9 Weeks

Let me start by saying that this week was better than last, mostly.  I have discovered that if I take my B-Complex vitamin fairly early in the day, the nausea is not so bad.  I am also drinking LOTS of fluids (thanks to my husband who follows me around with Gatorade all day).  I also can't stay lying down for too long or I get headaches.  The headaches have been the worst part of this last week.

My last post was on Tuesday, so I won't recap the entire week.  I'll just pick up where I left off.  The Glover's are all off from work this week, so Jeff and I have been spending some time hanging with his parents.  It's been nice to get out of the house and move around.  We've played lots of Wii, had lots of good food and made a trip to Napa on Thursday.  I think I feel better when I get out and move around more, but the motivation is rarely there.

Yesterday (Friday) was a bad day.  I woke up in a weird emotional/hormonal state.  I can't explain it, but I just couldn't get it together.  I had a slight headache also, which at this point is REALLY wearing on me.  For those of you who don't know, I have Hydrocephalus.  I was born with it.  To me, it's really no big deal.  Except for the occasional headache, I don't even notice it.  I have a shunt that drains the fluid from my ventricles into my abdominal cavity.  Well, my shunt is now 20 years old.  That's pretty old for a shunt.  They are made of plastic, and...haha, you know what happens to plastic after a while.

Anyway, since I have been getting these headaches (moderate as they may be) I have been getting a little bit stressed out.  I am a worry-wart.  Since we haven't seen or heard our baby up 'til this point, it makes me nervous when things 'just don't feel right.'  When I worry, the headaches get worse, which makes me worry more.  See the problem?  By 1:00, Jeff started to worry and so he called my OB.  We went in to Labor and Delivery at 2 just to get checked out.

They took my vitals and did some neurological evaluations on me.  All stuff that I am used to.  Everyone was very nice and reassuring that, for someone with Hydrocephalus, this was all typical.  That made me feel a little better.  After a few hours, I was given some medication (basically acetaminophen, caffeine, and a mild narcotic) that would help much better than straight Tylenol.  Jeff ran out to get me some dinner (it was 5:00 by this point and I was starving).  While he was gone, they came in and let me listen to the heartbeat.  WOW!  Is that not the best sound in the world after a stressful day!  The heartbeat was normal at 168, but it was very quiet.  At this point (s)he is still very small and down low so it's hard to hear really well.  But oh my, what a sweet sound!  Because of that, this was a GOOD week.  I can't wait until the 9th when we get our first ultrasound.

And the photos....

I'm trying a little bit of a different type of photo.  I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was cool.  It's a view of the bump from above.  This week I took all of the photos by myself, so it might not be very accurate.

DATA:

How far along? 9 weeks

Baby is the size of a: green olive

Maternity clothes? Just a pair of maternity sweats.  I can fit into my jeans with a rubber band to hold them closed.

Have you told family and friends? If you're on here, you know. We've told all of the family and just a few friends (our Bible study group, and a few more)

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Nausea and headaches

Sleep: Like a rock most nights (if I wear earplugs).

Best moment this week:  Hearing the heartbeat

Miss Anything?  SUSHI

Number of times I get up to pee each night: Depends on the night, but at least once and as many as 3 times.

Movement: Nope

Food cravings: Yesterday it was Chipotle

Anything making you queasy or sick: ANY smells

Have you started to show yet: It may just be bloat, but yes.

Gender: Don’t know yet

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? In

Mood: Emotional!

Looking forward to: Seeing the ultrasound in a week and a half

8 Weeks

Okay, I am REALLY behind this week, but I have a good reason...several good reasons.

First, it's Christmas.  I have been really preoccupied with getting everything ready for the big day.  We had my parents in Sacramento and we all went over to Jeff's parents' house to celebrate.  We had lots of fun.

Now, the REAL reason that I'm late posting is because I haven't been feeling well at all.  This week was slightly worse than last week.  I spent most of the week in Redding with my parents.  It was nice to be at 'home' with mom's great cooking.  By the time I got back to Sacramento on Friday, I was just not up to doing much, let alone posing in front of our chalkboard.  I did, however, change the board.

So, today is Christmas.  We had a lovely breakfast with the Glovers and then my parents, Grandma Bert, Lisa, Jeff and I hopped in our cars and drove down to Walnut Creek to see our other grandma and some of our other family.  We had a nice visit and got to break the happy news to everyone in the family.  I think we have talked (via phone, skype, google, etc) to everyone in the Glover, Mobley, Osgood, and Anderson families.  I just loved all of the reactions.  Everyone is so excited for us.  I can't wait until we finally get a photo of our little bean to post on here for everyone to see.  Two more weeks!

Anyway, Merry Christmas!!

7 Weeks

This week had to have been the LONGEST yet!!!  The morning sickness is finally in full swing...except that I (luckily) am not throwing up.  I just FEEL like I will blow chunks at any moment, or if I move to quickly. 

Last night, we went out with some friends to see The Hobbit...in 3D...HFR (High Frame Rate).  What this means is that the film was shot at 48 frames per second, rather than the usual 24.  It appears much more realistic (supposedly) and everything goes much faster.  Add in the 3D and it's a recipe for MAJOR MOTION SICKNESS.  The volume was also about 10 times louder than I like it.  Needless to say, about halfway through, I wasn't feeling well.  I think I am still paying for it today.  It was a GREAT movie though and great to hang out with friends we don't see often.

Today, I feel like I am still paying for it.  My eyes are achy and my stomach is doing flips.  This whole week has been pretty much the same.  I only ended up working a day and a half because I was feeling so lousy.  I guess I am lucky that I am only FEELING sick, and not actually GETTING sick...

Recap of the week: Nothing (food-wise) sounds or looks good to me.  I had a craving early in the week for In-n-Out, which was pretty tasty.  On Friday, I went to Red Robin to buy my grandma a chocolate milkshake and decided to order myself some clucks and fries (a favorite of mine from high school).  The clucks were yummy...the fries, not so much.  Smells (of any kind) make me nauseous.  I sleep fairly well, all the time.  I am even taking naps now to get through the day.  I am also an emotional train-wreck.  Everything makes me cry.  I think it's probably because I feel so lousy and so helpless.  It's kinda pathetic really.  haha!  Jeff has been really supportive though.  Today he's pushing the ginger ale.  He loves me!

Another highlight of this week is that my grandma has been staying in town.  My mom and dad went to Hawaii this week to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, so we found a lovely place for Grandma to stay while they are gone.  I have really enjoyed going to visit her almost every day.  She seems to like the place and is always commenting on how nice and clean it is.  On the days that I don't feel well, Jeff steps in and visits her.  He loves spending time with her, and I know she really appreciates it too.

Telling Our Parents

Last night we got together with both sets of parents for dinner.  My parents were in town to drop my grandma off at a respite care facility for a week, so we arranged to have pizza over at Jeff's parents' house.  It was a great time!

I just love how they all get along so well.  Getting the two families together is always so easy.

So after dinner, we got all of the parents to sit on the couch together.  Since my parents' anniversary is next weekend, we planned to give them a special gift.  We wanted them all to be able to see what was inside.  I assumed my usual position behind the camera.

At first, my mom said, "It's all used tissue paper." But she kept going.  Near the bottom of the box was an infant sized diaper.  She looked at it, looked at Pat, looked at me, then back at the diaper.  I had to help her out and say, "We're pregnant."  She squealed and then cried.  The photo is priceless.  The dads were kind of slow to catch on.  I love the expressions.

Pat even got Jeff and I a cake to celebrate being married for 6 months.  When I saw it (before we did the big reveal) I was convinced someone had told her about our news.  Then she reminded me about our half-anniversary.  We took a photo with the cake and the diaper.  What a night!

6 weeks

As of Friday, the 7th, we are 6 weeks pregnant.  As of Saturday, Jeff and I have been married for 6 months.  It's kind of crazy to think about it all.  If you had asked me 6 months ago whether I thought we would be in this exact place today, I would have said "no", although it was what I hoped for.  Jeff and I are so excited about this next chapter in our lives, but taking things one day at a time...enjoying every moment.

 We had discussed and decided on Thanksgiving how we were going to break the news to our parents.  We agreed that we would wait until Christmas, and then surprise them in front of the camera.  I really wanted to capture the moment on film.  Well, things don't always happen the way you plan.  Last night, we went to our weekly Bible study, which has been off for 2 weeks.  ONE person there noticed that I wasn't drinking wine and commented "why aren't you drinking wine? Are you PREGNANT?!!"  Anyone who knows me well, knows that I can't hide ANYTHING.  My eyes got really big, and I just said "UM".  Needless to say, about 5 of our friends overheard.  So, we had to make an announcement.  Long story short, we decided that we better let the parents in on the surprise, before they surprise us with already knowing.  We will tell them tomorrow.  I'll write another post about that in a few days.

For now, an update on my pregnancy this week.  I am still very excited, but I am not liking the way I have been feeling.  I am tired ALL THE TIME, and nauseous most of the time.  I am sleeping fairly well, but getting up a couple of times each night to pee, (Not to mention the dozen or so times during the day).  So far, the only food that I really can't stand right now are eggs.  The smell alone makes me want to hurl.  I am enjoying grapefruit and tangerines, as well as my Ritz crackers and peanut butter.  While I am supposed to be gaining a little weight, I have only succeeded in losing a pound,  Six more weeks and I should feel better.  Let the count-down begin!!!

I had my first appointment yesterday, but it was just with the nurse.  She confirmed my due date of August 2nd, and went over PILES of information on pregnancy with me.  It was very overwhelming, but I held back the tears.  She even gave me a sample newborn diaper.  It's so tiny.  I plan to wrap that up and give it to my mom tomorrow, all the while taking lots of photos.  We have our first Ultrasound on January 9th.  It's a long time to wait, but our little peanut will be more recognizable by then.  I can't wait!

 So far, I think the only things growing are my boobs...which I am NOT complaining about!

 

Since Jeff and I are celebrating 6 months today, I decided to let him into one of the photos.  :)

5 weeks

So far, this pregnancy has been good to me.  For the first few days, I was feeling a bit nauseous and dizzy.  I had trouble sleeping because I couldn't get comfortable.  Friday night was the worst.  I got sick just once, but I felt awful!  I was achy all over and thinking "if this is what the next 8 months are going to be like, I am SCREWED!"  Luckily, it passed after a day.  I was still feeling slightly queasy, but not too bad.  I must've had some 24 hour bug.

My eating habits have changed some.  I have always had a very sensitive sense of smell, but lately it's gotten way worse!  I can't stand the smell of eggs, so I stopped eating them.  I still have trouble digesting dairy, so I stay away from that mostly.  I can handle cottage cheese (which is odd) so I have a spoonful of that each day for some extra protein.  I seem to always have some stomach discomfort, from indigestion to gas to bloating.  I guess it comes with the territory.  I'm not complaining.  I'm still SO EXCITED!!!

On Saturday, we were supposed to go up to Apple Hill with some friends, but we got hit with some nasty weather.  Jeff and I took the opportunity to update our chalkboard and snap some pictures.

I'm really not showing yet, just feeling extremely bloated.

 I'm definitely feeling better after this weekend.  I am not having as much stomach discomfort and, aside from having to pee 4 times each night, I am sleeping fairly well...once I find a comfortable position.

The Good News

Wow! I can't believe we actually made it...a baby that is.  We did it.  We are pregnant.  I thought I would start a blog to chronicle the journey, since most of our family members are out of town and not on Facebook.  I like to tell (and hear) stories in pictures.  You just can't always get the whole picture, without a picture.  So, here we go.

I found out about Baby Glover the morning before Thanksgiving.  I had gone to Redding (my parents' house) on Tuesday since I was off work for the week.  Jeff and his parents were going to meet up with us on Thursday.  We had been trying for 3 months to conceive, and I was feeling a bit 'different' this time.  I took along a pregnancy test, just in case.  By Wednesday, I was still 4 days from my big P, but that was close enough to test.  I got up before 7a.m.  The result came back almost immediately...

I couldn't believe it.  I was so excited, but I had to wait until the next day to tell Jeff.  I wanted to tell him in person.  I wanted to SEE his reaction. 

I wanted to be creative, but I just couldn't throw something together that quickly, and still keep it a secret from my parents.  So, I decided to get him a card.  The card read "Yippeee" on the front, and "Congratulations" on the inside.  I wrote something like "I am so thankful that you are my husband, and I am so excited that you are going to be a daddy."  I gave it to him in the car, in the parking lot of Safeway.  (We had gone to get a gallon of milk for my mom).  I wanted to capture his reaction, but he isn't really into having his picture taken, so this is what I got.

I think he really was excited...even though he doesn't look like it.  :)

We have decided to keep it quiet for now.  I wanted to wait until Christmas to tell our families, so it would be like a big gift to them.  They all want a grandbaby really bad.  Now, keeping it a secret...

Our first baby bump picture. I know, it's still too early.  I am 4 weeks, 2 days here.  I am hoping to take pictures every week, but we'll see how that goes.  I am just SO EXCITED!!!