9 Weeks, 1 Day

This is the precious onesie I bought on my way home from the clinic to tell Matt that we were having a baby. :)

If it's a girl, I'll sew a bow on it. And then the baby will spit up and ruin my pretty bow. But that's ok, because it will be our perfect baby. <3

Happy Sunday!

9 WEEKS!

Ok, so 9 weeks isn't a *major* milestone, but it's still pretty awesome! At this point, Baby Mac is the size of a grape....or an olive, but the olive picture grossed me out, so we're going to stick with grape. 

Baby's Development: Your new resident is nearly an inch long and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

When I first read the phrase "tiny teeth" I thought of cat teeth. Have you ever seen the bottom teeth of a cat? They are SO TINY! I can't imagine teeth even tinier than that!

Matt and I watched a video about conception and in utero development (it was a TED video, Keith and dad!) and the guy said that if the baby continued to grow throughout the entire pregnancy as fast as it grows in the first trimester, it baby would be 1.5 tons. Glad I don't have to give birth to that! Think about it, though. The baby goes from a few cells to weighing half an ounce in nine weeks. That's pretty amazing! Watching these videos on you tube just puts me in awe of this incredible miracle growing inside of me! (For those of you who are curious, here is the link to that video. It's a little under ten minutes long.)

Also, conception is a pretty crazy process. And kind of gross at times.

How I'm feeling and What I'm Craving: Still sick, but better. My sinus infection is gone, but I'm still having some congestion/coughing. My nausea/vomiting varies from day to day, but last night and this morning I had a bowl of cereal (something that I couldn't even think about without throwing up a few days prior) and it made a HUGE difference in my nausea. I still am not craving meats, seafood, or most fruits/veggies, and just want starches, but I'm progressing. My cravings for saltier foods have subsided the past day, too. I'm craving more bland foods. My energy levels are slowly increasing day by day and I feel more like myself. 

Baby and I slept through the night last night, and it was AMAZING! Matt and I (and Sirius) still took a nap this morning...because we could. We were going to go to Busch Gardens with Brian and Katie, but the weather was iffy, so we're going to go next weekend. Something to look forward to!! :) Hopefully my nausea will be better by then, too.

I just bought a maternity dress (clearance!), bra, and red cardigan (for a cousin's wedding in October) online from JCPenny. I am going to try not to spend too much money on clothes that I won't wear for more than a few months, but I *need* some support...and the dress was cheap. I want a pair of maternity leggings from Old Navy but that will wait! I bought some belly bands on amazon last night, which will hopefully allow me to wear pants I currently have instead of having to buy maternity-specific pants....because I'm having a heck of a time finding plus-size maternity jeans that are long enough (I wear a 34-36" inseam). 

I also spent about $50 on trash bags and dog poop bags. Ridiculous, right? But buying them in bulk saves so much money. 

I am very excited for my doctor's appointment Thursday, even though it's with my general practitioner. That means my next appointment (with the OB!) is just around the corner. :)

Happy Saturday!

(note: sorry for the strange white background on some of the text...I can't figure out how to get rid of it!)

Animals in Utero (link)

Matt and I ran across this link tonight, and I had to share it with you guys. Too cool!!

The Biology Blog: Animals in Utero

8 weeks, 6 days and BABY POOL!

I think I need to stop going on facebook. I've never realized how many pictures of food people post on there. And right now, anything can trigger nausea. Well, it's constantly triggered, but anything can make it worse.  And people post really disgusting pictures. Not just cute little mini dragonfly cupcakes with a cream center, but nasty, calorie-laden, heartburn-inducing, that-person-is-going-to-really-regret-eating-that-later kind of pictures.

Baby and I slept well last night, yay! I've been following Matt's sleeping schedule the past couple of days-in bed by 9, asleep by 10, and wake up around 5 (he wakes up at 4:30, ew). I used to sleep later than that, especially when my exhaustion was much worse, but now I'll wake up to pee when his alarm clock goes off, and I have a hard time falling back to sleep because I'm so excited about baby! I am also lucky to be able to nap during the day if I want, but I haven't been doing that much. 

My coughing didn't get better yesterday, so around 8 PM Matt went and got me some Robitussin (safe for pregnancy) and cough drops. Both really helped, and it contributed to us all getting a good night's sleep! He's the best. :)

We usually feed Sirius at 7 AM and 7 PM, but I feel bad being up for a couple of hours without taking him outside, and we feed him before we take him out in the morning and at  night (don't worry, we do take him out throughout the day, too). I've started taking him out earlier, which he definitely doesn't mind. Unfortunately, his pee and poo are both nausea triggers. I'm sure the kids at the bus stop wonder why the strange lady in her pajamas starts dry heaving every morning when her dog does his business. That life, kids!

I did eat Chinese last night, and it was deeeeelicious, but couldn't keep it down. Sometimes, food just doesn't agree with me. Other time, my eyes are bigger than my stomach, and my stomach can't hold what it used to....most of the time. The other night I had a huge vegetarian burrito, rice, and tortilla chips...and was still hungry. Not the "oh, I'll convince myself I'm still hungry because that tasted so gosh darn good" but seriously hungry. Who knows!

I am looking forward to my doctor's appointment next Thursday with my PCP, and my OB appointment October 9th (hopefully followed by an ultrasound soon after!). I'm also enjoying following my baby's progress. It's such a miracle! I'm also looking forward to seeing Katie and Brian this weekend (first time seeing them after finding out about baby). YAY! 

You're probably wondering what the Baby Pool reference is about, huh?

No, it's not this kind of pool.

Or this kind of pool (although ridiculously adorable)!

It's a Baby Pool game where all of our family and friends can guess the baby's gender, weight, length, and due date/time. (I saw that Cassie did this on her blog, so I can't say I thought of this all by myself. :)) You don't have to enter any personal information-just your relation to us and your name. Points are awarded for incorrect guesses. Whoever has the least amount of points at the end wins! What's the prize? Self-satisfaction and bragging rights! And utter humiliation for the loser. Just kidding. Wouldn't it be funny if I was the loser? :)

Click the expectnet.com icon at the top right of this page under or go to expectnet.com and enter the game name BabyMaclauchlan (no spaces) in the top left of the page where it says "Invited Guests."

Have fun, and HAPPY FRIDAY!

8 weeks, 5 days with first belly picture

I thought I'd be Miss Adventure today and venture out to Michaels (I needed some floss for a cross stitch I'm working on) and the grocery store to get some more snacks and tissues. Bad, bad, bad idea. Especially the grocery store. So many horrible, nauseating smells in there. Sorry, Matt, but I think you will be in charge of grocery shopping until my nausea gets better. Even Michaels was nauseating. 

Not much to update today. I was coughing a lot last night, but am not sure why. I feel bad because it kept Matt up for a few hours....and probably our neighbors. 

My mom ordered some books for us on Amazon about pregnancy (and one book of prayers during pregnancy!) that I am so excited to get...but I have to wait until Monday to get them. I'm on book 11 of the Left Behind series, so that should keep me busy until then!

The past few days I've noticed a big change in my body shape. My stomach is definitely expanding, but it's still at the point where people wouldn't think I'm pregnant, just fat. I think. I'm mean, I'm only (almost) 9 weeks, and I feel HUGE! I've actually LOST six pounds in the past two weeks because of my nausea (not a big deal because I'm definitely not underweight, fyi). I'm self conscious of my changing figure, especially because I'm heavier to begin with, but you can tell something is going on here. :) (Disclaimer: no makeup!) I have no idea how my stomach is getting bigger up so high when my uterus is so low, and I've been losing weight. Magic! Part of the large tummy is also bloat...way more of that going on that I anticipated, but apparently it's a really common thing in pregnancy. Also, note the black stretchy yoga pants. Because jeans are just too uncomfortable. I'm keepin' it classy. 

The thought of twins did cross my mind. How insane would that be?!?!? There's not really any way to know for sure without an ultrasound. We will be happy with whatever blessings are bestowed upon us. :)

My hair has been behaving nicely, and seems to be thicker and shinier (from the extra oils the hormones produce). I'll take that perk. :) I've never had strong nails, either, so I hope I can experience that for a bit during this pregnancy! I'm sure the prenatal vitamins help with that, too.

I have more energy today (hence the attempted...well, semi-successful outing this morning), but will sleep very well tonight because I was up so much last night coughing.  

Because I'm craving mainly salty foods (tex-mex, tortilla chips, pastas, potatoes, etc.) I need to watch my sodium intake. I bought some graham crackers today at the grocery store, which are about as sweet as I can do right now. I was craving caramel popcorn this morning (my friend Trineka makes it soooo good, but she's in California right now with her sister about to have a baby!), but by the time I got to the grocery store, it sounded way too sweet. The graham crackers hit the spot, and I kept them down! I had ramen noodles this morning (a few hours after my toast) that were super yummy, too. It was strange for me to be so hungry in the morning, but oh well. 

I have been craving sweet and sour chicken today. I miss getting Chinese with Matt's parents when we lived there. And Anthony's pasta and pizza, of course. It wasn't too long ago that their area didn't have any restaurants, and no pizza place would deliver. I love being so close to family, but they still feel so far away! But I digress. 

Matt and I decided that I am going to wait until the second trimester (just a few more weeks, towards the end of October) to start working. I'm lucky to even have this option. If I were working right now, I think I would call in half the time because my nausea/vomiting gets so bad. Now is not the time to add the stress of starting a new job, either. Money's tight, but baby is #1. It helps that family and friends think that's a good idea, too. 

I go to my primary care physician a week from today. Hopefully they will (finally) do some blood work, but it will be good to get my vitals taken to make sure everything is good so far. It will be my first time actually meeting my PCP, because the last two times I've gone to the clinic my PCP wasn't available.

We're praying every night and throughout the day (for our baby and baby Emerson, Cassie and Zach's baby who is 17 weeks right now), but would love all the prayers we can get! 

Also, and this is such a ridiculous 21st century issue, we're trying to decide how to tell our friends on facebook. It will definitely involve an ultrasound pic! :)

Happy Thursday!

8 Weeks, 4 Days (?) and Pregnancy Calculations

There are a lot of different ways to calculate a pregnancy out there with the most common being by the first day of the last monthly period (for me, July 29). There's also the date of conception (which we believe was August 3....if not, then it was August 20-something, which would mean I'm a LOT less than 8 weeks...TMI? Sorry!), gestational age, age based on in-utero measurements, etc. It is all quite confusing.

Doctors offices tend to base the baby's age by the last period method, which is what puts my due date at May 4, 2013 (Matt's birthday, too!). However, when we got the ultrasound, the gestational age (i.e. how old the baby is) was estimated to be around 7 weeks because of the measurements of my gestational sac.

If we base the baby's due date off of the date of conception of August 3, then baby's due date is April 26.

I'm looking forward to getting more information about our progress at my next ultrasound, which will be in mid-October! I'll also get some bloodwork done. :)

I'm still nauseous and vomiting, but my sinus infection gets better every day! It's not really an infection at this point (yay!). Yesterday was the best day yet, and today when I woke up I wasn't all snotty (but do have sinus pressure). I think I'll probably be stuffy for most of the pregnancy because a) nasal and sinus passages become more swollen during pregnancy, b) I have chronic sinus issues, and c) allergies.

I had a very emotional day yesterday and am trying not to worry about everything that could go wrong. I googled "empty gestational sac" at 6, 7, and 8 weeks, and read that some women who do not see anything in the gestational sac end up having a blighted ovum, a type of miscarriage. Of course, that did nothing for my "stay positive!" frame of mind. However, it's important to note that most women can't see anything in the gestational sac this early on if the ultrasound is external, like mine was (on my abdomen). A transvaginal ultrasound gives much more detail, so hopefully this will be the ultrasound I receive in mid October.

My mom also pointed out that ultrasounds are a relatively new advancement. She only had an u/s done on my brother (who is 28) when she was 7 months, and that was only because she was measuring big so they wanted to make sure she wasn't carrying twins. I can't imagine going that long! For many years, women survived without utrasounds, so that helps to calm my anxiety a bit (although I am still very impatient)!

I need to trust in my faith in God and know that he is in control. I think that is the hardest part for me-not being in control of the pregnancy, or being able to see baby whenever I want because the military isn't as customer-service oriented as the civilian medical community (in general).

On to more exciting news...I'm definitely getting a baby bump! My lower abdomen starting to grow first, but now my upper abdomen is more pronounced. Of course, I'm not a thin person so I have to take that into consideration, and bloating can affect it as well, but I am definitely shaping up differently now than a few weeks ago. I think I'm getting to the point where I can pull off working the bump! It's amazing how many changes a woman's body goes through to prepare for baby.  :) I'm self conscious about taking pictures of my abdomen (which has never been my greatest physical feature), but might start doing that soon. I also need to get a maternity bra, and my pants are starting to feel tight. Not going to lie, elastic sounds so appealing right now.

This week I have been craving beans, rice, burritos, and tortilla chips. What?!?!?! I usually eat my main meal at dinner (I usually get less nauseous as the day progresses), and that's when I eat the Tex-Mex stuff. For breakfast and lunch I have a carbs (toast, pasta, potatoes) because that's all I can keep down. I was drinking a bunch of ginger ale when I was sick (I can't drink water when I'm sick because it's always made me nauseous), but am trying to switch to healthier beverages. I am drinking lots of water, apple juice, and just found Celestial Seasoning's Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea (well, technically Matt found it), which is AMAZING hot or cold with honey! I'd rather put honey in my body than aspartame or anything artificial.

I also found out I can't eat deli meats (cold cuts, bologna, hot dogs, salami, etc. unless they're piping hot) or soft serve ice cream. No Sweet Frog anytime soon, Aunt Kitty! I can't eat seafood, and haven't been able to keep eggs down, so my main protein sources are beans and chicken (although the only time I've had chicken was with my pasta on Saturday). It's a delicate balance trying to eat healthy for baby while being nauseous....and a generally picky eater with strange dietary restrictions. :)

The medicine I was prescribed for nausea, Zofran, takes the edge off nausea but doesn't work miracles for me like it does for others. I think I'll only take it when I really need to, because I don't want to put anything in my body that's not necessary...especially a chemical. Nausea/Vomiting in the first trimester is actually a good sign of baby's health...strange, but true! Not gonna lie...I'm jealous of those women who don't feel sick!

Baby brain is kicking in. I'm much more forgetful and spacey than I usually am. I won't say some of the silly things I've done because they're embarrassing, so just trust me on this one.

I am sleeping less now-about 8-12 hours a day, compared with 12-14 hours a day the past few weeks. My energy levels are slowly picking up (the sinus infection going away helps with that!), and was able to get some laundry/dishes done. That's progress.

I woke up at 3AM in a cold sweat, and started shivering. The past few weeks I thought I was sweating at night more because of weather changes and the dogs, but now I think it's pregnancy. I took a shower, and couldn't get back to sleep...although I didn't really try, because Parks and Recreation distracted me. This will help justify a nap later in the day. :)

Please keep prayers/warm fuzzies sent our way. We are so blessed!

We hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

8 weeks, 2 days with ultrasound!

A quick google search yielded an amazing find-a place called "Prenatal Miracles" that does 2D, 3D, and 4D ultrasounds. We caved. We just couldn't wait another couple of weeks to see our baby!

Well, we still didn't get to see baby (still too small, and my bladder wasn't full, despite the 982348 gallons-ok, 24 ounces- of liquid I drank). It was still such a relief to see the gestational sac right where it should be and to get a visual indicator of pregnancy.

My uterus/GS is measuring around 7 weeks, but that's gestational age, not based on my last period, which is kind of confusing. Either way, we'll definitely go back to this place again once baby is more visible!

Without further adieu....

8 Weeks, 2 Days

It's been five days since we found out we were having a baby, and it still seems surreal. Despite endometriosis and polycystic ovaries, God has blessed us with a little one growing inside of me! We are experiencing so many emotions-happiness, excitement, anxiety, fear of the unknown and what could go wrong-and hormones are certainly not helping with that. More than anything, though, we are thrilled!

At this stage, our baby is the size of a raspberry! Still small, but huge compared to the tiny mustard seed it was a few weeks ago!

Our first ob/gyn appointment is October 9, which seems like it's 928509825987 years away. It's not. It's really only 15 days away. I know I'll need to be more patient when baby comes, so maybe this is giving me a head start? :) We won't get an ultrasound at that appointment because it's a group appointment where we fill out paperwork and get educated on what to eat, how to exercise, etc. I want an ultrasound, and have never wanted something so much. Seeing our baby and/or hearing it's heartbeat will alleviate so many of my fears and concerns. Because we have Tricare (military health insurance), things work a little differently, but I'm grateful that we have such great insurance....I just wish we could get an ultrasound sooner! :)

I am feeling so sick sick sick. Nausea/Vomiting is horrible, but will be worth it! I'm recovering from a stubborn sinus infection, which isn't helping my energy levels (which are pretty much non-existent). It's nice to be able to justify my exhaustion the past few weeks! Looking back, there were so many signs that I didn't put together-a missed period (although that is not *that* unusual for me), fatigue (sleeping 12 or more hours a day), boobs that feel like they were used as a punching bag, and hormonal changes affecting my skin and hair (read: more oil). There were also the classing cravings (for me, hot sauce or buffalo sauce-we were at Subway a few weeks ago and I had to add about 4 tablespoons of hot sauce to my sub), heartburn (most likely caused by said cravings), and I am convinced my mother-in-law knew before we did because she said I had a glow about a week before we found out. Mothers know these things. My feet have also been really sweaty, but I get colder easier. Strange things, those hormones.

How I found out: I went to the doctor on Thursday, September 20, because my sinus infection wasn't getting better after a round of antibiotics, and my nausea/vomiting was getting worse. I had told Michele about it, and asked what she thought of me getting a pregnancy test. She said it couldn't hurt. I had taken many at-home pregnancy tests before we were told it wasn't an option for us. I was going to the doctor anyway, so they might as well check, right? When the nurse practitioner told me I was pregnant, I almost fainted. It took about five minutes for me to be able to speak coherently. Then I immediately felt like the worst person in the world for having wine a few nights before, and worried about how some of my current medications would affect the baby. I've switched to some more baby-friendly meds for certain conditions (thyroid, PCOS, asthma), but had to go off of my gout medicine. Hopefully I won't have any painful flare-ups! That will encourage me to eat better, too, though.

Telling Matt was one of the most exciting things I've ever done. I bought a Navy camo onesie on base (right after my doctor's appointment), and had him close his eyes when I got home. And yes, I made sure he was sitting down. When he opened them, he wasn't sure what to think. Initially he thought it was a dog costume (which I have been known to buy.....oops), then said "That's cute." I waiting a second, then told him he's going to be a daddy, and that I'm pregnant. He asked "Are you serious?"  (that'd be a horrible joke) about 15 times, then his eyes watered and he gave me a hug. Then he paced for two hours, not knowing what to do with himself, but grinning ear to ear.

We have only told our family and close friends at this point because we are only 8 weeks along (7 weeks when we told most people last Thursday). That was one of the best days of my life, especially because it was so unexpected due to my infertility issues. Everyone is so excited for us, which makes us feel so loved!  I think we will post it on facebook once we get an ultrasound and/or once we get into the second trimester. I am super happy to be back in Virginia so close to family and friends, and closer to my family in Florida. This will be the first grandchild for both of our parents. I wish my family lived closer, but am happy that we're on the same coast! Our baby will be very involved with family. That's the spice of life! Matt's cousin Travis and his beautiful wife, Jenna, live about ten minutes down the road with their two daughters, and one of Matt's aunts lives in town, too! Wow, I am really overusing exclamation points in this post. I am just so HAPPY! :)

We are down to one dog again, because our small dog, Tux, was not good with children. We didn't know that when we adopted him, but found out the hard way when 4-year-old Cameryn came to our house and Tux went crazy (Sorry, Cammie!).  He is at a cozy shelter, and I know he will bring lots of love (and craziness) to someone else or another family. Sirius, our black lab, is wonderful with children and babies, and all-around just the perfect dog. :) Taking him on walks is great exercise for all of us!

 

(Auntie Katie took this picture!)

I've learned that I can only keep down toast in the morning, and as the day progresses I have to gauge what I can eat that day. Some days are much better than others. We went to the Cheesecake Factory with Matt's parents on Saturday, and I ordered a pasta dish that was AMAZING, and I kept most it down. That made me very happy. Oh, so good. Just thinking about that lunch makes me salivate. Thanks again, mom and dad! :) At this point, it's a balance between what I CAN eat (due to nutrition as well as dietary restrictions from gout) and what I WANT to eat (due to nausea and/or cravings). I'm more focused on keeping food down at this point. I'm also eating smaller portions more frequently. Once the nausea subsides in a few weeks (hopefully!), I'll be able to focus more on nutrition and exercise.

Please pray for the health of the baby and I, and Matt's sanity.

Future blog posts will be shorter (........hopefully), but thanks for reading this essay! <3