13 Weeks....So long first trimester!

I am 13 weeks pregnant, and I'm officially out of the first trimester! It seems like the past 9 weeks have dragged by since finding out we were having a baby. I know the first trimester usually comes with the added fear of miscarriage, but to my surprise I actually wasn't too worried, and for me not to worry, that's pretty impressive. I guess the main reason I haven't worried too much is because I've had HORRIBLE morning sickness, something my mom and mother-in-law have been kind enough to remind me they didn't have any of. The morning sickness was my constant reminder that Jellybean is still OK in there. At our last appointment I actually weighed in 6 pounds below my initial weight, so the doctor gave me some anti-nausea medicine...thus far it hasn't helped :(!I'm hoping beyond hope the second trimester brings some much needed relief, I keep reminding myself it's a good thing I'm on summer break! Jeff has been WONDERFUL through all my sickness (he's a sympathetic puker), but has been there for me every step of the way!

The highlight of the first trimester, other than finding out I was pregnant, was hearing Jellybean's heartbeat. My good friend Cristina lent us her Doppler she used through both of her pregnancies. At about 10 weeks, we were able to find the heartbeat, and have been listening it about every other night. Jeff is so cute, and asks me often "Can we hear the heartbeat tonight?" It's really sweet! We also heard the heartbeat at our last appointment, and it was a strong 160 bpm. The ultrasound technician said our baby looked "perfect." We have our next two appointments scheduled, and we will hopefully find out if Jellybean is a boy or girl on Sept. 10th. We can't wait to find out what we're having! Let us know what you think by voting on our poll!

Here is the most recent picture of Jellybean, and of course the 13 week belly pic.

We're Having a Baby

That's right, we are expecting the arrival of our first baby January 29, 2010! You may have just found out this exciting news, but we have known for a few months now. Let us catch you up on the past several weeks of this exciting journey!

Saturday, May 16, 2009: Jeff woke up early to play basketball with some friends, I said goodbye and went back to sleep. While asleep I had a dream that I took a pregnancy test, and it came back positive. So, upon waking up I decided to take a test. After waiting the instructed 3 minutes, the faintest line possible came back on the test. Being my worrisome self, I didn't take it as a positive, and instead, bought a digital test to take the next day.

Sunday, May 17, 2009: I woke up bright and early, and took the digital pregnancy test. "Pregnant" popped up right away, and I was quite surprised, after all, this was our first month of "trying." I left the test and an "I Love Daddy" bib on the counter. I quietly got back in bed, and pretended to be asleep while Jeff woke up and went to the bathroom. He saw the test right away, looked at me, and kept asking "Am I dreaming? Am I awake right now?" It was really cute. We spent the rest of the day celebrating! Here's our positive pregnancy test, and our firs belly pic (Kristi really wants to see me "fat"!)We made the decision to tell our families right away! Anyone that knows me knows I'm terrible with secrets, and there was NO WAY I could keep this from my mom until the first doctor's appointment, let alone the end of the first trimester. We bought an ultrasound picture frame for my family and Jeff's family, and gave it to them on Sunday. Both our families were in complete shock, as we didn't tell anyone we were trying to get pregnant, but they were so excited! This will be the 3rd grandchild for Jeff's parents, and the first grandchild for my mom!

Thursday, June 11, 2009: This was the day of our first doctor's appointment (8 weeks pregnant). After 4 long weeks of waiting, we finally got to go to the doctor and see our little Jelly Bean (that's what we're calling the baby for now. It's mine and Jeff's names combined). We began by completing tons of paperwork, and then we finally got called back for the exam. Jeff and I were both very nervous, hoping that everything would look OK! The doctor confirmed the pregnancy, and then we had our first ultrasound. It was amazing to see our baby on the screen, and see the flickering heartbeat. The doctor measured the baby at 7 weeks, which I expected. I had been charting my cycles, and knew I ovulated later than the "14 days" that doctors generalize to all women. She said everything looked perfect, and that at our next appointment we would hear the heartbeat. We finished the appointment, and then went down to the lab for the urine test and blood draw...we all know how much I love needles! They took 7 vials of blood, and I know I'd better get used to it. It actually wasn't too bad, and they can take as many vials as they need to make sure our Jelly Bean is healthy! And without further adieu...here is our baby!

Well friends and family, we welcome you to continue to follow us on this journey. We are so appreciative of all of the love and support that everyone has given us with the news of our baby! Jelly Bean is soooo loved already!