Exciting Day!

Today was an exciting day! I had my ultrasound today for the genetic testing. I didn't realize how much we were going to be able to see. I wish Elliott had been able to go, but he'll be able to go to the next one in August. The good thing is I came home with lots of pictures & memories to tell him about. 

They didn't give me many details as they were taking measurements and such. They will take the information from this ultrasound, blood from today, as well as information from the next ultrasound and blood from that day and send it all in to be reviewed. So, we should find out about the testing at about 20 weeks or so (mid- August). She did tell me that the baby is measuring at 13 weeks 4 days, which is about 6 days further along that we thought. She said this isn't enough to move up my due date yet, but it might be an indication that he/she might come a little early. We'll see! 

Here are the pictures from today. They are not nearly as exciting as the actual ultrasound. The baby was moving all around and the ultrasound tech even referred to it as "ornery" because it kept moving around every time she tried to get a look at it. 

Here's a picture of the feet. You can see the length of them because the arrows are pointing to them. I've already counted all of the fingers and toes!

This is one of my favorites. It looks pretty relaxed, but boy was he/she moving around!

Just lounging around! You can see the legs up in the air if you look closely.

This one cracks me up! See the hands over his/her face! This looks just like what Elliott does. I can't tell if that little white thing is an ear or not, but if so, it looks even more like Elliott. ;-)

This is our skeleton baby! The ultrasound tech said all the babies look a little creepy from the front. This picture kind of creeps me out. Haha.

Lots of Love,

Erin 

 

Wrapping up the first trimester...

Things I Miss (already!):

• beer
• wearing my smaller summer clothes
• enjoying healthy food (not just candy & ice cream)
• ENERGY
• drinking wine on the patio with Elliott
• sleeping on my back without feeling guilty
• sleeping comfortably in general (and it's only going to get worse!)
• cooking without feeling nauseous
• actually enjoying the smell of Elliott's cologne (now it just smells way too overpowering)

Reasons it's all worth it:

• Getting to see the baby for the first time on August 3rd!
• Getting to decorate a new room (I <3 to decorate!)
• The fact that I am already so in love with this little person
• Getting to see Elliott be the awesome dad that I know he will be
• I get to buy cute little baby clothes! 
• Knowing that we're filling our house with more love and excitement
• Getting to see all the "firsts" as our child grows up
• Soon being able to feel the baby kick and "swim" around in there!
• Knowing that we're making a little person that will be a combination of both of us
• Looking into the future and knowing this person will be a part of our lives forever and that our lives will be forever changed :-)

Well, this turned out to be a sappy post! I'm sure both of these lists will grow in the coming months, but the good already outweighs the not so fun stuff. 


Here are the stats at 12 weeks:


Biggest Cravings: ice cream, candy, guacamole, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, turkey bacon (notice I'm feeling better and my list is expanding.)
Clothes: I broke down and bought a few new things to get me through the summer. I just bought a few pairs of regular shorts in a size bigger and some maternity jeans for later. I already feel so much better not having to squeeze into my clothes everyday. I wonder how long I can make these shorts work?!?!
Energy/Mood: Much better! If I can get my afternoon nap in, I'm even better. I think a lot of it for me was accepting that I need to take it a little slower and not work myself too hard (that go-go-go mentality). Being able to eat more foods and do more normal stuff has made my mood better too. I'm hoping the 2nd trimester will be good to me in this area!


I'll wrap this up with my 12 week picture. Can you tell any difference?

12 weeks pregnant

Lots of Love,


Erin

165 and Strong!

Today we went for our 12 week appointment with the doctor. We got to meet Dr. Lowden for the first time. It was nice to finally meet the person who will be delivering the baby. She was very nice, calm, and knowledgeable. I'm hoping her calm energy will be good for us (me) since I can get anxious pretty easily.

We also got to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was exciting to hear it and know that there actually is something in there. She found the heartbeat easily and commented that it usually takes longer to find it. She said it was beating 165 beats/minute. She said that is right on target for 12 weeks. 

We decided to have a genetic screening done next week. This is just a simple sonogram and blood test that will hopefully let us know if there is anything to be concerned about. It's non-invasive and seemed like a good thing to do. That appointment is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Next up is our 18 week sonogram appointment. That falls on August 3rd. Hopefully we'll be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl at that point! It's going to be a long 6 weeks waiting for that day!!! 


The doctor said headaches are the next symptom I should be experiencing. Oh boy! So far I haven't had any, so we'll see. I'm thankful to have the summer off while going through this part of the pregnancy. Headaches and nausea do not mix well with 8 year olds! 


That's it for now! I'll post our 12 week picture later this week. 


Love Always,


Erin

11 Weeks

These last couple weeks have gone by quickly with not many changes. We're anxious for our 12 week appointment next week, so that we can hear the baby's heartbeat. We are also excited to meet our doctor for the first time and hear about what comes next. 

Right now it's hard to believe there's a baby in there. I keep having to reprogram my brain into thinking that it's okay to gain weight. I catch myself thinking about dieting and exercising. Lately I haven't been eating well or exercising very often. My meals depend on what sounds even remotely appealing and I've only been making it to the gym once a week. I'm hoping that I can get back to a routine once I start feeling better.

I'm still taking at least 1 Zofran a day. I think I'm feeling better and then I get a wave of nausea and realize I'm not there yet. I usually feel sick before I go to sleep, in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning. I've noticed that I feel great mid-morning through early afternoon and then I'm tired. By the time Elliott gets home from work, I'm exhausted and not feeling well. Poor Elliott gets to see me at my worst every day. :-(

Biggest Cravings so far: ice cream and candy
Clothes: My regular clothes are not fitting so well.
Energy/Mood: Ehh...depends on the day...better though.

Here are week 10 and 11 pictures. Notice Elliott is done taking his pictures. ;-)

10 weeks

11 weeks

Lots of love,


Erin

We thought it would be fun to document my pregnancy with pictures. We took this idea from one of my favorite websites, www.pinterest.com. I'm going to wear the same outfit in each picture, so we can see the changes. Hopefully it fits in a couple months! At first we were just going to take pictures of me and then Elliott jumped in and I thought it would be funny to take a picture of him each time too. It was his idea, but after the second picture, I think he's regretting it. We'll see if I can get him to do it each time.

8 weeks!

9 weeks!

8 weeks!

9 weeks!

I don't really see a big difference between weeks 8 and 9, but my pants are fitting a little tighter. It seems like all of my weight has shifted to my waist. I guess this is the stage where everyone just thinks you look fatter, not pregnant. Fun stuff!

On a side note...I'm feeling a lot better and eating regular meals. I've been cutting back on the drugs a little, but I still take at least 2 pills a day. I'm also getting my energy back a little. I hope this trend continues over the next couple weeks. I'm finally starting to feel human again. 

Love,

Erin