10 weeks

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10w1d

10weeks 1 day.

Don’t be fooled by the pretty dressed and curled hair. Very rarely do I dress up to this extent anymore. 😦

So let’s talk about week 9 a little. I don’t have a picture from week 9 because it decided it wanted to be a very challenging week. Lot’s of bodily functions happened! I’ll leave it at that. I spent most of the week trying to get through the day. I even had to miss my wednesday night bible study due to feeling just plain ol’ awful. I’m so hesitant to post week after week about how hard it’s been…. I REALLY don’t want to sound like i’m complaining. I just want an honest recap of what my pregnancy has been like on here.

On a brighter note, I currently know 10 (must have been a very cold winter) pregnant women and it AMAZES me how we are all so different. We all have different symptoms, cravings, struggles and the way we carry pregnancy.  YET, we all are bonded in this journey we are all are on. Amazing. I bet if you put two pregnant women  together who are complete strangers, they would be able to talk for HOURS simply on their pregnancy stories.

My favorite thing about being pregnant right now is that I LOVE the camaraderie of the women involved and who have been through it. It’s so refreshing to know that there are others who have taken Zofran and experienced the same horrible side effects and have survived! Ok I’m exaggerating about the survival part but you get what I’m saying. Or other women who have vomited so hard it comes out of their nose. Pregnancy is a whole new world and the first trimester feels like the brutal initiation.

You know what I find hard though? I’m finding it hard to embrace some of the changes, even though, YES I know it’s because I’m pregnant. I have an itty bitty baby bump (from a grapefruit sized uterus and the relaxing of my abdominal muscles due to hormones) as of week 10 and it’s hard to remember that Oh yea…. it’s a baby and no, I haven’t just let myself go. I’m in that awkward stage where it looks like my midsection is growing but it doesn’t quite look like I’m pregnant. Just being real with y’all. Society has views on how much weight you should gain, how soon can  you “show”, expectations of keeping up with the jones with the perfectly clean house, the best maternity clothes, the top dollar baby products, ALL while having dinner on the table every night. Not to mention you’re so exhausted sleeping while standing up is an option and you barely have the energy to make it to the toilet to pee and barf again! It’s intense and overwhelming at times! I’m thankful that the hubs does NOT put overwhelming pressure on me like I have heard from some women. Patrick has been SO supportive and SUCH a help. SOOOO thankful. This first trimester won’t last forever and I don’t care if I’m crawling into the second trimester. I.WILL.GET.THERE.

OH. We did get to see baby Relbot during week 9. Talk about a magical moment. He/She danced and jumped and really showed off during the ultrasound. I can’t wait to go back at the end of this month and hear the heartbeat. 🙂

What’s going on with baby Relbot:

Though he’s barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He’s swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they’ll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.If you could take a peek inside your womb, you’d spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.In other developments: Your baby’s limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby’s forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he’s about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Symptoms?

Acne. My face is breaking out. Anyone for a pepperoni pizza?  Nausea. Exhaustion. Bloating. Nausea. Oh and did I mention nausea? I try to only take Zofran when I have to, so the days that I don’t can be rough.

Cravings? Aversions?

Cheese is always a good option. Fruit always sounds good. Potato’s and pasta’s have been my friend.

I hardcore barfed after eating potato chips, so now I’m terrified to eat them. Chicken is a no-go.

Sleep?

Occasionally I’ve have a restless night. My back and hips start to hurt if I sleep on my back too long…. which is my most favorite position to sleep in.

Weight?

After losing 6, I have now gained back .6 lbs! I’m no longer losing! wooohooo.

Clothes?

Unbuttoned jeans. YOGA PANTS! Anything comfy.

8 Weeks!

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8 Weeks

Taken at 8. 5 weeks! Thickening up nicely and in need of working on my posture!

So, let me begin with the fact that my 8th week was SO much better than my 7th week. My seasick bands have helped me more than I could have ever imagined!! I did have my OBGYN appointment yesterday (8w6d) which went over blood work etc. She was able to prescribe me zofran (20 pills ended up costing 91 dollars!!!!!)  in hopes that I’ll regain my appetite and not have to wear my seasick bands as it starts to warm up.  I’m currently 9 weeks today and have taken half of a pill this morning and so far so good! I’ll have to write about it in my 9 week post!

I did have my first hormonal meltdown this week. It was the weirdest thing! In my mind I knew that what I was crying about wasn’t a big deal but I could NOT STOP CRYING! I had become completely overwhelmed by what was happening and just couldn’t keep it together. Want to know what caused this ridiculous ball of emotions? A grilled cheese sandwich wasn’t cooking properly. Yea……. what an odd experience.

Another funny note! I teach a 5-7th grade girls bible study on Wednesday nights. I was hoping to wait and tell them until after the ultrasound so I could show them the picture BUT they had other plans! Hahha I showed up and almost immediately they were asking questions. “So Mrs. Ann…. I heard you’re pregnant! Is it true???” I just had to laugh and tell them early. Their excited giggles were worth the early announcement. This was our first meeting since before Christmas and one girl stated that I got a baby for Christmas! Well…. I guess it works kind of like that 😉

I’m excited for our ultrasound on Monday and will keep y’all posted. 🙂

What’s going on with baby Relbot:

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby’s hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his “tail” is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven’t developed enough to reveal whether you’re having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a Raspberry — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can’t feel it.

Symptoms?

So, what a relief the seasick bands have brought me. They don’t take my nausea away completely but they subdue it enough for me to operate a fairly normal life. I’m SO thankful!!  The bloating from a slower digestion system has taken a while to get use to, but as long as I’m not gagging, I’m good with whatever!

8 weeks

Sleep?

Sleep is normal. I wake up about twice during the night to use the restroom but I’m not having any issues with falling or staying asleep. 🙂 My only concern is that I sleep on my back and apparently it’s not safe to after your first trimester….. I guess we will see how that goes.

Weight?

I’ve stopped losing weight but haven’t gained any back yet. My OBGYN said it’s fine for now and they will keep an eye on it in the next coming weeks!

Clothes?

Normal Jeans….. unbuttoned if I’m sitting. Loose fitting shirts 🙂

Snowmagedon

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So, NC just experienced one of the worst storms we have had in years. We didn’t get that much snow, but the ice was enough to bring everyone to an absolute halt. This storm tested me to my core. As you have read in previous posts, I am dealing with being extremely nauseous. Like, all day, never goes away, i’ve tried everything, someone help me, nauseous. So, Tuesday comes around and I just keep thinking, make it to Thursday and you can talk with the OBGYN about Zofran or SOMETHING to help me. I saw the finish line within reach and with everything in me, just needed to hold on. Well, once the storm had started I noticed I had a headache. I drank some water, took a snooze on the couch and really expected it to disappear. Here’s the thing. You see, I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t have Tylenol, I only had IB Profun which isn’t approved if you’re pregnant. So here I am, stuck in my house with a pounding headache and Snowpocolypse happening outside. Then my nausea decided to REALLY rear it’s ugly head. Around 7 pm I’m dry heaving into the toilet, Patrick’s holding my hair and tears are streaming down my face. It was horrible. Even if we wanted, stores were closed and the ice on the roads were preventing us from getting any tylenol to help with my headache. I’m laying in my dark bedroom with Patrick using our towel warmer to heat up washcloths to drape on my forehead and neck while I cradle a mini trashcan in-between my legs. I felt hopeless. My OBGYN and sonogram on Thursday was canceled. I didn’t know when the pounding headache would go away. I was shaking from not eating or drinking much all day. My eyes hurt from my gag reflex constantly going off. I just wanted to feel better. Again, shout out to my husband who has been my prince charming who has come to my rescue so many times in the past couple of weeks. The feeling of helplessness is a scary feeling and something that I haven’t felt in a LONG time. It’s that feeling of not knowing how or when it will get better. That feeling of being disconnected from anyone who can help. Without my faith in God, I’m not sure how I would get through these weeks. I really thought that pregnancy would be A LOT easier than this because this is right up there with some of the hardest things I’ve ever dealt with in my life. For those who really know me, you KNOW I’ve had some hard seasons. I’m thankful that I got through the night and the headache was gone by morning. I began researching over the counter medications that were safe for pregnancy since I wasn’t going to make my OBGYN appointment. I tossed the idea around of wearing the seasick patches from my cruise which I quickly saw wasn’t the best idea and then Patrick actually saw reviews on seasick bands which seemed to work. Seasick bands are braclet type things that press on your tendons in your wrists which supposedly help with motion sickness, morning sickness and nausea. I was desperate. We ventured out to Walmart in search of the bands and after 30 minutes of looking, finally decided to try walgreens. We bought them, I slipped them on and within the hour, I was eating  a cheese tortilla. It’s now valentines day and my first full day of wearing them and OH MY GOODNESS. They definitely help. My nausea went from life altering and almost unbearable at times to it’s only in the back of my mind. I’ve been able to eat a few small meals and I’m feeling MUCH better! I’ll have to do a more in depth review of them in a few weeks, once I’ve worn them for a while. So far so good though and I couldn’t be more thankful. IMAG6361

On our adventure to find sea bands

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My beloved seasick band. I wear one on each wrist.

7 Weeks

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7 weeks

Hello 7 weeks!

Yea, taking weekly pictures is A LOT harder than expected…. and that comes from A PHOTOGRAPHER! This is as good as it gets for my 7 weeks picture. My hair hadn’t been washed from being sick and just NOT caring but hey, at least I showered and was able to get a picture! Yea, the baggy shirt doesn’t show much but at this point, there isn’t much to see! I promise, I’ll start wearing tighter shirts soon. Right now it just looks like I’ve eaten several doughnuts and cheese burgers instead of me actually growing a baby.

Did you know that the way they calculate what week you are on is rather confusing?? This picture above was at 7 weeks 1 day (according to my pregnancy app) which means that the update below is stuff that will be happening during the week? At least that is how I read it. I’m not sure when I should post the updates then? Should I post my 7 week update at the END of 7 weeks so that I can talk about my actual 7th week or post my 7 week at the beginning and talk about how I felt from week 6? Hmmmmm I guess I’ll figure it out. Any other pregnant folk or mama’s out there know what I’m talking about?

What’s going on with baby Relbot:

Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you’re daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that’s the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

Symptoms?

Nauseous. Nauseous. Nauseous. It’s literally life altering. On Sunday I ventured out with my sister in law to try out Preggie Pops from the maternity store and I kindly had her carry my bag so if I was spotted, my cover wouldn’t be blown. Thanks Jenn. 🙂 Being nauseous from the time you wake up until you go to bed with no relief is tough. It really has started to wear on me BUT I keep reminding myself that this is temporary and that I am SOOO thankful to be pregnant. God is my rock. I KNOW I can get through this.

Sleep?

I’m sleeping well. Other than having to get up to pee at least once a night, nothing has really changed. I AM having very vivid dreams which isn’t too unusual but some times they just get weird. For instance, I dreamt that I was babysitting and ground up a kid into coffee grinds to transport them better and then freaked out because I couldn’t get the kid back into it’s original form and then had to call the parents and tell them that I ground their kid up and I was sorry. What?????? It wasn’t bloody or gruesome or anything, more of just a matter of fact type dream. So weird. Maybe I’m watching too many episodes of Bones (great show by the way!).

Weight?

I’ve LOST 6 lbs so far. Yea, who knew that you just have to get pregnant to lose weight. Just kidding. The only reason I’m losing weight is because eating is SO hard. Ready to kick this all day morning sickness to the curb

Clothes?

Still in my normal clothes and jeans. I did buy one of those belly bands in hopes of still wearing my JCREW shorts this summer. I have not tried it out yet though.

Shout Out:

My best friend. My love. My husband. I am so thankful for this man. With me not feeling well, he has helped me out in SO many ways!! I could literally list a million things he has done in the past few weeks to try and make me feel better but that would take me all day to write out. I am so thankful to be married to such a wonderful man. Thank you Patrick for being there for me when I’m in tears from being so sick.

These are 7.5 weeks pregnant:

7.5 weeks

7.5 weeks

Tough decisions and ginger

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Hello 7 weeks! Hello Nausea! Hello other unwelcomed symptoms! So, I have been struggling with some severe nausea. It makes eating anything extremely unpleasant which is resulting in some weight loss. This is the first time in…. well, forever, that I haven’t been excited about losing weight! This past week ended up with my first round of ginger products to see if any of them help. Ginger tea, ginger ale, ginger coated in sugar (to help with taste) and finally straight ginger. Ginger Ginger Ginger!!! I’m not fond of any of these products but at this point…. I’m willing to try anything.

Now, let’s get onto my tough decision. When you’re pregnant, you are constantly making decisions from the first minute you find out. Which OBGYN? Where to deliver? When to tell family? When to tell friends? Should I throw up in the shower or try and get out quick enough to get to the toilet? Wait…. what? Yep. Totally happened yesterday. Decisions like THAT….. are tough and are something that I NEVER thought I would have to be making.  For those who are wondering, I made it to the toilet! 😉
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Here are the ginger products I bought this week. Do you have any favorites that help with nausea?

It came to me in a dream!

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So, at this point, only our family and a select few know about baby Relbot 🙂 We are keeping it under wraps to the public until we have our first sonogram and I’m just a little bit further along. Well get this. My friend Alex, who is really considered family, shot me a text a few days ago asking me to call her because she had a dream about me. So, without hesitating, I called her up but was completely shocked at what the dream was.

Alex, “So, I had a REALLY weird dream about you last night. You’re going to think it’s crazy but I just had to tell you. Well, we were in a crowd of people and we ran into each other and you told me that you had something important to tell me. I (Alex) was afraid you were going to tell me that you were quitting photography or something but then you told me you were PREGNANT! How crazy is that!!!”

Me, on the other end of the phone was in dumbfound mode. I quickly stuttered and was like, ” Well…. guess what? I AM pregnant….”

Insert loud screams of excitement! hahah

How crazy is that! And then I found out that Patricks Grandma had asked his mom if I was pregnant! When you’re pregnant, do you emit some sort of fume that alerts the crowds?? Maybe keeping this a secret will be harder than expected!

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Taken at 6 weeks preggo. It’s kind of fun keeping this a secret 😉

Telling our families!

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So, even before we were actually pregnant, we began to scheme different ideas on how to surprise our families. We knew that no one was suspecting we were in the baby making stage of life so whatever we planned, had to be good and memorable. We talked for days, watched videos, google searched, scoured Pinterest and to be completely honest, didn’t even fully decide on one of them until the night before.

For my mom, we had it pretty easy,  after we got the positive pregnancy test, we starting putting things into motion. My moms birthday was in a few weeks and would be the PERFECT cover up for telling the news. After a few scheduling changes and a couple of white lies to get everyone at my house to celebrate for the party, plans were set. Then was the waiting game. Every time I talked to my mom, I swore she knew. I was terrified of accidentally giving up the secret by saying something that would make her guess. Somehow, for two weeks, I managed to keep it a secret and everyone remained clueless to what was about to happen. After seeing several youtube videos of people recording them telling their loved ones, I decided that however we tell them, we would be recording it.

Telling my family:

So, the house was cleaned, the veggie chili was simmering in the crockpot, the cream cheese cupcakes with buttercream icing were gracing the kitchen table with their presence and Patrick and I were both nervous wrecks. We had decided to buy a double sided frame and on one side, have a picture of us and on the other side have “Coming soon, Tobler baby, September 2014”. The frame could close so it would be the perfect gift to wrap and have my mom open. Patrick had asked me, “Are we going to eat first and then do gifts or what?” HA! As if I could keep myself together for that long. Everyone arrived on time and after some hugs and basic conversations (I have no idea what I said I was so nervous), everyone managed to make their ways to the living room. Miraculously, the surprisee’s all ended up on the couch and the surprisers on the love seat. I didn’t want to wait too long so after everyone settled in, it was game time. I was late on giving my brother and sis-in-law their Christmas gift due to a million delays and complications, so I started with them. THEN. IT WAS TIME. Patrick secretly started recording and I nervously stood up and gave my mom her gift. She joked that it felt like a picture frame and I joked back that I “never give pictures as gifts”. If you know me, you KNOW that you have a pretty good chance at getting something that is framed as a gift. So, she opened the wrapping and then the frame and then…………. Well, just watch the video. Link below at bottom of page.

Needless to say, everyone was excited and the rest of the night was spent me talking non stop about everything that had been on my mind that I couldn’t say before. The nursery this. I feel like that. What was it like for you? Then we decided that Chad (my brother) and Kelci ( My sister in law) will be called Aunt kiki and Uncle Chichi. Totally kidding, but it did create a great deal of laughter.  I’m so thankful that my family lives close enough that we could tell everyone in person. SO thankful. 🙂

The next day we planned on telling Patricks family. Since we didn’t have a birthday planned, we had to be a little bit more sneaky. I decided to cook lunch for everyone in hopes that it would keep everyone around long enough for us to launch the plan. The night before, Patrick made a number one Dad tshirt. It was GLORIOUS! Perfectly crafted out of an old white hanes tshirt and a black sharpie. HA. The text I received during service the next day almost gave away our secret plan! “Babe…. all I can smell is permanent marker through my shirt!!” I couldn’t help but giggle even though my mother in law and sister in law were sitting on either side of me.

My niece helped me with lunch and before we knew it, it was time! With everyone sitting down, Patrick quickly said something like, ” Hey! Let me take a picture” and excused himself so he could take his outer shirt off and to grab the video camera. He walked back in and…… que the second video!Check out the link below!

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And that was that. Our immediate families knew and their reactions couldn’t have been any better. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people during this time in our lives!!! I hope you enjoyed the videos and here is to many more weeks of pregnancy!

 

YOUTUBE LINK:

Week 5

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Hello 5 weeks!

So, ” At this point, he/she is about the size of a sesame seed, and he/she looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He’s now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.” Talk about growing fast! Did you know that by the end of this week, the heart will be finished forming. How miraculous and wonderful!

How am I feeling?

Well, I’m bloated (which I cringe at in the above picture). I’m tired and this week, nothing sounds good to eat. I have definitely had some nausea spells but luckily I haven’t actually vomited. (Gross, I know). Yoga pants are my best friend and I’ve had a few weird cravings such as raw tomatoes (which I’m not normally a fan of) and a pretty consistent craving of cheese.

The reality of being a mom is slowly sinking in. Life will drastically change in 9 months but I am SO excited. I have already had a confirmation appointment with my OB who confidently told me yes, the test didn’t lie, I am pregnant and then proceeded to answer all of my random and “ohmygoodness I’m actually pregnant” questions. I return with Patrick for the first ultrasound on February 13th. I’m not going to lie, I have a countdown on my phone! 16 more days until we hear Baby T’s heartbeat and get our first picture of him/her!

OH and I’m writing all of this while this blog is still private. I think we will wait until after the ultrasound to tell the wonderful world of Facebook which is where I’ll be posting my updates.

Such exciting news!

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Well, the people have asked for years and this couple has finally answered the call. This family will be growing by two feet in September of 2014, how stinking exciting! Now, I bet you have two pressing questions……

1. Was it planned? 2. What do you want?  A boy or a girl?

Answer to question 1:

Yes, it was planned. This was earlier than we had originally planned but after several days of prayer, we both had complete peace that this was the next step/direction for our family of two. With the statistics against trying to conceive couples but God on our side, we were blessed with the news after the only month of trying. That’s right, we are overachievers. TOTALLY KIDDING!! This is such a beautiful gift of not trying for months and months and we do not take it lightly. I am forever thankful that our prayers were answered so quickly. All praise to Him!

Answer to question 2:

We do not have a preference. All we are praying for is a healthy and happy baby. As the pregnancy progresses, we might have strong guesses on what it will be but as of right now, we are just happy to be pregnant. I know, lame answer and not what you were hoping to hear.

SO, my plans for this blog are to follow my journey into motherhood, show off the week by week maternity pics and keep everyone updated on this new season we are entering into. Thanks for stopping in and hooray for what is in store over the next several years!

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Little did we know that only a couple of months later, the number 3 would mean so much more! This is from our 3 year anniversary session.