Huh???

I know that every woman has a different plan for her birth. I know that every woman is unique and wants different things. I don't try to judge anyone for their decisions because even though they make decisions I don't agree with, I will still respect them as a person. I don't think that all women are as OCD about knowing about the birth like I am. But there are women out there that know more than I do, especially since they've been through it before. Either way, I KNOW that women out there do things differently than I do.

But something bothers me.. I was reading my EDD (expected due date) group forums and a girl that was due ONE DAY before me already had her baby. ONE DAY! I know Alexander is not ready to come out. The womb is a very important place for the baby's development. That is why they stay in there for 40 weeks. They need that time to develop and get ready before they come out the big world.

As I understand it, she had a C-section and the only reason she listed was because the baby was breeched. That REALLY confused me. I went to my midwife appointment today and I found out Alexander was breeched and I didn't bat an eye. I know he'll turn in the right position when it comes time for his birth. I know that there are things I can do to help him turn. My midwife even told me that they don't really look into that sort of thing till I'm about 34-36 weeks along which makes perfect sense. Why should it matter this early in the game where he is? Heck, he could be transverse and I wouldn't care.. Well maybe I would because that would be uncomfortable. Either way, I don't mind and as long as he's healthy, there is nothing more I could ask for.

So it is wrong for me to see this to be odd? Granted, I do have a bias opinion because I'm adamently against C-sections. I will everything in my power to not allow one to happen for me and Alex. Her baby came out to be just under 3 pounds and 13.5 inches long. That's under half the usual weight the baby is suppose to be! I know.. It sounds like I'm bashing her. I'm just highly confused. I will pray for her and her baby, that her baby will be healthy and there will be no long term effects from this. I also will continue to pray that Alexander develop in me as long as he needs to and that he'll come out healthy and strong, just like his father.

Speaking of my strong son, since he is breeched, he has certainly been kicking my pelvis lately! And it's not to a small degree! His kicks are getting stronger and stronger, and they are hurting more and more. He has been kicking directly onto my bladder and it HURTS! If he kicks it hard enough and in the right spot, it feels as though my urinary tract is on fire! But my midwife said that was normal, especially because he is breeched. If he was the other way, he would be kicking my ribs. So I don't know which I would prefer, so I guess I can deal with the bladder kicking. Anyway, we have our 3D ultrasound set up for Dec 10th and James' parents will be attending. It's going to be exciting to see him in a new light!

Stubborn Baby!

So apparently Alexander is a foot long now. Which is hard for me to believe! I DO have a pregnant belly now. Things are going well. The only thing I would complain about is Alex likes to lay on my sciatica nerve sometimes. This allows my lower butt and leg to go through pain, which is not fun. Other than that, it's good. I love being pregnant.

I had an appointment on the 29th and things seemed to be going well. My midwife said that I gained a little too much weight. But I didn't gain ANY weight during my first trimester. So I'm not looking at it as a bad thing. When she measured me, she saw that I was actually measuring a week farther along than I was suppose. Well, either this means Alex is going to be a BIG baby or he may come sooner than I think. I hope he comes soon. I'm dying to meet him.

In other news, we applied for a rental house. It's a 3 bedroom/2 bath house with a 2 car garage. I'm crossing my fingers that we actually get the house!! We will hear from them tomorrow. I just really want a room for the baby. I don't think I can wait till our lease is up. I want to paint his room, pick out furniture, decorate it and organize it. And just for everyone's curiosity, we plan on doing a rockets and space theme!! We already found stencils for planets and astronauts! Talk about influencing him early ;-). Anyway, I'm trying hard not to keep my hopes up but I can't help it!

Kicking!

Yes! Alexander has been kicking! A lot! It is a funny feeling and I can't really describe it. Of course, NOTHING describes this feeling very well. It's kind of like popping pop corn in your belly. James has been able to feel him now and is loving every moment. A couple nights ago, I was tossing and turning, and accidentally woke up James. Alex was moving a lot and I placed his hand on my belly. Finally, after Alex decided to let Daddy know it was him, James gasps and asks "Was that a kick?" I got so excited! It's been weeks and I've felt so bad since James hasn't been able to share all of this with me. He's happy now that he's finally made some sort of contact. It's crazy though, Alex is only super active when I'm relaxing or getting ready to fall asleep. I guess he's starting early on making my life interesting. I'm now 23 weeks along, more than halfway through the pregnancy. 17 more weeks to go and I can hardly stand it!

Dear Alexander...

I may not be the best mother in the world, but I will try my hardest for you. I will give you everything I have as a mother, all the wisdom, guidance, happiness, love that a mother can give to her child. I will make mistakes, I'm human. I will ask you to forgive me, and I will hope you forget them. I will punish you when you do something wrong and I will NOT enjoy it. It will kill me to take away any joy and happiness from you, but it's all part of the learning process.

We'll learn together, Alexander. I don't have this parenting thing down. I don't know what I'm doing. I just know that I'll love you unconditionally. There is nothing you can do that will make me deny you as my son. I would gladly give you my life to make you happy. I will sacrifice everything that I have and that I am to give you everything you deserve. You don't know this, but you deserve the world. You deserve all the love in the world.

My wish for you is to grow up and to find your place in the world. To find out what God has intended for you to do. I pray that you find a woman that will complete you, a job that will fulfill you and a relationship with God that will be everlasting. You don't have to be a CEO to be successful. You've got all the opportunities in the world ahead of you, I just want you to take advantage of them. All I want is for you to be happy. And I will try my hardest, my life, my everything to help you get there. I love you, son. I will always love you. No matter what you do, no matter where you are, your mother will always love you.

With love,

Mom

To non-pregnant people

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. ..

If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.



1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having ababy is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm.

Any other response makes you an a$$

2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".



3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you.You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it. The same goes for the name of the baby.



4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other body.You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus,cervix or how they plan to use their breasts.Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.



5) Likewise, no women wants to hear comments on her weight- ever.A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face.Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended.The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".



6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on thefact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.



7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may soundcrazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals.Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited.This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor,delivery, the hospital and the parents home.You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out".If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you willbe asked for it.



9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should cleanup the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way.Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering withbreastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.



10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents.Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are are being given the privilege of seeing their child.Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.I hope this helps- it sure makes us feel better.




Signed,

All Pregnant Women

Some thoughts..

Okay, I'm not meaning to sound judgmental, mad or anything. I think it's mainly my hormones that magnify anything that I may be feeling. I feel as though some people shouldn't really have the right to tell me what to do when they're not pregnant and when this isn't their baby. I won't go into specifics, but I will post a pregnancy letter that explains how I feel.

My brother in law told me that I read too much. I didn't think that was a bad thing. Yes, I read a lot. I like to read. I would read anything I can get my hands on. When I don't know something, I want to study it. I guess it comes from being in college for so long. I want to be informed, I want to know what's going on, I want to answer my own questions and concerns. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to understand what I was getting myself into when I got pregnant. Keep in mind, I said UNDERSTAND. By no means do I KNOW what is going on. They say every pregnancy is different and that every woman is different, so I just want to understand what's going on.

I already have a birth plan. I know what EXACTLY what I want when the birth happens. James and I have talked it about many times and we have our list of things that are GOING to happen when Alexander is born. I don't entirely trust the hospital system. I've heard so many bad things that's happened, but I like to prepare for the unexpected. I would like for us to be by in a hospital in case something is wrong, but that's my OCD getting in the way. I'm finding more and more women don't really know what kind of birth they want to experience. The common saying I've heard is "I just don't want an episiotomy." I'll post my birth plan on here after I've finalized it. I have a lot more reading to do about Vitiman K shots and eye drops. Anyway, I'm just expressing how I feel right now.

Halfway!

So on October 3rd, I was officially halfway through my pregnancy. I now have 131 days till I can expect this baby! Here's a gross picture of me, but I promise the future ones will be better!

It's a BOY!!

ALEXANDER JAMES BYERLY

Never have I felt more preggo..

So.. I woke up this morning and I have this huge protruding gut! And I'm in shock! I'm a big girl, but certainly not THAT big! Last night was really special. I was reading and all of sudden, I felt a real KICK! I try to wake up James to try and feel it, but poor guy was sound asleep.

Here's why I actually feel preggo now:

1) Baby is finally moving around, I feel random flutters and some kicks.
2) My gut is sticking out more than ever! Need to start wearing more t-shirts!
3) My hip/back joint hurts like crazy! I cleaned our apartment, and now I'm feeling the consequences!
4) My appetite is back and bigger than ever! I am constantly eating now! Gotta do more exercise!

I'm sure this list is going to change, but as of right now, I feel.. fat and icky and preggo!

Counting down

I'm going to get a count down ticker to put on here.. I really can't wait to find out the gender of this baby!! Oct 1st is the big day and that means I have 13 more days till I know whether or not to start calling the baby Alexander or Eliora. I know, we changed the names.

Originally, we were going to name the boy Aiden James, but James found out that Britney Spears has a son named Jayden James, and he didn't want the confusion between our son and her son. And he didn't want there to be any teasing, so to prevent it, we changed the name entirely to our second choice, Alexander James Byerly.

The girl's name was going to be Elora. However, what kinda bothered me about the name is that there is no origin. The name basically has no meaning. Alexander means "leader of men." So we looked at the baby names and found a very similar name of Eliora, which in Hebrew means "The Lord is my light." I loved it so much that we decided to use it! Anyway.. the count down is too much!

Hurricane Ike

We're very blessed that the Lord has taken care of us. For those who were wondering, we made it through the rage, known as Hurricane Ike. First and foremost, our prayers are out there for those who are still rebuilding and/or taking shelter in this time of need. We're thankful to have such wonderful family to be with during the storm. Also, a big THANK YOU for all the prayers and communication help from all of our friends and family. Here's our story..

Thursday, James goes to work and everyone was fairly shocked to see him there. With the threat of Ike at our heels, a lot of folks decided not to go into work and get their families and homes ready. James continued to text me all morning, expressing his concern about the hurricane, and was asking me to prepare for a departure to Humble. He stayed for only an hour and then came home. We got all of our stuff ready and figured out a route from League City to Humble that didn't involve major highways. There were mandatory evacuations in progress, and while our city was only voluntary, we were worried that we would be too close to the sea level that we'd get trapped by the storm surges. We hopped into our cars, filled with some clothes and necessities and headed to Humble. It took us 3 hours to drive a normal 1 hour trip. We made it to Humble, thanks to the hospitality of Ronnie and Eighmy. That night was filled with fun and laughter, as there were speculation of what Ike would do.

Friday, we found out that a lot of stores had closed early. Many were preparing for Ike. Watching the news, we saw that a lot of folks were stuck on Galveston Island due to the large waves brought on by Ike. The news was filled with updates and a lot of precautions to take due to the upcoming hurricane. While the night came on, the lights started to flicker. The wind was getting worse. We filled the bath tubs with water, which was very dirty. The power gave out after midnight. Candles were lit and the winds were noisy. Everyone was getting tired and decided to sleep away the storm. James opted to sleep in the bathroom, which worked out because the cool floor was nice since the air conditioning was no longer working. He didn't want to fall asleep in the bedroom, worried that debris would hit the windows and we would wake up with glass in our face. He fell asleep fairly quickly, I stayed up and listened to the wind. Around 5:30am-6am, I heard silence. I knew it must have been the eye of the hurricane. I finally was able to fall asleep and wait to see what Ike had done.

Saturday, we wake up sweaty and hot. We move to the bedroom but still hear the winds outside. I text my friends, letting them know that we were alright and asking for information since we did not have power/internet. The response was wonderful, we knew for sure that Ike was gone and we were to expect rain bands. Our neighborhood is roughed up and Houston in general has no power. There was a curfew in place, but not wanting to be indoors any longer, we actually found a restaurant that was serving hot food.

Sunday, a lot of the power is still out. We took a chance and actually found a Walmart that was open. We didn't get all the supplies that we needed, but fortunately were able to find flashlights and extra candles. There was also a Lowes across the street of Walmart, and they were out of a lot of things as well. Home Depot were having generators shipped, there were few gas stations open, restuarants with power were starting to serve on limited menus, and everyone was waiting for FEMA to arrive. We found a bar despite the curfew, and got a chance to relax.

Monday, we needed gas. We had to get it for James' truck since we had not filled up since we left League City. We drove past a couple of closed gas stations and saw some hope with a huge line waiting on the frontage road. We sat there waiting, slowly moving forward and saw that it was closed to the public. Frustrated, we drove and found another gas station with a line. James got out and spoke to another person waiting and was informed that everyone was waiting for a generator for the gas station. We waited for a little while, but the weather was actually really good, being dry and cool. James went inside to get some water and found out that there was no generator coming, and everyone was waiting for the power to come on. Frustrated again, we left and headed north. We finally saw another line that seemed a little more promising. James didn't want to waste time again, so he walked and asked if there was gas. There was hope! There was gas and the lines were moving very efficiently. The workers of the gas station let cars in one by one as those that filled their tanks were leaving. Regretting that we didn't get gas tanks, we finally filled up the truck with gas and headed back home to assess the damage. On the long drive, we could only imagine what we were coming home to. We didn't expect to come home with no damage and with power! We were in shock! We thanked God for giving us this, and decided it was time to come home. We drove around a little more and found a FEMA POD. We waited in line for 2 bags of ice, 2 packages of water and a box of MREs. The line moved very well, as they were just throwing the stuff in your car as you drove by them slowly.

It's amazing to see how people come together during this time of need. James and I have already decided to give back and help those who need it. We're all together in this and no matter what, we can rebuild.

15 Weeks Picture

I'm 16 weeks and 3 days right now, but I seriously just look fat now lol! My future sis-in-law is showing much more than I am and she's 6 days behind me! Oh well, I'm sure the belly will get bigger. I haven't gained any weight between my last two appointments, so I guess the fat is going somewhere! Anyway, I'm off to bed. I'll post 17 weeks pictures on Friday. Hopefully we won't be evacuated due to Ike.

Baby's Heartbeat!!

So here is the video!! Enjoy!!

Baby Hearbeat

Appointment today

We had our monthly appointment today. And everything is going great! I actually haven't gained any weight since my last visit, and she said it was probably a good thing. It would be more troublesome if I actually lost weight, but I still have the nausea sometimes. James actually taped the heartbeat, so hopefully I'll be able to post it on here soon.

The heartbeat was between 158-164 bpm which is good! The heartbeat was good and strong. Although, the baby was moving around like crazy! The midwife had to search over and over again for the heartbeat. But at least we know the baby is still in there! It's funny, I still don't really feel as though I'm preggo. But, I guess I won't feel this way till I feel the baby moving. Which.. I have *maybe* felt. No definite kicks yet, that's for sure.

On a very exciting note, our next appointment is going to be our big gender ultrasound!! It's scheduled for Oct 1st, so I'll be 19 weeks and 5 days along. Just need to find a 3D/4D ultrasound place because I need the paperwork filled out before I can have the REALLY cool pictures and videos! Well, hopefully next time I can post a video!

My new sweet baby - Eliora!

What do you think about my little new baby Eliora?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

Woo hoo for internet shopping!

So James and I have utilized the internet for all our shopping needs. I bought this bassinet from craigslist for only $60.
It's cute and it comes with a remote. The baby will be in our room for a few months after it's born, so it's small and mobile.

James found a car seat and stroller, plus 2 base units for just $100 (normally $240) on the internet. And it's still in really good condition!

The color isn't the same. But I couldn't find a picture that was the same color. These are the only things that we have gotten so far. I don't plan on buying a lot of new baby clothes or anything since the baby grows so quickly. One thing I do want to get some of is baby diapers. BUT, one problem we do have is that there is a space issue in our little apartment. So we may end up getting a storage unit to put all the extra crap we have, and making more room for the baby. Oh to have a house someday.. I'm sure that day will come. We've been considering buying a foreclosure house. Just need to wait and see what opens up when our lease is coming to an end.

Week 14!

So I'm officially out of my first trimester. My next prenatal appointment won't be till I'm at 16 weeks, but now I'm four months along in my pregnancy and things seem to be running smoothly. I really don't know how the baby is doing, mainly because I haven't felt fetal movement yet. I've read that I should be feeling a definite kick or something between 16 weeks and 20 weeks. So hopefully, it will be soon. Nothing says you're pregnant like feeling the baby moving. So I just have to wait. Hopefully, James and I will be able to record the baby's heartbeat at this next visit, and if so, I will post it as soon as possible. A fun fact from Baby Center is that my baby is now about the size of a lemon!

I'll write tomorrow about how swimming was and how long I can swim. I should try to swim for at least 30 minutes, but literally, I should just swim till I get exhausted. So it could be 15 minutes or 1 hour. Wish me luck!

BMI

My BMI is in the overweight range. So, that means, according to the doctor and ALL the books I've read, I should only gain 15 pounds during this pregnancy. This does scare me a little being an overweight preggo woman. Automatically it means that my labor may be more difficult for me. What does that mean for me?? EXERCISE!!

I haven't had a lot of lately, but I need to go back and find my groove. I'm going to check out the local indoor pool tomorrow. Since it is an indoor pool, it means I can swim all throughout winter time. Swimming has always been said as one of the best forms of exercise for pregnant women. Why? Mainly because you'll be able to work out without the pressure on all the joints. I find it very relaxing and rejuvenating. So I'm going to try and implement an exercise program into my everyday routine, whether it be walking or swimming. Wish me luck!

Designer Gowns

I didn't think I would see this, but it's so awesome!! Designer hospital gowns are now available for independent sale. I will be looking into this more when I get closer and closer to my due date!

Gender Prediction

To be honest, I just want a healthy, happy baby. I can't say that I want a boy first to be the "big brother" or that I want a girl to play with. My mom wanted her first born to be a son, typically because it is Korean expectations AND because she wanted the whole "big brother" aspect. Well, she did not get a boy, she got me first and she doesn't regret it. My brother was born about 3 years later and we're very close. He's very protective over me, and vice versa. So I can't say that the big brother has to be there. My husband has a big brother, granted they are brothers, so it automatically made things more competitive. But even now, I can see that my brother-in-law is protective over my husband, but it also goes both ways. SO, having a boy first would be great, but to me, having a girl first would be equally wonderful.

My parents are set that I'm having a girl. IN FACT, my dad is telling everyone at his office that he's having a granddaughter. I held a baby shower for a good friend of mine that recently had a girl, and my mom decided to keep all the decorations for when she co-hosts my baby shower. The biggest reason that my parents think that I'm going to be having a girl is because they both tend to have prophetic dreams. When my mom was pregnant with me, she thought I was going to be a boy but my dad had a dream and SAW me and told her that I was going to be a girl. Well, a couple years ago, when my mom was going through some scary health problems, my dad knew she was going to be alright. God gave my dad a dream, seeing my mom with all her grandchildren, happy and healthy. He said that the oldest grandchild was girl, therefore, the one that I am carrying must be a girl. My mother also had a dream that I was having a girl. I've had a couple dreams with me holding a baby, and she was covered in pink. James had one dream, but it was a boy. So we'll see!

Just for fun, I referred to the Chinese Gender Prediction Chart, and it says I was going to have a girl. It has been correct for both of my mom's pregnancies. And it has a 80% correct prediction rating! The confusing part is that you have to base it off your Chinese age. What a lot of people don't understand is that it's based on your CONCEPTION age, basically, how old you are plus 9 months. The Chinese New Year is usually in February, so the rule does not apply to January babies (for some reason). I don't really know all reasoning or logic behind, maybe something I should research more. But technically, even though I am 23 years old, I am actually 25 years old in my Chinese age. Anyway, we'll see! Our 20 week ultrasound has not been scheduled, and that is the earliest we can find out the baby's gender. So we'll know in the beginning of October!

Starting Aversions

Well, I found out a couple weeks ago about aversions. I can't have seafood. Nothing. Nada. I can't eat anything fishy whatsoever or else I get ill. I found this out when I was thinking about seafood. I really do love seafood, I mean I am part Korean! Seafood is a huge part of the diet! But, I can't have any right now. It makes me sad. The thought of seafood makes me ill. I made the mistake of eating New England Clam Chowder and I did not leave the bathroom for about 4 hours.. It was sad. Oh well, I guess I'll have to stay away from it for awhile.

Week 12

Courtesy of Baby Gaga again:

"Even though your little Einstein’s body is still growing quite rapidly 2 inches long right now, the overall super-speedy growth of their amazing brain continues to leave the head proportionately larger than the body— and is actually slightly more than one third of their total body mass! The head and neck are still straightening at this point as can be seen by their little chin lifting off of the chest. Your baby is also actively rehearsing “breathing” by using amniotic fluid to prepare the lungs for future air respiration.

The big news: your little pooper is now officially going to need diapers! Although a majority of the waste produced is transferred to the mother’s system for discharge (to avoid having it linger in the amniotic sac), some urine is released to the amniotic fluid and your baby will actually breathe it in before it passing it on to your for discharge. Not to worry, urine--in this particular form, is completely harmless to your baby."

Been Gone

I've been really bad about updating this. I've had a few things happen since my last post. My father in law came and stayed with us for about 2 weeks, this was my main distraction from not posting anything. Another thing, I've been pretty distracted with CafeMom which is a great website just to communicate with other women that are either trying to get pregnant, already are pregnant, or are hard working mothers.

Last Monday, August 4th was my second prenatal appointment. My father in law joined James and me as we all heard the baby's heartbeat for the very first time. I was a little anxious at first because it took the midwife a while to find it, and she calmly told me that if she couldn't, she would just do an ultrasound. Well, all way to the left of my pelvis, the baby's heartbeat was heard. It was at 170 bpm, and I was so excited! The appointment went fine, and overall, there doesn't seem to be any sort of complications. I have only gained one pound since my last visit, but recently weighed myself and found that I've lost 3. I blame my nausea mainly for this. I can't eat anything, so I don't really gain weight. Either way, I know that the baby is healthy and I'm just doing the best I can to keep my own body healthy.

Tomorrow I plan on taking a belly picture, even though I know that I'm not showing, it's just for a reference in the future to see how far I've come.

Week 8!

Same courtesy of Baby Gaga:

"Woohoo! You've got one whole inch of baby inside of you! Your little embryo has finally reached the one-inch mark (30mm). And if it were possible to take a peek, you could actually see your tiny baby without a telescope! What’s more, your baby is finally starting to take on some very distinct human features. For starters, their little tail (really just the spinal cord) has disappeared completely. It’s nice to know your baby can no longer be mistaken for a sea creature! Additionally, both their toes and fingers are prominent with very little, if any, webbing. Upper and lower limbs all show recognizable joints (elbows and knees) and the lower limb bones are starting to ossify. But don’t expect your baby to resemble either parent quite yet. Right now, your baby’s head is disproportionately larger than the rest of their body--making up almost half of your little one’s height and weight!
"

Ultrasounds!

So James and I went to my appointment last Tuesday and got an ultrasound done! Here are the pictures! I have to tell you.. seeing the heartbeat was extremely overwhelming!




The baby is between the Xs!!

Week 7!

This courtesy of Baby Gaga:
"Our baby is really beginning to develop more physical definition this week – their oversized head isn’t just large and oblong anymore, it’s actually a little bit pointy. The tiny receding tail bud is now starting to be overshadowed by the growth of their legs, which are now complete with knees and the beginnings of toes. Their eyes and ears are the most visible features on their head and their miniature bones are starting to harden throughout their body. You also have some variation on a boy or a girl at this point, although their genitals won’t be visible enough to determine which color cigars you’re going to buy until around the 16th week."

I'll write more about my own symptoms later.

So when IS my due date??

In reality, I just have a hunch that it's mid-February. I don't know the EXACT date mainly because my menstrual cycle fluctuates between 28-31 days. So I would have to say, the EARLIEST due date I have at the moment is February 17th, which is cool. The latest one I have is February 21st. So mid-February is the safest thing to say. Of course, it mainly depends on when the baby wants to be born, which could be whenever!

I have an appointment with the midwife on July 8th and I hope to get something a little more finalized. I also hope to have the first pictures of our new baby! I'm very excited because this baby doesn't "quite" seem real till I see the baby or at least hear the heartbeat. James is going with me and we'll be in there together, looking at the baby!

More things

Just thought of a couple more things that I miss..

6) Oysters - Raw oysters to be exact. James and I went to Hooters a couple weeks ago to get some but they didn't have any. And then about 5 days later, I found out that I was pregnant... Oh well.

7) Over Easy Eggs - I love them. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. But I can't eat them.. Sad.

In fact, today James and I went to Denny's after church. I could only eat a couple spoonfuls of grits and barely any of my scramble eggs.. I was grossed out.. James got fried over easy eggs, and I had to leave the restaurant because the smell grossed me out..

Some things I'm really starting to miss...

So of course when you're pregnant, you have to make sacrifices which include your body and your mentality... I've been extremely tired lately, sleeping for good chunks of the day. When I first found out I was pregnant, I let out a sigh, knowing that I have to be more picky about what I eat and what I put into my body... This is just a list for right now of the things I miss eating:

1) Sushi - I'm a sushi-aholic, heck, I even get the grocery sushi if I see a chef actually making it!
2) COFFEE - I use to work at Starbucks, I love coffee, I love the smell, the taste and the euphoria I get when I drink it.
3) Soda - If you know me, there isn't a time where you'd run into me and I wouldn't have a soda in my hand.. Screw caffeine free stuff, doesn't taste the same.
4) Salt - If I want to suffer from water retention, I have to keep the sodium (like soy sauce) to a minimum.
5) Tea - I can't have a lot, but it still sucks to have so little. Oh well, it's all for a good reason.


This is just a beginning of a list of things I'm starting to miss. I won't regret sticking to a great health plan and I'm excited about things to come. I need to give it time to try my patience.

Woke up cuz I got hungry

And I made this! Hee hee

Nausea

So this is a mild part of pregnancy. I'm not sure how bad my morning sickness will be, but it's getting to the point to where I make myself eat. I know I need nutrition for the baby, so I don't try to skip out on the essentials. But the nausea isn't fun. I feel queasy at times. It hits in the morning most of the time but there are some evenings that aren't easy either. Actually, this is the major symptom I had that made me realize that I needed to take a pregnancy test. Either way, it sucks. My tummy just hates me.

So I'm Pregnant..

Let's start from the beginning. My husband, James, and I have talked a lot about having children. But our biggest fear was having one before we finished school. The option to having children is something we both wanted, so I stopped taking birth control back in January 2008. Well, we both graduated in May 2008, and decided to cease preventing the making the children. We didn't think that we'd get a baby right away!

We found out on Friday, June 13th. Granted, it was a bit early for us to find out, but a lot of the symptoms were already there. I couldn't even get out of bed in the morning because I felt so nauseous. I decided to take a pregnancy test that night and James and I both found a very faint line. Well, not so long ago, I bought the book, What to Expect When You're Expecting. And in the book, there is a section talking about the faint line. All pregnancy tests have a control line, and a line that shows it detects the hCg hormone. This is the hormone that all women get when they are pregnant. In fact, there is almost no case in which the line shows up and the woman is NOT pregnant. No matter what, no matter how faint the line is, you're pregnant.

See, I KNEW this. But I really didn't want to believe it. Seriously, I didn't accept the fact that I'm pregnant. I'm a very visual person, and I still can't grasp the idea that I'm pregnant. I think it'll become more real to me when I hear the heartbeat and I see the ultrasound. So when I saw my faint line, I didn't want to believe that I was pregnant. But James was already excited. We started talking about the baby and what we need to do. James already felt bad for calling the baby "it" and so we dubbed it "Baby Byerly" or Baby B. So it will be Baby B till we know the sex of the baby.

We decided to wait to tell people. We told a few folks at first, but I couldn't contain myself as I got use to the idea of me being pregnant. So now, it's public knowledge that we're with child and I am between 4-5 weeks along. I haven't set up an appointment yet with a doctor, which I will do soon. But according to Baby Center, I may be due between February 16th-23rd. We're both very happy and very excited. And I plan on blogging more about how I'm doing and any pictures that we accumulate.