I couldn't help posting this picture because I felt like this not too long ago. Although, I don't think I was ever as skinny as the cartoon! lol! But there were days I would torture Gene by asking him every five minutes, "Am I starting to look pregnant, yet? Do I look pregnant now?" The answer was always no, but now. . . . Now is a different story. Every pair of pants I own are super snug. Every one of them! And b/c I'm not nearly big enough for maternity clothes, I'm safety pinning my pants and that's starting to get really uncomfortable. Especially when I don't have too many shirts to choose from that will cover up my exposing tummy. I've been going back and forth about buying a bigger size, but I hate to buy a bigger size for just a few more weeks of wear especially since I'll need to buy more clothes later on when I really start showing. I'm just trying to save up as much money as I can since babies aren't cheap, plus I'll be taking 3 months off UNPAID after he/she is born so I'm trying to budget for that. Everything will be fine I know because everything has always turned out okay. I've always had what I've needed and I've survived, but I've been a worrier my whole life. It's hard to break those old nasty habits. ; )

Spring Break

Since I had a week off from school for spring break, my mom and I decided to take a few days to visit my Grandpa Mr. Pete in Arkansas. I didn't know with the baby coming when I would be able to get back out for a visit. So making the trip now was especially important since my great-uncle Ken and Mr. Pete are getting older. Being at my Granny's house in alot of ways was bitter sweet because she wasn't there, but with all of her clothes, her furniture and her smell I really felt surrounded by her presence that much more. Mr. Pete and my Granny had been together for 30 before she passed away so he's been around since I was a little tyke. He's always been like a Grandpa to me.

I really enjoyed spending time there relaxing with the weather being sunny & breezy at 75 degrees and not a care in the world. They don't have the Internet and I could barely get reception on my cell, so it was definitely therapeutic just to sit on the porch swing watching the cows graze, ducks splashing in the pond and the wind blowing in the trees. I spent alot of time relaxing and talking to my Grandpa and we watched his favorite game shows, Family Feud and Millionaire. Gene even made a surprise visit on his motorcycle and seeing Mr. Pete's eyes light up was priceless. I didn't tell him Gene would be there and he just kept saying, "Why didn't you tell me? What a nice surprise!" Mr. Pete always tells me that he's proud of me and Gene. So having us all there really made him feel good.

Mr. Pete plays the guitar like nobody's business so hearing him strum some tunes reminded me of all of my childhood visits to see my Granny and Mr. Pete. She would sing and he would play. They were such a great pair. ; )

Second Trimester Begins!

First of all, I want to say Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day to everyone!! Gene and I went to my work's 19th annual St. Patty's day celebration on Tuesday at the Muhammad Ali Center. Plenty of food and drink to be had, but water only for me thank you! ; ) The view was gorgeous with wall to wall windows overlooking the Ohio River and the weather could not have been more perfect with a high of 75 degrees. Schmoozing with clients as many (or few) that I knew and mingling with OBT friends. By 9pm, I was wiped out due to a screaming headache that I had from earlier in the day. None the less, definitely a good time for sure!

So, today marks the first day of my second trimester. I can't believe that I'm already 14 weeks pregnant. Time is flying by soo fast! They say that this stage is the best part of being pregnant. You're over the sickness, but not big enough to be uncomfortable. So, I'm looking forward to having much more energy, especially to tend to my poorly neglected house and possibly making some edible dishes for my sweet and patient husband. He has definitely picked up the slack for me around the house lately and has been so very patient with me while I've been nursing one aliment after another. Not to mention alot of my time after working all day is in school or studying, so you can imagine what my poor house looks like. So, Gene if you're reading this. . THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR ALLLLLLL THAT YOU DO FOR ME!!! I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!

So, now that everyone's seen the mushy side of me I'll close for now. lol! ; )

Hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for stopping by. : )

The baby's first photo shoot.

Shhhh. . . the baby is sleeping. . .

So, I had an appointment with the ultrasound technician to have a test done called Nuchal Fold Translucency. It typically tests for Down's Syndrome, but can also find other abnormalities. From what the tech could see, the baby is normal. ; ) But the coolest part of this whole experience is what I saw on the screen. This was the first time I saw the baby. I heard the heartbeat so we knew something was there, but to actually see it is. . . I don't know how to describe it. . . it was surreal. For the first 10 minutes she showed me the different parts of the baby's body. Eyes, nose, 4 little fingers and thumb, arms, legs, and the spot where to eventually find the sex. And all these little parts together are the size of a peach. You could even see the baby's heart beating in the ultrasound. All I could do was giggle every time she showed me something else. Then she said, "Well, we need to get the baby to wake up to move around so we can get a better shot of the spine." This is where they look for the Down's syndrome. So, I shake my belly around and tell him/her to wake up. Then. . . the next thing that I saw made me get teary-eyed. The baby. . . . . woke up. The baby stretched. The baby went from legs crossed at the ankles, hands clasped together to stretching. Stretched out it's arms and legs and even arched it back. It was soo clear. There was no mistaking what I just saw on the screen. At 13 weeks, the baby knew that stretching from a nap would give it some relief. After the baby woke up he/she rolled around and kicked out it's arms and legs. All I can say is, it was an incredible experience. INCREDIBLE!

3 months pregnant

No real news to report, but I had been ignoring a request for

a belly picture. Mostly b/c I've been busy studying among other things. So, here ya go! As you can see, I'm barely showing and it could be due to the fact that I just had dinner right before this picture was taken. My pants are very snug and I'm starting to get pretty uncomfortable in most of them. I'm considering buying a few pairs in a couple of sizes bigger since I'm still waaaaay to small to fit into maternity clothes. Anyways, even though you can barely see my growing tummy, it's still exciting to see even the slightest change. There's this one spot above my belly button that's hard as a rock. They say it's the uterus hardening. It's sooo wild to feel it. Let's see what else? OH! Thankfully, the 24 hour sickness is gone. Yippee! HOWEVER, if I don't eat something substantial every 2 hours I get pretty faint and dizzy. It's not a good thing b/c then the dizziness makes me nauseous. Oh the joys of pregnancy!! lol. . . In all seriousness, it's not so bad. I have a really great excuse to eat all the time! BUT not just whatever I want though. I like to pride myself in the fact that I have been eating very healthy. I drink lots of OJ, eat plenty of fruits and veges and make sure to eat plenty of proteins. I am a bit bummed about the fact I can't eat fish. Even though I totally HATE fish it's supposed to be really good for fetal brain development, so I thought by taking some fish oil pills would give me that supplement that I needed, but I ended up developing an allergic reaction to the pills. Couldn't figure it out for 2 months why I couldn't stop itching. I'm allergic to fish!! Where else can I get Omega 3??? Nuts, but I'm semi allergic to those, too. How is my baby going to get his/her brain food if everything I touch doesn't like me?!!? Flax. That's right flax. They make cereals and a pill supplement in flax form that has Omega 3 in it. Let's only hope that I don't get an allergic reaction from that, too!!!

There could not have been a sweeter sound.

Gene and I heard the heartbeat this morning. I thought I was going to turn into a big pile of snot. I knew this day was coming and didn't think I would get as emotional about it as I did. I mean, logically I knew if I heard the heartbeat then I'd be out of the woods because anything can happen during the first trimester. I just didn't prepare myself for the overwhelming emotion that came over me this morning. The DR barely touched my stomach and there it was. . . . swish-swish, swish-swish, swish-swish. She was even surprised at how quickly she was able to get the heartbeat. For a brief second I thought, "Is that it? Is my stomach growling and making all that noise? Is that MY heartbeat beating?" Once the DR confirmed it was the baby's, I just boo-woo'd the whole time. I was a mess. Tears running down my face and mascara everywhere. At one point Gene couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying. He was the best husband today (as he is everyday). But he was just so soo sweet as he rubbed my back and got me tons of tissue. His face was beaming though. Already taking the role of the proud papa.

I'm just blown away. Seriously and completely blown away by this whole experience. What an amazing sound to hear. . . swish-swish, swish-swish, swish-swish.