Pics Posted!

Okay, so I finally posted my pictures (pics of the zoo will come later tonight). We had issues with our Internet again last night, but John was able to fix it. Then I posted all these pictures to the website.....and then I came in this morning and they were all just little boxes with X's in them. Ugh. So I had to do it all again this morning.

Anywho...enjoy!

Oh, and last night I felt a couple more little kicks or punches!!! Yay!

Week 17

So I am now officially 17 weeks along....woo-hoo!!! Time is really flying by a lot faster than I would've thought. And only one more week...and a few days...until we HOPEFULLY find out the gender. I have been preparing myself that we may not be able to find out due to firmly crossed legs from the baby! But I sure hope the baby cooperates! :)

I have been feeling very good. My sister-in-law, Melissa gave me 4 boxes of maternity clothes...woo-hoo! So tonight I will be having a fashion show to determine which tops/bottoms fit now or later in the pregnancy. :) She just saved us lots of money from buying all new clothes! Thanks Melissa!

The baby had his/her first trip to the zoo yesterday! We went with Abbey, Mark, Connor and Casey. We had soooo much fun with them. Connor has always warmed right up to me and I love it! The boys did SO well yesterday....and while walking to the car, they both were falling asleep in the stroller...so cute! I will post pictures. :)

The baby did walk away with a souvenir top to mark the first trip to the zoo.

I believe it was in the monkey 'house' where I felt the baby move a little bit...hm.... :)

This morning (Tuesday) I felt 2 kicks on my drive in to work. I begged the baby for more since the 1st 2 caught me off guard....but I got nothing...what a tease! I am sure towards the end of my pregnancy I will ask the baby to calm down and let me sleep...but right now I am just so excited any time I feel movement!

This week the baby is about 5 inches long and weighs about 5 ounces (about the weight of a turnip)!

Pics Coming

Okay, so perhaps it is best that if I say I will add pictures a certain day...add a week and hopefully I will meet that deadline!

We got them loaded on our computer....then I was trying to figure out which ones to put on the blog....then I got sidetracked.....then our Internet connection over this weekend was non-existent during the day....John and I were really frustrated (he was frustrated cuz he couldn't get work done....I was frustrated cuz I couldn't post).

So, seriously....as long as the Internet connection in our household comes through peach keen today....I will post pictures.

:)

Week 16

So I realized in all the excitement about our mini-vacation I never posted about Week 16 (even though I'm almost at week 17).

I am showing even more which is exciting!

My apologies for the poor picture quality...I was excited because the hotel room was the same green as our room....however the lighting was really poor!

I've felt the baby move several times...very cool feeling...no kicks or punches yet, but I'm sure those will come soon. :)

I have learned that when I need to eat, I NEED to EAT! I crave more savory things, then sweet things...which I just read is the sign of a boy. Go figure....John always craves meat and potatoes types of things and not sweets....whereas that is normally what I go for! Anytime I'm hungry I HAVE to have MEAT! Nothing else will do the trick, it will just make me not feel so good. :)

I have also learned that if I wake up too early (for example 4:30am in order to catch an early plane) then I have issues in the morning. However, if I wake up around 6:30-7ish, I am much better by then.

I usually take a small nap in the afternoon...right after a walk with Buddy....and I do stay up late, but try to sleep in a bit in the mornings. :)

Milk is still a very exciting part of my evening routine. :)

Oh and the baby this week is the size of an avocado.

I think that's about it. More to come later... :)

Welcome, Ava Claire

I can't believe I forgot to post this, but my 2nd cousin Stephanie (we just started talking in the last couple months...the last time we saw each other was at a family reunion in 1990!!!!!!!)....anyway Stephanie delivered her baby girl, Avalyn Claire (Ava Claire is what they call her...love it!) on Mother's Day.

Ava Claire made an early appearance due to what the doctor's call IUGR (IntraUterine Growth Restriction). She apparently only had one artery going through the umbilical cord, therefore towards Week 32 of her pregnancy, Stephanie had to go on bedrest and a couple weeks later they decided to induce her because Ava Claire wasn't growing fast enough for the doctors and they thought she'd grow faster outside the womb.

She was induced at 35 weeks exactly and on such a great day! Ava Claire was 4 lbs. 7 oz. 18.5 inches long. She's been on tubes and such but is doing much better. Stephanie and Travis cannot wait to bring their little girl home. Please say a prayer for them as they are going through daily visits to see their little girl. Ava is currently 4lbs. 4 oz.; so perhaps once she gets a little more meat on her bones she can come home! We're thinking of you Stephanie, Travis and Ava!!!!

On the move...

Oh and I forgot to mention one of the best things....on Saturday and Sunday I felt the baby move several different times...for just a little bit at a time...but boy does that feeling make me SMILE!

Tuesday

Today I had another fun day at my conference. ;)

John worked out (I was impressed, but he feels he's putting on pregnancy weight as well). He also went to Wild Wings for lunch and stopped by Gent's BarberSalon. He got an amazing haircut. While they shampooed his head, he got a massage. Then after the haircut, the shaved his neck with hot shaving cream with a real razor...eeks! Then they placed a hot towel on his neck and gave him a massage...yeah, real nice!!!! So it was definitely the most expensive hair cut he received, but he loved it!

Afterward my conference was done for the day, John and I met up and discussed what we were going to do. He mentioned that he missed Justin and Jen and that we don't see them often so we should call them...I agreed. :) We met Justin at Folly Beach (he had been there surfing in the afternoon). Jen met up with us shortly after. We walked over to Taco Boy...which is a casual Mexican restaurant...it was pretty yummy! Of course, we all happened to dive right into more baby talk (love it). While we were talking epidurals vs. natural birth, the waitress piped in. She had a 3 and a half month old at home and gave us her helpful 2 cents about it all...it was great! :)

Then we walked onto the pier and talked some more. As a storm was coming, we headed back. We said our goodbye's again and discussed them coming out to Chicago (I really hope they come, it would be great fun and we'd both definitely be showing by then!). On the way back to our hotel, we caught an amazing lightning show, heard beatiful thunder and became deluged with rain! It only lasted about 20 minutes, but it was nice.

Gosh, I think that brings us up to speed. As I mentioned, I will post pictures either tomorrow when we get home or some time this weekend!

:)

Monday

Well, Monday I had my conference from 9am to 4pm. It was okay...lots of information.

John relaxed in the room most of the day; he left for lunch, but otherwise just relaxed (which he needed as work has been crazy stressful for him lately).

After the end of my day we walked around some more. We stopped at a couple souvenir shops and got us each something...including a little romper for the baby!!! Hooray! It is so much fun to buy for a little baby! We also swung by WaldenBooks and got a baby name book...as we've had some trouble thinking of boy names. I suppose in a couple of weeks we will most likely know what we'll be having, but we still want to think it all out.

We stopped at Diana's Toast for a beverage and an appetizer...it was pretty good. Then we walked back to the hotel and took a nap.

Around 8pm we left for "The Charleston Crab House". We wanted to eat there as this restaurant was premiered on the show "Flip This House". As John and I were big fans of the show, we were excited to see it. We snapped a couple pictures and ate some delicious food.

We headed back to the hotel and started searching for baby names. :) Oh fun!

Sunday

Sunday we met at Justin and Jen's and headed to Kiawah (a very secluded island which many celebrities frequent, including Oprah who owns a house on the island).

We went to the beach. They had all packed a fabulous picnic lunch. Well it was SOOO windy on the beach so it made eating our food a little more difficult as we got little bites of sand in between...but still it was great!

We played Bocce Ball. Since the beach is secluded, there were only about 10 other people on the island and we got to throw the balls around pretty far...it was nice. We had a lot of fun.


Justin and Jen surf quite frequently and they brought their boards out. They were able to pull Lauren out there, but the waves were so choppy it was hard for her to get up...but still she looked great out there. Then Jen finally persuaded John to just try surfing...and he did. Aw, my little surfer! Due to the choppiness he too wasn't able to stand, but he looked great laying on the board...a pro! I have some great pictures and will post them tomorrow...too funny! Had I not been pregnant, I would've tried it cuz it looks fun, but trust me, I'd rather be pregnant!!! :)


We left the windy beach and went back to their house where Aunt Wendy, Uncle Joe, Lauren and Adam left to drive back to Raleigh, NC. It was sad to see them go, but oh, we had soooo much fun with them. I dislike that we only see each other every few years.




We met up with Justin and Jen at Fleet's Landing (a restaurant by our hotel on the water) for dinner. We talked some more....more baby stuff and more catching up. It is so nice. One great thing about my family is that when we do finally get together, it is as if time hasn't passed by...we just pick right up with talking and it feels great...so it was so nice.

We said our goodbyes not sure if we'd see eachother the next 2 nights since Jen had to work and I had a conference. Before we left, Jen and I took a belly shot...very cute! And John and Justin took a back to back shot! Kind of a 'before' of all of us. It was very cute!

Saturday

Saturday morning we slept in and met up with the 'fam' at the French Market...which happened to be right outside out hotel in Marion Square Park. It was great. We all ate some delicious crepes and amazing donuts with lemon and chocolate sauce...YUM. We did a lot of walking that day.

We walked down King Street (which is a bunch of shops) and we walked through Charleston Place (a mini-mall) and then we walked through the Market Place (a bunch locals sell a bunch of different things). Then we ate lunch on top of the Library building at a restaurant. After that loveliness, the 'fam' went back to their house...they were going to cook us dinner later. John and I walked up to the water on a pier then we walked down Tradd Street...which is really old houses, all architecturally awesome with beautiful flower boxes. We then mosied on over to Battery Park which is the end of the peninsula.

On the way back we crossed over some cobblestone streets (of which I sprained my ankle...haven't done that in a long time....but it didnt' stop me from having fun). We took a nap and then headed over to Justin and Jen's. They had all cooked up some delicious pork chops, asparagus, broccoli and potatoes....with brie and crackers as an appetizer...YUM.

Afterwards we hung out and then a knock at the door came....it was Lauren and Adam!!! Lauren is my youngest cousin on my Mom's side...she's 22 and she has been dating Adam for about 10 months. We had found out the night before that they were coming....we originally were told that they were not, so we were SO excited.

We looked at pictures of Justin and Jen's Costa Rica trip, made plans for the next day and then drove back to our hotel.

Friday

So after all the excitement of our flight, drive and finding out Jen was pregnant. We drove out to Justin's house and met up with Jen who just got off work. We went to a lovely little restaurant called the "Mustard Seed". While we waited, Jen and I talked more baby talk...then we ran into a lady she knows....so then there was more baby talk. The lady mentioned that I looked like her at 6 months. Yes, I did all of a sudden go from kinda flabby to super-showing (I will post more pics when we get home tomorrow).

We then drove back to Justin and Jen's and hung out... In the meantime, Lauren had sent Justin and Jen a beautiful Edible Arrangement (a bunch of fruit that looks like a bouquet of flowers...very pretty AND yummy)...so us pregnant gals just went to town! Aunt Wendy made fun of me as I had a chocolate covered banana in one hand and a strawberry in the other (cuz chocolate, bananas and strawberry's are an excellent combination)...but it did looks kinda funny!

We made plans for the next day and John and I drove back to our hotel.

Jen's pregnant!!!

So after our flight and drive we called up my cousin Justin. He just graduated from Medical University of South Carolina (congrats Justin) with his Masters in Occupational Therapy. So therefore, my Aunt Wendy (Mom's Sister) and Uncle Joe happened to be in town. We were so excited. Jen (Justin's wife) had to go back to work for the afternoon.

We met up with Justin, Aunt Wendy and Uncle Joe and walked around downtown Charleston....we looked at tall ships and we sat around and talked. While we sat around, Justin (who got married to Jen a month and a half after John and I got married almost 7 years ago) says "Guess What". Not expecting anything other than a funny comment or something about his graduation he says "Jen's pregnant"! I screamed and gave him a big hug! Oh my gosh...sooooo exciting! So seriously...that piece of news, hearing that in person, made our weekend about 100 times better!

I had planned on going down to Charleston and start bugging them about having kids and putting on some pressure (cuz I knew my Aunt was ready to be a Grandma)...and low and behold...they were already pregnant! They just took a few home tests the day before, so she is about 4.5 weeks along...but so excited!

Jen and I talked baby stuff the ENTIRE weekend...it was FABULOUS!!!! I told her all about everything that I've experienced...it felt funny feeling a little experienced already. :) Jen is sooo excited and it was just great! I bought her the Pregnancy Journal that I've grown to love as it give daily updates. She immediately calculated her due date (Feb. 2) and started filling the journal out. :)

For a couple days, Jen, Meghan (another cousin that got married within a year of us) and I were all pregnant at the same time!

Meghan gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Miles Easton on Sunday afternoon (one week after her due date). He was 8lbs 8oz and 19.5 inches long with lots of hair. They are both doing just great. Congrats Meghan!!!!!

Babies everywhere!!!!!

1st Flight

Hey there!

So right now John and I are spending our last night in Charleston, SC. I haven't posted because we have been having WAY too much fun with our cousins Justin & Jen (and over the weekend, Aunt Wendy, Uncle Joe, my cousin Lauren and her boyfriend Adam).

So I was nervous about the flight due to the fact that I still get motion sickness. But it was wonderful! I slept during taxi and takeoff (like I normally do). We even hit a little bit of turbulence, but it didn't bother me. Landing was good....hooray!

We got off the plane and I was hungry. Lately I've learned that I need to eat when my body tells me (I really shouldn't even wait until then). Well Charleston airport does not have the eating choices that O'Hare does...so we just got a smoothie...okay fine. We stood in line for a long time at the Avis car rental (in the meantime we saw some random dude throw up...yuck!)....and finally got our car.

We started driving and saw that our hotel was only 15 minutes away...so we waited to eat...since we didn't know where we were and all... So I started getting nauseous. John kept pointing out these pretty sights and cool bridges. My eyes were sealed shut, my head resting just lovely on my neck pillow and I was breathing with clenched teeth. Just a little longer. Well then we hit downtown traffic. Stop and go. Not my type of thing (or the baby's). So while stopped John suggested that I just get out of the car if I felt too bad. Well I did. Luckily by the time I jumped out and ran to a bush, I already felt better. John drove to the nearest corner and waited for me. I sat on a bench while people stared at me...probably thinking that we just had a fight or something. Luckily since I'm showing, I started showing off my belly and rubbing it. :) I walked to the corner where John was and demanded that we eat. Well we were hoping to eat at some nice South Carolina restaurant as our first meal. On the corner where we were was 'Norm's'. It was quite a dive of a place, but we went with it. Apparently we were in a collegetown (near a hospital) so there were lots of doctors in there. We ate our food...it was okay, but not quite the amazing first meal we hoped for. :)

I still wasn't feeling 100% so I asked John how far away the hotel was....he said 4 blocks...I said "I'll see ya there". So I walked on the sidewalk while John drove beside me (for most of the time). Finally his traffic picked up, but by the time he parked, I had been waiting for him! Then I felt much better not having to get in a car again!

So first flight - good.
First drive after first flight - not good.

:)

Pictures: 6wks vs. 15 wks.

Before: 6 Weeks

After: 15 weeks

John took this picture late last night...after I had eaten more and been bloated, but nonetheless you get the picture....there's something there! :)

John's Talks

John started this morning telling the baby that he is going to start teaching HIM (I keep reminding him that we'll know in 3 weeks so don't give his potential daughter a complex!) a few VERY important basics.

So I thought it would be basics about life or any hopes and dreams he had for HIM. Nope.

John said something about "If, Then, Else" statements and proceeded to explain what it was. Yes, this has something to do with programming. AH! He is already teaching our child to be a computer geek like his Dad!

But it is really cute nonetheless.

Was that the baby???

So, yesterday after I ate lunch at work, I was sitting at my desk getting ready to hop on a conference call. It was very quiet. All of a sudden I could feel a really light flutter in my tummy....as if the inside of my stomach was being lightly tickled. It lasted for about 15-20 minutes. It was sooo cool and I really do think I felt the baby move.

Now a couple of my friends haven't felt the baby until really late, but most people I've talked to have felt the baby around 16-18 weeks. So I am at week 15 which is a little early, however I've also heard that the reason you don't feel the baby so early with your 1st pregnancy is because you don't know what it will feel like. So I don't have direct experience, however I've heard many people describe it....so I'm going with it.

I think that if I had been really busy at the time I wouldn't have felt it, but it was quiet, things were calm and I was concentrating on any feeling in my tummy. Hmmm... :)

Happy Mother's Day

So, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

My Mom is sooo great. She is super supportive of all her kids do. She is one of the strongest and most positive women I know. That is apparent by all the medical roadblocks she has overcome. She takes it all in ONE DAY AT A TIME...is what she always says. You can't worry about something, you just need to know all your options and make the decision you think is best. And pray...GOD is always there for you. Family time is very important to her and she loves every minute of it (no matter chaotic our visits can be...which will get crazier as we bring our first child into the world right before 2 very busy holidays!). I've learned so much from her.

My Mother-in-Law is also very wonderful. She is so loving regardless if you are her biological child or not. She is the most easy going person I know...which is definitely where John gets it from. :) She's sooo friendly to everybody and takes such great care of her family. Every time we go up to Wisconsin, she ALWAYS has some of our favorite food items. She'll make steak for 'her John'....she'll have my favorite juice in stock.....and all our favorite snacky foods. At ANY given point in the day if anybody looks hungry she'll stop what she's doing and will make a snack!

We love our Moms very much and can't wait to make them both Grandma's again!

For my 1st Mother's Day (both as a 'mom' to my Dog and of course, as a Mom to our growing baby in my tummy), John helped make breakfast with our niece, Alexis who spent the night. He also brought me flowers, a card and a framed poem titled, "Before I was a Mom". About despite all the changes we are about to experience (lack of sleep, spit up and getting pooped on)...it is ALL worth it. Very sweet. :)

My sister gave me a pink keepsake box (fairly big) so for future Mother's Day's I can save ALL my cards and drawings that my kid(s) make me. Great idea, thanks so much Dawn! I love it!

So happy Mother's Day to you all!!! And remember...please share your motherly advice to me at all times! :)

Week 15

So I am now 15 weeks along...hooray!!

The baby is the size of an APPLE and weight two and a half ounces. Holy smokers...no wonder why I have a bump!

We ran out of milk one night and didn't get any until the next day...where I proceeded to drink a half gallon. I LOVE milk....it is truly super-wonderful.

I haven't needed my TUMS as much this week, but still every so often.

I have been 'feeling' starving lately...whereas the last couple months I've not really 'felt' hungry. So I went and bought more fruit so I can try and have some healthy snacks.

I have done a lot better with brushing my teeth....not nearly as nauseous. So I think I will schedule my dental appt. now...it's a little safer. :)

I did find, however, that when I'm hungry I need to eat. Friday afternoon I cleaned the whole house and was getting hungry...I took a shower, then drank some iced tea and ate a quesidilla....yeah, well that didn't go over too well with my stomach. Ick!

I still get nauseous in the passenger seat, but I was able to go to my Mom's and back without feeling too sick, so it's getting better!

:) Cheers!

I'm Showing!

Hi there!

OKay, YAY! I am now officially showing. I have been feeling 'fat'-looking for quite some time now...

I wasn't sure what 'showing' would be like. I thought my tummy would be 'hard' with the first show....guess I was a little wrong.

Yesterday I went to my nephew Michael's baseball game (he did a great job and looked like such a cutie pie...I mean, manly man, out there on the field). As I was walking up my sister told me that I was totally showing! She also made a comment that my hahammmm 'ladies' were much bigger too. ;) I told her that I was just fat. She proceeded to get a little 'mad' at me because she 'didn't expect me to be like this'. Meaning, she thought I was going to be super excited...which for the record I am now. But, my doctor said that I wouldn't be 'showing' until Week 20. Well I'm now at week 15. She said anything before that is just fat. So I went with that. Well, there may be more fat now, however I can't suck it all in like I could before. And my 'big' pants that I bought before are not a little snug. So I think that I will definitely need to get maternity pants soon here... :) So now I walk around with my belly all out-n-about a bit more proudly!!!!

I will post a pic soon...John will take it tonight and now we will start weekly photos so you can watch my belly grow along with us! We are sooooo excited!!!

Heartbeat

Yay!!!! We heard the baby's heartbeat today! Dr. Chang (who we REALLY like...she's super friendly and cheerful) found it right away!

It was such a cool sound. We did record it on our camera, so I'll try to post that later if I can. :)

We did make our appt. for June 5th to have our ultrasound!!!! I'll be 18.5 weeks. So it is a little earlier than 20 weeks, but she said in case it is too early to see some things (not gender related) then it will just be a good excuse to have another ultrasound later on. I told her, I will take any excuse I can get! :)

So, oh my gosh, in one month we will *hopefully* know if we are having a boy or a girl...SO EXCITING!!!!!! I really hope the baby is not shy and cooperates.

My weight gain is progressing just lovely, even though it is weird to see the scale keep going up and know that it is okay. Sometimes I have to remind myself that gaining weight is not only normal, it is required and inevitable! :)

Great appointment! It is crazy to think that the next appointment will be even better!!!!!

Week 14

Hello there!

So another fantastic week gone by!

Nothing too new....I'm feeling pretty good (I still get nauseous riding in the passenger seat during the day with the sun beating down)...but otherwise I am feeling good.

No little bump yet...bummer....I'm really hoping to have something to show in the next couple weeks! :) Even if I'm the only one that can see it!!! But I'll be patient.

As John and I drove up to WI this weekend we realized how much Buddy (our beautiful Golden Retriever) has a run of the backseat...and how that is going to change drastically when the babyseat is there. Buddy LOVES to lay his head on the console of the front seat...but eventually lays across the entire back seat. Sorry, Bud, soon it will be time to move on over!!!

John and I are getting excited as we have our first mini-vacation coming up! I have a conference in Charleston, SC, so we are making a long weekend of it. Then I realized that my cousins Justin & Jen (they got married a couple months after John and I) live in Charleston. PLUS, Justin is graduating with his Masters in Occupational Therapy that weekend so that means my Aunt Wendy, Uncle Joe, cousin Lauren and her boyfriend Adam will be there too!!!! Oh, we're so excited! So John and I are taking Friday the 16th off and we'll spend some time with them over the weekend. Neither of us have ever been to Charleston, so we're very excited to see a new place! Right now, the only thing I'm nervous about is the flights....I'm nervous that I'll be nauseous...only time will tell.... :)

Well, time for bed and to start another week.

Oh, by the by...the baby is the size of a LEMON this week....3.5 inches and weighs 1.5 ounces!!! Hooray!!! I read that the baby can squint, frown (although why would he/she do that!), kick & punch and suck his/her thumb! Haha....crazy exciting!

Well, I will definitely right more on Thursday after my appt.!

Good night!
Paige

Appt. Delayed

So I had my appt. set for Monday the 5th...a monthly checkup and to hear the heartbeat for the first time. The doctor's office called this morning and had to cancel....ah, bummer!!!!

So my appt. is rescheduled for Thursday the 8th in the morning....so I will just have to wait a little bit longer!