17 Weeks Update!

We're 17 weeks pregnant today! (Jeff keeps reminding me that he's pregnant too, haha) Each week is like a new exciting milestone for us. We always read the baby's new developments together at the beginning of each week and it always gives us so much more to learn and talk about. This week sweat glands are starting to develop!

I went to the doctor yesterday for the first time without Jeff because he couldn't go at the last minute but he didn't miss too much. I complained to the doctor about being nauseous all the time and went through my whole list of other complaints. Then I got to hear the baby's heart beat with the machine, but no ultrasound. My next appointment on May 19 is the next ultrasound, so we don't have to wait too long.

I had to get more blood work done for a few extra tests and another thyroid check. I feel like the people at LabCorp are going to know me by name pretty soon with how often I'm there! I still haven't felt the baby moving but I'm really anxious for that to happen. I keep reading about what it will feel like to make sure I recognize the feeling.

And finally, baby shower preparations are underway. Jeff will be joining the army reserves and leaving for boot camp. Since he would like to be involved with the baby shower we decided to have it right before he leaves which will probably be at the end of May, but we don't know for sure yet. I was originally thinking it would be in August but luckily my baby shower planner is flexible! Hopefully my belly will get a little bigger in the next month before the shower :P

Miserable Airplane Ride / Big Belly

My airplane ride home from Salt Lake City was miserable! I had to leave my seat during take off to throw up and I kept throwing up the entire 4 hour flight. I ate lunch about 3 hours before the flight and had grapes as a snack right before so I thought I would be fine, but boy was I wrong! They switched my seat with the person who has the aisle seat right by the bathroom and I was in and out of the bathroom throwing up the whole flight. The flight was a little more turbulent then on the way there, but not much more that I should have been that sick, so I guess I was just having a bad day.

In other news my belly had a serious growth spurt this week. I will have to start posting belly pictures on here. I was slowly growing out of all my pants but now absolutely none of them fit anymore, even the big ones. Since it's Friday I can wear my maternity jeans, thank goodness, but I need to get pants before Monday. I've been shopping for maternity work pants but haven't found much for prices I want to spend. They are really expensive! I have plenty of casual clothes because I bought another woman's whole lot of used maternity clothes for $20 and they are all casual, but mostly jeans and nothing I can wear to work. I'm lucky I found her on craigslist though because I got so many great clothes for only $20.

Looks like Jeff will get dragged on another shopping trip this weekend for maternity pants. Usually every time we go out we don't end up getting what we went for and find something for the baby instead, so I have to stay on track and find some pants so I'll have something to wear to work on Monday!

According to everyone, I should be starting to feel the baby move any day now which is super exciting. Jeff will have to wait another 3 weeks or so to feel it but I will start feeling movement any time! I know that feeling the baby moving will make me so much less paranoid all the time and it's really a huge step. We also have another doctor appointment / ultrasound scheduled for Monday so stay tuned for a new picture of our little one :)

Airplane / Nausea

My baby took his/her first airplane ride Sunday.  We're here in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The airplane ride wasn't bad.  My doctor told me there's really no reason to worry as long as I got up every hour or so to prevent blood clots.  It actually worked out well walking around the plane because I made another pregnant friend :)

I got in late on Sunday and went to bed as soon as I got to my hotel.  I actually woke up feeling better then I have in a long time so I decided not to take the nausea pill I usually need to take to function in the morning.  I'm here for a conference so I went to that in the morning and even felt well enough to walk around Salt Lake City during our break for lunch.  I was able to eat a decent sized breakfast, a snack, and a good sized lunch, still without feeling nauseous, but then in the late afternoon it hit me.  I had to walk out of one of my sessions to throw up in the bathroom (I'm shocked I made it there).  Then later that afternoon while everyone was in the same room for the "social" I had to throw up in a nearby garbage can! How embarrassing!

I was talking with a group of people and the nausea feeling hit me way more sudden then it ever has.  One of the guys was getting ready to ask me if I was ok because I guess I looked really pale but I had already turned around and started throwing up in the garbage behind me.  I ran to the nearby bathroom with 2 women following me to make sure I was ok and threw up twice more in the bathroom.  Something definitely hit me hard, and I don't even know what it was because I didn't even try to eat anything.

I left to go back to my hotel and was miserable for the rest of the night.  I tried to sip on sprite and eat crackers, but I threw up everything.  I guess I was past the time where I could have taken the nausea pill because all I would do then is throw it up.  I called Jeff & cried over the phone while I lied in bed with the garbage can next to me.  Of all the times not to have him around me , I was just so upset.  We talked for pretty much the whole night and he calmed me down somehow.  I'm sure being upset was making me throw up even more, but thank goodness for Jeff.  I can't believe he could help me that much just over the phone.  I got off the phone with him when it was getting late so I could take a shower - which turned into a 2 hour bath.

So last night was pretty miserable.  I ended up not eating anything after lunch since I would throw everything up.  This morning I ate a yogurt before I even got out of bed and made sure I took my nausea pill.  I guess I really just have to realize that I need that pill.  I'm so worried about taking medication while being pregnant that I suffer through headaches and nausea because I think I'm saving the baby from something.  I guess I really just have to realize that the most important thing for the baby is for me to be healthy, and if I need this pill to not throw up all the time and be able to eat healthy then I will just have to take it.  The doctor has told me that it's safe a million times so I need to start listening.  Jeff has been trying to convince me this the whole pregnancy but I guess I've just been a stubborn german!

Jeff Blog: It's About Time

I figured it was about time I finally post a blog. Suprisingly I'm not doing this just to make Jamie happy but I am doing this for me. I am really bad at writing and don't know where to start. The past 4 months have been very interesting and I have no idea why I haven't posted a blog or had a lot more input. I am usually the one full of advice, answers, and information. I think the title of this entry is very fitting. Jamie and I have been talking a lot about this blog, family, and the registry. The past few months have been difficult but things are getting easier now. I have a lot more confidence and as silly as this sounds i really feel a part of the planning, ideas, and preperation. Jamie really hit a nerve when she was talking to me about acting like I wasn't excited and that changed my views and attitude a lot.
I guess the reason I used the title It's About Time is because of the huge step we made last night. Last night I had the privilege of meeting Jamie's grandparents. The whole situation was not what we were expecting. I thought there would be a lot of critisicm and questions. Her folks actually were not pushy, nosey, or anything negative AND they actually gave some advice and genuinly wanted to get to know me. I wish we had more time with her grandparents and Marylou didn't talk so much. Overall it was a great expierience besides Jamie thinking I'm a caveman and etc. Her grandad is a piece of work and I really look forward to getting to know them better.
I also hope my writing gets a lot better. I thought after last night and the past couple of weeks I would write a journal and not a couple of paragraphs. In closing I really think last night and the past couple of weeks were steps Jamie and I were struggling with our whole relationship. I look forward to the steps, obstacles, and challenges with the mother of my baby and the young woman I am in love with. I'm gonna end this entry before Jamie gets home and before I make a bigger fool out of myself.

15 Weeks!

This pregnancy is flying by. It's hard to believe I'm 5 days away from being *4* months pregnant. I'm almost at the halfway mark! I'm sure Jeff and I have already gotten way too much stuff. I was trying to find things to put on a registry and I was having a hard time. The thing I'm most anxious about now is getting the baby's room all set up. We have the nursery furniture sitting in the living room now because our roommate is not moving out until August and her room is becoming the nursery. Sara is going to design it which I'm super excited about!

I have been sleeping a little better at night. I'm not waking up so many times to pee and the hip pain seems to be getting a little better. I keep reading online how the second trimester is the easiest though, so I know it will get bad again. I'm trying to enjoy my sleep while I can.

Yesterday morning I woke up very sick for the first time in awhile. Jeff was working an overnight and I woke up at around 6:15AM and could not stop throwing up. After I ate a little breakfast I seemed to start feeling better, but not after I had already made a mess of the toilet and kitchen sink with my throw up! After Jeff got home and slept a few hours he cleaned everything up for me.

I'm still having problems eating, but I think I'm getting the hang of it a little more. I'm still not excersizing, which is starting to really get to me. I really want to get back into it now. I keep telling myself I will take the dog for a walk when I get home but things come up or I start to feel dizzy or nauseous, and it just doesn't happen. I want to really get serious about it, though. If I have to I will go to the gym or take a walk on my lunch break. The benefits of pregnancy excersize are just too good and I just want to make sure I do everything I can.

In Pain & Can't Eat

Things have been rough for me to say the least. I haven't been sleeping at night. I am not used to sleeping on my side but it gives me horrible hip pain. I toss and turn from side to side all night and get up to pee about 17 times. I know it's a vicous cycle because when I get up to pee I also usually take a drink of water, but I can't help it. My mouth is so dry and I'm so thirsy that I need to drink.

Then there's my eating problem. No food has taste anymore. No matter what I eat, they pretty much all taste the same. But I'm even more picky about what I eat now. It seems like the different consistencies of foods bother me. I'm eating a lot of cheese - I can eat mac n cheese, pizza, bagel bites... and that's about it. I try to have a sandwich every now and then and sometimes I can suffer through it. Usually I'm ok with eating an egg in the morning for breakfast also, as long as it's over easy and not overcooked. I'm just having such a hard time eating anything!

What worries me the most about this is two things. I'm still not gaining weight because I avoid eating with all these problems. And then when I do eat, it's usually unhealthy, so that's not good for my little baby. I really want to do what's best for my baby but it's so hard now. I'm still *SO* nauseous all the time even though everyone said it would go away by now.

This pregnancy thing is really hard. It's not at all what I expected. I know it's different for every woman, and even every pregnancy, but I never imagined it would be this hard... and to think it's only going to get harder! I'm trying so hard to get back into excersizing. I know how important it is just to walk but by the time I get home everyday all I want to do is get into bed...

NT Scan / Food Aversions

Today we went for an NT Scan and we got some ultrasound pictures. It was great to see the baby again. It just really reminds me that no matter what I'm going through now, physically and mentally, it's all worth it. The baby's heart beat was 154, which is perfect.

The doctor also told us a little more about cystic fibrosis and our chances even if Jeff is a carrier as well. It's all a little scary but the doctor didn't seem to be too worried. We finally got everything ready so Jeff will be going for the screening today and we should know next week if he's a carrier or not.

I've been having a lot of problems eating lately. I'm having a serious meat aversion. I can't eat plain meat by itself but if it's hid I can tolerate it. It's not even just meat though. I made myself rice and beans last night and then couldn't eat it. It's weird because it's like the food just lingers in my mouth and I can't swallow it. It's almost like trying to eat rubber. I'm just really worried about trying to keep a healthy diet with all these food problems I've been having. I will just have to try different things and hope I can find something to eat. I've been eating pizza or bagel bites for almost every meal because that is the only thing I can seem to eat easily. Hopefully I'll figure something out!