22 Weeks: He or She? Read to see!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are all staying warm and enjoying family. I know I am! I haven't been to my parent's house on the 25th in years. It was a nice change of pace to be here and soak in the comfort of familiar traditions. From cinnamon rolls in the morning to dad's "one gift an hour" plan -- it just feels like HOME! Something we probably will not be able to experience as often in years to come since we'll be carting around our little bundle! 

December has been a surge of business. {What's new!} Alex and I got back to the gym a handful of times. It was intimidating at first but our first day back was as if we never had taken a break! In fact, some of the "regulars" that we people watch are still their. Such as "swishy pants guy," "running girl," and "PINK." Now, please do not think that we are judging any of these folks. After all, it's a judgement free zone! We just don't know their names. I'm hoping that if we frequent the gym more often we will see "braids." She is this sweet little 70ish year old lady with hair to her knees and she wears it in pigtail braids. She is inspiring! 

Speaking of December, I find it amusing that Michiganders are constantly complaining about the snow. Ummm..... Yeah. I have no comment for those people. Let's enjoy it, shall we! I had oodles of fun at Steve and Amanda's this winter. They have the PERFECT sledding hill at their new house. Our craft/sledding night was a hoot. Eric was convinced {briefly} that sledding is a "dangerous" activity for pregnant women. Well, even so, I don't care! It's sledding for darn sake! We {mostly the woman} must have gone down the hill 2-3 dozen times riding on a slew of sleds - 2 saucers, 2 sleds, a toboggan, and even a snowboard. Nothing beat Ryan and Ashley's tandem stand-up toboggan ride. {No worries, I was conservative with my sled selections!} Ahh white powder! I was out of breath, face numb, but smiling ear to ear! 

We had our 20 week ultrasound on the 16th. I can't believe how fast the little nugget has grown! {FYI: We had the same technician that we had at our 8 week appointment and I feel bad for calling her a wet blanket. She is a warm and pleasant lady with a super cool job!}. Our little bean was moving and wiggling all over the place! But, had it's legs crossed for most of the appointment. And then, she turned the screen to "check" for the status. She then took a couple shots, wrote a note, and put the pictures in an envelope. We opted for the option to find out the gender of our baby outside the walls of the ultrasound room. So, that night we handed it off to our good friend Alex. 

She and Ashley planned a fun little reveal party for us. It was great to be able to celebrate with friends that we see weekly, even daily. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of our friends. Every milestone in our lives we eagerly anticipate celebrating with them. We all have this general regard for eachother's well-being. I think it speaks mountains about the character of these people. They are our light and our energy. They know our hearts and they rejoice with us and grieve with us. And, we are fortunate to be god-parents to one of the kiddos! I think it's a rare thing in life when your friends are closer than your family. {Not that we don't have great families! We just have stellar friends!}

The ladies at work even had a little party the day after we heard the news. Judy turned gender prediction into a fun little game. She had everyone vote on pink or blue paper and I brought in color-filled cupcakes the next day. Their vote : 14 girl, 5 boy.....

Ok enough sap, ya'll are like..... GET TO THE POINT!!!!

So, we tortured our families for about a week's time with the baby news. But, it was important to us {maybe just me} to reveal the news in person during Christmas parties. Having family long-distance makes those moments specials. Now that everyone is in the loop it is time to make baby V public!  Ladies and Gentlemen......  little baby VussMuffin...... is...... a.......

GIRL GIRL GIRL!!! 

Yes-sir-eee we are expecting a baby girl in May! She will have great hair and I'm sure she will be a giggly little clown. Eric and I were {secretly} hoping for a boy but we are elated to have a little girl. It just melts my heart these days when he leaves for work in the morning. Naturally I am in bed when he leaves {although I should be up and dressed by then} so he kisses me goodbye, says "I love you," wishes me a good day, and tells me to get out of bed. But, now he will put one hand of my forehead and one of my belly, kiss me, and say "I love my girls!" I MELT. This baby girl is going to be so loved. I can't contain my joy! Family, babies, love, life!! 

Ok, now that you've gotten the news I'll wrap up this post since anything else I write will be pointless.

How Far Along: 22 weeks
Size of Baby: Baby is the size of a spaghetti squash! SHE is 1 lb and forming tooth buds! 
 
Weight Gain: Total gain: 12lb eek! 

Belly: The belly is getting roundy! She's moving her way up. So far mostly carrying high, big, and round. In fact, my whole self is getting round -- holy thighs and booty!
Sleep: Rarely do I nap, but when I do I sleep for hours!
Movement: She likes to move throughout the day. I definitely feel her after I eat. Hoping that those little kicks will soon be felt from the outside.  

Symptoms: The lower back pain vanished one day. Now, I'm dealing with carpal tunnel. My doc said its from typing and sleeping on my hands. My aunt also had this during her pregnancy from waitressing. So.... looks like this is my destiny since I type and waitress haha.
 
Food Cravings: Wings last week.
 
Gender: GIRL!!!

Mood Ups and Downs: Pretty good lately!
 
What I Miss: My clothes. I've been getting creative with my options. Thanks to Em for some hand-me-down maternity clothes!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Seeing her pretty face! 


Alright everyone! Hug your mom or your dad.

18 Week 5 Days: There's No Mistaking It!

Hi everyone! I hope you are all in good health and well-fed. How was your Thanksgiving? 

We have completed our go-rounds of Thanksgiving parties! What a blessed couple weeks it has been. I might sound like a repetitive possessed Furby, but Eric and I really do have to most rad support system, which makes Thanksgiving a plentiful holiday for us. God is continually good!


It started {again} with Friends Thanksgiving with the "Tribe." Benny and Brooke were generous enough to  host and let us bring Porter so he could blow off some steam before hosting the Fitzgeralds the next day. There was sooo much food and it was all delicious. Patti arrived the next day with her clan. Yes, we hosted. And, with that came a little slap to the face when we discovered how much it costs to fry a turkey {Thanks for Sonja for the awesome wedding gift}. But, for first time turkey fryers we managed not to burn the house down. Turkey wasn't half bad either but it might take another trial or two to get it just right! Thanksgiving day we spent with the VandeVusses. Donna and Sid prepared some great food and, as always, the house was bursting at the seams with full bellies and good company. And now, I am bursting at the belly too. Too many Turkey-day dinners for this preggo.
 

Oh man! The scale is going to brake soon.

I'm sure that some of you followed the recent scare we had on Facebook involving me being "hit" by a car. When God wraps his arms around you He does it tightly!! We are sooooo fortunate that my car/person collision was not any worse than it was. Needless to say, I am going to be much more careful when walking across the road, even if I have the right of way. Thankfully the lady hadn't picked up much speed after the stop-sign! We had a follow-up appt {just in case} and everything looks great. My vitals were regular and baby's heartbeat seemed strong. Now, I just have to try to remain stress-free because I think that is more damaging than the pain after the accident. ~ Thanks for your diligent prayers! ~

I'm getting pretty revved up to see my family for Christmas. I'll be there for 4+ days!!! That hasn't happened in a long time. I can't tell you when the last time I spent Christmas day with my mom and dad. I fully expect there to be cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, celtic women christmas cds, a fire, and jammies!  Eric, unfortunately, doesn't have any vacation left {thanks to our honeymoon} so he will only be coming for the weekend following. Regardless, I love being in town to see my parents, siblings, neices, and extended family. Christmas with the DuPont's {all 60+ of them} is a unique experience filled with magic, crowded hallways, hugs, kisses, gratitude, and genuine regard and love for one another. I love being part of such a wonderful family. And, I'm glad that Eric has been able to survive the chaos over the years. Not to mention that I am eager to be able to help ease mom's stress of preparing her home for the blissful disorder! 

Another anticipated moment soon approaches. The gender ultrasound!!! I can't believe that I changed my mind! {No backbone!} I was really adamant about waiting until birth to be surprised. But, life isn't about me. I happen to be married to a wonderful man who not only hates surprises, but he has anxieties about being under-prepared for things. In an effort to alleviate the stress of house hunting and baby prepping we'll find out for this little nugget. The delight, however, comes from the compromise that we made.  Once we are settled into a permanent living situation and nestled into our lives we'll have another baby or two. It will be at that time that we will be surprised in the hospital! {In the mean time, I don't want to hear and griping or complaining about the decision that has been made. Our baby = Our decision. Sorry to sound heartless but all the unwanted, negative opinions really pinch pregnancy hormones/nerves}

I'm very eager for the reveal! We aren't too keen on the idea of being told in an office and celebrating with the wet-blanket technician on Dec 16th. So, we have decided that we will send the "envelope" to a friend and have a little get together! Then, we will reveal the news to our family members at each of the Christmas gatherings. {Might be easier said than done. Hoping people can keep their lips sealed until the last event. If not, those family members will forfeit their rights to family secrets in the future. BOOM!} Now I just have to get crafty and figure out how we want to announce the news......



How Far Along: 18 weeks 6 days

Size of Baby: Baby is the size of a bell pepper. Baby is busy moving and flexing. Its gender can be determined at this point!

Weight Gain: Total gain: Thanks to feasting 9 lbs. {I'm debating removing this section soon}

Belly: The belly is alive and well. It hates elastic and loves to be rubbed. It is enjoying cocoa butter.

Sleep: I've been sleeping better and dreaming less. Usually only up once a night to pee.

Movement: Move pronounced movements this week. The goldfish swimming feeling is still there. But, every now and then I get a little "jump" feeling or light jab. I want kiddo to get the hiccups. I hear it feels funny. 

Symptoms: Lower back pain continues but that is about it. It hasn't gotten any worse thanks to stretches, strengthening, changes to how I sit at my desk, and avoiding my lazyboy.
 
Food Cravings: Nothing specific. Sweet and salty maybe.
 
Gender: Dec 16th is our ultrasound!

Mood Ups and Downs: Not too bad lately. Just getting annoyed with all the "expert opinions" from people.
 
What I Miss: The gym.... I'll be going back after what Thanksgiving did to me.

What I'm Looking Forward to: Surprising family with the gender reveal! 

Milestones/Moments:   Working on getting our Christmas tree up! I told Eric that I didn't want to decorate for Christmas this year since we might be living out of moving boxes... well that's not happening. Thanks to Ash and Woody we have a tree to use!

Be good! Don't hit any pregnant ladies that are crossing the street! 

16 weeks: 2 days I WANT A REAL BUMP!!!

For weeks I've been consulting with my boss to see if my "bump" has emerged. She denies it's presence. I'm impatient!!

I just want society to think that I am pregnant rather than extra rolley-polley. Let's be honest, I'm sure I'm weeeeeks away from this goal!!! Grow baby, grow!! In the mean time, I'll try not to eat my entire kitchen. In fact, I've determined that being pregnant over ALLL the major holidays is probably just as torturous as being pregnant in the hot summer. For me, it started with Halloween. {Shiny Light bulb} "Ooohh excuses to buy candy!" {Light bulb Dims} "But I don't want to get huge before I'm even bumperific!" {Light bulb reaches night-light status} "Hmmm, Thanksgiving feast, Christmas baking, New Years, Valentines, Easter candy!!!!" I'm doomed! At least I've been consistent with healthy food during the work day. Smoothies, nuts, yogurt, salads, soup. But, once 3pm hits I'm in the "free" zone. The level of "free" is quite variable. Some days free means buying into the Butterfinger craving. Other days it means ordering a small pizza and eating all but one piece so Eric won't judge me for life. Bah! I'm getting hungry!



Mmmm!! Lunch. Salad bar at work is a joy to have! {This looks enormous but the plate is 8 inches}

 

It's been longer than I'd like since my last post. I'll admit, I've been busier now that I'm back on my feet. Which reminds me that my back is killing me lately. {Isn't that supposed to happen when you are size huge and ready to pop out a kid?} I'm sure that my 12 weeks of vegging have something to do with this. My back muscles need to be woken up. Thus, I'm going to be committing to prenatal yoga. Stretching and strength. Sounds like a no-brainer. Because, let's face it, if I've got back pain now, little muffin and I have got a lonnnng way to go!

Speaking of LONG, the moment I got pregnant I've developed this insanely intense allergy to living. Eric calls me "The Mucus Queen." It's quite endearing! Apparently in week 15 "congestion" is a pregnancy symptom due to inflamed mucus membranes. {Gross!} Combine that with my allergies and you've got a total basket case. I recently spent over an hour at the allergist feeling like a total alien....Trying to get meds approved, switched, talking to countless staff, getting samples....   Needless to say, my new remedy has me using 3-5 tissues a day rather than 29. Winning!

Baby muffin continues to grown. I'm feeling a whole new sense of bonding with my muffin-top lately as I'm determined that it is starting to "pop." I'll find myself watching TV and rubbing or holding my pudge. One day it will feel like a bump!



16 weeks! Feeling great! I think I'll make avocado and chicken wraps for dinner! {Bad angle. Look at that booty tooch!} 

Our dish to pass!

Our social life continues. We have the greatest friends ever. I love our little unit of support. We've been busy in the last weeks with a Costume Party for Halloween, {Ashley and I dressed up as deer... the cutest one's ever (refer to facebook!)}, Friendsgiving complete with disco ball, Hunter's 1st birthday party {The most child-focused I've seen Eric yet}, Ben and Brooke's new house, and a visit from Patti and her clan! {Thanks for the lasagna, Mike!} Even in the midst of my panic to plan for un-paid maternity leave we found comfort in our friends and in faith the last weeks! Psalm 145: 14-16 "The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food a the proper time.You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." Our blessings continue, our support grows, and our love expands!!


How Far Along: 16 weeks 2 days

Size of Baby: Baby is the size of an avocado. Mini muffin can hear now and has toenails. In the next few weeks he/she will double in size.

Weight Gain: Total gain: 4lbs

Belly: I just want the bump!! My uterus is between my pelvic bone and naval. It's getting a little harder. Not a nice, round, noticeable bumperoo yet.

Sleep: I get up 2 times a night like clockwork to go potty. I've had one nap in the last couple weeks. 

Movement: This is supposed to get more predominant this week. But, what I'm feeling isn't much different than before. It's like I'm housing a goldfish sometimes.

Symptoms: LOWER BACK PAIN! Usually after standing/working on my feet for 2+ hours.  And, vivid dreams.
 
Food Cravings: Lettuce, Wavy potato chips and french onion dip.
Gender: I'm caving in. I want to know. Figures. I'm weak!

Mood Ups and Downs: Sunday's are a bad day for to me {ask my husband}. When I'm in a mood I get bratty, sarcastic, and I cry. At least we have 6 good days, right? Eric needs to learn to let me sleep when I say "get the dog out of here, I have 2 more hours."
What I Miss: Ownership of my body

What I'm Looking Forward to: 16 week appt tomorrow!!

Milestones/Moments:   I just love it when Eric rubs my belly and talks to baby. It's the most precious moment that I have with him on a daily basis. I just love my husband!! Have I told anyone that?!?!

Be good! Don't blow away!!!

13 Weeks 3 Days

Hi Ya'll! I hope you are staying warm and well-fed. I'm loving slipper weather {more specifically, slipper-socks.... best invention ever!!!}

We made it to the 2nd Trimester!!!Whew!

I'm ready to regain my energy, which, I think is in the works. Saturday night I was not a hermit and got my bootay off the lazy-boy for a night on the town with my girls. What else are White Tail Widows supposed to do when their men are in the woods?

I volunteered to be the DD for Karaoke Night {wonder why!}. This seemed like a good idea until I had my first episode that many refer to as "pregnancy brain." I think it should be called "pregnancy black-out" as I felt like I was having an out of mind experience. Of course, the moment we pull in I'm ready to twerk and siiiiiing for all the townies at the bar. All I have to do is remove the glasses from my face, clip my keys to my purse, and lock the door using the door buttons. That's my fool-proof system... and I literally think about it every time I'm in the works. NoPe! Not this time! I took 6 steps from the car when it hit me that my glasses were still on my face and my keys were MIA. I walked to the car mumbling to myself. I began to curse, loudly, when I realized my fate! Long of the short... there were other drivers who were sober {Thanks Amanda!!} Sidenote: I was in bed after 1:45 a.m.!!Be proud!

The magic energy burst continued into Sunday. After we took a family trip to rescue Mr. Bob Brown{my vehicle} we did a little yard work. It started out as little. We took a break for lunch and then I turned into an OCD 78 year old man out in his yard, aside from pruning every branch and leaf I could see. Eric remained inside because a 1:45 bedtime turns pregnant ladies, or maybe just me, into a version of Dracula... fangs and all. It was best that we were in different areas of the home........Then I vacuumed the house {OCD style also - brush, handle, extender, ever nook and cranny}, re-organized the kitchen {Which is when Eric realized I was crazy and decided to go hunting}, baked 2 batches of muffins, and headed to watch the Packer's spank the Vikings. If this continues I will catch up on all of my laundry and then some! I'm just glad that I was able to enjoy a day doing "Allison" things. MARTHA STEWART IS BACK!! {Hopefully}

Apparently preggo selfies are harder than they look....What a cute lil bumperoo!!!... Should be popping soon! 
{I just realized I haven't changed my calendar all October. And, November is this week. HA!}

How Far Along: 13 weeks 3days

Size of Baby: This week our baby is the size of a peach or lemon.




Fingerprints!!! {Creepy: If it's a girl it already has 2 million eggs..... ew}. 3 inches in length :)

Weight Gain: Back to where I started. I'm not complaining.

Belly: I can feel the top of my uterus {per my doc's direction} :) And I've got a "full" feeling all the time... Not to mention that my muffin-top has relocated to about 2 inches above it's normal habitat. Whose body is this?

Sleep: I could use a nap... but I'd rather catch up on life.
 
Movement: This little swimmeroo has been moving more this week. Flutters after dinner and sometimes in the morning. Not gas - I'm sure. The term flutter is pretty accurate but sometimes its more like a quiver {that's a gross word}

Symptoms: Seldom - gut pains and headaches. Whoop!! Otherwise just hormonal... ask my husband.
 
Food Cravings: Meatloaf, gushers, broccoli {We'll see how long I can hold out on the gushers}

Gender: That's a whole other blog/post... I'm going to lose this battle. I'm a people pleaser!  
 
What I Miss: My clothes. I need a wardrobe with loose wastes and more sweater/cardigans! Salvation Army I'll be visiting soon.

What I'm Looking Forward to: Adding pictures to the scrap book!!

Milestones: Begin phase 2!!! 

Go ahead! Put on your slippers :)

I Couldn't Resist!! Baby Purchase #1

That moment when its snow/raining and all of the sudden you find yourself inside of Michaels on your way home from work.... It's like retail therapy on autopilot. Oops!

Yup, THAT just happened.

And, let me preface... This "happened" to me three TOO MANY times during wedding planning season. I would walk into Michaels with $20, do "the loop," and cash-out with $70 worth of useless items.

Today, I strategically brought in $9 hoping that my years of practicing self control would somehow come in handy. My mission today: Find a little chalkboard for weekly baby picture updates. Not hard, right?

I'm in. It looks like Christmas and Halloween are throwing a bad party. The smells are awesome! There is glitter, shimmer, and enticing items in every direction. I head for the $2 kids chalkboards {by now I'm a Michael's expert. I could help you find just about anything}. They don't have the one I'm looking for but I grab one anyway. I surf around a little bit. I cruise quickly through the clearance aisle when I remember that they have a wood section. ::Lightbulb!:: I have chalkboard paint at home! Sure enough, they have the shape I'm looking for. $3. Winning! {And, yes, I walked all the way back to the previous aisle to put the other item in its proper habitat}.

Then.... Out of curiosity I head toward scrapbooking {the beginning of what could be loop #2}. I would be nice to document all of the baby happenings in the form of a book, no? I dabble, unimpressed. THEN... THEN I see it! I must have it!!!! It's fate.....

 

 

It will go perfect with the woodland animals themed room I'm hoping to do. Critters, trees, mushrooms, nature - like a little hippie baby raised by mother nature and God himself!

 

Clearly my remaining $6 was not going to cover this, so I headed to the car for more cash. A $35 scrapbook 40% off. About $20, right? Here's the kicker! It rang up at $11... WINNING!!!

 

That's all :)

 

 

Hey all you snow haters! The sun is out now and its all melting away!! Smile with your teeth! 

12 Weeks 5 Days! Heart Beat Week!

I'm catching up - this will be lengthy. Life is busy. That will always be my excuse! Busy Busy Busy!!! But, that's how it goes when your are blessed with friends and family whose energy and company is contagious!

~*~

We recently enjoyed a trip to Crane's Orchard to get some apples for snacking and baking. It's always a joy  to spend time with our friends and their babies! Not to mention fresh apples and apple cider donuts!

These little cuties were great sports! They love apples!

Ashley was sneaking around, but she caught us in a great moment :)

I also learned that my husband is a natural born meteorologist. Our trip the Crane's ended with full bellies. I wanted to visit the horse farm that I volunteer at around the corner but Eric wasn't so sure we'd have time based on the clouds. Tut Tut! Looks like rain!  But, we went anyway just so I could pet some of my four legged babies and give them apple treats!

Our visit was short until Cory noticed a pig out of the pen. What to do? The owners weren't home? My pig experience consisted of collecting pig items between the ages of 8 and 12. After meeting Mr. Bacon and wasting apples trying to coax him into submission, we ended up leaving the noble neighbor up to the task. He's a chef and a farm hand. He has to have more pork experience, right? Then... just as we were leaving.... downpour!!!! I guess my loving husband has another talent :)

~*~

This past weekend we enjoyed a trip to WI to visit my homeland. I was sicky icky for a good few days and Eric suggested that I could probably use some Mama time. He was right!!

It was a great trip. Spontaneous! I really do love mini-road-trips with my best friend. We had great conversations and jammed to some Journey while in Chicago. Once we hit WI, my allergies (terrible for the last 6 weeks) turned into a full-blown cold. It was disappointing not to be able to taste Mom's good cooking! But, what's better than your mom waking your up in the morning with tea, honey, and pretzels. That is what I was needing for weeks! I love her so much.

We also had a gem of a time playing with my beautiful nieces. Those little girls are so silly and spunky. I can't imagine where they get that from!?! I love watching their little personalities develop over time. Mom put it best: Hadley will be the class clown and Aida will be the teacher's pet. We'll see!! 

~*~ 

Our 12 week visit was yesterday! We heard the heart beat!!! A whopping 158! Of course, our OBGYN made a joke about it being a girl which put Eric in a "mood" for about 20 minutes. I suggested we do some grocery shopping therapy afterward! 

158! Healthy and alive! The little "alien invader" has been promoted to jelly bean, gummie bear, and button. :) I'm feeling a lot more at ease. I had a lot of anxiety regarding the "M" word. I've seen people's worlds torn apart. Hopefully our "less that 2% chance" of losing this little bundle hold true. Either way, it's His plan. 

~*~

How Far Along: 12 weeks 5 days

Size of Baby: This week our baby is the size of a lime or a plum. MMmm!
Reflexes! Fingers, toes, and eyes! Mouth is making sucking movements. 2 inches in length :)

Weight Gain: Still not much change. Maybe a pound or 2.

Belly: Doc said that it's beginning! Right under my muffin top and getting harder. I think I'll start to "pop" sooner than some because I have such a short torso.

Sleep: Less needed naps. Although, I could sleep. Having a hard time getting out of bed.
 
Movement: Big ole ??  -- I thought I felt something a couple weeks ago. I must have been wrong. I'm just unsure.

Symptoms: 24/7 nausea is gone! Now just some gut aches and head aches. Still tired.
 
Food Cravings: Gushers, steamed carrots

Gender: Eric brought it to my attention that he is very interesting in knowing. I might have to compromise. We'll see.... 
 
What I Miss: I still miss cooking. I miss energy for playing  in my kitchen. It's fall! I should be baking!!!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Finding a home, getting a bump, announcing at work

Milestones: 1st trimester over!!! 
 

Until next time, friends. Shine on. Do something nice for someone you don't know today :)

10 Weeks 5 Days Picture ( a little late!)

Here we are :) The first of many pictures to come. Please excuse the resolution and the creeper in the background!

This "Belly" is made of carbs and starches, a gathered shirt, and my previous muffin top. Note to self... a more flattering ensemble for future comparisons.

There's a baby in there!!!

10 Weeks: Just when you think you've got it all figured out...

Finally, the cat is out of the bag! Keeping secrets is just too hard. We have thoroughly enjoyed telling our family and friends about our little nugget of love! Due Date: May 2, 2013.

This was the public announcement that we sent out via FB yesterday. It was a hit!

Eric and I officially got a positive pregger test on August 26th {Although, I had my suspicions since I was tracking symptoms on Aug11th -- some people just "know" they've conceived. Freaky!}. I was the 3rd test {all of which were positive, but my level of de-Nile was bigger than the river itself}. In fact, it was Eric that called me out on 2 previous tests and his observations regarding Porter's love for snuggling with me. Yup, it appears that our post-wedding love was strong enough to conceive a week after the "I Dos." No surprise since I'm from a line of fertile myrtles. We should have known better. But, God has a funny sense of timing and we are going to take this all in stride! 

Our first ultrasound was on 9/11/13 - what a joy! Either our technician had the personality of a wet blanket or she wasn't having a good day. She didn't give us first timers a lot of feedback. Our bebe measured 6w3d {A surprise to us since we thought we were 8 1/2 weeks and due April 20}. A couple conversations with friends later... totally normal to ovulate late. Good news... Heart beat of 120!! 

4 weeks since, everything is going fairly well. Eric is trying his best to keep up with the house since all I ever do is sleep. I finally got over the 24/7 nausea bug... which was enough to make a tough girl swim across Lake Michigan to her mommy! Ginger, lemons, tea,.. nothing was working long-term. Now, I've been graced with spontaneous and abrupt tossing of my cookies. But, a girl's got to just tough it out, wipe her face, and move on!

How Far Along: 10 weeks 5 days

Size of Baby: This week our baby is the size of a kumquat. What is that anyway? Ok, a prune. 

Bending limbs, tiny fingernails, no more nubs... real fingers! Half the length of the body is the ginormous head!

Weight Gain: At the first appointment I was up 6lbs. What? I blame it on bloating and constipation. Weighed in this morning and I've only gained 1.5lbs. Whew!

Belly: Might take a pic this week for a baseline. Not looking preg yet but my pants aren't as comfy.

Sleep: Not falling asleep at my desk anymore {it never happened, but it was close!}. I am tired in the morning but I sluggishly get up. I miss a few weeks ago when I was suddenly a morning person.
 
Movement: I think I've felt a few flutters in the last week. Kind of like a little tickle. I blamed it on gas until a friend confirmed the feeling for me {Thanks Brooke}. Still, I could totally be wrong - but, let's face it... I basically felt it when I conceived. I think I'm on to something.

Symptoms: Oye! This is no cake-walk. Bloating, nausea, constipation, lethargy, allergies, vomiting... just to name a few. But I'd say the most specific to week 10 is the surprise vomits and VERY light sensitive head-aches. Yes, I watched 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy with sunglasses on. Sacrifice!
 
Food Cravings: McIntosh Apples and garlic bread!

Gender: Sorry dears... we are planning to torture everyone {even my dear Eric} - C'mon life has so few surprises. I-phone's rule the world and we have answers to all our questions at our fingertips. Maybe for the next kiddling, but not this one!
 
What I Miss: I miss cooking dinner. I have no energy to play Martha Stewart anymore. My home misses the smells. And, I MISS BACON! Dear baby Jesus, please turn my new-found disgust for bacon around!

What I'm Looking Forward to: A new house! We are working on finding a more suitable abode for our growing family.

Milestones: I'm going to count "using a rubber-band to secure my pants" as a milestone. My tum-tum just does not like the extra pressure
 
Until next time, friends. Look for a pic soon {If I'm feeling motivated}. Otherwise, stay tuned :)