2012, Good-bye!

myrtle beach feb.

2012...what a whirlwind of a year! Staying positive and being grateful was the biggest lesson I learned this year. Despite starting the year unemployed and heartbroken of the many fails of trying to get pregnant, I learn to be as positive as I could and reminded myself every day what I'm grateful for. And now at the end, I have a great job and we're having a baby and everyday I wake up with a big smile.

Here are some highlights from each month:

Jan.
-We started the year off with me going back to school. With me out of a job for 7 months, it seemed like the best decision at the time.

Feb.
- I started my chiropractor treatments and I haven't been this pain free in my back in like 10 years.
-Went to Myrtle Beach, SC with some friends for the marathon.

March
-Heck ya! I got an awesome job!
-I decided to drop out of school to focus on trying to get pregnant and on my new job.
-We went to Maine to visit our friends.

April
-We got rid of a bunch of trees in our backyard and planted a garden. The yard is so much brighter now.

good-bye trees, hello garden

May
- Ran a 5k and did great!

June
-We made the decision that IVF was basically our next and only choice.

July
-We started IVF and it went way better than I ever thought it would.
-My niece became a part of our family after months of waiting!

Aug.
-Guess who go pregnant?! BEST news EVER!!!

never thought i'd see that word

Sept.
-I got to see sprout looking like a baby and see it moving around for the first time.

Oct.
-We went on a much needed getaway to Asheville.

Nov.
-Went to New York for the marathon. Rob didn't run it, but we had a great time anyways.
-We got to visit my family in Arizona for Thanksgiving.
-I got to meet my new niece.

<3

Dec.
-Rob for reals quit his job and we now work together at the same company! Such an awesome, scary, and huge decision!!

office buddies!

25 weeks

I had my monthly OB visit this past Friday. I also had my glucose test, which by the way doesn't taste as bad as girls on the internet say it does. Fruit Punch flavor is pretty good! Anywho, the visit went well! Once again, hearing sprout's heartbeat just made me so happy. Yep, still get tears in my eyes. I am measuring on schedule. Everything else is peachy. Only small thing is that I gained a bit more than I should have. Not something that I need to be concerned about, doctor did point out that Thanksgiving and Christmas did happen. Also my in-laws have been here, so I've been eating way more than normal. Doctor told me I'll be fine if I just get back to eating normal. Of course I'm more bothered by it than I should be, it's alarming seeing my weight so high! Although, everyone who sees me says I've just gained baby and not all over, which is so true. I won't be getting any more ultrasounds either. That means the next time we see sprout will be for reals!! And after my next appointment, I go every two weeks. Yes, things are flying by!

I've been feeling pretty good. I had a much needed easy day yesterday, which makes me feel much happier and not so stressed. Since my bum and back have been feeling great, I even managed working out to my prenatal exercise dvd. I took it easy, but it felt good to move and use some light weights. My belly has certainly be growing and it's at the point now where it's affecting my upper stomach. I constantly feel the muscle there being stretched and sometimes my side ribs get achey. Hee hee, it's such a weird feeling when I laugh too, I have to hold my stomach. Another interesting thing, I can totally feel that sprout's hanging out on my right side, since it's pretty hard over there and not so much on the left side.

Other than that, nothing else really happening. I think this weekend, we are going to start working on the nursery. We're either going to just prime the walls, or completely paint it, along with our Master Bathroom. We picked out the color of the room, which I'm super excited about. Once all that's painted, it's baby furniture time! I'm just itching to get that room ready...or at least cleared out. It's so jam packed with baby stuff in there.

Oh and we found out good friends of ours are expecting their 2nd kid! I am just over the moon for them. We also know another couple who's pregnant with their 2nd and another couple who will be trying for number 2 this year. It's funny because all these people, had their first kids around the same time too, though . It's also fun to be apart of a baby group...since it always seems that's how it happens. People get pregnant in groups.

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Pregnancy Ups & Downs

This week...

Pregnancy Ups

- This week has been a great pain free week! No back pain, bum pain or calf pain. It feels good.

- I am soon going to be the owner of my very own Oral Kiely diaper bag! It's been a dream of mine to own one of her bags. Thank you awesome sale and Christmas money.

- Not really pregnancy related, but Rob has been working hard this week and fixing up a lot of stuff around the house. It's the start of our "Things we gotta get done before baby comes" and it feels good. When I get home tonight I can...*gasp* park in the garage again!

Pregnancy Downs

- I'm still feeling pretty stressed and worn out from all the Christmas prep. While I loved doing it, it's just got me all wound up and I feel I just can't get a break to fully relax. Of course the pregnancy hormones are making it worse and I've become pretty moody.

- I'm almost at the point again where I need to start buying more clothes. Tops are becoming scarce and wearing a top that's a little too tight isn't very cute anymore.

- My belly is making it harder to do some normal things. You should hear me grunting while I try to lace up my shoes, hee hee.

Oh hey!

I had meant to change the layout for the new year, but while trying things out it saved over the old colors and such.

So yeah....new look!

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday!

Ours was lovely. We had it at our house this year. It was fun to get the house looking nice and being able to use our dinning room for a big fancy dinner. Rob's parents and one of the brothers joined us. And let us not forget the dogs.

After Rob got back from a run (we're in marathon training mode here), we opened presents. I got a pretty raw diamond necklace and a few other awesome goodies. Rob already got his gift of a leaf blower, but sprout also gave him a season pass of the latest Adventure Time. We also got sprout a couple things, like a pair of stegosaurus booties picked out by Rob. Yes, our kid will be into dinosaurs!

For breakfast I made a prefect batch of steel cut oatmeal. No chocolate chips this time, I put walnuts and cherries. Walnuts is almost as good as chocolate chips. Then it was prep time! I made sweet potato casserole, which turned out so good! No gooey marshmallows or pecans, just sweet potatoes, some cinnamon, orange zest and juice, a bit of brown sugar and some butter. I also made the ever popular sour cream biscuits. And of course there were the cookies I had made throughout the week. I love all this baking a cooking!

We just spent the day chilling, watching tv, eating dinner and then we all watched a movie while digesting. It was a nice low key Christmas. I did miss my family a lot, 'specially when my dad told me all the good things they were making, including traditional Croatian dishes. One year we'll make spend it with them again.

I can't WAIT for next year when we have a baby to celebrate it with. I think everyone is excited about that as well!

24 weeks

Woah Belly!! This is the first week where I noticed a difference from the beginning of the week till today. Which went like this, "OMG Rob!! Look at this!! Look at my belly! Crazy!!!" Sprout is also moving so much more, which just makes me so happy. I noticed the baby has moved higher up since I'm feeling more belly movements rather than the crotch kicks from before. Big changes here!

So I've got some major cravings now. Anything with chocolate chips....just hearing the words chocolate chip practically makes me drool. And with all the baking I've been doing, I have 3 bags of chocolate chips leftover in the pantry! Yes I still put it with my oatmeal. Sandwich wraps, something about putting delicious food in a tortilla/wrap just makes it so much better. I had this tofu and veggie wrap the other day, you would've thought I was eating some gourmet 5 star meal. And Christmas cookies. Um, how many can I eat in one sitting? Let's not go there. Thankfully, I eat healthy throughout the day, so I balance out the cookies. Why do cookies taste so much better around the holidays? It must be the love!

Pregnancy Ups and Downs

This week...

Pregnancy Ups:

- We've been doing a great job in doing our Bradley Method exercises. Cat Cow pose never felt so good.

- It seems like every week I'm going to mention how amazed I am about my growing belly, but each week...it's really that much different! And a big growing belly means a growing baby. So awesome!


- I felt sprout move with my hand last night! Sprout was being extra wiggly and I just happen to feel it when I placed my hand on my belly. Of course I couldn't get Rob to come quick enough. But that means he'll soon be able to feel it move as well.


Pregnancy Downs:

- I've been feeling a lot more tired this week. It's been such a busy week for us, but I'd love nothing more to just curl up on the couch and nap with the kitty.

- I've been craving sweets a little too much. I've had many samples when baking holiday cookies the other day. Granted I made small cookies and some don't have much sugar, but it's still sugar none the less.

- With the craziness of this week, I haven't been able to do any exercises or even walking the dogs. Next week should be easier with the holidays over and I'm not scrambling to get things done.

Holly Hair Clip Tutorial

I made this fun little tutorial last year on my other blog for these holly hair clips. I thought I'd share it with this blog. Have fun!

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

• hair clip
• green felt
• 3 red buttons
• red and green embroidery thread
• needle, scissors and scrap paper

Step 2: Make a holly leaf out of paper. (you can skip this and directly cut on your felt if you've got mad skills)

Step 3: Trace and cut out 2 leaves from your felt.

Step 4: Stitch a line down the middle, this will also give it some stability.

Step 5: Sew the buttons on the bottom for the berries.

Step 6: Sew the leaves onto your hair clip. You can also glue it on if your hair clip doesn't bend to open.

And you're done!

Make a bunch and share! Dogs and beards look especially awesome wearing these;)

Happy Holidays!

23 weeks

You know, looking at these photos back to back, I really don't see a difference, but I know I am much bigger this week.

Once again I'm really starting to feel the toll of pregnancy. Saturday we decided to walk the dogs before lunch time. Now I wasn't hungry and I snacked on some fruit before and I also went to the bathroom. Half way through our walk I started to feel that pressure in my pelvic area and my tail bone was all ready really tight. We walked a littler further and I had to stop, it felt like I had been running a race. While heading back I had to stop a couple more times, even sitting down since at that point I was feeling a bit faint. By the time we got to our street, I couldn't go any further and Rob went and got the car. Mind you it wasn't far at all. After some lunch and a nap, I felt great again! Then again I felt the same way when we went to the store the next day. I actually had to go back and sit in the car while Rob finished the shopping. It's so extremely frustrating to me to feel like that. I was almost in tears yesterday out of embarrassment and frustration. I don't want to not be able to do things! Again, once I got home, rested a bit and ate lunch and felt fine. Fine enough to clean up, start my holiday baking and even go to the store by myself. I can't exactly pin point why I feel like that sometimes and not others. I do have my OB appointment in two weeks, which I'll ask the doctor. I don't think it's anything, just my body growing and adjusting.

With all that happened and all the time before that, I have to say how awesome Rob is. He takes such amazing care of me. He's constantly making sure I'm ok and helping me out. He did all my baking shopping today and surprised me with some chocolate. He constantly makes sure I eat often and plenty.  He's doesn't even mind doing our Bradley Method exercises together. Sometimes I get annoyed at him and sometimes I feel like I'm being lazy, but he reminds me that I'm already doing enough growing a baby and it's his job to help me. I couldn't be more grateful and proud that I am married to someone so awesome. Knowing that he's already so supportive of me actually doesn't make me that afraid of when I go into labor, because I know he'll be there next to me the whole way through. I'm always a stronger person when I'm with him.

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

This week....

Pregnancy Ups

- Yay! I can walk like a normal person again! While I still have a nagging slight pain/tightness in my bum, I feel so much better! I even walked the dogs and went shopping, carrying bags and all.

- That belly of mine is really growing! It feels good to finally look pregnant, not just feel it. I feel more confident about myself and my body now. This is the first time I don't mind having my shirts be tight enough to show my belly, when I always used to wear more loose fitting shirts.

- We went to our first Bradley Method class! It's going to be fun and informative. I'll talk more about it in another post.

Pregnancy Downs

- Like I mentioned in my last post, my body is slowly becoming more uncomfortable with the growing weight and pressure in my belly. I really noticed it when I get up after sitting down for a long time. Sometimes it makes me feel a little woozy. I know upping my stretching and yoga will help my body so much more. Next week starts a whole new schedule for me and Rob and I feel I will do a lot more now with this schedule.

22 weeks

The uncomfortable part of being pregnant is starting to creep in now. These past few days I noticed a lot more pressure around my pelvic area and sometimes it's down right uncomfortable. But always before I start getting miffed at my situation, sprout moves around for me and then I'm all happy again because I got to feel the baby move. With this new pressure and the ache in my bum, I'm taking it easy again with  my activities, like when cleaning the house, I'll take little breaks. I'm going to give my prenatal workout dvd another week off, but continue to do my yoga. Before I got down because I couldn't exercise or walk the dogs or even move around normally, but it clicked this weekend that it's ok that I can't do these things. As long as I do my best and still honor and take care of my body.

Saturday we headed over to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for a 5k that Rob and some friends were running. They got to run around the actual NASCAR tracks, pretty cool! I was always hoping to at least walk it, but I totally wouldn't have be able to to. Walking and standing around where we were was  even a bit too much for me. There was another pregnant girl there with us and it was fun to be around her and compare our pregnancies so far. She's on her 4th pregnancy, 4th boy too. Their 3 boys are so cute and well behaved. Our other friends had their kids too (who are just as cute and well behaved) and it's just fun and exciting for us to hang out with other parents. It's funny because we keeping getting the, "You guys are just cute cuz you have no idea".

This week we start our Bradley Method classes! I'm so excited! I remember when December was so far away. I'm curious to see how the class is going to be and what all we're going to learn. I mean I know the kind of things we'll be taught, but it's different when you're actually there. It's also crazy to think that we'll be taking these classes once a week for 12 weeks, which finishes in March, which is a month before I'm due. I'll make sure I write about our first class!

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

This week...

Pregnancy Ups

- I've had some real good nights of sleeping this week. Tuesday I think I slept through most of the night and I only went to pee out of habit (only moments before the alarm went off, d'oh) I think drinking some Sleepy Time tea helps me wind down.

- Sprout is moving more and more! I still feel it deep and not really on the surface of my tummy, but I definitely have a baby in there. Sprout tends to be active a lot during my lunch break when I'm sitting on the couch resting my legs. I really look forward to that time now.

- I'm so excited that we got our Ergo baby carrier! It's exciting to start getting the big and "real" purchases. Clothes and toys are fun, but seeing a stroller in the house is like, "Dude, you're having a baby soon!" Next month the real fun beings when we start working on the nursery!

Pregnancy Downs

- My butt muscle is still causing me problems, Monday was the worst! It was a 2 visits this week at the chiropractors and another in a couple weeks, but it certainly helps. Nothing like getting your butt massaged at the chiropractors, ha ha. It's something I'm mostly likely going to deal with constantly, but like my mom reminded me, at least the baby is all good and healthy. Exactly.

- My stomach has been sensitive after meals. Just being all gurgley and gassy. It's no fun, 'specially when I really want some dessert after dinner. The brussel sprouts I ate did not agree with me and I practically lost my appetite for dinner. I really like eating too!!

- Being in pain and not being able to do a lot of things has kind of got me down and frustrated. I couldn't walk the dogs, I couldn't do any exercise videos and even shopping is difficult for me. To come home and just sit on the couch is a drag, 'specially when I sit all day at work. I'm also missing out on a really awesome 5k that I was going to walk this weekend. But I got the go ahead to be able to start doing yoga again, so I can slowly start incorporating some sort of exercising.

Thank you REI!

Ok, Rob and I love REI. It's just a fun place to shop and it always gets you motivated to be more active outside. Rob's even a member, where we get great deals, dividends and our favorite, the garage sale, where you can buy returned and used items at amazing prices. (you know we'll be at the one at the end of this month!)

Remember how I wrote about the awesome Black Friday deal we got with our BOB stroller? Well the good folks at REI left a comment say how they'd like to give us a gift. What?? I totally was skeptical, this is the internet, but it turns out it really was REI!!

Monday we got a gift card in the mail! I couldn't believe how awesome and generous they were. Thank you!

Since this was sprout's gift card, we looked at what sort of baby gear they had and I was surprised that they had more than I expected. I always knew they had a great kids selection, but what really can you do with a baby outdoors? Let it see awesome how nature is! What we ending up getting was the Ergo baby carrier, one of my musts on my list. I was so happy to see REI carry it. It makes sense, be outside and close with your baby!

So again, thank you REI for the gift! We are truly grateful. Not only we'll be be running and jogging with our baby in the BOB stroller, we'll be carrying our baby around in style!

p.s.
this is a wonderful example of if you are positive and help others out without being selfish, you will in turn be helped out: )

21 weeks

Being pregnant has now become a way of life for me, the way I look, the way I feel, the way I move or can't move anymore...it's all so fun and exciting. And I keep telling myself there's so much more to come!

It was pretty exciting this past Friday to finally distinguish movements and to know I've been feeling them for a bit now. Funny because I didn't really feel anything this weekend. Thanks sprout.

My leg and butt has really been bothering me this weekend. I didn't really realize how much it was affecting me until this weekend. Friday I walked the dogs and I was completely worn out when I came back. Saturday I went shopping and I was limping by the time I headed back home and exhausted again to where I had to take a nap. Again Sunday, wiped out from simple shopping. It's kind of a bummer since it'll be hard for me to keep walking the dogs or do my workout dvd and just when I really want to get my body moving. I think yoga is fine since it is stretching. I'm really hoping the chiropractor will be able to help me. It's no fun for me to be limited in what I can do.

We put up our Christmas decorations this weekend. It's always fun buying Christmas stuff on clearance after the previous year and when you unpack everything the next year, you're surprised about the new decorations. I got some pretty nice stuff last year! This year I got us brand new matching stockings, including one for sprout. It makes me excited to know that we will put some things in it for our little baby.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas though. I've been thinking and planning what cookies I'm going to bake this year. I love baking and even more so when it's for other people. And I'm the type of person who likes to try different things. Last year I made earl grey tea cookies and coffee cookies, along with my family classics. And even though sprout is still in my tummy, Christmas is so much more exciting knowing we'll have our own little family soon. Thinking about what traditions we want to start and such. Christmas is just so much more magical when there are kids around even though I never really lost the excitement of Christmas as an adult like wearing silly pjs and filling our stockings with fun things and sitting by the tree opening our presents and just think how much more it's going to be with a kid. I just love it!

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

This week...

Pregnancy Ups:

- I have a baby bump! It's so crazy to me, but I just love it. When I wear maternity pants it's so much more noticeable.

- We got our BOB stroller and car seat from REI! We haven't set it up yet, but we're super excited to have it. I can't wait to use it.

- I bought some more baby things. I got a little onesie and an activity stuffed toy. It's still so weird buying things for the baby, like I'm playing pretend.


Pregnancy Downs:

- I have a slight cold this week. Which makes me even MORE stuffed up than ever. Will I ever know what it's like to be able to breath normally again?

- I continually have this muscle pain in the middle of my butt and this week it's just been bad again. I do the stretch my chiropractor recommended to me twice a day, but still nothing. Luckily, I go to the chiropractor next week.

- Hello baby? Can you please move? Kick and punch me?? I'm getting antsy again not really feeling anything.
Ok, nevermind! After some "decaf" coffee from DunkinDonuts and a good laugh fest with the girls at work, I'm feeling some flutters in my tummy and some kicks down below. Yay!
P.S. Don't order decaf coffee...with how busy these places are, you can't trust them. With the way I've been feeling today, I doubt I got decaf: /

20 weeks

I'm half way there!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Ours was very nice. We went to Arizona to visit my family! I was so great seeing everyone, meeting my new niece, seeing my sister's new house, celebrating my nephew's 18th birthday and just spending time talking with my parents.

On Thursday night, while sitting in my parent's living room digesting turkey and pumpkin pie...I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move! It was a bubbly feeling in the center of my belly and it didn't feel like the typical digesting grumbles. It happened twice that night! I haven't felt it again since, but it's also one of those things that you have to be paying attention at the right moment and running around all weekend, I didn't get much chances to pay attention.

It wasn't until the end of this week did I really notice how pregnant I looked. Certainly the type of clothes I wear affect that. I just get so giddy seeing myself in the mirror. I constantly tell Rob, "Look!! Look at this belly!"

We weren't going to do any Black Friday shopping since we were out of town, but we actually ended up scoring a few deals. Thursday Rob got an REI Black Friday email for a free infant car seat when you buy a BOB stroller. We were going to wait until the end of Dec. to see if REI had any BOB strollers on sale at their garage sale, but this deal was too good to pass up. So we got a plum BOB stroller, the infant seat stroller attachment and a free infant car seat! Our first big baby purchase. Then I bought some more maternity clothes, some at Kohls and some at Motherhood, both were having great deals. That Motherhood store, not as crazy expensive as I thought it would be and super cute clothes.

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

This week...

Pregnancy Ups:

- I still continue to feel amazing! In fact, sometimes I feel better than when I did before I was pregnant. A good amount of energy, never feeling I need coffee, decent appetite and all around good mood.

- My family finally gets to see me pregnant! I know they are all so excited to see me. It's a lot of fun when you can share your joy with others.

- While I may not look it, my belly is really growing down there. I love laying in bed with my hand on my belly, thinking good happy thoughts to our little sprout.

Pregnancy Downs:

- Ok, this is silly, but I really wish I was showing more! I thought that at this point you'd really be able to tell. But like my mom said, it just looked like I gained weight, which is true.

- Sleeping is still an ongoing issue. Whether it's getting up to pee, waking up and have my mind racing or having the cat insist on sleeping next to me ALL night even when I'm tossing and turning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


It's always a wonderful time of year, reflecting what you are thankful for with friends and family. I have so much to be thankful for!

I am thankful that we are finally pregnant! It seemed like this day was never going to come, but here we are.  I'm grateful that IVF worked for us on the first try. That everything is going along so well and our baby is growing big and strong. Nothing makes you more excited about life than growing life inside you.

I am thankful to my husband, Rob, who makes me happy like no other. He's always so patient and supportive of me. He listens to me, even when it's nonsense. He always lets me know how beautiful am I, even when I feel the opposite. He works so hard, yet will find the time to help me out. He is my best friend and we always have the greatest time with each other.

I am thankful for our families. Being pregnant now makes me more aware of how special and wonderful our families are, especially our parents. They love us so much and continue to take care of us even when we are adults ourselves.

Last, but not least, I am thankful for me. I am so grateful for how strong I have been these past few years. I've learned turn around my way of thinking and become more positive and patient. I've learned to love who I am and know that I am continually growing everyday.


Being thankful is something we should all practice everyday. I list what I am grateful for each day and it just helps puts me in a better mood.

19 weeks

It's finally happened. I truly feel pregnant now. I notice it with my body, my clothes, how I feel and just the sense that it's really happening and there's a baby in there! I think seeing the latest ultrasound really resonated with me.

I've also noticed a big difference with my old clothes...I have like 2 pants I can wear without having the zipper all the way down. And I've got a belly showing with all my shirts. It's all quite funny and crazy. That's not me feeling fat, that's like "Hey we're growing a baby here!" I look back at the previous week by week photos and sometimes I just can't see a difference. Like this week I'm just a bit more rounded out. It's going to be interesting to see these upcoming weeks compared to the old photos.

I can start playing music for the baby. A couple times now I put a headphone on my belly where I know its head is and played some classical music. I'm curious to see if I consistently play the same classical songs that when the baby is born it'll recognized and be relaxed by it. Rob was telling me about these birds who sing a specific song to their eggs and when it hatches, the baby birds will sing that song and that's how the parents know it's theirs.

I also want to start our registry soon since Christmas is coming up and such. I just really want to plan all that we're going to need and want. I'm the type of person who likes to make lists and plan ahead. I want to know what we'll need way in advanced and have time to think about it and not choose stuff that looks cool or think we might need. I learned that from our wedding, like margarita glasses are fun, but you only use them once a year maybe. I want to be smart with the baby just because there's so much crap out there and I don't want a lot of crap. I just want essentials.

Have a good one!

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

This week...

Pregnancy Ups:

- The ultrasound was the biggest up this week. It was such a joy and relief to see our baby so big and healthy!

-  I overcame my body issues with getting bigger and I am totally loving and am comfortable with my body now. Hearing the doctor tell me that my weight gain is great and say "What ever you are doing, just keep doing it."

- I've been proud of what I've been eating this week. I'm making an effort to eat foods that I've been kind of lacking like vitamin C and calcium. Fortified Orange Juice and Total cereal are awesome for that. Sometimes it's hard to eat the daily requirements of everything, but even small efforts help.

Pregnancy Downs:

- I got a call from the OB office, looks like I have an urinary tract infection and that it's the Strep kind. I don't know too much about it, but right now I need antibiotics and then when I'm in labor, I'll be given something so the baby doesn't get the bacterial infection. My doctor will talk about it next appointment. Nothing serious, but I am a bit bummed out that I'm sick. Although that probably explains the slight pain and cramps I feel if I really need to go.

- My sinuses have been really stuffed up. I just get this pressure in my forehead and it's annoying. We finally got the humidifier up and running again, so I'm hoping it'll help.

- My anxiety has been on high this week triggered from my fainting spell. It usually takes a few days for me to feel normal again and not paranoid that I'll faint again. Thankfully I have little sprout to inspire me to not given into my anxiety and to strive to be healthy.

Sprout's 18 week Ultrasound

Well! This was certainly an eventful ultrasound!

After weeks of waiting, it was finally the day for the big ultrasound! This is the ultrasound where parents can find out the sex of their baby, Rob and I are going to waiting until delivery day. I have to admit, I built up this day a little too much. I had been pretty anxious to start feeling the baby move these past couple of weeks. I just needed confirmation that everything is going good. It's kind of hard not to feel like that when appointments are just once a month. And to top it off, I slept poorly that night and woke up feeling just groggy, which carried out through the day.

We finally got to the doctors office and we didn't have to wait at all (I know right?) The tech girl was very nice and got straight to business. And there it was, our little sprout looking better than ever and so much more like a real baby now. RELIEF! Man, the profile on that kid...it's just amazing, look at its little nose and lips. Everything measured great on the ultrasound. She said it was a good healthy baby and still measuring bigger than the given due date.

Towards the end of the ultrasound, I started not to feel so good. I thought it was because of the yogurt I had, all them nerves and just her pressing down on my belly in an awkward was. She had me lay on my side and we took a little break. Well, I guess I decided to go a bit further than a break and just completely faint right then and there! Yup, I fainted laying down during my ultrasound! Once again, my pesky low blood pressure was the culprit and the fact she was pressing down on a main artery. That's the same artery that later in your pregnancy can become squished when laying on your back and cut off oxygen if you stay like that for too long. It's funny because that was actually a question of mine for the OB and I found out first hand about it. But everything is all good and no one seemed too concerned afterwards. I stayed strong and laughed about it saying how I really needed that little nap, ha ha. Rob was also awesome and remembered exactly what he needed to do if I ever fainted again (I am prone to fainting with my blood pressure, but it rarely happens)

After all the hoopla, we got to see the doctor for my exam. Again he confirmed that the baby looked great and everything was normal. Also, only the tech knows what we're having, she has to check to see if there's normal genitals. She was really fast, meaning she saw what she needed easily. Hmm. He also mentioned that my placenta is in the front of the belly and because of that, it may take a little longer to feel the baby move. I'm totally ok with that, because now know what to expect and not get anxious. I also got weighed and I've gained around 10 lbs all ready. It's funny since it's been 10 years since I last saw those numbers, but I feel so awesome about my body right now.

alien baby is looking at you!!

Overall, I am so happy! I feel good about everything now and my mind is eased from all the worry that it's been dealing with. Again, I am so grateful for how lucky I have been with this pregnancy and that our baby is big and healthy.

18 weeks

This past week was all about me trying and hoping to feel sprout move. I know it's a little early, but I wish I could be that mom who feels their baby already. Then again, I've probably felt it move and just didn't realize it. I still do think that thing I felt last week was the baby, of course it didn't happen again. Have patience Suzy!

I've finally gotten into the grove of how feel about my body. I don't feel dumpy, bloated or fat anymore. I just feel like I'm getting bigger and I keep wanting to get more bigger. I just want my belly to be like, "Bam! Now you totally look pregnant!" Eating healthy and wearing maternity clothes really do help.

Speaking of eating. I'm not really as hungry as I have been during the later part of the first trimester. My appetite is like how it was before I got pregnant. I realized yesterday that that means I'm not eating the extra that I should be. If that's the case, I'll have to start eating more calorie rich snacks like nuts and such. My stomach is still sensitive like last week, so I can't really eat more at my main meals if my stomach's going to act like that. I'm not too concerned, it's just my body getting leveled out from the craziness of the first trimester.

I had my first true craving! I was on Babble.com and they had a recipe for oatmeal with chocolate chips and I was like, "Woah! I must have that!" All day I could not stop thinking about it. I went to the store that evening and bought chocolate chips and plain oatmeal. Next morning's breakfast was amazing! I still could not stop thinking about it and I probably would've made it for all my meals. I'm totally having it for breakfast all week. And while it sounds kind of unhealthy, it's actually not. It's just plain organic 5 grain oatmeal, wheat germ, some baking chocolate chips and a bit of soy milk. No extra sugar or anything. Mmmm, delicious.

Later this afternoon I have my monthly OB appointment AND!! an ultrasound! It's the big ultrasound where most people find out if they are having a girl or boy, but we are keeping it a surprise. I am just so excited to be able to see sprout again! It'll calm my nerves from the past few weeks of me obsessing about feeling it move. Sprout's going to be so big and looking more like a baby, it's going to be crazy!

This is when the fun really starts! Feeling it move soon. Knowing it can hear you. I'm excited about playing music to the belly and reading out loud. My belly will really start showing. I can really start planning and buying things. This is the part I've been waiting so long for!

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

I can't believe it's Friday already. I'm a little worried that November is going to go by too quickly!

Pregnancy Ups:

- I'm finally getting chances to tell our neighbors that we're expecting. We have some pretty cool neighbors on our street, but with the weather getting cold and Rob being busy with work, we just never really got the chance to see and tell them. But I got to tell a couple of them this past week and it was pretty sweet.

- I've had this annoying back/butt muscle pain for a couple months now and last week it was pretty bad, but ever since we got back from New York, it's so much better! Such a relief. I had my monthly chiropractor appointment and he showed me an awesome stretch to get it feeling even better. The longer I can keep up with getting my back feeling good the better.

- Once again I'd like to mention my love for the Pregger Leggings. The fact that I survived sitting in a car for 11 hours twice and not be sore or anything is just amazing. I normally don't fall for gimmick like  products, but I got these knowing that runners and athletes wear compression garments to help them and it worked!

Pregnancy Downs:

- My stomach has really been touchy lately, like digestion wise. Always gurgling and makes all sorts of noises. I've had to take Tums a couple times, but I don't want to take it too much. I've always dealt with a sensitive stomach, but it's been so good since I got pregnant. Last Saturday I had calamari, which I love, and I could barely eat my dinner because I got so crampy. I had to lay down for about an hour for my stomach to settle. I've also noticed I'm not as hungry either and sometimes I make myself eat more than I want to because I know that I need to eat more.

- Everyday I keep waiting to feel sprout move because I know any day now it will happen. It's so nerve wracking because I want to feel it move so I know that it's all still good down there. Thankfully I have my OB appointment on Monday and I'll be able to see sprout again.

- Our mead got ruined!! With the big temperature drops and us not using heat until last week the container of mead started pulling bleach water in from the other bucket instead of putting air bubbles and other waste into the bucket as intended. We'll have to start over unfortunately, and I'll tell you, 15 lbs of honey is not cheap at all.

17 weeks

I just love seeing these weeks get higher and higher!

Reason for the post delay? We were in New York!
Last winter Rob signed up to run the New York City Marathon on Nov. 3rd. We had planned this to be a fun trip, see the city, hang out at a cool apartment, eat noodle bowls. Well, as you can guess what happened...none of that worked out due to the big storm that hit last week.

By the time we left on Thursday, the marathon was still on, so we still headed to New York with back up plans ready. Rob's parents live in New York, so we went there first to drop off the dogs and see what we'd do. Thankfully, they suffered barely any damage from the storm. But I'll tell you, watching the local news was so sad. We decided that Rob will go down to the city and I'll stay with the in-laws and we'd meet him at the finish. But on Friday evening they had canceled the race all together. Which was a very good decision, but a little too late. We ended up having a nice weekend anyways, spending time with Rob's parents, seeing Wreck it Ralph and eating way too much. We even went to church in the church we got married in, so nice.

I was a little anxious about being in the car for  11 hours. My doctor told me I should get out every hour and walk around for at least 5 minutes. I wasn't too keen on that since you just want to go and get there.  I bought a pair of Pregger Maternity Leggings and I have to say, they were awesome!! My legs felt so great sitting in the car for so long. In fact, we stopped about every 2 hours and I still felt good. Once it was 3 hours, that pushed it and I felt crappy.

I also tried eating as best as I could on the trip. Going there I brought a mini veggie tray, fruit, some jerky and trail mix. I didn't do so good after that. I didn't drink a lot of water, ate some candy and it was like that all weekend too. But, that just fuels me to eat better now that I'm home again.

One of the best moments this weekend was taking this picture at a H&M fitting room.

You can really see my baby bump in it! It just makes me so incredibly happy to see myself growing.

...

This week's weekly update is being postponed until Wednesday.
In the meantime, enjoy...

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

Pregnancy Ups:

- I chose the nickname Sprout for our little baby so I wouldn't have to call it "our baby" or "it" all the time. But apparently everyone else is liking that name too! Mail and emails will ask how Sprout is doing, or be addressed to Sprout. Even my brother says that when the baby is born, it's going to be called Sprout. I just love it!

- I love maternity pants! They are so comfortable and don't squeeze anything or are tight fitting.

- We're going to be seeing a lot of friends and family throughout the month and I'm just so excited about it! I can't wait for people to see how much I've grown and to share ultrasound pictures and such.

Pregnancy Downs:

-  It's a crazy thing having your body change so much each week. While most of the time I feel awesome and proud of it, I still have my "ugh! nothings fits!!" moments. I feel like that's all I complain about, but truthfully...I have nothing else TO complain about since everything is awesome. I'm in this awkward in between stage still, that's all.

- I've been pretty tired this week. I think the cold and cloudy weather just add to it. It's ok, because I don't mind napping under a big blanket after work.

- I noticed my vision has been changing and my contacts aren't has sharp as they normally are (which vision change is common due to extra fluid hanging around everywhere). I even tried a fresh pair, and still no change. My glasses don't seem to give me any problems. I think I might stick with glasses for the time being. Going to try to get a new pair of glasses before insurance resets in Jan, some cute funky ones.

16 weeks

It's funny, I didn't think I got any bigger this week and I was just feeling bloated, but looking at this picture and comparing it to last week...yeah, there's a difference!

This weekend we went to our local Mills mall. I am running low on clothes to wear, so I thought I'd check out Old Navy and such for maternity clothes. We stopped in American Eagle first for Rob and it was just strange to be in there knowing it's pointless looking at clothes for me. I went into Aerie afterwards since American Eagle gave us a coupon for Aerie. It was quite comical trying to figure out what bra size I am, but I just ended up getting a  comfy sweater for $15.

Now it was maternity clothes shopping. First stop, Old Navy. I had thought I could get some basic tees and such, but I really didn't find much. I tried on a pair of skinny jeans, but the belly band was too tight. Not very impressed Old Navy. I just got a tank top and Rob got a hoody and we got a Halloween costume for the baby (ha ha). I decided to check out Burlington Coat Factory and see what they had. Score! While I didn't get to really look through the tops much, I did buy 2 pairs of maternity jeans for about $16 a piece. Definitely going back there again when I start to get real big.

So I'm pretty good on maternity clothes for now. I have 4 pairs of pants now! I will need some more tops, but I think the pants will help me feel a lot more comfortable.

It's a constant struggle with me starting to get big. I'm the girl who always wears just slightly baggy or loose clothes. It comes from gaining and loosing a lot of weight and being self-conscious of my body because of all that. It's just weird for me now that I've got no choice for my body and stomach to just be out there and not hidden behind a shirt one size too big.

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

This week...

Pregnancy Ups:

- Rob and I were looking at kid toys last Sunday and it was just so much fun! I love thinking about us and our family in the future and what we'll do and such. We even bought a stuffed lamb, our first purchase for the baby together.

- No food aversions this week! In fact, barely any symptoms at all. It feels soooo good.

- Rob. He's just so awesome and understanding. He lets me be lazy about dinner, lets me vent, he listens to me and he takes good care of me. I always feel much better when I talk to him. All while he's working hard at work, freelancing and training for a marathon.


Pregnancy Downs:

- I barely ate any good vegetables this week and I'm being a little too hard on myself about it. It's a lot of pressure to make sure you eat all the right things!

- I may not be a runner like Rob or some of our friends, but I do enjoy running 5k races. This time of year they always have they best. Halloween themed, Thanksgiving, Christmas, color races, awesome charities. And I'm pretty bummed that I can't do it and walking is no fun. I am, however, going to walk a 5k in December since a bunch of our friends are doing it, it's part of a charity my old boss is apart of and dude, you do it on the NASCAR speedway!

- I know this is only going to get worse, but I don't like being treated like a pregnant person. I am already frustrated at myself for being limited on so much, 'specially when I'm the type of person who likes to be in control. Don't tell me to take it easy, I can actually do a lot before my body tells me enough and I will stop when I get to that point. I don't like talking about myself a lot to begin with, so I'm probably not going to want to talk about my pregnancy all the time (only certain people I feel comfortable with talking openly about it) And do not tell me how big I'm going to get or point out how often I eat! When someone says that it's kind of telling me that I'm gonna get huge and fat. I'm already struggling myself with accepting the fact that I'm getting bigger, I know it's going to happen and I'm excited about it, but some days I don't feel so great about it.

15 Weeks

We are just moving right along now.

Things have been pretty smooth now. I even got my energy back! Yesterday I rode my bike, which was so wonderful and relaxing. I took it easy as I could and still I was not able to last as long as I normally would, but it felt great either way. Just riding along the nature path, surrounded by trees and crunchy leaves. I also set up a spare TV we had in the guest bedroom that way I can do my exercise dvds in there and not be covered in dog hair when I'm done.

I'm also really going to start pushing myself to do more, since I've been spending too much time on the couch watching tv or reading. I've got so many things I want to sew and craft. Granted, I am pregnant and I should take it easy, but I'm just starting to get more grumpy when I do nothing.

Other than that, things are just peachy!

Oh yeah! We got this super cute stuffed sheep at Target. It's our first baby purchase together. (awwww,heehee)

6 years

Today is mine and Rob's 6th wedding anniversary!

I can never get over how lucky I am to be married to Rob. He's such an amazing husband and friend. He always supports me, listens to me, lets me be myself, makes me feel beautiful and brings me down to earth when I get upset. I am a better person because of him. And I just can't wait to see him as a dad!

We took it easy this year since we already went to Asheville a few weeks before. Last night we had an awesome fancy dinner at a local place called FlatIron. This morning we made pumpkin pancakes and exchanged our cards. We didn't do gifts either this year, instead we each bought some much needed clothes. I did get lovely flowers however. Later we went to a few stores and had lunch at Panera. Then we'll end the evening with our lazy Sunday dinner and watch Once Upon a Time. Just a lovely day.

First Trimester Recap

I meant to post this earlier this week:

I survived the First Trimester!

As someone who's been on the road trying to get pregnant for 2 years, that's a huge thing. I did it! My body did it! Our baby did it! We are a kick ass team! Seriously, nothing makes you feel more proud of yourself and body than being pregnant.

I had an amazing first trimester. My morning sickness was never really more than just feeling icky and kind of queasy, but no throwing up or gagging even. Food aversions were sucky just because I wasn't eating as healthy as I used to eat. Smells were also kind of bad, that was the only thing that caused me to be hormonal and cry. Poor Rob does his best to keep the litter box clean, but I just always smell it. I can still smell last's nights dinner upstairs in the bedroom. And after a month, I don't smell the cleaning products from when we had a cleaning service come to the house. Exhausting! But! It all could've been worse and I'm grateful for how easy I had it.

The first trimester is almost like playing pretend. Sure, the doctors confirm you're pregnant and you look at the screen and see a little baby and you hear its heartbeat....but it just doesn't feel real! You don't have a bump and you might get bigger, but it's more like feeling bloated than anything. You can't feel anything since the baby is so tiny. All you can do is take good care of your body and hope that whatever's in there likes it and stays for the ride. Surreal is the word that expresses my first trimester.


My First Trimester Tip:

Don't be afraid to change or try different prenatal vitamins.

I had been taking the same prenatal vitamins for over two years and I never had a problem with them. They were great and had all the right stuff plus more.

When I went for my first OB appointment, I got tons of prescription prenatal samples. Some actually sounded pretty good. I tried one out and amazingly the next day I felt awesome! Like half of my morning sickness symptoms and my dry mouth were gone. Coincidence? Whatever, I feel great.

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

Second Trimester is easy indeed!

Pregnancy Ups:

- I got to hear sprout's heartbeat again at this week's OB appointment. Yes, I still get teary-eyed hearing it.

- I've been doing core exercises and stretches every morning and I've walked the dogs 3 times this week. Go motivation and energy!

- Maternity pants are awesome! It feels great to wear something that fits so good and comfortable.

Pregnancy Downs:

- Last night I had zero desire to eat the stir fry I was making for dinner. I couldn't even force myself to eat it. I only made it because I didn't want to waste the food. I had an egg and waffles instead.

-  I've been feeling a little down and gloomy this week. Nothing in particular or maybe too many things.  My pregnancy hormones just exaggerates it a bit.

- Dreams. Throughout the day my mind is a sponge, picking up whatever I see or experience and saves it for the night. More often than not, it's a disturbing dream, even nightmares. Watching the season premiere of Walking Dead resulted in dreaming of zombies ALL night long. Fun times!

14 weeks

Finally!! I am in my Second Trimester. Such a huge milestone! I'm at the point now where if anything really bad were to happen to the baby, it would've happened. I still run the risk of course, but not like the first trimester. We're riding this till the end!

And it's true, once you get to your second trimester, you feel great again. This past week has been the best I've felt since I got pregnant. Headaches and a bit of food aversions were the most annoying thing. Even sleep has been better. I still wake up a lot and even go to the bathroom, but I fall back asleep quickly and sleep more soundly. It could also be from the cold weather too, what ever the case, I am happy. I've also gotten my energy back. I've been walking the dogs more and I even helped Rob with some yard work and I felt great. I even feel motivated to start doing my chiropractor instructed exercises cuz I'm really going to start needing a strong and healthy core to help ease back strain.

I bought two pairs of maternity pants on Saturday from Kohls. I was having a particularly bad body image and clothes dilemma that morning and Rob was kind enough to let me shop after our lunch. Trying on those pants felt awesome! Fitting into something that fit good just made me feel so much better. I could've bought normal pants at a bigger size, but ya know, I'm going to need maternity pants eventually. And while the belly band does help, I still find it a little annoying to wear. Now I just gotta start buying some maternity tops. Let me tell you, this stuff ain't cheap. Thankfully, there's always a sale somewhere.

I have my monthly OB checkup this Tuesday. I really don't know what to expect. Another ultrasound? Either way, I am excited. I also have a lot of questions, mostly concerning traveling. We've got a long road trip and air travel coming up. I'd like to get some tips on that.

Good things happening here!

Pregnancy Ups & Downs

This week on Pregnancy Ups & Downs,

Pregnancy Ups:

- I am now feeling about 90% back to normal. It's like a breath of fresh air!

- My belly is growing! More noticeable to just me, but I just get so giddy and I constantly look at myself in the mirror, hee hee.

- As always, I am so happy and grateful that I am pregnant and that it's going so well. We've waited for this day for so long and it just makes it that much more special to us.

Pregnancy Downs:

- These headaches kind of suck and there's nothing really I can do about it other than just bare through it. It's usually when I'm around smells that bother me, which then makes the smell that much worse.

- I'm starting to get hungry more often, which is frustrating because I do snack a lot to begin with. I'll also be starving by the time I get home and I have a few snacks before Rob gets home for dinner and twice I've practically lost my appetite, lame.

- I'm at the stage where I want to start buying some more clothes, 'specially with the weather getting cooler, but I know I'm just going to get bigger quickly and it's still too soon for maternity clothes. Not a super down, more like a mild frustration.

Getaway to Asheville

As I mentioned in my last post, Rob and I went to Asheville this past weekend for a last minute, but much needed getaway.

Friday Rob dropped the dogs off at the doggy day care, picked me up from work and then we were off to the mountains!

This weekend was all about indulging, relaxing, destressing, taking it slow and enjoying each other's company. We've, more so Rob, been under a lot of stress these past few months and with Rob's birthday on Monday and our anniversary coming up, well...how could we not go somewhere.

We stayed at the Hotel Indigo, this swanky, but laid back new hotel in Asheville. What a great place!! Everything was decorated so modern, but not in a stuff lux way. And everyone was so friendly and helpful. We treated ourselves to the suite, which was lovely and we had a great view of the mountains. The shower was amazing and there was even Aveda products for the toiletries.

Friday we stayed in and had dinner at the restaurant at the hotel. It was very yummy. I had pizza and Rob steak with these amazing scalloped potatoes. I was happy that they had sparkling lemonade to drink since I'm limited to what I can drink. We got a wild blueberry cobbler to bring to our room. Yum.

Saturday Rob got up super early to run in the gym since he's training for the NYC Marathon. I got to wake up on my own and take it nice and slow since there were no dogs bugging me for breakfast. It was such a nice moment for me. After Rob got back we had breakfast at the hotel. I had a fresh made croissant with egg and fresh made sausage and Rob had steel cut oatmeal. We decided we didn't want to do what we always do in Asheville, walk around downtown looking at all the same places we always look at. So we decided to finally check out the famous Biltmore house/mansion/castle.

We were surprised to find that it was barely a 10 minute drive to get to the Biltmore. Even more surprising when you see how much open land it's on. I think I read it's like on around 125,000 acres. The house itself was just grand. We spent the afternoon walking through the rooms and such, all still set up from the early 1900's. We even got to see an old fashion basement pool, it was so big! I wish it was filled to really see it.  And the view from the terrace....breath taking! Just hills and woods, not a modern building in site. Walking the house took us about 2 hours and we were beat afterwards. We then drove to the Antler Village on the grounds to check out that area and have some lunch. Sadly we didn't go to the winery, not really exciting when you're pregnant. Oh and how jealous I was of everyone on their bikes going around the property, how awesome would that be? I'd go again just to be able to bring my bike and ride around the property. I'm really glad we went to the Biltmore. It just relaxed me even more, even with all the crowds. It was just so nice seeing some american history.

Since we were exhausted, we decided to stay in that night. Not before we made a stop at a beer store for Rob, who got some pretty sweet beers. Jealous. We just spent the rest of the night watching crappy cable and me eating leftovers and Rob a wrap from the hotel.

Sunday we got up bright and early, had breakfast. I got the steel cut oatmeal this time with dried apricots, walnuts and honey....pregnancy super meal! I even treated myself to a decaf soy latte.
Then it was time to head home.

It was just so nice to get away. I told Rob we'll have to do this a couple more times before the baby comes. Maybe not splurge like we did, but just to get away and clear our heads. Like I mentioned before, I felt amazing during this trip, no pregnancy symptoms at all. Lovely.