Slacker

I have definitely been slacking on the blog posting. But, we have been SO busy lately with the beginning of the school year and this little turnip in my belly :)

Today I turned 16 weeks pregnant. I am certainly showing and finally looking pregnant and not just fat! Our next appointment isn't until September 30th, and then the BIG one on October 7th- the anatomy scan! Soon we will know if we should be calling "it" a he or she! Can. Not. Wait.

I have started feeling much better. The only time I feel bad is when I go too long without eating or spend too much time in the car. I am eating constantly because I always seem to be hungry. My skin has started to clear up a little, although it still doesn't look great. Either way, I am loving this. I love being able to rub my belly :) It has started to firm up, so it really feels like a pregnant belly now!

And, I am pretty sure I felt he/she move for the first time this week. I was laying down and felt a little flutter on my right side. I described it as how the wave at the football game looks, that is how it felt. It was awesome and made my night! I have not felt him/her since though, and am looking forward to the next little flutter.

We have started the process of cleaning out the guest room and preparing it to become a nursery. D is going to work on the closet this weekend, and hopefully we will start painting soon!  I am hesitant to do too much until we know a gender, so we are doing what we can for now.

Oh, and we bought a crib! Yay! It is beautiful, and my sweet mom/dad/hubby drove me all the way to Charlotte one night after work just to buy it! Thanks guys! Love ya!

Baby Hayes has started to get a few more items added to his/her wardrobe, and everything we have gotten is absolutely adorable! Here are a few pics of the cute stuff...

Precious onesie from a SUPER friend

Bow comes off if it is a boy!

ECU bib :)

Thanks Kim!

And these boots I just HAD to have...

August 1st

Well, I just returned from a visit to NY, in which I told my grandma and grandpa that they were going to be great-grandparents. It was just as awesome in real life as I had hoped, and they were both ecstatic!

Also, my brother now knows. I sent him a t-shirt that says "This guy is going to be an uncle". When he finally got it, he called and asked if it was for real. Of course, it is for real :)

That is still so weird to say- It is real. I am pregnant.

YAY!

The best feeling in the world... actually, I feel pretty bad but I am SO happy.

Speaking of feeling bad, things have been hit or miss lately. Some days are good and others are not. I have been taking some medicine the doctor gave me pretty religiously and that definitely helps.

I have an appointment on the 8th- just an internal exam, nothing too exciting. Then, our N/T scan on the 14th, which is less than 2 weeks away! I can not wait to see our little guy/girl back on the screen and see his/her heart beating. After that appointment, we will be sharing our news with the world. At this point, we are just praying that all is well with our little prune-sized miracle :)

Wow...

Yesterday, July 15th, was a day I will never forget. D & I went to our first appointment to see our little guy/girl.

Thankfully, we got back to the room and hooked up the machine pretty quickly. We were so anxious just to see and know that everything is OK. After only about a minute of looking around, our doctor showed us a little, black circle on the screen and explained that this was the yolk sac. He moved a little, to a small white blur right underneath that sac, and said "And right here, is your baby. And see that little flickering on the screen? That is its heartbeat".

Wow.

What an indescribably, amazing feeling.

I had always wondered what this moment might feel like, and now I know. It is nothing like I could have ever imagined. It is so, so much better.

Baby Hayes was measuring 7 weeks 1 day, which is right on track. He/she also had a heartbeat of 115 bpm, which Dr. Lindel said was great for being so early in the pregnancy. He checked around everything else and said "Well everything looks great. The only disappointing thing is that there is only one". HA! Not disappointing in the least- one baby at a time will do :)

We told Dustin's parents last night. So now, his parents and my parents know, as well as about 3 close friends. We are going to tell his sister and my brother this week, and my grandparents when we visit NY in about 2 weeks. Everyone else will have to wait until about 12 weeks along.

This is the most amazing thing, and seeing that little raspberry-sized baby on that screen makes all of this sickness and struggle worth every moment...

Get comfortable in there little raspberry. Your mommy and daddy love you very much already!!

June 23rd

Saturday night, June 22nd, I had a dream that I took a pregnancy test, and it was positive.

 I knew I was late, and that D & I were trying, but honestly, I had given up hope.

Anyway, I woke up that Sunday morning, after my dream of a positive pregnancy test, and decided to take a test. Two actually. I had a feeling in my gut, and that feeling was confirmed when I saw two pink lines on two different tests. I was pregnant.

Immediately, I went upstairs and showed D. We could not believe it. It really was positive! We did not want to get our hopes up too high, in fear of being disappointed eventually, but how can you not be excited?!

I called the Dr. the next day, and they wanted to do blood work immediately. I went in that day and they tested my HCG levels and progesterone levels. HCG was 252 and Progesterone was 15. Dr. wants progesterone at 20, so they started me on progesterone supplements. I went back in on Wednesday (48 hours later) for more blood work. They want to see your HCG levels double every 48 hours. I was SO nervous for that phone call! After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Nikki, the nurse, called and said my levels were in the 600's ( I can't remember the exact number)!!! YAY! What a relief!

Now, we wait. First ultrasound is July 15th and I can hardly wait!

6 weeks...

Yesterday I hit the 6 weeks pregnant mark. It still feels so weird to say that. I am pregnant. I have been waiting to say those words for so long.

Honestly, the last few days have been hard. So hard. I go in and out of feeling sick all day long. Right when I think I am about to feel better, the nausea takes over again. I have to constantly keep something in my stomach, which is turning out to be quite the task, as just the thought of most food makes me gag. D has been awesome about getting me whatever food I think I might be able to stomach, making constant runs to the grocery store down the road (thankfully we have one nearby!). My skin is absolutely horrible, causing me to cringe every time I look in the mirror.

Truth be told, as miserable as it is, I am so glad this is happening. Every time I feel sick or notice a new pimple, I am reminded that there is a blueberry-sized (!) human growing inside me. A blueberry that I will one day call my son or daughter. And, when I remember that still unbelievable fact, it makes me so excited :)

We have our first ultrasound on July 15th. I will be 7 weeks 2 days pregnant. I am hoping and praying every free minute that we see our little one up on that screen, heart beating away, and we will be reminded, once again, that this is real.

Amazing.