, and Lincoln was kicking the whole time. It was probably really loud for him!

How far along? 22 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? Up 4 pounds total.
Maternity clothes? yes, but still rocking some of my loose fitting pre-pregnancy clothes. Right now my biggest concern is a coat. I have one that I can wear, but I can't button it shut. I might have to be buying a maternity coat. Thankfully they're on sale right now at Old Navy.
Stretch marks? nada
Sleep? I've been sleeping pretty good.
Best moment last week? Making it a week without Zofran!
Movement? he's a mover!
Food cravings? OMG, EVERYTHING! Chicken Fried Chicken, Sushi, Chinese food, potato salad, scalloped potatoes, chocolate milk, cheesecake. I'm a fatty :(
Belly button in/out? still in.
What I miss: I miss beer!
What I am looking forward to: 24 weeks {V Day!}
Milestones: I've felt great for a week now!

What an eventful past two weeks! Last week I was in Chicago for work and it was a crazy hectic week. I've been feeling the baby move more frequently and I can tell he is getting bigger and stronger. We had our anatomy scan this week and before we started the sonogram, I told the tech I was hoping the baby would weigh a pound. She said "Oh no, not this early. He probably will be between 10 oz to 12 oz, tops". Well, well, well....baby Rags weighs a pound! I knew it. She measured his legs, which measured a whole two weeks ahead of schedule! No wonder I can feel him kick all the time. That should be real fun when gets bigger. Everything looked perfect during the scan. He kept opening his mouth and I swear, everytime we have a scan, he lays there with one of his hands near his head....which is how his daddy will fall asleep from time to time. Here is a picture of his profile.

Here is me last week at 20 weeks!

So since we further confirmed Baby Rags is a boy, we really needed to settle on a name. We couldn't decide which one we liked best, so we put several names in one of Daddy's hats {Lincoln Samuel, Connor Jack, Lincoln Jack, Oliver Samuel, Oliver Francis} and decided to let fate decide which name would be THE name. I drew the first name and pulled out "LJ". My first instinct said "No, that's not the name." I told Joel to let me draw again because I wasn't really thinking before I drew the name. Haha. So, he let me draw again. "OS". I said "No, that's not the name." Then I said "Baby boy, pick your name. Whatever I pick next is what you want your name to be, and if it's LJ {Lincoln Jack}, then that's what it is." I drew out LJ again. So Baby Rags is now officially Lincoln Jack! I really wanted Joel to help pick his name since it's his son. I mean obviously it's mine too, but who knows if we will have another boy and I wanted Joel to name his son. Joel loves the name Lincoln Jack, so Lincoln Jack it is!

How far along? 21 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? Up 4 pounds total.
Maternity clothes? I'm still in some pre-pregnancy pants but with the help of a belly band
Stretch marks? nothing new.
Sleep? I ordered me a Snoogle pillow and it came in yesterday. It's amazing!!
Best moment last week? Coming home after a long week away!
Movement? yes, numerous times a day.
Food cravings? This boxed spaghetti that they no longer sell. Why do I crave things I can't have?!?!

Belly button in/out? still in.
What I miss: I miss sleeping on my stomach.
What I am looking forward to: 24 weeks {V Day!}
Milestones: Making it four days in a row without Zofran {today marks day 5}. I still get sick every morning, but I am used to it and I think it's getting better. Today was the first day I didn't get sick.

19 weeks!

I am celebrating 19 weeks today! I can't wait until next Thursday because at that point, I'll be half way done.

How far along? 19 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? I think I'm up 4 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yep. I broke down and bought some full panel maternity skinny jeans this week from Old Navy. They feel like heaven.
Stretch marks? nothing new.
Sleep? I've started to notice I have a bit more energy in the evenings and now I am super tired in the mornings.
Best moment last week? Daddy Rags taking care of me while I threw up.
Movement? I've been feeling the baby move every day since last Friday. The movements aren't very noticeable, but I can tell they are getting stronger.
Food cravings? Hmmm...last week it was chocolate milk.
Belly button in/out? still in.
What I miss: I miss alcohol, coffee, and cigarettes {don't judge}
What I am looking forward to: My anatomy scan
Milestones: week 18 was the first time I felt the baby move. Baby Rags is the size of an heirloom tomato (whatever that is)

Here's me this morning at 19 weeks. Don't let my smile fool you, I still feel like poo.

Weeks 10 through 18

Where have I been the last 8 weeks? Hmmm, let's see. Hovered over a toilet, or in some awful cases - throwing up in my bathtub while taking a bath, or throwing up on myself while trying to get to the toilet. Yep, gooooooood times have been had by me! The "magical" week 12 has come and gone and my morning sickness is still hanging on strong. Baby Rags is a strong little baby and I sometimes find myself feeling like Bella in Twilight when she was pregnant. Yes, I've seen that movie, no I'm not a Twi-hard. While feeling like poo has taken up most of my time the past 8 weeks, it's not the only thing that's been happening. During these 8 weeks, the baby has grown in size from a tiny olive to a sweet potato!

On October 5, I had an elective gender sonogram done. At that time, I was 16 weeks 1 day pregnant. I was so excited that day to finally find out what we were going to be having! Before we started the sonogram, I told the tech that I wanted a little suspense and told her not to find the goods right away. Well, I definitely got a little suspense. Baby Rags was hiding their goods behind my placenta pretty much the whole time. There were a couple of instances where the tech saw what she thought were girl parts, but she couldn't say for certain. I was disappointed to hear her tell me I needed to come back the next week for another scan. While she couldn't give us a 100% guess, she did tell us there was a 90% chance it was a girl. Well, this was all I needed to further convince myself it was a girl. I mean, I've been sick as a dog and I just *knew* it was a girl. So what did I do? What do you think?! I went out and bought some cute girly clothes, picked out a name and started planning my baby girl's nursery! Meanwhile, Daddy Rags was still holding out for that 10% chance of it being a boy. I had no doubt in my mind we were going to be having a girl. It did shock me a little because I honestly thought, even before getting pregnant, that me and Daddy Rags would just have boys. I never saw us with having baby girls. So a week rolls by, during which I'm singing to my baby girl, because she could now hear my voice, and calling her by her name. We go into the second sonogram and I am more focused on making sure we could see her full body so we could confirm and move on! This time around, the placenta wasn't the problem, but the baby was just NOT moving or in a favorable "goods shot" position. I downed a full bottle of Pepsi beforehand and the baby was just chilling and taking a nice nap! We jiggled and moved around and finally the baby opened it's legs and all I remember is Daddy Rags saying something like "that's a penis" or something like that. I looked at the screen and she took a picture of it and said "I'm calling it, it's a boy!" Immediately, Daddy Rags is on cloud nine and I'm laying there in complete shock! I am happy and laughing but at the same time I was so confused! I just kept laughing and I may have cried a little just out of pure shock! I was so sure the baby was a girl and it was so hard for me to wrap my brain around a little boy! Daddy Rags was the happiest I have ever seen him and I am so happy to see him happy. I am happy and excited to have a little Joel running around.

We have not settled on a name yet, I have a feeling it's going to take a while until we can both come to an agreement. Daddy likes the name Bruce Wayne (is he serious?!) and I like the name Asher Cole. We have plans for the nursery, which once we start working on it I'll post pictures.

Today I am 18 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I haven't thrown up since Sunday, but I am still taking Zofran on a daily basis. Some exciting things:

I felt the baby move for the first time on Friday (10/19). I thought I had been feeling him for about a week, but I could never really tell for sure until Friday. I drank decaf coffee for the first time in months on Friday and after I finished my cup, I felt a 'tap tap tap' and I just knew it was my baby boy kicking me. I can't wait for Daddy Rags to be able to feel him move. Joel thinks it's really cool I can feel him move, so I'm sure he will be stoked once he can feel it.

My belly is continuing to grow on a daily/weekly basis. Here is a shot of me at 16 weeks and then 18 weeks.

I have my anatomy scan on November 6 that will further confirm we have a baby boy on the way.

An Olive!

So, I really really really wanted to do these posts every day my weeks changed over....but I haven't. Why? Because I've felt like a zombie with a stomach bug since the day before I changed over to 6 weeks. The baby has gone from the size of an appleseed {5 weeks} to the size of an olive {9 weeks} and I haven't updated anything like I wanted to. Just to give you an idea, here's an appleseed and an olive.

That's a lot of growing, folks! And it's probably the reason I've been having morning all day sickness. I've been surviving off of Special K protein shakes in the morning and a little miracle drug called Zofran. I've been taking it since about 6 weeks and while it helps, it doesn't make me feel like Superwoman....which is fine with me. I'm a happy camper if I'm not puking. I am so ready for my 1st trimester to be done with {21 more days!!! (yes, I'm only counting to 12 weeks because screw all that 13 weeks 3 days shizz)} and I'm ready for some energy. I'm also ready to enjoy food again. I miss food. My poor house is so messy and Joel is living off of food in a box, as am I. I miss cooking and I miss sewing. I don't, however, miss cleaning.

Our first appointment was on Tuesday 8/14. I was so incredibly nervous. I was afraid that I'd get an ultrasound and nothing would be in there or something would be wrong with the baby. I could barely sleep the night before and was so anxious all day! The ultrasound tech could tell I was nervous so she was super nice. She said "Okay, I'm going to see how many are in there" and I'm thinking "Oh hellllll no lady, there is only going to be one, you got it?!" The screen was turned away from me so all I had to go on was her facial expressions. She smiled and said "well I only see one!" and she turned the screen towards me and Joel and I saw our baby! It was one of the best feelings I have ever had, I was instantly relieved and started crying out of pure happiness. It actually looked like a baby! It was moving it's arms around and did a little dance for us. We could see it's little heartbeat just ticking away and honestly it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I can't believe something this tiny is making me feel so sick! haha



Isn't s/he cute?! Everything looked great with the baby and it's heartbeat was 159 BPM. Since me and Joel couldn't wait to share our excitement, we announced it on Facebook that night with this picture

Our next appointment is August 31 where we will get another ultrasound! We can't wait to see how big the baby gets!

I think I've known I wanted to be a Momma since I was about 12. My sister was pregnant with my niece and I just remember the whole pregnancy thing being fun {well of course it was fun for me, probably not so much for my sister} and exciting. The day my first niece, Madison, was born was a day I will never forget and I knew from that moment on, I couldn't wait to be a Momma, too.

July 10, 2012
I'm 12 days past ovulation and I just know I'm "out" this cycle. We'd only been trying for two months, but I just felt like it wasn't going to happen this time around and was preparing myself for the next go-around. I woke up early, I had been doing that for a few days prior, and my last First Response Test in my bathroom cabinet was calling my name. I figured "I'll just go ahead and test so I can stop thinking about it". I just KNEW it would be negative. I got up, put my contacts in and took the test. After watching numerous live pregnancy tests on YouTube, I for some reason decided to film myself taking the test {a video that will never ever ever be for the public view because mid-video I decided to look at myself in the camera and noticed my nice triple chin}. Anyway, I could NOT believe what I was seeing...."Is that a second line??? Holy sh-t, holy sh-t, holy sh-t." I think I said holy sh-t at least 100 times. I felt faint and had to go lay on the bed. I was so excited and shocked!

I told Daddy Rags that night when he got home and poor thing, he was in shock for a whole 24 hours I think, but he eventually came around!

July 19, 2012
I'm officially five weeks pregnant today. I'm pregnant! Wow, it's so weird, fun, exciting and scary to be able to say that! So far we've told our family and close friends....we'll let everyone else know after our first appointment, which is August 14 {a whole twenty-six days from now!}. I haven't had too many symptoms other than being really tired all.the.time. and bloating {yay}.