Sonic and Sushi

21 Weeks!!!

And we know what we're having!!! Do you? It's a.....

SURPRISE!!!

We are waiting to tell our friends and family this Sunday, and after that I will broadcast it for the world to know!

But we are both very excited.

I can't believe I'm halfway there. Wow. The time goes by so fast. BUT... I've heard the next half is the slowest. You're bigger, just want the baby to be here, and start having more annoying symptoms like swollen legs and feet, etc. etc.

So, I'm enjoying the present time! My energy is still pretty low, but I'm grateful that I still have some, and my size doesn't hinder me from doing anything I wanna do.

The baby is 10.5 inches now - that's the size of a pomegranate!

I crave sushi always. Don't worry, I only eat cooked sushi. But man, it is an expensive habit! I am trying to cut down. :) I have to keep myself from thinking about it, because once it's in my head, it's like this alluring mirage that stays in front of me until I run after it! Also, Sonic is a must, like... every day. A big thing of sonic ice and a cranberry tea. Man, that hits the spot.

My skin is, I guess, glowing a bit which is nice. Well, the skin on my face, I should say. My back is breaking out pretty bad. I guess that's one of my biggest complaints so far. That and the bad cramps in my calves. They wake me up in the middle of the night.

Also, baby is kicking a lot more! I am feeling the baby much more now, and sometimes he...or she... kicks HARD! It feels like a little alien gliding through my belly. When we were at the doctor, she... or he... kicked me and I felt it and saw it on the screen at the same time! That is an experience I can't explain.

In other news...

Someone posted something on facebook today that made me laugh:

"Pregnancy hormones are AWESOME," said no one...ever.

They are makin' me crazy, mon! Up one minute, down the next, and angry at the drop of a hat. Or maybe the people around me are just more irritating lately (just kidding, mom...). I have to continually remind myself that what I'm feeling is probably going to pass in about 30 seconds. I'm not really an "emotional" person, so it's been a tough adjustment. I'm more of a thinker, but now I'm forced into riding an emotional roller coaster every day. I'm grateful for my husband, who is more of a feeler than a thinker, and is still able to put up with me and love me through my crazy moments.

Today was the first day I couldn't button my pants.

UH OH.

Let me tell you, even though I know it's because of a little adorable baby, it ain't a good feeling to have your button and the loophole be 2 inches apart.

But, worth it.

Do you know what's weird? There's a ton of pregger people in my life right now, and we're all due around the same time. I can count 7 of us who are all due within a month of each other. Isn't that strange?

I'm kind of starting to feel the need to "nest," which is hard when you don't really have a... nest... Hopefully the Heatons will find a home for the baby soon, but in the meantime we are enjoying time with Gigi and "Dude" (Dude's not sure he's keeping the name...but we like it). They're pretty good at making awesome meals, taking care of you in every way possible, and buying cute things for the baby.

So, to recap... at 21 weeks, life is good, body is very tired, but I'm finding things to be grateful for every day! Healthy baby, pretty normal weight gain, mostly restful nights of sleep, and a loving family to come home to!

After all the crazy stuff going on in the world lately, it's been good to take time to reflect on the good things in my life. What are you thankful for today?

Thanks for reading!!!!

Love,

Mama Heaton and...

Baby (girl) Heaton

OR

Baby (boy) Heaton

WHICH ONE?!?!?!

I'll tell you SOON!!!

P.S. - Do you know what else? I am forgetting EVERYTHING! That's why this little note is a "P.S." I totally forgot to mention it. It is like the #1 symptom I am experiencing, which is crazy, because I am not a forgetful person. But at work, at home, I am forgetting crazy things. Like today, I forgot to put eggs in some cupcakes, but then I couldn't remember if I forgot or if I just thought that I forgot. It's a mess!!! I'm a mess!! What was my point again?

Baby Bump!

Ok, here it is, finally! A prego pic. :) 

This is me at 17 weeks in my new Target maternity dress. 

Also, I'm definitely not a fan of naked belly pics, but now that I'm preggers, I'm not ashamed! But, let's just say I'm not going to post this to facebook. That weirds me out. 

Now I'm 18 weeks! I can't believe it. Time goes by so fast. We are almost halfway there. 

I still haven't had my energy back, but at least I feel like a normal person who is just tired... and bloated... and has bad leg cramps. Lol.

This past Sunday we made 1200 cupcakes for an event in Colleyville - whew! I was on my feet ALL DAY, but it was worth it. We got best booth at the convention! I had no idea how much it affected me until I woke up the next day. Yowza! 

My daily email from What to Expect said: "At this point in your pregnancy, you are probably waking up with bad cramps in your calves and all the way up your legs." Um... try YEAH! Ouch. But it gives me a nice excuse to take a little jacuzzi soak in the evening, and I definitely like that!

I think I maybe kinda sorta felt the baby move last night, and Scott thinks he felt it, too. My doctor says it probably isn't the baby until about 20 weeks, but I think it WAS! :) It was like three little thumps against the front of my belly. So sweet!

We find out the gender in just a few short weeks! I called my doctor to see if I could move my appointment up, but it is against their policy. :( SO BUMMED! But worth the wait. 

Come on, Baby Heaton! Grow grow grow! Today you are the size of a bell pepper. We decided you are a yellow bell pepper. 

16 Weeks and Counting

The baby is growing so fast! Just had another doctor's appointment, but didn't get to have an ultrasound. How sad! I was so close to the machine. It would have been so easy!

I still got to hear the baby's heartbeat, though. 136 beats per minute! Dr. Lopez said if we were to go off of old wives tales, the baby would most likely be a boy because they "typically" have a lower heart rate. But, she said she has two girls, and both of them had low heart rates, so you really never know!

We will find out the gender in 3 1/2 weeks! AH! Can't wait.

My nausea has definitely been SO much better. I still have a few occasional doozies, but they are few and far between (thankfully). My energy level, on the other hand, hasn't changed as much as I was hoping. I am still very tired most of the time and can't get enough sleep. But we've also had a ton of change going on in our lives. I think that is accounting for a lot of my sleepiness.

My baby bump is getting BIG! I would show you a picture but I'm on the bed under covers and I just don't want to get up and take one. Maybe the next blog post. Mollie is going to kill me because I haven't done a very good job of documenting belly growth, and she wanted to see every development! :)

Dr. Lopez said my weight is right on track, my blood pressure is great, and the baby's heartbeat is great. I have been getting dizzy and light headed a lot, and she said it might help me to eat more meals during the day and to make sure each of the meals has a lot of protein. Eat more? No prob!

I'll try to post a belly pic soon! (But with my shirt on... Belly pics with just belly skin kinda weird me out. No offense...)

2nd Trimester is Here!

We made it! I am 15 weeks today, and I think the 2nd trimester typically starts around week 14.

It has already gone by so fast. Wow. The baby will be here before we have time to pick out a name!

This week, Baby Heaton is the size of:

An orange!!

I can't believe it. Where is the baby hiding? It just looks like I've had a little too much fun eating junk food lately (which I definitely have). 

Thankfully the second trimester has welcomed an (almost) end to the daily nausea and constant queasiness. I've kicked my daily can of Gingerale and no longer have to stash crackers in my purse (good thing because crumbs were finding their way into some very inconvenient places).

I realized I haven't updated everyone in a while - life has definitely been passing me by. We are moving out of our apartment this Saturday, so I am typing this while surrounded by cardboard boxes and piles of un-categorizable clutter. Thankfully, my wonderful parents have prepared a "suite" for us at their house while we continue the search for a house (hopefully). The market is crazy right now! Everything we like or bid on has four other bids - when did this happen? Anyways, I am thankful for my parents who have already prepared a menu of wonderful food they are going to make us the first week to help us "enjoy our stay" and the Hines Hotel. 

I also haven't really had much to update y'all about because I finally feel like a normal human being! Thank goodness. I still have times when I suddenly feel like I need to sleep like... RIGHT NOW, and still have strong hunger pangs that must be immediately satisfied, but that's not too far off from non-preggo Tay. 

In the meantime, we are getting increasingly excited about finding out the gender of the baby in 5 WEEKS! I have to go in next week for a check up, and don't even get an ultrasound. WHAT!?! I'm going to be five feet away from the room and can't even go in to see my baby. I am very sad about this. But as fast as the weeks are going by, I know 5 weeks will be here in the blink of an eye. 

Other than that... hmmm, what else... I don't have to take my progesterone supplement anymore, which is nice because it made me sleepy and oddly thirsty. My face is clearing up a little bit, but my back and chest still make me feel like a high schooler who didn't respond well to ProActive. I have gotten a few bad headaches (which thankfully, I NEVER get), so I'm wondering if they're pregnancy related. 

Oh! You guys know how much of a sweet tooth I have (duh, I work at a bakery!), but now I just crave salty! And too much sweet makes me nauseous (oh my gosh, can I really say that? Is that blasphemous?). 

Also, my allergies have unfortunately suffered a little more than usual. Apparently pregnancy hormones make your nasal passages swell (?!?!) and can sometimes cause nosebleeds and gum bleeds (haven't had either of those yet). 

All of these symptoms together are still much better than that persistent nausea, so I'm not complaining - just trying to give you guys a picture of how I've been changing as Baby Heaton grows. :) 

How exciting! I still have to remind myself there's actually a baby in there. I have these moments where I realize again, like for the first time, that I'm going to be a mom. Wow - so many thoughts and emotions! A customer at work today asked me what I was going to do after I finish high school. HAHAHA. Surprise! I'm going to be a MOM! Lol. 

Thanks for reading! Love yall. 

Tay

I Can Finally Breathe!

BABY HEATON IS HEALTHY!

The bump they thought they saw on the tummy is GONE!

Thank you Jesus!

Wow. What good news that was to hear. I think it was the most beautiful thing I've heard in a long time - other than the baby's heartbeat that we got to hear again today. 164 beats per minute!

Scott was so cute when the doctor told us the sonogram looked great. He did his little "wooo!" thing that you've all heard him do and then we high-fived while almost being teary-eyed.

The baby was moving around like crazy during the ultrasound today. The ultrasound tech said the baby was very photogenic because she kept moving to the perfect poses for the pictures she needed to take.

You could even tell that the baby was trying to suck on his thumb already!

This picture is a little blurry. :( It's hard to take a picture of a sonogram because it's already a little hard to distinguish. This first pic is just of the baby's head and right arm/hand. You can also see the left hand poking up in the background.

Here are two more pics from today.

This is the "3D" view above. The baby's head is at the top with his/her two hands around his/her face like he's shielding his eyes. 

The face is already so defined! The eyes, nose, and ears are already in place. AMAZING. The baby is about the size of a lime.

I don't think I've posted it on this blog yet but the baby's due date is October 2, 2013. 

Today I am 12 weeks along and almost into the second trimester, which begins at 14 weeks. I've gained 1 pound so far, which is pretty normal for the first trimester. Some women actually lose weight because their nausea is so bad.

The doctor said that although we can never really say we're "in the clear," she said most pregnancies are smooth sailing from this point on (in terms of having a healthy pregnancy). The baby looks like he/she is developing well, there is a strong heartbeat, and we've made it to week 12, which is a huge milestone.

Your prayers have helped get us here!

My next appointment is in 4 weeks. This is just a checkup where they will check my blood pressure, weight, etc. No sonogram. :( Then 8 weeks from now (mid May), we get to see if the baby is a boy or a girl! And yes, we want to know. We can't wait!

The unpleasant symptoms are still lingering a little bit. I have these overwhelming urges to eat, and then nausea until I do. I also feel really tired out of the blue, but overall I am feeling much more energetic than the previous few weeks. Hallelujah!

On a different note, I was thinking about how I keep finding out all of these things you have to avoid when pregnant. Somebody should just make a list of everything in one place! So, for those of my friends who will be pregnant some day, here is my ongoing list of things you can't do with a baby in your tummy.

Things To Avoid While Pregnant

1. Alcohol (duh)

2. Drugs (duh)

3. A bunch of medications. You have to run EVERYTHING by your doctor. One of the only pain relievers you can use is Tylenol. One of the only allergy medications you can use is Zyrtec. I can no longer use my Nasonex, which helps me so much during allergy season.

4. Aspartame (no diet drinks)

5. Cleaning solutions with powerful chemicals in them

6. Hot tubs

7. Hot showers (you aren't supposed to raise your body temperature for more than 10 minutes, so I keep my showers short - I can't stand the cold!)

8. Heating pads, unless they are far away from your belly

9. Unpasteurized cheese (my doctor said these are hard to come by, but you still have to check)

10. Raw fish

11. Marlin

12. Orange Roughy

13. Tilefish

14. Swordfish

15. Shark

16. Mackerel

17. Tuna

18. Smoky areas

19. Smoking (duh)

20. Cookie dough (NOOOOOO!)

21. Runny eggs (must be cooked thoroughly)

22. Red meat (must be cooked thoroughly)

23. Tanning

24. Deli meat (I was like, what???)

25. Unpasteurized milk (also hard to come by in USA)

26. Caffeine (only one cup a day)

27. Changing the litter box

28. Gardening without gloves

29. Sleeping on your back (I can't avoid this one. I've just heard that it's better to try not to. It slows your blood flow to the baby...)

That's all I can think of for now, but I'll keep it going. I haven't found anything all in one place yet, so hopefully this will be helpful to someone someday! :)

Thanks for reading my blog! And thank you especially for the prayers you have prayed for baby Heaton, and for us! We are so grateful that everything is going smoothly. We hope to put together some kind of cute announcement for facebook in the next week or so, and then everything will become real, because it's "facebook official." Haha.

Love you all!

I've Got to Admit, It's Getting Better!

Hallelujah! Some of those annoying symptoms are letting up as we approach week 12!

My nausea has diminished greatly and I am finally able to eat more food (and food actually sounds good! Who thought that would ever be a problem?).

I don't look like I have chicken pox anymore (I felt like a high schooler with a horrible acne breakout EVERYWHERE on my body!). I also have more energy! Finally. Except for the other night when I decided it was a good idea to scarf down two delicious breakfast burritos that Scott made. After that, my body shut down and said TIME TO SLEEP.

My belly is growing a little bit now that the baby is the size of a fig. Wow! It happens so fast.

I'm gonna try to start adding more pictures. Pictures make life more fun.

Size of the baby!! Ahh!

I'm worried I might get addicted to wearing maternity clothes. They are so comfortable, and surprisingly fashion-minded. (Thanks, mom, for convincing me to shop in that section).

I switched to gummy vitamins because my gag reflex has gotten VERY dramatic, unfortunately. It's kind of annoying. 

Also, something annoying is that I am getting up MORE often to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Ugh. I just wanna sleep! And then Zoe gets restless and slaps the blinds to get me to look at her. What can I say? She's spoiled. 

But, overall, things are looking up! More energy, less discomfort, more happy! I love being able to see a little bump when I look in the mirror. It's such a great reminder of the little sprout of life inside of me, because it's still hard to believe there's actually a baby in there! Scott's dad says we won't realize we're having a baby until the doctor puts her/him in our arms. :) I can believe it. 

So grateful that our baby will have such a wonderful community of friends and family to love on them!! 

Yay babies!

PS - next ultrasound is WEDNESDAY! Three more sleeps! Please pray that the little bump they thought they saw on the baby's belly is not there anymore. :) Pictures of next ultrasound coming soon!

Being Pregnant Ain't for Sissies!

I could not be more excited about the precious little baby growing in my belly. That being said, this little booger is sure making me feel lousy!

I've heard the second trimester is a lot better, and I sure hope so! Yesterday was one of my hardest days so far. My nausea was so intense! One second I am so hungry I will eat paper and the very next second I feel completely full and think I'm about to be sick. It's so frustrating! And nothing sounds good to eat. It's very aggravating to know that you need to eat and absolutely everything you think of eating is making your stomach turn. 

Blerg!

Anyways, today is much better. It comes in waves. The doctor said that babies grow in spurts, not usually continuously, and I think that's what's happening with baby Heaton. When she starts to grow, my body starts feeling all kinds of different things at the same time. So, I guess when I feel nauseous, bloated, crampy, tired, and emotional, I should be grateful that my baby is growing big and strong! :)

My back is hurting really bad too. Isn't that supposed to happen when I have a huge bump? Apparently it starts early. Everything I've read has said that you can blame progesterone for pretty much every inconvenient pregnancy symptom. So, thanks a lot!

Did I mention I have to get up from my glorious sleep EVERY NIGHT now to go to the bathroom? It's super annoying. I like my sleep, and I do not like anything that takes me away from getting it. 

Other than having a few rough days, everything is going well. Can't wait to go in again for our next ultrasound on March 20. Today the baby is about the size of a lime! When did that happen? That's so big. Also, the baby's vital organs are now all formed! Wow. So amazing. 

I got my first maternity clothes for my bday! Woo hoo? They are pretty cute, actually, and I'm thinking about wearing my cute new dress tonight when we go out to celebrate SPRING BREAK!

I'm already getting a little baby bump - can't believe I'm already 10 weeks! Holy cow. 30 more to go! Nuts. 

Despite a few inconvenient symptoms, carrying a baby is pretty incredible. I can't believe how many amazing things are happening at any given moment - life is so intricate! 

I'm gonna go take a nap. :)

Love,

Tay

Second Ultrasound

I went in for a second ultrasound this week because I had some continued spotting after "the incident" last week. The doctor wanted me to come in as a precaution to make sure everything still looked good.

What a relief it was to hear the baby's heartbeat! Thank you, Jesus!

Also, what a difference a week makes! The baby looked SO much bigger in the picture and had even flipped sides. For a few seconds, the baby was even dancing around in my tummy. It was too cute for words - looked like a little teddy bear.

Everything looked pretty good - the baby had a very strong heartbeat. They can still see the bump on the baby's tummy and said it looks like a little sack of fluid, but they still can't be sure of what it is. We are going in again on March 20 for our third ultrasound.

AND, we met our first deductible with our insurance so it's only like $30 for an ultrasound. That makes me want to do it everyday! It's such an amazing experience. Baby Heaton's pictures are already lining the refrigerator!

I'm so thankful for each day the baby is in my tummy. What a miracle!

Thanks for reading. :)

A Lesson Learned

This weekend was very tough for us to get through. I had been feeling pretty good for most of last week - just tired and a little crabby. But Saturday, we had a scare.

I'm gonna be real - the following info is a little graphic, but I want to share my experience with you all in an honest and real way. Being pregnant is not for sissies.

When I got home from work, I went to the bathroom and noticed that I was bleeding. Quite a lot, actually. My heart stopped for a minute and a million thoughts raced through my head. I had no idea why this was happening. I wasn't in any pain, but still, there was a lot of blood.

I immediately told Scott and we sat on the couch and tried to calm down a little bit. He starting googling, and I sat and stared blankly for a while, with no idea what to do. My first course of action, naturally, was to call my momma who is the queen of all baby knowledge.

She said to call my doctor and that there would be an emergency line where I could leave a message for the nurse on-call that weekend (btw, it would have been MUCH more comforting to call and talk to a person immediately instead of leave a message! Talk about feeling helpless). Nevertheless, the nurse got back to me very quickly - within 5 minutes.

She said to keep an eye on the bleeding and if it got any worse I needed to go to the ER. Ah! Scary. I couldn't focus on anything. Scott and I tried to watch a funny TV show but my mind was a million miles away.

The bleeding stayed the same for about an hour and a half, then lessened for the rest of the day. When Scott was googling it, he said it sounds like this is pretty normal for 20-30% of women from weeks 8-12. As long as there is no pain, it is usually not a bad sign. My mom said the same thing and that she remembered it happening to her. Comforting, but still not what I wanted to hear! Why did it have to happen at all?

Anyways, the bleeding eventually stopped completely, with no pain other than extreme fatigue! The nurse told me to call in to the office this morning and leave a message for my doctor's nurse to see if they want me to come in this week to make sure everything is going ok. Still waiting to hear back from her, but I have much more peace now that the bleeding has stopped and I am not in any pain.

There was a minute, though, on Saturday, when I really expected the worst. It was like an out of body experience. I tried to breathe and think positively, and eventually I could feel God's peace about the situation. I feel like He has been trying to remind me that every moment is a gift, and when I switch my mindset to being grateful for each good moment, it makes the scary moments more bearable.

So today, I am grateful for the baby in my tummy, the nausea that means he's still growing like crazy, a loving hubby who helps me walk through the tough times, and family and friends who care about what we are going through.

This has already been a crazy ride! Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

First Trimester Appointment

Yesterday was a blur! Our first prenatal appointment went very well.

They start things off fun with the first ultrasound. They put the gel on my belly like you see in the movies - it was surreal! We could see the baby on the screen but not very well, which is normal because it's so small (oops! he/she is so small). And apparently, a full bladder makes it easier to see everything! Crazy. So, to get a closer look, they had to do the ultrasound a different way... did you know that they can do it through...ummm...a place you wouldn't really want them to be? Yeah...not that fun but it's worth it as soon as you see your little jelly bean!

We could see the crown of the baby's head and it's little bum at the bottom (her/his little bum...). And then, we heard one of the most amazing sounds I've ever heard - the baby's heartbeat! At a good, solid 175 beats per minute. Wow! Scott and I were teary-eyed as we looked and listened, amazed at what we were experiencing. There is nothing like it in the world. I wanted her to keep the sound playing forever. (Now in retrospect, I wish we had taken a video of it on our phones...Dang!)

We could see four little buds where the arms and legs will soon come in, and a black spot at the top of the head which we found out was the brain! Baby Heaton must be a genius because her brain is already really big!

I wish the whole two and a half hour appointment could have been watching and listening to our little baby. You could even see the heart beating on the ultrasound. Incredible!

After that I finally got to relieve my pregnant bladder that I had kept full for the ultrasound. And knowing how many things they test me for during this appointment, they probably ran the urine sample through 12039830129 different tests.

Then we went in another room and waited to see Dr. Lopez (I love her, by the way! Women's Integrated Healthcare in Grapevine, right next to Baylor). She came in after I had put on the awesome gown with the awkward split down the front. Scott had to tell me to quit dancing while we were waiting because it was making him feel uncomfortable. :)

She went through a huge list of optional tests that can help determine if the baby will have any complications - physically and/or mentally. We listened and tried to keep everything straight, and pretty much decided we would hold off. She said there's not really a right decision, it's just whatever makes you feel comfortable. Scott and I feel that if we knew of anything that was wrong, it would just worry us until we had the baby. There's nothing you can do about complications until after they're born.

After that, she cleared her throat and got a little more serious. You know when you get that feeling... like when your dad sits you down and has something really important to say. Of course I was very nervous about every word that was about to cross her lips.

She went on to tell us that the ultrasound nurse had seen an ususual bump on the outside of the baby's tummy, possibly on the umbilical cord. Because the baby is so tiny, it was almost impossible to know what the bump was. Dr. Lopez said that it could be something totally harmless, and might disappear by the next time we take an ultrasound, or it could turn into something serious, and they had no way of knowing which way it would progress unless we waited for the baby to grow and came in for another ultrasound.

I was surprisingly calm after she told me all of this. Of course, I wasn't happy to hear the news, but we had already been through the roller coaster of hearing that my hcg levels were low, then my progesterone levels were low, etc. etc. And so far those levels have improved and turned out not to be an issue. I have learned that you can either choose to worry yourself to death and try to control something that you absolutely can't, or you can look at the positive and realize that this baby is a centimeter and a half long and the bump that's showing up could just be a tiny shadow.

My dad told me that being a parent means always wanting the best for your baby, but realizing there are some circumstances that you just can't do anything about. And in the midst of those uncontrollable situations, God IS in control.

As Dr. Lopez was talking, I felt a total peace about everything she was saying. It was one of those moments where I knew I didn't have to worry, and I'm very grateful God gave me that peace. I'm a little teary-eyed writing this now, because I know that was a gift that He gave me. I'd be a mess on my own.

Dr. Lopez told us that the plan would be to come back in after 4 weeks of letting the baby grow. Then we will take another ultrasound and see how everything looks. Then they can tell me that the bump is gone. :) She set me up with the best ultrasound nurse in the office - she has the same name as my momma! So does my blood lab tech. I think it's a good sign.

After hearing all of that news, I got to have my favorite and always highly anticipated "woman" exam. With your hubby next to you. Ya. Did you ever think it could be worse than it already is?

But Scott was so great through all of this. He wrote down the answers to the millions of questions I had asked Dr. Lopez (I brought a piece of paper full of questions I had come up with during the previous few weeks - this was a good idea!).  He was very calm through everything and never left my side, even when he really had to go to the bathroom. :) Plus, he just knows me, and knows how to take care of me in stressful situations. He's going to be the best dad ever.

Our next ultrasound in March 20. Even though I really believe everything is fine, please pray for the little peanut and that the silly little bump wouldn't show up next time.

Love you all! Thanks for reading.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord." Philippians 4:6-7

P.S. Is that a run on? ;)

The fun has arrived!

It's here. The nausea. The multiple trips to the bathroom. The constant queasiness. I'm hungry but nothing sounds good to eat!

Today I did some stretching because my body feels really out of whack. The stretching helped, but afterwards I started feeling really queasy. I thought maybe I was hungry so I heated up some pizza.

After I took the pizza out of the oven, I looked at it and had to keep myself from gagging at the sight of it. I couldn't even smell it.

I got a glass of gingerale and sat down, wondering what in the world would I eat for lunch because I'm hungry and I'm about to have to go teach flute lessons!

Then, all of a sudden, I knew I was going to be sick. And I was. It was awful. Throwing up is in my top ten least favorite things about life.

But after that, I felt better. Still hungry, but not queasy.

Zoe was worried about me. She tiptoed in the bathroom with her head down like she was trying to check on me without being in the way. She's so sweet (crazy, but sweet).

Also, I feel like I'm starting to show slightly. But I think it's only noticeable by me. When I was zipping up my pants this weekend, it took a little extra effort to zip it to the top. Uh oh! Here comes trouble.

TWO DAYS until the ultrasound!

The Adventure Continues

We hit another slight bump this week. The nurse called me again and said that my progesterone levels looked really low to her from my blood work last week, so I have to start taking a supplement of it every night.

It seems that there are no serious threats as long as I take the supplements regularly. We will know more when we get to see the ultrasound in FOUR DAYS!!!

Other than that, I've had the BUSIEST week EVER at LeSara. Apparently people like to buy cupcakes the week of Valentine's Day. :) It's been awesome, but very exhausting.

My queasiness has stayed about the same. It hits me once or twice every day until I get something on my stomach. I've still been really tired, but again, it was the busiest week I've ever had at LeSara. I wore a pedometer to work and found out I walked 3.5 miles that day! Holy moly!

Other symptoms right now... well, my top half is.. ahem... finally growing... All the books say women grow a cup size by like week 5. Well, not me, ladies and gentlemen! They're just now starting to at week 8 (and a half). They are a little sore, but not super noticeable like the books say they will be. My mom says that's coming later. Oh! I got up to go to the bathroom the last two nights. I NEVER do that. Scott said he knows I'm pregnant because 1) I'm napping during the day (I'm not much of a napper) and 2) I am getting up to go to the bathroom at night. I think I've done that 3 times since we've been married!

Other than that...

We are on the search for a house - have to find a place for the little guy! Or little princess. :) What do you think the baby is going to be? I had a feeling the other day that it's a boy. I just had a feeling. House searching is very tiring! We aren't sure if everything is going to work out, but say a prayer for us if you don't mind! It would be a huge blessing.

We get to see our little baby in FOUR DAYS!! I can't wait. It's all I think about.

In the meantime, hubs is on the way home with some chips and salsa... :)

It's a Baby!

Hey friends,
If you got a link to this blog, it's because I love you!

Today I am about 8 weeks pregnant, and I want to keep track of my experiences during this time for a few reasons: 1. Because it's fun! 2. Because I hope it can be helpful to you at some point in your life. 3. It helps me process the crazy changes taking place in my life!

We found out we were pregnant around January 23, 2013. I kinda knew for the week leading up to it because I just felt different. I can't explain it, I just had a feeling. (I was also having REALLY weird dreams. For some reason that was a clue for me). Other than that my only symptom was extreme tiredness (but, I thought it could possibly have been from work - I'm on my feet all day).

I couldn't believe it was true at first, because the line on the pregnancy test was SO faint. What did I do? (And what do I do a million times a day now?) I googled it. Turns out most of the things I read said that's still a positive. So, we went to the doctor to have it confirmed.

At the doctor's office, I took another pee test, and the line was even fainter (this is probably due to the fact that different tests have different levels of sensitivity). They said that was still definitely a positive because the only reason it shows up is if you have hcg in your blood (the pregnancy hormone) and you ONLY have it in your blood if there's a little baby growing inside of you! But, nevertheless, they took a blood sample, too, since it was a faint reading.

We told our close friends and family that night, which was so much fun. I'll have to recount those stories later. That Friday, I got a call from the doctor saying that my hcg levels were 120. She said that's low, but not a bad sign, because it just meant I was really early in my pregnancy (at this point they were guessing about 4-6 weeks). So, guess what, I googled about normal hcg levels, and for 5 weeks into a pregnancy they can range from 18 - 7340!! That's a huge difference! The only important thing is that the levels are doubling every 48-72 hours.

My symptoms around this time were still only fatigue and a little bit of bloating. I was slightly worried because after googling a million things, I read that if you don't have nausea it can be a bad sign. I asked my mom, and she said she hardly ever got sick when she was pregnant with me. It seems that through this whole process we are supposed to do a lot of things like our mommas did (aren't moms so great to have?) So, my fears were temporarily put aside, even though I just wanted to feel something, even if it was nausea. :) I just want to feel my little blueberry!

It has been amazing to me just how fast a baby develops. This week, it's only the size of a raspberry and has a heart, circulatory system, lungs, a liver, brain cells, an upper lip, eyelids, ears are beginning to form, and the baby's on it's third set of kidneys, which he/she now keeps for the rest of his/her life! (Claire said I CANNOT call the baby "it", so I'm trying my best to include all the his/her/he/she business). God is so cool! Life is so intricate and fascinating, and every detail is planned out so perfectly.

So, it seemed everything was going well until we had a scare last Tuesday. I got a call from the doctors office on my way to work and it was the nurse telling me that after looking at my blood samples again, my levels looked a little too low. She asked me what I was doing that day and said I should come in at my earliest convenience. Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out. Scott was working so my mom met me after I got off work to get my blood taken again. The worst part of this whole thing was that I would have to wait 2 more days to hear about the results! Mom was great and helped me stay calm (even though later I found out she was pretty worried, too).

I waited and waited and WAITED and waited. Turns out babies change a LOT about your life before you even meet them. I couldn't think or talk or eat or anything until I got that phone call. Scott was the same way. It's crazy how I want to try to control so many factors that could harm my baby and he's not even out of my belly yet! How hard is it going to be once I'm holding her in my arms!? I'm already becoming an overprotective mom. : - O

FINALLY, a day and a half later, the nurse called, and said my levels looked good. They were up to 11,500, which meant they had been doubling at the correct rate. WHEW! I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that news!

But I still wasn't feeling very different at all. Shouldn't I be feeling nauseous, or peeing a million times a day?

Well, I think that's finally starting to hit. The past few days I've been pretty queasy, and absolutely NOTHING has sounded good to eat (until my mom suggested chips and salsa to which I said HECK. YES. And... now that I typed it I think I'm going to have to get up and eat some more of them). I've also been downing sparkling water. That's my drink of choice right now. La Croix makes all kinda of cool flavors. Right now I have a pack of Coconut and a pack of Cran-Raspberry. Yum.

So anyways, I've had mild queasiness, but haven't gotten sick. My food cravings have been a little off, and things I usually eat all the time sound gross to me (hummus, anyone?) AND I've been running to the bathroom a little more frequently. So, I guess you could say I'm experiencing more symptoms! :) It really is nice to feel something even if the feelings are somewhat unpleasant. It's just a reminder of that sweet little face that's growing every second in my belly.

When I post in the future, it will probably be shorter than this first one. I had to catch everyone up! If you want to ask me about anything I left out, I'd love to talk about it! I just want to keep you guys in the loop so that you feel connected to little baby Heaton!

Thanks for being a part of my life! I love you.