What week is it again?

After our update at the doctor's office telling us we are measuring ahead, and a week long work trip to Denver working double shifts I have forgotten my name let alone what week we are in for this pregnancy.  After a quick review of last week's post I was reminded that we are now in WK 12, moving into WK 13 on Wednesday!  That means we are almost out of the first trimester.  We are slowly but surely knocking out weeks, and my belly is slowly but surely getting round.  

After visiting Denver to set a store this week, Kevin and I headed to the lake with my Mom and Dad to relax.  We did miss the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, but were able to get in some good rest and lots of sun!  One thing I have decided is that it is just not fair to our baby to be born during an Olympic year.  As we have watched the qualifying events and now the 2012 games, Kevin is trying to decide what our child is going to do to get to the games.  Should we get them into a pool as soon as they enter the world, or do we start gymnastic lessons as soon as they can walk?  Should we focus on a sport that seems like it may be easier to qualify for or do we go for the glory in one of the big shows?  So many decisions to make... and let me remind you, we have yet to pick out a single piece of baby furniture, but we have mapped out our child's Olympic experience.  What else are we supposed to do with our free time? I can't drink for crying out loud. :)

One sport he or she may be involved in if they inherit their father's pitching ability is baseball.  Not only does Baby O already have a rookie Cardinals onesie, but now, thanks to my Dad, the baby has a commemorative teddy bear from the 2012 MLB All Star Game.  He included the beads so that Baby O would know what day Grandpa White picked up this little souvenir.  Thanks Dad!

I don't know if Baby O will ever realize how much he/she was thought of so many months before they were even born, but I am sure that he/she will always feel the love from all of our friends and family who have already began showering Baby O with gifts and prayers for healthy development... by the way... keep those coming!

To the questions!

Are you feeling sick?:  Thankfully NO.

Are you sleeping?: Better now that I have my pea pod pillow.  Kevin says it looks like I am sleeping with a bean, but hey, it makes my back feel better!

What was the best moment this week?:  This week was a blur.  I have enough belly to rub now so I am kind of enjoying that at the moment.

Do you miss anything?: Being able to eat a sandwich without heating up my lunch meat.

Any cravings yet?:  This week it was fruit snacks.  Every time I saw a bag I bought them... and I may or may not have eaten an entire box by myself in the last 24 hours.

Do you want to know if Baby O is a boy or a girl?: Of course.  We are already planning a dinner with family to make the big announcement after our WK 20 appointment.

Any other symptoms?: Still feeling good... trying not to get cocky at this point. :)

Mood lately?:  Too tired to be moody this week. 

What are you looking forward to?:  Shopping.  I can't justify buying anything at this point without knowing gender so we are just holding our breath.

Baby Bump?:  I don't know if it is as obvious as it feels, but when I was in a bikini at the lake this weekend, it was unmistakable!

Need any maternity clothes?:  Still no, but it is only a matter of time.  

I hope everyone enjoys their week!

Hey... There's a baby in there!

This week was a BIG week!  We finally go to see the doctor, but more importantly, we finally got to see sweet Baby O!  The doctor actually had a hard time finding the heartbeat so we went in for an ultrasound and got some keepsake photos of what Kevin and I are affectionately calling alien baby.  Baby O is looking great and is even measuring a week ahead so we are now officially at 11 weeks and will move over to 12 weeks on Wednesday!  I will take everyday we can get.

Other than that, this week was fairly slow.  I did interview for a promotion which happened really fast, but I am leaving town in a matter of minutes and will be working in Denver all week so they had to fit me in prior to leaving.  Lots of changes in the Ool house!  Also, this week we made the pregnancy "facebook official."  It was really exciting to let friends and family know that we are expecting.  We had been fairly cautions waiting until we got a thumbs up from the doctor, but finally getting to post our amazing pictures and tell the world our news was heartwarming.  Our closest family members have been so supportive already, but it was really nice to hear all the kind words and congratulations from friends so thanks to everyone who let us know that they are just as excited as we are.

That's all I have for this week since I am headed to the airport in a few minutes...onto the FAQ.

Are you feeling sick?:  Not at all.  Feeling great!

Are you sleeping?: Still uncomfortable at night, but my new pillow arrives this week.  I think it will be the most life changing thing to happen until Baby O arrives.  :)

What was the best moment this week?:  Making our news official was pretty awesome.

Do you miss anything?: Still cocktails.  I would have like to celebrate with a beer instead of a sprite after our visit to the doctor's office, but sprite it is.

Any cravings yet?:  Still struggling with having much of an appetite, but hey... no weight gain yet so I guess I will take it.

Do you want to know if Baby O is a boy or a girl?: Oh yeah!

Any other symptoms?: Have been feeling great for weeks now so I am just keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Mood lately?:  Work has been stressful so that has had me a little scattered, but outside of that, I am afraid I have entered the "emotional" phase of this pregnancy meaning that for some reason I was crying at music videos at about 5:30 am before heading to the gym... yeah, I am that girl.

What are you looking forward to?:  Now that we are 100% sure there is a baby in there I can't wait to find out the sex so we can begin doing some serious shopping.

Baby Bump?:  Getting rounder by the day.  Depending on what I am wearing, I actually look pregnant some days.

Need any maternity clothes?:  Holding out.

Have a great week everyone!

Happy 1/4 Anniversary

That is what Sarah is calling week 10 of this pregnancy.  We are 1/4 of the way there and feeling amazing!  Everyone who knows keeps asking if I am ok.... Are you sick?  Can you eat? How are you feeling?  The answer is I feel great.  Great enough to eat ice cream for dinner... I just wasn't that hungry. HA!

This weekend we were paid a visit by Baby O's other set of grandparents!  We ate, Lynn swam, the boys watched the Yankees and then we ate some more.  It was great to catch up and to have them here during this exciting time.  We got our first gift from the Ools as well.  He/She will enjoy bath time with this adorable hooded towel and some finger puppets.  A big thank you to the Ools for making time to visit and taking such good care of us while you were here.  I will be taking you up on that offer to overnight NYC bagels when I have a craving, Lynn.

In other news, it is appointment week! I am going back and forth between being overwhelmingly excited to being scared to death of the remote chance that the Dr. finds something wrong.  I am focusing on the positives... I have had no signs of trouble and have had nothing but positive reviews from the nurses I have seen up to this point.  My growing belly indicates that either there is a baby getting big and strong in there, or I need to cut back on the carbs.  Wish us luck on Wednesday when we get to hear our sweet baby's heartbeat for the very first time.

The other exciting thing about the appointment this week is that once we hear the heartbeat, and get a good report from the Dr. we get to announce the arrival of our family's newest addition to the world.  I can't wait to share the amazing pictures we had taken and finally tell all of our friends and family who have yet to hear the good news how excited we are.

Finally... I know... can there be any more excitement you ask... I am going to pursue a new opportunity at work.  I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my position at work being elevated after our job analysis.  another result was that a new position was opened up that would be another promotion.  I was able to apply this week and am hoping for an interview soon.  This would be an exciting new challenge, a great opportunity, and just in time for Baby O, a nice little pay raise.  Please send good vibes my way as I prep for the interview. Onto the FAQ!

Are you feeling sick?:  What little nausea I have had has passed.  As long as I keep food on my stomach, I am good to go!

Are you sleeping?: Not great, but I have ordered a new pillow I am hoping helps this situation improve.  If I have to be sick, or uncomfortable, I will take a little discomfort any day.

What was the best moment this week?:  I was glad Lynn and Eric got to be here to share in our excitement this week.

Do you miss anything?: I would have really enjoyed having a cocktail at one of the many dinners we had out this week.  Ok, I would have liked three or four cocktails.  

Any cravings yet?:  Not this week.  Nothing really sounds good lately, but I guess that is better than stuffing my face all day.

Do you want to know if Baby O is a boy or a girl?: Duh!

Any other symptoms?: Still a bit tired, but nothing too bad.

Mood lately?:  Pretty good... I think. :)

What are you looking forward to?:  I have a feeling hearing the heartbeat this week will be life changing.  I cannot wait! 

Baby Bump?:  Slowly but surely rounding out.  It is pretty obvious at the gym in tight tank tops, less so at work in flowy tops.  We will see how many people admit noticing a bit of a belly after we make the announcement.

Need any maternity clothes?:  It may be time to invest in some Bella Bands.

Week 9...Feelin' Fine

Dorky I know, but come on... kind of good.  First thing is first. Kevin and I are wishing a Happy Birthday to our first "baby" Bella girl!  She is the big 0-3 today, or as Kevin puts it, legally able to drink in dog years.  

We have crossed over into the third month of this adventure and Baby O has graduated to a full fledged fetus.  Baby is growing like crazy and I am going crazy waiting until next week when we finally get to hear the sweet heartbeat!  This past week was a bit rougher than the rest as we get closer to the point where my hormones will apparently max out.  I woke up with some strange symptoms on Thursday and after promising the nurse that I had been eating and had not been sick she determined that the sudden dizziness and increased heart rate I was experiencing warranted a quick visit.  They found nothing out of the ordinary and attributed it to the spike in hormones and the fact that I am not sleeping incredibly well… time to invest in one of those giant body pillows!

We got to relax this weekend though and spent some time camping with some of my favorite people.  We were almost all present after Megan made a last minute decision to come up and join us because Adam is working nights.  We ate, we played games and then we ate some more and talked about Baby O – one of my favorite topics as you can imagine. Mom even presented us with a stuffed horse she picked up on her recent trip to San Antonio - she said it is made with real Texas - and expressed her dislike in the fact that we don’t know a gender yet because it apparently makes choosing gifts a bit difficult.  Only 10 more weeks and we will be able to start picking up lots of pink onesies or blue pajamas.

While we are still in the early stages of this pregnancy, I continue to worry about baby’s healthy development so any thoughts or prayers are appreciated.  Also, a friend of mine from work who is also pregnant has had a rough couple of months and if you have a moment, send up a prayer for her.  She recently discovered that her grandmother is suffering from the early stages of cancer, not sure which kind.  This weekend, she was further struck when they found out that her mom has been diagnosed with an advanced stage of lung cancer.  I can’t imagine having anything more to worry about than baby’s health, let alone that of some of the most important women in your life.  It really  made me realize how lucky I have been to feel pretty good and have such a supportive, and HEALTHY group of people around us.  We are so thankful for all of you and can’t wait until we have a snuggly little baby to share with everyone!

Are you feeling sick?:  This week I felt really great aside from the one day that my symptoms were strange.

Are you sleeping?: Negative

What was the best moment this week?:  We played spoons at the campground and may have finally found something Kevin is not very good at.  I think it was good for Baby O that I was laughing so much at his failed attempts to grab the last piece of cutlery from the table.

Do you miss anything?: This week it was coffee.  It is pretty much routine for my dad and I to wake up first at the campground and talk over coffee… this week we talked over saltines and water. 

Any cravings yet?:  Cinnamon is still on the top of the list… cinnamon rolls tonight sound good in fact!

Do you want to know if Baby O is a boy or a girl?:  Can’t wait to find out!

Any other symptoms?:  Feeling incredibly lucky to feel so good. 

Mood lately?:  Aside from feeling like I could cry at anything from a song on the radio to a commercial on TV… I am good.

Bump?: Everyone else says no... I say yes... you be the judge. Please excuse the week 9 photo as it was a very long day. :)

Week 4                                        Week 9

What are you looking forward to?:  Just want to speed everything up so that we can hold Baby O.  Everyone is so excited to meet him/her already and I can’t wait to share our sweet baby with our family and friends.

I hope everyone has a great week and that the Ools have a safe flight to the Midwest as we prep to enjoy a long weekend visit with Baby O's grandparents! 

An Ode To Kevin

Our 8th week of pregnancy proved to be uneventful.  The closer we get to the next appointment, the more thankful I am for that very fact.  I have been told that I should employ the no news is good news theory... If I am feeling ok and there are no signs of trouble, then keep calm and keep counting down until the next appointment when we will have solid proof that Baby O is healthy and strong.  Outside of that, our big news this week is that my division at work did a job analysis and my position got bumped up.  I will take a free promotion any day!  Not only that, but there may be an even higher position available shortly that thanks to the free bump, I would be eligible for.  Could be exciting... stay tuned. 

Since I don't have any new gifts to report - this is the point where I would make a comment about this baby not having anything if I had not bragged about the super fun gifts that have already been sent - I thought this would be the perfect time to tell everyone that Kevin has magically transformed into Superman since the big announcement. See photo of Kevin the pirate below... it is the closest thing I have to Superman.  :)

It was not until I had an out of body experience at a red box that I realized just how awesome Kevin is.  As I stood there yelling irrationally - and yes I realized I was irrational but could do little to alter my behavior... weird - I looked over at Kevin who was at that very moment the most patient I have ever known him to be.  Once I had finished yelling about the lack of options in the redbox and how obviously someone was working against me and my need to be entertained, Kevin paused and simply asked, "Did you want to go get ice cream?"  That was the minute that I realized not only had I married the perfect person for me, but that he had somehow transformed from the carefree, beer guzzling ballplayer I had met into a truly promising father.  Someone please refer me to this post when I start writing about how over this pregnancy Kevin is in about WK 30. 

Ice cream seems to be Kevin's fix for everything.  It is his proverbial duct tape if you will.  Anytime I mention that I have had a hard day at work, or don't feel particularly well, there is sure to be an M&M McFlurry in the freezer when I get home.  Thank goodness they started making those in a mini size or I would look more like I am finishing up my second trimester. He has been supportive about everything... I am too tired to make dinner, he will pick up takeout.  Feeling sick means that it is no longer my responsibility to take out the dog.  Laundry sits unfolded in the utlility room for days and he simply goes in and picks out clean underwear as needed so that I don't have to work too quickly to return it to its proper position.  Most of this may seem obvious, but any of you who know Kevin knows that he has always been a bit catered to, so for the tables in this house to turn so abruptly has been a pleasant surprise.  At the risk of people starting to think he is too great, I will end it here, but it sure is nice to be so loved, me and Baby O!  Bring on the questions.

Are you feeling sick?:  First thing when I wake up, but that is the worst of it.

Are you sleeping?: Still no.  This is getting a little old.

What was the best moment this week?:  Promotion at work!  While not baby related, every positive gain I make means more mulah for Baby O.

Do you miss anything?: Booze.  This will probably be reoccurring, but as a friend of mine downed her margarita and I watched over the top of my water glass, I was just a little sad.

Any cravings yet?:  Cinnamon.  I realized this after purchasing cinnamon butter, cinnamon rolls and cinnamon honey bunches of oats at the grocery store last week... oh yeah, then we got cinnamon knots for dessert after dinner.  So good!

Do you want to know if Baby O is a boy or a girl?:  Still yes.  Names are picked out and ready for when we reach WK 20 and get to find out!

Any other symptoms?:  Tired... so so tired... 

Mood lately?:  Pretty good.  Kevin may disagree, but he probably isn't going to read this so I can say what I want.

What are you looking forward to?:  Bathing Baby O.  After a few weird looks from coworkers this week after asking my work friend if I could just come over and give her baby a bath then sniff her, I realized that I may need to keep certain things to myself.