The Nilson Family

Fun games with dad

2012-02-09T15:15:00.004-06:00

The three of us had a rather funny interaction last night I thought I would share:

Steve: How's our little man doing (putting hand on my stomach)

Kate: He's been pretty lazy today, not a lot of kicking

Steve to Wilson: Hey Buddy! Are you sleeping? Kick once for Yes and twice for No

Wilson: nothing

Steve to Wilson: Buddy?! Are you okay in there? One kick for Yes, two kicks for No

Wilson: nothing

Steve to Wilson: Okay, no kicks if you are sick of mom's voice

Wilson: nothing

Steve: HAHAHAHA

Steve to Wilson: (remembering he can be alarmed my loud noises now) BOO!!!!!

Wilson: Kick

Steve to Wilson: BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wilson: Kick, Kick

Steve to Wilson: Booga Booga (very loud)

Wilson: Kick, Kick, Roll

Steve: Roll over and fall asleep
Kate: Try to sleep but can't because now Wilson is awake and kicking like crazy!!

Typical dad huh?!?! Get the kid all riled up and then let mom deal with it!

26 weeks - what a difference 6 months can make!

2012-02-06T18:10:00.009-06:00

My entire pregnancy I have been confused by the weeks/month counting. Now of course I am not the math genius of the family (remember I only lasted one semester as an engineering major before switching to Speech Therapy!) but I always just want to take the number of weeks I am and divide by 4 to figure out how many months along I am… this doesn’t work! Plus a normal pregnancy is not really 9 months! It’s 40 weeks; which by my method is 10 months! Well this week I’ve decided I’m officially 6 months pregnant! We found out Sept 8th at which time I was already 4 weeks (aka one month) along, and this Wednesday is Feb 8^th. Plus using my mathematical equation… 26 weeks/4=6.5 months!!! So.. why is she ranting about math?? So I can say this “here are some pictures to prove what six months of pregnancy can do to a girls figure!” J

26 weeks - Wilson is making big gains in hearing and sight this week, pretty soon I will feel him jump at the sound of loud noises! (Steve tried yelling at my stomach last night - didn't work) and I found out that all babies have blue eyes in the womb and don't get their final coloring until they are a few months old! Crazy!

Now that I'm officially in my sixth month of pregnancy I can say everything is still going great! Our baby boys is definitely growing! I'm still pretty tired and constantly hungry plus my ribs have started to hurt even when I'm NOT lying down, gotta make room for this big boy!! I was so hungry my stomach was growling today and I realized the sounds were coming more from my chest than my stomach - it got pushed up and out of the way for ya Wilson!

We are continuing to get prepared for the little man. I spent the weekend finishing up his closet. Here are some before and after pictures! I did warn you that the nursery closet was previously our"junk" closet so cleaning it out took some time! Plus I have boxes and boxes of baby clothes from my sister and cousin to go through!! Let's just say I bought 140 hangers and only have a few left.. AND THESE ARE JUST 0-3 MONTHS!! Needless to say I won't be buying the little guy clothes any time soon! Look how full that closet is!!

Besides all that not much is new. Steve is still crabby about the Patriots loosing the SuperBowl yesterday... I haven't had the guts to tell him that next year when the baby is here he will either have to watch the language used during the game or the Patriots will have to do better (them not making it to the Super Bowl next year won't even be mentioned... I'm not an idiot!!)

25 weeks - No sugar sugar! (appt updates)

2012-02-02T20:19:00.005-06:00

I had my monthly appointment with Dr. Olson today which included my glucose test. I'm exhausted (have been all day - darn baby boy must be growing a bunch!) so I'll give ya bullet points:

~Glucose Test - I drank some nasty tasting juice and then waited an hour to see how my body processed the sugar (or something like that, I'm still not really sure) to test for gestational diabetes. The juice didn't taste great the first time and then it really irritated my reflux so I've been burping it up all night again! I got an email from the lab that normal is 11.7-15.7 and mine was 11.6 so I'm not sure what that means. Dr Olson usually writes me a note to explain so I'm waiting for that.

~Check up - Dr Olson said my stomach is measuring "perfect" and his heartbeat is "great" (her words)

~ Sleeping - One of my biggest issues with sleeping is that I can't sleep on my stomach (have you seen the size of this thing?), I'm not suppose to sleep on my back, and it really hurts my ribs if I lay on my sides. Dr Olson used some fancy diagnosis term and explained that all the cartilage in my body is expanding to make room for Wilson - which hurts. She said "just try your best" (as if I haven't been!! I mean it's SLEEP!!)

~ Classes - She encouraged us to sign up for birthing and breast feeding classes... which means I get to see Steve's reaction to what I assume is some detailed and gross description of birth! HAHA

~ Birth Certificate - I completed some forms today so that I wouldn't have to when we arrive at the hospital during labor. One of them was the info for his birth certificate. I needed Steve's social security number but he wouldn't answer his cell or office phone! So now I've been teasing him that he is no longer my "baby daddy" (I've been teasing him from the start that he is going to miss the birth of his child because he won't answer his phone - I don't even know why he has one!)

25 weeks - Oh Sugar Sugar!!

2012-01-30T20:46:00.005-06:00

Still doing well at the 25 week mark - still able to move around which is nice! I haven't had any really crazy dreams since the one I shared last week although I think that is because I have been sleeping much better! I read Wilson will double in size in the next month and I can tell he is doing some serious growing! I've been pretty tired and constantly hungry this week!! I'm also realizing how fast this last part is going to go! We ordered our rocking chair and when they said "it will arrive in 10-12 weeks" I didn't even think about it, until Steve mentioned that I am due in 15 weeks!! Apparently I can finished making a human about as fast as Babies R Us can make a chair!

Steve is getting really excited too - he feels Wilson move around all the time now! Last night we were laying in bed holding hand - which happened to be resting on my stomach - and Wilson gave a HUGE kick and both our hands bumped up! It was pretty funny! A couple days ago Steve was trying to talk to Wilson to get him to move on command - it was hysterical because Wilson would be moving like crazy but then as soon as Steve started talking he would stop!! Looks like we know who will be putting you to sleep buddy!

25 weeks

Per the book "Your baby weighs 1 1/4 pounds

(aka 1lb 4 oz..... which is still less than he was on 1/12/12)

and is a little over 11 inches long, about the size of a small bag of sugar."

We spent the weekend doing more work on the nursery. Steve finished painting last weekend and we spent this weekend doing some final touches (base board, vents, etc) and starting the closet. We got the nice closet shelves which are adjustable - it will be nice to be able to change the lay out of the closet as the size of his clothes increases! I didn't want to take pictures of the closet until it was finished. I was going to wait until next weekend to start putting clothes away but I had a bad day a work so I put a couple outfits away just to cheer me up :) it worked!!

Still empty and boring but ready to be filled!

24 weeks

2012-01-24T20:25:00.007-06:00

Here we are at 24 weeks! I've been trying very hard not to think about the fact that this is how far along my sister was when she gave birth to my niece and nephew. I am definitely not ready... and neither are you little man!! You stay where you are!

I'm still feeling really good! I'm still able to move around pretty well although getting up from lying flat can be difficult. I'm doing well with my workout routine although all the jumping involved in kickboxing makes me have to pee! I'm still having trouble sleeping; hard for a stomach sleeper to get comfy :) which I think it contributing to my weird dreams! Since I don't have much to report this week I'll end this post with last night's interesting adventure....

I'm going into labor - Steve and I are in a hospital room and I'm telling him how much it hurts. Then ALL OF A SUDDEN I'm dressed and ready to go home! I'm in the lobby with my mom and sister waiting for the Steve who had to run out to buy a car seat because we weren't prepared and didn't have one (this is funny because in real life we already have a car seat!) Mom is holding the baby and I realize that I have NO memory of anything that has happened!! I don't remember labor or meeting our son or the two days I've spent in the hospital! I instantly feel horrible that I don't even remember what my son looks like! So I take him from my mom to look at him and he is..... well not the cutest baby! He has very poofy red hair (like an afro) and old man teeth! I mean he had a full set of teeth that were decaying and gross!! My immediate reaction was not very "motherly" which then made me feel even more guilty. So I unwrap him from his blanket and saw that he is stitched together like a doll! And I said "oh my god did he need surgery and I don't even remember it!" but then I notice a tag on his foot (like in a morgue... too many crime shows) and it says "Wayne Paul" (Wayne and Paul are two characters on the TV show we watched before bed). I said "Neither of these names were on our list of maybe's... this is not my baby!! I then ran around the hospital looking for someone to help me but nobody would believe me since I didn't remember what my baby looked like! I finally found someone who would help, she determined that my baby had been switched with another one... this "unique" looking baby belonged to Dr. Reese (also from a TV show... I need to lay of the DVR!) But we never found my baby! Then the alarm went off!!!

No worries Wilson! I found you just a couple seconds after I woke up - You are a morning person! Always kicking right away :) And your dad says I can't dream anymore... it's weirding him out!

24 weeks

According to the books Wilson is"just over one pound"

(but he was 1lb 5oz two and half weeks ago!)

It also says he is the size of a banana... but I swear he has been a banana already!

23 weeks and construction update

2012-01-17T14:49:00.010-06:00

Well I am 23 week along now. Which means only 17 more weeks to go! I'm still feeling great and feeling him move around all the time. Sometimes he moves at the worst times though! I was holding a somewhat difficult pose in my yoga class this weekend and got a HUGE kick right in the hip!! I almost lost my balance! I think the hormones are a little more under control now though, haven't cried at something silly since last week! (I think) The crazy dreams are still around though! Last night I had a dream that I was in labor and my entire family decided to just leave me at the hospital and go to a monster truck rally!!!! Which is really crazy because it's not like my family goes to a lot of monster truck rallies!

We finished the downstairs room this past weekend and I LOVE it! I can't believe what a difference a ceiling, some walls, and a floor can make ;) Here are before and after pictures....

Last spring, fixing our water problem (after our 3rd flood)

Last month before construction began (we had already taken down the very gross "drop ceiling" that came with the house - and please notice the very retro "track lighting" and the big box that runs down the middle of the ceiling)

The finished product! A livable space!!

Now that all the furniture from "the small room" (as we refer to the second guest room upstairs) is in this room we can start making "the small room" into a "room for the small"! I think I've decided on the theme (contrary to Steve's beliefs, every nursery needs a theme!!) and we are going with puppies playing sports!! I found some really cute bedding and decorations too. I think the biggest hurdle we have left is cleaning out the closet in that room - it's kind of our junk closet!

23 weeks

Wilson is the size of a small doll or bag of coffee beans

He is getting his first layer of fat this week!

Over the next month he will double in size (which means I'll be getting a lot bigger too)

I'm trying to ignore the fact that all four of my pregnancy books say "He is almost one pound" when he measured 1lb 5 oz last week!! Looks like he's taking after his daddy - football player!

Our LAST appointment at the "specialist"

2012-01-12T22:03:00.003-06:00

We had our follow up appointment today at the Maternal and Fetal Medicine Center at the University of Minnesota. This was the follow up to the last ultra sound where they found that his stomach was a little too big. EVERYTHING LOOKS PERFECT!! His stomach is a little big in one view but normal in all the others so they are not worried - they also said that since the stomach is the right shape it is very unlikely that anything is wrong!!

Of course I got more pictures too! This is the best one, it is so crazy how detailed the pictures are! A lady was telling me when she had her kids 10 years ago she didn't get ANY ultrasounds, I've already had FOUR! I wonder what they will be able to do when "Wilson's" having kids (of course these will be PLANNED children there Wilson!!)

So he is 1lb 5 oz which is already bigger than his two cousins were when they were born about three years ago. This has been kind of a tough emotional week for me as I am 22 weeks and this was the time when my sister went into premature labor with my niece and nephew. When the tech told me his weight I started crying a little. But my sister has assured me all will be fine (oh yeah, and so did the "specialist" from the University of Minnesota... I believe Chris the most) and I'm sure it will only be a couple years until Bryce is showing you what a tough guy he truly is as all you boys wrestle around!!

Since I'm talking emotions... I made it through kickboxing today without crying!!! I didn't make it through the entire 60 minute class but I did much better and it felt GREAT!

22 weeks

2012-01-10T18:07:00.010-06:00

Another boring but exciting week for the Nilsons! Not much new; we are still working on remodeling the downstairs bedroom in order to make the upstairs bedroom a nursery. I am getting very excited to start putting the nursery together, although I haven't done much yet. I'm still feeling great aside from some weird dreams that wake me up during the night (and then of course I realize that I have to go to the bathroom so I have to get up!). Last night we watched a TV show where a baby was kidnapped!! (not a smart move) Needless to say I had some crazy dreams after that!

I've been trying very hard not to be an over emotional/hormonal pregnant woman but usually this just means I bottle it all up and then loose it over something silly. For instance; I've been doing more classes at the gym which I really enjoy. I tried kickboxing for the first time last week (I use to do it 3 times a week) and left crying only half way through!! (frustrated that I couldn't do it) Needless to say I'm not in the shape I use to be and really should just let myself cry when I feel the urge. It really is funny the things that will make me want to cry - that TV show we were watching last night... I didn't cry the entire time they were searching for the missing baby, but when they had to put the grandpa in the nursing home... that got me :)

I didn't make a post after my appointment with Dr Olson last Thursday because there wasn't much to say. She answered some more questions (I always have a list) and we listened to the heartbeat! She also started measuring my tummy (aka the size of the uterus) - she says everything looks perfect!! I go back for another ultrasound this coming Thursday to reassess the size of Wilson's stomach.

Oh yeah, I don't remember if I posted this before - but over Christmas my family decided we should name our baby boy 'Wilson Nilson'!! This will not be the case but we have all started referring to "baby" as "Wilson" anyway. And since people are always asking... we are thinking of names but aren't going to tell anyone. We are planning on having a few options and then making the final decision once we meet our little man!

22 weeks!

Wilson is the size of a small grapefruit.

He has eyelids, eyebrows, and fingernails.

He can swallow now - which is very exciting for me since I spend most my work days helping people swallow

"The Book" says you can hear his heartbeat with a stethoscope, luckily being in healthcare I just happen to have one handy - both Steve and I tried last night but couldn't hear anything :(

You can really see in this weeks picture that my belly button is already sticking out! I was kind of an outtie before pregnancy so I started poking out very early!! It even shows through shirts sometimes (depending how tight and/or thin the shirt is)

Wilson's first care package!! Courtesy of grandma and grandpa Nilson!!

(and yes, I'm sure he will be a Red Sox fan!)

1/2/12, 21 weeks

2012-01-03T19:35:00.006-06:00

I love that I turned 21 weeks pregnant on 1/2/12! The math geeks in the family will love it too I'm sure!

Nothing much new to report. I'm still feeling really good and feeling the baby move around ALL the time! I feel him throughout the day but he is most active at night while I'm in bed so we have started a new little ritual - I lay with my hand on my stomach feeling him move while watching TV then after we shut off the TV and are ready for bed we wait for two big kicks, kinda our way of saying goodnight to the baby :)

I've been feeling so good that I have returned to the gym/workout routine!! I've only lifted weights and rode a stationary bike but I want to be sure I work back into it slowly. I just got back from the gym where I lifted and I think I enjoyed it more than the baby - I have poor awareness of how big my tummy really is and I have hit it with weights a couple times (not too hard, don't worry). Since I'm feeling so good we also got to stay out late with friends on New Years Eve!! We went to a friends house and had a great time! I found that I really like sparkling grape juice!!

Future Baby - Yes I use to be really fun to party with

We have another appointment with Dr Olson on Thursday so I'll have a little update then. Otherwise we'll just keep on growing!! 19 weeks to go!

21 weeks!

Baby is the size of a banana!

Please don't judge me in this picture. We spent all weekend doing construction and I had just taken a shower to wash Sheetrock dust/mudding dust out of my hair. We are finishing the basement room so we can relocate one of the upstairs guest rooms downstairs and make the upstairs room a nursery! My whole family has helped a lot and it is getting closer! (Future baby - Pops is really invested in your nursery, he even cut his hand bad enough to get stitches and then came right back and kept working!! He must REALLY like you!)

Daddy's been kicked!!!

2011-12-29T19:13:00.002-06:00

Last night we were laying in bed watching TV and I had my hand on my tummy (which is my usual position these days). Baby was having a pretty good "dance party" in there so I was feeling him move a lot! All of a sudden there was a really big kick/punch and I thought I could feel it on my hand - I told Steve "I wonder if you could feel this" so he put his hand on my tummy and sure enough he could!! There was a lot of "did you feel that?" and "was that it?" but he got the hang of it quickly and even fell asleep with his hand on my stomach :)

It was a very special and very cool night for all three of us!!

20 weeks, Christmas, and.. oh yeah, IT'S A BOY!!

2011-12-26T20:28:00.006-06:00

For the past couple weeks I really had nothing exciting to write about but the past couple days have brought on a lot of excitement!! We found out our precious baby is a BOY, we celebrated Christmas, and I’m now 20 weeks pregnant which means HALF DONE!!!

First and foremost, WE ARE HAVING A BABY BOY!!!! We are very excited as we both were hoping for a boy (although of course would have been very happy with a girl as well). As I said in my previous post our trip to the specialist took a very long time and you can only stare at the screen of an ultrasound not knowing what you are looking at for so long without getting a headache (and a little frustrated), and we did it for about 1.5 hours! Since we usually didn’t know what we were looking at I was a little nervous when the doctor said “okay now let’s take a look at those special parts”. She pointed to something, and I kinda thought, maybe I knew what I was looking at but I didn’t want to say it in case I was wrong. She said, “It’s a boy” and Steve and I both smiled at each other and I yelled “Yay!”

Although I am his mother, and it's my job to embarrass him, I debated putting this picture up. I'll compromise by putting it up so you can see that it says "Boy" in the left corner, but I'll save you the details of what you are looking at ;)

Since we found out on 12/21 we wanted to wait until Christmas to tell our family however I made it a full hour before breaking the news to my sister. I told her I wouldn’t tell her but when I said she shouldn’t buy “it” any clothes she figured out that it was a boy (she had already given us a shed full of boy clothes that previously belongs to my nephews). But I did get to surprise the rest of my family. I wrapped up a hockey puck and had my brother Dan open it at dinner on Christmas eve and asked him if he would teach our son how to play hockey – both my brothers, my dad, and some extended family found out then. My mom wasn’t feeling well so she wasn’t at dinner, when we got home from dinner we all tried to hint that it was a boy by using the word BOY as much as we could (ie, “oh boy mom you really missed a good dinner” and “oh boy I hope you are feeling better”) but she had a migraine so wasn’t at her best, she didn’t catch on so after awhile my dad said “Oh boy Kate, if this room is blue what color are you going to paint the other room?” and I showed some blue and green paint samples and said “Well boy dad I don’t know, I would hate to have two blue bedrooms in the house, so I was thinking green”. THEN she got it!

The rest of our Christmas weekend was great as well. We started working on his nursery, sort of. We are planning on making one of our guest rooms upstairs into the nursery, but in order to do that we need to move that guest room downstairs. We have a room in our basement that has flooded a couple times so we spent a lot of time fixing it so it wouldn’t flood anymore – this included tearing up the floor and walls! So it had been sitting for the past few months as a room of nothing but cement. My dad, brothers, and Steve have been working on putting new walls up (and while they’re at it they are making a new ceiling as well!). Once this room is done we can move the guest room furniture down there and started painting and decorating our baby boy nursery!

Christmas Card picture #1

Christmas Card picture #2 (just me and my baby boy)

My family decided not to exchange gifts this year and to focus on “the next generation” so the baby did get a few presents which was SO great!

Some very cute (and one very functional) Christmas gifts

And lastly, I am officially half way done!! Today marks 20 weeks! I am definitely getting bigger and people are starting to notice! I was at a meeting for work last week and someone did just come right out and ask so I must be big enough people feel confident I’m pregnant and not just getting a beer belly J I still am feeling GREAT too! I don’t get nauseous anymore at all! I’ve been pretty tired this weekend but I’m having a hard time sleeping, I hope that clears up soon! It’s not even that I have to get up to go to the bathroom a lot, I just wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep. I’m wondering if it is just the baby moving around that wakes me up, because let me tell ya – when he wants me to know he’s awake – he lets me know!!! He has been moving around a lot, and it still makes me smile every time J Also, my belly button has already started to pop! I thought this wasn’t supposed to happen until way later in pregnancy but I have kind of an “outie” anyway so it doesn’t take much for it to poke through a shirt! It’s pretty funny ;)

20 weeks

Our baby boy is the size of a cantaloupe!

First trip to "Maternal and Fetal Medicine Center"

2011-12-21T19:59:00.010-06:00

We had our appointment at the "at risk doctor" today. We got some good news and some not so good news.

GOOD NEWS
1) We found out the sex... but can't tell you until after Christmas (we want to tell family in person)
2) My placenta previa has RESOLVED!! Luckily the way my uterus has grown has pulled the placenta out of the way so I can resume all physical activity ("get back to life as usual" as the doctor said) so I am going to work out as soon as I'm done posting this :)
3) We had a "medical fellow" use me and baby as practice conducting ultrasounds (since we are at the University hospital this is to be expected) so it took A LOT longer than it usually would - to repay us for our patience they gave us videos and a ton of pictures!!

NOT SO GOOD NEWS
1)The doctor is concerned that the baby's stomach is too big. All he said was that this can be indicative of other things although everything else looked perfect so he didn't seem too worried. I will go back in 3 weeks for a repeat ultrasound to be sure everything is okay.

Video's and Pictures

I emphasized calling the baby "it" in an effort to not accidentally use he/she :)

Here is a video of the baby playing with the umbilical cord. It's short so you might have a watch a couple times - at the beginning the cord is in front of "its" face on "its" right side then "it" kinda bats it away with "its" left hand.

Profile view of "it"

4D pictures! So cool!

Stick 'em up

19 weeks!

2011-12-19T19:31:00.005-06:00

Not a ton to report again this week. I’m feeling the baby move all the time now which I love! I’m not feeling nauseous much anymore. My fatigue is improving but I still can’t do much at once (i.e. if I take the dogs for a walk I have to sit for awhile afterwards) but I’m not sure how much of that is pregnancy and how much is just getting out of shape from not working out anymore. I did catch a cold so I have a sore throat, ear ache, and stuffed up nose. I blame Steve as he was sick last week but he thinks it is from my nephews who have also been sick. None the less, that is overtaking any pregnancy illness I might otherwise be experiencing.

We have our level 2 ultrasound in two days!! I am very excited for that! I’ll be sure to make a post with details although I won’t be able to say Boy or Girl because I want to surprise my family at Christmas.

19 weeks!

Baby is the size of an apple

I felt the baby move!!!

2011-12-14T17:03:00.002-06:00

I was sitting in traffic driving home from work tonight when I thought "What in the world is that?" At first I thought, "Am I hungry?" then "Oh crap am I going to get nauseous", then "is it just gas?" but then I unbuckled so I could breath a little better (I was at a stop light, don't worry) and SCREAMED!!! It was most definitely little baby feet kicking me in my left hip!! (well, my left hip area). It was even cooler than I was expecting!! Now it really feels like there is a little baby in there!! AHHHHHH!! Of course I screamed some more then started talking to my belly, saying "well hello baby!! Whatcha doin' in there?". I'm sure the people in the cars next to me at the stop light thought I was nuts! (in case your interested future baby, we were at Snelling Ave and County C... almost home)

And as luck would have it Steve was home early from work! He usually doesn't get home until 5:30 but got done early and was already home at 4:00 so I rushed home and ran into the house yelling for him! He tried to feel ya kicking too but of course it is way too early for that!

I should mention that I had just gotten off the phone with Nana and I read in my book last night that you can start hearing voices soon, so maybe that was all you needed... you heard her voice and thought "she's the one that spoils all the grandkids" and you started dancing! :)

18 weeks and doin' fine

2011-12-13T20:54:00.003-06:00

I debated not even posting this week as I really have nothing to say. I haven't felt nauseous at all and my fatigue is improving. I have been getting headaches but Dr Olson said that should resolve soon (and it's nothing a Tylenol can't fix). I guess what they say about the second trimester is true - it is the best one! I still haven't felt the baby move yet but Steve and I agree that since we are both pretty lazy it only makes sense that our baby would be too :)

I'm definitely getting bigger though! I haven't had anyone come right out and ask me if I'm pregnant yet but I did have a patient's wife look at my stomach then smile and ask "Do you have any children?" then when I told her I was expecting my first she said "I thought so!"

18 weeks - baby is the size of a lobster tail and is starting to move his/her eyes!

(although to be honest, this picture was taken at 18 weeks and 1 day - I babysat my nephews last night and didn't get home until late)

Latest appointment with Dr Olson

2011-12-08T21:22:00.001-06:00

We saw Dr. Olson again today for our regular check up. Everything is looking good! Heart beat was very strong and she even commented on my "cute" belly. She said I should be feeling the baby move any time now!! I'm very excited for that! We also made the appointment for our "level 2 ultrasound" which is when we find out the sex, so now I am eagerly awaiting 11am on 12/21/11 (my nephew Logan's 5^th birthday!). Otherwise it was a very boring and quick appointment. Not too much else is new… I started wearing my "bella band" yesterday which is essentially a large elastic tube I put over the top of my pants/belly to keep my pants up without forcing them to be buttoned – it is wonderful!!! I've also gotten motivated to do more research on day care options so I wrote a few emails tonight asking for information – once we get the pricing information we'll have to keep a close eye on Steve so he doesn't have a stroke J

The little “joys” of being pregnant

2011-12-05T21:18:00.003-06:00

I was thinking today of all the little things people don't tell you about being pregnant. Some of them are a little too personal to share but I thought the more internet appropriate ones might make all the mothers out there remember all the "good times"

I was lying in bed the other night, when Steve asked "are you crying" I replied with "amI?!?" and sure enough, I was crying for absolutely NO reason! We both laughed about this, but once I started laughing I really got going and couldn't stop laughing… then I got pretty mad that I couldn't stop laughing and crying. I experiences sadness, hysteria, and anger all in a matter of about 2 minutes!
I fell asleep brushing my teeth this morning, seriously
I'm exhausted but can't sleep because it is impossible to get comfortable (I just bought a pregnancy pillow which is helping)
I can't stop craving tacos
I can't stop rubbing my belly
I get angry when Steve calls to ask how I'm feeling... I'm fat, tired, and craving tacos... how do you think I'm feeling!
The waists of my jeans are holding on for dear life via a hair tie (I refuse to by pregnancy jeans yet)
I have purchased three different/increasing sizes of leggings since I became pregnant and am now searching for pregnancy leggings (future baby – I promise wearing leggings in fashionable right now, I'm sure by the time you read this you will have the same reaction I did when Nana promised me that bell bottoms were cool in her day)
The other day I thought I felt the baby move for the first time… it was a vibrating Wii remote buried in the bed
I love laying down, but I hate trying to get up

Other than that everything is going very well. I rarely feel nauseous anymore but am back to being VERY tired. We see the doctor again on Thursday so I'll have more news then but we are only TWO WEEKS AWAY from finding out if you are a boy or girl!! :)

17 weeks!!!

(I can't believe I forgot to close the door to Steve's messy closet)

16 weeks and Baby's first Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T20:25:00.004-06:00

Last weekend the baby got to enjoy his/her first Thanksgiving dinner! Although it was our first attempt at ever making our own dinner and I couldn't stomach eating the turkey, so I don't know if if should count!

Most of my family spent Thanksgiving in Alabama surprising my Aunt Kathy for her 60th birthday. We had planned on traveling to Kentucky to be with "grandma and grandpa Nilson" (have you guys decided on your names yet?) but after traveling to California decided that we didn' t want to travel again so soon and didn't want to risk having another complication while away from my doctor.

So Steve and I made our very first Thanksgiving dinner for us and uncle Joe. It was complete with turkey, stuffing (out of a box of course), mashed potatoes, gravy (out of a packet), fruit salad (with only the fruit I like so I didn't have to pick anything out), and rolls. I even defrosted some pies for dessert!!

Ewwwww!!!

It turned out very yummy!! Notice only two glasses of wine :(

Steve and I breaking the wish bone - will you be a baby boy or girl??

Besides our long Thanksgiving weekend not too much has changed. I'm feeling better every day... matter of fact I don't think I was nauseous once today!!! Look at that!!! But I have been feeling really tired! I was warned once the nausea went away the fatigue would return, but I'm okay with that! The last week or so I have been really grossed out by all meat. Even the thought of it made me gag, but I had chicken for dinner tonight without any problem so I'm hoping that is over too.

My belly is definitely getting bigger! I noticed a patient looking at it today, I so badly wanted him to ask if I was pregnant so I could say "What are you talking about?" and freak him out alittle, but he didn't ask. I'm getting closer to that point thought!

Typical side view

I'm starting to show from the front even!!

Facebook Official!! 15 weeks

2011-11-21T21:26:00.003-06:00

Well it is "Facebook official" we are having a baby!! I'm sure by the time the baby reads this "Facebook" will be a thing of the past but for now it's kinda a big deal! Anyway, we have told all our close friends and family so thought we would spread the news to every high school classmate or casual acquaintance we know by posting it on Facebook! I posted this video yesterday to share the good news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um5So87g7lA

Today also marks 15 weeks although not too much has changed. I tried to move a table yesterday and hurt my back (save the dirty looks, I've already gotten the lecture... if Steve didn't want me to do it, he should have been here when I needed it moved!) so I've been doing a sort of "pregnancy waddle" which is pretty funny. My belly gets bigger every day. I feel like the pictures of my bare belly don't show it as well so we also took one with the belly covered - either way it is way bigger in person (especially from my view/looking down)

14 weeks and baby's first trip

2011-11-17T20:14:00.009-06:00

We have had another exciting week! I turned 14 weeks on Monday and we traveled to California!

This is our 14 week picture although the background isn't the same as the others (this is in our hotel room). I really feel like this picture doesn't show my growing bump. I would definitely say I'm showing most days but it really depends on my outfit. I'm in that stage where strangers think I just have a chubby tummy but those who know me can tell I'm pregnant. Overall I felt pretty good the last week. Dr Olson gave me some medicine for my nausea (Zofran, which is what my patients get when going through chemo, so it’s good stuff!) which really helped for the plane rides (I always get sick on planes, even when I’m not pregnant) and even helped some car sickness I experienced. (our chauffeur wasn’t the kindest driver to the pregnant woman in the back seat). However, last night after returning home from our trip I threw up dinner!! I hadn't actually REALLY thrown up yet so I'm hoping my stomach was just upset from a week of eating out and traveling.

Our trip was a wonderful success! Saturday morning we flew in to San Diego to stay with one of Steve’s childhood best friends, Tony. Tony picked us up from the airport and showed us around San Diego and we slowly made our way to his house in Oceanside (about 45 minutes north of SD).

Sunday we spent all day at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park which is SO COOL!! It was essentially a wide open field with animals just grazing around (giraffes, elephants, rhinos, gorillas, etc). It got to be a lot of walking for me so I took full advantage of the many many benches but overall it was a great time!

All of us at the Zoo

Me, Baby, and the beautiful view of the Zoo

Taking advantage of a comfy chair (hard to see but there is a vulture in that tree)

Monday we made our way up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to Los Angeles; this is a much longer route but was VERY pretty. We made it to LA just in time to go to a showing of Conan O’Brien’s talk show which was really cool!! It was so neat to see how they put a show like that together and of course he is just hilarious (Dear Future Baby – I’m sure by the time you read this you will have no idea who Conan O’Brien is, but trust me.. he is a large part of the reason I survived college! He is hysterical! And if you don’t know what a talk show is because the world has been taken over by reality TV, ask an old person.. like your aunt Christie!)

Tuesday we walked around LA and Hollywood and then drove to Venice Beach for lunch overlooking the ocean. In the late afternoon we met my brother Dan at Warner Brother’s studios for a personalized tour, free dinner with famous people (well, somewhat famous people), and VIP seats to the show Dan is currently working on I Hate My Teenage Daughter. (Future baby – right now uncle Dan is a writer’s assistant, I’m sure by the time you read this he will be some hot shot creator of some fancy sitcom!) Watching the filming of this show was so neat!! It’s crazy how much work and how many people it takes to make a 30 minute show! It took 5 hours!! But these were definitely five hours well spent! So fun!! Just a great trip!!

Our golf cart tour of WB studios with our tour guide, uncle Dan

I just wanted to include this for fun, I wore this to Conan hoping to make it on TV

"You can't tell but I'm not wearing any pants in here"

Introducing... Dr Olson!!

2011-11-10T21:45:00.006-06:00

Meet Dr. Amanda Olson our "baby doctor"

(This picture really looks nothing like her but I think posts without pictures are boring)

I saw Dr. Olson today (I figured I should start calling her by her name since she is bound to be a large part of these posts). Overall she had good news… baby is doing fine! I got to hear the heartbeat again and it was going strong! I also got to find out more about my placenta previa, which I thought would put my mind at ease. But it didn’t

I asked her to explain it to me in more detail and her explanation helped. She informed me that the bleeding I was having was due to a burst blood vessel, MY burst blood vessel not the baby’s or the placenta’s. But she did explain that I shouldn’t be surprised if it happens again! I was not happy to hear that as the last time was such a horrible experience! But at least if it happens again I will know what is happening and know what to do.

I made the mistake of saying “and worst case scenario I have to have a c-section” which she hesitantly corrected… “worst case scenario you continue bleeding and are admitted to the hospital for monitored bed rest”… WHAT!!!!! I was under the impression this was not a big deal! And her tone also made it sound like, in general, placenta previa is not such a big deal, this is a worst case scenario. (which is what I keep telling myself)

So overall nothing has changed. I’m still on activity restrictions, so no exercise :( (She even said no yoga!) I will have my “big” ultrasound (the one where they use the fancy high tech machines and can tell us if it’s a boy or girl) in six weeks and they will assess the location of the placenta at that time. She is sending us to the specialist for “at risk pregnancies” which at first made me very anxious (don’t you call me “at risk”!!) but I’ve been reassured that it’s better to have the fancy doctors and fancy machines tell me everything is fine then some ‘nonspecialist’ who I probably wouldn't believe anyway! Until then it’s nothing but couch time for me!! (oh yeah, and a trip to California!! We leave Saturday! I’ll keep ya “posted” – haha get it?!?!)

13 weeks and baby's first weekend getaway!

2011-11-08T17:45:00.005-06:00

Baby has had a very exciting couple of days! We are 13 weeks pregnant which means we are in the second trimester!! 1/3 of the way done!! And everyone keeps telling me second trimester is the best one so I’m looking forward to it! So far baby has kept our deal; I put up with the nausea for the first trimester, now I get a break! Since I have technically only been in my 2^nd trimester for two days it’s kinda hard to judge but so far I have been feeling pretty good. (Don’t forget that I have a plan of willing myself out of morning sickness starting yesterday!) I’m a little nauseous when I wake up but as long as I eat something and continue to eat on an hourly basis I feel pretty good! I’ve been extra careful to be eating only healthy foods so I don’t gain too much weight and to keep both baby and myself healthy. Especially since the doctor told me not to exercise! So far I have only gained 3 pounds so I’m hoping I can keep a good handle on that J

In other big news, this weekend baby had his/her first trip to Nana and Pops’ house and our baby was spoiled just like all the other grandkids! Pops refused to let me help rake leaves as it might be too much work for the baby, Nana filled me(us) with treats, and Gramps (great-grandpa) even helped with the spoiling (although morning sickness kept me from our breakfast date the banana split he got me was WONDERFUL). We were in town to celebrate Nana's birthday and my gift to her was that she could finally tell everyone I am pregnant. Needless to say, if you live in Brainerd... LOOK OUT!!

I have my next doctor appointment on Thursday so be watching for an update!!

12 weeks and HALLOWEEN

2011-10-31T20:01:00.007-05:00

Happy Halloween!! We aren't big celebrators of Halloween but we do enjoy handing out candy to trick-or-treaters (and eating the leftovers) I don't usually dress up to hand out candy but this year Steve was pretty excited for me to be.... a "mummy" (ie Mommy)

He didn't spend a lot of time on my costume, as you can tell! I asked him if he would let me dump sugar all over him so he could be a "sugar daddy" but he wouldn't let me :(

In other baby news I think I'm starting to show a little more. "Aunt Christie" and I had our first trip to 'Babies R Us' yesterday and I got to park in the special pregnant lady parking spot!! I had a REALLY full bladder at this point so my belly looks especially big but I sure did walk into the store like that!! (with my shirt pulled up pushing out my belly)

I also started researching day care options yesterday and today. During our scare last week I had to explain to my boss why I wasn't working - so she found out I'm pregnant earlier than I was hoping. I took a tour of a day care center very close to our house today but wasn't that impressed. We are also looking into getting a nanny since my schedule is so variable day to day (some days I'm gone for 9 hours, some days 4 hours!). We are a long ways away from needing anyone but I have a meeting tomorrow to discuss with my co-workers my maternity leave plan so I wanted to have some idea what was out there.

Big Scare!! And not the fun Halloween kind :)

2011-10-28T10:51:00.005-05:00

Well if this is what being a worried parent is like it really stinks!! We had a big scare yesterday!! I’ll try to spare you some of the gross details but if you are easily grossed out you may want to skip this post.

Yesterday around 1pm I was sitting at a patient’s kitchen table, watching him eat lunch, when I felt something… wet (sparing details). I wasn’t too worried until I stood up and saw a bunch of blood on my chair! I calmly cleaned it up without him noticing (he was really enjoying his pureed lunch!) and asked to use his bathroom. Again I’ll spare details but there was A LOT of blood! I’m still not sure how but I cleaned up and calmly went back to the kitchen, schedule my appointment for next week, packed up my stuff and got out to my car AND THEN I LOST IT!!!

I was supposed to be on my way to another patient but I headed straight home, frantically calling my doctor (of course I didn’t have the triage OB nurse number saved in my phone yet – thank god for smart phones!) The nurse was very helpful and calm and said my doctor would call me ASAP. I then frantically started calling Steve (all while flying down 694 at 75 mph, balling my eyes out… not my smartest/safest idea). Steve of course was in the middle of teaching a course but he replied to my 911 text right away in his typical calm, matter of fact, reassuring way and said he was on his way home :) Then the nurse called back and said I was scheduled for an ultrasound at 5pm .

On my way I had to stop at a gas station and run into the bathroom (there was just so much blood - sorry for TMI) of course everyone in the store looked at me like I was nuts since I was almost hyperventilating. I finally made it home, took a shower, changed, and got in bed. Steve got home and we laid in bed for an hour with me crying and Steve reassuring me everything would be okay.

After the LONGEST 4 hours of my life we got to the University of Minnesota for our ultrasound (yes, I was THAT girl crying in the waiting room). At this point I was almost sure we had lost our baby, I didn’t think with that much blood even the toughest kid would survive… I’M SO HAPPY I WAS WRONG!! A wonderful, cheery girl brought us back, asked me a few questions, and then showed us the most beautiful picture in the world! Our little baby was moving like crazy, almost like they were saying “Hey, I’m still in here! Stop crying!!” The heartbeat was strong and we got newer, better pictures!! I told that ultrasound tech 3 times "you are my favorite person in the world right now"

He/she is waving, saying "Yo Ma, stop being such a worrier"

The ultrasound tech took a ton of pictures, when she got to this view I said "oh look they have bow legs just like me" so she printed this for us... he/she is definitely got some Holden in 'em

Of course the wonderful ultrasound tech gave us her best guess as to what was causing the bleeding but she can't diagnose so we were suppose to wait for the doctor to call. Well I couldn't wait!! So being a Fairview employee (Fairview is the health system that includes the University hospital) I have access to the computer system where doctors chart their findings - so I cheated and looked at the radiologist report even before my OBGYN!!

So it was determined that I have Placenta Previa – which just means the placenta is in the wrong spot. The doctor said that this early in pregnancy it is nothing to worry about and is pretty common but they will monitor it closely to make sure it moves (right now it is in the way of the baby’s “way out”, so if it doesn’t move by the time of delivery we’ll have to worry about it then, but the doc said 90% of the time it moves on its own).

So I’m on “activity restrictions” which means no exercise until the placenta moves. (I see the MD again in 2 weeks) I’m really bummed about that because I had been dragging myself to the gym, keeping my promise of at least 4 workouts per week, but now that I'm feeling a little better I have to stop! Small price to pay :)

I was showing yesterday.. I really was.. I promise!

2011-10-25T18:39:00.009-05:00

Yesterday I was 11 weeks. I wasn’t going to take a picture every week as I thought you all would get sick of looking at pictures of me standing in front of our closet in Steve’s sweatpants (BTW, there was a debate if I needed to wear the same pants in each picture, it was determined that some pants made me look “more pregnant” than others – aka they were tighter so I looked fatter – so we decided I would always be wearing my favorite sweatpants; Steve’s Norwich sweatpants I stole from him while we were dating. And to be honest, I’m wearing them most the time we need to take a picture anywayJ) Anyway, I was getting ready for bed last night and when I went to put my PJ’s on Steve said “holy crap! You’re showing!!” I looked in the mirror and sure enough it looked like I had a definite little baby bump!! I finished getting ready for bed (which of course included going to the bathroom) and by the time I came out ready for the picture the bump had gotten smaller (darn bladder!). But we took the picture anyway so I figured I’d share. When you compare to my first belly picture it definitely looks "different" but I don’t know if I’d say “showing” L Hopefully soon!

I chose a bad color marker, the sign from last night says;

10/24/11

11 weeks

I was showing earlier today!

(promise)

To update you on other things I’ve been feeling better! I still get a little nausea each day (and it usually occurs during the “what to have for dinner” discussion) but it’s no longer constant and it’s manageable. I keep telling myself less than 2 weeks until I’m in my second trimester and then the nausea is over. Steve and my sister have told me that it doesn’t just happen suddenly – aka it’s not like come November 7^th I will no longer be nauseous - but I disagree!! I was told nausea is only in the first trimester and I’m holding my body to that!! (have you not heard the story of how I didn’t have mono in high school? I can talk/will myself out of anything!)

It's alive.... IT'S ALIVE!!!!! (insert Frankenstein voice)

2011-10-19T18:57:00.006-05:00

Baby Nilson had his/her first doctor’s appointment today, and everything went GREAT!! Steve was able to come (although was 20 minutes late...) and we got to see and hear the baby!! We also got to meet our doctor and I REALLY like her (she confirmed that I can indeed have Jimmy John’s and I can still get spray tans!! What’s not to like?!?!)

She did an ultrasound, which I wasn’t expecting so that was a fun surprise! We got to take home three pictures, this is the clearest one. He/she was sucking their thumb!!!! Awwwwww

(If you click on the picture it should open a larger view)

While she was getting the ultrasound ready I asked her if we would be able to hear to heartbeat. She said at only 10 weeks it is kinda borderline but she said she would try. She put the machine on my belly and found it right away (our little pumpkin is such an overachiever!) I recorded it with my cell phone, but then couldn't open the file on my computer so made a video of my cell phone playing the recording.... I hope you can hear it!

The baby’s heartbeat is the really fast steady noise you hear (it’s normal for a baby at this stage to have a heartbeat of 170 beats per minute – for comparison, mine right now is 71).

Well, so far so good! We will go back in 4-5 weeks for a quick check up and then in 8-9 weeks we will get to find out if we will be buying blue or pink paint!!

1/4 Done!!!

2011-10-17T18:34:00.002-05:00

Today makes 10 weeks so we are ¼ of the way done!! I’m still feeling very nauseous and most food still sounds repulsive… last night I was pretty nauseous so I went to eat a saltine cracker and the smell of them made me dry heave! What do you do when saltines make you nauseous?!?! But I keep telling myself it’s only for a little while longer J

We have our first doctor’s appointment (with our actual doctor instead of just a nurse) on Wednesday. I am very excited because we will hopefully get to hear the heartbeat! Plus I’m anxious to meet our doctor and ask a few more questions. Don’t worry, I’ll make another post afterwards to keep you all updated!

Entering the "is she fat or is she pregnant" stage!!!

Still only telling close family.... oh and one of my patients!

2011-10-13T21:06:00.002-05:00

I have been torturing my mother by insisting she cannot yet tell anyone (even my aunts) that I am pregnant until my first trimester is done (and most of the scary part is over) but I broke my own rule earlier this week...

I have been feeling VERY nauseous this week! Eating still helps but the mention or thought of any food other than saltine crackers and honey nut cheerios sends me into a dry heaving fit! I had been craving a certain sandwich from Green Mill for awhile so I did get that down one night but other than that it has been nothing but crackers and cereal. (Lucky Charms were an option earlier this week, but I threw them up on Tuesday so they have since been put on the "NO" list - I actually just dry heaved when I typed that sentence)

Needless to say work hasn't been great this week! I've done surprisingly well with all the different gross smells and sites of working with the elderly but earlier this week I actually had to stop working in the middle of an assessment because I was so sick!! I was workin' my magic/doing my assessment and I got SO HOT! I was dripping sweat and thought for sure I was going to throw up on him!! I politely asked to sit down and of course the cute old couple became very worried. They pushed and pushed "Oh hunny, are you okay? What could it be? Do you need some water, or something to eat" (cue dry heave) I didn't think they were going to let me leave unless I gave them a good excuse - so after swearing them to secrecy I had to tell them I was pregnant. Of course (picture the cutest old couple EVER, hearing good news) they were so excited and suddenly didn't care so much that I was about to hurl in their living room!

So every night this week has been spent with me curled up on the couch (saltines and sprite in hand) yelling at Steve for getting me in this situation (isn't that what I'm suppose to be doing at this point??) Tonight we decided to take a picture of our nightly ritual - I'm sure this very unattractive picture will serve as some very strong guilt trip material once our son/daughter is in their teens :)

The nightstand of a pregnant woman

2011-10-07T18:18:00.006-05:00

I was getting ready for bed last night when I realized how funny my night stand has become...

1. Saltines

2. Two bottles of water

3. Kleenex (for when I stupidly decide to watch Grey's Anatomy with raging hormones)

4. Tums (although lets be honest, they were never really that far away before)

5. What To Expect When Your Expecting (my bible)

6. All the info the doctor gave me (under the other books)

I have been feeling increasingly nauseous over the last week but it usually passes as soon as I eat something so I'm just trying to eat every couple hours (hence the crackers on the night stand - I'm starting to sleep eat!!) I'm actually doing fine with the nausea, it's being so tired that is the hardest!! I shut my eyes "for a quick second" yesterday and fell asleep for 2 hours!!! I will be fine and then I'll "hit a wall" (as I've started saying) and just be SO tired! But this usually passes in like 15 minutes and then I'm fine again. ONLY ABOUT 4 MORE WEEKS OF THE FIRST TRIMESTER!! Then I'll have more belly and less nausea :)

Embryos are for babies... I'm a fetus now!!!

2011-10-03T19:38:00.005-05:00

That's right our little peanut is getting so big he/she is a full-on fetus now!!! Today marks my 8th week of pregnancy and according the my pregnancy bible (What To Expect When You're Expecting) this is when our embryo turns into a fetus!! Also, (as I like to remind Steve daily) this week he/she is developing fingers and toes!! 50% chance they have my "unique" thumbs and "genuine" toes!! (I hope they don't want to be a bowler or wear cute sandals)

I'm going to try to take a picture of the belly each month in the same spot of our bedroom where I took the first one (the day we found out) to compare belly size.

This one is me pushing out and trying to look pregnant (Steve thinks I look more constipated than pregnant)

How was anyone ever pregnant without the internet?

2011-10-01T19:58:00.003-05:00

Uncle Joe came over for dinner and we were talking about what a large head our child will have (both Steve and I have rather large heads) and I decided "there has to be a website that will tell us what he/she will look like" The picture below is what this website came up with. It is a very cute baby but I don't think it looks like us that much.

And yes... this is how we spend our Saturday nights!! :)

He/She is going to be a wonderful child!

2011-09-29T19:34:00.003-05:00

Well our baby is a very good listener! I told him/her last weekend to leave me alone and stop making me feel sick and he/she listened! I get a little nauseous a couple times a day and it's usually related to seeing, smelling, or discussing some sort of food. (our "Steve has to ask permission to mention food" rule is still in effect) But to be honest, it is very similar to how I use to feel all the time! (before we solved my stomach/reflux issues) So I guess those five years of feeling crappy all the time had a positive side - got me ready for pregnancy!

I'm still feeling really tired, and it is just a whole different kind of tired!! I will be fine and then BOOM I'm dead tired! Unfortunately this usually occurs around 5pm which is when I usually go to the gym. I promised myself I would still work out at least 4 times a week throughout my pregnancy (which I have done so far!! - but it's only week 7) So I started working out in the morning, so far "morning" sickness hasn't ruined that routine so hopefully that can continue! Steve said he would lose one pound for every pound I gained.... pressure is on!!

P.S. Steve is at the gym and I'm eating a bowl of ice cream!! :)

Let the fun begin!!

2011-09-25T19:16:00.002-05:00

I asked for it... literally!! The last couple days I have been saying "I almost wish I was feeling sick so I would feel pregnant" Wish granted!!

I woke up at 1:30am feeling very nauseous but was able to shake it off and fall back asleep fairly quickly. Then I woke up this morning feeling a little queasy.... until Steve asked what kind of doughnut I would like for breakfast, then queasy turned into full on nausea!! It has come and gone all day and we have a new rule that Steve has to ask permission to mention ANY sort of food. I haven't thrown up or anything just feeling icky.

I have also had some heartburn but at dinner tonight I went to take my heartburn medicine and realized I didn't take it this morning - so that is probably more related to my regular stomach issues than the pregnancy (although I'm sure it's not helping). I'm also still really tired. I tried to take the dogs to the dog park today and had to stop and close my eyes for a little while before taking our last lap :)

I have a very busy day at work tomorrow so I hope this all magically goes away (I keep talking to my belly, saying "okay, you proved your point! I know you're in there! You can leave me alone now!" We'll see if he/she listens to his/her mother

Back to my picky eating :(

2011-09-24T11:05:00.005-05:00

Last night we went out to eat with some friends of ours, Beth and Jason Brown. (Beth and Steve worked together at LA fitness while Steve was in grad school and we have remained close friends) This was our first time going out to a nice dinner since finding out we were expecting and I did not do my homework! I knew there was certain things I am not suppose to eat but I couldn't remember all the details.

From the age of about 23 to 28 I was VERY limited on what I could eat due to my stomach issues so I had gotten use to analyzing menus and upsetting waiters with tricky orders. Last November a wonderful doctor discovered a way to fix my stomach so I was free to eat like a normal person!! Ironically I got to go about 9 months enjoying red wine and spicy foods and not feeling nauseous every day - and then I got pregnant -so I will be back to my old ways for about 9 months!!

So last night I was analyzing the menu and using my phone to google what was okay (all while trying to carry on a normal conversation since the Browns don't know I'm pregnant yet). The jury is still out on bleu cheese (a bleu cheese burger sound awesome last night!!) but I think we pulled it off!

Aside from now craving a bleu cheese burger I'm still feeling fine! I'm more tired than usual and my emotional state isn't the only thing being overly sensitive (anyone who has been pregnant before probably knows what I'm talking about!) Pre-pregnancy I rarely cried and I've broken down about 4 times in the past three weeks. But I'd take crying at a TV show (watching a crime show where a baby gets kidnapped probably wasn't a great idea) over puking and feeling nauseous! SO FAR, SO GOOD!!

A medical professional called me PREGNANT!!

2011-09-19T21:26:00.008-05:00

I finally had my first doctors appointment today and their fancy lab tests confirmed what three store bought pregnancy tests have already told me... I'M PREGNANT! And my sister was right, the first appointment isn't very exciting. I filled out a bunch of forms, talked about everything medical that has ever happened to me or a family member, and got some reading material.

I did get some great news though! The nurse said I can have Jimmy John's!!! Only in moderation, but she said I didn't have to cut it out completely!! I was worried about making it 9 months without my "#4 with no tomatoes"

Other big news was also confirmed... I am due May 14th 2012!!! I had kinda figured that out already (or some website I looked at figured it out) but again it was nice to have someone is scrubs confirm it (other than when I was wearing scrubs looking at the website)

And a last bit of good news is that I am considered a "very low risk" pregnancy! The only thing I really need to watch is how much I'm sitting. She said since I spend most of my day driving (aka sitting in my car) that I will need to be cautious of getting up and moving around to avoid blood clots (but she also said typically the frequent trips to the bathroom count as "getting up and moving around")

So overall it was a pretty exciting but pretty dull appointment. I had planned on conference calling Steve so he could at least be involved but it was boring for me so I'm sure it would have been really dull for him! But we made our appointment for the next check up 10/18/11 (my dad's birthday!) at which time we will get to hear the heartbeat! Steve will definitely be there for that!!

P.S. I am no longer angry with "Megan" she was really wonderful and put up with all my questions! Although she never told me why she cancelled?!? She did look awfully well rested...

Telling the family

2011-09-17T10:27:00.014-05:00

When we decided to start trying, we said we would wait awhile after we found out before telling anyone.... I made it two days!!! But with good reason! We found out September 8th and my sister's birthday was September 10th so I just HAD to tell her! And since I was telling her at her birthday party my younger brother would find out, and if all my other siblings were going to know I had to tell me older brother too! So sibling all found out last weekend - I had to wait until this weekend to tell my parents! So here is when and how everyone found out:

My younger brother Joe 9/10/11 - He found out first since he was living with us at the time. It was the morning of my sisters birthday party and I asked him if he was getting Christie anything for her birthday, he wasn't (we don't usually give presents on birthdays). I told him I was and showed him a positive pregnancy test, of course being a guy he didn't know what it was!! I made him stare at it for awhile until he finally realized that it said "Pregnant" on it! He said "YOU?!?!?!" (as if I was holding someone else's pee stick!) and gave me a high five! Being the goof ball he is he decided to also give my sister a present... unfortunately his was negative

My sister Christie 9/10/11 - I put the positive pregnancy test in a medium sized box, wrapped it up, and told her that her birthday present was "really really small but I think you'll like it". When she opened the box she screamed, dropped the box and gave me a VERY powerful hug!! Her reaction of course led my nephews to also get excited (although they were pretty high on sugar at the time anyway). My 4 year old nephew Logan was very excited and decided it should be a girl named "baby" (he obviously put a lot of thought into it!)

(Sorry, I really can't get these to turn)

Steve's brother Adam 9/10/11 - Since I was telling my siblings Steve figured he should tell his. He called his brother Saturday night after the birthday party, they chatted about sports for awhile, and then Steve brought up an idea they had been discussion - Adam coming for a long visit over the winter. Steve said we still really wanted him to come "but you should know Katie won't be your drinking buddy like she use to be". Adam figured it out right away (smarty pants)

Steve's parents 9/10/11 - Steve called his mom Saturday night as well. They chatted for awhile and then Steve said "I have a question for ya - would you rather be called grandma or meme?" (Meme is the French Canadian word for grandma and is what Steve called his grandmother) Needless to say she was ecstatic! This will be her first grandchild!

My older brother Dan 9/11/11 - We had such a busy night Saturday night that I waited until the next day to call my older brother. He lives in LA and was on the way to a Viking's game in San Diego so we didn't get to chat long but I simply asked him if he really enjoyed being an uncle and if he thought he could handle one more niece/nephew. He too was really excited as he is VERY good with kids and very popular with my nephews (known as "super man Dan" because he is SO good at playing super heroes and fighting "mean guys")

My parents 9/16/11 - I wanted to tell my parents in person so had to wait until the next weekend, and I had to convince them to come down to the cities! Luckily I needed my dad to do some electrical work on my house so they agreed to come down. My mom had been "encouraging" us to give her another grandchild for awhile (two weekends before she had given me a coupon for pregnancy tests!! Very subtle huh!) So when she showed up with pans of lasagna (two weekends before I had told her I was craving it) it was the perfect set up! I told her "Thank you but I can't have any right now, I'm feeling really nauseous" She looked at me a got excited, I said "that's not very nice" she said "well I just want you to be feeling nauseous for other reasons" I played dumb for a couple seconds, acted like I was thinking about it, and said "you know I have been really tired lately, and I have been peeing a lot..... and every time I pee on this stick it says Pregnant" holding out a pregnancy test!! Needless to say her scream hit decibels I didn't think were possible!!! I think Dad said "no way, really?!?!?" but I couldn't really hear over mom's screams! There was lots of hugging and more screaming - and then dad did my electrical work :)

We are going to try to hold off telling anyone other than close family until we at least go to the *&%$ doctor's office (yep, still bitter about that!) But we'll see how we do :)

A girl named Megan is making me hormonal!

2011-09-15T09:36:00.003-05:00

Steve and I were very excited and nervous for our first prenatal doctors appointment today. We both felt that having a medical professional confirm that I was indeed pregnant may make this whole thing seem more real. Well it took some work to find a day and time that worked for both our work schedules but we finally worked it out for today at 4pm!

Well at 7am this morning I woke up to a ringing cell phone, with a rather unsympathetic man calling to say that "Megan" wouldn't be coming in today so we would have to reschedule... and the next available appointment wasn't until next week!! I asked why we couldn't schedule for tomorrow (Friday) but I guess "Megan" doesn't work on Friday's (confirming in my mind that "Megan" is playing hookie for a four day weekend). You would think "Megan" being the nurse in charge of prenatal appointments would understanding what cancelling an appointment would do to a woman with raging hormones!!! Needless to say, "Megan" will be getting a talking to on Monday!

Luckily I have a very supportive sister who has been pregnant twice and she confirmed that the first prenatal appointment is rather boring. Essentially they tell you not to drink, smoke, and do drugs (I think I got that) and give you some stuff to read (and let's be honest, I'm already on chapter 6 of "What to expect when your expecting") so I think I can hold off another five days.

Starting to feel pregnant

2011-09-12T20:15:00.003-05:00

Aside from the cramps early on I have been feeling pretty darn normal - until today. I woke up this morning more tired than I have EVER been after a full nights sleep but then I was feeling okay once I got up and ready for work. However, a big part of my job is watching people eat and my first patient chose an unappetizing breakfast for me to observe and it was all I could do not to throw up on his kitchen table!!! Then just about dinner time I was struck with the very strong urge to fall asleep standing up! I guess I shouldn't complain about one short bout of nausea and some sleepiness- I'm sure it's only going to get worse! (I am only about 4 weeks along!) But it just reminds me there is a little mini-me growing in my belly!!!! Yay!!

FINDING OUT!!! 9/8/11

2011-09-11T11:01:00.004-05:00

After only one month of trying we got the good news!! And boy is Steve proud of himself :)

Since Steve and I met on my birthday (September 1st) I thought it would be really neat if we could find out that I was pregnant on my birthday too! Unfortunately nature didn't agree. With home pregnancy tests being so accurate these days I probably could have taken a test on my birthday, but I didn't want to be disappointed so we waited until the day we were "suppose" to test, 9/8/11.

The weekend before we took the test I started feeling "different". I couldn't really explain it but I just did. Then I started having the worst cramps of my life!! (I'm one of those annoying girls that doesn't usually get cramps - so I might have been being a wimp) I found out they were "implementation cramps"!! So I really felt like the test would be positive but I kept telling myself it wouldn't be so I wasn't disappointed if it was negative.

The best time to take a home pregnancy test is first thing in the morning, so we woke up early Thursday 9/8/11 to take the test. After the shortest 3 minutes I've ever experienced we found the word "PREGNANT" starring us in the face. After several high fives (I mean come on! We got it on the first try!!) a kiss, and a hug we took some pictures and then went off to work!

These are some of the pictures I took that morning (don't judge how we look, these are taken about 3 minutes after waking up!!)

I stole this idea from a friend of mine. It took me awhile to find Steve's wedding ring but I think it turned out pretty good!

A lot to process first thing in the morning!

The "pre-bump" picture

Deciding

2011-09-11T10:53:00.006-05:00

Steve has always been sure he wanted children, I was not always so sure. After a couple wonderful years of marriage we began talking about starting a family. Steve was on board 100% while I was worried about my career, how it would change my life (I really liked it the way it was!), and my health (I had experienced about 5 years of stomach issues that had made me feel nauseous every day - after FINALLY resolving the issue getting pregnant didn't sound fun). The more I though about it the more I wanted to seriously consider the idea. I went through about 6 months of "yes I want to try" but then the next day "what in the world are we thinking? I can't take care of a baby!".

Steve was getting a little fed up with my up and down feelings about it so he said "When you have gone a whole week thinking "yes I want to try" you let me know and we'll talk about it". Well on 8/1/11 I had had almost two straight weeks of "yes I want to try" so on a nice walk with the dogs around Roseville's Central Park (a beautiful park near our house with a quiet little lake) I said "I think I'm really ready to start trying" and Steve's response was "Okay, I'm down"! We laughed at the fact that this was how we had come to such a big decision, but as Steve said "would we really have done it any other way?" (and if you know us you know this is pretty typical)