First Maternity Clothes

I currently only have 2 pairs of jeans that are comfortable to wear. Most of my shirts are ok although some are short enough that my belly peaks out. Last night Gina gave me several bags of maternity clothes from her and her sister. Finally, I'll have some more clothing options! It would be so expensive to buy a whole new wardrobe, so I am very excited about hand-me-downs. I still want to do a little bit of shopping, though.

Connecting with Tenants

I'm finding that being pregnant is another great way I can connect to my residents in Student Rental Housing. Our population is continually growing as babies are born. We have at least 75 kids in housing, and I've heard that there have been about 8-10 new babies this year. Wow! I told my tenants I was pregnant in this month's newsletter, so I've had many congratulations and people who are interested in how I'm feeling. It's great being able to relate to one another on a new level. There are many wives who are going through or have gone through the same thing as me.

Getting Bigger

After Davin took my new profile shot he asked, "Are you pooching out your tummy?" Nope. Actually, I find myself subconsciously sucking it in all the time because I can tell it's bigger. I've noticed my jeans are fitting a bit tighter these days, and I've had those first fleeting moments of... I feel fat! I measured my waist and I think I've already gained about 2 inches. I know my size increase is not much baby since it's still super tiny at this stage, but this must be all the other padding and stuff showing up. It will be very strange to have a huge belly. Some women barely look pregnant even at 9 months. I imagine I'll be quite noticeably pregnant since I'm starting to show already.

Eating like a Hobbit

I realized I'm eating a hobbit's diet... breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. I never thought I'd actually say, "I'm tired of eating!" At first I was happy to have a good excuse to eat little snacks all day long, but nothing much sounds good anymore, and I'm tired of my tummy complaining about needing food all the time. Still, I'm thankful my symptoms are fairly mild. Let's see... 4 more weeks and I'll hopefully be out of this stage. Ugh! Four more weeks!

Sleep and Food

It seems like all I'm about these days is sleep and food! Watch out if I don't have one or the other. So, the first couple weeks I thought this first trimester thing would be a breeze... Well, it's catching up to me. If I've been up for 4 hours straight, I'm ready for a nap. And if I haven't had a snack in the last 2 hours my tummy starts complaining. Clara told me to suck on lemon drops to help with the nausea. I don't know if it's psychological or what, but it seems to help. I'm so lucky to have a job that flexes to accommodate sleep and food, but I'm trying to be careful to save most of my sick and vacation time for the summer.

First Prenatal Visit

We had our first prenatal visit this morning! I saw a nurse practitioner, Kim, and she was really nice and took time to explain things to us and answer our questions. She even gave me my first ultrasound and we got to see our little baby! You could actually see heart beating as a little flash of light, so it's definitely there and it's alive. Now we have one of those pictures where the expectant parents can see the baby, but everyone else only sees some blobs. Everyone can probably see the little circle next to the baby which is the yoke sac. It's providing nutrients until the placenta can fully take over. Amazing, isn't it? The ultrasound confirmed that conception happened a bit later in my cycle like I thought, so I'm actually only around 6 weeks along. The new tentative due date is July 17... uh, that would be our anniversary. I guess going on that cruise for our 4th is out of the question.

Thanksgiving News

We told the family yesterday. I had butterflies all during lunch because this is such big news! After the meal was winding down (no one caught the baby corn, baby carrots, baby shrimp clues), we brought out our fortune cookies and had everyone take one. It was kinda weird, but everyone went along with it and started reading out their fortunes. Finally Marcia said, "I think I notice a theme," and Mom said she did too and started tearing up. Some people were still like, "What?" until Mom said, "I'm going to be a grandma!" We then passed out the shirts we special ordered for everyone. I think Mom's going to to have the family wear them to church on Sunday. It's strange to annouce such big news, but it was so much fun surprising everyone. They're all so excited! I am thankful for families.

A Miracle

This is probably close to what our baby looks like right now at about 7 weeks. (Which is really only 5 weeks because they start counting 2 weeks before conception.) I think the baby is about the size of a lima bean. It's so amazing to read about how the baby develops and to see pictures like this one. From one cell to this in just a few short weeks! This truly is a miracle.

Davin's parents arrive tonight from Spokane! We're spilling the beans tomorrow!

My Last HPT

I had one more pregnancy test so I went ahead and took it this morning just for fun. I think I'm starting to feel some of the effects of being pregnant. When I'm hungry I have to eat, like, NOW, and my stomach feels a little blah sometimes especially when it's empty. Also I've been a bit tired, so it's nice to have a good excuse to take a nap in the middle of the day. Still, it's fun to confirm the baby is really there with a test. If you thought the first tests looked iffy... this one is definitely positive! The dark vertical line appeared instantly. We only have to keep the secret two more days! I can't wait!

A Strange Thanksgiving Menu

We went shopping for Thanksgiving food this weekend and got a smoking deal on the turkey! WinCo was having a special if you spent $50, so a 19.7 lb turkey only cost us $3.55. We've had fun planning out a somewhat strange menu to help the announcement. We're going to have baby shrimp for an appetizer. It will be kinda hard to dip such tiny shrimp, but that's the point. We're going to fix steamed baby carrots, and we're also making a salad with baby greens and baby corn. We may throw in something else, but we may just leave it weird with only baby corn in it.
I found a recipe for a Baby Ruth Layer Cake which takes 14 Baby Ruth candy bars! I'm also baking individual mini pumpkin pies instead of a couple large ones. If no one gets it, we'll finish with homemade fortune cookies with hints like, "A hidden surprise is near you," "A big secret will soon be revealed," "Summertime will bring new experiences," and "You will soon receive a new title of honor." If that doesn't work, we'll just have to be out with it. We'll see who's sharp and willing to ask the question.

Dr's Tests Results

The test for HPV came back negative today. The more reading I did the less worried I was because there's no way I could have an STD without Davin having it and vice versa. I don't think the doctor believed me when I said neither of us had sex before marriage. I'm supposed to go back in for another PAP in 6 months. Well, at that point I'll be about 6 weeks away from delivering the baby, so we'll see. I'm guessing this whole thing was a fluke. Just something to cause unneeded tears of a pregnant woman.

But I Don't Feel Pregnant

It's still very strange to realize I'm pregnant. I don't really feel any different yet, and it seems like we're just pretending. My tummy is the same size as always, I don't have morning sickness, I haven't been to the doctor yet, and my emotions have been fairly stable (...well, I guess you'd have to ask Davin about that). Now and then I think I feel a different sensation in my lower abdomen, but then I think it's probably either my imagination or gas. I guess the biggest sign I have is that my period should be over by now, but it hasn't even started. Also, I'm not talking to anyone about it except Davin. I think sharing the news will make it seem more real. Next week we're telling the family!

The Big Secret

We've decided that parents should be the first to know, so we're not telling anyone else right now. It's been really tough not to say anything! We've decided to host Thanksgiving at our house, and we're trying really hard to get Davin's mom and dad to both come. We're going to reveal the new addition to our family then.

Here's some situations that have come up where it was really hard not to say anything yet:

Gina has been helping me stay on track with eating and exercise. We are working together to loose a little weight. We kind of both got off track last week and Gina gave me a gentle reprimand. She's been sick, but then said to me, "So, what's your excuse?" I said, "I don't have one. Thanks for getting me back on track." (What I didn't say... Well, I've been distracted because... I'm pregnant! And now I'm supposed to increase my calorie intake by 300 a day, so while I'm still going to eat healthy, trying to loose weight is now out of the question!)

On Friday, I had lunch with Kerrin who knows I've really been struggling with trying to conceive for a long time. She asked me how it was going, and sympathized with me that this is really hard! So trying to not sound too chipper I told her, "Yeah, but I know it's all in God's time, and I'm actually doing okay with the waiting right now." (What I didn't say... Because God's time is now! I'm pregnant!)

When I called Mom to switch Thanksgiving to our place I asked if it would be okay that we weren't at their house to help decorate for Christmas the day after. Mom said that was fine because she's thinking of doing it smaller this year and doesn't want to do the whole big Christmas decorating until grandkids come along. Then she'll deck the house all out again. (What I didn't say... Well, then you better do it smaller this year because it's your last Christmas without grandkids!)

One and a half weeks and the word will be out. (It is kind of weird posting to a blog that no one's reading yet.)

Dr's Tests

The doctor called me today with the results from my PAP. She ordered further testing because apparently the results were "a bit abnormal." She told me not to worry because having abnormal results is somewhat common, but their going to test for HPV which can lead to cervical cancer. I can't help but worry because this is how the road starts to someone finding out they have cancer, right? My main worry, of course, is the health of my new little baby.

Davin was a great comfort today and even took me to Barnes & Noble so we could by a baby names book and What to Expect When You're Expecting. He can't tell me to hold off anymore by using the excuse, "when we're pregnant we'll have a whole 9 months to get baby stuff." The time is here, the time is now, and I'm going for it!

I am also in the process of knitting the first blanket for our baby. It's yellow and super soft. It reminds me of cheery sunshine... the feeling I get when I think about our baby.

It Only Took 371 Days

We've been trying to get pregnant for 371 days. Everyone around us seemed to be getting pregnant and popping out babies, no problem. I was to the point of looking into infertility testing and had actually gone in for a PAP on October 17th just to get started with something. I've been charting my BBT and noticed that this was going to be a longer than average cycle. Still, I managed to wait until about 12 days after ovulation before taking a pregnancy test. I took it first thing in the morning and thought I could just make out a faint line. I waited longer and when Davin got out of the shower he verified that yes, there was in fact, a line indicating I was pregnant. I didn't want to believe it just in case it was a fluke, so later this morning I took another test of a different brand. It came back with a more obvious positive. No way! Really? Finally! Oh my, our lives are going to change forever!
I called Kaiser to set up my first prenatal appointment for November 30th. Currently, my estimated due date is July 11, 2008. That's not the best time for my job, but that's ok. We'll figure it out.

It was very strange going to lunch in the cafeteria knowing I was pregnant, but not telling anybody. We want our parents to be the first to know. Tonight I called Mom and managed to get Thanksgiving switched to our house so we can plan out how to surprise everyone with the news.