In case you missed it...
Creative Pregnancy Announcement Ideas: From Tradition to TikTok
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
We are going to be a family of 4...
Friday, August 9, 2013
In March, Sweet Pea is getting promoted to big sister!
We got our BFP on July 16, which as some of you may know, that day isn't a good day for me at all, so it was truly wonderful to see those two little pink lines.
I went to the doctor for my yearly exam a few days later. They told me it took a while to show up which just meant that I was early. 4 weeks, 5 days by my calculations. But we at least felt comfortable enough to tell our immediate families.
Waiting for my ultrasound felt like FOREVER! I was so scared. I found out with Sweet Pea when I was already 7 weeks, so finding out that early made the whole process more nerve racking.
I had my first ultrasound when I was 6 weeks, 4 days. Baby had a strong heartbeat and was measuring perfectly.
I'm sorry it has taken this long to announce on here. We had to call family members and make sure grandparents, great-grandparents, etc knew before we could tell anyone. Thank you to everyone who has sent the congrats, we really appreciate it!
I am 8 weeks today and although not suffering from the exorcist-like nausea I did experiences with Sweet Pea, I am still having my moments. So far though, this has been such a smoother pregnancy *knock on wood*. No weird red splotchy skin this time around, except the weird spots on my face are still showing, but my Pond's BB Cream (review to come) is helping with that.
Anyways, thank you all for bearing with me with my lack of posts and I hope to keep updating you all each week! :)
When Our Duo Became A Trio
Saturday, December 8, 2012
In honor of Sweet Pea's second Birthday and the fact that I realized I never shared this on here (since I didn't start this blog until half way through my pregnancy), I have decided to share the story of how we found out we were pregnant.
I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. I remember being in Middle School in a class about careers (what exactly the class was about, I don't remember) and we had to write about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I said I wanted to be a mommy first and then a teacher when the kids went off to school.
When I met my husband (I was only 18 mind you), I made sure that he knew I was only interested in a relationship that would lead to marriage and a family. I wasn't interested in wasting my time with someone who wasn't looking for a real relationship. I was just never that kind of person.
First, let's take a moment to see where we were at that time. Hubby and I had just celebrated our two-year wedding anniversary on July 15, 2009. Hubby was a co-manager at a grocery store chain (which he still is just at a different store). I was a Nanny for two children.
We went to the movies every week, ate out almost every night, and stayed out until dawn with friends every weekend. We did what we wanted, when we wanted.
We traveled to Las Vegas with friends, Partied at Dragon*Con, Vacationed in Washington, D.C. to visit a friend, and went to Florida to see the GA/FL game in 2009. Why am I telling you this? I am so glad we did all of this and enjoyed our married life before little ones. Because all though children are fun, they are a different kind of fun. I never believed this until I had a child of my own.
Okay, so is everyone caught up? :)
November 2009, I went to the doctor because I hadn't had my cycle in over two months. Knowing that we wanted to try to have children soon, I scheduled an appointment to see what the deal was. Although nothing specific was wrong, I was told (by the nurse practitioner) that I had irregular periods due to my weight and I needed to lose weight because I would probably have trouble getting pregnant. When I started to cry, she had the nerve to ask me why was I crying. And then said that I had no reason to cry because we weren't actively trying to conceive. I went to the doctor hoping, in the back of mind, that I was pregnant. So this news was devastating to me. But I had to try and remember that I had irregular cycles my entire life and this woman did not know my history.
In February 2010, my father was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. And I begged my husband to let us start trying because I was hoping my father would be able to meet his first grandchild before he passed on. But as some of you may know, my father passed away July 16th, the day after our third wedding anniversary, when I was almost 20 weeks along.
By that March, however, Hubby finally agreed. Trying to get pregnant was the only thing I was focused on. And it actually made my marriage a little rough. Looking back, I feel so guilty and will aim to do things differently next time around.
I started actively trying to lose weight and created a Tumblr to keep track of our baby making journey.
I continued hanging out with friends in the manner that I always had. And regret that everyday. Not the hanging out with friends but when you are trying to get pregnant, the first thing you are told to do is to start exercising and to stop drinking alcohol.
That month I also went to the dentist because that is another thing suggested in all the baby books I started reading and websites I joined (poor oral health can contribute to preterm birth, low birth weight, and possibly pre-eclampsia), plus I had to get a wisdom tooth pulled. I had surgery scheduled to get the rest removed at the end of April. That appointment was later canceled.
March 27, I turned 24 and hubby threw me an AWESOME surprise birthday party!
I started breaking out in these weird hives at the beginning of April. They weren't exactly hives. They were red and dry raised spots that weren't itchy. They were all over my skin but the worst ones were on my face. I was convinced I needed to go to a dermatologist. Looking back, these were actually one of the many signs of pregnancy I ignored because I was scared we weren't.
A few days later I got a terrible stomach 'bug'. I couldn't keep anything down. But then it turned into an every day occurrence.
Then I realized what day it was. And realized my period was late. But what you have to remember, I have had irregular periods my ENTIRE life. So I waited to test even though sites online said I could go ahead.
I bought a 3-pk digital test on my way home from work on Earth Day - April 22, 2010. Hubby had picked up dinner and we decided that I should take it before we ate. As we walked into the bathroom together, he said, "Try not to get your hopes up. It can take a long time for some people." Then I looked at the test and it said PREGNANT nice and clear for all to see. I turned to Hubby and said, "We're pregnant!" He turned white as a ghost. I thought he might throw up...or pass out. But if he threw up at least we were in the right room. So I held his face and softly said, "You're going to be a daddy." He then embraced me in the deepest hug I have ever felt. He almost immediately started begging me to take another just to make sure so we could drive over and tell his parents.
I was nauseous and couldn't eat dinner anyway.
So as soon as we saw that second PREGNANT(which showed up almost immediately) we rushed over to my in-laws. My father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law were sitting in the living when we drove over. We never would really just drop by but no one thought anything of it. Hubby had placed the tests (in a Ziplock Baggie) on to their coffee table but no one noticed. Then my MIL turned to me and asked me how I was doing (she later said it was because I looked pale). I said I was fine but then Hubby jumped in and said, "Did you ask her if she was fine? Well she's nauseous because she's going to have a baby." He said it really calm. So they all turned to me and said, "WHAT?!" Almost in unison. So I said, "Yes, we're pregnant."
Everyone hugged us and then we called my other sister-in-law.
At the time, I really didn't want to tell anyone until we found out for sure. So that's why I didn't call my parents or best friend yet.
***I had a secret but couldn't share it. ♥***
My appointment had been set for the next Monday.
At the appointment, Hubby and I were nervous wrecks. We went through all the normal stuff and then they took us back to a room. The doctor came in and started telling me not to clean out cat littler boxes and asked if I worked with children so I could be aware of slap-cheek. Then all of a sudden Hubby asked, "Does this mean she's pregnant?" And the doctor said, "Oh yes, she is very pregnant."
We did an ultrasound to see how far along I was and we got to see her little heartbeat.
When we went back into the room to talk to the doctor, the doctor said she put my Estimated Due Date at December 11, 2010. And that made me 7 weeks and 2 days along. I read online later that she was about the size of a sweet pea.
First thing I did was call my mom, dad, and best friend. And Hubby called some of his family and friends. Then this is how we announced it to everyone else:
He announced it on his wall as well. Sweet and unique, right? ;)
From then on life was different. We were parents. My pregnancy was chaotic and stressful. And you can read about all that HERE.
Now she is this beautiful, smart human being that turned our life up-side down for the better and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm a MOMMY!!!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
This is my birth story:
So Wednesday (Dec. 8th) at 9:15 a.m. I had an OB appointment. I had noticed that I was more swollen, I had been having some unusual nauseous, and I had been having consistent headaches in the front of my head, PLUS I fell on Sunday even though I had no bleeding, pain, or less baby movement.
I told the doctor all about this. I had protein in my urine and my blood pressure was elevated. So my doctor (Dr. Gabriel) sent me to the hospital (Southern Regional). They decided to induce me in triage (BTW I go to a practice and the first time I met Dr. Youngblood was at triage...and he had to check me. Talk about shaking hands, right?) and I was admitted into L&D.
When the nurse put in the IV so I could get fluids and antibiotics, I was so swollen she had to dig into my arm and THEN the vein wasn't good and was getting swollen so she had to dig into my hand. I cried a LOT. My mom and MIL had to leave the room. My mom went to try and find another nurse. lol But since I was so swollen it was like 'digging in the dark'.
Then she put in a Cervadil and said it may be a while since I was only 30% effaced and 0cm dilated. They thought they were going to have to put more than one in but they started me on pitocin after the 12 hours (actually 13 because they gave me an hour to eat and walk around since I wasn't allowed to on the Cervadil and wouldn't be able to on the pitocin). I had started having contractions on the Cervadil even though they weren't showing up on the monitor. They gave me something to help me sleep that night that made me feel warm and loopy but it was to calm my body (they gave it to me later that day but it didn't help much since I was having regular contractions at that point although it did help me sleep in between contractions). My sister and my mom stayed the night (I got very annoyed with them and my husband but it was because I was in pain and they were laughing at me not being nice).
I'm glad they were there though because since my contractions weren't showing up on the monitor the nurses didn't think I was progressing. So my sister and husband pushed the issue. Then a nurse came in and told me to tell her when I was having a contraction, when I was they moved the monitor and YUP I was having one. Then she asked me to do it again and she had to move it again but YUP I was having one. So they decided to check me. I was 5 cm dilated. And I asked if this meant I could have a epidural. lol If my sister hadn't pushed the issue and I hadn't asked then I wouldn't have got one because by the time the anesthesiologist came and put in my epidural I was dilated to 9cm. No one was allowed to be in there when I was getting the epidural except my husband and the anesthesiologist had FOUR other people ahead of me (and they kept saying he would be there any minute, HA!). It took longer to get than expected but they didn't rush because no one thought I was far along as I was. So once they put in my catheter and broke my water they checked me again and I was at 10 cm. They said all we had to do was wait for her to come down the canal!
I actually fell asleep and woke myself up snoring at that point. I couldn't feel any pain. And getting the epidural was not scary at all. I guess because I was in so much pain by the time I got it. I was in so much pain I was begging Hubby to run down and find the anesthesiologist. lol
I could feel when she came down, I could feel my contractions, I could feel her head come out but not in a painful way. My epidural was just enough so that I had an awesome birthing experience. I pushed for 45 minutes (pushing is NOT like taking a poop, BTW, regardless of what the baby books tell you - DO YOUR KEGELS!). Elizabeth Nicole was born at 2:56 p.m. on December 9th, she weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 18 and a half inches long.
Clean up took longer than expected and even Hubby wasn't allowed to hold her at first because she was having trouble breathing because of fluid in her lungs. But she has no problem breathing now, she's a screamer! :) I only had to have six internal stitches. I didn't need an episiotomy. I'm breastfeeding and it's going...we are both still learning but she's going potty like a champ! So I know she's getting something. :)
I can't believe my little one is here. I'm so happy and it all feels so surreal. More pictures to come soon! :)
39 weeks ♥
Friday, December 3, 2010
39 weeks today. Not much to update on. My appointment was Tuesday and everything looked good. The doctor said I could start walking! YAY! I'm ready for her to be here but it's nice to know that I've made a good little home for her. Nothing has changed that I know of since last week. My next appointment is on Wednesday, so I'll update more then. :) One week to go until EDD!
It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas...
Here's some pictures, ENJOY!:
We have a yearly tradition of watching ELF as we put up our decorations. Usually as soon as we get them down, Hubby falls asleep on the couch. This year my father-in-law came over and helped get them down and then Hubby actually helped put the ornaments on the tree! :) He did fall asleep at the end but it was almost midnight and he been at work all day. I'm so proud of him. :) The problem is taking them down and putting them away, and we'll have our Sweet Pea this year. But I don't want to think about taking them down, I love our house the best at Christmas time. I didn't do two trees this year (one little and one big). But we are still very festive! :D
In other news: I called Ashley Stewart. They were the last account still pending of that whole stolen identity thing. Hopefully that means it's over and they catch the woman who did it.
Tuesday I have a meeting about the whole life insurance deal. I'm hoping this will finally be over and we can move on.
Wednesday is my 39 week OB appointment. Hopefully they will have some news on when the end is in sight. I'm 38 weeks and 5 days along today and VERY uncomfortable. Tuesday I'm starting my list of the 'Get Baby Out' Plan. Hopefully something works to get her here. :)
38 week OB visit
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
I've been having a LOT of drama lately. And you wouldn't fully understand unless you have been involved in the situation the entire time. I'm hoping it can get sorted through soon though.
Christmas is approaching. I'm so excited to have the best present on her way. Hopefully she'll be here soon but mom went over due with my brother and sister so I'm not worrying about it. If I've made a happy home for her then I'm glad I could do that. :) I still love feeling her move. It's really amazing. It's getting a little uncomfortable though and I'm ready to meet her. :)
38 weeks
Saturday, November 27, 2010
How far along? 38 weeks, today. Holy cow.
Weight gain/loss: I was doing very good until right before they put me on bed rest. And I gained a lot but they think it's all water weight due to my swelling.
Maternity clothes? deffinately.
Stretch marks? YUP!- oh the sacrifices!
Sleep? I'm sleeping on the couch again. I live in the bathroom so I have to take cat naps.
Best moment this week? getting told baby is doing very well despite my BP.
Food cravings: pb&j sandwiches. YUMMY!
Gender: baby girl- Elizabeth Nicole aka Lizzie
Belly button in or out? Still in! haha I guess it won't come out or either I'm not done yet. lol
Movement? She's moving like she suppose to. Like a champ! I love feeling her little hiccups.
What I miss? Being able to do stuff. I hate being on bed rest.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my baby!!!!
Weekly wisdom: A little walking never hurt anyone....Shhhh. :)
Milestones: BH have turned into REAL contractions. O the joy! But I'm excited to go through because I know I'll get to see my LO very soon.
Doctor's appointment on Wednesday went good. I'm still on bed rest because my BP is borderline high. My sugar levels in my blood were good. Baby's heart rate was great. They said she's head down. I have an appointment on Tuesday. They will check to see if I'm dilated/effaced then. I'm also curious to see if they are going to induce me because of my BP. Anyways everyone send us baby dust and hope this LO comes earlier rather than later and that she's healthy!
Black Friday!!!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Here's to hoping everyone is having a safe holiday so far. BTW what are you thankful for?
I'm thankful for my amazing husband. He is my everything. I'm also thankful for my amazing MIL and Mother. They have been there for me throughout this entire pregnancy and supported me every step of the way. I'm also VERY thankful to have a wonderful little surprise awaiting me very soon. She's just waiting to be done growing.
Anyways since I was so serious, here's a FUNNY! :] :
37 Weeks ♥ Full Term!!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
So this is how mommy and baby are doing:
We have finished setting up her nursery! Check it out!:
Things I still need to do:
- Get the dog groomed
- get a pedicure (it was doctor recommended! :])
- get my car cleaned out and put in car seat
- Take back everything to Babies-R-Us
- make sure hospital bags are fully packed (need to buy toiletries)
- straighten up living/dining rooms including tables
- buy pregnancy scrap book (just in case I don't go into labor, I need something to keep me occupied during bed rest! lol)
I think I'll work on this list tomorrow. Thank you everyone who has been keeping up with my blog. It means a lot. I can't wait until I get to start writing about the next step of this wonderful journey. :)
The full moon is tomorrow. So let's see if she decides to be a statistic and make her grand entrance (or out trance - depending on how you look at it :]) then!
Goodbye Work! & Hello Bed Rest...
Monday, November 15, 2010
As sad as I am and as much as I'm going to miss them, I'm so happy to be starting this new journey.
36 weeks ♥ 9 months preggo
Saturday, November 13, 2010
So at the doctor they said if she decided to come they wouldn't stop her. I want her to come when she's ready although I'm hoping she comes a little early because I'm miserable. We finished her nursery today I'll post pictures tomorrow. :) Here's how baby is doing:
Been looking into labor and breast feeding a lot. I hope she's able to do it. I'm trying to go into everything realistically. I don't really have a birth plan except I DO want an epidural and I DON'T want a c-section unless absolutely necessary. And I want to breast feed but I realize that for one reason or another we may not be able to. But I'm going to try my best to stick with it and hope for the best.
When I went to the doctor they put me on bed rest and mentioned Toxemia/pre-eclampsia. So I started doing a little research on it. Here seem to be the symptoms of Toxemia(the ones with the check marks are the ones I have): elevated blood pressure ✓ , protein in the urine (find out Monday), bloating of the hands ✓ , feet ✓ and face ✓ due to fluid retention, and hyper-reflexia. And here are the ones of Pre-Eclampsia: high blood pressure ✓ , protein in urine (find out Monday), water retention ✓ , fatigue ✓ , abdominal pain ✓ , headaches, nausea, the inability to tolerate light that is bright ✓ , blurred vision ✓-sometimes, shortness of breath ✓-sometimes, and infrequent urination. So I'm a little nervous about the results for Mondays appointment. But we'll see. Apparently they usually induce or tell you just to stay on bed rest depending on how bad it is. Please keep us in your thoughts.
Ok that's it for now. I still don't have my thank you cards done but I did make a big dent in them. :)
Bed Rest
Thursday, November 11, 2010
At least this will give me time to do my thank you cards. :)
35 weeks, exhausted, and UH-OH
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Two more weeks left of work. And I'm exhausted. Hopefully we'll be able to get through these last weeks.
Here's a general idea of how the baby (and mom) are doing otherwise:
34 weeks / 8 & a half months
Friday, October 29, 2010
Here's how the baby's doing:
I need to talk to my doctor about my swelling again. It's really worrying me. :/
Halloween!!!!!!!:
Greg went as a Chippendale's Dancer and I'm the Staple's Easy Button. :)
I also found out this week that my last day of work is Nov. 19th. I'm very sad. But atleast I have something wonderful to look forward to.
6 weeks left and November is on it's way. :)
33 weeks ♥ BABY SHOWER WEEK!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
I had both my showers this weekend! They both had great turn outs and Lizzie got a lot of great stuff. I can't wait to start setting up the nursery. Thank you everyone who came! Last Sunday we had the hospital tour. It made Greg excited and me a more nervous about pushing a person out of me. Tuesday I went to the doctor and she said not to worry about my swelling. My weight wasn't too hot so I don't want to talk about that but I think that I might be retaining water and my doctor isn't worried about it. And my blood pressure is good. :)
8 months ♥ 32 weeks
Saturday, October 16, 2010
So here's how the baby is doing:
So I have a week until my baby showers!! I'm SOOOOO excited!
Monday was a sad day. We went to Bobby Cox last game. It was a great game though. Greg was so worried about me as we were leaving because my feet were so swollen and I was having Braxton-Hicks contractions.
Wednesday we went to trivia! :)
Thursday I took the kids to the park and they played with kites! Poor Phoebe was too little...but she looked super cute in her apple pants. :) Phillip was very good at it.
Friday I took the kids to the zoo! It was so much fun! We couldn't have planned a better day to go and everything we did just kind of happened. The kids got their picture taken with Scooby Doo, we got to see a demo of gorilla training, and the weather was so nice! And Phoebe got to ride her choo-choo! :)
Greg and I took some of our friends to see Rocky Horror as our yearly treat for Halloween. Can't wait until The Rocky Horror GLEE episode! ♥
So I had a great week. I go to the doctor on Tuesday so I'm going to talk to her about the swelling and contractions. And tomorrow is the hospital tour. :)
31 weeks and EXHAUSTED!!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
So I'm 31 weeks along. 2 weeks until the baby showers!!! :) I'm so excited! It's exhausting though. I have no energy for anything. And she is like her mommy and daddy in the sense of she likes her space. She keeps stretching out and she feels BIG! I hope she won't be that big when she is born. The goal is to try and get her out earlier rather than later (atleast that's the goal for me). :) I still love feeling her move although sometimes she hurts me. It's crazy to think that I have a BABY in me. Like a whole little person. It's amazing.
I've been having those wonderful Braxton Hicks contractions. And I don't know why they just say they are uncomfortable, they hurt to me. But alas.
Trying to get the house ready for the baby. Work is getting more difficult. But life is grand. :)
This is just embarrassing.....
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A few weeks ago the kids I Nanny for and I were at Kangazoom (a jumpy house play place). The little girl I care for had a Poopie diaper so we went to the bathroom.
You may know that pregnancy makes your sense of smell more intense. Well the smell was so bad that I started to throw up.
While in the process of throwing up (because that's not bad enough) I peed on myself. So we had to drive to my house - an hour and a half away - so I could get a change of clothes.
Luckily my friend and her children were the only ones at Kangazoom with us that day so I threw my jacket around my waist and let them finish playing before we drove to get my clothes.
Needless to say, I now carry a change of clothes in my car. Live and learn.
Please feel free to share your embarrassing pregnancy stories! I would love to hear them, and promise not to tell. ;)
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