199 Days To Go!

Less than 200 days to go!!! I can't believe I almost miss this day. I've been watching my pregnancy ticker count down for over a week in anticipation of this day. I can't believe I almost missed it.

Not much else to update. It was a long week - one I'm very glad is over.

11 weeks

11 weeks! Crazyness.

We've gone from a poppy seed, to sesame seed, to a lentil bean, to a blueberry, to a kidney bean, to a grape, to a kumquat, and now a fig. I'm really not sure why BabyCenter feels to need to compare the size of the baby to food - but I guess it works.

In case you weren't sure a fig is about 1.5 inches, so the baby is about 1.5 inches. This week bones are starting to harden, little teeth buds are starting to form, and the baby is moving around like crazy. No, I'm not feeling the baby move and won't for a while. To read the entire update for week 11 click here.

I think I've hit the "Fat Stage." I couldn't button my comfy pants today and I'm starting to get a little bump. However, the rest of the world would just think I'm getting fat. I must say the Bella Bands have been a huge help. I have no desire to buy maternity pants right now - I'm trying to wait as long as possible. I am trying to be a little bit better about what I eat (as I get up and get a brownie). The good thing is that fresh fruit always sounds good. Oranges, pineapple, strawberries and grapes are top on my list. Oranges and anything orange flavored is my favorite.

We received our first baby gift today. One of my co-workers gave me a little bag this morning. My plan was to bring it home to open with Brad but I'm a dork and left it sitting next to my desk. I did peek inside and see something pink. I'm guessing her guess at the sex is a girl. I think I'll put up a poll in the next few days and y'all can fun guessing the gender.

Next week (Wednesday) it's back to the doctor. If all is good we'll be giving our families the green light to share the news.

Here's to another good week!

Prayers for Strangers

I've been sucked into Google Reader. I love having all of the blogs I follow in one place. I love being told when they are updated. It's greatness.

Everyday there are a few new blogs that Google Reader recommends for me. Some days I give in and read them, some I don't (just depends on how busy I am at work). I've discovered some pretty awesome blogs thanks to this feature and wanted to share a few of them with you. I have no idea who these people are - I just know their stories are worth sharing. Please check out their blogs and send up a little prayer for their families. I promise you'll get sucked in and you might find yourself shedding a tear or two.

Kelly's Korner
If you would like start at the beginning of Harper's story scroll down to January 16.

Jenna's Journey
Brayden is fighting for his life. To start at his birth day you'll need to go back to January 13.

When Hello Means Goodbye
I've been following this blog for several months now. Katie's story is amazing. It really is a must read. PLEASE start from the very beginning. She has a link on the right side of the page that will take you to her first post.

I think what amazes me most about all of these women is their unshakable faith. They know that God is in control of their life and seek Him. Every time I read their updates I'm remind of how much I'm not in control of my life.

So please, take a little bit of time to read their stories and pray for these strangers.

10 weeks!

I love Mondays!

Strange, I know. But Mondays are when the weeks change for counting the baby's development. Today marks 10 weeks. Double digits. 210 more days to go until D-day. (I'm not counting down the days at all).

Baby is the size of a kumquat, about 1.25 inches. Baby is swallowing, kicking, and organs are starting to function. Baby now has fingers and toes - no more webbing - and peach fuzz hair is starting to grow. To read the entire week 10 update click here. We've been reading Bible stories to the little kumquat every night. Yes, I know the baby doesn't have ears yet, but it's a good habit for us to get into. And probably a good refresher for us, too :)

Apparently my uterus has grown from the size of a small pear to a grapefruit. Some of my pants have noticed. Thanks to my growing uterus and bloating I get really uncomfortable by days end in certain pants. I think I've only gain about 2lbs since my first visit but it really feels like a lot more. I gave in and made by first "baby" purchase, a couple of Bella Bands. I wore one Saturday and loved it! Hopefully I won't have to buy any maternity pants for a little bit longer.

Food and I have developed a love/hate relationship. If I feel like I'm going to throw-up and the thought of eating makes that feeling worse - I need to eat. I've learned to only eat about half of the food on my plate. If I eat more than that, I feel like crap. Things sound good all day long, but when it comes to actually eating a PB&J sandwich is all I really want. And oranges always sound good.

As always, please keep us in your prayers.

Anyone want to come clean my house?

Warning: I'm about to do a lot of whining

I'm ready to have some energy and drive back. Our house is a wreck, I have no desire to do anything, I have a list of errands I need to run, there are people I want to see and things I want to do. I can't make myself do any of it.

Here's what I do everyday:
Wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner (that Brad makes), lay on the couch, go to bed by 8:30pm. Exciting, huh?

I have a hard time making it through the work day. I always feel like I could take a nap. I have no desire clean off the counter tops, do laundry or even get myself ready. What's crazy is that it doesn't really bother me that the chores around the house aren't getting done. It doesn't bother me we really don't have any food in the house (PB&J sandwiches are yummy!). It bothers me that I feel like I want to do them but I just can't. Yep, it's pathetic.

Everyone tells me that in a few weeks I'll "wake up" and I can't wait. For now, I'm trying to bribe myself into running errands with Sonic for lunch - it's not really working.

9 weeks

Today marks 9 weeks!

Baby is the size of a grape - about 1 inch long - and weighs a fraction of an ounce. The heart begins to divide into 4 chambers and the valves are starting to form. There are so many other changes going on - it's crazy! I love the weekly e-mails I get from Baby Center each week.

I've been feeling pretty good - just tired. The only time I don't feel great is after eating. I can really tell when I've had too much to eat. I need to be better about eating more frequent, smaller meals. I'm also trying to be better about eating more fruit. I went and stocked up today: pineapple, oranges, grapes and peaches. Yummy.

We shared our baby news with our co-workers this week. Everyone was excited and happy for us. The more people the know, the more nervous I get. I'm still so worried that something is going to happen. I know I have no control and that my body is doing everything it can to protect this little one. I just pray everyday that this little one is ok.

I'm off! Have a wonderful night.

Sonogram Picture

I finally got off my lazy butt and scanned the sonogram picture from Wednesday. I know you've been dying to see it! ;)



I'm off to bed. Tomorrow is my day off - I LOVE not working on Fridays - and I plan to sleep in! Have a good one.

A Huge Sigh of Relief

I had my second appointment today. Everything is good! Woohoo!

Baby is measuring right on schedule, 8w2d. We saw the heartbeat but didn't get to hear it. Probably next visit. It's amazing how much the little one has grown in two weeks. Last time we saw a dot. This time it was a kidney bean (Brad's nickname of the week) with arms and legs starting to develop. I admit it - I couldn't really see anything put a fuzzy blob that had a little flicker. :) Next sonogram will be 18-20 weeks to determine gender. YES, we will be finding out!

We told some of our co-workers today. It was kinda fun. I went and told my direct boss first and then my director. Apparently people thought I was quitting. I told them in their offices with the door closed - closed doors are a rare thing around our office.

I'll try to post our sonogram picture tomorrow - I'm too lazy tonight and Real World just started.

Happy Thoughts and Prayers

Why is it that the night before my doctor's appointment I get so freaked out and nervous about everything.

Please send happy thoughts and prayers our way. My appointment is at 9:00am tomorrow!

Thanks!

Vacation Can't Be Over!

It's back to work for me tomorrow. I'm not happy about going to work - but glad that something is going to force me into a routine. I have a feeling working 10+ hour days is not going to be much fun! I've really enjoyed my 12 days off. I've had enough to do to keep me entertained but not so much that I felt the days just flew by. It was really nice that Brad was able to take his vacation days at the same time, too.

I've been feeling OK the last few days. The mornings are actually the best times for me. I wake up and have no symptoms. Sometime between 1-3pm I get these randoms craps that last for 2-3 minutes. Between 4-5pm my stomach starts to feels like crap and I get really, really tired. I can eat breakfast and lunch without a problem - dinner is a different story. If I eat dinner it has to be heavy on the bread.

On a random note, we bought a Wii today! Right before Christmas Brad talked about wanting a PS3 - he managed to talk me into it using the Blue Ray player feature. Well, his parents gave us a Blue Ray player for Christmas. Right after opening the box he looked at me and said, "I guess we'll get a Wii now." And I smiled :)
Any time we were out this week we would check different stores - but no luck. After learning Toys R Us would be getting a shipment today - we went down there at 10:30am. We grabbed the last one they received. We've played Wii Sports, Wii Play and Brad is currently playing Zelda. Brad kicks my butt at everything except boxing on Wii Sports. I didn't think I would like boxing, but I love it!

I'm off for the night! I've gotta go to bed early and get up for work tomorrow (yuck!). Hope y'all have a great night and wonderful week. I'll update on Wednesday - hopefully with an picture from our sonogram :)

Happy New Year!

We've made it through another year y'all! I was very proud of myself for staying up past midnight without taking a nap during the day. We had a few friends over last night for a very calm night. We played some games, ate some food, and watched the ball drop. Easy, calm night, just like I like 'em.

I'm (cautiously) looking forward to what 2009 has in store for us. Wednesday is our next doctor's appointment and I can't wait. I'm still scared to death that something is going to happen to our baby. Brad keeps reminding me that I don't have any control over it. Anytime I get scared or worried he says, "It's in God's hands. Remember to trust Him." I guess I just need that reminder every now and then.

Every night Brad puts his hand where my bump will eventually be and talks to the baby. It's so sweet. Today he suggested I go get a book that we can take turns reading to the baby. He's been so supportive (more than normal) since we found out we are going to have a baby. For everyone that doubted he had a sweet, caring side - he really does :)

This week I've had a major lack of energy. Tuesday was the worst - I woke up, walked out to my chair and stayed there all day. Today I went to lunch with some friends and when I got home I put my PJs right back on. I took about a 2 hour nap and haven't done much since. Nausea has started kicking in more this week. I haven't thrown up yet, but I never really feel good. Going back to work on Monday is not going to be fun.

Here's to a wonderful 2009 for all of us!