25 Weeks

I'm doing a terrible job of documenting this pregnancy thus far.  Not just on this blog, but in life.  I originally had grand plans of taking a bump pic each week.  I had planned to wear the same outfit and take the photo in the same place.  Then I didn't bother to start until 16 weeks.  And couldn't be bothered to take another until 25.  Major fail.  I've snapped the occasional iPhone selfie in our battered old (think like 80 years old) mirror that's built into our closet door.  Those are some real gems.  For this picture, I  grabbed our point and shoot and dragged Austin out the door during the last bit of sunlight.  They didn't turn out the greatest, as you can imagine.  Oh, well!  Something is better than nothing!  Here is lame survey that I will continue to intermittently fill out despite the fact that it is interesting to exactly no one but me.

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 10 lbs

Maternity clothes? Glory be, yes! I waited until about 20 weeks and probably could have stretched it further with the belly bands, but thank god I didn't. A generous friend and one of my sisters-in-law (both who happen to be quite stylish) gave me their old clothes. As soon as I slid into those amazing paneled jeans, I wasn't looking back!Stretch marks? Surprisingly, no. I definitely got stretch marks during puberty and always considered them inevitable in pregnancy. I honestly don't care if I get them in the future.

Noteworthy moments? Over the past week, people have really seemed to think that I suddenly “look pregnant.” I've had a couple of strangers comment and ask my due date

Miss anything: Adult Beverages. I don't see this changing any time soon. As mentioned previously, I just love the ritual of a conversation over a drink or two after a long week. It's so relaxing and indulgent.
Movement: Oh, my goodness yes. I finally was convinced I felt movement around week 18 and by the end of that week, I could see little bumps under my skin when the baby kicks hard enough. Now it's a regular dance fest in there most mornings and evenings.
Food cravings: I was on a serious smoothie kick a couple of weeks ago. I haven't been having one for dinner every night, but it's definitely still in the rotation.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not any longer, thank goodness!
Have you started to show yet: Most certainly!  I am sometimes astonished by my belly, as is Austin!

Gender: We found out in week 18 and foolishly tried to keep it a secret. We lasted one week. Its a girl!
Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? In, but getting more shallow by the day

Wedding Rings On or Off: On
Happy or Moody: I'd say 30% moody, 70% happy...though Austin might say 40/60
Looking Forward to: Hitting the 3rd trimester in just a couple of weeks!

16 Weeks

My weeks up until this point have been spent combing, poring, and agonizing over other women's blogs during pregnancy, especially as those weeks correspond to mine.  I eat that shit up.  I just LOVE hearing about others symptoms, cravings, necessities, dreams, etc.  So here I am adding my own little voice to the chorus.

Weekly Notes

How far along? 16 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss? Initially I lost about 8lbs, but have since gained back 3.  I'm still about 5 under my pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm eating PLENTY.  In fact, this week has been a highly unhealthy week for me.
Stretch Marks? Nope.  But I wouldn't be surprised if I get some.  I have left over scars from puberty and I know they run in my genes.  Luckily,  my faded really well and I'm not concerned about the prospect of more.
Maternity clothes? None yet!  I still fit into most of my jeans (save for my really skinny ones), and I'm lucky that loose shirts are stylish right now.  I plan to go as long as possible without buying maternity clothes because holy $$$, they are expensive.
Noteworthy moments? My bump seems to wax and wane on any given day.  Some days I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and am shocked at how pregnant I look.  Other days, it looks like nothing at all.
Miss anything? RED. WINE.  Really, though, I just miss the ritual of drinks and conversation with those I love.  There is little more that I appreciate than a nice glass of wine with my husband at the end of a long day or week.  I think some mocktails might be in my future??
Any movement?  I don't think so.  There have been a couple of times I've wondered, but I'm pretty skeptical since it's still on the early side to be feeling movement.
Food cravings? Austin brought me a peanut butter knot donut from the hospital after earlier this week and I can't get it out of my mind!
Sick or queasy?  Not any longer, thank goodness!
Have you started to show yet?  It depends on the day or the person looking at me.
Gender: Unknown, but definitely thinking boy
Labor signs: NO!  And I hope this remains the case for many, many weeks.
Belly Button in or out?  Way in.  I have a deep belly button, though I can tell it's not quite as deep as it once was.
Wedding Rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody?  I'd say 30% moody, 70% happy.
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move and unquestionably showing!


I'm a little late in publishing this and will be striving to publish these on Sundays when my new weeks start. 

First Trimester Recap

Pregnant and unaware

When I found out I was expecting, very shortly after writing about my miscarriage and mild, mild struggle with conceiving, I felt almost foolish for starting to share my story hear because my timing seemed almost obnoxious.  I since decided that it's not obnoxious (but I'm probably a slightly paranoid person for worrying over something like that).  I've gone back and forth about blogging the pregnancy and at this point, have decided that I DO, in fact, want to do so.

Of course, I cannot ever keep far from my thoughts all of the mothers/mothers-in-waiting who are dealing with loss, infertility, subinfertilty, etc.  My struggle pales in comparison to so many others. Knowing even a portion of the pain they are facing makes my eyes sting with tears.  At the risk of sounding like I'm over-emoting, I truly have been changed by the struggle to get pregnant and I hope my compassion for others in similar or worse situations never diminishes.  You are all always in my prayers.

RECAP
I have to start by first saying how happy I am to be out of the first trimester.  While I had it much easier than some women, it is NOT an easy time.  Many evenings were spent moaning on the couch wondering how other women do this when the already HAVE children.  Couple the sickness with the extreme worry I felt and I'm just so glad to be in the second trimester.  Despite all the bad though, I'd do it all again for the life in my womb.

I hope to have several more children and would love to be able to look back and remember what each pregnancy was like, so here we go with a trimester recap!

HOW I FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT

Austin and I were definitely trying to get pregnant, but hadn't been having tons of luck.  I struggle with PCOS and sporadic cycles and was pretty sure that this time wasn't our time.  Nonetheless, I was 10 days post-ovulation and had a billion cheap test strips calling my name.  I took a test and promptly forgot about it for 30 minutes.  Let me just say, I've read other women's stories who claimed they "forgot" about the test and I NEVER understood how that was possible.  I'm the gal who stared unflinchingly at the test strip, heart pounding like crazy, until a negative result was confirmed.  The fact that I forgot really illustrates how little I thought I was pregnant.  

When I remembered 30 minutes later, I casually sauntered back to the bathroom and nearly fell over when I saw a faint second line.  I immediately teared up and had trouble breathing.  I spent the next 20 minutes pacing frantically around the house trying to decided what to do next. I ended up calling into work to let them know I'd be in at noon.  Afterward, I ran to CVS and purchased several more types of tests to have them all confirm what the first had already said.  So. Happy.  But also, so, so nervous.

HOW I TOLD AUSTIN

I was way too nervous/anxious to come up with any grand way of breaking the news.  I waited for him to get home that evening after work and then demanded that we go out to get dinner.  I had wanted to wait until we got to the restaurant so that I could pass on a drink and tell him why.  I ended up just showing him the test as soon as we hopped in the car.  There were tears and hugs and lots of laughs.

HOW WE TOLD OUR FAMILIES

The days the we announced to each of our families were probably two of the happiest days I've lived. Both sets of parents knew that we'd suffered a miscarriage prior, so getting to make a happy announcement this time was so sweet.  We were home for Christmas, about 11 weeks pregnant, and had seen the baby's heartbeat twice.

We told my family first.  This is the first grandchild on my side, so it was extra exciting!  We had to somewhat rush it because other extended family was scheduled to arrive about an hour after we were able to get to my parents house and we wanted to be able to tell them alone before others found out.  We got two children's book and wrapped 'em up.  We told my parents that we had an early present for each of them and had them sit by one another on the couch to open the gifts simultaneously.  My mom got it immediately and burst into tears.  My dad had to look at both my mom's and his books before he put it together.  Again...lots of tears and hugs and laughter.

We told Austin's whole family (3 siblings/spouses, grandparents, and nieces/nephews) the next day before out big Christmas meal.  Austin interrupted before the prayer and said we had one quick gift to give before everyone ate.  We had to announce pretty quickly because people would have been SUPER suspicious if I didn't indulge in some wine with my meal. For his parents (who already have three grandchildren), we told them the gift was for them, but couldn't be delivered in time (har har), so we wrapped up a picture instead.  This is getting grotesquely predictable, but yes, tears, hugs, laughter, etc.  Both moments will not be soon forgotten.

SYMPTOMS

Cravings: These weren't terribly strong/consistent.  I had a lot more aversions (basically everything).  I found that from weeks 6-10, I could only stomach eating very bland, high carbohydrate foods.  Basically the exact opposite of what you should be eating when you have PCOS.  My doc assured me that for the time being, it was fine.  I subsided on saltines, Annie's shells and cheese, toasted english muffins w/ peanut butter and strawberry preserves, and the occasional ginger ale.  When I did eat, I could barely eat anything.  Around 11 weeks my nausea subsided and I began craving red meat.  Think steaks, ground beef, chili, cheeseburgers, cheeseburger pizza, cheeseburger soup...you get the picture.  While it's not a constant craving these days, red meat nearly always sounds good.  The strongest craving, though, was definitely right before we went home for Christmas to tell our families and I suddenly remembered this artichoke dip that my mom used to make.  I hadn't had it or even thought of it since high school...so over 10 years ago.  It popped into my mind and sounded SO SO GOOD.  I texted my mom to tell her that I just remembered it and now I wanted some.  Being the best mom ever, she had it waiting for me when we arrived for Christmas a few days later.  She was thrilled to learn that it was a pregnancy craving she was helping to fulfill.  I am not ashamed to say that after over a month of barely eating, I downed nearly the entire dish myself!

Aversions: As previously mentioned, basically everything.  The most disturbing was my aversion to coffee. Prior to pregnancy, my favorite daily ritual was drinking my morning coffee while reading blogs.  I couldn't function without it.  I stopped drinking caffeinated coffee as soon as I found out I was pregnant and instead switched to decaf.  As soon as 6 weeks hit, I couldn't handle the thought of if and have been off of it since.  I'm nervous my taste for coffee won't return, but surely it will. SHHHURELY!

Other Symptoms: I never vomited, but I had near-constant nausea from 6-10 weeks.  I think a lot of folks didn't take it too seriously because I wasn't physically ill, but let me tell you...walking around on the verge of puking for 5 weeks is MISERABLE.  I just gagged constantly.  Other symptoms included lack of appetite, seriously sore boobs, tons of burping, and the ever-loathed first trimester exhaustion.  Soul-sucking, bone-crushing exhaustion.  I had to travel quite a lot for work between weeks 6-10, which was about as pleasant as you can imagine.  Sick and exhausted with a bunch of coworkers who don't know you're pregnant.  It was basically the worst part of the first trimester.

Weight: Due to aversions and nausea, I ended up losing about 8lbs during my first trimester.  I'm now at 16 weeks and have finally gained about 3lbs back.  My doc doesn't seem terribly concerned, so I'm choosing not to be concerned either!

WHEW.  I think that's about it.  I apologize for the incredibly self-indulgent amount of information.  I know I'll be so glad I documented it, though.  And my hope is that some other women might stumble upon this and enjoy it the way I have enjoyed so many other blogs with similar info!  Thanks for reading along!

Back...With News...

Well...that was a nice long three month break after barely starting a blog.  It certainly wasn't want I planned to do, but it happened, nonetheless.

Here's why.....

Color me SO SHOCKED.

Baby P is will be making his or her grand debut in early July 2015.

29 Things About Me

Stealing this fun, albeit, self-involved idea from many previous bloggers, but most recently Grace!  I'll be 29 in about 1.5 months, so 29 things it is!

1. Everyone thinks that I'm an extrovert because of my loud voice and opinionated nature, but truly, I'm much more of an introvert. I'm really good at faking it in crowds.  A weekend at home with Austin and no one else is my absolute ideal.
2. I have social anxiety that has grown worse with age, but again, no one really believes me and I fake it real good-like.
3. Speaking of copying Grace, I also took this quiz and happened to end up in the exact same category as her. Though, I definitely don't agree that it's all correct for me (uh, soft spoken, no...).
4. I'm married to a medical student.  Maybe people think I've struck gold because of this.  They clearly have no idea what medical school/residency are like.  I definitely struck gold with the guy, though!
 5. I share a name with one of my best friends.  We also work at the same company and hold the same position.  It's weird and confusing and we not-so-secretly love it!
6. I am a Speech-language Pathologist for career, but dream of the day when I can stay home for a few years with many babies!
7. We are in the process of trying to have a family.
8.  I had a missed miscarriage earlier this year and have struggled to get pregnant since. I'm feeling optimistic, though!
9. I wish I could read books in a hammock daily.
10. I love to cook, but only when I have ample energy and time.  (Read: I'm doing well to cook 2x/week when working.)
11. I love love love eating out.  Like whoa!  Nothing makes me happier than dining at delicious, local eateries with amazing food and wine.
12. I have two rules for eating out: it must not be something that I can make for myself at home and it must not be a chain.
13. Unless it's Chipotle.  I love Chipotle.
14. I have a love-thing for small/practical homes.  I abhor unnecessarily large homes and excess in general.  I recently learned that some neighborhoods have a minimum square footage requirement for people building (e.g., 2000 sq/ft) and and I find this appalling.
15. I also prefer very old homes to new.  Though I understand why many people do not share this opinion.
16. I cannot stand lounging around on vacation.  As a result, I can only be on a beach for about an afternoon.  I need to be up, out, seeing, eating, drinking, and doing!
17. I once side-swiped a cop, lost control of my car, and ran headlong into a tree.
18.  I was fine, the cop was fine, but the car wasn't.
19.  The cop felt so bad for me(don't ask me why) that he only gave me a ticket for failure to yield instead of inattentive driving which saved me many hundreds of dollars.
20. Before I met Austin, I'd never camped before.  I thought I'd hate it, but I'm straight-obsessed. Though I have a pretty low tolerance for any weather above 85 or below 40.
21. The best camping I've ever done was in Yellowstone.
22. Next I'd like to try backpacking.  I need to reference miss Natalie for some tips!
23. Speaking of travel, Austin and I have a very lofty goal of seeing all 50 of the United States together.
24. We've only hit 10 thus far (we are med school poor, y'all), so we have a long LONG way to go.
25. I grew up in  a family that was very tradition driven, especially around the holidays.  As a result, I'm just a bit obsessed with having yearly traditions.
26. This tradition obsession most certainly played a role in my conversion to Catholicism.
27. I have two dogs and one cat.  They make me legitimately happy every day and I cannot imagine not having pets.
28. I've never had a pizza that I didn't like.  I could eat it every day and never satiate.
29. Even though my next birthday is 29, I am so excited to turn 30.  I think I might be the only person who truly enjoys getting older.

Welp, there it is.  My most narcissitic post to date!

Everyone's Worst Email Nightmare

My email nightmares came to fruition today.  I've been planning a gathering for some of the folks in my department at work who I'm particularly close with.  We're a fairly large department, but only about half of us mesh well (mostly due to age).  As I packed up to leave work, I quickly typed a reminder email about the party details (BYOB and apps/desserts) and reminded everyone of the time.  Foolishly, I sent it to our entire department which resulted in a LOT of confusion and my face/chest breaking out in hives.  Luckily, it was pretty easily resolved (a significant chunk of the department was gone, so we played it off like it was a bit more informally planned than it was) but now everyone is invited.  All 20+ people and their families to my tiny little house!  Oops.

5 Faves // A Link-Up

One of my fave ways to get to know other bloggers is via link-ups!  I've been reading this link-up thread for well over a year and am excited to be joining in the linkage for the first time!

1. HALLOWEEN

 I know it's over and done, but it was as spooky as always this year.  We live in one of the more popular neighborhoods for trick-or-treating in our little city.  Our little house is nestled among much larger homes with folks who hand out full-sized candy bars to the kiddos (and teens, lets be honest).  On average, we see about 500-600 trick-or-treaters each year.  We buy the cheap candy, yo.  This year, my parents joined us and I couldn't have been more thrilled.  I was exhausted for some reason, so my parents took on the task of passing out the goods.  They also brought beef & barley soup, biscuits, and pumpkin beer.  So... Austin and I win.

Photo from Life in Grace Blog

2. SOUP

Speaking of soup...that's my next fave!  This time of year just begs for hot pots of soup on the stove or, even better, the slow cooker.  The picture above is what I'm planning for tomorrow night.  I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to soups and I'm trying to make a new one each week.  Maybe next it'll be this, or this, or this!

Photo from the daily cookie

3. AVEDA MANGOSTEEN LIP GLAZE

I am straight obsessed with this lip glaze that I got at my latest hair appointment.  My stylist obviously works on commission and is constantly pushing the newest Aveda products on me when I go in for cuts/colors.  I almost always smile and politely decline as she loads up my hair and face with the latest and greatest.  This time, as I was waltzing out, she insisted on slapping on some of this lip color that she just knew would be perfect.  I agreed that it was fab, but declined to buy some.  Days later, I was still thinking of this color and had even gone to Target in search of a similar, but more affordable one.  I never found one and broke down a week later.  I'm now the proud owner of this amazing fall lip color that I wear nearly every day.  You can see it on me here.

4.  THE HOMEBOOK BLOG

Namely, this series.  I'm kinda obsessed with Amelia's blog.  I even used the same Etsy blog designer. Thanks for sharing, Amelia, and thanks for gorgeous design, Suzana!  Anyway, this Keeping the Home series might be my love language.  The photos make me nostalgic for a season that hasn't even passed yet! I'm obsessed with the gorgeous photos, the bright, airy decor, and her way with words...gah.  She's a wordsmith, y'all.  I'll never compete with her skills, but I'll always adore them. Keep it up, A!

5. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

I know I'll be an internet pariah for saying it, but I love DLST.  Granted, I have no young children to help me despise the it, so this fave could easily change one day.  In the meantime, I find the darker evenings of November the perfect time to start hunkering down for winter and I love it. Monday evening it was raining and chilly as I made my way home from work at sunset.  When I came in, I immediately got to work lighting spicy scented candles, turning on soft lights, and starting a cozy, comforting meal.  After dinner, I listened to the rain fall as I sat wrapped in my favorite gray knit blanket sipping peppermint tea and, for a moment, all was right in the world.  I had a keen awareness that the holidays were just around the corner and I was filled with the hope of something greater to come.  

Now go!  Enjoy the other linkage!  Thanks for hosting, Jenna!