Dear Santa, I Would Like Sleep for Christmas this Year.

It has been an amazing two months of lots of ups and downs and sometimes sideways. Though it is hard for me to believe, Layla is already coming up on 9 weeks old. Last week we went to her 2 month doctor appointment and learned that she is 10lbs 8oz! She has completely outgrown her newborn clothes(which of course required a new wardrobe) and I don't think she'll be in the 0-3 month clothes for long. According to the doctor she is looking great. She is in the 38th percentile for weight, which is a vast improvement over the 9th, which is where she was when she was born. Her height and head measurements are also very proportionate.

All of that good growing aside, she was also due for her very first vaccinations...4 to be exact...the first was oral, and you would think it would have been a piece of cake. Probably would have been too, had Layla not choked on it and stopped breathing briefly (btw, scariest moment of my life!). We had 3 nurses in the room and everyone panicked, luckily Matthew scooped her up and got her breathing again (way to go Dad!).

Then came the dreaded shots. My mom told me when I got pregnant that watching your baby in pain is the most heartbreaking thing you will ever endure and holy cow was she right!! Three shots right in a row and Layla was one unhappy camper. However, she was not alone, Matt and I were also lucky enough to get shots that day as well for the swine flu vaccination. I don't know about Matt, but that stuff just doesn't even phase me anymore after playing a pin cushion in the hospital, and every 2 weeks since for blood work. Speaking of which, I am still on blood thinners, hence the bi-weekly blood work, but I am feeling much better. I am totally off of pain medication, though I still have pain, I am able to get through it on my own.

Other than that, Matt and I have been completely on our own with Layla for over a week now and we are getting the hang of it. Sleep is tough because we found that she sleeps well in our bed but moving her once she is asleep is next to impossible. I'm sure we'll figure it out with time and we are looking forward to the 3 month mark when according to everyone with kids, it starts to get a bit easier.

Watching her grow and learn has been amazing and rewarding and a little sad at the same time. I so wish she would stay a tiny baby for so much longer because it just goes too fast. This is my only chance to do things this way and I want to cherish every moment! She is just the cutest little bug!!!

Learning to Live Again

The last month has been a blur. I have been working hard on my own physical recovery, learning to be a mom and dealing with the incredible emotional pain of the loss of future pregnancies. The physical recovery is frustrating. I am thrilled to be back at home in my own house, but at the same time there is so much that I want to be able to do that I still am not ready for. I can deal with leaving the housework to Matthew and my mom, but it's very upsetting that I cannot stand long enough to soothe my crying baby. I know it will happen eventually, but tell that to her sweet little face when all she wants is to be bounced around for a few minutes to help her quiet down.

Layla is a wonderful addition to our family and I could not ask for more in a daughter. She is adorable and has a very sweet personality. I see so much of myself and Matthew in her. It is amazing to both of us that she is growing so well and thriving considering how difficult her birth was on me. We feel so very blessed. I am adjusting to the fact that this little person depends on me for everything and having my mom here has been so great! There have been many times that Matt and I just look at each other completely clueless as to what to do next and my mom has been there to guide us or give us a much needed break. Matt returned to work this week and that has not been easy on him or us but I'm sure we will adjust eventually.

The emotional part of recovery has been most difficult for me. I don't know if that would be the case for anyone in my situation or if it's just that I am a relatively non-emotional person and crying on a daily basis is hard. It hits me at the most random times and sometimes for no reason at all. I find that being around pregnant women is very painful as are trips to the doctor where pregnancy is everywhere. I find that I swing from being sad to angry to frustrated and sometimes all three at the same time. It is a hard thing to deal but I know I'll make it through, I would just rather it happen sooner than later. I could not have made it this far without the love and support of our family and friends. I feel so blessed to have these people in our lives and love them all very much.

Here's hoping for continued recovery on all fronts.

The Arrival of Our Beautiful Baby Girl and the Unexpected Complications

I would like to start off by saying that though I know my typical posts are littered with humor and sarcasm, I feel that I could not adequately express the events of the past week without a great deal of seriousness.

The entire chain of events began last Wednesday, October 7th with our regularly scheduled doctor appointment. We arrived at the appointment and after the normal testing, found that I was in fact suffering from preeclampsia and the doctor wanted me to go for an ultrasound to determine how the baby was doing and if induction should be the next course of action. On the way to the ultrasound, our doctor called and informed us that after the ultrasound she wanted us to go straight to the hospital to be induced. We were excited but also overwhelmed as my bag was still at home.

The ultrasound revealed more news, the baby though very healthy was still breech. She could not be turned so instead of checking in at the hospital for induction it would be for a c-section. This was a little upsetting and scary but I was dealing with it. The doctors in OB assured me that I was a great candidate for a future V-BAC(vaginal birth after cesarean) which was a huge comfort as that is something I truly wanted to experience with future children.

That evening at 5:30 we went to the OR for the delivery. I went through the medication and the c-section with very normal results. We were even joking with the doctors and singing, it was actually fun. At 6:10PM our baby girl, Layla Corinne Trahan, made her appearance and we were overjoyed! She was perfect in every way and I loved her instantly. I saw her very briefly on the way to be checked out by the doctors. They then handed her to Matt and he sat with me for a little while while they worked to finish the surgery. They then told Matt it might take some time and that he could go out and spend time with the baby. About 2 minutes after he left, everything changed. There was a definite turn in the doctor's demeanor and I was starting to get scared. I heard them begin to move faster and call for more blood. More doctors started entering the OR and shortly after that, they said I needed to be prepped for a hysterectomy. I panicked and began to lose it and cry uncontrollably. That is the last thing I remember before I was put out so they could try to save my life. A surgery that typically takes an hour stretched to almost 5 hours. The doctors worked furiously to save me as I hemorrhaged. In the end, I lost 4 liters of blood (over half my blood volume), all of my clotting factor and to my devastation, my uterus.

I woke up at 2AM in the ICU with a tube down my throat, which they removed relatively quickly and the first words out of my mouth were, "did they take my uterus?" Matt told me they did and we both cried. That was probably one of the hardest nights of my life. The next day was a blur of faces coming to see me in the ICU, Matt and doctors and Matt's family as I drifted in and out of consciousness. They asked me regularly if I wanted the baby but I was not ready to face her, I was so out of it and really could not carry a coherent thought. The next day I was moved up to the Postpartum unit and the baby moved in with me. I was still too weak to hold her so for almost two days I just looked at her. Both my parents flew out immediately along with Matt's parents and siblings. It was so helpful to have them there.

Physically, I had a lot of recovering to do and I was not even ready to deal with the emotional part. I began improving relatively quickly but several days in I had pain in my back and some trouble drawing a deep breath, it eventually went away and I forgot about it. Matt and my mom took turns sleeping at the hospital with me and Layla was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, October 11th. She still stayed with me during the day but I sent her home at night so I could sleep, which was torture as I had started to hold her and didn't want to be away from her.

Then on Monday, October 12th I was hit with more rough news. After a CT scan to determine the source of mild fevers I had been having, they found that I had 3 blood clots from the surgery, one near my right ovary, another in a major vein in my belly and a third thrown from the second, in my lung(the source of my back pain from a few days prior). This was a scary and frustrating diagnosis that sent me back to the ICU. Luckily they placed me on lots of medication to thin my blood and help the problem and I only spent a full day in the ICU before I was moved back up to postpartum yesterday.

Things are improving now and I am supposed to be in the hospital for another 4 or 5 days just to ensure that they get my blood thinning medication right before they send me home. I am feeling better but I still have a long way to go before I am well. In addition to the physical issues, I am now starting to deal with the emotional aspects(not by choice of course as I would hope to remain strong and never think about it, however, it is just not possible).

I never anticipated this is how my pregnancy, which was relatively smooth, would end up. I am absolutely beyond devastated at the loss of my uterus at the age of 25 and am trying to figure out how I will deal with that. I have always wanted many children and looked forward to future pregnancies. Regardless of how many options I may have, I feel that a grieving period is necessary to try to move forward. I do however, feel so so so so fortunate not only to be alive, but also to have a beautiful baby girl who is perfect in every way. I was told by every doctor involved that the typical person would not survive what I went through. It as been quite a ride and I look forward to being at home with my new family.

I would like to thank all of my family and wonderful friends for their well wishes, prayers and concern. I look forward to being able to see everyone at some point and we are still planning a trip home to Chicago for Christmas as well. I feel so fortunate to have such great doctors and to be here to tell the story. I hope that you all will forgive me for not being able to communicate as I try to recover. I love you all and look forward to sending lots of pictures.
<3 CT

Nothing But a Waiting Game Now

Hard to believe we have come so far! We have just hit the 38 week mark and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our daughter. We are now going to weekly doctor appointments and can't wait for some new developments. I have started having contractions much more often. They come on pretty strong at night and last for hours at a time, however they have yet to become intensely painful or at any sort of regular interval. I am also having them during the day but with less frequency.

Matthew and I are hopeful that this means my body is preparing for delivery in the near future. I am still 13 days from my due date, but we are both hoping that she will make her appearance before then. We are so ready to meet our little one and are excited about moving on to the next step in our lives. At the same time we are doing our very best to enjoy every moment that we have left as just the two of us.

This weekend we celebrated Matt's birthday. We started off by having some friends over on Friday and then had dinner out at one of our favorite places on Saturday night. Unfortunately, Matt ended up having to work for part of the day but it allowed me to take the time to nap (they are so important these days as I am constantly exhausted). It was a wonderful time out and we're now feeling very ready to become a family of 3.

We are back at the doctor this week and are hoping things continue to progress as the waiting is a torturous process!

Doctor Says Relax...Much Like Frankie

At my last two doctor appointments my blood pressure has registered as elevated. Afte the last appointment, our doctor advised me to go on modified bed rest. This is not a terrible thing and I could see most people welcoming the break. Unlike full-on bed rest, I can still move around and even go out sometimes. I am just instructed to lay off the house work and errands and stay kind of quiet, as my doctor put it, "lay low." I'm doing my best, but for someone that is always on the go, it's not easy. Add to that the fact that we live in a 3 story house and I spend my days running up and down stairs also does not help. Matthew has been wonderful as usual, running all over the place for me and even making that third trip up the stairs when I've forgotten yet something else that I absolutely must have :)

Other than that, things are going well. Our little girl is very strong, though I fear she may be attempting to make her exit through my belly button. She spends a significant part of each day trying to push her way out through the middle of my abdomen leaving me looking very misshapen. It is definitely not comfortable though I don't think she is all that concerned with my comfort level. Sleep is as elusive as ever, but honestly I think that's just as well, since in a few weeks time I can kiss it goodbye altogether. This is just good practice I suppose.

Matt and I are getting very excited to meet our little one and spend a lot of time talking about what it will be like when she is finally here. We are also finishing up all of the prep work we have to get done. Matthew is a trooper, knocking things off the "D Day" list all the time. We are also making it a point to try to do lots of fun things and enjoy our last few weeks as a childless couple. We are most excited about the Pearl Jam concerts (yes that is plural) we'll be going to next week! We are going to two nights of shows back to back and can't wait. We haven't seen them in 3 years! It should be a good time and I figure as long as I spend those days doing nothing and sit through most of it, I should be fine.

We have another doctor appointment in about a week and from there we are down to weekly appointments to check my cervix for changes! So exciting, and it's going sooo fast! We'll be parents before we know it!

Maternity Photo Shoot

Last weekend Matt and I did a maternity photo shoot with our friend and amazing photographer, Kevin Wong. We started off at our house and then moved down to Alki Beach here in West Seattle to finish up. The whole shoot was a lot of fun and we both felt very comfortable. We got the pictures back and could not be happier with the result. The pictures turned out really well and were exactly what we had hoped for. It definitely feels like we captured this time in our lives in an amazing way. Granted, I was feeling extremely large and I was very concerned about double chins and love handles, but I feel like we avoided photographing those unfortunate side effects of pregnancy. Yay!

I have been growing at an astounding rate these days as well. I tried to put on a pair of pants this morning that I wore LAST WEEK just to find out that they no longer fit. I suppose that is something I'll have to get used to for the next two months. Our little peanut certainly is taking up a lot of space. I'm pretty sure that she is still head up as she likes to push it out, which is not terribly comfortable. Matt and I are going to make a concerted effort to go for regular walks in the next two months to help coerce her into the head down position in time for delivery.

We have also attended a couple of childbirth prep classes in the last few weeks and though I feel pretty well educated already, I have picked up some important information on breathing tactics as well as the medication options available during labor. As crazy as people may think I am, the more I learn about these medications, the more I would prefer to have a natural delivery. Matt and I agree that our birth plan will be flexible should I change my mind or that we require medical intervention, however, I am going to do my very best to do this without the help of medication. I don't think that people realize that every woman's birth experience is different and though there is always an EXTREME amount of pain involved, there are plenty of women out there that can make it through on their own. The only frustrating thing is that anytime you tell anyone that you hope to have natural delivery, they launch into every horror story of labor they know of...as if that is supposed to make me feel better...where's the support people??!!

Sugar is Bad, and Yet Oh So Good!!!

We went this week for our regular doctor's appointment with the added fun of a glucose test to screen for gestational diabetes and a RhoGAM shot (in the butt, ouch!). We arrived and were sent directly to the lab to get a glucose drink, basically sugar in a 10 oz bottle that is fruit punch flavored. You get 5 min to drink the whole thing and then must wait an hour. It really is disgusting stuff! I was pretty light headed and nauseous after chugging it, not something I would recommend first thing in the morning...

We went through our normal exam while we waited and our doctor found that my uterus was measuring a bit small for 29 weeks. She said that to be sure the baby was developing properly, she would send us over for an ultrasound. I then got the horrible RhoGAM shot which is required if you have a negative blood type (had some trouble walking for the rest of the day, though Matthew found it utterly hysterical). I have another one to look forward to when the baby is born as well, yay!

After waiting out the rest of the hour I had my blood drawn for the glucose test and hope to find out the results soon. If I do not pass the one hour test, I have to go back to do the 3 hour test, which consists of 3 disgusting sugar drinks and waiting around for 3 hours, trying not to throw up...here's hoping I pass!

We then went directly across town to our impromptu utlrasound. It was wonderful to see our little peanut! She is getting so big and has absolutely beautiful features from what I could tell, though I may be biased :) We were also offered a 3D picture of her, however our ever stubborn daughter would not cooperate. She kept covering her face with her hands making it impossible for the tech to get a good picture where she didn't resemble a mutant. So although we didn't get a 3D picture we did learn that she is healthy and growing just fine. She is a little bit small, but let's face it, Matt and I are not big people and I doubt I am destined for those crazy 12lb babies. She is however weighing in within normal range at 2lbs 14oz and my uterus measured small because she was folded in half in the breach position at the time. It was exciting to see her, as always, and we are really looking forward to meeting her in a few short months!

It's Hot, Hot, Hot in Seattle and it Makes for One Uncomfortable Pregnant Cori!

We have had and will continue to have for the next week, record heat in Seattle. Not so good when you're packing 20 extra pounds and another human being inside your body. I have had quite a bit of trouble sleeping, even when Matt is all covered up, I'm finding myself sticky and uncomfortable. Today was the start of the really hot weather they were predicting. The temperature reached 95, though I assume the heat index was well over 100. I know that I, as a Chicago girl who grew up in a house with no A/C should be completely used to this but I have become somewhat of a weather wuss in the 3 years I've lived here....oh yeah, and the pregnant me has zero tolerance for heat!

I must say though that I am also extremely fortunate! Matthew and I live next door to two of the most generous people I have ever met. Our neighbors are suffering right along with the rest of Seattle in this heat with no A/C and yet tonight they brought over an air conditioning unit that they had in storage for us to use. It is the nicest thing I could imagine! I know that I will finally be able to sleep tonight (at least between trips to the bathroom) and I won't need to go wander a store aimlessly tomorrow just to get out of the house. I couldn't be more grateful!

Two Very Scary Rounds at the Hospital

Round 1:
At the start of the 4th of July holiday weekend Matt and I both suffered from a case of food poisoning. The following day, I woke up feeling much better but about half way through the day I started to experience a pretty bad pain on my left side. I chalked it up to gas from the food poisoning, however soon came to realize that it might be something else. By 10pm I was in agony (or so I thought). A quick call to the doctor and we decided it was a good idea to get it checked out. We went to OB triage in the hospital that we will deliver at in October and they ran a battery of tests. They came to the conclusion that it was either a case of gastroenteritis or .... kidney stones!
Duh! that's when the lightbulb went off...I have kidney stones. They were found when I had a CT scan 3 years ago for unrelated reasons. I have never passed them. Once I filled them in on my lurking condition they decided that must be what it was and prescribed Percocet and sent me on my way since the baby was doing just fine. It was a long night but by the time we left the hospital at 5:30am, I was feeling better.
Round 2:
The entire week after the first episode of pain, I was feeling great. Went back to my normal routine and even attended yoga, all was good. Then on Saturday I woke up to some odd discomfort that I could not really place. I didn't think much of it as it was not really pain. Then in the afternoon, I laid down to rest and the pain started. It hit me like a ton of bricks in a matter of minutes, this time on the right side radiating down from where my kidney lives. Matt came in and I was writhing in pain. We quickly called the doctor and she told us to head back to OB Triage immediately!
We made it to the car and by the time we left the neighborhood I was in tears. Half way to the hospital and the contractions started. They were incredibly intense and that coupled with the kidney pain, I thought I wouldn't make it. We arrived at the hospital and I was wheeled upstairs and they began working on the tests and trying to get it figured out. I was in so much pain all I could do was try to focus on my breathing. Eventually they got an IV in and delivered some much needed pain medication that stopped the contractions. It had little to no effect on the kidney pain but I could deal a little better. They ran the same battery of tests and came up with same results, couldn't see the stones but are assuming that's what it is. They were very concerned and did find a bit of an infection which required some antibiotics. Luckily, again, even with all of the contracting, the baby is doing just fine. The pain this time was something I could not imagine having to experience again. The doctors and nurses told me that what I experienced was much worse than childbirth pain so I should be good to go when the time comes to deliver.

So I am still recovering from all of that, but I am feeling better and our girl is doing just fine (huge relief). After talking to my mom I learned that gallstones are hereditary in my family (many of the women in my family have had their gallbladder removed). That could explain all of my symptoms as well as why they were unable to see any kidney stones, but who knows! We'll see how it goes, but I'm hopeful that I've seen the last of this. I have enough to worry about with pregnancy...

Pregnancy + Relaxing Vacation = Perfect Combination

We returned this week from the most wonderful trip I have ever taken! Our goal was not to plan to do too much so that we could focus on relaxing in the sun. We definitely accomplished that, but at the same time never found ourselves bored. We spent time by the pool (where I got sunburned like you would not believe...which was not part of the plan) enjoying some fruity drinks, all virgin for me of course. We took an entire day to hang out on the beach, where I hid under a cabana to tend to my horrible burn. Matt enjoyed the ocean though and did a lot of swimming. Speaking of swimming, that is the most wonderful cure for an aching pregnant body...someone should really spread that around. I felt fantastic in the pool!

We also did a day at the spa and had some very romantic meals. I felt so fortunate that we were able to take the time to spend together as I see that being hard to come by next year :) There was a lot of walking, especially on the shopping days which was not easy in the heat and the sun. As a result, I experienced my first contractions. Not exactly what I would call fun, and everything that I've read about Braxton-Hicks that say they are usually painless or cause mild discomfort, is complete crap in my case! I only had two and they were at opposite ends of the day but man did they hurt! I would imagine that they resulted from a lack of hydration (I know, not the brightest on my part) but once I got some fluids, I felt much better and am happy to report I have not felt a single one since. Our little bun has also remained extremely active which is a huge comfort to me (even though she enjoys keeping me awake at all hours with her break-dancing on my bladder).

All in all it was a fantastic trip and I would go again anytime! Matthew and I had a ton of fun though we are so ready to continue our baby prep. I will be starting prenatal yoga in the coming weeks and we have another doctor appointment next week. We will also be signing up for baby-prep classes soon which is all very exciting! Time is flying by!

Our Babymoon

Matthew and I will be headed out on our "babymoon" which will also serve as a second honeymoon for us. We are going to Maui for a week since it will probably be our last chance for a vacation for a VERY long time. I am so looking forward to spending seven days doing nothing but laying on a beach and catching some rays. Neither of us has ever been to Hawaii and it will be an excellent way to spend our 1st wedding anniversary. I honestly could not ask for a better husband!

On the baby front, I am growing bigger everyday, but have continued to carry very low... my mom and I have joked that the baby won't have far to go to come out because she is already sitting on my pelvis. She is moving all the time, particularly at night when I'm trying to sleep, of course. I love every minute of it though. It's also fun to see what makes her more active, ice cream seems to be a favorite...she is definitely taking after me :) I am incredibly entertained watching my belly move with her. Her movements are really packing a punch now, even Matt was surprised at the strength behind her kicks, he's convinced she will be a star kickball player!

Here's hoping we have nothing but a relaxing trip! ~Aloha~

Survey Says....It's a GIRL! Oh yeah, so do the experts...

Here we are at 20 weeks, the half-way point and we are more excited than ever! Yesterday we went in for our second ultrasound and learned that we are indeed having a girl, however, this information did not come easily.

Upon arrival at the ultrasound office, my bladder extremely full, therefore making me EXTREMELY uncomfortable, we checked in and were told that we did not have an appointment. I knew this had to be a mistake because my doctor's office had made the appointment and I was holding the appointment sheet in my hand at the time. After some digging we learned that my doctor's office never faxed the order for the ultrasound to their office. I was not happy to say the least, not only because I was standing around with my legs crossed trying not to let on that I may not make it through the conversation, but also because I had been looking forward to the appointment for a month and the chance to find out the gender of our baby! Luckily and due to some very helpful people in their office, they were able to squeeze us in, yay!

Thinking it would be smooth sailing from that point, enter our stubborn child...From the very first image that came up I could tell this would be no easy task, she was standing on her head and facing towards me, not exactly an ideal position for finding out gender, let alone looking at much else. However, I was able to do some bouncing around on the table and they brought in an ultrasound tech and a radiologist and with the three of us working very hard, we were able to look at every part of our little one and see that she is growing and functioning normally. They also were able to determine that she is in fact a girl, let's just hope their judgement is accurate as I already ran out to buy some cute girlie stuff :) All in all, it was a wonderful experience and we are sooo thrilled to be having a daughter. I am so very excited!

What we affectionately call "The Baby's Suite"

This weekend Matt and I finally wrapped up our first baby project, aka the nursery. It turned out really well and we're very happy with it. However, we have come to realize that it is actually nicer than our own room. We got all of the furniture in and set up, finished the paint touch-ups and put away the clothes and blankets that we have. We only have a couple things to add, like a few shelves and some decorative items for the wall. It's so nice to finally have a place to put everything pertaining to the baby. It was beginning to take over the whole house, though I have a feeling that it's inevitable when you have kids. For the time being we just have a house full of cardboard and styrofoam from all of the furniture and accessory unpacking.

Of course I feel much better having gotten it all ready, but at the same time we realize how much stuff we still need. Luckily we still have plenty of time, even though the days seem to be flying by. We are now less than two weeks from the halfway point in the pregnancy. We also have our ultrasound coming up and are very hopeful that we will find out the gender of the baby :)

New Milestones Every Week it Seems

About a week ago I felt the first baby movement. It was very faint and I had to concentrate very hard to make sure that what I was feeling was actually movement and not gas or other tummy grumblings. Sure enough though, it was not my stomach at all, but much lower and a fluttering I have never felt before. It did not last very long nor have I felt much since (only a couple of times) but it was very exciting and I look forward to more!

Our doctor's appointment this week also brought some excitement for us as we got to listen to the baby's heartbeat for the first time. We had seen it during our first ultrasound several weeks ago, however we had not heard it yet. The whole process actually made me a little nervous because it took my doctor a little while to find where the baby was hiding. She did find our little one though and he/she had a perfect heart rate of 163. It was interesting to listen to the baby's heartbeat over mine since it was so fast, mine sounded like it was beating at a snail's pace in comparison.

We've only got about a month to go and we will hopefully be able to find out the baby's gender :)

A Baby Shower and Elastic in my Pants

Just over a week ago, Matthew and I traveled back home to Chicago to visit with family, celebrate Easter and spend some pregnancy time at home (the pregnancy time is really more me than Matt). We got to see my brother Walter who was home from Iraq, whom I have not seen in over 3 1/2 years and I had the opportunity to show off my baby bump that is quickly becoming a hill. Matt left to go back to work in Seattle after 3 days and I have remained since I will not be home again until after the baby is born.

This past Saturday, my mom and sister, Tara, hosted a baby shower which was a lot of fun. It was nice to see family and friends and to talk babies with people who have lots of experience. We received lots of very cute gifts and have several items headed directly to Seattle for us. All of this adorable baby stuff is making me very excited for our little one to arrive. I am also looking forward to finding out the baby's gender as that was a big topic of conversation. Apparently "mother's intuition" is worthless since just about everyone at the party was wrong about the gender of at least one of their children. We'll see how this goes, I have been feeling "girl" for quite some time now.

I have also passed another major milestone this week(at 14 weeks) with the loss of my jeans. I am carrying the baby so low that my regular pants just weren't cutting it anymore. Matt of course was very excited about this as he could not wait for me to get the jeans with elastic in them...not sure why, but everyone has their own pregnancy excitement I suppose. I however, was not so thrilled. I have always been VERY particular about the jeans that I buy and it has come to my attention in shopping for maternity jeans that they are not made for skinny people. Yes, that may sound ridiculous, but in actuality not everyone gains weight everywhere on their body, nor do they start out heavy to begin with. So, though I may need some give at the waistband, I don't require any extra room elsewhere. In all of my shopping, I have found that I am a size 2 or XS in maternity jeans and they are hard to come by. They are also very expensive. Frustrating...but I can get over myself for the sake of the baby, definitely worth it. I did manage to buy one pair of jeans, but I'm thinking I may need a few more, considering that I have about 5 1/2 months to go. I will say though, I am much more comfortable in maternity jeans and I am no longer squishing the baby.

I have just under a week left in Illinois and then it is back to Seattle for our next doctor's appointment where we will hopefully listen to the baby's heartbeat for the first time! Can't wait!

Pregnant and loving it....for the most part

In learning from my dear friend Jessica (genius by the way) who recently had a baby, I have decided that the best way to keep everyone updated on the baby bakin' process is to start a blog. Hopefully that way you all can pass it along to anyone who wants the updates and I won't have to worry about forgetting anyone.

After 2 positive home pregnancy tests and confirmation from the doctor, the news of our twosome becoming a family of three began to sink in. We are beyond excited about becoming parents, however I did not anticipate the work that goes into pregnancy. I was symptomatic almost immediately with exhaustion, nausea and just about every other ailment that comes with the first trimester. Plus it doesn't help that everywhere you turn you have someone or some book telling you about all of the horrible things that can go wrong. The anxiety is something that no one seems to mention.

The excitement is definitely worth it though. Now that I am nearing the end of the first trimester and am starting to feel better, I am beginning to relax. We had our first ultrasound about a week ago and it was so thrilling to see the heart beating and our little jumping bean of a baby. Looking forward to all that is to come!