And Suddenly I'm out numbered !!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!  And I kind of had an inkling :) I just had a strange nagging feeling that it was a little dude in there. I am mourning the loss of the idea of a little girl (I named her Penelope) but I am stoked to think of the little man that will be here in a few short months. I am 19 weeks today and feeling good. My little belly is poking out a bit and now that I know what we are having we can start shopping! Watch out people this girl has got money to burn!

We got some great pictures during the ultrasound. He wasn't moving much though. I guess my uterus is tilted causing him to slide down and stay laying at the bottom by my bladder and cervix. No wonder I still have to pee every five minutes. He put his business on display for us and Sam was so excited. I know he really wanted a boy so it was great to make his dream come true.  Especially since he already made mine a reality just by creating this little man.

Here are some pictures:

Isn't he just the cutest?! We still haven't decided on a name yet but we have three that we like: Oliver, Benjamin, and Archer. Any suggestions or ideas would be helpful!

I'm baaaack......

Size of baby:

Total Weight Gain: -1 # I still haven't reached my pre-pregnancy weight....which is okay with me :) I know my belly is growing and I am measuring right on track. I lost about 6# during the first trimester and I gained back 5# so I'm almost there. Hopefully I'll only gain about 15-20# during the second half of this pregnancy.
Symptoms: Stuffy nose.  No more nausea though, feeling much better these days. I have moved up one cup size in the last 3 months which is crazy. My boobs hurt so bad that I can't even sleep on my stomach.
Maternity Clothes: I'm officially in all maternity pants and shorts.  I can wear a few of my old shirts and dresses but they are getting a little snug and shorter.
Sleep: I miss sleeping on my stomach. I've been using my knee as a kickstand to keep pressure off of my belly and my boobs. I'm sleeping okay but I have to figure something out quick because I am a devoted stomach sleeper.
What I'm Eating:  Anything salty. Chips, fries, pickles, olives, balsamic vinegar on everything :) I'll still eat sweets but I'm not as interested as I normally am.
What do I miss: I'll be honest...I miss beer. And wine. but that's it :)
What am I excited for: Tuesday morning we find out what we are having and I literally CANNOT WAIT!!!! It makes everything so much more real to me.  I can't wait to start working on the room and finalize the name.  And just seeing the little peanut makes me so excited. I'm thinking boy for some reason, but really who knows!
Movement: No movement yet, I'm waiting for it any day now :)

I've been such a bad blogger since I've been home. School has been crazy and work has really taken up a lot of my time. School ends for me next week and have taken the whole summer off to get ready for this baby. With no school work to do, I can just work and focus on enjoying summer and completing projects for the house and the baby. Being home has been lovely and I am enjoying every second. Belly pictures and house pictures to come.

Happy Memorial Day. Thank you to all of those who have served and those who have lost their lives in service. You are gone but never forgotten.

I'm Home!!!

My little pup Satchel and I made our trek across the ocean one last time on Thursday night. It was a long flight and seeing Sam for the first time with this little baby in my belly was pretty amazing. He has taken care of everything! He bought me a car, got it registered, insured, and had it waiting for me with balloons on top of it! He got me a phone # and a new iphone. He painted almost the entire downstairs of the house. I was amazed. It feels weird to be home but so good too. Our house is still pretty empty but it's just nice to have a real place to call our own.

I am feeling much better finally. My nausea is only coming in the afternoons and evenings now from about 2pm-7pm. I wake up feeling pretty great everyday. My little belly is getting a little bigger and my clothes are getting slightly uncomfortable. I'm in the weird phase where you just look fat not pregnant :) I'll take it though. We told Sam's mom and sister yesterday, it was the first people we were able to tell together and it was fun! I loved watching their reactions. They were like how did this happen? They were a little peeved that I'm already 12 weeks and hadn't told them yet, but I think they understood. I still haven't told my own mother yet. I'm waiting to tell her in person. I cannot wait!

Well that's all for now....pictures to come of the house in progress and the new wheels!

9 Weeks

This is my first survey! Yippee:

Size of baby: green olive
Total Weight Gain: no gain yet......

Symptoms: Nausea (ugghhh), fatigue, sore breasts, gas, constipation. I feel okay overall, but I've had a few days where I have struggled. I finally caved and got some zofran. It really has helped me tolerate the constant all day nausea.
Maternity Clothes: None yet, everything still fits. I am getting a little bloated in the evenings, but I'm usually in sweatpants by then :)
Sleep: Going to bed very early (7pm) and getting up too early, even on the weekends (445AM). I've never missed my own bed so much. Because I'm moving across the ocean (again) in 3 weeks, all of our stuff has been packed and moved out now for 3 weeks. Hopefully it's floating on a ship by now and making it's way back to our new house. I can't wait to get out of this loaner bed (no box spring, mattress is hard a rock) and into my good new pillow top mattress waiting for me at the new house!
Cravings: Grilled Cheese, fries, cold water, any carbs I can find. I'm running out of things I like to eat, though. Everything sounds good and then once I eat it and I feel sick afterwards, I can't eat it again.
Movement: None yet :)

I can't believe I've made it to nine weeks! I have my first official OB appointment and my dating ultrasound on April 3rd. they may change my due date since I've been measuring ahead for those first two ultrasounds, but honesty who knows? I'm a little worried that I haven't seen the baby for two weeks, but I'm trying hard to trust that everything is okay. I saw that beautiful heartbeat twice and still feel very sick. I have no reason not to believe that for once everything could be okay and actually work out for us. I'm getting really excited about my upcoming move and reuniting with Sam again. I can't wait to finally celebrate this little one with him and enjoy our new house together. It's crazy that I've been going through all of this alone, but I'm hanging in there and getting through it. We are just so lucky that it even happened at all that I can't help but be grateful no matter how screwed up our situation is. I have 19 days left in Italy. I cannot wait to get home and share our news with our parents and friends.

Updates

I'm still here. Still pregnant. Still nauseous and uncomfortable. Still grateful! I got to see my little bean again last friday and hear the beautiful little heartbeat. It was 147bpm and flickering away. I'm currently measuring 3 days ahead now, YIKES!!!

I finished up school for the quarter and am thankful to have a little two week break from the insanity of studying and writing papers while trying to keep my lunch down. I'm going to quilt and relax through my last few weeks here in Italy. It doesn't seem real that I will be moving home in a short 27 days. I cannot wait to be back with Sam and settle into our new house. Here's hoping our stuff will get there in a timely manner :)

In the last year I have completed 4 quilts and am currently working on my fifth. I thought I would share some pictures of the christmas quilt and the baby quilt I made for my mother and my bff (respectively).

Feeling like shit is a good thing right?

I'm feeling cruddy. Downright cruddy. Don't want to move, or eat, or smile again cruddy. I had no idea how this was going to feel. I guess I thought most women expected to be sick and therefore played the part. But this is serious. I haven't puked yet (for which I am grateful) but I am completely nauseated with awful belly pain 24 hours a day for the last three days. I can't even sleep because my stomach is gnawing away at me. It has caught me by surprise and I feel like a total wuss. Because Sam is gone, I only have the dog to complain to. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful for this little one, but I have a new found respect for pregnant women. I'm hoping this will pass quickly!

Meeting my little bean :)

I know this is a crappy scan but here is my little one! I had my first ultra sound today and it was amazing. As soon as I saw my little bean I started sobbing. The doctor couldn't even keep the image on the screen because of all my heaving. The doctor and my friend Sara and I all started screaming and laughing and crying with joy. I saw the yolk sac, fetal pole, and a beautiful heartbeat flickering away. We couldn't hear it yet but I saw it beating away. It was wonderful. I just cannot believe this is finally happening to me. I told another friend about the baby today and he actually had tears in his eyes. One of the most wonderful parts of this whole experience has been watching people react. It shows how much people care about us and how much they have been on this journey with us. I guess I felt so alone through all of this and then all of a sudden there were all these people standing there rooting for us the whole time. I am truly feeling the love!

I had my first bout of morning sickness today too. I almost had to pull the car over on the way to work this morning. It was bad. I guess I just have to eat something right when I get up to ward it off. It went away but it came back a little this afternoon. I still have the breast tenderness, am pretty sleepy, and have been hitting the bathroom pretty frequently. But other than that I feel pretty good.

I'll be getting another scan next week to see if we can get a better crown rump length and make sure things are still good. I measured one day ahead at 6+1 weeks. I am so thankful for this baby.