Registries

OK, so I started my registry at Target a couple of weekends ago...  Only because I had a coupon for a free $20 gift card that was about to expire. I added a few necessities and gender neutral things.  A few of my big items are there like the swing I want and the bouncy seat that I want.  I also registered for a pack n play there, but it is available only online.  Most of my big stuff is available at Babies R Us too.  I started my registry for BRU yesterday because if you started your registry and added a diaper genie to it you were entered to win everything on your registry!!!  So we need to hurry up and find out if Jellybean is a boy or a girl so I can actually start registering at BRU and hopefully win!

I enjoy looking at baby stuff can you tell?  I actually had just about everything big picked out for Jellybean before he or she was even conceived.  I'm a planner like that!  On all of the big stuff I am going gender neutral so we can use it again with Baby #2.

Want a peak at what I like so far???

We are going with a cherry finish on the crib because I have an armoir that matches my bedroom set that will be going in the baby's room and my furniture is cherry wood.

I've always heard great things about the Chicco Cortina travel system so that is what we are going with.  Fuego (the red) is the only color Zach and I agree on so Fuego it is...  he likes it because it is Alabama colors, I like it because it can be used for a boy or a girl...

The Little Lamb swing and bouncy seat are too cute and really gender neutral.  This was a hard category for me to find something that didn't look over girly or over boyish.

And finally, the pack n play is made by Boppy and is really the only gender neutral pack n play that I like at Target. I haven't been to BRU yet to look at theirs but I will register for one there too if I find one that I like.
Now we just wait and see if Jellybean is a boy or a girl and then finish planning...

11 Weeks

How far along: 11 weeks.


Maternity clothes: My pants are a little snug so I have been wearing more dresses lately...

Sleep: Sleep is going exceptionally well right now so I am enjoying it while it lasts!

Best moment last week: Everything about being pregnant...

Symptoms: None. If I didn't know that I was pregnant I wouldn't know that I am because I haven't really had any symptoms.

Food cravings: Fried green tomatoes.

Gender: Not sure yet.

What I am looking forward to: My next appointment on April 8!

From The Bump:

Baby's now the size of a lime!

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

Sorry for the lack of posting lately... I haven't had anything interesting to share.  Zach works all the time and I try to find ways to keep myself busy.  So there is really nothing interesting going on in our part of the world, aside from Jellybean of course!

10 Weeks

WOW!  In double digit weeks now!  It seems like it was just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant!

How far along: 10 weeks.


Maternity clothes: My pants are a little snug so I have been wearing more dresses lately but not into the maternity clothes yet..

Sleep: Sleep is going exceptionally well right now so I am enjoying it while it lasts!

Best moment last week: Planning for my little Jellybean!  I've been playing around with ideas on how to arrange the nursery and I can see it all coming together nicely once we get started.

Symptoms: None.

Food cravings: Waffles. Tropical flavor popsicles.

Gender: Not sure yet.

What I am looking forward to: My next appointment on April 8!

From The Bump:

Baby's now the size of a prune!


With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)

Just a rambling...

It feels weird not having a doctors appointment this week...  I have gone to the doctor just about every week since the first of December...  my bank account is thankful but it just seems odd to me...

I don't go back until April 8.  That is my sweet nephew, Gavin's first birthday!  I can't believe that he is going to be one!!!

I am still feeling great and I'm so thankful for my little Jellybean!  I am so anxious to start decorating the nursery.  I already have the crib picked out.  My parents are going to buy the crib for us (we are going to put some money towards it too because the one we picked out is a little more expensive than the one I had originally picked out, we changed from that one because of recalls.)...  I have been looking at bedding also...  I have it narrowed down to two for a girl and four for a boy...  Decisions, decisions...

I know I'm not that far along yet but I am so ready to start my registry!  At lunch I sit at my desk and browse Babies R Us and Target's baby section...  There are so many cute things!!!  I'm not sure what is an absolute must for a registry so any help on that would be great!

The bedroom that is going to be the nursery is kind of small so I have been thinking of how I want to arrange it...  I need to draw a little diagram of the room and work it out that way...  I'm a visual person so just imagining it in my head doesn't work for me...

Also, I have a chair that I am going to recover to go in the nursery...  It is one of the chairs that I got at the local antique mall for my birthday...  I have no clue how to recover a chair so if you know of any good websites that have step by step instructions that would be awesome!

Let's see, what else was I going to tell you???  Oh yeah!  Zach and I have been talking about me staying home with the baby instead of putting him or her in daycare...  Will you pray that if it is in God's plan for me to stay home with our Jellybean that everything will work out?

Thanks everyone!  That's all I have time for right now...  I hope you have a great Wednesday!

9 Weeks

How far along: 9 weeks.

Maternity clothes: None yet, but I am fully stocked with maternity clothes thanks to my sister.

Sleep: Still sleeping alot. I usually get up 1-2 times a night to go to the restroom but I can usually go right back to sleep.

Best moment last week: Hearing my sweet Jellybean's heartbeat for the first time!  AMAZING!!!

Symptoms: None other than being tired.

Food cravings: Apples and Waffles, but not together...

Gender: Not sure yet.

What I am looking forward to: My next appointment on April 8!

From The Bump:

Baby's now the size of a green olive!

Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like...well...a baby!

Baby Self has a new name...

Ava has started calling Baby Self Jellybean!  It is too cute.  She and Karmen went to the doctor with me yesterday since Zach couldn't go.  We got to see the baby on an ultrasound and we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time!  It was beating away at 189!

Ava asked for one of the pictures that the ultrasound technician gave me so I gave her one.  She was so excited!

When we were getting ready to go get the ultrasound Ava asked how we were going to get the baby out to look at it!  Too cute!  Karmen explained to her that we were just going to watch the baby on the TV.

I recorded the heartbeat on my cell phone since Zach couldn't make it.  I wanted him to be able to hear it!

Other than that....  Jellybean is measuring right on track.  I was 8 weeks and 3 days yesterday and he or she was measuring exactly that!

I also met with an insurance coordinator about what I will owe through my pregnancy and what I will owe at delivery...  I was surprised to learn that all I would owe would be $250 at delivery.  No copays between now and then, no fee to the doctor at delivery, no fee for every night I am in the hospital...  Just $250 to the hospital...  That takes a huge weight off of my shoulders!

I don't think I have mentioned this on my blog but Zach had to find a new job pretty quickly because his dad couldn't pay him anymore through his company.  So he is actually working two jobs right now.  He works during the day at one job and then goes in about 6 to the other job and comes home around 10:30 or 11:00.  It stinks not being able to see him a lot but we do get to spend our weekends together so that makes it some better.

He is also in the process of switching units.  He met with a unit here in Birmingham the other day, it sounds promising that he will be able to get in this unit.  We should know for definite at the beginning of next week.  His unit now is so far from our house.  He has to get up at 3:30 and leave at 4:15 to be at his unit by 6:00 on Saturday mornings.  They get him a hotel room on Saturday nights but they don't on Friday nights.  Bless his heart, he is really dragging by the end of the day on Saturday drill...  Thank goodness drill is only once a month or he would really be dragging between working two jobs and that...

I am going to run for now.  I hope you all have a great weekend!

Welcome Back

Hello Friends.

The transition to Private went pretty well for me.  I think I got everyone invited.

Just wanted to let you know that my posts will not show up when you sign in to Google in your reading pane.  That is the only down side of going Private.  I know there is a way to set up for me to email you when I post something but I don't want to flood your inboxes.  So just check in often or if you do want to receive an email let me know.

Hope you all are having a great day!

8 Weeks

How far along: 8 weeks 1 day.


Maternity clothes: None yet, but I am fully stocked with maternity clothes.

Sleep: Still sleeping alot. I usually get up 1-2 times a night to go to the restroom but I can usually go right back to sleep.

Best moment last week: Seeing my sweet little baby for the second time! And being able to see his or her little heartbeat again!

Symptoms: Just sleepy.

Food cravings: Apples

Gender: Not sure yet.

What I am looking forward to: I was released last week by my specialist to return to my regular OB/GYN.  I have my first appointment with her on Thursday of this week!

From The Bump:

Baby's now the size of a raspberry!

Baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs, and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.
 
Sorry this is a day late.  Last night when I got home I started some laundry and that consumed my evening... I will try to do better next week!
 
Don't forget that I am switching my blog to private tomorrow so get me your email address if you want to continue reading. Send it to i_love_you_to_pieces at yahoo dot com so I can add you to the approved readers list!
 

Private

I have decided to make my blog private.  If you would like to be added to my readers list please send your email address to i_love_you_to_pieces at yahoo dot com with your email address in it and I will add you.

I will leave my blog open to the public until Wednesday morning, after then I will switch it to private.

Thanks for your understanding.

Craftiness

I want to be a crafty person. But I don't have a crafty bone in my body.  I see all these gorgeous things on blogs, on TV, in magazines and I wish that I could do something like what I see.  I give it a go and it doesn't turn out like I want it to...

My sister on the other hand is SO crafty! She can turn nothing into something fantastic in a heartbeat!  She makes dresses, invitations, decorative pieces for her house, and so much more...  I should really hire her to do a few things for me!

I need to get her to sit down with me one day and show me how she works her magic! I wonder if there is a secret to her craftiness... If so, maybe she can teach me!

7 Weeks

How far along: 7 weeks.

Maternity clothes: None yet, but I am fully stocked with maternity clothes.

Sleep: Still sleeping alot.  I usually get up 1-2 times a night to go to the restroom but I can usually go right back to sleep.

Best moment last week: Seeing my sweet little baby for the first time! And being able to see his or her little heartbeat!

Symptoms: Just sleepy.

Food cravings: None

Gender: Not sure yet.

What I am looking forward to: My ultrasound tomorrow!!!  I can't wait to see our sweet baby again tomorrow afternoon!

From The Bump:

Baby's now the size of a blueberry!


Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about one hundred new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

New Poll

You may have noticed in my left sidebar that I added a poll.  Do you think Baby Self is a boy or a girl?  Please vote.  I have it set to stay open until May 31, 2010.  That is when I will be 20 weeks and will hopefully know by then or should be finding out soon.  So vote away friends!

As for me, I am still doing well.  Just really sleepy all the time.  I'm yawning as I type this.  The spotting has just about stopped so that is good.  I still have no morning sickness, and I am so thankful for that!

Zach is doing well also.  He finally found a new job yesterday and he started today!  We are so happy that he is working again!

That is about all that is going on with us...  I hope all of you are well!

6 Weeks

How far along: 6 weeks

Maternity clothes: Not even close to wearing them.

Sleep: Still sleeping a lot.

Best moment last week: Just enjoying being pregnant!

Symptoms: Still sleepy... 

Food cravings: none yet.

Gender: Still entirely too early to know.

What I am looking forward to:  I was looking forward to my ultrasound tomorrow but because of some spotting issues I had over the weekend they switched it to this morning.  So we got to see Baby Self this morning and we were able to see the little heartbeat!  Everything looks great and she said that the spotting was ok.  She said it was due to a teeny tiny blood clot.  She said it was so small she could barely see it on the ultrasound and to not worry.  So now I am looking forward to yet another ultrasound next Tuesday for a recheck and if everything still looks good then she will release me back to my regular doctor.

There is just one baby and he or she is measuring 6 weeks and 1 day.  The heartbeat was great she said!  We were worried that we wouldn't be able to see it because it is still so early but as soon as she found the baby we saw the little flicker of the heartbeat!  It was amazing!  She gave me a little picture!  I need to get a frame for it!

From The Bump:

Baby's now the size of a sweet pea!

Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks, and chin. Those little hands and feet -- still webbed like paddles -- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!), and blood is starting to circulate.

5 Weeks

How far along: 5 weeks

Maternity clothes: not even close to wearing them yet but I did have a TON given to me today so I think I am set on maternity clothes!

Sleep: I am still sleeping great!  I do get tired during the day, so by bedtime I am exhausted.

Best moment last week: Finding out that we are going to have a baby!!!

Symptoms: I am so tired and my boobs are a little sore.

Food cravings: None really.  I have been wanting some cheddar and sour cream chips but I was addicted to them before I got pregnant.

Gender: WAY too early to tell... and I don't really have a feeling of the gender yet.

What I am looking forward to: going for our first ultrasound on February 23rd!!!

From The Bump:

Baby's now the size of an appleseed!

Your embryo, which doesn't look like much more than a tadpole right now, is actually starting to form major organs (heart, kidney, liver, stomach) and systems (nervous, circulatory, digestive). Baby's presence in your uterus triggers production of HCG (the hormone detected by pregnancy tests), which triggers the production of other hormones like estrogen and progesterone, which triggers all those great symptoms you've probably been noticing!


So I need a cute nickname to call the baby.  It annoys me when people call their baby "It".  I have been calling the baby "The Baby" or "Our Baby". So what do you guys think we should call the baby?

Also, I know a lot of people include a picture of their belly each week with these but I look horrible today so no picture for week 5.

I'm still so proud

One year ago I sat in the bleachers at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia to watch my husband graduate from Basic Training.  I was (and still am) so incredibly proud of him.  I cried happy tears that day because my husband was doing something that he has always wanted to do and he had completed the first part of his training.  I cried happy tears because our separation was finally over; once he was at his AIT site I could go visit him.

I am a very emotional person anyways but something about seeing my husband out there with a lot of other men (in Basic Training at Fort Benning there are no women) got to me...  Their accomplishments so far, the hard work they put in, their bravery...  It was a great ceremony...  I cried from the time they all marched on the field to the time I was finally able to wrap my arms around my soldier.

The first two pictures are part of the demonstration that they did as part of the ceremony.  The third picture is all of the men that graduated that day.  The fourth picture is the men marching back to their positions after marching by the stands.  And the last picture is of me and my soldier.

How do you like those glasses he is wearing?  They weren't allowed to wear their contacts.  They refer to them as birth control glasses (BCGs) and that they are...  I'm just kidding (they seriously call them that though), they really aren't that bad...  in fact Zach still wears his at night after he takes his contacts out.

To my husband: thank you for serving our country, thank you for being such a wonderful man and a wonderful husband.  I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished!  I love you to pieces!

I love my doctor, she is SO sweet!

On Tuesday I got a call from my doctor, not the nurse but it was actually Dr. M...  She called to tell me congratulations and that my HCG level on Monday was 155.  She said that was good and that my progesterone looked good also...  she told me to come back on Wednesday (yesterday) for more bloodwork...  So I talked to the nurse this afternoon and she said that my HCG levels did double like they should have, that they were actually at 476 now!!!

So I go back on February 23rd for my first ultrasound at 6 weeks and 1 day!  Thank you for your prayers we appreciate them more than you will ever know!

Our Mountain Vacation

I just realized that I never posted about our trip to my cousin's house in the mountains!  I am too tired to post a long in depth post so I will just show you the pictures.

 

We were only there from Friday night until Sunday night but we had a blast!!!!!!!!!!

A HUGE Thanks

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who commented on my post yesterday!  We are SO excited and we appreciate your support and prayers!

Thanks for being such great friends!

02/07/10 - the best day of my life

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. 1 Samuel 1:27




I know it is really early to be telling everyone but we felt like since we had all of you wonderful blog readers praying for us we would tell you so you all can continue to pray for us but to pray specifically for our pregnancy now!

I promise to keep you updated as we go through this.  I went for bloodwork yesterday (we did the home pregnancy test on Sunday) and I go on Wednesday for more bloodwork and then I go on February 23 for an ultrasound!

My estimated due date is October 18!

Thank you friends for your prayers, they mean the world to us!

You Capture - Faces

I am participating in You Capture this week over at I Should Be Folding Laundry. So Here is my submission for this week's challenge, Faces.
 

 

My handsome husband in the mountains last weekend!!!