17 weeks & some flutters

Your baby's weight has doubled in two weeks and now weighs around 5 ounces. The crown-to-rump length of your growing baby is 4.4 to 4.8 inches. If you spread your hand out opened wide, you can see about how big your baby is.

Huge changes continue to take place within your developing baby. This week fat begins to form and will continue to do so until he is born. Fat is important to the body's heat production and metabolism. Right now, at 17 weeks, water makes up about 3ounces and fat 0.018 ounces of your baby's body. In a baby at term, fat makes up about 5.25 pounds of the total average weight of 7.7 pounds. The placenta is continuing to grow at an amazing rate. The placenta will continue to develop in tandem with the fetus and it will weigh more than a pound at birth! By this week, the placenta is large and well established with a network of blood vessels that exchange nutrients and waste.

The eyes are facing more forward. The ears are now close to their final position.

Your baby is more flexible with ability to move head, mouth, lips, arms, wrists, hands, legs, feet, and toes.

I have been feeling more and more flutters this past week. Last weeks post I remember saying that I didn't know if it was the baby moving but I am now for sure. Every once in a while I'll get them, especially after I eat. It is a weird feeling but I welcome it with open arms.

Christmas was great. We spent time with family and had a great time like always. I provided the little one with LOTS of goodies!! Now its time to get back to a more healthy eating routine. But it was fun while it lasted. Gained two pounds to show for it!!

Now we are just couting down the days until we find out the sex! Less than two weeks!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

16 Weeks & Merry Christmas

At this point of your pregnancy, your baby is approximately 4.3 to 4.6 inches long and weighs 2.8 ounces. Not only is your baby growing, your uterus and placenta continue to grow to accommodate the growing baby inside of you! Just six weeks ago, your uterus weighed about 5 ounces. This week it now weighs 8.75 ounces! The amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby is increasing and there is about 7.5 ounces of fluid. You will easily be able to feel your uterus approximately three inches below your navel.

Five and a half inches tall and only six ounces in weight. The child can grasp with his hands, kick, or even somersault.

At this time, your baby is holding her head erect. Because her muscles are developing, she can make some faces now. Your baby is able to squint, frown and open its mouth. There is enough calcium in the bones that they will show up on an x-ray. Your baby's fingernails are well formed now and the legs are longer than the arms. Because your baby is moving well now, you may begin to feel his movements! Some women say that the early movements feel like gas bubbles or a slight flutter. If you have not yet felt the baby move, don't worry. Fetal movements are usually felt between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy.

You may feel your heart beating 'louder'. This is because there is a lot more blood in your body than normal. (about 20-25% more)

Ahh 16 weeks! I am anticipating some movement soon. I thought that I felt flutters the other day but I haven't felt it since soooo maybe it was the baby & maybe it wasn't. I hope to feel something else real soon. I can't wait.

Mommy and baby are doing great. We had our check up last Friday and everything went well. Joey and I heard the heartbeat again and it was in the high 150s bmp which is strong. I could listen to that sound FOREVER. It is soooo amazing. Not much else to report. Our next appt is January 11th and we can hopefully find out the sex (if baby cooperates of course.)

A while back my dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I responded with pre-natal yoga classes. I did some research and found a place in Bothell that offers them. Its a 8 week class that starts in January. He agreed to get me these classes as my x-mas gift and I am really looking forward to it. I have been having back pain lately and I know its only going to get worse so these classes should help me out a lot. I am also going try to go swimming more. I took Gage to his swimming lessons last Saturday and the swimming was heaven on my back. I don't think I will take water aerobic classes, just maybe hit up the "open swims" and just swim around. Hopefully both of these exercise routines will help my back. I don't want the doc to refer me to a physical therapist like she said she might if my back doesn't improve.

I feel really good otherwise and I'm looking forward to Christmas this Friday with the family!!!

How far along?: 16 weeks ish
Total weight gain: 8 lbs total so far. Not bad!!
How much does baby weigh?: 2-3 oz
Maternity clothes?: Just pants
Stretch marks?: Nope
Sleep?: Its ok- I still get up to pee a lot
Best moment this week?: Hearing the baby's heartbeat again
Movement?: I thought I felt something - hopefully I feel more soon
Food cravings?: Milk- lots and lots of Milk
Labor signs?: no way
Belly button in or out?: in
What I miss: Nothing this week
What I'm looking forward to: Gender ultra sound on Jan. 11th
Milestone: having a successful check up with the doc.

15 weeks

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 4 inches and she now weighs approximately 1.75 ounces. Your baby is close to the size of a softball and you can easily tell that you are pregnant now!

Your baby is growing at an amazing rate and looking more like a human every day. Because your baby's skin is so thin, you are able to see blood vessels through the skin. Lanugo hair covers your baby's body, but it will be gone when your baby is born. The hair on the eyebrows and head continues to grow. Some babies are born with little or no hair and others have a head full of hair! Even though the eyes continue to move to the front of the face, they are still widely separated. Your baby's ears look like normal ears and continue to develop externally. The bones that have already formed continue to get harder and retain calcium. The baby is very mobile and flexible at this point. She can bend her arms at the elbows and wrists and she can also make a fist with her hands.

Only 25 more weeks to go. Geez that seems so far away. But I guess since the last 15 have flew by-maybe the next 25 will do the same. I can't wait to meet our little munchkin.

I feel pretty good. I am slowly getting my energy back. SLOWLY. Nothing really new to report except that I am finally starting to look pregnant. Our next appointment is this Friday. I haven't really bought anything baby related yet. I guess we are just waiting to find out the sex and then its game on from there. But for now, we are just enjoying the holiday season and spending time with family and friends.

14 weeks!

You are now in your second trimester! Your baby's crown to rump length is 3.2 to 4.5 inches long and he weighs approximately 1 ounce now. Your baby is about the size of the average fist.

At this time, your baby's face is becoming more developed. The cheeks and bridge of his nose appear and the ears move from the sides of his neck to much higher on his head. The eyes continue to come closer together. A big development from this week onward is the development of lanugo. Lanugo is the fine hair that grows over almost your entire baby. The hairs grow in whirled patterns that follow the grain of his skin. These patterns later give way to your baby's fingerprints. The lanugo will be shed before birth and replaced by thicker, coarser hairs. Your baby's thyroid gland has matured and starts to produce hormones. If your baby is a boy, the prostate will appear and the ovaries descend from the abdomen into the pelvis in baby girls. The embryo`s soft cartilage is now being replaced with ` real` chalk bones. Your baby has eyebrows, but no eyelashes. Fine, light hair also begins to grow.

How far along?: 14 weeks ish
Total weight gain: 4-5 pounds total since the start
How much does baby weigh?: 1-1.5 oz
Maternity clothes?: Just pants for now
Stretch marks?: Nope. I ordered uber expensive cream to help prevent them. I don't really care if people say that creams don't work- I'm trying it anyway
Sleep?: I still get up to pee a lot
Best moment this week?: Getting the results back from the Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic that our baby is not at risk for Down Syndrome
Movement?: I thought I felt something the other day but it was probably just gas
Food cravings?: I still love my french fries but I'll eat anything now since my appitite is increasing
Labor signs?: nope
Belly button in or out?: in
What I miss: people not commenting on my weight. Since when is ok to call a pregnant woman fat?????
What I'm looking forward to: hearing the heartbeat again next week at our 16 week appt
Milestone: same as best moment this week

Well hello 2nd Trimester- Nice to finally see you!!!

13 weeks

There is a milky membrane that surrounds your baby. It is pierced by the umbilical cord and is made up of two layers, which are fused together. Your placenta provides most of the nutrients and oxygen that your baby needs. By this week, the placenta is well formed and ready to take over hormone manufacture from your ovaries. The placenta will produce progesterone and estriol. These hormones will be crucial in the maintenance of your pregnancy. Tissue that will form your baby's bones is being laid down, especially around the head and limbs. The nose and chin are becoming more prominent. Your baby's eyelids meet and fuse together and they will not open again for nearly four months. The eyes started out on the side of your baby's head and they are now moving closer together on the face. The ears come to lie in their normal position on the sides of the head. The sockets for all twenty teeth are formed in the gums, and vocal cords are beginning to form.

I am heading into the 2nd Trimester and I feel pretty good. I can't complain really. Just still tired most of the time but I try to get plenty of rest.

My 5 day Thanksgiving weekend was good and relaxing. Wednesday we had our NT scan which went well so far. Still waiting on the blood work to come back. Joey and I enjoyed seeing our baby again. This time the images were more clear and we got some great head shots. We couldn't be happier. I am gonna try to get the "gender" ultrasound for 19 weeks so its before I head to Arizona. That way Joey can start getting the room ready while I am gone and Elysia and I can SHOP!! Hopefully it works out that way.

Thanksgiving was great. We had all the food ready to eat by 1pm. It was delicious like usual. After we ate we all went bowling which we try to do every year. It was fun. I helped my nephew Gage bowl for the 1st. Meaning I helped him push the ball down the lane. We did well and actually beat Joey. The rest of the weekend I pretty much relaxed, did some baking, decorated our tree, helped my dad put up his outside lights (I just supervised to make sure he did it to my liking) and had some quality naps with my kitties. Now on to the holiday season which is my absolute favorite time of year. We have a ton of fun things planned!!!!

How far along?: 13 weeks ish
Total weight gain: still only 3 pounds since the start
How much does baby weigh?: close to an ounce
Maternity clothes?: Just pants for now
Stretch marks?: nope
Sleep?: its ok - I still get up to pee a lot
Best moment this week?: Seeing our baby again on the ultra sound
Movement?: not yet
Food cravings?: waffles and lots and lots of milk
Labor signs?: no way
Belly button in or out?: in
What I miss: not peeing every 5 seconds
What I'm looking forward to: getting my energy back
Milestone: getting to the 2nd Trimester

12 weeks (ish) & the rest of the world knows.

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is almost 2.5 inches and she now weighs between 8 and 14 grams! In just three weeks, your baby's size has more than doubled and begins to look a lot more human. Even though you won't be able to feel your baby moving at this time, you can stimulate him and he will squint, open his mouth and move his fingers or toes.

Because most of the structures are already formed at this point, few will be formed after this time. The structures will continue to grow and develop throughout the remainder of your pregnancy. Your baby's skeletal system now has centers if bone formation in most of the bones. The digestive system is capable of making contractions that push food through the bowels and it is also able to absorb sugar. The pituitary gland beginning to make hormones. You will probably be able to hear your baby's heartbeat with a Doppler at this time!

Your baby develops reflexes and the skin is very sensitive.
The brain is fully formed, and the child can feel pain. the baby may even suck his thumb. The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers.

And the world finally knows. No more secrets. Not that I can hide it anymore. I am in full on Thanksgiving pants.

So, here are the details from our 1st appointment on Friday:
We both woke up early because we couldn't sleep. Our anxiousness was getting the best of us. So Joey cooked breakfast and we showered and needed to leave the house to keep ourselves busy. We went to Starbucks and got our usual holiday drink, Eggnog Chai = YUM!! Then we went to this plant nursery called Molbaks in Woodinville and wondered around all of their Christmas stuff (which is amazing). Then we went to Target, World Market, Costco, Fred Meyer. Anywhere we could find that would keep us busy since our appointment was at 2pm.

When we got to the docs office we only waited like 5 minutes before they were already for us. At this point my legs were shaking and all I wanted to do was see our baby. Once the doc came in she gave me a short exam and then did a vaginal ultrasound (aka - the dildo cam) We immediatly saw the baby pop right up on the screen and then a few short seconds later we saw the heart beating. It was the most amazing thing we had ever seen. I immediatly started to cry. The doc said that everything looked great and the baby was measuring about 12 weeks 1 day (which is a little more than how far a long I was at 11 weeks 5 days). The baby was moving around a lot so we got a few good pictures and got some time to just stare at our creation. It was amazing. Then when that was over I asked if we could hear the heartbeat. She said that we could but she didn't want me to get upset if we didn't hear it because it was still a little early. I then said that since we saw it pumping away that I wouldn't get upset. So, she grabbed the doppler and moved it around on my belly and about 10 seconds later we heard it. It was a strong 160 beats per minute. It sounded so amazing. So overall the appointment went great and the doc said that everything looked and sounded great. She gave me an estimated due date of June 7th, 2010. I was only a day off in my calculation. So from now on I will just say early June since its only an estimated due date. But anyway, my nerves are finally at ease. I have my NT scan on wednesday so we should be able to get a few better pictures and they will also test for down syndrome, spina bifida, etc.

One thing that totally sucked about friday was that right before I gave a urine sample to the nurse my freaking phone fell in the toliet. It was in my back pocket (don't remember putting it there) and when I pulled my pants down it fell in (good thing I hadn't peed yet). So after my appointment we had to go to the apple store and drop a couple hundred bucks for a new one. I surpringly didn't really give a crap. I just saw our baby for the 1st time. Plus I needed a new one anyway...mine other one was starting to give me trouble.

Anyway, I feel good. I am still very tired all the time and could fall asleep anywhere and everywhere. I just noticed in this picture I look very tired. Last night I fell asleep on the couch at 5:30pm. Maybe its cuz I didn't get my Sunday nap in. Saturday I took a 2 and half hour nap. I probably haven't done that since I was like 5. But, if my body tells me I need to rest - I gotta do what I gotta do. Still no nauceousness yet. I could still get some because everyone is different, but I am hoping I am one of the lucky ones that doesn't get it.
Here is a fun little survey I came across that I will include in some of my posts.

How far along?: 12 weeks (ish)
Total weight gain: 3 lbs
How much does baby weigh?: 8-14 grams
Maternity clothes?: Just pants - My shirts will last a little longer
Stretch marks?: NOPE
Sleep?: Its ok. I get up between 3-5 times a night to pee but I nap like a champ
Best moment this week?: Seeing and hearing our baby for the 1st time = AMAZING
Movement?: not yet
Food cravings?: French fries, french fries and ummmm more french fries
Labor signs?: no way
Belly button in or out?: in
What I miss: People not telling me "Get the rest while you can, cuz when the baby comes you won't know what rest is." ummmm DUH....bite me.
What I'm looking forward to: seeing our baby on ultra sound again on Wednesday
Milestone: I will hit the 2nd trimester next week - woo hoo

10 Weeks 1 Day

By the end of Week 10, your baby graduates from embryo to fetus, which literally means "little one."

Your baby has finally morphed from a little tadpole into, well, a baby. Not only is the face more human-like, but that unflattering "tail" (really just the developing spinal cord) has disappeared, fusing into the spinal column.

Your baby now has discernible fingers and toes, which will explain the steady stream of kicks and punches you'll feel down the line.

Junior's skeleton is starting to grow and harden. The ears are beginning to take shape and the eyelids are no longer transparent. Tooth buds are forming, although your baby won't get any teeth until six or seven months after birth.

Baby's brain will make an incredible 25,000 new neurons every minute this week. While you may feel like you're losing as many as he's gaining, we can assure you it's not permanent. "Pregnancy brain," like nausea and bloating, is a temporary symptom that soon shall pass.

If you're baby is a boy, he's started producing that macho hormone testosterone. And whether your baby is a boy or a girl, the kidneys are creating copious amounts of urine.

Baby weighs only 4 grams and measures 1½ inches.

Yea!! I am a quarter of the way through. Lookin forward to getting to the halfway way mark to find out the sex. We can't wait!!

Things that have happened this past week:

-Went to an informational appointment with the nurse. She gave us a lot of information to read about the dos and don't (most I already new)& a small "diaper bag" full of samples, MORE literature, etc. We both got the H1N1 flu shot which was great. I didn't want to wait in line for that. We also got the hospital guide/registration information. I will be delivering at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett (which I already new). They have a great Family Maternity Center and we are very comfortable having our baby there.

-I ordered 2 pair of maternity jeans that should arrive any day now. My ONE pair of jeans that fits now are getting a little snug. I now just have to find work pants and some new bras. I am very picky about those two things and HATE shopping for them. I'll bring Joey with me and make him choose what I get. Problem solved.

-I finally booked my flights to go see Elysia in January. I will be looking forward to getting out of this cold weather and be warm for a nice long weekend. In the meantime, Joey and I will be picking out paint colors and furniture for the baby's room because hopefully that is what he will be doing while I am gone. I am gonna try to get the "gender" ultrasound appointment the week before I go so Joey can actually paint and put together furniture. Hopefully it works out.

I feel ok this week. I have contracted a cold. I tried to not take meds and have my body fight it on its own like I usually do but that doesn't seem to be working. I broke down and took my arch nemisis...Robistussin. I HATE HATE HATE that crap and haven't taken it since I was maybe 10 years old. BUT I was only getting worse and to my surprise it actually didn't come right back up like in past experiences. Success!

9 Weeks 1 day Pregnant

Big news! You may be able to hear the heartbeat this week with the help of a Doppler. The first time you hear baby's heart, your own heart may skip a beat—it's the first real evidence that there's someone growing inside you! If you can't hear the heartbeat, no worries, your doc will just check again in a few weeks. Other amazing developments this week:

Baby is beginning to move, but you won't be able to feel anything for some time.

Baby is growing nipples and hair follicles. His pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and anus are all in place. Your baby's head is half the size of his body and his little chin is tucked into his chest. His tiny tail is beginning to shrink away, giving Junior a more human and less amphibious look.

Until now, all pre-babies look the same "down there." This week, however, your baby will begin to develop either male or female genitalia. While you won't be able to find out the gender of your baby for several more weeks, the version you'll give birth to is being developed right now.

At this stage, your developing fetus is 1-inch in length, about the size of a martini olive and weighs a mere 2 grams—a little less than a penny.

Yea!! This week we have our first appointment. It is just with the nurse to go over various tests I will be getting, costs, procedures, health history, etc. Not sure exactly what else will be involved but I am excited to get this ball rolling. Our 1st ultra sound where we get to see the baby and hear the heart beat is still the Nov. 20th but its inching closer.

This week I still feel ok. I have a little more of the "run down" feeling where all I wanna do is sleep. I am starting to eat more foods. Still having trouble eating "healthy" foods but I am trying. And my belly is becoming more prominent. So prominent that I had Joey take a picture. If you look closley you can see something there. Its mostly just bloat, but not sure how much longer I can hide it.

8 weeks 1 day

This week, your little tadpole is starting to look a little bit more human. Other exciting developments include:

Your baby's eyelids, ears, upper lip and the tip of his soon-to-be adorable button nose are forming.

The little one will also sprout webbed fingers and toes this week—which you'll be well aware of in a few months, as baby starts early gymnastics classes inside you.

Baby's tiny heart has separated into four distinct chambers and is really ticking now—at a rate of 150 beats per minute. That's more than twice your resting heart rate.

I am still feeling pretty good. The bloat is still there and when I wear a tight shirt it does look like I have a little bump. My face has decided to break out. I look like I am 15 again. LOL. Still no naucousness but the food aversions are still there. All I want to eat is junk but I have been trying to eat some fruits and veggies because I need to keep up with the healthy eating habits.

Joey and I have been slowly letting the cat out of the bag. I spilled the beans to the rest of my family over the weekend and a couple of other close friends. But I think I am going to keep it to those choice people until after I get good bill of health on 11/20. I just want everything to be ok before the rest of the world knows. I am counting down the days.

7 Weeks 1 Day

This week your baby's brain is growing at a mind-boggling 100 cells per minute within a see-through skull. If you could peer inside, you'd see those tiny brain cells growing and growing and growing.

Your baby's face is becoming more defined this week. A tiny mouth hole, tongue, nostrils and ear indentations are visible. His or her eyes are wide open, but he doesn't have irises yet.

Baby's arm buds are growing. At this point they look more like microscopic ping-pong paddles than arms. Baby's leg buds are also forming and will look like tiny paddles by the end of the week.

The umbilical cord—the connection between your baby and the placenta—is now visible.

He or she is approximately 10,000 times bigger than at conception. Crazy, huh?

(parentsconnect.com)

This week I feel ok. I have a little more of the exhausted feeling this week but its nothing I can't handle. I don't really have any nauseousness yet (knock on wood) but I do have some food aversions. I won't eat meat of any kind. The smell of it just makes me want to gag. But Saturday I had some orange chicken from our favorite Chinese place. At least it was some protein. I also won't eat plain veggies. They have to be dipped in something or spiced up with a tiny bit of salt or butter for me to be able to eat them. At least I am eating them though. I also have super bloat that started this week. It looks like I have a tiny belly sprouting up but I haven't gained a pound so I chart it up to some major bloat which is normal. My clothes still fit good. I lost 15 pounds before I got pregnant so I have some growing room in my current clothes which is always a plus.

This adventure of Joey and I's is still a secret. I want to tell more people but I need to tell the rest of my family before I can tell anyone else. Hopefully this weekend we can all go out to the dinner that my dad owes us and we can get this little secret off our chests. Then we will tell a few more choice friends and then after Thanksgiving (I will be in the 2nd trimester) the rest of the world will know. It can't come soon enough. I can't wait for everyone to know.

6 weeks 1 day Pregnant

This week starts a period of rapid cellular development for your baby-to-be, who looks like a mini tadpole, with a tiny head and tail. His or her eyes, ears and mouth have begun to form.

Other exciting milestones include:

Your baby's heart is now beating to a regular beat, although it's still too faint to hear.

His or her arm buds are just beginning to bud. They look like teensy swollen bumps at this point. In a few days, they'll resemble itsy-bitsy flippers.

Your baby has grown to ⅛ inch long—about the size of one of the chocolate sprinkles on your last cupcake.

I am still feeling pretty good other than the exhaustion. Yesterday Joey and I went to the Seahawks game and by the end of the day I was beat. It probably didn't help that we walked from our friends Arnold and Jamie's place all the way from Capital Hill to the Stadium (about 3.5 miles each way)& back or the fact that are seats were way up there and I had to climb lots of stairs every time I went pee (which was quite often LOL). But we had a great time and I slept really good last night.

Nothing much else new except that we both told our parents the news last night after we got back from the game. I was trying to hold out a little longer BUT it is such great news so we finally spilled. And boy, I am glad we did. My dad and Paulette are super excited. This will be the 6th grandchild for Paulette and the 2nd for my dad.

Until next time....

mommy journal

So, I decided that this blog will ultimatley be my mommy journal for this whole pregnancy and then will be the family blog where I can chronical our life as an expanding family. I would like to paste the posts from this blog into a scrapbook so I keep it for forever so I will try to be diligent with it.

So, I got a call on Monday from the nurse at my OBGYN's office and I am offically pregnant!! The HCG levels keep rising at the appropriate levels that indicates a viable pregnancy. YEA!!! We now have an appointment on November 4th at about 9.5 weeks along do the appropriate paperwork, discuss family history, etc and then at almost 11.5 weeks I go in for my first prenatal appointment/ultra sound. We are so excited we cannot wait. But in the meantime I am going to go stir crazy because that seems so far away considering right now I estimate me being about 5.5 weeks along. I am kinda nervous to wait that long for an appointment but I guess that is how my doctor's office does things so there is nothing I can do. I will probably call to try to get an earlier appointment for the ultrasound but we'll see.

But in the meantime I will just have continue taking my prenatal vitamins, eat healthy, exercise (moderatly of course), and not stress (easier said than done).

Today I am 5weeks 3 days along (according to my calculations):


Your baby's microscopic heart begins to beat this week—although it won't be detectable with one of those cool Dopplers for a few weeks, so you'll have to wait a little longer to hear that satisfying "whoosh-whoosh" you're so anxious for. Here's what else is under construction:

With the beating of the heart, blood will begin to circulate throughout the body. Your baby's first organ system will be up and running!

The beginnings of the brain; the cardiovascular, nervous and reproductive systems; as well as all other major systems are under way.

The amniotic sac and the placenta are still forming at this point.

All that high-speed development and your baby is only 2 millimeters long—about the size of a sesame seed.

(parentsconnect.com)

I have always like reading these weekly development updates from other pregnancy blogs that I thought I would do one for my mommy journey/scrapbook.

I feel pretty good this week. Besides the sore boobs, little bouts of nausea, & the fact that I have to pee every hour on the hour I feel fantastic. I know that the these symptons will only increase but I am totally ok with it and welcome it with open arms. I am ready for it and I will not complain because being able to caring our child is a blessing.

Joey and I haven't announced our pregnancy to the world yet. Only a select few people know. We will tell our families as soon as we can get everyone together. Hopefully with in the next couple weeks. The rest of the world will probably not know until after our 1st prenatal appointment/ultra sound. The reason being is that we want to make sure everything checks out A -OK!

After 16 LONG months of trying………..

WE ARE FINALLY PREGNANT!!! Words cannot express how excited and thrilled Joey and I are. To be honest, I think we are still in a bit of shock.

We started this journey in May of 2008. It was frustrating and there were some tears but we finally conceived our 1st child and we couldn’t be happier.

How I told Joey:
The weekend before I tested, I kind of had a feeling that I was pregnant but didn’t want to lead on to Joey just in case that I was not right. His birthday was the Tuesday 9/29 and if I was pregnant then I wanted to give him a birthday surprise. We were away at Erin’s cabin and just enjoyed relaxing & hanging out all weekend. I credit that to me not saying anything to him on what I thought was finally happening. I didn’t get my period and my basal body temp was still high throughout the whole weekend so I had the feeling. So on Monday after work I tested and all 3 tests I took came back positive (I was a little OCD about it).

Joey was at work and would not get home till about 10:30pm. So, I ran out to get some supplies to make him a huge birthday card that said “Happy Birthday Daddy” that included a baby bib, baby scrapbook stickers, and taped two of the pregnancy tests to it (see picture). When he walked in the door from work, there I was standing there holding the card. He read the card and looked at me (at this point I was balling my eyes out) and he said “Are you serious??” and he started to cry. And all I could do was nod my head yes because I was crying so hard. We hugged and kissed for a long while and just had a great moment. The next day was his birthday so we both took the day off and just relished in the moment that we were finally pregnant after 16 long months.