July 2008

I do apologize again for not updating this thing more. If you haven't heard already, we're having a girl. Her name will be Charlotte Kimberly. Kimberly is after Brandon's mom whom we adore so much and has been more than just a mother to to us. It's also a tradition in Brandon's family to name your child after someone in their family. I do promise this, that when Charlotte arrives there will be weekly updates b/c you can only do so much on facebook. So I'm not sure when I will update this blog again until her birth, which is still set for September 30th. But the doctor warned us and said don't be surprise if she comes as early as September 16th by the way she's growing. So feel free to check back around the end of September/beginning of October for more updates.

big update

I've noticed I haven't updated this site in a few months. I mainly use facebook to contact everyone about my pregnancy and end up forgetting about this site. Here are a few entries taken from facebook:

April:
we still don't know what the sex of the baby is. it wouldn't cooperate. it stood still for like one second (enough time for us to see it having hiccups!). she said that she thinks it's a girl b/c she didn't see anything. and you usually can see 2 "masses" on the bone sonogram if it's a boy. but again it wouldn't stay still. brandon is going for a girl, but i'm holding out till we know for sure next month on may 15th.

March:
the doctor's appointment when great today. our little baby is still growing like a weed! it has doubled in size and LOVES sleeping. i'm going to have to start eating something with caffeine when i go in for future doctor's appointments to wake it up so the doctor can look all around it. it moves some on it's own, i just think it sleeps late (like it's momma) and our appointments are always around 8 in the morning. today the doctor nudged it to make it move a little and it woke up just like a grown human being. it arched it's back and stretched it's legs out and raised it's arms above it's head like it was just waking up from a long nights rest. then it crossed it's legs at the ankles, tucked it's legs into it's chest, and shifted it's hands to the side of it's face like it was switching sleeping positions! it's so much fun watching it move. it started sucking it's thumb infront of us too! it already has such a big personality! and it does not like being woken up or touched while it's sleeping (like it's daddy). after about 10 minutes of the doctor pushing it around it rolled over and turned it's back on us! it had enough of her. the doctor called it "monello" which means naughty little baby. i think it was just being smart. so baby is healthy and momma is healthy.

update

Things are still going well. We'll have an update after our next doctor's appointment which is March 19th.

Baby's first picture.

We finally have all of our test results back and went to the doctor's office for her to review everything. All my results came out great and mommy and the baby are 100% healthy. She was impressed at my high iron level too. We did the first ultrasound and we got to see our baby waving at us! It was either that or I was laughing and it was waving it's little arms saying "stop, I'm trying to sleep here!" It was so cute reclining against my wall. It was just sittin' there chillin', just like it's daddy! We also saw a bright light from it's little heart beating in it's chest. At one time it looked like it was playing with it's little toes and smiling at us. It's already a show-off for the camera! That means we either have a princess, or a really good soccer player that's already developing it's "flair". The baby is 2.5 centimeters from crown to rump. The doctor thought it was large for it's age at first (which Brandon was really proud of) but she re-checked her charts and it's at a normal healthy size. I'm 9 weeks along and the due date is set for September 30th. Our next visit is next month at the hospital for the heart rate check up.

first round of tests

We went to the hospital, as the doctor ordered, to run blood tests and an urine test. I obviously know I'm pregnant so I thought the urine test was pointless but the doctor wanted to know the percentage of the hCG so she can see how far along I am. They are running about 15 tests with my blood. I don't really know what they're for but the doctor will explain it to me in our next appointment. I have read on some american pregnancy sites on what they test for but it might be a little different here.

Last week I experienced morning sickness and strong fatigue for the first time. It was more like all day sickness. It was just the feeling of nausea. No matter what I did it wouldn't go away. I couldn't stand the site or smell of food. It was also like my appetite was completely gone but yet I had hunger pains. Thankfully it has lightened up. I try to keep in under control with saltines and spuma. I don't know what I would do without spuma. It's an awesome drink to help settle stomachs without that ginger ale after taste. It's kind of like sparkling apple cider with a hint of black cherries.

I'm guessing I'm about 8 weeks along now. I did a birth calculator on the internet but I have irregular cycles so we don't know for certain. My next appointment is in the beginning of march. I'm so ready to know now, 100%!! So if I'm 8 weeks along, according to a fetus growth chart I use, he/she is almost an inch long! I'm still not really showing but we'll try to do belly pictures soon before I blink my eyes and I'm 7 months along!

The first of many

As you probably know now, Brandon and I are expecting our first child. We found out on January 28, 2008. It is difficult to determine our due date according to cycles and such. We're guessing the earliest is the end of September and most likely around the beginning of October. It was a total surprise and Brandon and I wanted it to be that way. We're not into planning our life out because you never know what tomorrow might bring. We always want it in the hands of God and for Him to lead us with guidance and wisdom in all things. So, HE decided to give us one of the greatest blessings, a child. Besides, knowing about a surprise party isn't all that fun when you know what's coming when you walk through that door.

We have all our paper work, doctor, and insurance worked out. It took a few days of waiting in lines and driving all around town but we finally have it all taken care of. We went to the doctor for the first time on Friday, February 8th for a consultation with the doctor. She's a spunky head-strong career woman who loves babies (along with the red hair that's buzzed about an inch high from her head, haha). She's in her early 40's and has a little girl that's about to turn 7. She's certified with Italy but has also studied and worked in London and Miami, which means she speaks english! My italian is coming along but when it comes to understanding medical terms, I'm lost. We will go to the hospital on Monday for blood work and to run 4 types of tests on me.

On a funny note, I joke around with Brandon in that he jinxed me into getting pregnant. Although you can never really jinx someone to get pregnant. On New Year's evening, after we did the Midnight toast, Brandon turned to me and said "Hey, it's a new year, 12 months, we can say that we could have a baby this year!" I didn't want to say anything to disappoint him but I was thinking "not a chance". Not that I didn't want a baby, it's just that he's been saying things similar to this every since the first day of our marriage. So it was more like a running joke. I actually would get really excited every time he mentioned it and would find myself looking at baby stuff on the internet and pregnancy facts every time I was at least an hour "late" every month.

People get so tied up in having to have everything perfect according to certain standards. And what "standards" are we actually referring to? And who exactly wrote this so called invisible book that it's the best to go by? The typical 4 bedroom house, 2 car garage and the 2.5 kids. It's not wrong to want that or if you already have that (even though that .5 kid might look a little strange), but it's not what life's about and it's not the main focus to have. I'll be honest with you, I had that view on life. But now I have found myself on a totally different path than what I imagined. And you know what, that's ok. I would have never imagined having a baby in a foreign country and at times it's a little scary and there are times where I wished I was back in the States in the security of my known where-abouts. But it's ok with me. I know it's ok to be scared about it, it's normal. And better yet, I know God will never leave me through those hard times. Just like the flood, there was a rainbow afterwards and during a storm there is sunshine and blue skies above those dark clouds.