12 Weeks

Major events: another ultrasound and heard heartbeat, 4th of July week

How far along: 12 weeks 4 days

Baby size: somewhere between a lime, plum, and peach 

Weight gain/loss: gained one pound (from 8 week appointment to 12 week appointment) 

Clothing: anything stretchy. Fav. outfit this week is a flowing green top (short dress) and black tights. Wore maternity pants (xs) to movie.  

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: good, just sick at night. 

Best moment: watching the baby jump around on the ultrasound. I was laughing so hard it was hard for the tech. to keep the thing on my belly. Also, hearing that everything looked good at the genetic doctor. 

Missing: food still

Foods: getting a little better. Pizza, chicken tenders, taco salad, waffles, and lots of crushed ice! 

Morning sickness: slowly getting better. Still worse at night and still there. 

Mood: pretty rested, a little overwhelmed getting ready for the big move! 

Looking forward to: 16 week appointment to find out gender, seeing family this weekend

12 week ultrasound

The couch, the computer, and me

School is out, I feel sick, and so I spend a lot of time on the couch with the computer. This has given me time to browse baby ideas online... so I though I would share.

But first... take our gender poll

Boy or Girl?

• boy
• girl

Acepolls

The first thing I have been looking at is nurseries. Because we will be in the Middle East when the baby is born, I have been looking at nurseries to fit that theme. Most likely we will buy used stuff since we will only use it for about a year. I am not shipping stuff back to the States. It is still fun to look, and maybe we will do something like this when we move back. Here are some I like:

           I love the camel in this one! 

           Like the map, mural, and love the giraffe! 

             Not Middle Eastern but still like

I also have been planning a gender reveal party. I am so excited that we will find out the gender on my birthday... what a special gift! We decided we will go down to Wilmington that night and go out to dinner with family. I want to do something fun and special. I definitely want to have some sort of prediction. Don't forget to take our gender poll above!  Here are a few ideas:

 I like the cookies and the cupcakes! 

Finally I have been looking into names. There are a few names I have loved forever and a few new ones I have come across. Here are some ideas:

Girls: Juliana, Emory, Asha, Kaylin

Boys: Gabriel, Jeremiah, Rhys, Roran, Keagan, Nolan 

9 Weeks

 

Major events: packed up and moved out of school, finally saw Hunger Games, started swim lessons and summer job

How far along: 9 weeks 6 days

Baby size: grape/green olive

Clothing: loose: long dresses, skirts, lots of PJ's 

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: great... even taking naps

Best moment: spending time with Shawn: playing games, dinner, movie

Missing: food

Foods: eating what I want, even if I feel sick. Soup, chicken, french fries, and still lots of pops! 

Morning sickness: still bad. Worse at night and on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. Stomach feels sour all day.

Mood: happy but tired

Looking forward to: 12 week appointment, feeling better, seeing family

8 Weeks

Major events: saw ultrasound and heard heartbeat, announced to the world with above photo, last week with kiddos at work

How far along: 8 weeks 0 days

Baby size: raspberry 

Weight gain/loss: lost about a pound

Clothing: mostly regular, feeling bloated so wearing a bit looser clothing

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: pretty good, up to pee early in morning

Best moment: hearing the heartbeat

Missing: food

Foods: whatever will stay down: eggs, grilled cheese, mashed potatoes, crackers, ginger snaps, and lots of popsicles

Morning sickness: started halfway through week 6...on and off throughout day, random. Mostly very sick at night. 

Mood: grateful, little overwhelmed with school ending

Looking forward to: school ending and resting at home

Baby Casey:

Side note: Shawn has been so great. He has kept the house clean and catered to me all the time... Love him! 

5 Weeks

Major events: took home test and it was positive, went to doctor twice and all tests confirm. Told our family on the phone and very close friends. 
How far along: 5 weeks 1 day
Baby size: apple seed
Clothing: regular, work clothing 
Stretch marks: none
Sleep: same
Best moment: telling our family
Missing: nothing
Foods: trying to eat healthy: whole grains, salads, fruits: no desire for sweets
Morning sickness: none
Mood: excited
Looking forward to: school ending, telling the world

A dream is a wish the heart makes...

Well, by now you have heard the news... we are expecting! Yet it is still so hard for me to believe (even feeling sick 24/7).

The purpose of this blog is to update family and friends of the pregnancy, as well as record my thoughts and feelings for the future.

Let's journey back in time... one year ago today I was downing pills and taking shots. No, I wasn't a junkie, but was going through the IVF procedure. After years of trying, Shawn and I decided to take a different route to creating a family. So over the summer I took about 15 different prescriptions, injected shots in my arm and bottom, and had the procedure. And as many of you know, it was unsuccessful. Many people ask if I regret trying. My answer in no. If I hadn't, I would have always wondered, and it only stands to add to the platform of my now miracle growing inside of me. I'm not going to get all religious on you... but I do believe in blessings and miracles... and this is ours!

So now let's move to this May...Mother's Day weekend. Shawn and I were excited for a vacation to the Outer Banks, along with his sister and her boyfriend. By the time we left on Friday, I was already late, but this was nothing to me. After years of hoping "maybe" and "what if," I now just didn't notice. The weekend was a blast! We rolled and jumped down sand dunes, plays with the dogs in the ocean, and went out to eat. 

Here we are at the dunes:

Fur babies:

Dinner is kinda a funny story. So by the time we went out to eat, I was getting a little suspicious, as I was almost a week late. I told Shawn, and we decided to wait until we went home, and then we may buy a test. At dinner, the restaurant was very busy, and our dinner ended up taking a really long time. Because of this, we were offered free salads, appetizers, desserts, and of course... drinks. Due to my suspicion I had already decided I wouldn't drink, but it became hard as the free drinks kept coming. I am not a big drinker by any means, but free Pina Coladas and Starberry Daiquiris are hard to pass up. I did it though...giggling with Shawn the whole time.

We arrived back home and, me still being in denial, bought the cheapest test I could. This is what I saw...

This was before work...like 6:30 am...so I had to wait until 9 for the doctor to open. Of course I was flipping out. I called the doctor and scheduled an appointment for the next day... where I made them test me three times (2 different blood tests). It wasn't until then that I finally let it sink in... I was pregnant!