16 Weeks!

One of my very best friends got in a horrific car accident when she was 16 weeks pregnant, and by some miracle, her baby survived. Through a shattered pelvis, countless other broken bones and the ordeal of being thrown out of a car window at 75 mph, that baby lived. That baby is now a beautiful, smart, sweet three year old little girl. My life would not be the same without her or her mommy in it and it is so eye-opening to think that my friend was at this point in her pregnancy when all that occurred.

I feel so blessed to have a relatively "uneventful" pregnancy. I also feel more strongly that a woman's body is designed to envelope and protect these little beings from the world and all it's troubles and pain until they are ready to enter it. It makes me teary to look down at my little round tummy and know that one day I will have a sweet, smart three year old to show for it. What an amazing thing to be able to create and nurture a life. It is not just a fetus, a baby, a child...it is a soul...a heart...a spirit. I only hope to instill the best things in this little spirit and guide this life in a happy direction.

Here I am at sixteen weeks pregnant and I am so happy to be able to do this. In four short weeks, I will be halfway done with this amazing feat of life. In four short weeks, we will found out if that future child will be a boy or a girl. And we will be ecstatic either way.

My body is looking and feeling much the same. I am in an in between stage...I definitely look a little pregnant, but no big POP yet. I am so looking forward to that day. Here's the bump:

16 Week Bump Update:
How far along:  16 weeks! At the end of the 4th whole month of pregnancy. How is that even possible?!
How big is baby: This week our little peanut is about the length of a large avocado. About 4.5-5 inches and weighing in at a whopping 3.5oz! What made this seem more concrete to me was thinking of it as the size of the chicken breast you eat for dinner. Most meat servings are around 4 oz.
Total weight gain: I have only gained 3 pounds so far. I am trying to get on track with eating regularly and more healthy things. I know the weight gain will catch up with me eventually. For now, all I care about is that the baby is doing okay.
Sleep:  I have developed pregnancy insomnia. For no real reason, sometimes I just cannot fall asleep! Even when I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, I just can't drift off.
Best moment of the week: Thanksgiving for sure! We deep fried a turkey and it was delicious. As anticipated, the green bean casserole I just *had* to have was completely underwhelming to me. I was way more into my mom's delicious stuffing.
Food cravings:  I cannot think of anything new. I guess ketchup. I normally hate ketchup but I have found myself dipping fries in ketchup when we grab food from Wendy's or something. Yum.
Food aversions:  Eggs. I cannot handle the smell of eggs. Raw, cooked (especially in sweet things like cookies...all I can taste is the eggy flavor inside it.) VOMIT!
Symptoms:  Insomnia, dry eyes, aching feet by the end of the day.
Movement:  YES! Still feeling Peanut fluttering away in there. No real rhyme or reason to when...I just notice it most when I'm sitting still and relaxing. Sometimes when I start eating something, I can tell the baby is getting some nutrients because it will start moving right away.
Gender:  Still thinking boy. My brother in law Nick weighed in when we saw him today...and he said he hoped for a boy. But my father in law keeps calling our baby his "future granddaughter." :) Who knows!
What I’m looking forward to:  Real baby kicks. A Little more energy would be good too.
What I miss: Being able to have a glass of wine after a stressful day. I know that sounds completely alcoholic of me, but sometimes it is so nice to just get that little buzz and kill the stress. No wine for me though! Maybe I'll turn to chocolate....
Next apt:  December 20th. My 25th birthday! We get to do the big anatomy scan and ultrasound to make sure everything is growing as it should. The ultrasound itself is an hour long so that is a lot of baby viewing time! I am so so excited...now if only I can wait that long!

Growing, Growing, Growing.

Today we had our "14 week appointment," even though at this point I am measuring closer to 16 weeks. I got to meet a new doctor in the practice and I loved her just as much as my original doctor. I really have to say, I am so glad I was referred to this office by a friend of mine: everyone here is such a joy. The receptionist, the sweet nurses, the conversational doctors. It is everything I would expect from a good doctor's office and ironically, something I've never experienced before.

Unfortunately, I did not get my way and get another ultrasound. They deemed it medically unneccesary. The geneticist's office sent over all my NT scan ultrasounds and blood work so they really had no reason to doubt that I was measuring ahead. They even changed my due date officially to May 13th! Today was a little awkward because there was a male med student shadowing this new doctor. I have never had a male gynecologist but this was just a simple Ob check up so I figured, "what's the harm?" The poor guy was so nervous and awkward I felt bad for him.

The appointment started like they always do with the nurse weighing me and checking my blood pressure. When I stepped on the scale, I could see that I was up 3 pounds which seemed like a huge deal to me: someone who has struggled with body image my whole life. However, when the doctor came in to talk to me she repremanded me for not gaining more at this point. Apparently, they expect moms at my BMI (weight/height ratio) to gain 30 pounds total: 5 in the first trimester, 13 in the second trimester and and 13 in the third trimester. That seems like so much to me. Anyway, she said I should be up about 8 or 9 pounds right now and my 3 just is not what they like to see. I am hoping now that the nausea is all gone I should be able to eat more frequently and better which should help. She jokingly (I think) told me to drink a milkshake every day. Yes, doc!

The med student came in and was instructed to feel my abdomen for the fundal height (where my uterus sits in relation to my pubic bone). He was so gingerly touching me out of fear or embarrassment that I'm sure he was not feeling anything. The doctor (an older Belgian woman with a severe French accent...love!) literally had to take his hands and press them into my stomach. That was odd...then she had the med student find the baby's heartrate on the fetal doppler. He awkwardly put some goo on my tummy and went to town trying to find it but I have no clue if he has ever even done this before because he was putting the wand right over my left hipbone. I know I'm no expert but I know the baby is not chillin' in my hip bone. He found my femoral artery and told me it was the baby. I raised my eyebrows and asked if he was sure because my heartbeat is very slow and sounds like whoosh-whoosh-whoosh while the baby's is much faster. He told me everything sounded great and went to get the doctor to come "check his work." She started with the doppler in the center of my belly and moved down a little at a time until she found the actual baby's heartbeat right below my belly button. The student just laughed and said, "oooh I guess I was WAY off!" I could only laugh...poor guy.

I guess all things considered it was a great appointment. She says I am measuring right on for 15/16 weeks and that the baby's heart rate is still sounding good...up in the 160s. She actually started beaming and said, "oooh, it's a girl!" based on the fast heart rate. I thought that was cute but Josh's face was priceless. It's like he forgot for a minute that she couldn't possibly know that...and he believed her! The nurse was not as good as my normal nurse at drawing blood so my arm is kind of sore and I have a little bruise, but nothing to cry about. They are testing my blood for protein, I'll have to look up why and what that means. Our next appointment is a long one: it's the important ultrasound where they measure and study all the baby's body parts and we get to find out the sex at that appointment. Lucky for me, that appointment is on my birthday! What a perfect present! I am so excited now because Josh said he would just take the day off so we could enjoy that and celebrate...and I really cannot think of anything I would want more than that right now!

15 weeks!

It really does not seem possible to already be at 15 weeks. What is funny is that I am no more "relaxed" about this pregnancy now than I was at 7 weeks. I still get a little worried before appointments, I still stress a little if my back is hurting or I have a cramp. I think that there is no "safe" time in pregnancy until you are holding your baby in your arms. With all that said, I feel like I really love being pregnant...not just because it gives me an excuse for the crankies and the cravings, but because I feel more at home in my body than I have in a long time. I feel like this is what I am supposed to be doing and it is a comforting thing.

With every week that passes, I keep feeling better and better. The nausea is all but gone at this point, though I am starting to wonder if the gagging will ever stop. One of my friends told me that because all your organs are pushed upwards it makes your gag reflex more sensitive...maybe that is my issue? My head has been hurting almost constantly but I'll take that over the constant nausea any day. My allergies have been absolutely awful and the only thing that works even a little is biting the bullet and taking a Zyrtec. My back has started to hurt as well, but I am on my feet all day so I guess that's not surprising. My bump still does not look like " baby" to me but people are starting to mention it so apparently it looks like something. When I am laying down, my abdomen is rock hard and I can feel a hard bump that is just getting bigger and bigger.

I am so unreasonably excited for Thanksgiving this year...I have an excuse to eat all I want and I love Thanksgiving food. I don't know if it is because I am carrying this little life inside of me or what, but I am just in the spirit this year. I've already been listening to Christmas music and plotting my shopping trips. It is still sunny and in the 60s here in Colorado but for the first time ever I am actually craving snow and Christmas lights right now!

15 Week Bump:

15 Week Bump Update:
How far along:  15 weeks! Absolutely unbelievable to think that in a short month, I'll be halfway done with this pregnancy.
How big is baby: Peanut is the size of a navel orange this week...or about 4 inches from head to rump. Huge!
Total weight gain: I feel skinnier everywhere but my round tummy...I actually measured my hips and they are 2 inches smaller than pre-pregnancy so this baby must be sucking the unneeded fat from my body which is awesome. I'm very curious to know my weight and I'll found out on Tuesday (before Thanksgiving...very wise!)
Sleep:  Not so great right now. With the backaches beginning, it is hard to get comfy. I also just feel really congested so sleeping is hard when I cannot breathe.
Best moment of the week: Going out with my girls to see a movie...it was so fun to just hang out and actually talk about our future baby and how I'm feeling. 
Food cravings:  Still really craving green bean casserole. I've also been on a hot wing kick. I don't know if that's really a craving, they just sound goooooood all the time.
Food aversions:  Ground beef. Ugh.
Symptoms:  Headaches, backaches, more irritable than before :)
Movement:  YES! I have only felt it a couple times but it was definitely baby. It felt like an electric current vibrating through my lower abdomen. It was fast and only lasted a few seconds at a time but it was definitely something. All the times I've felt it, it was right after I ate something sugary (cereal, juice, etc)
Gender:  We welcomed my mom to "team boy" recently. I don't know what changed her mind but now she believes wholeheartedly that Peanut is a boy. Other than us though, every single person thinks it is going to be a girl. We might get a glimpse at our appointment on Tuesday!
What I’m looking forward to:  Finding out the sex definitely. I am ready to start shopping/registering/drooling over little outfits, cribs and toys.
What I miss:  Advil!!! With these headaches I've been having, I so miss my favorite Advil Liqui-gels (the blue kind!) They work so well and I am sad I cannot take them! Also, my sister. I wish she was here so she could actually be a part of this pregnancy. I'm not going to see her until Christmas when I will definitely have a baby belly. I just feel sad sometimes that she does not really get to be "hands on" with her first niece or nephew.
Next apt:  Tuesday! I am getting the pre-appointment jitters. I think I am going to insist on an ultrasound since we measured so far ahead at our NT scan. I'd like to know exactly where we are at and that everything is going well in there. If they humor me (which they should!) I am going to see if we can get a peek at the goods.

Fast Forward...14 Weeks!

Remember a couple weeks ago when we had to rewind? Well, Peanut had other ideas in mind and decided to grow, grow, grow. So now we have hit the fast forward button. At our NT scan, Peanut was measuring 13 weeks, 4 days when in reality, according to our last measurement, we should have only been 12 weeks, 2 days.

That puts us at today...and today I hit 14 weeks pregnant!!! For some reason, this number just seems monumental to me. It's so close to 20 which is halfway after all. For the most part, something has switched in this body of mine and I am feeling fantastic. Especially compared to how crappy I have been feeling for the past three months. I know that is a long time to feel sick. And now, it feels like just a blink. Josh told me the other night, "I know it is not fun baby, but in the end it will be so worth it." He is so right.

We spilled the beans to the world and it felt fantastic. The response was overwhelmingly happy and positive with the exception of a choice few that shall not be mentioned. Ever since I "came out" I have just felt so much different. It's like, I can embrace the belly now! I walk around with it and don't even try to suck it in. I can actually talk about my symptoms and cravings to people and they care and think these things are funny (which they are!) We are so blessed to be able to welcome our little Peanut into such a wonderful group of friends and family.

Right now, Josh and I are plotting what little Peanut might look like. I hope he/she has my nose, Josh's teeth, my hair, a mix of his green-grey and my golden-green eyes. I hope the tall gene did not skip a generation and that our child will not sprout feet above Josh because he would be so upset :). I hope that our child inherits a musical ability and Josh's protective nature. I hope that my negativity does not instill itself too deeply into the heart of this child and that he/she will be happy and never bitter about life. Most of all, I hope this child knows that we are already in love and that our world has already shifted and circulates around him/her and will forever.

I don't feel like my bump has really grown at all recently. I am ready to really pop. I have noticed that I cannot eat as much because I don't have ROOM in there! And when I do eat, my already puffy belly becomes even more distended. It's a good look, for sure. I have still had some dizzy spells and have noticed that even though I cannot eat a lot at one sitting, I have to eat every couple of hours. Yesterday, I ate breakfast then a couple hours of cleaning later went to the grocery store. By the end of that I was feeling weak and shaky. I am definitely going to mention this to my doctor. I don't know if this baby is just sucking the nutrients out of me as fast as I put them in or if my blood sugar is low or what, but it is a little scary.

Here's the 14 week bump:

14 week Bump Update ( I deleted the boring questions that did not change):
How far along:  14 weeks, trucking right along.
How big is baby: The size of a lemon, or about the size of my clenched fist from head to rump. Getting bigger!
Total weight gain:I think probably about 2 pounds now. Getting my appetite back has been wonderful.
Sleep:  Much, MUCH better lately. No getting up to pee in the middle of the night anymore. My uterus has finally lifted off of my bladder and it is amazing.
Best moment of the week:  Learning that peanut is huge and growing strong and telling our amazing news to the world. :) Josh and I went to Red  Lobster to celebrate and that was amazing too! It was a GREAT week!
Food cravings:  The funniest? Green bean casserole. You know, that stuff with mushroom soup and fried onions? I swear I have eaten this ONCE in my life and it just sounds so amazing right now. It's going on the Thanksgiving menu for sure.
Food aversions:  I can't think of anything specific but sometimes just nothing sounds good.
Symptoms:  Dizziness, shakiness when I have not eaten for awhile, headaches.
Movement:  I swear I was feeling something last night...but being a first time mommy I have no clue what flutters feel like so I guess it could have just been dinner settling or something. It felt like someone was lightly scratching on the inside of my lower abdomen. It was fast and only happened a couple times, but I don't know!
Gender:  Josh and I are still thinking boy. I had a (semi scary) dream last night where I went to the Dr. because of some spotting and she did an ultrasound and said, "HE is doing just fine in there!" Every single other person I talk to thinks it is a girl. Especially Josh's mom. She thinks the heart rate indicates that it is definitely a girl.
What I’m looking forward to:  Real kicking! And a real big baby bump!
What I miss:  Not having to search my body for new stretch marks. Not having to have a constant stock of Jolly Ranchers with me to stop the gagging.
Next apt:  November 22nd...Thanksgiving week! It is not with my normal doctor because of the craziness of the holiday so I am kinda bummed about that but I love this office so I am sure it will be fine.

NT Scan and a Surprise!!!

I was so unbelievably nervous last night. I did not sleep at all. All night long my mind was racing with all the "what ifs" that could possibly happen. What if baby stopped growing? What if there is no heartbeat anymore? What if there is some problem going on? What if, what if, what if....

We walked into the geneticist's office today and I immediately raised my eyebrows. This place was a riot. Eighties style chairs upholstered in some god-awful high-lighter explosion geometric pattern, huge canvas pictures on the wall of tie dyed human faces and pregnant bellies and boobs. Stacks of Cosmo magazine on the wicker coffee tables. Uhm...yeah. We had the first appointment so we sat alone in the waiting room for awhile as the ultrasound tech got our room all ready. It is always so awkward sitting in waiting rooms. It's like, you want to talk but everyone can hear you so you just sit there in awkward silence.

After awhile the tech came to get us and led us to our exam room. She was no nonsense that is for sure. She told me to lean back and undo my jeans down to my hips. I did and she took a sheet and tucked it allllllll the way into the front of my panties. Glad I was trying to be modest there lady! I gave a side-eye to Josh who was sitting right next to me and he was trying so hard not to laugh. At least that broke the ice a little. It was awesome because they had a huge TV screen suspended from the wall so I could see without having to crook my neck funny or something.

She squirted the (warm! They heated it!) ultrasound goo on my belly and went to town with the wand. We immediately saw our little peanut, but little peanut was not so little anymore! She pointed out all the parts and pieces that we could see...hands, legs, feet, brain!, spinal cord, nasal bone...and then she took three profile pictures and measured the fluid at the back of baby's neck. Each time, it was 1.5 mm. A great measurement. Anything under 3mm is considered "good". Based on that measurement our risk of Down Syndrome went from 1:1000 to 1:7751!!! Great great odds!

She zoomed in on baby's little heart and we could see it pumping away. Then she turned the sound on and peanut's little heartbeat filled the room. A strong 163 bpm. All in all it was a great appointment. We got so many pictures and were totally reassured and ready to tell everyone.

Our surprise came when she measured the baby. From crown to rump peanut was measuring 7.5 centimeters. This bumps my due date from May 22nd alllllllllllllll the way back up to May 13th. Remember back when I thought I was 9 weeks and they told me I was 7weeks3days? Well, peanut is now back to where I thought it should be all along! Time to change all my dates back to normal!!!!! Grr!!! It is so nuts to go from thinking I was 12weeks to all of a sudden being almost 14 weeks. I jumped straight into the second trimester which is so awesome. I am just beaming right now, here is my favorite photo of peanut with his/her perfect little nose!!!

12 Weeks!

I am seriously slacking this week. I am ecstatic to finally be at the 12 week mark...but this week has been a doozy so far. On Monday I got to work and my regular boss was not there, but some "floater" who was covering for her. He rushed out right when I got there because he had been sitting in the store touching everything all day and had some kind of stomach virus. I am so paranoid about germs in general, but being pregnant I am really worried about coming down with something. Before I even started working, I cloroxed the whole place and washed my hands really well. I figured I was in the clear since I was not actually around him at all.I was not feeling so hot last night but I think I was just stressing myself out about it because I am fine now. I even drank a big mug full of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and it was deeee-licious.


Here is my (very noticeable!) 12 week bump! I do believe peanut has made his/her entrance and there is no hiding it now.

Bump Update:
How Far Along?  12  weeks! In the old days, this would mark the beginning of the 2nd trimester but nowadays, Drs. say that each trimester is actually 13weeks3days...so I have a ways to go!
Maternity Clothes? Uhm...yes...jeans. I still feel the same up top but I do think I'll need to go bra shopping soon.
Weight Gain? Last I checked just a half pound. We shall see soon.
Stretch Marks? There is something sketch going on with my right boob...I am not sure if it is a vein or what but it is definitely new. 
Sleep? I have finally gotten so exhausted that I am dead to the world right when my head hits the pillow. For awhile there, I was not sleeping well at all. Now that my uterus has raised up a little higher, I feel less pressure on my bladder and I can actually get through the night without peeing.
Best Moment of the Week? So far this week? Nothing...I am looking forward to tomorrow and seeing our little peanut on the NT Scan.
Cravings? I just started having ice cream cravings. Hot fudge sundaes sound amazing. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is calling my name (only the green kind!)
Gender?  We're going to see if we can see any hints of parts at our scan tomorrow.
What I miss? Energy in general. While I am not as tired as before, I still do not have the get-up-and-go kind of energy I need to bang out 15 loads of laundry or deep clean my carpet.
Symptoms: A little return of the nausea this week. Emotional. Some little aches and pains down low.
Weekly Wisdom:  Water is your friend. Headaches, nausea, bathroom problems...just drink a glass of water and it feels better.
Milestones: I can actually feel my uterus on the outside now. While the bump itself is not terribly obvious, when I am laying down I can feel a hard mass about 3 inches across about 3 inches below my belly button. So cool!
Emotions:  Mostly just overwhelmed with small things. Walking in to work this week which has been so busy and stressful just makes me angry because my one co-worker is absolutely worthless.

Oh, Mylanta!

I swear, every time I boast and brag about feeling just a teensy bit better, the Irony Fairy comes around and knocks me back to the beginning. Ugh! As I draw nearer to my 12th week of pregnancy, I am already beginning to see some of my symptoms fading and some completely changing, becoming little hybrids of what they once were.

The newest? Dizziness. Just as all the baby books tell me, the second trimester can bring about dizzy spells. This is because of the dip in blood pressure caused by my blood being taken to little peanut. Good thing for the baby. Not so good for the mama. It is not a fun kind of dizzy. It is nowhere near reminiscent of the spin-around-in-circles-then-fall-down-and-stare-at-the-clouds kind of dizzy we used to initiate when we were little. If I had to equate it to something, I guess I would say it feels like sea-sickness. Just for a moment or two every now and then, my vision tilts a little to the side and I get that horrible queasy vertigo feeling of falling. The good thing? It's not constant. The bad? I never know when it will strike. Sometimes it hits when I am standing, sometimes all I am doing is turning my head...all I know is I don't wanna play anymore!

The sameness? Headaches. I was not one to get many headaches before being pregnant. If I had a headache, I automatically knew I was getting sick and would check myself for a fever. Nowadays they are a pretty common occurrence. Sometimes they coincide with the dizziness and that is just a whole bundle of fun. I mostly think they are tension headaches...the pain feels like a band around my skull and a knot in my neck and shoulders. All I know is Tylenol does not touch them. So today, after approximately 48 hours of my head swimming, pounding and feeling loopy I did the unthinkable: I drank a Coke. Full caffeine, 12 ounces. And it was heaven. Since I found out I was pregnant at the beginning of September, I cut out caffeine completely. And I was a caffeine junkie. A couple sips into this can of Coke I bought at a 7-11 at 7:30am on my way to work and I knew I had found my cure. The headache dissolved instantly. I no longer felt woozy or shaky. I have no idea if the problem is caffeine withdrawal, low blood sugar, in my head (literally) or what...but I'll be asking my doctor about it next time I see her.

The hybrid-ness...? The nausea. The gagging I have mentioned time and again. But now? It is just awful. Sometimes I will cough and completely go into a dry-heaving fit until I can take a sip of water or a deep breath. And though I had an appetite and continue to for the most part, I will start eating and a few bites in I will feel full. I told Josh the other day, there is no way I am eating the proper amount of calories everyday. Which I think is causing me to feel nauseous and ucky by the time it is time to eat a proper meal. For example, I will wake up in the morning and drink a tiny glass of OJ (I never pour a full glass because I know I won't drink it), then I will maybe eat something small mid-morning like a string cheese or an applesauce. By lunchtime I am ravenous and starting to plot what to eat so I will go make some soup or pick up a chicken sandwich on my way to work. But then, 3 bites in and I am over it. So I don't eat anymore. By 3pm I have eaten about 500 calories...maybe. Then dinner comes and I will cook something or stop to pick up something (working til 7:15 sucks for cooking dinner all the time). I force myself to eat dinner and then feel horrible the rest of the night. So that's a full day with maybe 1500 calories. That's not enough for me...let alone peanut. I need to start doing better about this. Right now, I am typing with a bag of Cheese Its and a bottle of water...the only two things that I could think about putting in my mouth without puking. And I am still force feeding them to myself.

It sucks to feel hungry but at the same time feel like not eating at all. :(

200 Days and Other Matters

Week 11 seems to be one of the kindest weeks so far. I am much less exhausted, have an actual appetite besides random cravings (although those are definitely still there too...hello rainbow sherbet!), much less nausea and in general, just feeling better for the first time in awhile. I think the common reaction to starting to feel better in pregnancy is to panic. After all, with symptoms lessening, could I really still be pregnant?!

I just want to say that I am not panicking. I am calm and happy. I can see the rounding of my belly. I can feel the hormones still surging, see the acne all over my chin and I just have this sense that everything is progressing as it should. When I woke up this morning, my baby countdown informed me that I {only} have 200 days left of this pregnancy. Of course, that is until full term so I could have more or less than that, but for some reason that magic number seems significant. I have made it this far...this is happening!

Life in general is stupid stressful right now. Nothing really major, just a bunch of little things getting out of control. That could just be my hormonal self feeling overwhelmed by everything. We live in a tiny, I mean TINY one bedroom apartment. Up to this point, we have liked it here and it has served it's purpose. But now...well, now we are realizing this just is not going to cut it once the baby gets here. Our neighbors are loud and disrespectful, the complex themselves are constantly building, sawing, hammering, blowing or otherwise making noise at odd hours of the day (beginning at 6 am sometimes, I mean honestly!), we live on the second floor with only an exterior staircase that is always covered in snow and ice (I have fallen down them several times while walking Charlie), there is absolutely no extra space for anything ( a crib, baby clothes, baby care items, high chair, even food...) and NOW as if that all was not enough to drive any sane person crazy, we have developed a cockroach infestation.

I just want to say that Josh and I are very clean people, almost anally so for the most part. I keep Clorox in business buying their wipes and sprays because I am a germaphobe and want everything to be disinfected and sanitary at all times. Sure, sometimes we leave dinner dishes in the sink until the next day. Sure, Josh doesn't rinse out his coffee pot every single time he uses it right away, but we are not dirty people. All our food, sugar, flour, etc are stored in plastic locking containers in my neatly organized pantry. We vacuum, sweep and mop frequently, but yet these disgusting bugs keep showing up. Oddly, the only place we had ever seen them coming from was behind the stove. This leads me to believe they are coming from the floor above or below us. This would not shock me at all. This is not a luxury apartment complex by any means, the caliber of people that live here range from white trash to illegal immigrants. I try to not be judgmental because we are living here because it is cheap, but I am so over it right now.

We have contacted the leasing office several times. They informed us that they would send the exterminator to us. When the guy showed up, he told us we needed to have our cabinets and pantry emptied before hand which we did not know. I guess it is kind of common sense, but having never dealt with pest problems before we are clueless in this matter. So the guy sprayed the perimeter of the apartment, behind the stove and refrigerator and left. He told us to empty our cabinets and pantry and he'd be back the next week. Well, all our dishes and food sat on our dining table for a week and we never saw the exterminator guy again. The cockroaches did disappear during that time...so we put our stuff back. Within a week or so, we started noticing one or two cockroaches making their appearance again...always underneath Josh's coffee maker or from behind the stove. So my sister bought us some roach poison. We set it out on the counters so Charlie could not get to it and we did not see another roach for weeks. Until a few days ago. They seem to be back in full force, and what is even more horrendous and disgusting is that these ones look different. I couldn't figure out if the poison had mutated them or something until one day Josh called me to tell me they looked different because they had f-ing babies on their backs. Uhm...yeah.

Josh and I both are going nuts. It sounds dramatic but it feels like we are being encroached upon. It is absolutely NOT okay to live with these unsanitary creatures. Every time we kill one generation of them, the eggs hatch and there they are again. It's just too much. Now that we are thinking about getting the hell out of here, we are worried about taking them with us. At first while they were only in our kitchen, we have recently seen a few migrating elsewhere. It is just awful. We feel dirty and embarrassed to have people over here in case these bugs get seen by other people. Every single time I am in my kitchen cooking a meal (which I should have the right to do!) they creep out because they can smell the food. The whole thing is just overwhelming to me.

11 Weeks!

Today is a very cool day. It is 11/1/11 and I am 11 weeks! It seems like an all around lucky day to me. I have been feeling much better these past few days. While I still have my gaggy moments, the times when I have an appetite are more frequent than the times I feel like puking. Progress!

I have this pesky vericose vein than popped up behind my left knee and it hurts like I could never have imagined. My doctor says these are common in pregnancy as your blood has to pump harder to get back up to your heart. Unfortunately for me, this also puts me at greater risk for hemorrhoids. Yay! Have I mentioned what a beautiful time pregnancy is? Ugh. I truly hope this vein resolves itself after my pregnancy because it is a sight for sore eyes. Dark purple, squiggly and stretching across my entire back of my knee!

At our 10 week appointment, our doctor made a point of telling me that I have a teeny torso so that is going to make my pregnancy a little different than the norm. Just out of curiosity today, I measured it...and from the bottom of my ribcage to the top of my pubic bone is only 12 inches. So I have a FOOT of room for a baby to grow vertically. As my doctor assured me, this means that my baby has nowhere to go but out. This explains why I am already pretty popped out. I have also been having some uncomfortable rib pain and shortness of breath. Again, my uterus is expanding, pushing all my other organs up making things a little squished in there. I am laughing because if I am already uncomfortable at 11 weeks, I can only imagine what I will feel like with a full sized baby in there!

Baby is the size of a lime this week. It absolutely astounds me that just a few short weeks ago, our little peanut was only a centimeter long and now he/she is about 2 inches long! Huge!

Here is my 11 week shot:

I think my belly is rounding out more and more. I am waiting for my little bump to actually pop way out there, I have a feeling it is only a matter of time. I never realized what a freak of nature I was until I got pregnant! 12 inches of torso space...psh...I am going to be one of those women who looks like she is smuggling a beach ball under my shirt!


Bump Update:
How Far Along?  11 weeks! (And actually updating on the day of...more progress!)
Maternity Clothes? I'm in maternity jeans for good now. There is no going back! I am going to need to special order some though I think...in addition to my teeny torso, my legs are freakishly long. All maternity pants are destined to be highwaters on me.
Weight Gain? As far as I know, I am still up only a half pound. I guess I'll find out at my appointment in a couple weeks.
Stretch Marks? I found my first stretchy today in the most awkward place ever. It is on my back/hip right above my pants line. I am thinking all the pulling of this bump towards the front is causing pulling on my back. Oddly, its on the left side where I have been noticing my sciatic pain.
Sleep? Getting less tired by the week. When I finally fall into bed, I seem to sleep soundly. I am getting up to pee at exactly 3:30 and 6:30 every night. Its annoying, but usually I fall back asleep easily.
Best Moment of the Week? Mainly just talking to Josh about our future baby. He keeps getting more and more excited and it makes me melt.
Movement? None yet. :)
Gender?  No clue! Everyone else thinks girl...J and I think boy.
What I miss? Not having to shave every single day! Between the hormones and the prenatals, my hair on my legs is growing like a weed. Nasty...
Symptoms: Definite irritability. Vericose vein in my left leg (my left side is a mess!), headaches, still gagging.
Weekly Wisdom:  Do not talk about your pregnancy to people who have recently had a baby. They think they are experts on everything and it is extremely obnoxious to me.
Milestones: Telling Josh's grandma that she will soon be a great grandma. It was a fun experience. Pregnancy is not as big a deal on his mom's side of the family (there's been lots already so we're not that special) but she was still glad for us. The word is spreading!
Emotions:  So soooooooo irritated. Especially with lazy co-workers and women who I do not like very much even on a good day.