I have officially reached the "I look like I have a beer belly" stage

I believe the morning sickness is coming to a swift end! It has occasionally reared its ugly head this past week but not near to the extent it had been in the past! Thank goodness is all I have to say about that! I've gone about 3 days with out any Phenergan and I've kept most of my meals down!

A new pregnancy symptom made its appearance this week though, the ever dreaded dry, itchy skin! Holy cow I might as well be overcoming a horrendous sunburn for the lack of moisture in my skin these days! And ironically I hate lotion! I don't mind it on my body, just not my palms and it better dry fast because there's nothing worse than feeling sticky all over! I have had to lather lotion on at least once a day and my skin is still a dry flaky mess! (not a pretty picture I know!)

And to top it all off I now have a gut! Not a large one by any means and it's not causing the dreadful "muffin top" effect, but a gut none the less. I even have to unbutton and sometimes unzip my pants just to sit down comfortably, which fuels a chuckle from my husband every time!

I realize I haven't updated since we had our second appointment! (I=Bad pregnancy-blogger!) We got to hear the heart beat! INCREDIBLE! It is still so mind boggling to me that there is a little baby growing in my belly. I can't help but quote the movie Juno "Your baby has fingernails!" My baby has fingernails! And beautiful and strong heart beat! Surreal, pregnancy is very surreal. Since I haven't been blogging as often as I had hoped I'll leave you with a few "baby bump" pictures we have taken over the last few weeks.(13 weeks)(11 1/2 weeks and a very full belly)(8 1/2 weeks)

First trimester coming to an end!

I can't believe I'm already 3 months along! Times is going by so fast, except when I'm nauseous and vomiting, then it goes really really slow! Tomorrow is our second appointment and hopefully we will get to hear the heart beat! Sometime this week I'll get our ultrasound pictures uploaded from this appointment and the first one! I am praying that by the end of this week or next my morning sickness will come to a close and I can go on to live a (semi)normal life again.

Last week I, the hubby, my parents, brother and sister-in-law and their 2 year old twins went to New Smyrna Beach, FL and had an amazing time! The beginning of the week I was actually feeling SO much better! My nausea had almost completely gone away and then ironically the vomiting got worse! I lost 2 of the 3 lbs that I had gained up to that point. I honestly believe I survived the week on potato chips, ice cream, bagels, and cinnamon rolls. But man oh man I want normal food!

Even though I now only weigh 1 lb more than I did before I got pregnant my belly has developed a little bump and I can no longer sit comfortable with my jean buttoned. My mom has even asked a time or two "Are you sure they just saw one in there?!"

I'll post some ultrasound and belly pictures soon and updated about tomorrow appointment!

Morning sickness remedies

For those of us dealing with morning sickness you know it DOES NOT by any means only occur in the morning! If you're like me it last all day long. Even when I wake up in the middle of the night to pee I notice myself a bit queasy. So far I haven't found the "miracle cure" to this constant nausea but I thought I would list a few remedies that have been suggested to me by other mothers. Hopefully some of you will find one that works for you!

1. Chick-fil-A lemonade.
2. Crackers before getting out of bed.
3. Cheerios before getting out of bed.
4. Peppermints.
5. Cinnamon Discs.
5. Preggie Pops (or Preggie Pop Drops)
6. Ginger Ale, Ginger Snaps, Crystallized Ginger, etc. You get the picture, apparently GINGER helps!
7. Eat lots of small meals to not allow your stomach to get too empty.
8. No big meals! You don't want to be over stuffed.
9. Grapes
10. Cold foods and drink.

I have had a terrible time with the after taste of EVERYTHING, so I found sucking on peppermints or cinnamon discs after eating something small helped sometimes. I use Preggie Pops Drops after eating whole meals to help keep it down a little longer. Some things help one day and then prove to be no use the next and vice versa, so i recommend trying things multiple times because one day they might work!

Two Pink Lines!

April 13th
Daniel and I found out we are PREGNANT! We weren't necessarily trying to get pregnant, we also weren't doing anything to prevent it. We had been praying about it and decided to just trust God and his timing and that he would allow us to get pregnant when he thought we were ready. Though I am nervous and anxious about being pregnant it is a comfort knowing it is all in God's timing and that he is protecting this little one growing inside of me!

April 21st
Today I am roughly 5 1/2 weeks pregnant! Sunday we celebrated our one year anniversary (I can't believe it's already been a year!), and a week and a half away is Daniel's sister, Kristal's, wedding. Our first Dr.'s appointment is May 12th, 3 weeks from today! Since I'm so anxious to learn more about this little one I went and got a $1 pregnancy test from Dollar General just to hold my self over until the appt (I even got a "Good Luck!" from the cashier). Trust me, those two pink lines are the only thing keeping me sane right now! So far I haven't been sick, a little nauseous but not much, I am exhausted and can hardly keep my eyes open past 9pm, and my hormones are beginning to make me weepy.

Daniel and I are so excited about this journey into parenthood and constantly praying for our future little boy or girl that we'll be meeting (hopefully) by Christmas!

April 26th
As of Monday the morning sickness has begun. I was woken up at 6 AM feeling like I was going to be sick and it's only been down hill from there! I've lost one dinner and gagged my way through packing lunch every morning. I'm nauseous from the time I wake up until I'm sound asleep again. This is like being on a never ending curvy car ride and I am know in my family for being able to puke at barely a moments notice when car sick!

May 5th
Our first appointment is in ONE WEEK!!!! I am so excited I just can't stand it! The morning sickness hasn't let up and I'm trying everything I can to keep my food down. I'm having a really hard time with the after-taste of everything, I have found that if i suck on a peppermint it helps some. I went to Motherhood Maternity this week and bought the sour Preggie Pop Drops and they also help out quite a bit when I'm nauseous.

We had a little scare this past weekend when I started spotting right before bed. After a frantic call to my mom, I talked to my doctor and he said with my description it seems perfectly normal and not to worry unless it increased or was accompanied by pain. I had a good cry and Daniel said a long prayer for the baby. He was so under-control and comforting to me, but I had to tell him he didn't have to always be so strong and that's when a few tears streamed down his face and he buried his head into the crook of my neck. I have such a wonderful, amazing, protective, and fantastic husband. I am so truly blessed!

Daniel has already began talking to my belly, rubbing and kissing it, and telling the baby "you're daddy loves you!" I can't help but smile and feel warm fuzzies all over.