::13 weeks::

Let's start with "the survey"...

How far along? 13 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: still down a couple of pounds from the first appointment.
Maternity clothes? yes! maternity pants...i loooove them!
Stretch marks? nope...let's not mention them and maybe they'll stay away! :D
Sleep: yeah...my sleep has sucked lately. i wake up at least 3 or 4 times a night and always wake up tired. :/
Best moment this week: getting to HEAR the heartbeat. it sounded amazing!
Movement: Still none yet!
Food cravings: ...nothing...well, popsicles, but that's about it!
Gender: 6 weeks till we find out! :D
Labour signs: nada.
Belly button in or out? innie
What I am looking forward to: getting to buy gender specific stuff!
Milestones: again, hearing the heartbeat, oh and entering the SECOND trimester! woohoo for that!

Okay...details. My appointment was scheduled for yesterday at 3:15. Kevin, unfortunately, couldn't get away from work so I had to go to this appointment by myself. No biggie. I know he wanted to be there but I assured him I'd be fine by myself. Anyway, when I arrived at Seasons they let me know that Dr. Looney, the doctor I was scheduled to see, was on call and had been called to Labor & Delivery and that it could be a while before he got back. I was in no hurry, so I said that was fine and I'd wait. In the meantime, I did the routine "pee test"/blood pressure/weight thing. After finishing that the nurse took me into the examination room, asked me a few questions, then let me know I'd get to hear the heartbeat. Instantly I was 1/2 excited and 1/2 sad (b/c Kevin wasn't there). So, she put the doppler on my tummy and started searching for the little bean. I was getting nervous because it was taking her so long and started getting scared. Finally, she found what she THOUGHT was the heartbeat, listened for a few seconds, and said it was 110. Again, I got scared because at the ultrasound the heartbeat was 166, which is much better than 110. So, she left the room and I instantly started searching on my Blackberry to see if 110 was normal/bad/okay/etc...

After waiting about an hour (ew) they came in and told me Dr. Looneys visit to Labor & Delivery had turned into a C-Section and that I'd be seeing Dr. Samuel. I was fine with that because I know eventually I'll get to meet all the doctors. So, Dr. Samuel came in and introduced himself. He informed me we'd be offered the quad screening at the next examination and gave me information on how it can detect Downs syndrome and spina bifida (yeah, i dunno if that's spelled right?!)...however, Kevin and I have decided (for numerous reasons) that we'll be skipping the quad screening. He then asked me if I had any questions, which I did...about my sore throat and lack of sleep.

Finally, Dr. Samuel (much to my relief) said "Let's check this heartbeat again...there's no way it's 110!" So, he got the doppler again and started searching. Just a few seconds later I heard what I KNEW was our babies heartbeat! This time it was much louder, stronger, and faster than what the nurse had found. After a few seconds Dr. Samuel said "Great! The heartbeat is around 160, which is perfect! The nurse must have picked up YOUR heartbeat...or who knows what!" Glory to God I was SO SO SO SO SO relieved to hear "160" come out of his mouth!!!!
So, I was very happy and 110% satisfied when I left the doctors office!

We go back Feb. 17th for our next appointment then we'll go back about 2 weeks after that to find out if we're Team Blue or Team Pink!!!! :) We're very very excited!

**thanks for the continued prayers...we are so lucky to have such amazing families and friends!**

i found Heaven...

in the form of maternity pants!

Yes, I'm 12 weeks and I'm not afraid to say "I'm too fat for my pants!!!!!"...okay, I say that with a sad face. I was really hoping I would be one of those people who'd get to wear their regular clothes till like 20ish weeks...but no. My body has other plans. First it was my jeans...then finally my work pants. I can't handle pants cutting me in two! SO, I got the maternity pants I ordered from Old Navy. I tried them on and I swear I could hear angels sing!!

I wasn't sure how they would be made and if they'd even fit right now, but they DO and they feel AH-MA-ZIIIIING!! I'm so excited. Sad, I know.

Okay, in other news. Today is our 12 week mark. I didn't take a picture this morning...because of the "my pants are too tight and i'm miserable" moment I encountered. So, I promise to take one tomorrow! *bad llama* I'm feeling pretty good. Morning sickness is slooowly disappearing. I still can't eat alot, and worse of all I'm not sleeping good. I wake up about every 2 or 3 hours...which sucks! I'm so tired at night and basically pass out when my head hits the pillow, but then I'm wide away 3 hours later and every 2-3 hours after that. Needless to say, I'm still exhausted when I get up in the morning! Oh well...maybe this is Gods way of telling me this child is going to eat every 2 hours. :P

There aren't too many things I'd say I'm "stressed" about when it comes to this baby. I know I've never raised a child, but my theory is that if everyone else can do it, it can't be rocket science, and as long as I love my child, feed them, and provide them with the necessities everything will be okay. However, the thing I AM stressed about is dAyCaRe! I'd give ANYTHING to be able to stay at home, but that's not going to happen! SO, I'm starting to look around at daycares in the area. I'd love to be able to find someone who takes care of a couple kids in their home, who I trust 110% and who will keep them till 6:15-6:30 on nights Kevin and I both work late...is that asking too much? Seems that way. Most daycares close at 5:30...not bad if Kevin is off work early, but what if he's not!? Problem #1. Then there's the whole "Oh lord, my kid in a room with 20 other kids who are snotty nosed and sick..." which means if YOUR kid gets sick you have to keep them home, miss work, etc. Problem #2. HOPEFULLY, we'll be really lucky and find just what we're looking for. I pray God sends us someone who will take care of our little one while we work and allow us to leave them and feel 110% comfortable. LOTS of prayers for that...

...okay, I'll shut up now! More updates SOON! :)

i promise to be more interesting...

but i guess having a "boring pregnancy" is a good thing, right?

so...we're at 11w3d...ALMOST out of the first trimester! woohoo! and, i hope i'm not jinxing myself, but the past 2 days i've felt REALLY good. barely any nausea, eating at least 2 decent meals, and getting a few things accomplished around the house! after having that "omgiworked9hourstodayandnowicantholdmyheaduporeventhingabouteating" syndrome for about 5 or 6 weeks i gladly welcome feeling great!

i'm still not showing, but it's way early for that...i think? i DID use my old navy gift card (christmas gift from my parents) to order a few pair of maternity pants. my work pants still fit but all of my jeans are too tight. :( i know it's not b/c i've been eating alot...a bowl of cereal, a pb sandwich, and 3 popsicles within a 24 hr period DOESN'T count as alot...so i guess it's just bloat.

kevin received a gift card to bass pro shop (his favorite store in the world) for Christmas but couldn't really find anything he wanted. SO...he decided to order the baby a little something. we just got it today and it's ADORABLE! i can't wait to put our little one in it...
here it is...

adorable? YES! haha. it's a moose! it's actually a darker brown and has a little stub tail on the back. yeah, our kid may hate us when they get older and see a picture of them in this thing, but mommy & daddy are gonna have fun with it while they can! haha. :)

next dr appt is Jan 19th...i'll update then! :)