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1/24/2014

13 weeks and a questionnaire

My cute pregnant partner/sister in law Kaytlin is doing a survey every couple of weeks on her blog to follow her pregnancy. I love this idea, and though I can't promise them very often, I wanted to do a special one for my first "update", and I found this list of questions online.
This is really a big fat excuse for me to think even more about the little one, not that I need any help with that... ;)

About the Mommy!
Name: Shannon
Age: 23
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue/green
First Child: Yes

About the Daddy!
Name: Jared
Age: 26
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Green/Hazel
First Child: yes

Finding Out!
What day did you find out?: November 22, 2013
How did you feel when you found out?: Like I had been on this roller coaster before...
Who was with you?: Well I found out on my own, just me and the stick, and then I ran in and woke Jared up
Who was the first person you told?: Jared
How did they react?: He was excited, well as excited as he could be hearing that his wife is pregnant for the third time in a year...it's kind of become old hat

Telling the Grandparents
How did your parents react?: Very well, and so supportive. I told my parents "guess who's pregnant? This guy!" and my dad was like "uh who?"
How did his parents react?: So well, Sarah knew first, and was so excited, and Jared's dad just hugged us
Are they helping with baby names?: Aside from recommending their own names, nope ;)
Have they bought anything for the baby yet?: I don't think so

About the Pregnancy
When was your first appointment?: well I had a bunch of blood work and stuff done on Dec. 2nd, but we got to see the little guy on Dec 6th, when I was 5 weeks 6 days
When is your due date?: August 2, 2014, but I keep feeling like we are going to have a July baby
How far along are you?: 12 weeks 6 days
Have you had any ultrasounds?: just that first one
Have you heard the heartbeat?: Yes, last Friday, it was seriously magical. I couldn't believe how loud and strong it was. I was beaming the rest of the day
What was the heartbeat?: 129 at the first ultrasound, and 166 when we heard it last week
Sex of the baby: to be determined!

About the birth!!
Do you know what you are taking with you?: Nope
Who is going to be with you?: Just Jared
Are you going to videotape it?: I don't think so...
Natural or Medicated?: I've thought about it a lot and am not sure. I'm probably going to give it my all, but I am not morally opposed to the epidural, I just want to see how tough I really am
Do you think you will need a c-section?: I don't think so, but you never know
Will you cry when you hold your baby for the first time?: I'm sure
Do you think Daddy will cry?: Yes, he is his father's son :)
Do you know what you will say to the baby when you first hold him/her?: I love you!

Names!
Do you have a name picked out?: we have names we like, but nothing picked out, we will start thinking more seriously when we know the gender
Is your baby going to be named after someone?: middle names will all be family names

Other Random Questions!
Have you felt the baby move?: Yes. Tonight for the first time, I was in a funny position and this flutter kind of swooshed, it was unlike anything I've ever felt
What was your first symptom?: intense sense of smell
What is the baby’s room theme?: I have a beadboard crib and changing table already , I'll go very neutral with peach or pastel pink for a girl, and mint for a boy
What was the first thing you bought for the baby?: Probably the crib and changing table. Only because they were the exact ones I wanted. I'm waiting to get anything else
Will you cloth diaper?: I don't think so, I think I'm going to go with the Honest Company's diaper delivery
BFing or Formula?: Breast feeding
Total weight gain/loss: I have lost 3 pounds, but trust me, I would much rather be gaining...
Sleep: I am WIDE awake at 6 am every single morning with a growling stomach and no appetite. I am also peeing at least 2 times a night, and having the most crazy vivid dreams of my life! So I wouldn't say I'm sleeping awesome
Best moment this week: I guess hearing the heartbeat was last week, so this week it was announcing to everyone via social media that we are expecting. We have such a great support system!
Food cravings: not really
Food aversions: pretty much anything. I can stomach english muffins and cheerios, other than that, I have to choke down everything I eat!
Pregnancy symptoms: SO emotional! The crying is out of control! Also just sick, bleh, being nauseated for 7 weeks has been so draining, physically and mentally, sometimes I feel like I'm losing it. Also my right foot/toes go numb a lot. Oh, and headaches, bad headaches.

What I miss: Just feeling human, I can't wait to enjoy food again, it is SUCH a chore to eat!

What I am looking forward to: starting to show, and find out if the munchkin is a boy or girl!

Milestones: 2nd trimester! Woo hoo!!

1/20/2014

Whirlwind

Oh the MIA thing....about that...sorry it's been 3 months...I've been busy GROWING A BABY and kind of wanting to die because I have been stinking sick!!
Rewind...
November flew by. We were able to go to Colorado for Skyler's mission farewell. We were there for less than 48 hours, but it was wonderful. Skyler was so anxious to go, and I'm so glad I was able to see him. My mom's parents and my dad's mom were both there and it was great to spend some time with family. Skyler now is in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and is absolutely loving it! though the humidity is killing him ;)
The night we got back, we were both incredibly sick, a violent case of the stomach flu hit almost everyone in attendance at the farewell, and we were down and out for a couple of days, which was difficult because we left for a week in North Carolina just that Thursday.
Charlotte was wonderful. It was just the vacation we needed! We got to spend some quality sister in law time as girls, and the guys all played a lot of risk. Jared and I even went up to Asheville to visit Vanessa, Mike, and the boys, since we had never seen their place up there. We had so much fun and ate a lot of good food. It is so great to be a part of such a wonderful family, and to see it grow. Little Emmett was a joy to cuddle that week, and I wish I could spend so much more time with my little nephews!
Speaking of growing family, it was two days into that trip that I got this...
A positive pregnancy test! Jared and I were thrilled, but cautious. We have had some ups and downs with fertility this year, and knew a positive pregnancy test was just the first step, and of course, this all had to happen when I was a country away from my OB. We kept a positive mindset though, and hoped for the best, as we wished the time with family wouldn't have to end. We had a great Thanksgiving with everyone, and left the next day to fly back to Salt Lake, where we were able to spend a couple of days with my family, who had been there for Thanksgiving.
It was about this time that my sense of smell skyrocketed. I could literally name all the ingredients on a pizza I had never seen, I could smell EVERYTHING! And I was afraid...usually with the strong sense of smell comes a great sensitivity to food...and about a week later it hit me, and it has been a blur ever since! Growing a person is hard.
I was able to get into my OB very soon after getting home and we had an early ultrasound done
There's our little blob, with a heartbeat of 129 at 5 weeks 6 days. I thought the ultrasound would settle my nerves, but it made me more on edge. I was still not convinced this was all going to happen. But the sickness continued through Christmas, which was good, but quiet. Jared and I spent it at home, just the two of us, for the first (and last!!) time. I got Jared a stereo deck for the truck, and I got some gorgeous pots and pans (not that I've used them...just the sight of the kitchen...bleck!)
Work has been very understanding and I have been a bit of a bump on a log, but I am so grateful, and hoping I'll be out of the slump soon!
Jared turned 26 last Thursday, and we had a little party for him Friday. For his birthday, we went out to Chandler's, the best steakhouse in Boise. Neither of us had had gourmet steak, ever, so I figured this would be a good night, and amazingly enough I ate my whole steak! Which is more than I've eaten in 3 months! It was absolutely delicious, I've been dreaming about it since...
Man I look like a zombie...
Friends came over for Pizza, games, and ice cream cake Friday night, and it was fun. Jared has been an absolute dream, he has been so incredibly patient with me, and taken care of everything from the house, to filling my water bottle constantly, to running through the list of everything in the pantry with me just to find one tiny thing I could choke down. I could not have wished for a better companion during this tough time.
And just the day after Jared's birthday we had the 12th week appt, where we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time. When we did the ultrasound at barely 6 weeks it was too quiet to hear, but as soon as my OB took out the doppler we heard the heart loud and strong, up to 166 bpm now. "It's running a marathon!" as Jared put it. That was the neatest experience, hearing that little heart, it makes it all worth it.
So baby is coming around August 2nd, and we won't find out what we are having until beginning of March, but I am fine with the wait, anticipation is half the fun! Until then we will keep working and praying that all continues well, and we appreciate any prayers on our behalf!
I promise to be better at keeping up now too. I finally feel a bit more human again, so hopefully that will continue!