time for the big girl pants...

I broke down and bought maternity pants this week. My jeans were getting just a little too tight for comfort! I couldn't justify spending money to buy a regular pair of pants just one size bigger when I know I wouldn't be able to wear them for much longer anyway. So I went shopping at Target and bought 2 new pairs of maternity pants and a couple of shirts. Who knew that shopping for maternity clothes could be so much fun?? :-) Everything was cute and looked good.
I admit that I get a little freaked out thinking of how much weight I'm going to gain (and have already gained) but I know it is normal. And I eat pretty well (despite a couple sweets here and there) and I have started exercising again...I'm really trying to keep the weight gain at a healthy amount. :-)
Despite the fatigue and morning sickness, I love being pregnant and experiencing all of these amazing changes as we wait for our little one to make his/her appearance. I can't wait to see what my belly will look like in just a few short months! And reading about all of the changes the baby goes through each week really is incredible. It almost doesn't seem possible that a baby can start as two little cells then develop so quickly inside you...I guess that's just all part of the miracle. :-)
It's been a great day so far and I just feel incredibly blessed.

8 week check up :)

We had our 8 week check up today. I was so nervous and excited, I just couldn't wait to see the ultrasound! We had to start the appointment by answering a lot of questions about our health history and checking vital signs and taking my weight. I have gained 1 pound in the last 2 weeks! I think that is a total of 3 to 4 pounds so far! Oh well, I had better just expect that number to rise from here on out...
After all of that, we finally got to go back and see the doctor. She did an internal ultrasound and the baby was immediately very easy to see. Such a difference in just the past two weeks, because we couldn't even see the baby at the last appointment. We saw the little heartbeat on the screen and it was an absolutely amazing experience. Words really can't describe it.
The doctor measured the baby and according to the measurements I am 7 weeks and 4 days, but just counting from my last period, I should be 8 weeks and 2 days. So she is sending me to a specialist who has a better ultrasound machine to get more accurate measurements. Don't worry! That doesn't mean there is anything wrong...she said she sends all of her patients to do the same thing. :-) She also told me that all of my blood work from the last appointment came out normal and the HCG (pregnancy) hormone levels were really high, so everything looked good.
The appointment ended with me having to give at least 8 vials of blood to check for all kinds of things...routine stuff when you are having a baby, I guess. I also got a prescription for more prenatal vitamins and she recommended I start taking B6 supplement to help with morning sickness. We also talked briefly about which hospital we would like to deliver at, but Mike and I decided to visit both choices before making a decision. I'm thinking that whichever one is closest to the house will be the best choice! haha
What an incredible way to start the day! I have been waiting for weeks to see the baby and the heartbeat and there it was. :) It really is a miracle. Can't wait for the next checkup in 4 weeks!

dreams

I had a dream last night that we went for an ultrasound and found out we were having a boy. Could this be premonition? I'm not sure. I honestly don't have a strong feeling one way or the other as to what we might have. Of course, the most important thing is to have a healthy baby. :-) I guess we will just have to wait a few more months to find out! I will definitely find out before the baby is born. I'm a very patient person, but when it comes to something like this my patience flies out the window! :)

"morning sickness" needs a new name...

This week I have felt incredibly ill. Up until now I have felt pretty tired and just a little nauseated. Well, Monday was the end to "mild nausea". I have been sick every morning this week and the nausea/tummy ache has lasted just about all day. I feel a little relief when I am eating and right afterward, but that's about it. To make things even more fun, my stomach constantly feels too full and empty all at the same time. How can this be, you might ask? I have no idea! So I have spent the majority of this week in the bathroom, or laying on the couch. I am extremely grateful to have a job that allows me to work at home so I can take breaks whenever I need to. The only true relief comes in the form of a nap. Ah, and tater tots. I felt extremely happy and content eating tater tots today.
Apparently there was a government study that claims women who had morning sickness had babies with high IQs. Who knows? Maybe I am already helping my baby make it to college! haha I AM in my 7th week and this is the week that brain cells are developing at the rate of 100 cells/minute. Maybe my baby is developing 200/minute! haha
I just keep reminding myself that this is all for a great cause and will eventually be worth every minute. :)
But I still think "morning sickness" needs a new name...

First Prenatal Doctor's Visit

We had our first prenatal doctor's visit on Wednesday August 5th. I was super anxious because I just wanted confirmation from the doctor that everything was OK. Very happily for me, Michael was able to take off work for a couple of hours and come with me.
The nurses took blood for testing to check HCG levels and told me I should be about 6 weeks along. When I saw the doctor, she did an internal ultrasound which was incredible. We didn't get to see the baby on the ultrasound at this visit, but we did see the yolk sac. The doctor said that was a great sign because the yolk sac is where the baby gets his/her nutrients and nourishment from. So the doctor helped dispel some of my anxiousness and worries. The ultrasound was almost a surreal experience, something I had only seen on t.v., and there I was in the middle of my own ultrasound! It was incredible even just to see the yolk sac...but I REALLY can't wait to see the baby...hopefully at the next visit! And I feel so thankful that Mike was able to share that experience with me. He had been wondering "when is this really going to hit me?" and he said at that moment, it hit him. :-)
I can't wait for the next appointment!

Wow! It worked!

I kept the suspicion that I might be pregnant to myself because I had had that same feeling once before and was extremely disappointed. I kept telling myself, "nah, it can't be...". I had been hopeful all week and putting off the test, but by Friday night, after Joyce and Dad left for Orlando, I just couldn't wait any longer to find out. I still didn't say anything to Mike because I was expecting a negative result. Still very hopeful for a positive, but expecting a negative.
So Mike and I were watching something on T.V. (can't even remember what it was) and I said, "I'll be right back". I went to the bathroom and took a test and HOLY CRAP IT WAS POSITIVE!! I almost couldn't believe it and I called Mike in there. He later told me he was annoyed I was calling him in there because he thought I wanted him to come kill a palmetto bug. haha But I was coming out of the bathroom to meet him just as he was coming in and when he saw the test in my hand and the look on my face, he just froze for a second. I think we were both in shock for a few minutes...maybe for MORE than a few minutes. We hugged and I cried and we both just stared at the test and that little blue plus sign several times. We both said, "Wow! It actually worked!" and laughed. After a few minutes, Mike said, "Well, what do we do now? Just go back to watching t.v.?"
This really was one of the most extraordinary moments of my life.

July 2009 was an incredible month!

Let me begin by saying that Michael and I had been trying for almost a year to conceive. Michael was out of town for work several times during the year, so it was actually closer to 8 months that we had been trying. I had heard and read that it takes most couples up to a year to conceive. Still, when you are warned your whole life that you will get pregnant if you have sex, then you kind of just expect it to happen right away when you begin trying. So when it didn't happen afer a few months, I have to admit that I was getting a little worried. I kept telling myself just to relax and have faith. I knew that when it was the right time, I would get pregnant.
Then the most incredible thing happened...everything seemed to line up. I was sitting at home in the beginning of July, enjoying doing absolutely nothing on my first summer off as a full time teacher. The phone rang and it was Florida Virtual School asking me to come in the next week for an interview. I was extremely excited! I had applied to FLVS when we first moved to Florida, but nothing ever came of it. So I had accepted a job at the school in our neighborhood and had pretty much forgotten about the possibility of FLVS. So when they called it seemed too good to be true. They called on a Thursday and asked me to come in the next Tuesday. There was one potential problem. The interview was in Orlando (4 hours north of us) and we had plane tickets to go to PA on Wednesday. I knew it was going to make for a tight schedule, but I went ahead and booked the interview anyway.
So the next Monday we left for Orlando and stayed with Joyce and Barney. Tuesday afternoon I had the interview and we were going to drive back home to Miami immediately afterwards. I was VERY nervous before the interview because, to be quite honest, I usually stink in interviews! But everything went extremely well, I was pleased with my answers to all of their questions and I loved what they had to say about the job. (The idea of working from home was the most appealing. And I kept thinking....working from home will be ideal whenever we have a baby!) They told me they would let me know within a week and I went home hopeful.
Wednesday morning we were doing some last minute packing for our trip to PA when FLVS called and offered me a position as a Spanish Instructor! HOORAY!! To say I was excited is an understatement. I went to Somerset immediately and gave them my resignation letter, then we headed for the airport.
**A moment of intuition: After I accepted the job, I was still packing and absorbing what had just happened and I had the thought "I'm going to get pregnant this month!".**
After a few delays thanks to bad weather in Atlanta, and 2 smooth (yet still terrifying) flights, we made it to PA. The visit with Michael's family was great. It always feels like going home to me. We went to a local ballgame, had a blast at his 10 year high school reunion, reveled in the cooler weather, and just enjoyed being with family.
After a week we had to head back to FL. The flights were again terrifying to me (I am NOT a good flyer), but we DID get to see something awesome on the flight. We saw the space shuttle as it took off and flew above the clouds. Pretty awesome!
What I should also mention is that while we were in PA, Michael decided he wanted to buy a BMW. We had been talking about getting new cars, but kept putting it off. But now with my new job it was more of a possibility. So Michael began doing internet searches and crunching numbers. When he wants something, he makes it happen, which is such a great trait of his. :-) So we got home on a Wednesday, and on Thursday we went shopping and ended up buying a BMW X3 for me. Wow! What a fun car to drive! And I was thinking "This will be great for when we have a baby", because it was really roomy and had all of the safety features a Mom would want. (BTW, Michael also got his BMW a couple of weeks later)
Friday we took the new car up to Orlando again for Joyce's 30th birthday party and to pick up Jonas. My dad was also in town! We spent the weekend there, then Dad came back to Miami with us. Dad and I had a great couple of days together (going to South Beach and Fishing Hall of Fame Museum). Dad even went scuba diving with Mike! Joyce came down on Wednesday and we all went to Key Largo one day and a Gator Park on a separate day. It was an amazing week and I had a great time.
What was even more amazing about that week was I began to suspect that I might actually be pregnant!