Baby H: Week 14

There have been moments this week where I almost forget that I'm pregnant thanks to the lack of symptoms and return of my energy back to a somewhat normal state. I sometimes feel guilty that I had a grand total of about 10 days of nausea and otherwise very mild symptoms throughout the last 14 weeks. But then I assume this only means our next babe won't be so nice so I take the cards I've been dealt this time around and run.

The only things I've been dealing with have been a hunger-pit that I can't seem to fill and a bit of round ligament pain on my right side. Throw in a few dizzy spells thanks to my uber-low blood pressure (measured at 90/52 at my doctors appointment last week) and laying on my stomach starting to be uncomfortable and that completes the list this week. I've scheduled an appointment for some OMT on my round ligament for next week and have been trying my best to snack and drink water constantly to help with the rest.

I've yet to venture into maternity clothes (minus a few Target tanks from the clearance rack) and I hope to stay away from them as long as possible. It would really help if the weather would cooperate and stay nice for more than just one day so I could keep out skirts and dresses so I didn't have to button pants anymore. I did however get my first pair of maternity jean shorts in the mail from Zulily, ordered because I'll definitely be needing those in a few months, and I can already tell they are going to be heaven. Hello stretchy waist-bands! However on the other side of waist-bands are my favorite pair of Athleta workout leggings that have been officially retired. I wore them to school one day this week and no matter if I pulled them up over my belly or wore them really low with a tank pulled way down I was just uncomfortable and it definitely wasn't worth it.

In terms of baby, J and I both have our "wishes" for what the gender of the little one is and I have a serious hunch that hasn't changed since that first week. For now though I'm keeping my mouth shut because I hate being wrong. We're still in the deciding-stage as to whether we'll find out (J wants to know, I don't) but our anatomy scan is scheduled a few days before Mother's day which means that if we decide to know it'll be the perfect opportunity to share the news with our families. It's crazy to me that the baby in my belly, only the size of a jalapeño, has finger prints, vocal cords, visible heart chambers and is already wiggling around in there even though I can't feel it. I'll tell you what, this journey sure is something else.

Five on Friday v4

Today I'm linking up with Christina from Carolina Charm for "Five on Friday" 

Check out the link up below.

[one] I still can't believe how different our little babe was at our 12-week ultrasound compared to our first at 8-weeks. We choose to do the optional u/s at 12w to do chromosomal testing and I'm so glad we did for no other reason than a chance to peak. Our next u/s won't be until the 20-week full anatomy scan and I couldn't imagine going four months between ultrasounds. It's amazing what technology can do and makes me love this little one that much more.

[two] J is headed to the mountains this afternoon for a mini bachelor party with some of his guy friends. They're headed to happy hour and then for an evening of gambling and as much as I'll miss him tonight I'm happy he has a night out to have some fun. I'm sure life with a pregnant, medical student as your wife can get pretty lonely and I'm grateful he has some fun ahead of him this weekend.

[three] There's another student in my class who's pregnant right now too. She's a bit older than I am and this pregnancy isn't her first which means she brought me some fabulous maternity tops that she no longer fits in. She came up to me after class one day with a goodie bag and said "I was your size with my first and can't wear these anymore" and I am so thankful for her generosity. The tops are nice and flowy and I know they'll be perfect with my new linen pants for cooler evenings this summer. 

[four] Our silly O-dog has a horribly bad habit and I don't know how to break it. He's been going into the yard in the evenings and eating his own poo. Seriously, gag me! We both hate that he does it but aren't sure how to break him of it. We want him to be able to enjoy spending time in the yard just being a dog without us having to watch him all the time. But if we aren't watching him and catching him in the act I don't know how he'll learn not to do it. Has anyone else's dogs done this before? Help?!

[five] This week at school was a nightmare. Super long days filled with lectures, labs that don't always go so well and are just stressful, an exam I didn't have much time to study for, standardized patient encounters with unknown cases and so much neuro I need to catch up on before the exam on Monday. I knew this part of the year was going to be the toughest but man, maybe it's because I'm always tired thanks to growing a human but this is rough man. 3 more weeks until neuro and labs are done and 11 more weeks until summer vacation. It can't come soon enough. 

Happy Friday everyone. Here's to a weekend filled with studying and naps to stay alive. 

Baby H: Week 13

I am currently 13w3d so this post is a few days late thanks to all the catching up I've been doing. 

Weekly updates will happen on Mondays from here on out as that's when my weeks change.

J and I made a decision early on in this pregnancy that we would wait until I was out of the first trimester before we made it public knoweldge that a babe was on the way. Fear is a crazy emotion and it doesn't help that I've spent so much of the last year learning about all the things that could go wrong which sends my mind into a tail-spin if I allow it. But I'm coming to realize there is no such thing as jinxing yourself into bad news. And while there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to wait, I would be lying if I tried to say there weren't moments when I just wanted to TELL EVERYONE RIGHT NOW because I was so excited. Thankfully there were a handful of people who have known for a few weeks so that's made the burden a little less but now the words out and I couldn't be happier.

This week has been great pregnancy wise (talk to me about med school and I'd have a different answer). I have been feeling great, haven't been overly tired which is always a plus and have been eating like a teenage-boy. My cheese craving seems to be subsiding and nothing's really popped into its place as of now. I'm currently in a phase where just the mention of a food that sounds good will have me drooling over it until I get my hands on it. Thankfully however I haven't had any changes in my weight for the last 2 or 3 weeks making me feel much better about my progress in this arena.

The baby bump is starting to show up for sure now although it's far from the "she's definitely pregnant" stage that unknowing people will be able to recognize. I finally gave in and bought a Be Band from Target that's been allowing me to unbutton some pants and help others just stay up. I wish I could say that I've made the transition back to the gym on a regular basis but that would be a big fat lie. Walks with O-dog and J in the evenings a few times a week have been all I've had time for which is unrelated to the babe in my belly.

Overall it was a great week and got even better after a successful doctors appointment with an ultrasound. Being able to peak in there and see how much has changed in a month is just amazing. I don't think I'll ever stop loving that. Babe was being feisty and wouldn't give us a profile shot for a good 20 minutes even with poking and prodding. A little extra wiggling finally flipped the nugget though and was followed by arms covering the face, mouth opening and plenty of sweet movement from our little one. Heart beat measured at 157 and we're thrilled to be another week into the journey.

Keep growing little one!

Baby H: Starting Our Family

J and I had a conversation this past summer about our little family and the idea of it growing someday. We've both known all along that kids were in our future but unfortunately my dreams of medical school, residency and becoming a physician put in a few extra kinks that needed to be worked out making the process of deciding when not so simple.

So last summer we had two options to consider in terms of when to grow our family... during or after medical school. It wasn't too difficult to come to the decision that we didn't want to wait until school (and everything else that's to come) was over which narrowed it down to sometime in the next 4-ish years. At the time, the demands of school were all just hypothetical since I hadn't actually started classes yet so we agreed to test the waters for a bit and see how we adjusted.

Well school started and was everything I had hoped it wouldn't be in terms of stress, time demands, lack of free time, etc etc. It was the, "Hello medical school, here, take my life away" type of moment. After a few months I felt like I was finding my groove and started thinking about our family again. But I was almost 100% sure there was no way J was on board for it anymore. I was dying to know his opinion but honestly, I avoided the conversation because I didn't want to hear, "no, not right now".

Months went by and there was no conversation about it. Until Christmas. It was Christmas Eve, combine the festive spirit with both of us having a bit or a lot to drink and we ended up talking babies and how we wanted to start growing our family. I was in seventh heaven! But I was worried that it wasn't real, to be honest, worried that we had had too many drinks to even remember the entirety of the conversation the next morning (romantic, right? Ha!). But low and behold, it wasn't just a dream or a drunken conversation.

We agreed that there was no time like the present and that things seemed much more manageable than they did just a few months before. We talked about how some people try to get everything in order before trying to get pregnant but that there's never a perfect opportunity for it. If you wait until everything is perfect, you'll be waiting your entire life. So we decided to welcome the idea of a pregnancy and a baby with open arms.

And as life would have it, we found out we were expecting on January 17th, 2014.

I'm sure you can all do the math but that means that I got pregnant within the first month of us trying. I realize that there are many women who would give anything just to be pregnant, let alone so quickly, and for that I am both sorry to be telling our story to them and also thankful for the luck we had. No matter the time line, thankful doesn't even begin to describe our feelings towards this pregnancy and baby.

Regardless of how quickly things happened for us, the two weeks of waiting to see if there was a bun in our oven seemed to draggggg on! I bounced between moments where I was sure I was pregnant (most of these moments were when I was starving) and moments when I convinced myself there was no way it was that easy. For some unknown reason I had always assumed it would be hard for me to get pregnant so I almost didn't want to believe in the possibility too much so that I wouldn't be let down if I wasn't yet.

Because J and I are both planners, we were aware of my body's timing and aware of when we would know if our efforts had worked. I had been tracking my cycles for months, ever since getting off birth control last summer so there wasn't any mystery behind when to test, etc. Because of this I didn't get to do a sweet surprise, a hidden onesie or a baby-themed dinner for J to tell him the news because we tested together. And to be honest, I'm so glad we shared that moment together. That early morning plus sign is a moment I'll hold close to my heart forever.

Both my estimate as well as our first doctors appointment put Baby H's due date as September 29, 2014 and just thinking about that date still makes my heart flutter. J and I are thrilled to be on this journey together and can't wait for the fall to quickly arrive! 

Photo taken at 8w3d
with a heartbeat of 180 and even some little limb bud wiggles

We can't wait to meet you sweet thing. 

Grow strong in there and know mom and dad love you more than you'll ever know!

100 Days of Happiness pt 1

In the midst of all that's been happening lately 

[being half a year down in med school, having a babe growing in my belly, the weather starting to turn around, etc etc]

I decided to jump into a new project. 

Enter the 100 Happy Days project. 

I've been snapping a picture of something that's made me happy every day and plan on continuing to do so for a total of 100 consecutive days. My original plan was to Instagram the photos but that's just proven to be too difficult (especially when out of the country for spring break and while keeping a HUGE secrete for a few months). So instead I'm just blogging the pictures in parts. 

I started randomly on February 9th which means my last day will be May 20th. 

Who knows, maybe I'll decide to keep it up for 200 days but I'm not making any promises yet. 

For now, here's days 1-16.

Baby H: Weeks 4-12

We are so excited that the news is finally out about our sweet bun in the oven. This blog might be filled to the brim with all things baby in the coming weeks as I play catch up on all that's been happening. 

Sorry I'm not sorry!

To start, here's a look back on weekly updates since we first found out the awesome news! 

4 weeks: That beloved plus sign is as bright as ever!!! We're officially knocked up! Photo taken January 19th, 2014. Baby is a sweet little ball of cells and I think it's making momma is a bit more tired than normal. The tiredness could be from baby or from the cut back on caffeine along with the start of school, I'll never be sure. I've been CHUGGING water as I can't seem to quench my thirst lately and definitely have dry skin and lips too. Starting weight is 125lbs and I'm already a bit anxious about how that's going to quickly start changing. We are SO thrilled to have this little peanut growing away in there and still can't believe that it's really happening. 

5 Weeks: baby is about the size of an orange seed and momma is obsessed with orange juice which might be because I'm getting sick of drinking water but the thirst still continues. This week happened to bring with it sore boobs and complete EXHAUSTION. Seriously, I napped most days this week and still felt run down. I'm definitely missing the ability to chug coffee like I used to. (and I apologize for the sad/not put together photo but that's what happens when you're tired and it's the day before an exam) I'm also missing booze already (yep, not too sure what that says about me) but I think it's because my birthday is coming up as well as football parties and all I want is a glass of wine or a dark beer. Our first doctors visit is set for the end of February right before our trip to Mexico and we are anxiously awaiting a peak at our sweet little thing. Photo taken at 5w0d.

6 Weeks: baby is growing away in there and momma has been feeling pretty good. Nothing too new symptom wise has popped up this week as the thirst, dry skin, sore boobs and need for a nap every afternoon are still in full swing. This week I surprised my best ladies at school with the huge news (complete with cupcakes) and they are all thrilled and excited for Baby H. This week also meant my entire med school class found out about the bun in the oven (more on that to come) which made me a little nervous since it's so early still. I finally got back to the gym over the weekend as exhaustion has kept me away. I took it easy on the treadmill and ended up leaving early because of my first bout with nausea. Thanks for letting momma know you're in there little one! Photo taken at 6w0d.

7 Weeks: baby is the size of blueberry and momma feels like she's on a boat some days. Like clockwork nausea seemed to kick in for real this week and while I never actually got sick (yet, fingers crossed) it's definitely hard to pay attention in class or get too much work done while feeling queasy all day. Thanks to some ginger beer (like ginger ale) or Squirt and small snacks it usually went away easily. Here's to hoping this is as bad as it gets. With some coupons from Target I've officially purchased a few maternity tops (a classic tee and a tank) that I'm sure I'll be using a ton this summer. They've made me excited for the future baby bump that I keep imagining is starting to show up already but is actually just lunch. Here's hoping the two pounds I've gained aren't just extra weight and that bump starts to show up soon! Photo taken at 7w0d.

8 Weeks: baby is growing and momma feels like poo! Hello nausea, nice to see you almost every day. My "morning sickness" isn't always in the morning and sometimes lasts into the late afternoon. It's triggered by hunger, drinking too much water without eating anything, and smells. Ohhh the bloodhound nose I have right now. Somehow the combination of eating frosting combined with J sitting next to me drinking a Pepsi had me smelling espresso? Not sure how that one worked. And I officially threw up for the first time after being woken in the middle of the night thanks to a lovely dog fart that had me gagging. I wish I was joking. Throw in a super long week at school, the presence of exhaustion still and plenty of headaches and it's been a rough week. I already feel bad for J and my crazy emotions/needs/general pregnant state. Hey, at least my boobs are less sore? Trying to find the silver lining where I can. Photo taken at 8w0d.

9 Weeks: baby is either the size of a green olive, kidney bean, southern pecan or gummy bear (depending on which pregnancy app I use) and momma couldn't be happier. This week I had way fewer symptoms, much less nausea, only needing a nap some days, and just a generally more happy self. We also had our very first doctor's visit including an ultrasound and it was such a joy to see our little nugget, it's flickering heart beat measuring at 180 and even some tiny limb bud movement. I didn't want it to end! After getting measurements from the doctor, we realized babe is the same size as a Sour Patch Kid which I've been eating like crazy this week along with anything cheesy (which is totally unlike me). I'm starting to get to the "she must have had too many burritos lately" stage making jeans and tops fit differently but hey, I couldn't be more excited to grow this little one. We're headed to Mexico for a week and this momma cannot wait to relax! Photo taken at 9w0d.

10 Weeks: baby is back in the USA after a fantastic first trip to Mexico for him/her and momma is so thankful that the weeks are flying by. I was a bit nervous traveling outside of the country with our little one and thankfully had no serious symptoms other than needing to get to bed early and having a tendency to get overheated quicker than before. The nausea stayed in the USA! Naps and virgin drinks by the pool were just what this momma needed along with a bit of a tan, of course. Over the last week or so I've started to notice the belly beginning to change and I'm hoping it's more baby-bump than constipation-bloating (TMI, sorry). We surprised the soon-to-be grandmas with our big news the weekend we got back and sharing this with them was so special.  Photo taken at 10w0d.

11 Weeks: baby has very specific taste buds lately and momma has been giving in to those cravings quite often this week. I'm up about 4-5 lbs from my pre-baby weight which is probably due to both the all-inclusive week in Mexico and the cravings I've been giving in to. Mac n Cheese, Sonic Cherry Limeade and Lays chips with onion dip top the list this week. Oops! Whether it's from growing a human or jumping into neuro after a super relaxing spring break, I'm feeling tired in the afternoons and trying to listen to my body about when to rest. Top the week off with some headaches (most likely from not drinking enough water), my pumpkin spice flavored coffee making me gag one morning and all pants starting to be a bit snug and it's been an interesting week. Here's to drinking more water, getting more sleep, buying a bella band and the weeks passing quickly by.  Photo taken at 11w0d.

12 Weeks: baby is starting to make a bit of an appearance and momma is loving it! The truth about second trimester energy-boost seems to be true since even though I'm not quite through the first, my energy has been much better. Compared to the non-pregnant, non-neuro-science state I'm definitely not running marathons with excess energy but I'll take anything I can get especially when school dictates late night studying that would have been impossible six weeks ago. My hormone levels seem to be relaxing a bit as I find myself less up-and-down throughout the week which I'm grateful for. We have our second doctor's appointment at the end of the week and after hopefully a great check-up, Baby H news will become public knowledge!  Photo taken at 12w0d.

Current 13 Week update will be coming soon!

There's Someone I'd Like You To Meet

There are many things that can change a life and a baby is definitely one of them.

I am one day short of 13 weeks pregnant and as thrilled as can be! 

More details coming soon!

Currently [v7]

 >>> Almost finished with week 3 out of 7 of the notoriously hardest course of the entire year. I've been spending a lot of time in the anatomy lab at school and sitting at my desk when I'm home. Thankfully when I'm home there's usually a furry friend who joins me in the office for his afternoon and evening naps with some belly rubs thrown in for good measure. I kid you not, he's always in there with me and I love it.

>>> Loving the Cartwheel iPhone app for Target. I've always tried to be thrifty and not spend money when I don't have to but I just simply don't have the time to delve into couponing. Let's be honest, that takes a lot of work to make it useful. This phone app however is super simple and I love using it. I'll occasionally browse through the deals to see if anything pops up that's a great savings. Otherwise I keep a running list in my head of things like lotion, ziplocs, things we need occasionally and look for deals on those items before I purchase them. The best part about it is that you can search a barcode while you shop to see if you could be saving money on an item already in your basket. When you go to check out you simply show the cashier the barcode on your phone and it takes off all the discounts you found. Yay, saving money!

>>> Thankful that the weather is starting to change even if it is a bit bipolar here in Colorado still. Afternoons spent reading notes on the back deck while the dog plays in the yard are much more enjoyable than it being dark by 4:30 and sitting in the office. Plus I think the extra Vitamin D I've been getting lately is making me happier, and everyone appreciates that. I actually don't want it to turn into summer quite so fast though because that'll definitely hinder my study habits.

>>> Obsessed with Cran-Cherry juice this week. I've always loved cranberry juice but for some reason never picked the cherry mix variety off the shelf before now. I was always a Cran-Raspberry kinda gal. But oh heavens, what was I missing! This stuff is delicious although I usually end up watering it down since it's so sweet. But hey, that just makes the bottle last longer and you can't beat that.

>>> Pleasantly enjoying our new neutral bedding gifted to us by my sister at Christmas time. When we first moved in I wasn't thrilled with the paint colors in our master bedroom but there were a handful of other projects that needed tending too right away so we never handled it. Over the last ten months the colors in our room have grown on me and while they wouldn't be what I would have chosen, they're just fine for now and not worth the effort to change at this point. So the easiest solution was to just get new bedding that correlated better and I'm much happier with the room already. Hopefully we'll be able to make a few smaller changes and decor updates and turn it into a room we love soon.

>>> A bit stunned with how our anatomy lab has been going recently. Granted I am in medical school and I knew going into it that we'd be doing dissections of essentially the whole body. But man though! I won't go into details for the sanity of everyone reading this, but seriously I've had moments where I have to force myself not to think about what we're doing because its just plain creepy!

>>> Forced to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a Shamrock Shake a day early since our first set of exams fell on Monday and Tuesday of this week which meant no late night partying with green beers for this girl. Boy what I wouldn't give for a Guinness or a Jameson & Ginger though. 

>>> Sad that there's only one slice of pie left in the fridge from Pi Day last Friday. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it here before but J got his masters degree in mathematics. Combine that with my overall "nerdy-ness" and we're big supporters of that "holiday". We celebrated by making pizza pies on the smoker for the first time (usually we bake them) and they turned out fantastic. Dinner was obviously followed up by pie, pecan and triple berry. But by the looks of that pie tin I might have to be making a new dessert this weekend. 

>>> Looking forward to the weekend if only for the opportunity to catch up on both study material and sleep. It's been a long week, even more so when I was convinced Sunday night was really Monday night and I'm in need of some catch up time. Hopefully there will be a bit of relaxing and a possible date night with my hubs thrown in to top it off.

Thankful v7

 Lately I've been thankful...

[+] for beautiful sunsets enhanced by the clouds

[+] for walks through the neighborhood, chatting with your husband and doses of fresh air

[+] for extra evening daylight even if it means losing an hour of precious sleep

[+] for fresh fruit and the first signs of spring

[+] for summer plans in the makings already

[+] for upcoming celebrations like Pi Day and family dinners

[+] for birthday gift cards, outlet malls, super deals and breaks from studying

[+] for more sleep and extra energy

[+] for family, near or far, in every sense of the word

[+] for pups who let you do whatever you want and put up with our silly antics

[+] for being able to act like a kid every now and then

[+] for evenings spent at home without jealousy of those in different life stages for once

[+] for being supported in reaching all of your dreams

[+] for Girl Scout Cookie flavored coffee creamer to make mornings a bit more bearable 

 [+] for rice cakes that remind you of surfaces of brains

[+] for classes that seep into every aspect of your life

[+] for husbands who make you smile and cook you dinner

There's always something to be thankful for.

Vacation Time: Cozumel Spring Break

One island. 8 days, 7 nights with four fabulous couples. 

 Drinks, memories and sunsets galore. 

One new engagement, a few bumps in the road, and 30 SPF sunscreen. 

Two fancy reservations, one beach shack dinner and too much buffet food.

18 holes of golf and 40 liars dice.

New adventures with old friends. 

Two sea turtles and three rays seen, gallons of salt water drank. 

A few bug bites, scraped knees and books read. 

5 new nicknames and endless new Spanish words.

An absolutely fabulous, relaxing, perfect spring break get-away. 

This trip was exactly what I needed right before I embark on the toughest course of the entire year. A huge thank you to J and our amazing friends for making the trip so special!

(Yes, my spring break was at the end of February. I'm lucky to have great friends who didn't mind. We stayed at Iberostar Cozumel and booked through Apple Vacations for those of you who are curious. We will do things differently next time but it was still a fantastic trip.)