Well That's New....

15 weeks. 

I can't believe we are already that far along! That's how I feel in this moment anyways. Other days, it's more like "I cant believe we're only 15...weeks...along."

Recently I've had a couple of new fun symptoms pop up! Let's talk about the first one :

Streeeeeetching.

Lately I have the constant feeling of how you feel after eating a large meal, and you know you've over done it. Well, minus the sick-feeling. It's more of just the SUPER tight stomach, and "If I would've eaten one more bite, I'm sure my stomach would split open like a dry chapped lip" feeling. My stomach constantly feels hard, and stretched to it's natural limit. So needless to say, that has prompted me to up the dosage of my "Mother's Friend" stretch mark cream.

Not only do I feel stretched to the max externally, but internally, I feel like my body is beginning to adjust too. Now I cripple in fear and get into the fetal position when I feel a sneeze coming on. Thanks to ligament pain, I have a sharp pain in my lower abdomen with each little sneeze. It scared me at first, but my doctor assured me it was completely normal. Along with the sneezing pain, I feel like right under my ribcage, theres a slight twinge of pain. Nothing crazy, but enough to notice. So I wonder if at almost 4 months in, maybe I'll start to actually look pregnant soon, and not as if I just can't lay off the donuts and cheesecake.

The second, and probably more concerning symptom that has come up, is :

The dreaded pregnancy brain!

This is one that I feel was extremely unfair, and all of  you veteran mommies should have warned me about! It snuck up on me like an unexpected lunch-burp during an important meeting. It was a very unwelcome guest on my list of symptoms. Let me just tell you about the mess it has made for me already.

1.  I forgot to take the trash out before I left for the weekend, that trash bag had crab leg shells in it. Let me explain why this made me furious for a couple reasons. One, I was ashamed I could eat that much food by myself, and was trying to hide it from my husband. (Get that holier-than-thou look off your face, we all do it) Two, and probably the most prevalent reason being..THE SMELL!!!! Walking in Sunday night to a house that had NO A/C running all weekend with 95+ degree weather, made for the thickest....most rotten stench you could imagine. I immediately headed straight for our bathroom, feeling sick as a dog, doused my fingers with the first cologne I could get my hands on, and shoved them up my nose! THEN I sprayed my entire pillow with the cologne, held it as tight as I could, and tried to hurry to sleep to escape the smell. I woke up 4 times that night....because of the smell. Here we are on Wednesday, and I still go through the routine of leaving my door and windows open for the first 2 hours I'm home, and then point a fan towards the door to filter the air that way. I have gone through 4 candles, 3 wax melts, and 3 full cans of air freshener since Monday alone, and the smell is STILL here. Thank you pregnancy brain.

2. It almost ruined my life. That is an extreme statement, but it is true! Let me explain. Monday night I made a trip to Walmart to pick up a couple of tote boxes. See, we sold Mike's computer desk, and I needed to store everything that we had once stored in that desk. So I get the tote boxes, maybe a box of Bagel bites or something....push them in my cart out to the car, put the cart up like EVERYONE should, and go about my merry way. The night passes, nothing seems off. Tuesday passes, still, nothing seems off. I mean, once I got to work, I realized my wallet wasn't in my purse, but I just assumed I left it at home as I had done many times before. So still, nothing had me worried. 

Then came this morning. I was about to stop at the gas station on my way to work, to get a drink. It is then that my eyes shot wide open, and I furiously grabbed my phone and screamed at SIRI to "call Walmart on Kenosha!!".

 ---NO SIRI, NOT MCDONALDS ON KENOSHA. 

 ---NO SIRI!!! NOT WEB SEARCH FOR WALMART PHARMACY. GOOD GRIEF! 

So finally, like a primate, I actually TYPED in "Walmart Kenosha" into Google, and called them. I explained with a faint heart what my wallet looked like, recited my drivers license number to them on my ID, and 3 painful minutes later, the lady comes back "Yeah we have it!". The next words out of my mouth, I once again blame on pregnancy brain.... "You're kidding me! I could hug you, and I know you're probably not even the one who turned it in! I hope my cash is still in there! I never carry cash but...well, never mind, just thank you! I'll be there after work around 4!" It was like I had diarrhea of the mouth, I couldn't shut up! Luckily that woman was as honest as the person who turned it in, because NONE of my cash was missing, none of my debit cards had been tampered with, my social security card was still hidden and untouched, and my sweet baby ultrasound photos were still there. It looked as if no one had even opened it, I still had a loose receipt in there, not even in a pocket! I couldn't help but think about how much MORE of a mess I would have been in, had someone dishonest taken my wallet. With my social security card in hand, they could have caused me a life-long headache. I have never been more grateful in my life for the good people left in this world! 

So needless to say, I have learned real quick that my journey has just begun. I have a lot to look forward to! Probably the most exciting thing in the near future, is my next appointment! It's only one week away now! Assuming everything goes as planned, and baby Haney cooperates, we should find out the sex of the baby, at which point we can finally share the name we have picked out! And of course, this little mama can finally go shopping!!!! 

I love you sweet baby Haney, and I know you're destined for greatness. God has already anointed you to change the world, he told mommy and daddy so this past weekend. So we have a big responsibility in raising you. We gotta get it right, because we don't just live this life for us, but for a far greater purpose that only we can fulfill with God's help. Don't worry though, we'll do our best to teach you that. I can't wait to see you walk in the anointing placed on your life before you even make your debut on earth. You're gonna do big things, little one. We love you!

I need.....some oxygen!

In the words of Madea in the "Diary of a mad black woman", all I could think the past couple weeks after climbing the stairs to our apartment was

"Bring me...some oxygen....I need...oxygen"

Sooooo that's what prompted me, "Mal, you should probably start exercising again". See, once I found out I was pregnant, I pretty much stopped all physical exercise. Being my first kid, I freak out about everything! I was too afraid of unknowingly doing something that might harm the tiny life that had just begun in me. So I decided to wait it out through my first trimester, doing little more than the occasional walk on the treadmill during my lunch break. I initially gained 5 pounds, then lost 5 pounds, and am now at a break even point. So really, it's not bothered me too much until lately, just because I don't feel I should be so winded after a couple flights of stairs. So I started back at it, slowly, last night. I did a few lunges up and down the hallway, and different variations of body weight squats. I never knew my legs could be sore from body weight squats. It is that bad.

It's a work in progress, but you gotta start somewhere right?

Thanks to the bellyband my mom so graciously purchased for me, I am able to wear my skinny jeans again! Even the hair-twisty trick wasn't working with those babies! So thanks mom!  Now I can actually dress cute again, and not worry about someone seeing my pants flap wide open! My mom also told me about my new favorite secret weapon! It is a stretch mark creme called "Mother's friend". It smells nice and clean, and isn't greasy feeling! It supposedly worked wonders for my mom, not gaining a single stretch mark from us kids, so I'm excited about it. I apply it religiously about 3 times a day, once in the morning, once after work, and once before bed. I'm sure I'll up the dosage in the next few weeks! 

Oh hey! I turned 14 weeks yesterday! Happy day! Baby is the size of a lemon! I will have another preggo-pic at 16 weeks to share with you all!

In the meantime, here are a few fun tid-bits for my 14 week progress!

Total weight gain :  I'm proud to say, none. Yet.

Maternity Clothes?  Still wearing my normal clothes. Maxi dresses are going to become my friend. Most comfortable things ever!

Stretch Marks? Not on my stomach.........

Best moment this week?  The excitement of wearing skinny jeans again! (lame, I know lol)

Anything make you queasy or sick? Still just mexican food as of now.

Gender? Coming soon... ;) Trust me, once we know, it is ON with the shopping!

Belly button in or out? Still in right now!

Miss anything? Sushi. I know i can have it every now and again, but the cravings happen more than "every now and again".

Food cravings? Nothing new really, I have eaten a lot of fudge pops. I eat more pickled okra than normal, and always crave sweet tea.

Symptoms? Morning sickness has pretty much gone away. I get a random wave of nausea from certain smells. My back and hips ache sometimes when laying down, which makes for a rough night of sleep. Oh, and frequent bathroom trips!

Happy or moody most of the time? Lately, I've been pretty happy, happy, happy! I think the mood swings have subsided for just the time being. I'm sure Mike is happy about that part!

Looking forward to? Knowing the gender, and feeling the baby move for the first time!

Well, that's all for tonight! Goodnight friends!

You have got to be kidding me!

You know those posts people put on their Facebook status', and you read it and immediately think, "Why would you share that with the world? TMI?".....Well I'm about to be that girl. But hey, that is precisely why I started a blog, so that I don't blow up Facebook and annoy everyone with every little thought I have. A blog is out of sight, out of mind, so if you care, it's here, if you could care less, it's not all up in your face :) You're welcome.

So I made a discovery Saturday that made me think "You have got to be kidding me!". Just when you think you've hit and gone through the "I have to pee every 5 seconds" phase, my friend, it has only just begun. Which isn't the most fun thing to learn when you've got an all day shopping day planned with your mom and 18 month old niece!  It's fun enough maneuvering that stroller in and out of Saturday-before-school-starts traffic at the mall, let alone when you have to go back and forth between the bathroom between just about every single store. I mean I couldn't complete the simple task of trying on outfits in a store because by the time I found something I'd like to try on, I had to go. My mom was a trooper, never huffing or giving me a hard time!

Now, I'm a firm believer in the idea that everything happens for a God-ordained reason. (Except knats I'll never understand those.) So I began thinking, maybe the frequent bathroom breaks are to prepare me for the numerous times I'll have to stop and change a diaper or feed the baby when he or she is here. So my frustration and eye-rolling with each trip turned to smiles and a slight chuckle to myself.

I hear women complain all the time about how awful being pregnant is, and being only 14 weeks this coming Wednesday, I can't say I completely get it, but at the same time, I do. Its a huge shock to the body, for some more so than others.

You're very much like the Katy Perry song, "You're hot then you're cold, you're yes then you're no, in then you're out, you're up then you're down.... You don't really want stay, you don't really wanna go".

It's a lot to take in, especially when you feel bipolar emotionally, physically, mentally and even spiritually 24 hours a days. Exhausting to say in the least. For me though, even taking all of that into account, next to my salvation, and marrying my husband, being pregnant with this child has been the most enjoyable and blessed experience of my entire life. It's going to be hard to hold a candle to.

Thinking about the milestones we'll be hitting in the coming future....first smile, first coo, first roll-over, first crawl, first step....and so many more, it makes me tear up. Then, to make matters worse, all of you parents sending your babies to Kindergarten for their fist day today, makes me realize I need to soak up every single moment, because "life is but a vapor, it appears for a little while and then vanishes away." (James 4:14) All too soon this baby will grow from inside my belly, to the insides of a school classroom, to the inside of their first car, to the inside of their first apartment, to the inside of their first marriage, and then have a baby of their own. But for now, I'm going to enjoy what God has given us, and savor every moment. 

For closing today, I'd like to add a little two-cents from the daddy-to-be. This is on the spot, without reading my blog first. I just hollered at him 2 seconds before adding this part and said "What's your two cents on this whole baby thing? I wanna share that tonight!" This is his candid response....

 "Well, I could tell you as much as I hope you're a boy, because mom has bought a ton already, I'm just ready to find out, because mom has been freaking out. I love you regardless of what you're gonna be, I'm just ready to see you".

And on that note, obviously baby Haney, I love you regardless if you're a boy or girl too! Just ready to meet you in February!

Goodnight friends. :)

Catch me if you can!

The tagline is exactly what I feel like is going to be the catch phrase for our little one! Especially after today's ultrasound! But we'll get to that in a minute.

The past couple days have been HEAVENLY! I finally have my energy back, and don't feel like a walking zombie, counting down until my next napping opportunity! I can somewhat eat normal now. Mexican food still makes me feel sick thinking about it, and I really can't think about touching raw chicken still. Aside from that, I'm fine! I made cajun alfredo seafood pasta last night. It wasn't bad. I couldn't eat a ton, because the seafood smell was overwhelming. Mike enjoyed it though! Maybe its a post-pregnancy recipe.

I'm beginning to show a little bit! People who don't know me probably can't tell, but if you knew how flat my stomach WAS....compared to now, its pretty obvious. I was kind-of encouraged today at the doctor! I actually weigh 5 pounds less than I did at my last appointment 4 weeks ago. So that puts me back at my break even point pre-pregnancy, because I initially GAINED 5 pounds. So that was a good thing, and the doctor said it was completely normal!

Seeing our baby today was so unreal. It actually looks like a baby now, verses a gummy bear. Let me tell you now, this child is going to be on the move! It was wiggling around dancing, and then even lifted it's leg up by its head for a second! It was cracking me up. I picture it being a mini-me, who loves to be at the center of attention, combined with a mini-mike who likes to show off! I was wishing I could take the ultrasound machine home with us so I could just watch him or her grow and develop! On my next appointment, we will get to find out if it is a little boy, or a little girl, at which time we'll announce the name we've had picked out for a while now! Trust me, the anticipation is killing me! I tried to get a peek today to see if they would show the goods early, but to no avail.

Last night I got out one of my little dresses I usually would only wear when I'm in good shape. I put it on for fun, so I could see just how much I was showing. At 13 weeks, the baby is the size of a peach. He/she measured at 6cm today, right on target.

Mommy and Daddy already love you like crazy little one. You're going to rock our world in February, and we couldn't be more ready! Please be nice to mommy as you grow, don't kick too hard, and I won't eat too much spicy food. Deal? Ok. (Also, don't expect this bargaining thing to continue once you get here. I know a lot of your friends will have mommy and daddy pressed under their thumb, and rule the roost, but not you. What mom and dad says goes, and you'll know it's because we love you :)

And so it begins...

I found out I was pregnant when I was about 3 weeks along. 

This is the uncensored story of our journey from that day forward. Let me catch you up to where we are now.

When I took the first pregnancy test, it wasn't for me. I already knew in my heart, (and because of some fun cues my body was sending), that life inside of me had began growing. I took it because I knew a simple "Babe I'm pregnant, trust me."just would not cut it with Mike. In fact, even the first 2 tests I took wasn't enough proof for him. See, anyone who knows me knows I am notorious for pulling pranks. So when I initially told Mike we were expecting (with a really cute dog tag on Mojo, our Yorkie that said "BIG BROTHER") his reaction was not the huge hug and excitement I had envisioned. It went more like this, even after showing him 2 positive tests:

Mike- "What? Nuh-uh. You can take another one tomorrow"

Me- "There are 2 very positive tests, it won't change by tomorrow"

Mike- "Get 2 or 3 other brands and test this week, then I'll believe it"

So I did just that. About $50 and 8 tests from 4 different brands later, he finally believed me! Or so I had thought. On our first doctor's appointment to confirm what we had discovered, he still asked the nurse "So when will we know that this is legit?" To which the nurse responds, and I quote "Unless she handed me someone else's pee in that cup, she's very pregnant". At this point I guess he still thinks this is an elaborate prank somehow.

About a week and a half after the first appointment, we went back for the first ultrasound so we could see just how far along we were. Since we weren't really trying, it was anyone's guess as to how far we were exactly. Turns out, we were 9 weeks and 1 day! 

Now when I said "weren't really trying", let me explain. On May 28th, our 2 year anniversary, we had decided to start trying, and didn't say anything to anyone. With my history of bad-luck with certain birth controls, I just knew it would take us 6-12 months to have any success, and was ok with that! Well, if you do the math, like Mike and I did immediately after we left the appointment, we discovered we had actually conceived about 2 weeks before we had decided to "try". So it was confirmation to me, that this was in fact a God thing!

At just before 10 weeks, we broke the news to all of our friends and family. That was the hardest secret to keep, and the most fun secret to reveal! We were reminded of how amazing of a support system we have, and re-affirmed of how much love this little boy/girl is going to feel!

Up until I was about 10 weeks, I suffered from extreme nausea, mainly at night. Throughout the day, my main issues were food aversions, never being able to eat without regretting it 10 minutes later, and exhaustion. Mexican food went from being my favorite of all time, to making me gag at the sight of it. I could hardly make it through my work-day without taking a power nap on my 30 minute lunch. I also had periodic headaches which I attributed to the caffeine withdrawal.  

Week 11 is when the food aversions finally started to go away, and all I wanted was kid foods like spaghetti-o's and pizza lunchables. I also craved greasy foods, and my choice was usually either Chicken Nuggets from McDonalds (gross, I know!!) or a Cheeseburger from Sonic. However I really had to be careful because heartburn was always sure to follow! (Note to future pregnant self...heartburn is worse than you remember, please don't give me greasy foods!) I discovered Starbucks made decaf Fraps, and threw a fit when Mike wouldn't make a run for me at 10:00PM one night. After realizing he wasn't going to give in, I took my pajama-clad, hot-mess self and went! THAT'S how bad the cravings get. My friend Portia had tried to tell me a long time ago, but I dismissed the idea, thinking I had this will-power of steel mentality. I have never been more wrong in my life. Cravings always win. Always.

That's pretty much how I have been until 12 weeks 5 days, which is today. It has finally settled in, that Mike and I are going to be parents. February 19th is our expected due date as of now. It seems so far away, but at the same time SO near. Wednesday we go for our 13 week check-up, where we will get to see baby Haney on ultrasound again! I can't wait to see him! (Yes, him. I've had 4 dreams its a boy, but we'll save that for another blog.) While I'm doing this blog mainly for Mike and I, and future pregnancies, I hope you get some entertainment from our story. It will be raw, and real. God Bless!

 (12 weeks 1 day)