a late check out

so, baby girl is really enjoying her time in mommy's tummy..... at 40+ weeks.... trying to be patient, but it is SO HARD! we are so ready to meet her & hold her & i want to be able to move freely & see my knuckles again! but she's healthy & i am dilated (2cm) & 50% effaced, so there's some movement in that direction. it just kinda feels like ground hog's day.... everyday i think, she could be here today! & to top it off, her nursery, clothes, car seat, everything has been ready for weeks..... so not much more nesting to do. trying to sleep & read a lot, take advantage of "me" time..... but i'm so ready for "we" time! here's a pic of the nursery! & a pic of the mobile i made for her.... made it out of extra card stock from our wedding invites!

maternity photos

the weekend before jeff left, we got to do an awesome photo shoot with mike from jeff's office. he's building his portfolio & wanted to get some maternity shots & of course we wanted to document this awesome time too. we had a blast! the first shoot we got some amazing shots, but only shot for about 30 minutes, which included a double rainbow & then the sky dumped on us! but we got together again a few days later & got some more fun shots! check out his websitehere & if you're in guam, you should contact him & get some special photos done!

the double rainbow!

a kiss after the rain

2nd time shooting, the waves made sure we didn't stay dry for long

baby notes

to my dear sweet baby girl,

we caught our first glimpse of you yesterday. we saw your beating heart, your precious face, your long feet. you were stretching in my tummy, your body reaching over your legs with your sweet hands cuddled by your face. it made us so happy to see you & find out more about you. we haven't decided on your name yet, still trying to find the one that "fits". we think about you all the time & wonder who you'll grow into. you spend a lot of time moving around in my tummy & i like to think you can hear our voices talking to you. thank you for choosing us to be your parents. we love you very much!

preggo update

so i'm currently at 19 weeks (photo at 18 weeks) & finally got a doctors appointment for this friday (i'll be 20 weeks). i've been seen once the whole time i've been pregnant..... at 12 weeks. now there is kinda a long story here.... part of this is due to my trip back to the states. i had my 16 week appointment rescheduled for a week & half later so i could spend more time in the states & while i was stateside the clinic called to reschedule the reschedule.... so i had my new date.... july 2 & i would have been 18 weeks. well, turns out there was no appointment then, they had rescheduled me again & put my appointment at june 30, but no one ever called or consulted me. i had no way of knowing that there was any change. so long story short, i'm in the states trying to get back to make it in time for my appointment & i make it back a few days before. well jeff finds out from a friend that he ran into at the gym the day of our "appointment" that there is a change of command that AM & there were no appointments that morning & that i had a no show a week before.

so after calls of trying to reschedule, we finally went in to talk to someone & now we have an appointment! & i hope they removed it from my file that i was a "no show". i bought a commercial ticket back to make sure i was there for my appointment that didn't exist, that's how committed i am. but after all is said & done, i just want to see the doc & make sure baby is healthy & everything is going the way it should....

we might not get an ultrasound on friday, they said it was just a basic check up, but i'm gonna plead with the doc to see the soonest we can get one. supposedly at 20 weeks is an ultrasound & you find out the sex. i really hope they don't push us back too far. my sister has her appointment tomorrow & she'll find out girl or boy! so excited for her!! & here's hoping that her appointment goes well & that friday brings good news for us & i'm just a slightly worried anxious new mom with a healthy growing baby that just hasn't needed to see the doctor that often..... :)

the heartbeat

yay! we had our first appointment today & we heard the baby's heartbeat for the 1st time! 158 beats per minute! so excited!

11 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 11 weeks

Size of baby: Size of a large lime! - copied from Ash's blog, i read that at 11 weeks the size is more like a fig..... lime, fig....

Total Weight Gain/Loss: nothing really - i think between eating everything & then all the throwing up, i'm balancing out

Maternity Clothes: i haven't officially bought any yet, but wearing medium sizes & feeling that everything is very snug. i think this is the weekend i go shopping at the maternity store.....

Gender: dunno, maybe a girl. i still have a weird feeling they might be twins. i hope i'm completely out of my mind wrong.

Movement: Nope not yet

Food Cravings: everything, except anything bbq. i love citrus (like i am drowning myself in lemonade) but i think it triggers my puking.

What I miss: my family & being more active

Sleep: not very comfortable - achy body & lots of peeing keep me from sleeping through the night

Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, being forgetful (& sometimes stupid), headaches, body aches, smelling EVERYTHING

Best Moment this week: getting through an 1.5 hr of yoga after puking & not feeling well. & not pregnancy related, but jeff is now on the guam men's national team (soccer) & started training this week!

What I am looking forward to: the 1st appointment next week!!!

9 weeks & counting, um puking

so i got this template from my sister & she's doing the same on her blog & i thought it'd be nice to keep the family & friends back home updated on the preggo highlights. so here ya go.....

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 9 weeks & 2 days (who's counting?)

Size Of Baby: The embryo measures about 0.9 inches to 1.2 inches from crown to rump, or the size of a strawberry. The arms and legs are longer, and the fingers might be a little swollen where the touch pads are forming. The head is more erect and neck is more developed. Your baby now moves its body and limbs, and this movement can be visible during an ultrasound, but you won't be able to feel it yet. (copied from ash's blog)

Maternity Clothes: no, but i'm now in medium big girl panties & yoga pants & my tummy busts over my regular jeans & i can not wear a fitted top because i think i look really thick

Gender: i was feeling it was a girl, but after 2 days of violent puking sessions, i think she might be a he....

Movement: nope, but it'll be exciting when it happens!

Food Cravings: yes, everything that can not be found on this island... papa johns, panera, firehouse subs, arbys. other than that i will crave something & then when i eat it it's not what i'm expecting it to be. not very satisfied by food lately. oh & the puking, that makes eating not as fun. i won't go into detail.

What I miss: being close to my family. that's the biggest. other than that i hate that i miss going out & doing stuff because i'm sick.

Sleep: pretty good, minus lots of peepee trips at night & having pains in my joints when i'm sleeping.

Symptoms: nausea, puking, sore boobies, achy joints, being tired, being hungry, being dramatic (can i blame that on being pregnant?)

Best Moment this week: going to a friend's doctor's appointment & hearing the baby's heartbeat!

What I am looking forward to: my first doc's appointment on may 20! & getting out of the first trimester. this is not fun, but oh so worth it.

blueberries

well today i had an ob orientation at the health & wellness center on base. you know, talks on nutrition for the baby, dental health, when appointments will be & what they'll do at each appointment. i got very scared during the dental briefing because she showed us pictures of a pregnancy tumor that can happen on your gums during pregnancy. ok, i'm not the best at flossing & lately every time i brush my teeth i'm gagging, so i'm freaking out that i'm gonna get some big-ol-gum-growth out of my mouth during these next 7 months. anyway, there were about 7 preggos (including my seat mate vanessa, she works in jeff's office & she's at 9 weeks) in the briefing & they had us fill out our charts. which the charts are full of stuff - stuff you'd expect like past family history forms, genetic screening tests forms, etc..... then other forms like the one that asks you about your birthing plan. they get right down to it asking such questions as "do you want to change positions when you're pushing?" "would you like the use of a mirror to see your baby being born?" "would you like the lights dim?" "would you like to see the placenta?" i mean stuff i wasn't even prepared to think about. woah. & it's weird they ask us now, before we even get to talk with a doctor or hear the baby's heart beat.

they scheduled everyone's appointments for their 12 week (1st) appointment. but my doc is off island so i can't see him until 13 weeks.... that's a long time to wait to see the doc for the 1st time. in fact, my sister (who has the same exact preggo dates as me - we're both 7 weeks) saw her doc today & got a sonogram & everything! they even scheduled her c-section delivery. (she had a previous delivery via c-section) she'll have her baby nov 24! how exciting! it's crazy the way things work out..... mom will be there for ash's delivery & then hop on over here for grandbaby #2 (well, 3rd one technically, but the 2nd one to be delivered this year)

ugh, i just want to see the doc soon! it's hard to wait & wonder how my little seed is doing. i'm still feeling queasy, i have the nose of a bloodhound, i eat & pee all the time & have a little tummy pooch already. so exciting! the baby is the size of a blueberry now & has little hands & feet that are like paddles! (according to babycenter.com) more to come later!

an easter egg

ok, i've been just dying to blog about this & have waited over a week (which when you have a secret this exciting the week feels like FOREVER)..... so the wonderful news is...... we're pregnant! yay! we're gonna have a little baby! i just can't believe it! we found out march 27 after 2 positive home pregnancy tests, which i took after an intuitive feeling & a lot of pregnant talk 2 days before. a friend i do yoga class with told me she was pregnant on a wed, then on thurs i found out my sister is pregnant, so i just kinda had this feeling i should take a test & see if maybe i am too. well, it turns out that yes i'm on that pregnant train too. but my sister & i have the exact same dates! we're going through this together & i couldn't ask for a more extraordinary experience! it's wonderful!! our mom is over the moon thrilled that she'll have 2 more grandbabies on the way around the same time! but of course i'm on the other side of the globe so that puts a little extra fun/ stress into the situation. it'd be so funny if i was at home for the birth & my sis & i did this movie style with the doc running between our rooms catching those birthing babies!

so i'm (we're) 5 weeks preggo & it looks like the due date is set for dec 2 as of now. which is the day after jeff's birthday, 6 days before his sister's birthday, 10 days before my nephew's birthday & 11 days before my sister's birthday. i guess our families have something for december, or would it be march? heehee.

so i had been feeling great, not tired or sick, really not many symptoms at all & i'm thinking "oh, this pregnant thing is a breeze. i get to eat all the time, i don't have to suck in my tummy & people get to be excited for me & i get to gush about the wonderful news!" well, still gushing, but in between sickness now. i feel nauseous a lot, have really bad headaches, my back hurts & i feel hot all the time. which i'm always the person that has the thermostat set at 79 degrees & still need to curl up under the blanket on the couch because i'm cold.

but being pregnant is cool. just knowing that there is this little baby growing inside me, who at this point in time is the size of a sesame seed, it's just so incredible. my body feels different, my boobs got bigger (that was the only thing i noticed before we took the tests that gave me any kinda hint that things were different), my hips have gotten bigger (which my dance teacher did not hesitate to mention saturday when i took ballet class & told her the news, gee thanks) & my clothes are all fitting a bit tighter. time to get some bigger stuff. oh boy, not looking forward to moving up the size charts.

so i foresee a bunch of posts about this baby, my growing belly & our birthing adventures here on guam. i hope to continue to dance while i'm pregnant, i've been told your pirouettes improve when you're preggo, so we'll see. so that's our news! we're having a boonie baby!