SHE'S HERE!

Introducing...

Naomi Noelle

Born 12/24/2008

6:35am

7lbs 1.2oz

20 inches

She's got a head full of hair!

Counting Blessings...and The Belly Photo Shoot!

I have hit the point of being ready to be done being pregnant. Everyone said I would get here, and well, I have! But it's not because I am miserable and uncomfortable (although I do get a little slower and a little more uncomfortable everyday it seems, and I am usually completely out of breath by the time I get my shoes tied). It is because I am ready to meet this beautiful little person! I can't wait to see our baby. Is it a boy or a girl? Who will baby look like? Will he/she come out with a full head of hair? What is it going to be like being a full-time mama? I am just SO eager and so excited to meet our little one! And I am really really excited to watch Adam be a father. At the same time though, I really think I am going to miss being pregnant. I have LOVED it. LOVED it LOVED it LOVED it.

This has been such a wonderful time and I have felt so completely blessed through out the past few months. Well, let's step back a bit, I have felt so completely blessed over the past few YEARS. The amazing experience Adam and I had while he was a Travel Nurse in California was a real time of growth for our marriage, and we have some wonderful memories from our time out there. Then this past February, Adam and I came home to Michigan for a "little while" on a travel nursing assignment. At the end of that we had no idea what we were going to do...stay in Michigan, move out of state, keep travel nursing...? Within one week we each had a job here in our home state. Within a month we had made an offer on our house which was accepted that same week. Shortly after we moved in, we found out we were pregnant. Skip ahead to October where the Lord provided His perfect protection for our family when our home was robbed and no one was hurt. It's been a big year for our small but growing family, and I am truly counting my blessings!

On to the BELLY PHOTO SHOOT...

This past Saturday, my good friend Susan took some pictures of Adam and me, and the Belly of course. She did a great job. (THANK YOU SUSAN!!) Here are a few pictures she took:

He loves me. He cracks me up (and he was in some rare form this day too)!

Sorry to those of you who hate feet, but I really like this picture!

Here is Susan's website if you are interested in seeing more of her beautiful photography work!

http://susanmcgowan.wordpress.com/

14 Days and Counting (and the Nursery is done!)

38 Weeks, 1 Day

I am 14 days from my due date. But what exactly should I be counting? I mean, technically I could have this baby any minute (well, after hours of excruciating pain of course, I really don't expect this to be that easy!), or I might have the baby NEXT YEAR (sounds far far away, doesn't it?!). I was just telling Adam last evening, "Remember our first ultrasound!?" We were staring at the screen showing us our 8 week 3 day little fetus with arm buds and no neck, and now...any day, we will be meeting out little baby, a fully developed little person! I thought it was crazy, and it made my eyes well up a little bit, but that's probably because I'm an overly sentimental pregnant lady right now!

How about a flash back picture. My brother took this of me at home in Alpena...I think this was in October?? Not sure...I'll have to update this when I figure it out.

I call this "Granny Pants Picture"

(Take no offense, Grandma's of the world, it's all in good humor!

And a Granny is different than a Grandma in my opinion anyways.)

Ok, now some pictures of the Nursery...

Alright, so...some interesting "news" if you will. On Sunday, we were hanging out with some friends when Adam announces, "I think we'll have the baby this week sometime." Not a totally out there prediction, but still, I about fell out of my chair. Then, this week, just for fun I went to a reflexology session at work (feet / pressure points, etc) because I'd heard that the lady who was doing it would predict if you were having a boy or a girl. I thought it'd be fun, just for giggles to see if she was right or not (plus, a foot massage, hellooo!). She said "boy" and that I would have him "in the next 5 days". Needless to say, I finished packing my hospital bag last night.

Preparations & Pregnancy Meltdowns

First, I think it's time for a belly photo update.

32 Weeks 4 Days

35 Weeks 2 Days

So I FINALLY did some laundry for baby last night.  I figured I better have some clean clothes for the little one when he/she gets here!  As a side note, I have ALWAYS HATED folding laundry, but I actually enjoyed folding such little teeny cute things.  It cracked me up because Adam very sweetly asked if he could help me fold, so I handed him an infant gown.  I grabbed one too, and proceeded to fold it juuuussst perfectly, only to look over at him whipping his into a sloppy folded pile while focusing his attention on the Golf Channel!  I got a huge kick out of how differently we "prepare."  Normally I am a sloppy, get it done laundry folder too, but this was my first time folding these cute little things! I was taking my precious time, folding everything like I was working for Macy's or something.  Maybe you had to be there, but it would have probably been pretty comical to watch our two techniques, side-by-side!

Adam recently sanded our wood stairs and landing area...that was NOT fun, for either of us!  It's not that big of an area, but it took him almost 2 full days to finish just the sanding alone.   For me, the mess it created about put me over the edge.  Thankfully, Adam has two AMAZING Aunts who were over the day he finished, helping clean up all the dust so I didn't lose my sanity (THANK YOU 1000 times over!).  Today he put the sealer / finish down.  Wow, that is some potent smelling stuff.  Thanks to those fumes, we can't stay the night in our own house.  So, after successfully moving back into our home after being away for a little over a month (thanks to the robbery), we have now moved back out (only this time for just a day or two).  

The stairs are pretty much done, so guess what's next?!  The Nursery.  I've been hyping it up forever, and I'm so eager to see it all put together and to be able to start putting away baby things!  Once it is done (in a week or two) I will post some pictures.  This weekend my mom is coming down and we are going over to Canton, MI to get the baby crib from Ikea.  Actually I should say we are HOPING to go to Canton.  First I need to get the ok from my Doctor.  I see her on Friday.  Then the weather has to be nice and everything, so pending all of that business, hopefully my mom can come down (weather pending), and hopefully we can get over to Ikea to get a couple of things (weather and doctor pending)!

So, pregnancy meltdowns.  "What are these?" you may ask.  Well, now I officially know.  They can occur for seemingly no reason at all, leaving you frustrated and feeling ridiculous, and leaving your poor husband completely baffled and speechless.  Two nights ago, I experienced my first highly irrational sob-fest since being pregnant.  I was crying hysterically, but really didn't know why (imagine PMS times 10).  Adam, poor guy, just didn't know what to do with me!  I laugh about it now, but I felt like a real tool at the time.  He just could NOT grasp how I could be soooo upset, and not have a reason.  I told him hormones were reason enough!  Then, frustrated, I finally read him a paragraph out of my "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" book on Emotional Changes (with my sobs picking up in intensity as I came to parts I could really relate to).  Coincidentally this paragraph was in week 35 in the book (I was 35 weeks 6 days, so it was right on target I would say!).  As I was reading it, Adam says "Are you actually reading that or are you making stuff up?"  It TOTALLY explained me, so he thought I must be ad-libbing at least a little.  Then, I flipped to the index and looked up emotional changes...and promptly informed my husband that there was information on this subject on pages 111, 234, 278, 299, and 346, all of which I had skipped except the latter, so I was about DUE for a meltdown!  I haven't had one all pregnancy long! Through sobs I asked him, "Aren't you glad you have to go to work!?" I think he either didn't know how to respond to that, or wisely held his tongue.

L&D Class and Fetal Hiccups

Last evening Adam and I attended our Birthing Class.  Some useful information was given and some fears were relieved, but overall I felt like the 3 1/2 hour class could have been condensed into an hour.  We have the other part of the class to attend today - I'm not sure what else we are going to be going over for an entire Saturday (9-4).  Some more L&D and infant care, but I don't know what's going to take 6-7 hours to teach!  We'll see how that goes.  It's a little bit frustrating though because some of the info is useful, but we really really want to be using our Saturday to get our house ready and be working on projects!!! 

Last night around 3:30am I felt baby having a bout of the hiccups.  I thought that was so cute!  It felt like very very gentle little kicks, evenly spaced out.  Speaking of kicks, this child is really starting to kick harder and stretch harder in there.  It is so wild to watch a huge lump form in one area of my belly as he/she does that!  Some of the jabs are more internal though and baby drills an organ in there.  OUCH.  Not always so pleasant!  

Alright, gotta go get ready for class...

My First Official Complaint

Nosebleeds. Gushing nosebleeds that last forever. There, I have an official complaint about pregnancy (well, I guess morning sickness was technically an official complaint too). I roll over in bed, my nose starts bleeding. I'm taking a shower, you guessed it, nosebleed. I blink a little too hard...bloody nose (ok, slight exaggeration, but everything seems to be a catalyst at this point!). And it's not like a five-minute-pinch-your-nose-and-it's-done situation. Noooo, it's more of a pinch-your-nose-until-it's-THROBBING-and-deformed-and-your-fingers-are-aching situation. Rock on.

Ok, enough of that grossness.

We are really progressing with the house. We have a security system lined up, window coverings will be ordered today, we are getting a pitbull (haha, gotcha...but we have tossed around the idea of a dog). Aside from thoooose updates there are the general house fixups that we (mostly Adam, let's be honest) have been working on. I am working on ORGANIZING and tidying, a constant job as we move from room to room with renovations. Adam finished our hallways; the insides of the closets, the walls, ceiling, and trimwork. It looks awesome. Now we/he is working on the family room (painting). That's getting there. Then there's the wood floor to refinish (just a small area), and then, DRUM ROLL PLEASE...THE BABY ROOM!!! I'll am so excited to see that completed. I think once that happens, I'll be feeling more ready for this child to come on out and meet us.

8 Weeks To Go...

Alright, here's a more current photo for those of you wanting to see how round my belly is getting.  I am 32 weeks today, but Adam hasn't taken this week's photo yet, so this will have to do for now...

30 Weeks

There's not much to update you all on the pregnancy / baby thing.  Not too much new happening since I last wrote.  I had my glucose test today, the one where you drink orange goo and then get your blood drawn an hour later.  I'll stop with the news there, I don't want to pour too much excitement into one blog.  Gotta save something for next time, right?!  

As far as our house goes.  Adam and I are meeting with 3 home security companies tomorrow and then we are going shopping for window coverings (BIG DAY!).  I am leaving work early in the hopes of getting some of these major items DONE and checked off the list!  

Running Out of Room in There!!

I'm 31 weeks 3 days now!

I am just starting to get a little uncomfortable.  I am still not complaining, just taking notice is all.  This kid's huge head is wedged up in my ribs making it difficult to sit up straight without my ribs getting sore!  The puke burps are awesome too.  Wow, and I thought lunch tasted great the first time...(ok, that was borderline "too much information" but I'm just being real here!). 

Seriously though, I only have 8+ weeks to go now if baby is on time.  Less time if he/she is early. That's slightly frightening.  We have SO MUCH TO DO YET.  Ahhh, the clock is ticking!  I DID finally order my baby bedding.  Someone is custom making it for me because I couldn't find anything I was in love with.  I found a really good deal on this awesome website called etsy.com.  People who hand make goods can sell them on there to people like me who don't necessarily like to make hand made goods, but really appreciate them!  Pottery, jewelry, knit goods, sewn goods, if you can make it you can sell it.  Anyways back to the baby bedding (what am I, a free advertisement or something??).  Below is an image of the fabrics / colors I chose.

Taadaaa!!!  

The wood grain style fabric will be the bumper.  The other fabrics, plus some of the wood grain fabric will be the quilt.  This picture IS NOT of the quilt, I just grabbed some images of the fabric from online and tossed them together for matching purposes and visual effect / affect (who knows the difference between those two anyways?).  Anyways, I think it will turn out pretty cool.  Once I get the bedding in the mail, I'll pick out the paint colors and we can get that room DONE!

I'll have to post a more recent belly picture soon.  As many of you know, I am currently computer-less thanks to some real turd-bags that felt entitled to my personal property.  I also have significantly LESS belly photos...I was having Adam take one every week since 13 weeks. All of them were on my computer and/or digital camera that was stolen...and thus, ALL are gone.  Major major bummer if you ask me.  All I have left are pretty much the ones I have posted on this blog (in lower res, lower quality format because I HAVE TO PULL THEM OFF THE WEB!!!).  I do have newer, post-robbery photos of the belly, so, once I find a computer to upload those onto, I'll post a more current picture.  Alright, enough complaining about stupid robbers.  They don't get anymore blog-time.  Butt holes.  Okay, now I'm done.

Womb With A View

28 Weeks, 3 Days...

People ask me every day "How are you feeling?"  Well, my answer remains the same, "I feel great!"  Now that I'm in my 3rd trimester and still feeling just dandy, I can't help but feel even more blessed.  I mean, believe me, I KNOW I've had an easy pregnancy thus far and I am incredibly thankful and appreciative of that.  It's funny though, because this past week alone I've noticed much more awkwardness, difficulty bending, shortness of breath, slight aches and pains, and DEFINITELY I have been more tired.  The whole awkward / difficulty bending thing ties in really nicely with the whole "clumsier when pregnant" bit.  It means that I, Erin, drop more things (who knew it was possible to be even clumsier than I normally am?!).  Now when I drop things, I actually stop to think about if they are actually WORTH picking up.  I get the feeling there won't be much worth picking up in a month or two, when I'm bigger than a house...maybe a $100 bill or something...I think that's what it may take at that point.

Last night I fell.  Don't freak out, everybody is fine!  I stepped out of bed and onto a pillow on the floor...a pillow on my WOOD floor.  The pillow slid and so did I...slamming, SLAMMING my shoulder into the night stand and landing on both knees on the floor...again, my WOOD floor.  Ouch.  I did the whole "hurts so bad all I can do is laugh," thing.  Fun stuff!

We got to see Baby H. again yesterday during our ultrasound.  It was amazing, I loved it!  We found out our baby is 2.14 pounds right now, in the 59th percentile (I think it's safe to say I won't be having a 10-pounder...phew!), had a 144 bpm heartrate, and...our baby is currently BREECH.  Thankfully, most babies flip to head down by 32 weeks.  In fact, our doctor said only 4% of babies are breech at delivery time.  So that is a good statistic.  Plus, if baby doesn't flip on his/her own, they will try to make it flip by strategically pushing on my belly (sounds slightly painful...possibly for both of us?!).

Alright, now here are our latest baby pictures!!

I love this cute little foot!

Not even 3 pounds yet and it already looks squishy in there!

"Where's the baby?  THERE HE IS!" -Ice Age

Cute little profile:

Adam thinks baby has his nose...what do you think?

The Belly Expansion Project

I figured it was time for an update. There isn't a whole lot to write about at this point...I will have much more (much cuter) material once the baby is here. So I'm sure I will post more often then. Anyways, it's been a few weeks since I've posted my BBB (big baby belly), so here you go.

I posted the 20 week belly photo previously, but here it is again for comparison sake:

And now, the 25 week belly:

I'd say the growth of this baby is not only evidenced by my belly getting bigger, but also by the quantity (and quality for that matter) of the kicks he/she delivers every day. Last night Adam laid his head on my stomach and he could HEAR thumps whenever the baby kicked. He would listen and say "now," and I would confirm that the baby had in fact kicked then. I thought that was pretty cool. I didn't realize all that commotion going on in there was audible!

Oh and I just found this next little tidbit of information. Not that I can't do the math myself, but this is just easier. I am always counting this pregnancy in weeks. For me, they are big landmarks. Every Tuesday, the baby turns another week old...it's like a weekly birthday celebration in my mind. BUT, the rest of the world seems more interested in how many MONTHS I am. Soooo, here's the breakdown:

Month 1 = Weeks 1-4
Month 2 = Weeks 5-8
Month 3 = Weeks 9-13
Month 4 = Weeks 14-17
Month 5 = Weeks 18-21
Month 6 = Weeks 22-26
Month 7 = Weeks 27-30
Month 8 = Weeks 31-35
Month 9 = Weeks 36-40

Since I am currently IN my 26th week, I guess that means that next Tuesday, I will be starting my THIRD TRIMESTER. Wow. That was seriously so surreal as I was just typing that. Talk about a realization. I'm starting to feel the time crunch. There is SO MUCH TO DO BEFORE BABY GETS HERE! OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!

Planning & Preparation...and Our Mischievous Little Fetus

For the first few months of being pregnant, I really didn't do a whole lot of planning, shopping, etc.  This may not sound weird to any of you, but I've probably been looking at baby stuff off and on for the past 4 years.  Looking for cool things, neat nursery ideas, baby necessities, etc.  I always figured when I was pregnant someday, I would be obsessed with preparing for the little one the second the pregnancy test turned positive.  Not so.  The first trimester left me with a lack of will power to do much of anything at all.  Then the beginning of the second trimester felt too early.  

Now, however, I am starting to dive in.  I'm online all the time looking at baby stuff.  It's my latest craze.  What will we need?  What colors do we want in the nursery?  What brand of diapers is best?  Should I do disposable diapers or some other alternative?  Should I get plastic bottles or opt for glass to avoid all the plastic chemical issues we're hearing about?  What car seat is safest?  Will our car be big enough for baby and everything that comes with it?  Will it be safe enough?  And this goes on and on in my head, a big scrolling list of questions and decisions to be made!

Alright, enough of that...now for the story of the day.  I've been feeling the baby move more and more, and definitely every day now.  Well today, I hadn't felt the baby move at all yet so I called the Dr.'s office.  They have a nice little nurse hotline for people like me who could probably think up a question a minute for them if I really wanted to.  I asked the nurse, "Is it normal to not feel the baby for a whole day at 22 weeks of pregnancy?"  I mean, I just wanted to make sure...right?  Well, she talked to the Dr. and they decided to have me come in so we could listen for the heartbeat.  

At this point, I feel like I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but hey, I didn't ASK to come in, I just asked if this was normal.  So I go in and sure enough, the Dr. barely gets the doppler on my stomach and that little heartbeat is just pounding away in there.  And THEN wouldn't you know it, the baby KICKS.  Right there, in the office, with me and the table, and with the doctor holding the doppler on my stomach.  What a little STINKER!  I mean, no movement ALL DAY LONG.  Then, the second I'm in the Dr.'s office at 3:30 in the afternoon, the kid finally starts kicking around!  I got home and had a good talk with my belly, "Is that how it's gonna be?  You are going to be a real stinker, aren't you!?"  I'm just thinking "Oh boy...here we go," right?  There ain't noooo turning back now!

Our Little Olympic Hopeful

After not moving much yesterday or the day before, the baby decided it wanted to be an Olympic gymnast today.  Adam and I were in the car, and all of the sudden I felt the baby do what I can only imagine was a full on flip.  Until that point, I'd just felt little pokes and prods, and a couple of harder kicks.  I exclaimed "Whoa!" and put my hand on my belly.  Adam asked, "Is the baby moving?  I want to feel!" and put his hand on my belly.  Sure enough, the baby flipped again, enough for Adam to feel it too; a couple of good hard nudges right in a row.  His eyes just lit up and he said "Wow!  Was that the baby?!  I felt it!"  We just sat there laughing with excitement and waiting for more movement, with his hand on my belly, and my hand on his.  I'd have to say it was the highlight of the day for both of us.  

I've been feeling the baby move for a little while now, but it is still such an amazing reminder of the little life growing inside there every time I feel it.  I absolutely love it!

Congratulations! Boy or Girl?

Adam and I just got back from a walk.  As we were walking a Jeep with 3-4 High School aged guys in it drove by.  I looked up and the kid in the front passenger seat looked at me a yelled "Congratulations!".  I just started cracking up as they drove away.  Adam and I kept walking, and sure enough, here comes the Jeep again, circling the block.  This time he shouts "Boy or Girl?"  I just shrugged, to which he said, "That's cool!"  Adam and I were shaking our heads and laughing as they drove off.  It was pretty amusing.  

Charlie Horses and Braxton Hicks

First off, let me say that today marks 21 weeks. I am officially OVER the halfway point! Wow...this really is going so fast. I can't believe I'm going to be a mama in just a few months! It's still pretty surreal.

Now, let me start this next section by saying that I find all of the little happenings of my pregnancy very interesting. I truely feel blessed that this pregnancy has gone smoothly so far and am LOVING EVERY MINUTE of it! So my writing about symptoms is in no way a complaint, just an observation really. Well, other than the morning sickness I wrote about in my first post, that was a symptom worth complaining about!

It seems the Charlie Horses I have been getting in my calves in the middle of the night are a pregnancy symptom. Who knew? I used to get them when I ran cross country, so I've been trying to figure out what strenuous activity I could possibly be doing right now to cause them! It happens when I stretch my legs out in the middle of the night half asleep...then I'm jolted awake as my entire calf muscle seizes up into a massive cramp. It's not all that pleasant, but I'm not really complaining because it's a small small price to pay. I get them in my feet sometimes too, but the WIERDEST place I get them is in my hands (especially my left hand). If I pull open a door or do some other "clasping motion" my hand doesn't unclasp fully for a few seconds. It's so strange! It feels like the kind of hand cramp you get after a night of bowling. Maybe some of you have experienced the post-bowling hand cramp. Well that's exactly what this is. I just find it so strange that pregnancy can have so many different and seemingly random symptoms!

Also, the Braxton Hicks have set in. I've been getting them for quite a while. Most of this pregnancy really. How interesting that my body needs 8-9 months of practicing contractions to get through labor. It really is all a bit of a mystery.

Belly Shots

There have been a couple of requests to see some belly shots...so here they are.  Sorry about the bare midriff.  I guess I didn't plan very well for the possibility of posting my belly pics online. :-)

Here's the belly at 13.5 weeks

And here's it is at 20 weeks...quite a bit bigger I'd say.

Amazing Day!

Lately, as I have written, I've been thinking I feel fetal movement. Well, one time last week it was pretty distinct, 3 good kicks in my right abdomen. Other than that, some subtle fluttering. Well today, I was feeling some movement, again on the right side, so I pushed my hand on my stomach, and SURE ENOUGH...I felt the baby kick on the OUTSIDE! I couldn't quit smiling, it was so cool!! It's just an occasional little reminder that there is something ALIVE in there. Really quite incredible I think. I mean, I've always known and heard what pregnancy is about, but now that I'm going through it, it's taken on a whole new level of amazing for me.

It's Official

Well, it's official. I am wearing maternity pants as of this past Saturday. I suppose I should mention that I really could have started wearing them earlier...but I didn't have any (see previous post). Well, now I have some, and let me tell you, they are WONDERFUL. I told Adam that I'm hanging on to these to wear for future Thanksgiving Day feasts (when I am no longer pregnant). Seriously, they should market elastic waisted pants just for such a day!

Friday was my ultrasound. That went pretty well; it was amazing to see the baby! However the baby wasn't really cooperating, so the Dr. was a little frustrated. He had a hard time seeing everything he needed to. I got a good share of pictures of the front of the baby's face. Right now he looks like Skeletor. Yes...I said HE, but don't get excited. I said this NOT because we know the gender, but because I refuse to believe any daughter of mine could look like Skeletor! I already told you that the baby wasn't cooperating, so let's just say that no one knows if it's a boy or a girl, not even the doctor. I guess he/she knew we really wanted a surprise! He/she wasn't even going to tempt us to peek.

Here's the baby at 8 weeks, 3 days
Here's the baby at 19 weeks, 3 days
Baby Skeletor (I tease about it, but I SO LOVE that little face!)

My belly is really starting to show more obviously now. People aren't afraid to say something anymore or to ask about it. I am still waiting to feel unquestionable baby movement. I THINK I felt the baby move again this past Friday...but who can say for sure at this point. Of course once I am feeling certain movement, I'll probably be wishing this kid would quit kicking me in the ribs!

Adam and I just got some really exciting news last night too!!! Adam's brother and his wife are expecting their first child in April...so our little one already has a future playmate on the way! Adam's parents are going to be grandparents twice over in a matter of months! Not to mention his sister is getting married this fall. I'd say the H---- family is growing rather rapidly: three new family members from October (wedding), to December (our baby), to April (James and Amber's baby)!

Ah, I almost forgot. Today, YES TODAY, marks 20 weeks already!!! Wow, did that fly by. I'm half way through my pregnancy. Now that just seems CRAZY!

Well, I just got home (8:00pm) and I need to get something to eat. I'm H-U-N-G-R-Y.

Maternity Pants

Well, I am officially in desperate need of maternity pants. Pants that fit me just last week (snuggly) I am now having difficulty buttoning. I have to resort the the rubber-band trick. I went shopping (shopping shopping and MORE shopping) for maternity pants to make the whole thing official. What I found out was that apparently I didn't get the memo, but if you plan to be pregnant, you need to find a way to have a 32" inseam. No more. No less. Every pair of pants I tried on made me look like I was waiting for the great flood. It was really quite frustrating, especially after trying on just one pair of dress pants when I realized how amazingly dreamy and COMFORTABLE they were! I want to wear them forever (I'm going to regret that statement post-pregnancy I'm sure). It's like dressy looking pajama pants, I could seriously SLEEP in them!

I DID find some maternity jeans in long cut (2 different pairs, on SALE, yeah!). I had to mail order long cut dress pants (which is what I need the very most). So here's hoping they fit. My only other option if those don't fit is these wonderful pants I found at Macy's that look oh-so-sassy...but come with an oh-so-sassy price tag as well. Yikes! Maybe I can get though a whole pregnancy with just one pair of dress pants...

The latest news isn't quite news yet. It's "I think" news. I think that I might have maybe probably felt the baby move...maybe. I was laying (lying...I never know which is the proper form on that one) on the couch not even thinking about it when I felt the slightest movement in my lower belly, just a little flicker really. It was enough to get my attention OFF of what I was doing on the computer and ONTO my belly, focusing REALLY REALLY hard to try and feel more movement. But, that was it. Haven't felt anything since then either. I'm really looking forward to that being a regular thing. How cool!

Friday is my 20 week ultrasound (I'll be 19 weeks, 3 days). I am SO EXCITED. I want it to be Friday right now. I can't wait to see how much this little one has grown since our last ultrasound at 8 weeks 3 days.

This is going so fast, yet so slow...

Well, as you all know, Adam and I have a little one on the way.  Tomorrow I will be 17 weeks exactly.  Sometimes it seems like the time is FLYING by, I mean, I am almost 1/2 way done with this pregnancy (crazy!).  Other times it seems like December will never get here!  The first trimester CRAWLED by, feeling yucky and tired, waiting to tell everyone, waiting to "feel" pregnant...all of that.  And yes, I am aware that for most the third trimester crawls by as well! But right now I am in my second trimester, and this one is just cruisin'. 

I must say that all in all, I am really feeling great (for which I am very thankful and know is a HUGE blessing) and I am really just enjoying being pregnant.  I am just so excited and happy to be where I am right now.  In the next couple of weeks I should start feeling the baby move and in a few weeks I'll have my ultrasound.  Even better yet, in just a few short months, I will be holding in my arms OUR BABY (seems far fetched at this point, considering I'm still wearing my normal clothes).

Since this is my first post, and I am a whopping 17 weeks along...I will update you all on what's been happening, and what is going on now.  

Right after I found out I was pregnant I was still feeling really good.  I was thinking "Wow, this is great!  Maybe I will be one of those lucky people who don't get morning sickness..." WRONG. 

Morning sickness came and stuck around for a few weeks to be sure.  For those of you who have never experienced the joys of morning sickness, let's just say the name is a little deceiving.  It's more like any-time-of-the-day sickness, and for some very unlucky women, it is all-day-every-day sickness (thankfully I was NOT one of those).  It's really a very awful feeling to know that you HAVE TO EAT or you will feel exponentially worse, but the thought of even a crumb of bread induces a gag reflex so violent it has you frantically looking for the nearest available trash can.  I usually had a plan (similar to a fire drill...only I never did a practice run) just in case I had to lose my lunch at a moment's notice.  Something equally worth noting, I think, is the lack of energy and motivation I felt.  I didn't want to do anything, work on anything, or even really see anyone (sorry everyone!)...I just wanted to lie on the couch and that was it.  

Right around week 12-13 I started feeling MUCH better.  Morning sickness moved to sometimes-at-night sickness...which was SO much easier to deal with since I was home and could lie down or just go to bed.  

Week 14-15 is when I think I started feeling more like myself all of the time.  Granted when one symptom leaves (morning sickness) it seems only fair that 5 or so should take it's place:  exhaustion, round ligament pain, persistent thirst followed by frequent urination (or is it the other way around?), constant burping for a good 20 minutes after every meal (or if I eat so much as a peanut), and heartburn to name a few.  Even with all of that though, I am feeling GREAT and would happily trade morning sickness and the down-in-the-dumps mood in for all of these symptoms again!

Adam is very excited.  Sometimes he talks to my belly or kisses my belly, and once a week we read "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" together to see what's new in the womb.  

Oh, and lest I forget, we have a baby poll online.  Please feel free to go there to guess the gender, height, weight, and birthdate/time!  Winner receives full bragging rights.  And just in case anyone thinks they are particularly sneaky, we will be locking the game sometime around December 1st so no one can edit their vote after the baby is born (we're on to you!).

Here's the link:

http://www.expectnet.com/games/BabyHiske

More later, and I promise not all posts will be this long.  I had a lot of catching up to do!!!