Complaint day

Someone recently told my husband that if we can survive remodeling and a pregnancy at the same time then our marriage is rock solid. I hope she's right.
I hate to say it, but the pregnancy has been the easy part lately. It's the other stresses that have begun to take their toll.
Yesterday marked three weeks that we've been without a shower or upstairs bathroom in our house. While I'm very grateful that we're able to go shower at my mother-in-law's, it's started to become a real pain (probably for her, too).
When you're pregnant, you pee a lot...especially at night. Sometimes, I have to get up just one time. Then there's been a few times when I've gotten up three times. Right now, I have to walk down the stairs to use the bathroom down there. And when I come back up to bed, I can't get to sleep. It makes for an interesting night.

Hunger pains

Every week, I get an e-mail from one of those baby websites telling me what to expect. This week, it had to do with hunger.
"Expect to have the appetite of a trucker," it said. "Don't be surprised if you can eat an XL pizza by yourself."
While it hasn't been nearly that bad, I have been more hungry lately. Last night, for example, I woke up at about 4 a.m. hungry as can be. All I wanted was food. I went and used the bathroom and came back to bed, but my stomach and my head weren't having it.
Finally after laying there for a good 20 minutes, I turned on my bed-side light and grabbed a book. Less than a chapter later I regained my droopy, sleepy eyes and settled in for the rest of the night — without food.

Saying goodbye...and hello

Last Tuesday, Dan and I said goodbye to our dog Emma. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I know it was the right decision. Emma, who was just 6.5 years old, had gotten sick and no treatment would work. We made the decision to put her to sleep because we didn't want her to suffer. Before we said goodbye for the last time, I spent some time outside the vet's office with her. We sat in the grass with her on my lap. As tears rolled from my eyes, she tried to comfort me with kisses. Later, when the vet was preparing to give her the shot, she kissed my cheek one last time.
When we got home, Jazzy (one of our other dogs) wouldn't leave my side. As soon as I would tear up, she'd put her head on my shoulder as if to say 'it will be O.K."
As I laid on the couch later that night with Jazzy right behind my legs, I felt something strange -- a weird flutter in my stomach. Dan, who was at work, called right then. "I think I felt the baby kick," I said. But I wasn't quite sure that's what it was. A minute or so later, it happened again. This time, it felt like popcorn popping. I knew exactly what it was.
On the day I said goodbye to Emma, our baby said hello.

Wish list

Nothing to do on a Saturday night. Husband is watching the Twins play. I'm surfing the Internet for cute baby items. Here are some of my favorites:



Waffle crochet beanie, $9.99 from www.mylittlenoggin.com




Cloud b Sleep Sheep - Four Soothing Sounds From Nature, $18.86, www.amazon.com




"Let The Fin Begin" Terry Shark Robe, $30.00, babyaspen.com




C.R. Gibson Jack Bound Memory Book, $24.99, babiesrus.com

Nursery decor

I almost hate to admit this, but I've had our nursery decor/theme picked out for about two years. When I saw it, I loved it.



Since then, I've added the whole collection (rug, diaper stacker, hamper, mobile, wall hangings, curtains, night light and even a light switch cover). It's given us a headstart on decorating, and it's also completely neutral.

16 weeks down, 24 to go

We had our 16-week appointment this morning. Here are some highlights:

• We chose to do the AFP test, which is basically a genetic test that tests for possible birth defects. If it comes back high risk, that doesn’t mean something is wrong. It just means they send you to Sioux Falls for a closer look. I should know the results in 5 to 7 days.

* I also chose to see if I’m a carrier of cystic fibrosis. My doctor said about 40 percent of couples choose to do the test. If my test comes back positive, they’ll test the husband. It’s really a personal decision on whether you chose to do the test or not. For me, I’d rather know. Will it change how we proceed with this pregnancy? Not at all.

* I got weighed. I’m 16 weeks in and I’ve gained a pound. Not bad.

* We got to listen to the heartbeat. I still find it strange that the baby isn’t even located where my belly has ballooned. The baby is really, really low in my abdomen. My new belly (trust me, I had plenty of belly there before) is much higher. Still, the doctor was able to locate the heartbeat within seconds. The rate: 156. Four weeks ago it was 179. The doctor was really happy with the numbers.

* We’ll (hopefully) find out what we’re having on Oct. 28. At that point, I’ll be 21 weeks in. I was hoping it would happen a week earlier. In this case, I’ll have to just learn to be patient.

Buying things

Over the last few weeks (and trips to Minneapolis and Sioux Falls), I've gone on a bit of a buying spree. If it's cute and gender neutral, I've basically bought it. To my credit though, I didn't pay more than 50 percent of the original price for anything. And a few of the outfits in this picture were picked out by me, but purchased by the husband. One of the outfits was even bought by my mom.



Still, Dan "informed" me this week that I can't buy anything else until we find out if we're having a boy or a girl. Keep in mind that we're not finding out for another month. And then...he went and bought two onesies and a stuffed animal on Friday night. Sure, the stuff is cute (even Jazzy liked it) but is it really fair that he told me I couldn't buy anything else and then went out and bought something himself? I think not.

Blog roll

Throughout our challenges to get pregnant, I came across a few blogs that I really identified with. They got me through some of the rough times and provided a few laughs along the way. The woman who write these blogs are incredibly strong, inspiring and I'm happy to report every single of one them is now pregnant. Take a look if you get the chance.

http://ohhappymiracle.tumblr.com/ (Kristen is 5-weeks pregnant and has been a complete inspiration for me. I look forward to following along as she progresses through her pregnancy)

http://www.bustedplumbing.com/ (Kate and her husband Adam will be having their little boy around Christmas. She's an extremely funny, talented lady. When she announced she was pregnant, I was so happy for her)

http://ttcbabyblog.blogspot.com/ (Amy is due just a few weeks before I am. It's been interesting to follow along as we basically go through this whole thing at the same rate)

Here are a few more baby-friendly blogs I recommend:

http://dearbabyblog.com/ (Melissa gives great tips as she takes readers through the life of Everly, her little girl.)

babygrumish.blogspot.com (Good friend Jackie had cute little Zach this summer.)

mommyboots.com (Natalie lived through a miscarriage and now has her daughter Nellie)

http://raisingdakota.com/blog/ (A collection of parents, including me, sharing their thoughts, expertise, etc. on parenting)

First ultrasound

About three weeks ago, we saw our little one for the first time. The husband and I went in for our 12-week appointment and there he/she was.

As the ultrasound tech did her job, I asked about a heartbeat. “You’re a bit ahead of me,” she said. My husband told me to relax. “It will be OK,” he said. So I laid back and waited.

Here’s the thing about our story: Because it took the hubby and I much longer than we thought it would to get to this point, we actually had begun to explore adoption.
We scheduled an appointment with an agency and were ready to take the first steps. Two days before the meeting, I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. Still, I was frantic. Thoughts of miscarriage were constantly on my mind, and I couldn’t truly let myself get excited about having a baby until I felt like it was really going to happen. For me, that involved hearing (and seeing) the heartbeat.

So, as the ultrasound tech continued to look, I continued to pray. I noticed my hand shaking and tried to get it to stop. I thought to myself ‘If this doesn’t go well, hold it together. We can always try again.’ I tried to remain positive, but inside I was frightened. Dan tried to grab my hand. I gently pushed his away. If he held my hand, he’d see how bad I was shaking.

The tech didn’t give us any warning. She looked up as she turned on the sound on the monitor. And there it was. This is so cliche, but it literally was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. The heartbeat was fast — 179 beats per minute. And it was perfect. I'll never forget that moment.