~Weekend fun~

So first I want to say how happy I am that we DIDN'T end up going to the Panthers game yesterday. It was a cold, rainy day, not the type of weather I would have wanted to sit in to watch a football game so we decided to stay home and just have everyone over. The Bengals nor the Panthers played very well. The Bengals won but it wasn't because they were playing excellent. I was disappointed in both teams.

The weekend was great. Tommy had his game Saturday morning, then I took a nap. Afterward, my dad came over for dinner. My BF, Shayla, also asked us to come up to Dave and Busters but it was getting late and I was so tired that we skipped that. Sunday morning, I took Tommy to the skate park. It was right after it had rained a little so not only did it feel great outside, there were no skaters so we had the entire park to ourselves. That rarely ever happens so that was great. Once we got home, we had company over for the game and had Donato's Pizza. I'm not craving pizza at all, actually the thought of it turns my stomach so I had a sub.

Later on, I took Smores, Tommy's puppy over to a good friend's house. I wanted to see if she wanted him. Yes, it sounds bad that I took my son's puppy but Tommy didn't have any desire to take care of him and I was allergic to his dander so the best thing was to find him a better home. Tommy wasn't upset because we knew he would be in excellent hands. We've had him for quite a while but he has been unbelievably hard to potty train. I suppose that's with most little dogs but it isn't something I wanted to take on right now w/ the baby coming. Plus, 4 dogs is just too many. It's hard enough w/ 3. I did love that little Poco though but since he passed away, getting another puppy was just a bad idea. Since I knew that he would be in a great place, I have been upset at all w/ taking him to her house. He played and played w/ her other 2 dogs. I feel really good about our decision and if we want to visit, we can so that's also a plus. She has text me a picture of Smores and he's right at home. So happy that he's enjoying his new place and his new family is enjoying him. Tommy has been dealing w/ it very well considering it was his puppy. Honestly, call it pregnancy hormones but I never once felt upset about finding Smores a home. I normally would, but not now. It would have been hard on me any other time, but like I said, maybe the hormones are giving me a little bit more backbone and doing what I know NEEDS to be done. It was ultimately the right thing to do.Once the baby gets here, we'll look into getting another dog down the road. I really don't want 4 dogs at the same time since we don't have a large yard they can call romp around in.

Anyways, I'll be 12 weeks this week. So happy I'm almost there. Feels as though the time is just dragging by. There's not a day that goes by that I don't worry to some degree but I am confident that my RE diagnosed the problem and this pregnancy is going to go well. I will say that the Heparin injections seem to get harder to administer. I'm not sure if it's because of hormones but I seem to bleed a little more w/ the injections and they seem to hurt a little more. I remember a while back talking to a girl who was on Heparin injections and she mentioned that the further she got along, the worse they felt. At least I only have 24 more weeks of the injections vs. 36. I'm so ready to know the sex of the baby even though it's too early right now. I am excited to begin decorating and purchasing some really cute things. Even better that my sister is going to help me w/ everything. Seems like a lot has changed since this pregnancy, just seems like my family seems to be closer and pulling together instead of always gossiping and causing unnecessary drama.

On a last note, I'm still in school. I decided not to drop my math class since I'm passing and I've already put in so much time and effort, besides taking so many tests, activities, and lab quizzes. I didn't want to start over so my decision was to ride it out. It will all be over in December and I'm counting down the days. I am in a section that I REALLY love. Polynomial fractions are the best. Maybe because I just love fractions and this seems to be the easiest chapter so far. I did really well on my last lab quiz so I'm hoping the test will be even better. I have to be honest, I haven't studied as much this semester as I have the past semesters. I've been so tired that I don't put as much study time in. I'm unable to take the Vyvanse so it's really making a difference in my energy level. I usually take a nap after class or on the days that I don't have to go. I'm taking advantage of any sleep that I can get in. Right now, I'm going to bed between 8 and 9 pm and I still wake up tired. This baby is definitely wearing me out already. Does this say that him/her will be a handful when they get here? LOL. I've also been off of caffeine for months now so that's also impacting my energy level, however, I did ask for a decaf coffee last week and by the time I got to school, I felt like I was on some kind of speed. I believe they must have messed up my drink. I will have to stress the next time that it BETTER be decaf or I'm not going to be a very happy person. I don't want to do anything that can put the baby at any sort of risk.

Will update more later. :)

My little soccer player

~Busy, Busy, and MORE Busy~

This week has been so busy. I had school 3 days, Tommy had soccer 2 days, I had Dr.'s appointments 2 days as well as taking my dad for an MRI.

So the week began busy but that's the norm around here. Wednesday I had a Dr.'s appt. w/ my OB. It was a routine exam that is required by the state. So, the appointment didn't start off that well. As I went back, they took my BP and weight. I've lost 6 lbs btw since I got pregnant. They didn't prick my finger which I thought was unusual since I was there for some testing. I went back and the nurse said it was too early for the ultrasound but they would prick my finger before I left. I was NOT happy! I was already on the verge of tears wondering how the baby is doing and rightfully so! So I explained to her that having the ultrasound and the blood work was the main purpose of this visit. Well, my midwife apparently dropped the ball on the visit and didn't schedule it correctly. Needless to say, this was my first visit w/ an MD instead of a midwife. He was very friendly but had to do a very uncomfortable exam. Again, I was NONE too happy since I didn't realize this appointment was going to be all about the exams. My face was red when he did the exam because I was in pain. Gabe felt so sorry for me that he talked me through the exam and discussed w/ the Dr. to make me a little more comfortable. I was just happy when the exam was finally over and I could get the ultrasound scheduled. Oh, but before I forget, the nurse did say before I left that the MD would listen for the heartbeat and if he couldn't hear anything, then obviously I would get an ultrasound. I explained to the Dr. that if there was a higher chance that he wouldn't (meaning I was too early) then he needed to just send me to the ultrasound tech instead because there is NO reason to try the monitor and then us worry ourselves sick if there was a higher chance he wouldn't hear it. Luckily, he said that he should be able to hear it and sure enough, he heard a very strong heartbeat in the 170's. Yes, I do know that a higher HB means a girl, however, Tommy's was high and obviously he's a boy. LOL. Plus, I don't believe they go by the heartbeat this early to determine the sex.

After my appointment, I needed to get some additional lab work done but had to come back the next day since I had to take my dad to get an MRI. My dad has spent about every day at our house this week. I guess he just gets lonely. At least he's been in a good mood when he visits so that makes the visits really nice.

Tonight, we are taking Tommy to see "Alpha and Omega". I promised him ALL week that we would see that movie so that's what we are doing. Tomorrow he has a soccer game and then my dad is cooking out BBQ chicken and I'll make some things to go w/ it so he'll come over for dinner.

Sunday, the plan was to get Panthers tickets but unfortunately, it's hard to find 6 all together unless you want an end zone so I told Gabe that we could just have everyone over and watch the game on our TV. I would rather stay home to be honest even though I was looking forward to going to a game. I would much rather see a Panthers game when they get a little better. I didn't want to spend crazy amounts of money getting good seats if the Panthers didn't do well. I also didn't want to split our group up so it is what it is. I was wanting to cook-out Sunday but my mother in law says it's suppose to rain. Guess it's a good thing we aren't going to the game so we'll just order pizza or something. Whatever we decide to do, it will be fun and it will be nice to have everyone over.

Nothing else exciting it coming up that I can think of. Well, of course our Disney trip and I'm about to hit 12 weeks. I'm so ready to get past the 12th week. I'm still extremely tired and seem to fall asleep on command. I can't remember the last time I slept in but that's ok, it's preparing me for this little one in the spring. I'm very excited and even more excited that we got good news at the Dr.'s appt. Tommy is excited also. He tells me all the time to take care of this baby and make sure nothing happens to him/her. I know he can't wait to be a big brother. My parents are divorced but I told my mom the other day that when I deliver that I want her and my dad to both be there. That is fine w/ her and I can tell my dad is glowing over this pregnancy so it's very important for us to share this w/ as many family members as we can. My sister is beside herself excited. She's going to fly here and help decorate the baby room. She can paint really well so I'll leave all of that up to her. She is also very good at painting murals so I'm excited to see what she can come up with.

This pregnancy has both mine and Gabe's friends and families very excited. I'm so glad that we've been able to share our wonderful news w/ such great people which stood beside us through our ups and downs. I know it hasn't been easy but nothing in life is easy. This has been something we've wanted now for many years and the ones that have been there will definitely be a HUGE part in this baby's life.

As for now, we are all doing great and the baby is progressing just as it should. I doubt we'll be able to see any "parts" on the next ultrasound but we'll definitely schedule a time when we can. I want to decorate the room and go ahead and start planning so we'll definitely found out the sex. Not so sure I'll share that w/ everyone at this time since I would like to surprise most but it's hard for me to keep quiet over such wonderful news.

Oh, I have gotten my belly bump but like I said, I've lost 6 lbs because I'm just not real hungry. The girl that sits beside me in class even said she could see my little baby bump. I got some cute maternity clothes at Target the other day. I don't want to purchase too much since I doubt I'll have another one. I got something dressy because I like to feel pretty and dress up. I don't want to just let myself go because I'm pregnant, I still want to fix myself up because it makes me feel better.

Another thing I got at Target the other day was a Panther's jersey for my dog, HALO. He's so adorable! He'll be wearing his team gear on Sunday. I also got some Christmas gifts while I was out. I feel like when I have the energy that I need to take advantage of it since Christmas will be here before we know it and I'm not so sure I'll feel up to doing much shopping around that time. Now, if I can just finish my niece's Panther's blanket. :)

Today, I set up a photo shoot w/ a photographer. I'm looking to get some Christmas pics as well as some of the family and my belly. I'm SO excited to get some professional pictures done. I have a good friend that is a professional photographer and wants to take some of the baby for free. How nice would that be?

Anyways.......more to come later. ♥

~Interesting Weekend~

So my weekend began with an exhausted Friday. By the time the week was over, I was totally exhausted. I believe we all were. Every single one of us went to bed early Friday night. We got up Saturday morning to begin the business all over. Our Saturday morning began with Tommy's soccer practice. I'm so happy he's really enjoying this season. I was disappointed with some of the other players and their attitudes. At least 3 of the players acted out for the coach. The coach asked one girl to put her water bottle behind the net and it took her a temper tantrum before putting it back there. Then another girl was asked to run a short distance for not listening and one little boy just decided he was done with practice and walked off of the field. If there is one thing I can say about Tommy, he would NEVER act like this and if he did, he would be in BIG trouble. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing out of an 8-10 yr. old league. I expect this w/ the 4 year old group, but not ours. I hope his next practice goes better. His coach is AMAZING. We call him Dr. Olsen since he is an Orthopedic Surgeon. He is really stepping in there and teaching/showing the children the proper techniques of playing so they will be well prepared for the first game. Regardless of the other players, Tommy is having tons of fun and is excellent for his coach. We are so proud of him in everything he does. 

After the practice, I had to get ready for a friend's baby shower. Keona was in my CNA class so it was nice to see her again after several months that has went by. Everyone at the shower was very welcoming as I didn't know anyone but Keona. They had the normal, food, games, and then opening presents. I stayed for 2 1/2 hours but had to leave since I was headed to a surprise birthday party for my BF. 

We went to Wild Wing Cafe for a surprise birthday party for Shayla. When talking to her mom, she had suspected that something was going on but didn't know who all would be there. She was surprised to see us and some others there. I LOVE surprises so I was happy we could bring her special day in like that. Earlier that week, I had ordered her a Bad Girls Club (BGC) necklace and myself one of course. That's mine and Shayla's thing. We love all the crazy drama on BGC. HAHA! We tend to like a lot of the same things and have very similar tastes. I had also gotten her a couple bath and body products from Victoria Secret. I wore my necklace that night in hopes she would recognize it and say something about wanting one. We had talked in the past about getting the necklaces. Sure enough, she noticed the necklace and told her boyfriend, Antonio, that she wanted one and wanted to know where he needs to go to order one. When she opened her card, she was so surprised to see the necklace in there. She then put it on and I've seen it on in a couple of her pictures since that night so I'm so happy she's enjoying it. I'm the type of person that if you tell me you like something, that is what I will try to get you for your special day. That was something Shayla brought up, how I always get good gifts since I always remember what people have mentioned they would like. It makes their day just a little bit more special. 

So afterward, Clint, Kami, Shayla, Antonia, and Grayson decided to come to our house and hang out w/ me, Gabe, and Tommy to bring in her birthday. The adults (except for me of course), had a few drinks and then we played Apples to Apples. It was so funny. Gabe said something that made me and Shayla laugh so hard we had tears. She has one of those laughs you laugh at anyways so things are 10 times funnier. Gabe had one too many drinks I believe so anything he said, me and Shayla would crack up at. It was so nice to spend some time w/ Shayla since I haven't seen her since our beach trip in August. (which was a blast btw) That's a story for another day but we named these tortoises: "Alpatortoise O's", Left Eye Lenie, Venus, Betty AKA-Jackie Jo Loop, Deuce Turtle O, Scar Face Tortoise O AKA-Floyd, and Dirty Diana. It's a long story but basically they were "playing the piano" at the Alligator Farm in N.Myrtle beach. Again, something we laughed our asses off about! We're nuts but I like it that way...haha

We didn't go to bed til after 2:15 am and then I had to get up early to take a shot. My plans were to take the shot and go back to bed but I got a call from my dad around 7:20 that morning. I knew it had to be important because he knows we aren't usually up that early. I thought at first, well he knows I'm up so maybe he's just trying to call and talk to me but then thought, nah, it must be serious. When I answered, he said he needed me to take him to the hospital because he was in so much pain. A couple of weeks ago, he tripped on something and hurt his back. As of yesterday, the pain had radiated down his left leg and he could barely speak, muchless walk. Once we got to the ER, they checked him in and gave him and IV w/ some kinda pain medication called Dilaudid which is stronger than morphine. After a few minutes, he was feeling much better but still had some mild pain in his back. They sent him home w/ 2 prescriptions of a steroid and other pain meds. I took him home and went to Wal-Mart to get those filled along w/ getting him a cold drink and a sandwich. I felt so bad for him that he was in that kind of pain. I know he would have taken care of me if I needed it so it's always nice to have someone that cares about you enough to go out of their way to do anything they can to make you feel better even if that is getting the prescription filled, and a cold drink w/ a sandwich. My mom always gets me popsicles when I feel bad so I know how just the small things can mean so much. 

After making sure my dad was ok, I came back home and took a nap. I missed most of the Panther's game even though it was NOTHING to brag about. I can't believe the throws Matt Moore was making but I'm not him so I don't want to criticize. I did get out just a tad after my and went to Target with Tommy. There was really no good shows on last night so again, Tommy and I went to bed early. 

Today began pretty hectic. I had asked Gabe last night to have Tommy's clothes pressed and laid out this morning since Tommy had pictures. What do you know, we get up and Gabe is scrambling getting Tommy's clothes ready. He put 2 different shirts on Tommy just to find out that both had some stain that must not have came out in the wash. Then he didn't fix his hair the way I wanted and dressed him in hunter green and navy. What topped it all off was that we had to leave so Tommy would be on time and when we got in the car, I found out that he didn't brush his teeth since things were so hectic. Needless to say, I wasn't happy w/ Gabe at all. I have my own things that I do in the mornings so making sure Tommy is dressed for school is the ONLY thing I ask him to do which is becoming too difficult. These days, everything is too difficult for Gabe. Once I dropped Tommy off, I cried all the way home. I'm just sick of having to do everything around the house. Gabe does NOTHING unless asked! It just makes me sick so what we have both decided to do is hire a maid to help around here. That's the only thing we can do because we are both very busy people. I've tried cleaning out the closets to get rid of things but I have absolutely no help from my husband so it all becomes overwhelming. We have no storage space unlike most people, so our closets are packed full. Either we get rid of things or rent a storage unit. There are some things, such as holiday decorations, that I would like to put in storage and only bring them out once a year. That would definitely cut back on the clutter. Gabe did call me several times to apologize but I was so upset that it took me half the day to not only speak to him, but to forgive him. It isn't just this, it is many things that has led to my meltdown about it all. 

I went to school and have I mentioned that I can't stand that math class? I'm just not making much sense out of the material. I've thought about dropping it but I haven't dropped a class since I began school and I don't want that on my transcript, another thing I just cried and cried about this morning. I almost dropped the class but figured I'm currently making an 82.4 average which isn't great but it's passing. I really don't want to have to go through this class again so I'm trying so hard to stick it out. I'm not the type of person to give in so easily so I'll see how things go this week. If home life w/ school becomes too overwhelming, I'll definitely drop the class for the benefit of this pregnancy. I don't need any added stress which I wish my husband would understand. 

Anyways, so later today while sitting in the carpool line to pick Tommy up, one of my very close friends, Alley, called to tell me that a mutual friend of ours had taken his life. I was so upset. I had no clue that things were that bad in his life. He was always so friendly and funny. He went to school w/ me but graduated a couple of years before me. He came to the house on NYE w/ Alley and celebrated w/ us. We kept in touch on FB here and there. He would leave comments on my status messages a lot. It just breaks my heart that his family is going through this and his mom found him. It goes to show that you never know what is going on in others lives so you should never take people for granted. 

I hope my Monday will get better and at least the rest of the week. We have our ultrasound in a couple of weeks which I'm nervous but very excited about. 

Will post more after that visit.  

On a more exciting note, we got our Disney vacation planned. We are staying at the Universal Hard Rock Hotel. I'm getting very excited for our trip. :)

♥All the many seasons♥

Not only is it soccer and football season, it's also holiday season. This begins my favorite time of the year. I began planning for the holidays and enjoying the outdoor sports. In a couple of weeks, we are going to the Panthers vs. Bengals game w/ my father in law, his wife, another couple, of course my husband and I and this will mark Tommy's very first football game. We are going to try to get as close as possible so that this will be an awesome experience for us all but I'm more excited that Tommy will be going. He has wanted to go to a football game for a couple of seasons now, however, it just never seem to work out. Plus, this year, I'm pregnant so no alcohol for me. I'm hoping we don't get stuck somewhere high up because as any pregnant woman knows, you have to take a couple bathroom breaks per hour and plus, I really don't want to walk up all of those stairs. It exhausts me when I'm not pregnant. 

It is also fall soccer season. It officially begins today w/ Tommy's first practice on this particular team. He is so excited that he's ready to get in there and be aggressive, meaning, he's ready to try and get the ball and score a goal. He has played for 2 other seasons before but the other children seem to intimidate him, not this year though. I surely hope he does well but he is playing for a league that doesn't keep score because it's all for the fun which is a great thing to teach children about any sport. I'm competitive though so losing doesn't set well w/ me, however, I've never projected that onto my son, just myself when I play sports. I can't help to be a tad heartbroken if Tommy and his team were to lose but that's not what it's about so I certainly never let him see that tad bit of me wanting them to have won. I am a strong believer that ALL children should play some type of sport, whatever that may be. It teaches them discipline, how to lose and win, sportsmanship, teamwork, etc. I hope Tommy will always have the desire to play something no matter what it is. Well I take that back, I can wait on the tackle football, after all he's still my baby boy. :)

And lastly, my fav. of all seasons, the holidays. I've already talked some about the holidays in my last post so I don't have that much to add besides that we are all thrilled to be going to see Mickey this year for Christmas. What could be better? I'm a Disney fanatic so I'm the most excited of all. I believe we have narrowed down the trip to the MK, ICE, Discovery Cove, and Sea World. The other list was just too much in such a short period of time. The other thing I've been working on is finding a pet friendly rental house. I found several but one is very well known for his pet friendly accommodations. We will be taking the 2 smallest dogs and leaving all of our other pets for our pet sitter. I'm so against boarding unless we absolutely have to. I've already spoken to our pet sitter which comes over quite often each day while we are gone so I've got that lined up. Now to rent our Disney house which I plan on doing today at some point. Just want to make sure this is the place we definitely want to stay. Oh, and I got 2 Mickey shirts from Motherhood the other day to wear specially for our trip. Trying to make Mickey proud ya know...haha!

On another very important note, I'm officially 10 weeks today. Only 2 more weeks before we are out of the 1st trimester. The time seems to be dragging by as we are all on pins and needles waiting to get past that 12 week mark. It's extremely important to get past the 12th week since most women that miscarry w/ APS seem to do it around the 12th week mark. I am confident that we are going to be ok but I'm human, and still worry. I will not stop worrying until I have that little baby in my arms and then all the other worry begins, just the worry of this little miracle growing up. No different than the worry I had w/ Tommy and still do. They are my babies and I'm the worrying mommy. I had a little bit of a scare yesterday that I had to contact the nurse about. It wasn't regarding the baby, it was regarding the Heparin. I had an isolated incident that really scared me and had to contact the nurse to make sure I was ok. Since the incident was isolated, there's no worries. I monitored it throughout the night and this morning and it seems to all be ok. This had nothing to do w/ the safety of the baby, more about the safety of myself. Thank goodness all is ok. As for the pregnancy, I'm still getting sick every time I brush my teeth, I still feel sick about all the time, and I don't have very many food cravings. Matter of fact, food sounds pretty nasty to me. When I think of eating, my stomach turns. I don't miss many meals as I know I HAVE to eat for the health of this little one. I haven't gained any weight since getting pregnant, I've actually lost 3lbs but I still have a baby bump. I can't suck in my stomach any longer so there's no denying that I'm pregnant. Last night I was craving BBQ for some odd reason but wanted it from  BBQ King which is a good ways from us so instead I settled for left over PF Changs. I have to say, I didn't enjoy my dinner at all. The only thing that really ever sounds somewhat good to me is ice cream. That may have something to do w/ the calcium since when you are on Heparin, you need to be on a calcium supplement. Or it could be that it sounds more calming than any other type of food. Regardless, I'm trying to do the best I can in making sure this baby is going to come into this world as healthy as can be and if that means being sick everyday, I'm perfectly ok with that. 

~Is it the Holidays yet?~

So I got a wild hair the other day and thought I would plan a trip around the holidays to Fl. to visit Mickey of course! I've never been down to Fl. around Christmas but have always been envious of all the people that are on TV down at Disney watching the parades and enjoying all of the decorations. I LOVE Christmas, it's my favorite holiday of the year! Nothing could be better than enjoying all of the holiday decor and drinking hot coco w/ my family. I have a very small family that I really haven't spoken to in a couple of years. My husband's dad is moving so we really don't have anyone to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with this year. Well, I have talked to my family some the past few weeks but I believe that's mainly because I'm pregnant and they are all curious. I wish things weren't the way that they are sometimes but it is what it is. So, instead of worrying if we will spend the holidays alone, I figured we could spend it w/ Mickey. We are SO excited. I did a FB status and asked others what they thought and most have either went or want to go and the ones that have said it's definitely worth it. We are going to rent a pet friendly house and take our 2 smallest doggies but leave the big dogs here for our pet sitter. It's going to be such a busy time. We want to go to Discovery Cove, Sea World, The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and ICE at the Gaylord Palms Resort. I also want to make it to Downtown Disney and do a character dinner, probably at the Crystal Palace at MK.

I doubt I'll do a Christmas party this year, mainly because who will really come is the question. I know so many people but not really well enough to have them over to interact w/ others they don't know, plus, doesn't look like I'll really feel like spending all this money in a party if I would rather invest it on our trip. We are all so excited for the Disney trip and we have a lot to celebrate this year. It sucks that I can't ride most of the rides, but really, I'm just there to look at all of the decorations. I believe my mom is going down w/ us as well. That will be great not only so I can have company but so that she can also have a trip somewhere different than the beach.

So besides this, we had a pretty good weekend. We went up to my father in law's house on Saturday for a cook-out and stayed the night. We aren't sure when they will be moved for good so we want to spend as much time w/ them as possible. My brother in law, Allen, will be staying here so that will be good.

On another note, as far as we know, all is going well w/ the baby!. I'm almost 10 weeks. I'll be SO happy to get past the 12th week. I feel like the time is going by soooo slow. My sister even told me the time is dragging for that hump of the 12th week to get here. We go next week for some elective testing and another ultrasound. I'm anxious to see how the baby is doing and progressing. I'm still really sleepy and take naps about every single day, even if it's just for a few mins. I do feel as though my energy is beginning to come back just a tad which I'm so thankful for. Going to school 3 days a week, doing homework, activities, studying for lab quizzes and tests is so hard being this tired. I still haven't decided if I want to drop the class or not. I've never dropped a class so I don't really want that on my transcript but if I can't seem to find the energy to study, I also don't want a D or an F on my transcript. I've been in there for a few weeks already and don't really want to start over but I don't seem to be getting a lot of the logic, mainly word problems. OMG, those are the worst and those are the ones that count the most! UGH!

I'll update more later, got good shows coming on tonight that I've gotta go watch. :) YAY for the fall season of TV shows.

~9 weeks~

Well I just typed up a long journal entry on babyzone but somehow it didn't save so I'll try my best to remember all that I had said.

We will be 9 weeks tomorrow, 09-09-2010. We went to the ob yesterday and got an ultrasound. The baby looks GREAT and has a heartbeat at 171 bpm. We got pics to take home and decided we would share our news with our friends and family. We both wanted to wait until we were out of the first trimester but things look as though they are going so well, not to mention, I'm ready to wear maternity clothes. LOL! Something to accommodate this growing belly. I've actually lost weight which I can't believe since all I crave is milkshakes, McDonald's fries, and salads. Oh, not the good, healthy salads, the ones w/ homemade ranch! yummy! Well, I suppose I can see why I've lost since I haven't really been eating that much since I had to limit lunch meat. I love a good sandwich so now that I can't really eat those, I'm limited on what I'm craving. One thing that I found that I still like is the Subway Buffalo chicken sandwich. I don't believe they consider that chicken as a packaged meat so I had one yesterday and it was SO good!

I've also been very sleepy lately. I go to bed between 8 and 9 pm which is very early for me, however, I do get up between 6:30 and 6:45 am so I guess that would make sense. I have to take Heparin twice a day and you have to pretty much take those about the same time every day so I'm taking them around 7:15 am and pm. They really suck since I don't like needles and especially because I'm bruising so badly. It looks like Gabe has been pinching me on the backs of my arms...haha...but no worries, it's only the injections. I have bruises on my arms, abdomen and my upper thighs. I'm running out of places to administer the medication without going through one of the bruises. While I was at the beach over Labor Day weekend, I did purchase some bruise cream and I think it does work. Guess I'll continue to use that and see if it helps.

When we got the ultrasound yesterday, we were so nervous but also very excited. I saw Hallie, the midwife that delivered Tommy. She's just so sweet and said hopefully she'll be able to deliver this one as well. She knew we would be on edge without an ultrasound so she got us in really quickly to make sure everything looked good. The ultrasound tech, Salina, has delivered such bad news to us over the past several years that she was so happy she could tell us everything was looking good and the baby appears to be healthy.

I go back in a couple of weeks for another ultrasound and some elective tests just to make sure the baby is ok and developing properly. Since I'm considered high risk, I'll have more ultrasounds vs. someone that isn't. That is the ONLY good thing about being high risk. When I come back in a couple of weeks, I will see a Dr. instead of the midwife. Again, this is because I'm considered to be high risk. I will alternate between the Dr.'s and the midwives but when it comes down to it, as long as I don't experience any complications, a midwife will be able to deliver the baby.

It's such an exciting time but also very stressful. We haven't made it this far w/ any of the previous miscarriages so this is reassuring that things are looking great for the future. All I keep thinking about is how we need to get this house in order, clean out closets and re-do the baby room which is currently Tommy's play room. My sister said she was going to fly here and help me w/ everything once we know the sex of the baby. She also said they will be flying in next summer so that will give them the opportunity to meet our new little one.

Everyone is SO excited. Her kids are so happy as well as Tommy. Tommy is more excited this time than any other. I believe that's because we have the ultrasound pictures where the Lima bean actually looks like a baby now. You can see the eyes, belly, arms, and the legs. It is more real which has made Tommy really excited to be a big brother. I know he's going to be the BEST big brother EVER! He is taking such good care of his mommy and has vacuumed the house as well as asks me if he can get me something to eat. How sweet is that? He is going to make the best husband one day when he has a pregnant wife with cravings. Looking back, I think this is the perfect time to have another little one. I believe it's more special because Tommy can help out so much which will make him a huge part of the baby's life. We were looking at the ultrasound picture yesterday and I was telling him the baby looked like a little Alien. He got really tickled about that! He also asked me yesterday if I wanted chips but I said no and he said it was because I had eaten some the day before. HAHA! Then he asked if he could bring me a mini Hershey's bar. Of course I never turn down chocolate. :) See, told you he will make a great husband one day for his pregnant wife.

I'll try to post updates as we progress. We are all very excited and have really felt special with all of the out pour of prayers, thoughts, and love that we've received from our friends and family. We are so thankful that every single one of them stood by us throughout some of our hardest/saddest moments. They have really made our family feel more positive about this pregnancy than any of the previous ones and also give us hope that we will have us a healthy baby around April 2011.

Will post more later. :)

8 weeks

8 weeks

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