more baby gifts!

Tuesday night we went out for pizza with hubby's grandma, a little tradition we have. There is this amazing local pizza place that we love, and they have a deal where you can get larges for the price of a small Monday-Wednesday. Well Monday is 24 night and Wednesday we typically have small group, so about once a month Tuesday's have become pizza night with Grandma - the only grandparent we have left between the two of us.

Well this week she had a little surprise for us. After sharing our baby news with her a week ago, she informed me that she now had some shopping to do! Well here are the results:

Then last night hubby's aunt came over with a little gift for us as well. And would you believe she had picked out the exact same sleeper that grandma did? The one directly above, with the zoo animals. We now have it in newborn size and 3-6 months! She also got us this adorable blanket and a daily calendar that tells us what baby is doing every day.

It is so fun that our families are as excited as we are! We are feeling very blessed to be surrounded by so much love and support!

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10 weeks

How far along: 10 weeks

Baby's size: A Prune

Baby's growth is fast and furious this week. He is nearly an inch and a half long and the size of a prune - though not nearly as shriveled - and his body length will almost double in the next three weeks. In fact, baby is really taking a human shape now. Bones and cartilage are forming and vital organs are beginning to function. Small indentations on the legs are developing into knees and ankles. The arms (complete with elbows) can flex already. Soon, legs will start working too.

Symptoms: My queasiness is nearly non existent. As long as I don't let myself get hungry, it seems to stay away. My boobs are definitely growing.

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty well, but not enough! I'm tired, but not as much as the first few weeks. I can't seem to kick my night owl tenancies!

Total Weight Gain: Still sticking to around 3-4 pounds.

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I've started needing to leave some of my jeans unbuttoned. Going to buy a BellaBand tonight hopefully! There is sure to be a reviewing coming.

Best moment this week: Hubby's excitement. He keeps wanting to see the bump. In the beginning I think he was in denial about my growing belly, but he can "see" it now.

Movement:

Food cravings: Hunger level is the same, but no cravings so far.

Gender: feeling like it's a boy

Labor signs:

What I miss: Diet Coke ... though I've started drinking it once or twice a week.

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my OB on Monday

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week):

Milestones: Making it to 10 weeks, that much closer to the end of the 1st trimester!

Emotions: Excited and anxious.

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a growing belly?

I've been sitting at work all day today with the button of my jeans unbuttoned. Thankfully my zipper is some sort of wonder zipper and has remained fully zipped, even with all the walking around I've done today. How can my belly be growing so much? Is it aware that I'm only 9 weeks!?

Apparently not. Or maybe it's just all in my head. Or ... maybe, just maybe, there's some other explanation? Maybe I'm further along than I think? I mean, I had two fairly strong pink lines four days before my missed period. Hmmm. But that seems pretty unlikely.

Or maybe I'm having twins! Hmmm now that's a thought! That could explain my high pregnancy hormones so early on too. Wouldn't that be fun? I always thought it would be fun to BE a twin, so wouldn't it be fun to HAVE twins? ... or would it just be insane!?

Not that I meet any of the classic criteria ... no maternal history, not on fertility drugs, not over weight, not over 45, haven't had twins already, not Nigerian and don't eat a lot of Yams, not breastfeeding, didn't get pregnant while on the pill. But maybe I just got lucky!

What's more likely though is that I'm just in awe of the fact that there's a real baby growing inside of me! Especially with my lack of overall symptoms, I think I'm grasping to the one tangible one - a growing belly.

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wordless wednesday: the bump

Here are the bump pictures as promised!

5 1/2 Weeks

This is my baseline photo, aka this is how I normally look. Except my butt really isn't that big, there's a shadow there I promise!

See the piercing? That was my big act of rebellion when I turned 18 ... except that I got permission from my parents first. What do I do about it now? Am I suppose to take it out at some point?

9 Weeks

See, see! You can totally see a bump there! Ok, so I guess it FEELS
bigger than it LOOKS. But I still say you can see a difference.
Do my boobs look bigger?

See, now you can totally tell right?

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9 weeks

How far along: 9 weeks

Baby's size: A Green Olive

My little baby has now officially graduated from embryo to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart (they'll be doing one on Monday!) With basic physical structure in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like ... well ... a baby!

Symptoms: My queasiness has gotten much better. I'm not getting cramping nearly as much as in the beginning either (weeks 5 and 6 were the worst.) My boobs are definitely still sore! Not sure if they've gotten much bigger, but they definitely look a little swollen.

Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty well, but not enough! Two nights ago I woke up THREE times to go to the bathroom! I'm still pretty tired, but mostly noticing that I can't do as much activity in a day as I used to. We helped my brother move on Saturday, and then cleaned up at the Lake cabin on Sunday and by the end of the weekend I was exhausted!

Total Weight Gain: 3-4 pounds - depending on the day. Between weeks 5 and 7 I gained a pound a week, but now it seams to have leveled off a bit.

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but thinking about investing in a BellaBand so I can prolong the need for maternity pants.

Best moment this week: We told all our extended family about the baby!

Movement:

Food cravings: Still hungry all the time. But I'm getting into more of a routine with my more-frequent-smaller meals. I've also started using MyPyramid from the USDA. They have a Menu Planner that helps tally the nutrients and calories you get each day. I have never been one to think much about nutrition or read labels, I just try to make healthy choices and I don't have much of a sweet tooth. But this is helping me make sure I'm getting a balanced diet!

Gender: feeling like it's a boy

Labor signs:

What I miss: Energy

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my OB on Monday

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): This week I realized I don't get enough protein and dairy. I'm working on that!

Milestones: Getting the official "You're Pregnant" from the clinic!

Emotions: Hubby and I were in such denial the first few weeks about really being pregnant. Not denial because we didn't think it was true, but denial because we so desperately WANTED it to be true! After being reassured by the clinic that I am indeed pregnant, the excitement is starting to become more of a reality!

I know I promised belly pictures last week, but I promise they are coming this week! I just need hubby to take a 9 week photo then I can prove to you how much bigger I've gotten since 6 weeks!

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first prenatal appointment

Yesterday we had our first appointment with the prenatal care coordinator at the woman's clinic. She was absolutely wonderful! I was so nervous, and she just put us at ease. She took time to go through everything with us, let us ask as many questions as we wanted, and didn't make us feel silly for any of our questions! She even sent me home with a bag full of goodies, information, and a cute little journal.

After about an hour with her, she sent me down to the lab to get a full work up of tests. Apparently that does not include an actual pregnancy test! Thankfully hubby was there and asked a bunch of questions and discovered this before we got down to the lab, so we requested a pregnancy test. They took FIVE blood samples, and of course I had to pee in a cup as well.

All in all it was a great experience, and pretty painless. She called back an hour later to tell me everything looked good, and yes, I am indeed pregnant!

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7 weeks 6 days

As much as I complained about the last four weeks going so slowly, I guess they went faster than I thought. I just looked back at the last time I did a weekly update, and it was at 4 1/2 weeks!

Tomorrow is the big day! The day that I've been waiting for. I get to go in for my first doctor appointment - well nurse appointment really. I have no idea what they will do, but I'm excited!

How far along: 7 weeks 6 days

Baby's size: A Blueberry

Baby's brain - both hemispheres! - is growing fast, generating about one hundred new cells every minute. Arms and legs are merging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

Symptoms: I've been battling quite a bit of queasiness and a bit of nausea the last few weeks, but thankfully no full-fledged morning sickness yet. *crossing fingers* Oh, and just before the weekend my boobs started getting a little sore.

Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty well, except for the nights I wake up to pee - which thankfully isn't every night. I'm still very tired, but that's getting somewhat better as well. I think the B Complex vitamins are helping!

Total Weight Gain: 3 pounds! But I'm pretty sure it's all bloat and water weight. Since eliminating diet coke and coffee, I've been drinking about 32 oz of water a day!

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but all my jeans are already feeling pretty tight!

Best moment this week: Will be my doctor appointment tomorrow!

Movement:

Food cravings: No specific food cravings. I've been hungry ALL THE TIME! But haven't had much appetite for anything. As always, cereal has saved my life! That seems to be the one food I can eat no matter how sick I am.

Gender: feeling like it's a boy

Labor signs:

What I miss: Feeling pretty. Between the severe bloat and this horrible acne that's suddenly flared up, I'm not feeling very attractive these days. And the fact that most people don't know I'm pregnant only makes it worse.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the nurse tomorrow

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): I'm not feeling very wise this week. So many questions! I feel like every time I turn around I"m encountering another food that may or may not be safe for my baby!

Milestones: Surviving until my first appointment with the nurse!

Emotions: My emotions are still pretty much in check. Despite not feeling well for almost a month, I'm still feeling extremely happy and blessed.

Stay tuned, the first belly photos are coming this week!

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it's a blog party!

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom and thank you for visiting Blogging: the new Pink! This is my first year participating and I am so excited to meet a few new faces around the blogsphere! If you haven't already joined in you should!

I'm a 20-something from the Midwest, marketing specialist by day, blogger by night. I have been 'family' blogging since 2008, but just recently decided to start this blog, where I can share my perspective on blogging, home life, faith, marriage and trying to get pregnant.

I have been married for two and a half years to my best friend, and we absolutely adore being married! We love living life together, traveling, spontaneous planning, sleeping in on Saturdays … You get the picture – we’re fully enjoying being in our mid-twenties and not being responsible for anyone other than ourselves.

Then a few months ago we asked the question, “Do we or do we not end our perfectly, self-centered lives by adding a sweet bundle of joy to the mix?” You can read the rest of that story here.

Well, needless to say the answer to that question was "Yes!" And after only two months, I was so excited to post this Wordless Wednesday, and give this explanation. I'm blogging about the whole adventure, and hoping to find a few friends along the way, as I wait for my Thanksgiving baby!

In order to be completely transparent, I have decided to keep my blog anonymous for the time being. To understand why I made this choice, check out this post.

So leave a comment and tell me your favorite Etsy store (I am hoping to start an Etsyroll with all of my favorite Etsy stores), or just say Hi and tell me a bit about your blog so I can stop by and meet you

**********************

There are so many cool prizes to win at this year's Ultimate Blog Party. If I should be so lucky to win I'd love one of these:

1) USC 17 –  $200 Apple Gift certificate from CmomGo

2) USC 27 – A $50 gift card to The Recessionista Shop from Recessionista

3) USC 3 – A $50.00 Target Gift Card from Peggy Gorman
 -OR-
USC 15 – $50 Target gift card from Haley Quarles of Love, Life, Family…and then some

4) 105 – Get Fit Pack: Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred, Yoga Meltdown, The Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout, plus an aluminum water bottle from Green Mom Wannabe

5) USC 8 – $55 E-Gift Card for Amazon.com from Kelly’s Lucky You
-OR-
USC 37 – $50 gift card to Amazon.com from Shasher’s Life

If my top picks are already chosen by other fabulous women, I'd also love 20, 72, 23, 67 or USC 25.

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little reminders

Remember these? The little gift hubby's mom had stashed in her closet, just waiting for an announcement?

This one in case we have a boy.

And this one in case we have a girl.

Well they are now hanging in my closet. I originally hung them there because I didn't know where else to hang them. It is strange to have baby things in our house. Normally if there is something baby related laying around it means my niece has been there. But now that is not the case. They are our baby things. For the baby we are going to have. They just still seem so out of place.

I kind of like seeing them hanging there every morning as I get dressed. They have served as a daily reminder. A reminder that someday there will be a baby in our house. And a reminder that we are going to have to make room for him!

You know when you have a dream, and then the next morning you wake up and can't remember if it really happened or not? That's how I feel right now. But seeing those little outfits each morning, it's like, one day at a time this whole dream is sinking in and becoming more and more a reality.

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pregnancy symptom #2: tired

Whether its the lack of coffee, the getting up in the middle of the night to pee, or the fact that my baby is growing 100 brain cells per minute - the result is the same - I'm tired, all the time.

*This photo came from an email forward, not sure of the source.

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happy Easter!

Clearly my stomach had taken over my brain yesterday, as I forgot to wish everyone a Happy Easter! We had a wonderful weekend with family. Friday night we watched an amazing Good Friday service online from the Passion City Church, with Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin.

Saturday I was up at 7am to wait in line, in the cold and pregnant, with hubby so he could be sure to be one of the first to get an Apple iPad. Before you think I deserve the wife of the year award, let me reassure you that he took my shoe shopping after. I've been saving my birthday money for a pair of jeans, but now that I'm pregnant it doesn't seem like the most practical way to spend my money. So I opted for a new pair of Nike athletic shoes instead. And I'm very much in love. I always like it when the cute ones also end up being the ones that fit be best too!

Sunday we went to church, had brunch with hubby's family, and then went out to the lake to open the cabin. It was such a beautiful day, we immediately pulled out the patio chairs and sat in the sun on the deck. It was glorious! Makes me so anxious for summer!

Keeping our little secret is becoming more and more challenging. At brunch hubby was serving coffee to everyone, and I of course did not have any (even though I would have really liked too!) Hubby's grandma, not missing a beat, asked if I wasn't much of a coffee drinker. Before I could even get a word out, my hubby's dad, mom and sister all said at once "no not really." She just said ok, and moved on. We all exchanged looks and silently laughed at our little secret!

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pregnancy symptom #1: hungry

It's 2:24pm and I'm hungry. Forget the fact that I just ate three pieces of pizza (healthy I know, but that was the only leftovers in my frig this morning) for lunch ... at 1pm!

This has been the trend for the past week or so. I am always hungry! In fact, at 7 weeks I've already gained 2 pounds. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not worried about gaining weight - I am pregnant after all! I realize that weight gain is good and healthy, it just seems a little early is all.

But despite my constantly growling stomach, hungry's bff appetite didn't seem to come along this time. I'll be absolutely starving, but not in the mood to eat anything. So frustrating.

I'm still not battling morning sickness, but I'm constantly just feeling a little off, or queasy. Late afternoon seems to be the worst. By the time I get home from work, all I want to do is lay down on the couch. Hubby is so wonderful and keeps asking me how I'm feeling, and I just respond ok or not great. I think he's wondering if I'll ever be "good" again!

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how he saved our baby

My last post was a little dreary - sorry about that - so how about a cute story to brighten things up?

The other night I crawled up onto one of our counter stools to see what was above our cupboards. The stools are only about 2 1/2 feet tall, and I use them as step stools all the time. No harm there, right?

Hubby wasn't so convinced. He took one look at me up on that stool and said, "hey you're pregnant," and promptly came over and picked me up and placed me safely on the floor. "There, I saved our baby."

Of course he was half joking. But it was so stinking cute! I am so blessed to have an amazing husband who cares for me. He will be such a great dad!

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