16 weeks

Apparently hitting the second trimester shot Mike and I into super-productive mode, mainly meaning, we went nuts on our house and preparing for baby.

The Garden

We had discussed building a garden last summer already, but didn't get much further than a few tomato and pepper plants. This year, with a baby on the way, we decided we'd build our garden (as much as we could do for now) so it would be ready for next summer, when Baby is going to be already 5-6 months old and we won't have much time for building anymore.We started with a flat plot of the backyard which once was a garden but had become overtaken by thistles, an invasive species of oregano, and other weeds. We tilled the entire plot last fall and laid weed killer. This spring, Mike retilled the plot, built the beds, and laid weed blankets and chips down in addition to grading the soil for proper drainage. And, voila! End result is a beautiful, delicious garden of arugula, red and green leaf lettuce, kale, broccoli, bell peppers, hot peppers, jalapeno peppers, beekfsteak, roma, and cherry tomatos, zucchini, and cucumbers. We did have carrots and spinach, but we also had a bunny nest that turned up about 8 feet from the garden before we got to placing a fence, so alas, the spinach and carrots did not make it. Oh well, next year!

The Kitchen

So happy to say- we are ALMOST done with our kitchen! Just a few more finishing touches and we're done. We decided to wait on installing the island since we'll be doing the upstairs bathroom yet this month so it's done before it's cold and before the baby comes. But we just can't believe how far we've come, and how beautiful it looks (all thanks to Mike!). For those who weren't aware, Mike made us new cabinets (yes, he actually built the frames and the doors, all with his own two hands and a lot of sawing and routing and noise), tore out the closet and wall and moved the refrigerator to an opposite wall, installed new counters, redid ALL of the electrical (the only original electrical in our kitchen now is our ceiling light), redid ALL of the plumbing, re-routed the dishwasher and installed a garbage disposal, installed undermount lighting in all the cabinets, and installed a wine rack in one of the cabinets. In short- I am AMAZED. And so, so grateful I've got him. Once it's all done, we'll put up pictures. For now, a preview of my husband's epic wood-working skills. It only took us 5 months!

The Stairs

Once again, the Restore was our best friend. The store only accepts new carpeting as donations, and the morning I stopped there they just happened to get a new donation from the local carpet store here for left-over carpeting. And, lucky for me, I found a big 90 sq ft roll of new carpeting in the perfect color for the basement stairs for $20! Yay!

The Nursery

Bisselled the carpeting, painted the walls, decorated with trees and a treehouse with a little black lantern, and it's any baby's dream :) Seriously, we love it. We can't show it to you just yet because it isn't quite done, but it will be soon. Since I have class until December and Baby's due in January, we wanted to get these things done nice and early to avoid having any unnecessary stress later and during the holidays. Speaking of the holidays...

Christmas gifts

I had this incredible epiphany about a month ago while doing the dishes. I was standing there cleaning in our kitchen, thinking about how much more room we'll have to function in our kitchen this holiday season, when all of a sudden it hit me: "Holy beans, I'm term on Christmas Day."

In case you're confused (and most people are) by the difference between my term date (12/25) and my due date (1/14-16), here's a quick explanation:

Babies are considered medically sound, or "term," at 37 weeks. This mainly references the development of the baby's lungs- the last big thing to get done producing the appropriate amount of surfactant ("lung lubricant") and function properly in preparation for birth. Most babies are born between 37-40 weeks, though some might be a little earlier (34 weeks is the actual point when the lungs are done developing, but still not done producing surfactant or learning how to function), or a little later (40 weeks is considered the norm).

A baby's due date is based on the calculation of 40 weeks from the mother's last menstrual period, though conception does not occur until approximately 2 weeks following that initial point. This being said, while an entire pregnancy "cycle" is 40 weeks long, an actual pregnancy, from conception to birth, is approximately 38 weeks long. For medical purposes and because it is deemed more accurate, doctors, nurses, midwives, etc. use the 40-week menstruation-to-birth reference to date pregnancies, though you weren't actually pregnant for the whole 40 weeks.

This being said, hitting my term date on Christmas Day sets me up for a slight bit of inconvenience regarding Christmas-gift purchases. I mean, let's be fair, would a tired, caffeine-deprived hippo on the verge of exploding do well in an over-packed mall of crazy shoppers? Probably not. So Mike and I decided to do the online approach this year, and managed to get all of our Christmas shopping done already :) Not to mention, shopping online is WAY more fun when it comes to finding more unique, fun, and interesting gifts in comparison finding generic things in the store. So there we go: one less thing to cross off our list.

In other news, this past week I had the pleasure of having my first stranger comment on my bump! YES! Sortof... it more or less went something like this...

16 week bump

Cashier: "Honey, do you need help taking your bags out to the car?"

Me: "Oh, no, I think I've got it?" (it didn't really occur to me why someone would ask this since no one has before)

Cashier: "Are you sure? You don't wanna twist the wrong way, it could really mess things up for baby." 

*awkward pause*

Cashier: "...you are pregnant, right? Shoot, I'm sorry..."

Me: "Oh! Yes!"

Cashier: "You're pregnant or you need help with your bags?"

Me: "Oh, yes, I'm pregnant, and I think I'm ok with the bags."

Cashier: "I KNEW IT! HOORAH! PRAISE THA LORD! That is just SPLENDID! How many months are you? Is it a boy or a girl?" (yes, the cashier at Lowe's really went crazy over my being pregnant)

*long stupid pause... what's 16ish weeks into months? crap...*

Me: "Oh, ummm, four? And I don't know yet."

Cashier: "Well ain't that clever! Well, you have a nice day there, honey! Pretty soon you gonna need help with them bags!"

So there it is. A random lady at the hardware store noticed my bump. I am officially pregnant on the outside! Or it may be due to the fact that Mike and I have been to Lowe's almost every day for the past 2 weeks buying or returning items we need or things we found around the house we never used (trust me, it's very awkward when the cashiers know your name). I have yet to have anyone at work notice, or say they've noticed, but that might be due to the fact that 1) I wear surgical scrubs to work, meaning I basically look like a bag of potatoes anyway, and 2) they may just think I'm eating too many donuts on my days off and don't want to say anything. I can respect that. The longer I can go without anyone acknowledging it, the better off I'll feel.

Other than that we are doing great and really enjoying the progress we made on our house, preparing for Baby, getting ready for fall and school and the holidays. Soon I'll be back into the swing of things for my last clinical practicum (in Labor & Delivery, the NICU, Mom & Baby and the Women's Clinic) and can't wait! 

Gender Prediction!

As many of you might have heard, there are quite a few myths (or are they...) out there regarding how to predict prior to the 20 week ultrasound whether you are having a boy or a girl. Below we have listed a few tales, as well as those tests based on medical research (for Mandy's sake, of course) and Mandy will be answering them in accordance to her pregnancy, BEFORE she finds out if it's a boy or girl, at our Gender Reveal in September! Should be a pretty fun and exciting time to hear just how applicable, and accurate, some of these could be!

Old Wive's Tales

Heart rate 140-160 or 120-140?

Cravings are sweet or salty?
Emotions: Moody or Happy?
Had morning sickness: Yes or No?
Is your skin Soft or Dry?
Side you sleep on: Right or Left?
More headaches than usual: No or Yes?
More Clumsy during this pregnancy? No or Yes?
Mom is carrying: High or Low?
Dad's weight during this pregnancy:  No Change/Lost Weight or Gained weight?
Mom's feet during this pregnancy: No change or Feel colder than usual?
It is obvious to tell you are pregnant from the back: Yes or No?
Summation prediction (Age at conception + Number of Month of Conception): Odd or Even?
Mayan Calendar states Mom's Age & Year of Conception: _______?
Chinese Calendar concerning Mom's Age & Month of Conception: ________?
Needle Test: __________?
Wedding Ring Test: _________?

Tests Based on Medical Research
6-8 week Placental Placement:  Left Lateral or Right Lateral?
12 week Nub test: 180° or 30-60°?
12 week Skull Theory:  Flattened or Prominent?

Oh Baby...

Who would've thought a 4-5 inch long little baby could make your stomach look so darn big?! I have not gained a pound (yet), and somehow my tummy decided it was finally going to look pregnant. I'm thankful- no more of that silly muffin-top looking thing going on, now it's all in the front (boy, maybe?). I've been having a lot of fun painting our nursery, and it's really coming along quite nicely. Birch tree, oak tree, little tiny maple... soon it will turn into a little wilderness or an enchanted forest. The little tree house that was present when we bought the house is becoming cuter and cuter as the nursery comes along. A little lantern, a nook for reading bedtime stories, and shelves lined with books. We've been collecting children's books for a while now... potentially since before we got married, just because we see reading as such a marvelous source of imagination and wonder in a child's life.

Something we also did this week- register! And let me just say, registering for a baby is a thousand times more overwhelming than registering for a wedding. Luckily, Mike and I had a lot of great input from our doctors, friends, family, and did a lot ("a lot" is really an understatement) as to the must-have's and don't-need's for baby. And we STILL had a hard time deciding... do we register for high chair that attaches to any chair with a back, or do we get a fold-away stand-alone high chair? Nevermind the high chairs that they now make that attack directly to the table, and the baby looks like it floating in mid-air. Is that even safe?

I personally never knew just how much it helped to have had experience through my work for child safety and what an infant and toddler does and does not need. Sound spa? Yes please! Mesh container for bottles to go in the dishwasher? Oh yeah! Adorable little outfit with bumblebees on it... I'm sure we're going to get one regardless :) After an hour just at Babies R' Us alone, we decided we'll come back in a bit to go crazy again. Mike had WAY too much fun pushing all the different types of strollers around the store. And the weird part was, no one even gave him a second glance. Nevermind the baby toys and building blocks aisle... I decided it was time to go home when Mike started asking about a demo for the breast pump. Not today, sweetie!

Overall, planning for a little one is probably the most joyful, exciting, and terrifying experience we've ever experienced. We love it, have done hours of research into all the five star rated, crash tested, mother approved gizmos and gadgets, and yet have no idea what we're doing. Have a suggestion? Email it to us! Comment here! Tell us something you loved or hated having when you were figuring out what worked and what didn't. We would LOVE your input! There's no one better than family and friends to help us survive this beautiful whirlwind :)

Oh hello, 2nd trimester!

First trimester: done! And I can't believe how fast that went! Other than a scent aversion to magnolias and some mild dizziness when I got dehydrated, I feel extremely blessed to say: that wasn't bad! We were able to have an amazing time on our trip and, other than not getting to enjoy my favorite glass of wine when we'd go out to dinner, we got to enjoy everything we wanted to without complications :) I did have plenty of virgin piña coladas while down there tho. Yum! And somehow I still managed to lose almost 8lbs over vacation. Don't ask, I don't know. Probably because we were biking and hiking and swimming and walking a lot every day. But doctor says I'm fine, so no worries for now.

Mike and I went in for our first trimester screening this past week and got our 12 week ultrasound: and Baby now really looks like a baby! Eee! 

We were amazed (Mike's jaw literally dropped) by how much Baby has grown in just a month! He/she was sleeping when we first arrived (jealous... we were there at 6:55am, I should've been sleeping too!), but once the sonographer started pushing on my tummy it woke right up and started kicking it's feet like crazy and decided to do a big stretch (or wave:) for us (and for those wondering- nope, no kicks yet, you can't feel that until about 16-18 weeks). And they said by the looks of it, Baby is two days ahead of the game right now for growing, but that number can move back and forth throughout the pregnancy. But who doesn't want to hear their kids ahead of the game before they're even born? What a champ! So we had a blast watching the baby wake up for a couple minutes then go back to sleep. Now it's starting to sink in :) that, and my shorts are getting very, very uncomfortable.

Other than that, we're welcoming the 2nd trimester and praying it goes as smoothly as the first! We'll be welcoming the 3rd trimester in October :) 

Hiking. Pregnant.

Not to self: if you're going to go find a waterfall in the middle of a national forest while pregnant, take note of the difficulty of the trail  before you're halfway down the trail. 

Not one of our finer moments, but when you plug directions into your iPhone and it tells you the only way to the trail is to "park your car and walk 1 mile to trailhead," and it's all you can get before you totally lose all reception, well, that's what you do. 

So, out we went. One and a half miles into the hike, Mike pauses and asks me "Did you know this hike is rated difficult/challenging?"

Um, no. If I did, I wouldn't be standing here in my flip flops. "Where did you read that?"

"It was posted on the little map at the trailhead. It also said there was a road we could've driven to get to the falls instead of  hiking. Or we could've stopped at this rest site with the car and then walked instead."

Silence.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" I puffed. (if you've had pregnancy exhaustion, and can appreciate that I honestly only go legit hiking every couple months and rarely in 95+ degrees, you can probably understand that my face looked something like a mix between Violet Beauregarde and a beefsteak tomato).

"I'm sorry... I thought you knew."

Nope.

But on we went. I wasn't about to stop now, I already felt like I was going to die, and turning around and just hiking right back up the cliffs would be a thousand times worse. So, 4 miles later, I was very ready to head back to the pool. And probably just spend the night on my floatie there with an oxygen mask on, too.

The almost 70 foot high Brandywine Falls was beautiful, though, and well worth the hike. I highly recommend a visit to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park if you ever happen upon Ohio, though as Mike and I both observed it very much so resembles the forests of Wisconsin (however the campsites are MUCH more secluded). Mike of course jumped the railing to climb down to the base of the falls, after literally forbidding me to go because of the steep climb and moss-covered ledges (probably a good idea for the pregnant gal, in hindsight). I was very jealous, but it proved for a great picture. And he got to cool off in the cold water of the falls. Again, jealous.

We also went to The Arcade (the oldest mall in America, built in the 1880s) which was absolutely stunning. The intricate detailing of the mall was impressive. At the time of its development, the building of the Arcade in the 1880s cost $875,000! That's a lot even today, so that gives you an idea of how rich this mall really was. We also took a quick walk down the strip to the Fountain of Everlasting Life, a 35 foot high memorial to veterans who lost their lives in war. We also went to Lakeview Cemetery to see the historical masonry of the gravestones there, and the intricate tomb of President Garfield- the only presidential tomb open to the public. Again, beautiful. Something interesting to us both, was the similarity of Cleveland to Milwaukee. The cities are so strikingly similar in their architecture and placement- both on a Great Lake, both within a half hour to a massive forest/reservation, both with the same types of buildings and look downtown, both dotted with the markings of a nearby Big Ten university. And both surrounded by farmland. Mike and I both agree- of all the states we've been to so far, Ohio seems to be the most like Wisconsin (but it's no where near as awesome, obviously).

10 weeks in 10 States

Ten weeks along now and we are starting to feel like I'm pregnant and not just overdosing on the Dunkin Donuts (finally!). Though Dunkin Donuts was our morning coffee date a couple times in Florida since it was just a block from our condo. Florida was beautiful, hot, and sunny. Everything we would've hoped for. The hottest days it rained in the beings, cooling it down and bringing in a sweet ocean breeze. Exactly what we needed before coming back to reality this coming week. But not too quickly of course. As I write this (because what else do you do when stuck in the car for 8 hours?), we're just south of Cleveland, OH where Mike will be for the next week getting trained for some work accreditation. Perfect timing, because it gives us a couple more days to come back to "reality" before jumping into or busy lives at home in Wisconsin, and Mike's work of course is covering the whole thing. So yay for a second week of "vacation" :) We've now managed to hit 10 states in less than a week: Wisconsin (obviously), Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Ohio. That's a lot of driving! (about 2,740 miles so far... wow). But boy do we have a lot of pictures, and saw many many beautiful views of the Midwest and Southeastern US. We'll be sure to post a link to the gallery of our travels later.

The nausea did hit on our way down to Florida, but it appeared to be associated with driving in the car and having an empty tummy. So, per the doctor, I was told to rest a lot and eat a lot, and enjoy the beach a lot- and she sent me a prescription for zofran down to Florida, just in case.

For now, as far as I'm concerned, I look something like a cross between Dolly Parton and a Cabbage Patch Doll. Mike has been the perfect husband per the usual, assuring me I'm beautiful and that "you can't even tell" (seriously, he's a real charmer). But there is that bump that looks more like a pudge pocket right now than a baby bump. I'm praying in a couple more weeks, I'll look a little more pregnant and a little less Dolly. For now, I suppose this will have to do.

We did have our first ultrasound at about 9 weeks, and met our little blob for the first time and heard his or her heartbeat which was REALLY neat :) Mike really loved hearing the heartbeat (which was beating at about 150 beats/min, which is more than twice as fast as my own heart beat, but perfect for a baby!). And, thankfully (for us), there's only one. No twins for us (Hallelujah!).

Here's the 9 week ultrasound. Meet our blob :)

9 weeks pregnant with the WEIRDEST dream.

Remember that dream I once had that Mike was the T-Rex from Toy Story and I was a velociraptor, and we were both sitting on our bed and all of a sudden he decided he wanted to eat me? Well, for those of you who have had the pleasure of hearing the whole narrative of that dream, it does, in fact, get weirder. The T-Rex dream wasn't even when I was pregnant- so if you thought that was good, just wait until you read this one.

Now, I have to preface this by telling you, Mike and I recently watched the movies Life of Pi and The Impossible. I highly, highly recommend you see The Impossible if you have not seen it yet, because it is an incredible true story of the survival of one family through the tsunami of SE Asia in 2004. I am a huge sucker for non-fiction, and this one is without a doubt a real tear-jerker, but I promise it's a good ending. We also recently visited Pioneer Village- a historical museum in Grafton, WI where Mike's Grandpa's printing press is on display. And lastly, last night when Mike cut the first slice of our anniversary cake, I dropped it in a pile of Cooper's hair leftover from when I had given him a haircut earlier, and it was COVERED in hair.

If you have seen those movies and can imagine those things, you'll see where my dream managed to draw some of its "inspiration" (aka, complete weirdness) from.

It began with Mike and I, along with his brother Billy, sister Patti, neighbor Megan, and a whole bunch of random strangers hanging out at Pioneer Village. Except instead of being in Grafton, WI, it was in the middle of a tropical cornfield in the middle of nowhere. Yes, I said tropical. As in rainbow-colored corn with big green and yellow leaves and weird animals walking around. And we're all hanging out here, when all of a sudden a huge black wave of water shows up on the horizon (cue The Impossible: The Tropical-Cornfield  Pregnancy-Induced Tsunami of 2013), and it just happens to be coming right towards us. So of course, because it is my dream, everyone turns to me and asks, "What do we do?" And I hastily reply, "Run inside that barn over there!" Which is exactly what we do.

"Now what do we do? Go in the basement?" asks Billy

"Don't be ridiculous. If you go in the basement you'll just drown once the wave gets here. We're all going to die anyway, so just sit down and wait." (look how positive I am!)

So we did. And then the wave hit the barn, and everything disappears. And the next thing I know, Mike and I are hanging onto a big piece of wood floating in the ocean. And there is a big tiger swimming around us (cue Life of Pi).

Suddenly, we're washed up onto a tropical island, with a big wooden crate and inside Billy, Patti, her husband Curt, Megan, and some little kids are waiting for us. The little kids are Indian, and tell us we are on a deserted island and people who land here don't usually return home.

Great.

And here come the giant carnivorous sheep. Yes, I'm talking huge sheep with long teeth like those of alligators, and they have red lipstick on and are charging at us. They start trying to attack us, but I, being the hero of my own dream, realize that if you dislocate their jaw, they start walking in circles and can't do anything to you. So I yell this to Mike and Billy, and they start to do the same. So now we're on a deserted island with little Indian boys and carnivorous long-toothed sheep that are walking in circles. Weirded out yet? It gets better.

So here we are, hanging out in our crate with the weird sheep walking around, when Mike and Billy decide they're hungry and are going to go find food. The walk out into what looks like an old deserted field lined with lawn mowers and hundreds of Weber grills (but, this island was deserted, right?). And all of a sudden this old Neanderthal-like man runs out from nowhere in a loincloth, accompanied by a group of old wrinkled women, and picks up rocks as though to throw them at Mike and Billy.

"No! You can NOT do that!" I yelled at him.

"Oh, why not?" he asked me.

"Because it's our anniversary."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that."

So he stopped, as simple as that. And then decided to take us into his house that had 10 beds lined up on the floor, with two dressers at each end. "You can all sleep in the beds- usually the babies sleep there, but we just stick them in the dresser drawers tonight."

Oh, that sounds nice.

But it doesn't end there. Our Neanderthal host only felt it necessary that we be fed the best food there is- and for him, that was hair-filled grapefruit and hair-filled grapes. I'm taking, when you cut open the grapefruit or bite the grape, it's filled with black, gnarly hair and a little bit of fruit.

So he said to us, "You might have to pick out the hair. Some of the plants have more hair in their fruits than others."

So I, being the amazing biology major that I was, suggest, "Why don't you take the seeds from all the less-hairy plants, and plant those next season and not the super hairy plants? Then the next season the same thing. Maybe you can eventually eradicate the hairy-fruit plants." And he, being the geneticist Neanderthal that he was, thought this was a brilliant idea, and decided to reward me with a baby from one of the dressers.

And then, Cooper punched me in the face and woke me up from my lovely dream.

No, I didn't embellish. How could I? Who the heck, in their conscious, right mind, thinks up something that weird? And how on earth do I remember all that? 

I can tell you, never have I had a dream as weird as I did last night. But here's to, at the very least, an interesting pregnancy. As stated in The Vivid Dreams of Pregnancy, "Typically, during the first trimester, there are a lot of dreams that contain what we call fertility imagery -- garden, fruits, flowers," says Garfield. "There are often images of water and swimming, as the womb gathers amniotic fluid." Ok, that all sounds about right. But it's still extremely weird.

I'm headed on to week 9, and I'm still waiting for that nausea to hit me like a bag of bricks. I've been extra tired lately, but I've been trying to combat it with large servings of proteins and staying active. I went swimming at the gym this morning which was incredibly refreshing, and believe that'll be my saving grace throughout this pregnancy. The water makes you feel like a feather, and yet doing laps really made my heart get going. It felt amazing! I can't wait to hang out in the pool and the ocean in just a few days. That accompanied with lots of walks with the pups, and some pregnancy yoga on the side, and I'm feeling a lot better and more energized each day.

Friday morning we leave for Florida, which will be a much-needed getaway for both of us, I know. We're both anxious to get out of Wisconsin for a bit. Our only concern was travel during the pregnancy. My sister unfortunately developed bloodclots during her pregnancies, which means I'm more at risk to develop them as well. Luckily, we have a beautiful scenic drive ahead of us, mapped out with plenty of rest stops (and potty breaks) so I can get my legs moving and blood pumping. Not to mention, we cleaned out the Corolla (something we've needed to do for probably the last year or two) so I'll have plenty of room to stretch and move around and change positions.

On our way down we'll be stopping at an old plantation house in Tennessee which has been converted into a B&B. They have champagne (for Mike) and sparkling grape juice (for me) waiting for us, along with chocolate-covered strawberries, flowers, a fruit & cheese plate, and a beautiful sunset over the Hiwasee River and Cherokee Mountains. We're so ready for the quiet of the Tennessee countryside. On our second day we'll arrive in Clearwater, where we've rented a condo for our vacation. 

Yup. I'm ok with that.

Only four more days :)

8 weeks

Thank goodness for a day off. I am exhausted. Being pregnant is like becoming a walking corpse, at least these past two weeks or so.   Yesterday I worked 7am-7pm, came home, ate a couple pieces of chicken and some lettuce and was out on the couch by 8pm. That's right folks, livin' the dream here.

But at least I'm not sick yet. Going on 9 weeks and still not sick gives me hope for a calm first trimester- which I've heard is usually the worst. The only bought of nausea I've had so far was yesterday in the middle of the night. I had a dream I lost the baby because I didn't take my prenatal vitamins (dramatic much?), and the night before I just happened to forget to take it. So of course I woke up at 3am, freaked out, and took one. On an empty stomach. Now for those of you who know me well, you know taking a vitamin on an empty tummy for me is like a death sentence. Within a half hour I was hugging the toilet like it was my new best friend. But at least after that I felt better.

In a couple days is our first ultrasound, and we are REALLY excited. It doesn't really feel real yet, other than my having to use the bathroom every 5 minutes and having to go up a cup size already (like I needed that). Mike is excited but I don't think it has sunk in for him either yet. We had our first prenatal appt with the nurse last week and she gave us a whole packet of information and then a bunch of free pregnancy magazines. Which, by the way, totally weirded me out. Pregnancy is beautiful in my opinion, other than the pains of it, but to be handed a bunch of magazines for pregnancy for the first time before you see a bump or feel baby kick is comparable to applying for graduation months in advance. You know it's coming, and it's terrifying and exciting all at the same time, but it just hasn't really hit yet. So I'm hoping some type of bump and less bloating shows up in the next few weeks just so I get some reassurance that this is really happening. The nurse said there's a good chance it will since I'm so short with a smaller torso, the baby doesn't have as much space vertically so will most likely grow outward faster (oh lucky me). So there you have it friends: get ready to experience the Hindenberg II live and in person. This is gonna get funny for you and sad for me real fast.

7 weeks

Just over 7 weeks along and I'm still waiting for the nausea to sink in. Nothing. Thankfully I have some Zofran left from when I was sick in November to hold me over if I do get sick. Pretty much the only major change at this point is a whole bunch of bloating. I feel like a blimp. But I knew that was coming. I have some cravings for lame things like chips or pretzels, but considering we don't normally have those in the house, I've been having ice cream with Mike instead. Doesn't really make me think of the chips less, but at least it's something I didn't eat much of before. For those of you who didn't know- I've never been big on sweets. Mike's got a sweet tooth, which is why there's always ice cream in the house. But I've always been more of a popcorn or chips kind of person. So I'm a little curious to see how much that changes over the course of the pregnancy.

One super annoying thing that has been happening, is that I've been falling asleep super early (we're talking 8pm here) and then I wake up at 5am. Hence why it's 5:55am and I've already tried jumping on Mike a few dozen times to get him to take the dogs for a walk with me. But alas, he's about as energetic as a rock. So I decided to wait until 6am and see if he'll be generous enough to grace me with his Saturday morning grumpiness then.

But I suppose then so far everything's going well. Not sick, just tired. I have to go to the doctor on Monday for them to take my blood and ask Mike and I now many of our relatives are missing eyeballs or limbs.

One thing I can say, is that Cooper knows. I don't know how he knows, but he does. He's been overprotective of me the last few weeks, and prevents Riley from plowing me over like he often tends to do. He also has been extra touchy about visitors he doesn't know. While he usually greets them with whining and a wagging tail, yesterday he and Riley led a choir of snarls and bared teeth and scared away a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses who were heading to the front door. I didn't mind.

Making nice with the porcelain throne

Well, here it is- 6 weeks and no nausea (yet). I had a few butterflies in my stomach this morning, but not enough to force me down on my knees before the porcelain throne just yet. My nose however, is another story. If you want to know about "heightened sense of smell," let's talk about that. I felt like I needed a gas mask yesterday when I just happened to snuggle Cooper so much that he ralphed all over my bed. Luckily Mike was already home from work, and I was able to pass the pleasure of cleaning it up off to him (it was either that, or he would've had a second pile to clean up). And don't even get me started on the smell of eggs. Seriously, how did I ever eat those things before?

But here's the good thing: as I'm easing myself into the 6th week and onto the 7th, I have 8 days off of work in the process (yessss!). Meaning I can walk around the house in my athletic shorts and tank tops, rock out to Backstreet Boys, Muse, Beach Boys and Imagine Dragons (weird pregnancy music cravings much?) shower as much as I want, drink as much sparkling water or ginger ale as I want and not look like a fish, and chow down on nuts and crackers and watch Grey's Anatomy and Judge Judy all day long. And the best part: full bathroom freedom. Mike is gone from 8pm-5pm every day, which frees up approximately 1 hour of bathroom time each day for me (yes, my husband is the guy who sits on the pooper with his iPhone playing Plants vs Zombies or Words with Friends or whatever it is people play on the iPhone). My uterus feels like it's the size and weight of a bowling ball, so I pee about every 15 minutes. Guess I'll be coupon-clipping for toilet paper while I'm home too. 

I suppose the beauty of it all though is that I get to think about me a lot more lately. I get to spend 30 minutes in the shower instead of 10, I get to spend time doing my toenails and putting those weird cucumber masks on my face, and lying on the couch with the dogs doing nothing until Mike gets home. Today I bought a new swimsuit- a one piece. The first one-piece I've owned since I worked as a lifeguard. And I have to say, I'm really excited to wear it. Mike and I will be heading off to Florida next month, and by then I'll be going on 10 weeks and probably starting to look like an air balloon. So I figured, why not buy a swimsuit I'll feel beautiful in? So I did, and I'm really excited to wear it. Pregnant. How often can a woman say she's excited to wear a swimsuit, even when she's not pregnant?

But the best part, is that every time I walk up the stairs toward our bedroom and pass what used to be our office, I get to imagine what I want for the nursery.We've already started a children's book collection (which takes up half of the massive closet in that room, and have a rocking chair in the corner. Someday soon we'll be reading bedtime stories and singing lullabies in that corner :) And changing poopy diapers and cleaning up spit-up. But I'll save those dreams for reality.

So many changes

Hitting the 6th week, and still no morning sickness. I'm certainly not complaining, because that's the last thing I need. What I've experienced so far: I lost 5 lbs and have been exhausted. When Mike and I were gardening, ever so often I'd have to stop to catch my breath- though that might have been due to the fact that we were lifting bags of soil and mulch, plowing, tilling, and building planters in 80 degree weather. Other than that, I'm doing ok for now and praying it stays that way. I've attributed the weight loss mainly due to the end of the semester and having time to relax and sleep again, and losing a bunch of stress/water weight. I'm sure those pounds will come back to visit in the second trimester, but for now, I'm happy to see them go.

Mike and I have had one heck of a time keeping the news from our families and friends. Luckily our families have been in and out of town the last couple weeks so we haven't seen them quite as much, and my semester came to an end, giving me time away from my friends in nursing school. I found out I was pregnant in early May, with 2 weeks left of the semester: 2 weeks which just happened to include quite a few get-togethers, in which I had to figure out how to avoid anyone noticing I wasn't drinking. I had to refrain from some delicious-looking summer sangria at the nursing end-of-semester picnic by the lakefront. Seriously, what a bummer! Luckily, Mike has been doing his darnedest to figure out different alcohol-free summer drink recipes for me, which has really helped make me feel somewhat normal and has helped cover up when friends or family comes over (I mean, they don't need to know it's alcohol-free :). 

We are planning to tell our family and friends at the 12 week mark as for the time being, which just happens to be the fourth of July. So if you are reading this, it has most likely hit that point in time and we have spread the news! Simply stated, most miscarriages occur within the first trimester of pregnancy, and with this being our first Mike and I both thought it best to wait to break the news to avoid extra disappointment and having to explain to so many if something were to go wrong. Working in labor and delivery at Froedter and being a first-time mom-to-be has given a whole new meaning to the word "nervous." Froedtert Hospital's labor & delivery unit, for those who are not as familiar with the medical center, is located on the 6th floor of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Because of this, we admit a large number of women with high-risk pregnancies due to the Froedtert's outstanding medical services for the mother, and the presence of a Level 4 NICU on the 3rd floor, rated among the best NICU's in the nation. This being said, I see many, many high-risk moms and babies at work every day, which adds a little anxiety to my pregnancy, to say the least. So here's to praying for a beautiful, healthy baby and pregnancy :)

For those curious, we did decide to have the baby at Froedtert, and I hope to work as long as I possibly can (basically, it would be nice to just go into labor one day at work, wouldn't it? and then just pick a room- that has happened with some of the other girls I work with). Mike and I chose Dr. Manning to be our OB, and she is just an amazing lady. Mike thoroughly enjoys her, and she manages to make us comfortable and enjoy meeting with her regardless of the fact that she and I work together and that she just happens to know me from the inside out- literally. And she has been quite good at keeping our secret at work, too. Since the baby is due in January, I will have to figure it out with work what is best for my start date. Most externs graduate, work as graduate nurses up until they pass their NCLEX, then take a little time off before beginning OB-RN training on the floor. For me, I will be graduating in mid-December, and will be taking my NCLEX within the months following. The baby is due around January 17th, so hopefully I will be able to work some time off into that portion of time. Ironically, my supervisor who will need to okay everything is also pregnant and due in September- so here's hoping she'll be understanding! Our supervisors and educators on our floor are absolutely some of the most wonderful people I've ever met, so I don't have many doubts.

Speaking of work, off to work it is for the day for this girl. Hoping for a calm day, seeing as we have some big storms rolling in for the rest of the week. Until next time!

"Mother-to-Be"

"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember: You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.”  
-A.A. Milne

To all of you who are reading this now, we are so, So, SO excited to announce WE'RE PREGNANT! We found out in early May, and decided we didn't want to share the news until we hit at least the 12 week mark and heard from the 1st trimester screening that everything was peachy-keen, jellybean. (And you have NO idea how hard it was not to tell you!) And, voila! No more first trimester for us! But because we know we'll have a million and one questions from our friends and family, we decided it would be fun to record our journey through the coming months. Partly to share the fun and news with family and friends, and partly as a way of remembering what it was like to make it through our first pregnancy. In the following posts (newest to oldest in descending order), you'll find our comments and little memories from each week or so as we start this amazing, super exciting, and sometimes scary new beginning :)

For those who are interested, here's the scoop on when and how we decided when to start adding to our little family...

As many of you already know, Mike and I both have always wanted a big family. We both came from families of 3 children each: Mike was the middle child, I was the baby by 17 years (yes, I was quite the unexpected surprise). We both always had big holidays growing up, and loved having extended family come to the house or going to aunt and uncle's houses and getting to play with siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces. But, Mike and I both agree, there's just something about having a full house of your own and lots of little feet running around that's incredibly uplifting, exciting, and life-giving. So until we decide that we're done and just can't handle the terrible two's, the tween whiny-ness, the teenage drama or college tuition anymore, we're planning on a big family, and what time better to start than now?

We've been talking about when we would start our family for quite a while now- it was discussed long before we ever got married, even before Mike asked me to marry him. Believe it or not, we've had our boy name picked out that long too (girl names were so pretty, we just couldn't make up our minds)! We were sitting on the swings at a park one evening only weeks before Mike would propose, and he asked me how many kids I wanted to have one day, which started the conversation of when. So, we decided, once we were settled with comfortable jobs, a comfortable home, and had enjoyed enough time just to the two of us to say, "I'm ready to add one more," we'd start our family. And so here we are, three years after sitting on those swings, we took that leap and are ready to welcome our first little one into our lives.

As I write this, we're four weeks in, on Mother's Day 2013. And lo and behold, when I came home from work today there on the counter was waiting for me a big bouquet of roses, accompanied by a Mother-to-Be card and a shower of kisses from my incredible husband. These next few months will likely be some of the most unglamorous of my life, but Mike has already reassured me that these will be some of the most beautiful and memorable days of our lives together. And even without knowing what's in store for us in the coming months, there's one thing I know for sure: there's no one I'd rather have beside me through it all. Big, happy thank-you's to our families in advance who found out (or figured it out) early on, and still managed to keep it a secret. We're so incredibly thankful to have all of you beside us and look forward to the coming months filled with planning, surprises, and hearing plenty of your own stories, too.

As you read through our blog, the order will go from newest post to oldest (as in, the oldest posts are at the very bottom of the page). We began writing this blog the week we found out how blessed we are to have the opportunity to welcome this little one into our lives. Feel free to comment, to email us, to give us your "do's" and "don'ts" and share your laughter and tears with us- we want to hear what you have to say! We can't wait to embark on this journey with you, and share in the little moments as we begin this next stage of our life.

All Our Love,

Mike & Mandy

Estimated due date: January 16, 2014
Birth date: January 10, 2014 at 5:24pm

A very special "Thank You" goes out to Angela of ELA Images, for taking beautiful photos for us of this special time in our lives!   And a very special "Thank You" to Mandy's mom for knitting the cute little baby booties for our pictures!