Skooter Watch (or Lack Thereof)

Hey everyone! Just a quick update to let you all know that I'm still here, still preggers...due date is Monday and I have a very strong feeling we're going to blow past 1/3/11! It's so funny because I was so worried about going into labor right before my girlfriend's wedding the weekend before xmas. And then I was so worried about going into labor on xmas. Not that either of these would be terrible scenarios, and don't get me wrong I'm dying to meet Skooter. But in a perfect world I just wanted to hold out until closer til my due date.

Well careful what you wish for, because dr. appt on Tuesday showed absolutely no progress. Next appt is this Tuesday after my due date, where they'll give me an u/s to check on the amount of amniotic fluid...something they do for anyone past their due date. I haven't had any contractions, or even braxton hicks for that matter. I have this feeling I'll be one of those girls who just never goes into labor naturally...hopefully I'm wrong but that's my hunch. The dr. said after the u/s they'll determine how long they'll let me go...usually a week or week and a half!?!?

And to top it all off I caught the flu on Monday night, actually hubs and I both did. It was literally the worst night of my life, throwing up with a huge belly is NOT fun. Again I was so worried we were going to go into labor, of course the night that both of us were at our worst (obviously didn't need to worry too much, hah). I keep telling people that if a night of puking doesn't get Skooter wanting to come out, nothing will! So tomorrow I start operation naturally induce labor! I'm not going to go too overboard, but there will be lots of spicy food, walking/dancing around, pressure point rubbing, red raspberry leaf tea, and hubby's personal favorite....lots of sex! Any other tips people?!?

Little Skooter just know...mommy loves having you in her belly, and I know I'll miss it so much when you're not there anymore. But mommy and daddy are just dying to meet you, we love you so much and I hate to rush you...but the time has come little baby! Mommy is determined, hah!

And just for fun here are a couple pics from the wedding, it was so beautiful and so so much fun...but at the same time I'm hoping I don't have to be the 9 month pregnant b-maid again any time soon! Hope everyone has a very happy New Year, and hopefully I'll be posting soon with a Skooter update! Fingers crossed!!!

Maternity Pics & 37 Week Appt

Well...actually just pic! But it's definitely one of our favs that my photographer just put up on face.book, so I could finally share one! Her gallery was the kind were you couldn't copy and paste, and we didn't buy the disk of digitals cause it wasn't cheap and lets be honest we're saving for the newborn shots! But we bought a bunch of pics, and they came last night and are so gorgeous! I can't wait to get into our new house and frame them. We're actually giving this pic to both of our moms for one of their xmas gifts!

And if any of you Chic.ago bloggies needs a photographer I would totally recommend her!

In other news I had my second internal yesterday, and no action down below. Baby is staying put for now, which is good news cause I'm standing up in one of my bestie's wedding this Saturday (wish me luck people, it's going to be a loooong day)...so I really appreciate Skooter not making an early arrival.

And somehow I managed to lose 2 lbs...which is crazy since I made a batch of my famous cut out frosted cookies on Saturday and have been eating about 4 a day since then. I'm at a total of 26 lbs...which puts me right on track for the 30lbs my i.phone app says I should gain. The dr. I saw yesterday guessed Skooter would be a high 6/low 7 lb baby. How they can tell this just by feeling around my stomach I'll never know, but his head is down so all around he's being a very good baby!!!

Still Here & Almost 37 Weeks!

Hey all! Wow, maybe my worst blogging dry spell yet. Anyone out there still reading, hah! The holidays have come and just completely knocked me on my ass along with major baby prep! Since my last post I have been one super busy girl but its all SUCH great stuff. Not to mention I'll be 37 weeks and FULL TERM on Monday...omg, how did that happen?!? I'm getting so excited to meet this baby I can hardly take it. I know these last few weeks (assuming I don't go early) will go by so quick, but at the same time I feel like time is standing still. As much as I LOVE Skooter in my tummy, and I know I'll miss having him with me all the time...I'm just dying to have him in my arms. I can tear up over the thought of hubby holding him for then first time...and its frickin killing me wondering if Skooter is a boy or girl!

So here's the rundown of my life over the last month:

Baby Showers:

I had two more lovely baby showers since my last post. The last one was the weekend of thanksgiving, so it was a super busy but fun weekend with the holiday and everything. All I can say is Skooter is one seriously lucky baby, he has SO much stuff and is pretty much set for the first year of life. The only thing he'll need is some pink or blue clothes (or in my case purple or green since i'm neither a pink or blue person). All I can say is Skooter better like little duckys, because that's what he'll be living in for the first month, ha!

(Me and my bestie, she's 4 weeks post baby and looking fab!)

Nesting:

Holy crap, it hit me hard after my last shower. I'm so that person who has more fun organizing xmas presents after I open them, than actually opening them if that make sense. I love putting everything away, stacking and restacking all my new fun things. Well, that's what I started doing with the baby stuff...pulling out the stuff that we needed asap, piling up the older age toys that could wait. Remember we're living with my parents, and while they're house has plenty of room...we personally are spread out all over the place. We're living in my bro's old room, we're setting up baby stuff in the guest room, my business is in the other guest room, we've taken up half the garage with miscellaneous boxes, and baby stuff has taken over the ping pong and pool tables in the basement!

Some days I think we're in good shape for the baby, but then I realize I could literally go any day now and start panicking about how much more we need to do. The big things are install the car seat base (which is happening this weekend), pack the hospital bag, set up the last few baby things we'll need in the beginning, swing, pack.n.play, etc. Things we've accomplished are setting up the bassinet, car seat, diaper genie, ordered diapers, wipes, got diaper rash cream/powder and stuff, washed all baby clothes, okay...why does this not sound like a lot??

Baby Updates:

Let's see...a few weeks ago I had a dr. appt where I got my last ultrasound just to confirm one last time the placenta had fully moved, which it had...YAY! They said Skooter is measuring a tad on the small side, 40% percentile so they're not expecting a huge baby...which should be easier for labor. Hubby is of course worried he's too small, which is absolutely not what they said...and he's obsessed with plumping me up which I explained to him will not necessarily fatten up the baby....just my ass!! Speaking of, at my first weekly appt this Tuesday I've now gained 24 lbs. My I.Phone app says 30 lbs will be average based on my starting weight, so I guess I'm pretty happy with that. I had my first internal check, and nothing to report yet...other than OUCH, I think she was elbow deep!

I was actually excited for my first internal, because I feel like it may give you some idea on whether you're getting closer to go time. However, everything I've heard/read says that you can be dilated 3 cm for weeks, or not be dilated at all and go that very same day...so apparently it's a crap shoot. I'm getting SO anxious just to know how its going to go down. I wish someone could just tell me...you're going to wake up one night with cramps and that's it, or you better keep a towel in your purse cause you're water is going to break at work and its going to be super embarrassing, hah! Or, don't get too excited for xmas dinner because you'll be spending it in the hospital with Skooter. I guess that's half the fun, only Skooter knows when he'll be ready to show...and all we can do is get ready!

House Updates:

So this fall we got so lucky with the weather in Chicago, and they were able to crank away. Then this week hit, right when we needed to start roofing/siding/masonry stuff...and Chicago became a frickin tundra. It's been in the 20s all week long, and next week the high on Monday is a whopping 13 degrees. They were able to install all the windows yesterday, so we're almost completely under roof...but I would like to keep trucking along at our super fast pace so we can be in by April. Here's a pic of the progress as of a couple of weeks ago:


So that's it. Sorry for the super loooong delay in catching everyone up! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!

Baby Shower & Almost 33 weeks!

So technically I'm only 32w4d, but once I hit Friday I'm pretty much rounding up to the next week. I'm a cheater, but whateva!! So hard to believe, 33 weeks sounds close...7 weeks is crazy, I mean if I get real carried away I could almost justify rounding that down to 4 weeks...well that's a bit of stretch but still.

I am getting a little nervous about being ready. Being in between homes has been nice in some ways cause I haven't been stressing about the nursery, or finding the perfect gender neutral bedding (which I swear doesn't exist). But now I'm starting to feel a little panicky about how its all going to work without my perfect little nursery ready to go. I registered for a bassinet, which people tell me they use for the first few months anyways...and my pack.n.play comes with a changing table. I guess being a new mom is all about figuring it out, so I'm sure it will all be fine. But I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to our house being done, and moving our new little family into our own space finally!

In other news I had my first shower this last weekend! My mom threw this for my family and girlfriends. It was a good "starter" shower, to get me back into the shower swing of things. Opening gifts in front of people, super awkward...and when its quiet and you feel 20 sets of eyes on you waiting to see how you react to wait for it....yep another set of bibs (while adorable and I registered for them, it goes get hard to really get reved up with the same enthusiasm as the first 4 sets)!! And I'm a sweater, I get nervous and I start pitting....sorry gross but true! But at the end of the day, it was a super fun shower and Skooter got some amazing stuff, including my crib from my college friends!!!

We also had our labor class the day before. A friend had mentioned it was sort of a waste of time, but I totally disagree. The day did start off a little rocky when the girl sitting in the chair next to me had a seizure within 15 minutes of class starting, SO scary but we got word she and baby were doing just fine an hour or so later. We got to go on a tour of the hospital and see all 3 rooms that would be part of the delivery process. The nurse was great and gave us a bunch of great advice about labor. Some of the highlights I got were:

- If you're not sure whether you're in labor or just braxton.hicks....take a long shower. If you get out of the shower and the contractions are gone, they were just braxton...but if they're more intense time to call the dr.

- She said if there's nothing else you remember it's to try not to tense up during contractions. Try as hard as possible to relax, tensing will only make it worse.

- We watched a labor video which was pretty graphic, and afterwards she noted these were all obviously natural labors. She said an epidural video would be pretty boring...which I plan to do, so that made me happy. Boring labor sounds like happy labor to me, hah!

- She said do not wear a bra when you change into your gown, especially not a sports bra. She said if you do need a c-section in the end, they are a huge pain to get off with all the other things hooked up to you. Random but I thought it was a good piece of info!

- She had a fake pair of hip bones, and told us how it really doesn't matter how big you are on the outside...it all depends on the size of the whole between your hips. This woman was teeny tiny, like 100 lbs, and said she had 9 lbs babies. I have pretty narrow hips, so here's hoping I have one huge gaping hip hole, ha!

- Do not buy new pajamas for the hospital post delivery, or if you do get some cheapy nightgownish type thing that you can pull up for cleaning up down below (she warned you will bleed on whatever you're wearing), and its easier for breastfeeding.

So while the idea of labor got a lot more real (holy crap in 7 short weeks I WILL have to push this baby out of me), it did make me feel more prepared which is always a good thing! And here's a pic of hubs and I post-shower!!

Back to Reality

So we're back from our babymoon in AZ. It was a short but sweet, and worth every penny. I realized while we there, that this would be hubby and my last trip pre-Skooter. Which is not to say we won't travel alone once he gets here, but it will be our last trip where its just us two. I'm guessing all future vacays in the back of our minds we'll be missing/worrying/excited to get back to our baby. It made me also realize how much I'm going to soak up these last couple months of just hubby and me time, before Skooter is welcomed to our little family! Don't get me wrong, I'm literally counting the minutes to his/her arrival...but change is change, and I think it was just a reminder to soak up my quality time with hubby these next two months.

In any case, the vacay was great! The hotel was amazing, the spa even better...I had a prenatal and facial. It was SO weird to lay on my stomach on the little bump pillow they had on the table. I must say normally I hate when the masseuse is like okay, time to flip over....cause you know the good part of the massage is over. But this time, I was more than ready to get on my back...I felt like I was crushing poor little Skooter!! It probably also didn't help I had just eaten lunch and Skooter was moving like crazy the whole time.

We laid by the pool, ate tons of good food (i'm a little nervous for my next weigh in at the dr, hah), and drank lots of fun drinks poolside. Again, I don't think the virgin pina coladas I was downing were doing much for my waistline...but dang they were good, even without the booze! We talked a LOT about Skooter, mostly going back and forth if Skooter is a boy or a girl. We have names officially ironed out. To be honest we've known them since this summer, but we went through the options one last time and have agreed on both...which we won't be sharing with anyone until Skooter is here, no matter how much our mom's beg us!

So in other news now that we're back and now that November is here its officially baby month for us! This Sunday marks the first of three baby showers I'm having, all in November. And Saturday we're heading downtown all day for our baby class at the hospital where we're delivering. I'm super excited to get a lay of the land, and see exactly where Skooter is going to make his/her arrival. Hope everyone is having a good week, time for some major blog catch up!

30 Years & 30 Weeks!!!

So yesterday was the big 3-0 so I'm officially old now, hah! No, it was actually the best birthday ever...thanks to my hubby and awesome friends and family. Its so funny because I remember back when I was like 25 thinking how it was so great that my 30th fell on a Sunday because we could have a big blow out bash Saturday night. So funny how things change! And while we technically didn't have a party I seriously couldn't have had a better birthday weekend!

Saturday I went downtown for a haircut/blowdry in preparation for the maternity shoot. When I got home from the appointment I came home to this, and it was such a fun surprise!

Hubby went and got 30 balloons to fill our room with!

Gorgeous flowers, taffy apples (my FAV), and Reese's...YUM!

Please excuse the shot glass collection in the background, remember we're staying at my parents house in my bro's old room, hah! And hubby killed it with gifts this year, we're trying to keep it low key since Arizona is really the big gift. But he did get me my diaper bag (which I had hinted I wanted) and an adorable picture frame that almost brought me to tears, and this super cute travel changing kit!

So I was praying the whole day the rain would hold off long enough to get our shoot in, and luckily the weather ended up being perfect. We went to the Bot.anic Gar.dens and it was so much fun and gorgeous! I can't wait to post some pics as soon as I get them. Then hubby and I headed downtown to this super cute fondue restaurant, and had the best dinner ever! It was so the perfect day!

Yesterday I had one of my best friends wedding showers, which was actually super fun to get to see all my friends on my bday! And then last night was dinner with the family and some more gifts, again most having to do with baby...it was definitely the recurring theme with was just fine with me!

Last week we were actually at my in-laws celebrating my bday and they mentioned this would be the last year Ryan sings happy bday Andrea, and going forward from here it will be happy bday mommy. The thought totally melted my heart, thinking next year at this time little Skooter will be a part of our lives. I feel totally lucky to have such amazing people in my life, and little Skooter in my tummy. And on top of my amazing 30th I woke up today and am now 30 weeks preggo. Now the countdown to AZ begins!!

29 Weeks & Catching Up

First off today i'm 29 weeks, YAY!! I can hardly believe it, it some ways I feel like I've been preggo for so long and in others I can't believe I'm almost to the 10 week countdown! The last few weeks have been busy and hectic...and I think hubby and I are finally past the hump. And right now where I'm sitting there are just so many things to be excited about including:

• House Demo - Getting all the paperwork and permits needed to tear a house down in a huge pain in the ass. But now the house is down and from here on out the progress is in the hands of our builder, and we can just do our daily drive bys to check on progress! These pics are from last week, this week they're getting ready to pour the new foundation!

Hubby in the pit!

• Maternity Shoot - this Saturday hubby and I are doing our maternity shoot in the Botan.ic Gar.dens! To be honest I'm excited for the maternity shoot, but am using it more to get a couple cute pics of hubs and I...and the package for maternity/newborn wasn't that much more so I figured why not? Crossing my fingers for good weather!
• My bday - This Sunday I turn the big 3-0! Coincidentally, I'll be 30 weeks next Monday! Hubby and I are celebrating Saturday night after our shoot. Then Sunday we'll do family stuff and our annual bday celebration pumpkin carving and I'll def. be hitting DQ up for a pum.pkin pie bliz.zard...the best fall treat ever!!
• Babymoon - Halloween weekend hubby and I are heading to Scott.sdale for a long weekend for our babymoon/my 30th bday celebration. I'm am SO excited to lay by the pool for 3 days straight and hit up the spa!
• Baby Showers - I have 3 baby showers in November so its going to be a super fun busy month! Things have starting going on my registry and its so crazy to think that people are buying stuff for little Skooter (who at my 28 week appt last week measured in at 2.5lbs which does not seem so little)!
• Holidays - So in my mind as soon at t-giving hits this year baby Skooter's arrival will be right around the corner. I love love love the holidays, I'm def. the person that puts my tree up the day after t-giving and my car is tuned to xmas music on the radio 24/7! This year I can't even imagine how exciting it will be knowing our first baby will be making his/her appearance right around such an amazing time of year! I get goosebumps just thinking about it! I always said the holidays would be the worst time of year to have a baby, but now I can't think of anything better!

26 Weeks!!!

How Far Along: 26 weeks (I've been so bad about pics, but wanted to post one so PLEASE excuse my work red bathroom stalls in background).

Maternity Clothes: I finally got maternity jeans yesterday, SOO needed! I'd been wearing these denim leggings to work for the last couple weeks, and while they're super cute I only have so many longer shirts that cover my ass. So now I can finally wear some of my normal length maternity shirts I've bought.

Stretch Marks: Nope, but my poor belly button isn't looking too hot! Its definitely going to pop soon!

Sleep: Tossing and turning. I must wake up on my back 5 times a night, and I start on my side, lodged in with my boppy pillow...but clearly this is not the way my body wants to sleep. But since I'm making a conscious effort to not sleep on my back, I keep waking myself up throughout the night.

Best Moment of the Week: I'd have to go with registering and buying some baby stuff!!

Movement: Still lots and lots of movement...people weren't kidding when they said you'll totally relax once you can feel the baby move. Every morning its the best feeling waking up to little Skooter bopping around. And bedtime is his favorite time to party, I swear it feels like he's doing an aerobics video in there!

Food cravings: Still loving my apple cider, but its really just a fall craving and not a pregnancy craving. OH, and at star.bucks you can get a caramel apple spice...YUM is all I have to say.

Gender: I have NO idea!! I'm starting to get really curious. Especially as we register and look at nursery stuff. I must say it really is hard to plan when you're doing gender neutral...I mean is it me or have stores sort have forgone the whole yellow/green thing. Everywhere I go its pink/blue and then maybe one beige or grey outfit with a lion or monkey on it. I know it will be SO worth it in the end, but I can definitely see the perks of finding out!

What I Miss: Absolutely nothing!

What I'm Looking Forward To: 3rd trimester...next Monday! OMG, I can't even believe it!!!

Weekly Wisdom: For once its been a pretty uneventful couple of weeks so i'm lacking on wisdom. OH, I will say that baby bargains book is a life saver when it comes to registering!

Milestones: So long 2nd trimester, for being the "easy" trimester you sure gave us a run for our money...previa, 20 week u/s scare, amnio! I'm not going to miss you at all, bring it 3T!

Emotions: I actually went to the stores this weekend and did some registering. My bestie asked me if its starting to feel more real, and I'm still undecided. It's like I know I'm pregnant, I can feel the baby moving, I'm now buying baby stuff (my mom got our pack n play and swing while we were shopping, and hubby and I got the cutest little onesie for fun, it has two little pups on it that look JUST like Beau and Bella), but is it weird I'm still a little in denial a baby is coming in almost 3 months?!? Part of me thinks it won't really hit me until this little baby is finally out of me and in my arms!

Houses & Hiccups

So not too much going on here, SO happy its Friday!! I hit 24 weeks on Monday, my most favorite lucky bday number...not to mention viability so this was a big one for me!! Also, this week marks another new milestone for baby Skooter...hiccups!!! He has gotten them twice this week and its the cutest thing EVER! At first I totally freaked, I felt this very subtle beating in my tummy...like after you workout and can feel your pulse in weird parts of your body. And I adjusted my position thinking something was wrong, and when it didn't change I realized it had to be hiccups...too cute!!!

In house related news we have fully moved in with the p's. Quite an adjustment, but the perks really do outweigh the cons! We met with our final contractor yesterday, so now we can finally pick someone and start moving forward on the demo process. I'm so excited to finally get this process started, and be done with meetings and permits and all the crap you need to do beforehand. Between baby stuff and house planning, I must say it makes my days go by fast!! There is always something to be researching, love it!

And I finally got on the "I'm having a baby and maybe I should start planning for it" train! I've been super productive, shower dates are confirmed, booked my maternity photo shoot (day before my 30th bday in October, SO excited), booked my baby class/tour at the hospital, starting registering (only online...still need to get my butt to these baby stores), and booked all my dr. appts through November!

Unfortunately, the one thing I can't really plan for is the nursery. Since we're living with the p's we'll be having a makeshift nursery for those few months of overlap, which will probably just consist of a bassinet in our room. And I'd rather just wait to get bedding/furniture/etc until we're in the new house...plus we'll know the sex so it will make decorating a bit easier! But its impossible not to look...and I found this pic which right now is my dream nursery, which is funny because its pretty gender neutral so I guess not finding out the sex works for me!

23 Weeks!

How Far Along: 23 weeks (pic to come)

Maternity Clothes: Old navy was having a sale this weekend so I placed a huge order Thursday morning and got it the very next day, YAY! I've has bought maybe 3 things before this so I was super excited. The one thing I'm in desperate need of is maternity jeans...the belly band just ain't cutting it anymore!!

Stretch Marks: Nope, and I'm lathering cocoa butter on nightly!!

Sleep: I am actually able to stay up a little later now...I've been making it to 11 these days instead of 10! Still tossing and turning as I constantly wake up on my back.

Best Moment of the Week: Well, I guess it was last week but getting the amnio ordeal over with. I've felt like a brand new person ever since!

Movement: Tons!! I have a very bouncy baby in my tummy! Sometimes I'm like relax Skooter you're going to hurt yourself, hah! I get kicks/punches throughout the day, mostly after meals and the majority at night when I'm relaxing on the couch or when we lay in bed. Hubby and I love watching my stomach pop with each kick. It's like a game of whack-a-mole waiting to see where he'll pop up next!

Food cravings: Well, I think this is more just a matter its fall out and I always crave this stuff around now. But I bought the biggest thing of apple cider, its so good when you heat it up! And my new obsession is pumpkin spice steamers (just milk). I did allow myself one decaf pumpkin spice latte the first day it was available...but I still felt guilty cause it tasted like regular coffee, YUM!

Gender: Totally undecided. At the amnio the heartbeat was 140, which I think is the cutoff for the whole high heartbeat girl and low heartbeat boy. I guess my gut still says girl, which is funny since we refer to Skooter as a he. I was joking with hubby last night how if it is a girl, she may have an identity crisis when she comes out, hah!

What I Miss: After the last couple weeks, absolutely nothing!! Just so glad that whole mess is behind us.

What I'm Looking Forward To: 24 week appointment this Monday, praying to finally have a dr. appt with no bad news. And I think we'll get an ultrasound to check on the previa (which at my last appt my dr. said she was sure would move out of the way by delivery), and hubby and I have our fingers crossed I can finally get off of pelvic rest (aka no sex). I mean don't get me wrong I will obviously forgo without a second thought to keep Skooter safe, but a girls got needs ya know!!

Weekly Wisdom: The second trimester totally flies by. I thought I would never be out of the first trimester and now I'm only a few weeks away from the third...how did that happen?!?

Milestones: Viability next week!!!

Emotions: I think once I hit the 48 hour post amnio mark, and felt confident Skooter was going to be okay...it finally hit me that I was pregnant and there was a real live healthy baby coming in a few short months!! This weekend I bought maternity clothes, I started my registries (online but we plan to hit up the stores soon), I emailed a maternity photographer, and I even bought some baby stuff while I was at Tar.get!!! Just a couple sets of pacifiers, a package of newborn onesies...just cause they were so little and cute, and some J&J baby wash, cause it smells so good! It was so fun and now I'm like what else can I buy for Skooter, a think a stroller will be my first big purchase, YAY!!!

I'm back and CRAZY long update!!

Hey everyone! So sorry for my little blogging hiatus, and thank you to everyone who was wondering where I was over on LTB's blog...you guys are the best and I instantly felt terrible that I was worrying all my blog buddies!

Anyways, my life has been a complete whirlwind the last few weeks. Where to start?

House News (good stuff):

Well first off, I noted in my New Year's post this year one of my resolutions was to tear down our house and build a new one. This has always been the plan when we bought our little starter home. Well, in the matter of a month we realized we needed to start now if we were going to be in anytime close to the baby being born (we'll be living with my parents in the meantime...yikes). So we found an architect, made the plans, submitted to the village for building permits, found builders to bid out the project, packed up our entire house, moved in with my parents, and still need to move boxes from our house into the storage unit before demolition! Its basically become another part time job! But we're beyond excited to get going on this and have a brand new home for baby Skooter!

Baby News (bad and then good stuff):

Okay, so our 20 week ultrasound didn't quite go as planned. Hubby and I both took the day off expecting to go downtown that morning, and then celebrate all day with lunch and a couple of baby stores which I've yet to venture into yet. Well we did the u/s first and then you have to meet with your dr. The wait in between literally took an hour and a half!! Finally we met with the dr. and she starts off by saying everything looks great, but there is one small issue. Skooter had a couple small cysts in his/her brain...cue me starting to totally panic and go into state of shock. The Dr. went on to say that they are in no way harmful to the baby, however...they can be considered a soft marker for chromosomal abnormal ties...okay, now I'm totally freaking out in my head but trying to stay calm and hear her out.

She said when they are isolated, meaning they're the only thing they find in the u/s they're almost always found to be nothing. It's when they're found with other markers, such as heart defects, issues with hands/feet they can be associated with downs and more specifically trisomy 18 which is so severe most babies will be stillborn or die soon after being born. She's continues to tell us because we're so young, and all our screens came back negative we really shouldn't be worried, and we don't need to consider an amnio yet...as she's handing me a prescription for a level II ultrasound to get in the next couple weeks. I was in such shock that I didn't even ask any questions because I was just trying not to burst into tears.

So we walk out of the office, and THEN I burst into tears. Hubby and I were just like what just happened in there. We thought the 20 week u/s was supposed to be nothing but exciting and fun...and we felt like we'd been hit with a truck. We went home and I immediately consulted with Dr. Google, which shockingly enough made me feel better and just confirmed what my dr. had stated.

We luckily got in for our level II ultrasound the very next day (thank god cause I wouldn't have survived waiting more than a day), to which she confirmed the cysts were definitely isolated. She said she wasn't recommending an amnio, but that would be the only way to confirm one way or the other. So as much as we left that u/s feeling relieved they were in fact isolated, we still knew that we wouldn't be 100% certain until we either got an amnio or waited until the baby was born.

So for the last two weeks hubby and I have literally been agonizing over what to do. We'd go back and forth like its absolutely crazy to consider an amnio and put ourselves and Skooter at risk (there is a very very small risk of miscarriage). But at the same time everyday at work I was obsessively googling every possible study on isolated cysts, I called my dr. twice to get her opinion, I called the specialist once who did my first and second trimester screenings and got his opinion. As much as everything was saying just let this go, the odds are SO low anything is wrong with the baby...I could not get it out of my head.

I mean truthfully this was probably the hardest decision of my life. On one hand knowing myself I would be agonizing about this until the baby was born. And on that day instead of being 100% excited to meet our little one, in the back of both our heads we'd be wondering if the baby would be healthy when it came out. Then on the other hand we could do the amnio, which I would get same day results and have peace of mind Skooter was in fact healthy, but be terrified for who knows how long about possible miscarrying this baby we've waited so long for who most likely is perfectly fine based on the odds. But then again those are just odds, and you can see how I go back and forth.

To sum it up I decided to make an appt with for the amnio yesterday morning, with the stipulation we would go more for info on the procedure and would most likely back out which the nurse says happens all the time. The appt was yesterday morning and I was literally sick all the way downtown. After meeting with one of the genetic counselors, who told us she wouldn't be worried about the cysts because she sees them all the time, but she also wouldn't be worried about the amnio if she had to get one. And the fact we even made the appt probably meant we needed some peace of mind.

Long story short we decided to go through with it. I was so nervous, and was crying the entire time. The procedure itself lasted about 30 seconds. The dr. who performed it has been doing amnios all day every day for the last 20 years or something, and the nurse said in the last 4 years she's been there, only one person has had an issue post-amnio. After almost fainting in the lobby of the hospital (I have a weird fainting complex that is totally mental, I can go down after bee stings and almost bit it in the RE's office when the nurse was just showing hubby how to do my first shot) I went home and put myself on strict bedrest (even though the dr. said to just take it easy), and got the call that afternoon that Skooter is 100% healthy. I can't even begin to tell you the weight that has been lifted from our shoulders, and I'm just glad we can finally put this behind us.

Its been a tough couple of weeks, and sorry again for worrying you guys!! In other happier news I'm pretty sure I have Dav.id Beck.ham brewing in my tummy. Skooter is kicking like crazy, last night especially and I'm pretty sure he was trying to let mommy know he was okay! My stomach totally pops and hubby and I love watching from the outside...SO crazy!! Oh, and with our level 1, level 2, and amnio ultrasounds we somehow managed to stay strong and not find out the sex and there were no he/she slip ups from any of the techs. So Skooter will be surprising us all when he/she is born in January!

Happy Anniversary...

To me and hubby!!! Tomorrow August 13th will be our 5 year anniversary! I wanted to post today because Friday's are my busy day at work and I desperately need to get a mani/pedi during lunch tomorrow. Anyways, I've literally been counting down to this weekend for the last 4 weeks. Not only is tomorrow our anniversary, but Saturday is one of my girlfriend's weddings, and Monday is our 20 week ultrasound! On top of that its a long weekend because hubby and I took Monday off for the big ultrasound.

And to top it all of, last night after we did our every other nightly dopple...I was rubbing some lotion on my tummy and felt a little bump. I instantly made hubby put his hand there with mine on top and a couple minutes later our hands both bumped, and I felt like a little pop in my tummy. Of course I went through all the other things it could have been, gas bubble, weird digestion...but this was so distinct, we thought it just had to be Skooter? I guess only time will tell but it was amazing all the same, and hubby's face was just priceless. He's always telling me I'm so lucky I get to feel Skooter, but hopefully soon he will be feeling him too on a regular basis!

What's even crazier about being married 5 years, is the fact that I've known hubby for over 9! We met at the end of sophomore year in college. I was blind drunk and bummed because the guy I currently had a crush on totally ignored me at the bar, so we moved on to the next bar and my memory is pretty foggy after that. The back story is that our sorority house did a calendar called the men of UofI and we got guys from various frats to apply. Some of hubby's friends entered his name without him knowing and he ended up being a finalist.

The girls in the sorority got to vote the final 12 guys in, and I clearly remember my friend telling me to vote for this guy from the aca.cia frat cause he's super nice and cute. I didn't really know anyone in that frat and had never even met this guy, and I'm pretty sure I did not vote for him. Well, he made it in without my vote and flash forward to the night at the bar...I randomly bump into this guy, walk up to him and say "Hey calendar boy." For some reason I remember that part, and then I gave him this weird kiss on the cheek, but I sorta mis-kissed and hit him on the lips. Luckily he was just as bombed and went with it (despite having a girlfriend at the time), we somehow ended up back in my room and made out, until I passed out!

Turns out hubby and I had a class together, and as fate would have it we had the awkward sober bump in after class a couple days later. He had also left his jacket in my room, so he had his in to see me again. A couple more drunken nights of bumping into each other at the bar, and that was that. He broke up with his girlfriend (and hubby really isn't a scumbag cheater, he'd been looking for a way to break up with this girl for awhile but being a immature college frat guy hadn't found a good enough reason, at least until I came along, hah) and we've been together ever since!

I can honestly say this last year has by far been the toughest. Every marriage has its ups and downs, but dealing with IF over the last year was devastating. Hubby was my rock though, and I would not have gotten through everything if it weren't for him. And it is thrilling to think about the fact this last year of struggling and tears is now being followed by what could be the best year so far. Every single day I think how lucky I was to be so drunk that night and meet my gorgeous calendar boy! Love you hubby!

19 Weeks!!! *Updated with belly pic

How Far Along: 19 weeks (although pic above is from 18)!!

Maternity Clothes: Still just working with the bella bands and blousy tops from H&M & Forever 21! I did go into two maternity stores this weekend in search of a maternity wedding dress, which was a total bust!! Each store had like 4 things which weren't cute, and even if they had been they looked HUGE! Also maternity clothes are expensive...I mean there was definitely cute tops/sweaters and stuff, but if I can make my own stuff work why not save the moola for baby stuff!

Stretch Marks: Nope, but my skin feels so tight! I seriously don't see how this bump can get any bigger without my skin just ripping apart. I guess I find out how soon enough!

Sleep: Still going to be super early, and waking up about once a night to pee. I am getting a little uncomfortable as I hit the point in my pregnancy where you're supposed to try not to sleep on your back, very hard for a back sleeper. I am constantly waking up finding myself on my back, which I know my book said not to panic if you do...but there is literally no keeping me on my side.

Best Moment of the Week: Definitely yesterday when I felt Skooter moving like crazy!! He really loves A&W root beer, and it totally gets him moving.

Movement: YES!!! And until a week ago I wasn't so confident, but starting at about 18 weeks I definitely was feeling little flutters inside. Its just when you have nothing else to compare to its so easy to just write it off as normal stomach feelings. But now that I'm starting to feel it daily I'm fairly confident what I'm feeling is little Skooter. Today on the train ride in I even thought I felt a little kick or two...it was definitely stronger than a flutter!! It is amazing and weird all at the same time, and I just can't wait until hubby can feel it too!

Food cravings: A&W root beer! I've always loved my pop but stopped drinking before IVF because I always drank Coke Zero so wanted to give up caffeine and sweeteners. But a couple weeks ago I was at my parents house and they had these mini cans of A&W, full calorie so no sweeteners AND no caffeine...I had one and thought I had literally died and gone to heaven. So hubby bought me some and I get to have one every once in a while as a little treat...SO good!!

Gender: Okay, for about 2 weeks after my 16 week appt I really was thinking boy. But now I think I'm back to girl. I can't believe I could actually know if I wanted to in 1 week at our 20 week ultrasound, but we've made it this far what's another 20 weeks of wondering, hah!!

What I Miss: Nothing, I'm loving every second of being pregnant!! And I miss seeing little Skooter, our 20 week u/s is next Monday and I'm literally counting down the seconds!

What I'm Looking Forward To: 20 week u/s!

Weekly Wisdom: One day you will wake up and your bump just totally pops! It happened right around 18 weeks for me. I almost felt weird walking into work that day, like where the hell did that come from, hah!

Milestones: Almost halfway there!!

Emotions: I seriously can't believe I'm 19 weeks, and this pregnancy is halfway over. Time is definitely starting to move faster, and its starting to hit me as people starting asking about shower dates, and registering, and all that fun stuff!!

Catching Up w/ Pics

Happy Friday everyone. Omigosh, I'm soooo happy this week is finally over. It's been long, brutal and busy!! We've had stuff going on almost every night after work, so i'm also super exhausted and ready for a 4 day weekend!! Whoohoo! Hubby's 30th bday is on Tuesday (he's taking the whole week off, lucky duck), so I'm taking Monday/Tuesday so we can hang, hit the pool, and all that good stuff!! We already had the big blowout party, so hubby has made me promise to keep all actual bday activies/gifts to a minimum.

And Saturday I plan to catch up on everyone's blogs because I'll be flying solo all day! Hubby has his annual Leisure Decathlon. And no, this isn't an official race/event or anything. Its a made up Olympics of sort, that hubby and his friends created a few years ago. Ten events consisting of "leisure" activities, including bags, bocce, bowling, lawn darts, beer chugging, croket (sp), pool, etc. Yes, there is heavy drinking involved here, that's sorta the point, and yes it takes all day long, and yes I worry all day long that someone is going to kill themselves (I mean lawn darts isn't suppose to be safe sober, let alone bombed). There is a trophy involved and hubby came in 2nd last year so maybe with his 30th on the horizon he could get the win!! I actually think the whole thing is pretty hilarious and would LOVE to watch, but no wives are allowed...that is a strict rule, hah!

Anyways, I have one million blogs to read/catch up on so this is a quick post to say I'm still here. And here are a few pics from all our fun events lately. Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy 30th Hubby!!!

I look majorly preggo here, I think its mostly the dress (yikes)!

Wedding this last weekend, the bump is pretty hidden with the dress. Although I did feel like a sausage stuffed into it since its not maternity and needed to be.
Loved their cake.

Yah, I really loved the cake...especially since I was dead sober and could fully enjoy every bite!

16 Week Appt & One Problem to Another

So I just got back from my 16 week appointment (a few days early). As you guys know I was determined to see Skooter...so I called earlier this week and said I was still concerned about the bleed I had in my uterus (which I really wasn't but if you have a bleed might as well take advantage), and would really like an u/s to check on it. The nurse said just mention it to the dr. at my appt and she would probably have no issues squeezing me in!

And of course I was nervous about this all morning, I'm such a chicken when it comes to drs...but to my amazement she said no problem. So hubby and I scooted over to the ultrasound room to get our peek at Skooter. Well, first off it was a pretty disappointing u/s because the tech was mostly looking for the bleed (which was totally gone, YAY). She did measure the head, length and heartbeat and everything was measuring perfectly. I even asked if we could get a better look, and she said the baby is super low and my placenta was getting in the way.

Then she stopped and was like I'm going to have you undress and do a vaginal u/s, I think your placenta may be over your cervix. She walks out the door and I start freaking, what the hell does that even mean, and thank god we got this u/s today. So she's back and sure enough my placenta is totally covering my cervix, and baby's head is right on top. She then told me she was going to go tell the dr. and I would probably have to meet with her again, she brought up to this tiny little room that looked like a place where people go to get bad news. I'm talking a small circle table, a box of tissues, and a red button that says push for help (which the dr. did confirm is in every room, yes I asked).

So turns out the placenta grows where it grows, its can move with your uterus as it expands...but it won't just pick up and move to the other side of your uterus. She said most of the time it will move out of the way, but if it doesn't you have what is called placenta previa and you can't deliver vaginally because your cervix is blocked. Apparently if it doesn't move that means c-section 3 weeks early because they don't even want to risk you going into labor. She said no sex until our 20 week u/s, and specifically no orgasms for me (BOO). So now we just wait.

I of course got back to work and googled the shit out of placenta previa and yes it sounds super scary if you have to deal with it, but it does seem like its super early to be concerned and more often than not the placenta will move out of the way. The dr. told me not to stress, but she's crazy if she thinks this won't be the only thing on my mind for the next month. At least I can stop worrying on the bleed and focus on one issue at a time. Man, if it's not one thing it's a frickin other.

*Side note, u/s tech kept referring to baby as he. Maybe she calls all babies he...but I found that weird. She even asked if we were finding out, and I said no so don't say anything if you see anything, and then she was all he/she. Also the heartbeat was only 143 this time around...so now my total girl confidence is a little bit shaken...which I'm kinda excited about because let's face it, if it's going to be a surprise I'd like to at least wonder a bit!!!

Hello Friday!

So right now I'm sitting in my awful new cube where anyone who walks by can see what I'm doing, but its Friday so I just don't care if people see my blogging. I'm also currently litsening to my boss (who is now in the office over my shoulder) eat the biggest bag of chips or celery or something that requires a super annoying crunch with every single bite. Ahhhh, make it stop please...its like nails on a chalkboard!

Anyways, I'm super pumped for the weekend! Tomorrow I'm throwing hubbys 30th bday party and our favorite surburban hang out place, Pin.stripes. They have baci ball courts which is just so much fun. Tonight I need to make some photoboards of hubby with all his cutsy baby pics, I also need to make brackets boards for the baci ball tournament (yes I like to keep this things official), get prizes for the winners, and order hubby's cake from costco! Tomorrow hubby and I are going to pool it up in the morning, in my new sexy maternity tankini of course, and then I'm heading downtown to get my hair done! Lots of fun stuff!!

Speaking of bdays, my 30th is in October. And seeing as I'll be about 7 months pregnant, hubby and I decided to do the big blowout for his and maybe do just go on a nice relaxing vacay for mine. We want to stay in the states, and go for like 4 or 5 days. Maybe Scottsdale, or something in Arizona, we went there for a wedding last October and it was the perfect time weather wise. Or we could do east coast, like a cute b&b somewhere. If anyone has any suggestions of cool places they've been, would love to hear them!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

14 Weeks w/ Belly Shots

How Far Along: 14 weeks (and 1 day)

Maternity Clothes: I purchased my first maternity item this weekend...a bathing suit! And let me tell you it is sexy, hah! Its really just a tankini, but my itty bitty bikini was cutting off circulation in my boobs, and after I ate lunch at the pool the whole beer belly gut wasn't looking too hot. Plus hubby was worried about Skooter getting too warm in the sun. I tried on a couple other things but couldn't pull the plug.

Stretch Marks: Nope.

Sleep: Still super tired at night, but pretty good during the day. And I know my books tell me the whole peeing thing will go away around 12 weeks but I'm still getting up nightly to pee.

Best Moment of the Week: Hmm, I guess the holiday weekend in general was pretty good. We kept saying things like Scooter's first 4th, and Scooter's first swim...since it was actually hot enough for me to get in the pool this weekend! And as we watched the fireworks hubby put his hand on my belly, and it felt like all three of us were watching! I can't wait for him (and me) to start feeling movement down there! Oh, and I think we finalized our names when we were laying at the pool this weekend. I still totally reserve the right to change my mind, but as of today I love our two names! Still debating if I'll share early or not.

Movement: Hopefully getting close to some movement action, my book says at the end of month 4 so we'll see. Probably still a few weeks away.

Food cravings: Still lots of fruit, I made pretzel jello salad for the 4th and that has definitely been hitting the spot. Oh, and spaghetti is definitely up there!

Gender: Hubby and I are both thinking girl now. Although I refer to Skooter as a he always!

What I Miss: So I'm getting use to the lack of ultrasounds now, only because I have my trustly doppler on my nightstand. I guess if I had to admit one thing it would be iced coffees from star.bucks. On the weekends hubby and I walk to our little downtown for star.bucks, and my iced tea lemonade (no caffeine if you get passion tea) is just not the same. I suppose I could get decaf, but isn't there still caffeine in that?

What I'm Looking Forward To: My next OB appt which is a week from Friday, hubby and I are hoping we can sneak in an u/s somehow. Still trying to figure out how exactly, but I'm determined to see Skooter!

Weekly Wisdom: Be careful when holding other people's drinks! This weekend at the parade hubby gave me his cup of beer to hold while he unfolded chairs, well I took a swig of his beer instead of my lemonade...and I of course know one sip of beer would be absolutely fine. But instead I freaked and spit it out on the street in front of tons of people, hah! It just tasted so wrong in my mouth I couldn't even swallow!

Milestones: Told my boss today! So I'm officially out of the closet now!

Emotions: I guess the same as usual, so unbelievably excited...but the nerves are still there. I'm getting better at pushing them to the back of my head though. And openly talking baby stuff with people who have heard the news, even allowing myself to daydream about baby stuff and nursery ideas. But even today before telling my boss I had to call hubby and make sure I wasn't jinxing everything by telling. And I just can't believe I'm 14 weeks!

12 weeks

14 weeks

(please excuse the shiny face and air dried fro)

Catching Up - Bulleted Version

Hey peeps!! Like I said I've been SO busy at work which doesn't help my blogging. Know that I'm at least keeping up with yours and even if I'm not commenting, I am reading!! It also doesn't help that we moved floors last week and now my boss, who use to sit on the other side of the floor with absolutely no visual on me (allowing for my 1.5 hour lunch breaks), now sits in the office over my shoulder. Not only does this affect my lunch schedule but also my facebook, blogging, online shopping, etc. Basically its the worst thing EVER!!! But here are some goods things going on:

• Today I'm 13w2d pregnant, whoohoo!
• Last night we did the doppler (because I was convinced my yorkie Bella had hurt Skooter when she jumped onto my lap) and we hit the money spot. Skooter's heart was beating away and it was crystal clear, best sound ever!
• We have fully announced to everyone (except work...when did you tell your boss) that we're pregnant. I'm shocked at how many amazing friends I have that have sent congrats on expecting cards. I'm assuming I avoided this section of the card aisle completely in the past. I want to get better about that in general though, its SO fun to get something unexpected in the mail!
• This weekend is 4th of July which means long weekend, YAY! Since moving to the burbs hubby and I always host our families for the 4th, since we live right where the parade goes by in my town. Always makes for a fun day! Even my grandpa who is 94 comes up from the southside and watches the parade, he's so cute!
• I'm starting to feel like I'm showing, but it does weird me out how much my stomach changes throughout the day. In the morning I look a little bloated, but by bedtime I swear I look like a 5 month pregnant person. Is this normal and does that happen to anyone else?
• Hubby got me the boppy body pillow for my 12 week present, and its AMAZING!
• And to celebrate the end of the 1st trimester hubby and I are having a date night tomorrow since we're taking Friday off. Dinner at wildfire followed by a movie...can you guess what I'm seeing?? You know it, Eclipse here I come...actually more like Edward here I come! Dam he's so frickin hot, hubby I love you more though!

Hope everyone has a great and safe holiday weekend!! And on Monday I'll be doing my 14 week post with some belly shots. I took my first at 12 weeks, so we'll see if there's any change from pic to pic!!! I'm betting chowing down all day on the 4th should help my belly cause!

12 Weeks!!!

How Far Along: 12 weeks (and 2 days)

Maternity Clothes: Just my bella bands for now.

Stretch Marks: Nope, and I got some cocoa butter which I'm slathering on every night now.

Sleep: While energy during the day has definitely improved I still need a lot of sleep. Even when I go to bed early I wake up in the mornings feeling like I'm hungover.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing Skooter yesterday at our NT scan!! He/she is the cutest little thing, and was bouncing all over the place. But in between bouncing Skooter was chilling with its legs up like it was in a recliner. It was too cute and I never wanted the u/s to end. Here's a pic, you can see the legs on the right and both hands are up by the face. The left one you can see the tips of the thumb and fingertips right there by the nose. The right hand is covering the mouth.

Movement: Still too early!

Food cravings: I could eat chipolte veggie bowl for every meal, watermelon, anything sweet!

Gender: Still thinking girl, reasons are the heartbeat theory and face breakouts. Yesterday's heartbeat was 165 bpm (they say the higher it is = girl, and lower it is = boy). And during the wedding weekend I got a facial and my facialist was 5 months pregnant. She had just found out they were having a girl, and had the same forehead breakouts as I did...she said that was a girl symptom as well. And hey, if were totally off base that would be great too because I can't think of anything cuter than a mini hubby!!

What I Miss: Now I'm definitely missing the weekly u/s as yesterday marked three weeks since my last one. The doppler has truly been a savior. We're so good at finding the heartbeat now that we just do it every night before bed for like 30 seconds. Also, I'm missing worry free sex. Its just not the same when all you can think about is running to the bathroom to see if you're spotting afterwards...I know we'll get there but in the beginning its just frickin scary!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Telling everyone! We told a few people at the wedding but I totally chickened out and didn't want to fully announce. I just needed yesterday's u/s under my belt. So I think I may email my friends today with the pic of Skooter. I'm still nervous since we've been keeping it a secret so long, but I'm excited for everyone to finally know!!

Weekly Wisdom: Random symptom of pregnancy is increased hair growth, well apparently my hair got the memo all new growth should occur on my stomach! Yes, I have a full on treasure trail of blonde hair, in addition to some all over fur. It's weirdly long and just ain't sexy.

Milestones: 12 weeks - almost out of the first trimester!!! And successful NT scan!

Emotions: Starting to believe this is happening. Seeing Skooter yesterday was just so amazing. I definitely have a start of a bump which is exciting too, I took a 12 week picture finally but its on my other camera so I'll have to download later today. And I also pulled out the pregnancy books finally. I had bought a couple last year when I got pregnant and after the miscarriage hubby hid all pregnancy related stuff. I never asked for them because I didn't want to jinx this pregnancy, or something.

Bad Blogger

So I must say I've been a terrible blogger of late. I'm trying as hard as I can to keep up with all yours, but I've been super busy at work which is where I do most of my blogging. I know I know, I'm a bad employee. But 90% of the year I'm bored to tears, but in the summer we have our insurance renewals which I'm in charge of and they really piss me off cause I'm forced to be a decent employee and get some crap done. And I have to admit...back in the fall when thoughts of a summer baby were on my mind I also thought about the chance of my maternity leave falling on insurance renewal season. Oh well, clearly I'm meant to have a January baby so I'll suck it up and get this shit done.

And on top of that we have an out town wedding this weekend in Galena. Hubby and I both grew up growing to Galena. His grandparents had a house there, and my parents had a townhouse. We always joke that we could have walked right past each other way back in the day!! I have so many great memories of that place, we'd go there in the summer and winter...and I have since recruited my friends on numerous skiing trips there and hubby and I have gone for several weekends on our own. The thing I love most about Galena is it never changes...they have this cute little town, with the same candy store I went to when I was 10, that you can weigh on those old school scales. My mom only let me get 1/4 lb, and it was all about getting the gummies which were way lighter than chocolate stuff, hah!!

I also met Jas.on Prie.stly, Ia.n Zieri.ng, and Dav.id Aus.ten Gree.n in Galena. I know, SO random. And believe it or not...it was when 90210 was fairly new, I was in 4th grade which meant 90210 obsession!!! They were doing some celebrity baseball game at the Field of Dreams (which is not too far away), and as fate would have it they were staying at the townhouse attached to mine!!! I listened through the walls with cups all night long. I remember being so upset because Jason Priestly was smoking (which in my 4th grade head was equivalent to doing drugs, hah)!! We got autographs and tons of photo ops, I mean really...how amazing is that story?!?

Needless to say Galena is a very happy place for me, so hubby and I took Friday off and are heading up Thursday afternoon to extend the trip. First stop is Happy Joe's for some taco pizza, yum! And then Friday hubby is golfing with the boys (he's standing up) and I'm heading to the spa for my first mani/pedi since finding out I was pregnant, can we say way overdue. I know I'm a freak but when I googled online it said to make sure they didn't rub your feet or ankles in certain spots cause they're pressure points that induce contractions. Every article online just says to tell them you're pregnant and ask they only rub your calves. But let's be honest...I felt a little silly going in at 6 weeks with NO bump whatsoever being all I'm pregnant so can you not rub my feet, hah. But that's just me.

Another first this week for me is highlights!! OMG, you have no idea. I was due for highlights before I started IVF, but skipped in fear the chemicals would somehow affect my eggs...seriously I have problems. So my point is I literally have 4 inch roots of dark brown hair (with some evil rogue grey strands...okay, i've only found like 2 but they're much easier to find against dark hair), ick!! The combination of the dark roots, gross feet and nails, and totally broken out forehead is definitely not a winning one. It's summer and I'm ready to be blond again, YAY! Maybe I should take before and after pics to document the improvement, hah!

What else, tomorrow I go for blood work for my NT scan next week. Wednesday is my last weekly acupuncture (and then I'm just going to go monthly until my package runs out). And then Thursday is my 12 week appointment with the OB (a few days early) but I wanted to get confirmation everything is good before the wedding. We may start to tell people at the wedding. I asked hubby if he wanted to bring it up to the guys, and he suggested I just bring it up to the wives/girlfriends. The idea of telling people is so weird to think about, I mean I'm excited don't get me wrong...and for my own friends I'm planning a whole cute announcement. But we're going to be at a wedding, and I certainly don't wait to create a huge spectacle...so I may just tell one or two of the other wives and let the news spread on its own. And I think I'm going to wait and tell all my friends after the NT scan (a week from tomorrow) so I can send them all a great pic or video of little Skooter.

So today marks 11 weeks so we're getting very close to 2nd trimester. I think I'm starting to let it sink in a little more, I'm definitely starting to feel more confident talking about this pregnancy like its actually happening. So in any case if I'm MIA this week you know why, and I should have a great post for you next week post highlights/wedding/NT scan! Have a great week everyone.