6 weeks!

• How far along? 6 weeks
• Total weight gain/loss: I still need to get a scale...
• How much does Baby weigh?: less than 1 gram
• Maternity clothes? Not so much
• Stretch marks? Nope
• Sleep: I have reached the point of pregnancy fatigue. I've been sleeping constantly and hard for the last few nights. Of course, I get up a few times to pee. 
• Best moment this week: telling our parents about the babe
• Movement: Nope.
• Food cravings: I'm pretty sure I had my first Taco Bell craving. I needed it on Saturday, and it tasted SO good! Much better than food has been tasting lately. Mostly, I just don't want food. Not good.
• Gender: No feelings yet. J has a pretty strong boy vibe, he says, but I think it's just because that's what he wants it to be.
• Labor Signs: Nope
• Belly Button in or out? Innie
• What I miss: my appetite. I may be small, but my appetite was quite large. 
• What I am looking forward to: the ultrasound/baby's first appointment next monday!
• Milestones: Telling the parents

My Baby:

This week your baby's brain is growing at a mind-boggling 100 cells per minute within a see-through skull. If you could peer inside, you'd see those tiny brain cells growing and growing and growing (about as quickly as you feel like yours are shrinking and shrinking and shrinking with your "pregnancy brain"!). More high points include:

Your baby's face is becoming more defined this week. A tiny mouth hole (which will be ready to wail before you know it!), tongue, nostrils and ear indentations are visible. His or her eyes are wide open, but he doesn't have irises (the colored part) yet.

Baby's arm buds are growing. At this point they look more like microscopic ping-pong paddles than arms. Baby's leg buds are also forming and will look like tiny paddles by the end of the week.

The umbilical cord—the connection between your baby and the placenta—is now visible.

Your baby is now between 1/3 and 1/4 inch long—about the length of a Tic Tac and about as heavy as an eyelash. While that sounds tiny, he or she is approximately 10,000 times bigger than at conception. Crazy, huh?

I got the job!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was attempting to get another part time job to back up my subbing so that we could use all of the extra money towards baby expenses. Plus, I'd have something to do during the summer. Well, I got it! I'll be working at a local Curves. It should be a great place- no stress, not too many hours, and the women who work out there will love to talk to me about my pregnancy! I'm pretty excited about it. I actually start on Thursday and will shadow my best friend who already works there, haha! So, I've done my big activity for the day, and I'll be relaxing and recovering from the weekend from here on out!

Stats:

-5 weeks and 6 days

-1 week until my first OB appt!

Craziest Weekend Ever

This weekend was ridiculously busy. Friday night and all day Saturday (until 1am Sunday, actually) consisted of J and I volunteering for an organization that we're both a part of. It's actually the organization that contributed to us getting married! We've both been involved for an insane amount of years, especially for our age, so we're kind of a big deal in terms of running the tournaments. It made me pretty nervous since nobody knows we're pregnant there yet, so I had to keep coming up with cunning excuses as to why I wasn't carrying the heavy box or the table by myself. The stress was enough for my poor body. I had some spotting (it was brown, so I'm assuming it was old blood.) midday on Saturday, and I got super stressed. So, I sat as much as I could the remainder of the day. Nothing since then, thank goodness. This morning involved a follow-up meeting to yesterday's activities, a nap (J mowed), doing our taxes, and then going to my parents for dinner!

We told my parents about the baby! They opened up the picture first and just thought it was a picture of us in our new house. They both looked so confused when they saw their bibs (they opened simultaneously) and then looked at me at the same time. My mom said "Are you?" and, when I said yes, she shrieked and came up and hugged me while my dad started crying. He eventually hugged me- no worries. They kept talking about it all the rest of the evening! My dad even asked what our name choices are already. I wasn't expecting that question for awhile!

It feels so wierd to have told them. It makes it sink in just a little bit more. Now, the countdown to telling the in-laws!

Stats:

-5 weeks 5 days

5 weeks!

• How far along? 5 weeks
• Total weight gain/loss: I still need to get a scale...
• How much does Baby weigh?: less than 1 gram
• Maternity clothes? Not so much
• Stretch marks? Nope
• Sleep:  It's been hard for me to get to sleep, but, for the most part, I'm fine once I finally do. There has been 1 or 2 restless nights, though. 
• Best moment this week: Dinner with J at Ruths Chris- talking and dreaming about our future with little baby H
• Movement: Nope.
• Food cravings: Nope- I'm actually starting to feel some aversion towards food. 
• Gender: No feelings yet.
• Labor Signs: Nope
• Belly Button in or out? Innie
• What I miss: going to sleep quickly
• What I am looking forward to: telling the grandparents about their new grandchild! 
• Milestones: Telling J's best friend about the baby- it made it so much more real to tell someone else!

My Baby:

This week starts a period of rapid cellular development for your baby-to-be, who looks like a mini tadpole, with a tiny head and tail. His or her eyes, ears and mouth have begun to form (though they're a little more Discovery Channel "creatures of the sea" documentary than Gerber Baby at this point).

Other exciting milestones include:

Your baby's heart is now beating to a regular beat, although it's still too faint to hear.

His or her arm buds are just beginning to, well, bud. They look like teensy swollen bumps at this point. In a few days, they'll resemble itsy-bitsy flippers.

Your baby has grown to ⅛ inch long—about the size of one of the chocolate sprinkles on your last cupcake (and your last ice cream cone, and your last sundae and your last giant cookie ... maybe there is something to those rumors about pregnancy cravings!).

Back to work

It was pretty rough, I won't lie. I didn't sleep very well last night and kept waking up so that, along with the beginnings of m/s, did not fare for an excellent day. Thankfully, the class was great. I'm so thankful for being a substitute right now so that I won't have to work on days that I feel awful. It's so comforting for me to know that as I fear the full onset of m/s. My boobs are starting to get sore. It seems to be just around the nipple area and when I press on them. J and I both are so excited for them to grow! 

I'm still waiting on the bibs we ordered for the grandparents. It's making me anxious. We're ready to tell! I'm going to get the frames for our picture tomorrow, so that will all be ready. I guess I should get bags and such to wrap it in, as well. Hopefully, they'll arrive soon so that we can tell them this week! 

Stats:

-4 weeks and 6 days

It's out of the bag (sorta)

DH told his best friend this morning, who's staying here for the weekend. We decided to go ahead and let him know since we probably won't see him in person for awhile and J forgot to inform him when we got engaged. Silly boy. It was so wierd to actually say it out loud to someone that is not us. So wierd. He's pretty excited about it, though. He was definitely surprised (as will everybody since nobody had a clue we were TTC), but very happy. I love that someone knows. I hung out with my best friend yesterday, and it was so hard! But, she lives a few minutes away, so I'll see her again and be able to tell her in person after the first appointment. 

I'm still feeling alright, but I do get some random nausea every once in awhile. I had super bloat last night. It was insane! J said that we'd have to go out and get me a Belly Band. It's going to be hard to keep it a secret too long with bloat like that because I'm known for having a flat stomach. That's why we're not waiting too long- just until after our appt. April 6th! 

Also, the 2nd digital is now cleared. Super bummer.

Stats:

-4 weeks and 4 days

Some more pictures...

Here are my pregnancy books: 

I've already dived right into them. I've caught up in my weeks in "Your Pregnancy Week by Week", filled out everything up until 5 weeks, and am about halfway through "Belly Laughs." I'm thinking I might need to go get that other book pretty soon!

Here's the picture we took last night before heading out to our fancy dinner, which was great. We had so much fun talking about our new future and what we want for our baby while enjoying some great food. I'm so glad that we went before I start getting too sick. We decided that we're going to do nights like that at least a few more times before the baby arrives since it won't be quite as easy then. It'll still be pretty easy, mind you. We made a joke that we'd just have to call either grandma and they'd come running! We said it jokingly, but it's so true. This is also the picture we're going to frame and give the grandparents- their first picture of their upcoming grandchild!

And, I tested again this morning. Just to be sure. I had that extra test, so why not? J was with me this time and was pretty impressed with the technology of a pregnancy test (lol). I think it made it more real for him to see "pregnant" actually pop up. I'm excited to have another one laying around the house, especially since the other one stopped saying it. Rude.

(mind you it was early in the morning, and J hasn't been feeling too good).

Stats:

-4 weeks 4 days!

This is for real!

Yesterday, I went to Barnes and Noble and got a few pregnancy books (your pregancy week by week, Belly Laughs, and the Belly Book), which was highly exciting for me. I got a thrill out of walking around with them in my hand with my big secret. I pre-ordered the new edition of Baby Bargains, too. It shouldn't come in for about a month which is great- it will prolong my researching of baby things long enough to where it's not insane. I know that as soon as I get it, it's off to start the registry I go. We got confirmation on what is covered by insurance which was some great news, as well. We shouldn't be paying more than $3,000 (and not even that)! We're pretty thrilled. Of course, J put my birth year in wrong, so we need to change that before my first appointment. Stupid boy thinks everyone was born in the same year as him. We also ordered some bibs to give to the grandparents as their "big reveal"! Busy little bees today. All that and I still went on my daily walk (3 days in a row- a big deal for me!)

Now, we're off to celebrate with a nice meal (that just no nicely worked out with the BFP) and feed baby it's first steak! Yum! We'll also be taking our first picture as Mommy and Daddy tonight to also give the parentals!

Stats:

-4 weeks and 3 days

4 weeks (and 1 day)

I'm going to be documenting the bump growth, so it only makes sense to start from the beginning. I've got a long way to go before I look anywhere near pregnant, lol. I've also seen a survey around, so I'm going to jack that as well. I'll have a new "bump" pic/survey each Tuesday on my week mark!

First off, a better digital picture (because obviously J is much better than I am):

The "bump" at 4 weeks:

• How far along? 4 weeks
• Total weight gain/loss: I need to get a scale...
• How much does Baby weigh?: less than 1 gram
• Maternity clothes? Not so much
• Stretch marks? Nope
• Sleep: With the general discomfort (the uterus stretchings, I guess) and having to pee every hour, it's been difficult to get to sleep (even before the BFP). Once I'm asleep, it's all good.
• Best moment this week: Seeing that wonderful word "pregnant" pop up so quickly!
• Movement: Just the uterus, I guess. Definitely not baby.
• Food cravings: green beans and enchiladas
• Gender: We've got a ways to find out this one.
• Labor Signs: Nope
• Belly Button in or out? Innie
• What I miss: not being afraid to go to the bathroom, but I can handle it :)
• What I am looking forward to: our first appointment- April 6th!
• Milestones: BFP! I'd say that's a big one.

My Baby:

Your baby's microscopic heart begins to beat this week—although it won't be detectable with one of those cool Dopplers for a few weeks, so you'll have to wait a little longer to hear that satisfying "whoosh-whoosh" you're so anxious for. Here's what else is under construction:

With the beating of the heart, blood will begin to circulate throughout the body. Your baby's first organ system will be up and running!

The beginnings of the brain; the cardiovascular, nervous and reproductive systems; as well as all other major systems are under way.

Your baby's new digs—the amniotic sac and the placenta (aka the hotel and the restaurant)—are still forming at this point. (Maybe you should send a housewarming gift.)

All that high-speed development and your baby is only 2 millimeters long—about the size of a sesame seed (check one out next time you're chowing down on a bagel—you won't believe how tiny it is!). 

Stats:

4 weeks and 1 day!

Pictures!

Some glorious pictures:

The first test:

The Digital:

The Reveal for when DH gets home:

My Guinness socks- the closest I plan on being to alcohol until December!:

BFP!

YAY! Here we go! Third time's a charm, I guess, especially on St. Patrick's Day! I'm so excited! That second line came up so darn fast that I couldn't even believe it. I literally had to leave the room and walk right back in to make sure I wasn't going crazy. I'll have to upload a picture later, but I'll wait until I have digital confirmation, too! 

DH wanted to me to wait until after he went to work, so we wouldn't have to get all excited and then leave for the whole day. So, I pee'd in a cup this morning after I took my temp (which scared me- still does, actually) and stuck it in the shower. I didn't want him to remember that I was testing so that it would bother him all day, and he has a horrible memory, so he wouldn't remember until he got home otherwise. After he left, I stuck that test in, and voila! Craziness.

When we found out that our due date would be 11/24, J's first (silly, no worries) reaction was that he would miss Thanksgiving, so I"m going to make some of his favorite food from Thanksgiving tonight "just in case." I also have an "I love Daddy" onesie, and I should have a digital BFP (let's hope!).

I'm off to the store! OMG!

Stats:

-4 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reservations!

We have a giftcard for Ruth's Chris Steakhouse that we got from J's company Christmas party that we just found and noticed that it expires on the 31st, so I made a reservation for us for this thursday. I'm pretty excited about it- we love steak. I hope we'll be celebrating a certain something then, as well. No spotting yet! 

Speaking of food, here's some of the goodies that I made for our Open House. I must admit that I'm pretty proud of myself. They all went over really well:

In order: Irish Flag sugar cookies, Irish Soda Break, Brown Sugar Bacon wrapped Smokies, honey glazed chicken wings, and Deviled Eggs

Here was the whole spread: 

Okay, no more blog posts for me today. I'm off for a girl's night! Hopefully, that'll keep my mind off of "spot patrol"

Same stats as earlier...

I'm not so sure...

My temp this morning is freakishly high (for me, at least). I'm not sure how to take that. On one hand, I want to be really excited. My practical hand, though, wants me to remain reserved and is the hand that freaks out everytime I walk into the bathroom, which has been fairly frequently lately. At this moment, there still has been no spotting. I have passed up all but one of my previous cycles (LP, that is) which just so happens to be the wierd long one because of the stress of my colposcopy. Interesting. However, when I was temping, I thought it was taking way longer than usual, so I took took it out of my mouth to look and see if it was actually on (this has happened to me many times). It was, so I placed it right back into my mouth and then it beeped. 98.58!!! AND, it was at 5:50am, right before my normal time of 6am. The last three days, I'd been waking up around 4am. I guess time will tell...testing tomorrow (if AF really doesn't come)

Stats:

-CD 34: 13 DPO

-testing tomorrow!

The waiting continues...

Our Open House was yesterday, and it went flawlessly! Of course, we were busy putting things away up until the point when people started arriving, but we got it all done! People loved the food I made, as well, which always makes me feel good. We had about 40 people come- a lot more than we expected! Now that that's over, we're taking a week off of housework. Yay! I'm hoping that this will coincide with getting our BFP, and we can bask in the excitement of beginning our journey to being parents. I've yet to "spot" spotting, and my temp went up a little bit again today (even with me waking up about an hour too early). I fear that I'm starting to get way too excited/anxious. Only one more morning to wait until testing morning. As long as I get up really fast and run to flush that FMU down the toilet like I've been doing, I should be fine. Is it St. Patrick's Day yet?!?

Stats:

-CD 33: 12 DPO

the Rodeo= Labor and Delivery

If you're not from Houston, then you should know that we have this big (huge, actually) rodeo every year around this time. It's the world's richest Livestock Show and Rodeo. It donates millions to scholarship/student every year and what not. Despite all the good that it does, it's just a really fun time, too. I always try to go at least once a year. Yesterday, the performer was Reba Mcintire, so we decided on that one! It just so happened to be the same one my parents chose, as well. So, I went early with them, and J met us there after he got off of work. He missed the most amazing thing! This year, they had a special exhibit set up called the "Birthing Center" (i know- of all years). We walked through and looked at all the pregant cows, goats, and a longhorn, and then proceeded to the "i'm about to pop" animals. This is where we timed it so perfectly that I saw a cow give birth. At first, I was really unsure if I really wanted to watch it, but I did. It was so fast once it actually started, and it was AMAZING! It's a girl, and they named her Melissa. I took a picture for J (who, much to my surprise, was really jealous!) and, when he got there, we went to see her. She was walking around, nursing and playing. I thought how strange it would be if human babies did that so quickly after labor...

I saw SO many (people) babies and kids there that it was ridiculous. I kept hoping that I would be able to bring my own little baby there next year. Only a few more days until testing!

Stats:

-CD 30: 9 DPO

BOO!!

• I got a sunburn from being at the zoo yesterday.
• I have watery CM today, just like I always do around this time in my cycle. Doesn't give me much hope.
• Said CM took away my solid crosshairs.
• I have a headache.

I'm losing faith in cycle 3, but I still hope. At least I only have a 1ww left!

Stats:

-CD 28: 7 DPO

the ZOO!

Today was an interesting day. I was a chaperone for the senior field trip to the zoo (yes, I got paid). I was pretty nervous about it, but it was really easy/fun! I had a great group of kids that all stayed together and were perfectly behaved. It was a pretty great way to earn some money. I'm completely exhausted now, though. It got pretty hot towards the end of the trip!

I was really worried last night that I was going to wake up to the horrendous cramping that I had last cycle at 6 DPO. Thankfully, that didn't happen. I have been having little bouts of cramping every once in awhile, though, but that seems to be pretty normal for me after O. What's not normal is the nausea (almost threw up last night!) and the lightheadedness. I always get a little lightheaded if I stand up too fast, but I've been having it happen almost every time I stand up. It's been a little better today. I fear getting the flu...

Our Open House party is this Saturday, and I'm so excited! I love hosting parties, and it symbolizes the end of all of the work that we have/are putting into this place! We're almost completely done painting (at least what we're doing now)- it'll be finished tonight! Woo-hoo! After we get this place all cleaned up and organized, I'll take some pictures and put them up for all to see. That'll probably be Sunday at the earliest. 

I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a nap before J gets home and forces a paintbrush into my hand.

Stats:

-CD 27: 6 DPO

The Same Page

FF and I are finally in agreement on when I O'd- 3 days ago. They're beautiful solid crosshairs, too. We had good timing, and it seems to be a lucky month on GP! I'm hoping that gets passed on to me. It says that we'll be due on 11/24, if we're so lucky as to get pregnant this cycle. J has pretty much fallen in love with this idea. We always go to his family (about an hour away) for Thanksgiving and then go to mine on Friday. Well, neither of us are particular fans of his family's specialty foods. His logic is: if we're still pregnant on thanksgiving/just had the baby, we won't have to go to his family, and we'll just have Thanksgiving with mine (which is just about 3 minutes away from the hospital). I'm definitly okay with this plan. Now, we just have to see if our little baby is! 

In St. Patrick's Day news, we were at Target yesterday and saw the CUTEST little t-shirt that said "I'm a wee bit o' Irish" on it. So freaking adorable. We didn't buy it, though, in hopes that it would be too small by the time our wee one would wear it for their first St. Patrick's Day. I've decided to think positive this cycle. My body has shown no indication that there is a problem, so I'm going to go with that. 

Stats:

-CD 24: 3 DPO

I'm feeling lucky!

One worry- gone. My temp finally went up today! Guess when my test date is (14 DPO)?? St. Patrick's Day! I'm so excited; it would be so fitting for us to get a BFP on "Be Proud You're Irish" Day! For sure, we'd have our little red-head. Of course, we didn't have sex last night, so that sucks. I literally fell asleep when we were watching TV on the couch, somehow moved myself to the bed, and was passed out until about 3:40am. That's when I temped (hence the open circle), but it should be pretty accurate since it's after the same amount of sleep that I would normally get. Tomorrow should confirm it for me. It'll take another day after that for it to confirm it for FF, though. With today's temp, it STILL thinks I O'd on CD 14. Ha. 

YAY! Let the 2ww begin!

Stats:

-CD 22: 1 DPO

Random Worries

First off, I was completely shocked at my temp. this morning. Not only did it not go up, but it went down. I'm guessing it's my usual pre-O dip (hoping would probably be the more accurate term). It's just odd since I had my usual O symptoms: bachache, ovulation pain, EWCM. Oh well. We shall keep having sex until I see some beautiful red lines. 

A bigger worry is my sister. My mom came over today and said that my brother-in-law's loan is almost used up to get her commercial license to fly helicopters. The problem with that is that he hasn't even finished his private license yet. He's been trying for 3 years, but he was completely non-dedicated. I've been sensing some issues between my sister and him the last few times we've all been together, and I'm guessing that this is why. He used to be a photographer for weddings and, as you would expect, he brought in quite a bit of money. Then, he just stopped and started going to helicopter school. That is no income for 3 years. My niece is 2- not good timing at all. I can't even imagine how stressed my sister is being the sole money-maker. Thankfully, she makes good money, but they'll be the first to admit that they've been stupid with money. They have a ridiculous amount of credit card debt; so much, that she won't even tell me how much it is. I fear what is going to happen, mostly for my niece. 

So, my two worries of the day.

Stats:

-CD 21

All Clear

Yesterday, I woke up early (an hour before I usually temp) and had to pee. I didn't realize that I should have temped before I got up before I was already back in bed. Can you believe that?!? I have a missing temp on a potentially crucial part of my cycle. I was/am so mad at myself. That situation made todays temp that much more exciting and, when entered into FF, those "lovely" crosshairs were cleared away. Yay! I've got tons of EWCM today, so I'm thinking that O is coming, and we'll have much better timing than if I had ovulated on CD 14. Speaking of which, you may notice an open space in the BD section of my chart for yesterday. Yup, we had a break in our marathon. I'd like to consider it like one of those days in the Tour De France (J is a cyclist) where they take a rest day and refill on carbs. Except it was completely opposite. We're both invovled in an organization that had it's first competition yesterday (Odyssey of the Mind, in case you've actually heard of it). Being pretty much the head honchos of our specific areas, we were run ragged up until late last night. We had to get to bed early because Mr. J had a triathlon this morning (only the cyclist part, though). We'll get back on track tonight, especially with the appearance of EWCM. 

Here's hoping for a spectacular temp rise in one of the next few days!

Stats:

-CD 19