12 week Prenatal Visit

Today was our 12 week doctor visit! It was so neat!  The baby was tucked in again, but one I started laughing, boy did the baby get moving.  It was so wiggly and looked like it was doing the worm.  Everything looked great and it has changed from a blob to an actual baby!  Our baby is about 2 inches and about the size of a lime.

No gender prediction yet.  Next appointment is August 1st.  Our fingers are crossed that we might find out something then!

First Trimester in Review

I have never felt so weird in my whole life.  There is definitely something going on in my belly.  Here are a few reflections from the last 12 weeks:


1. I have never been so tired in my whole life.  Two to three naps a day have become the norm. Thank goodness it is summer vacation and I am not having to try to teach a classroom full of kids right now.  There are so many things I had planned to do during my time off, but don't have the energy to do any of them.


2. I haven't had specific cravings, but I can't eat enough!  Everything looks and tastes delicious! I can go from feeling fine to being absolutely starving within a 10 minute time span.  Snacks are now a staple in my purse.


3.  Water is my new best friend.  I have a tervis tumbler attached to me 24/7.


4.  I have had some nausea, but haven't felt like I was going to throw up but once.  I've found that if I just sit and relax it goes away pretty easily.  I am so thankful for this, especially after hearing so many morning sickness stories from others.


5.  I get out of breath very easily.  I am used to walking and moving fast and now have to stop and catch my breath just from walking from the parking lot into a store.


6.  I pee constantly.


7.  There are some others too, but I'll keep those to myself :)

First Prenatal Visit - 8 weeks

I thought this doctor's appointment would never come.  It was such a nice confirmation.  I wasn't sure if they would do a sonogram, but they did!  Meet "Baby Blob!"

The baby is in the top middle of the black section, tucked in nice and cozy.  It looks like a blob.  The circular thingy to the left of Baby Blob is the yolk sac.  The placenta is still forming.  I could see the baby's heartbeat.  It was about 170 bpm!

We go back July 5th for our 12 week appointment!

Telling Our Parents

Here are the text messages sent telling our families about the baby.

Here's the first message:

My parents were on their way to dinner.  My mom was pissed - what the hell were we thinking!  Now three dogs!  She knows she is their #1 babysitter, and already has three dogs of their own!  Now she's going to have SIX dogs running around!?


Then came the next message:

There went the tears.  Both mom and dad.  They couldn't go into the restaurant because they were crying too hard, and had to go back home.  My dad later thanked us for him not getting fed that night.

We also called Clint's parents.  More crying of course!  Sharon passed along advice from her doctor for her first pregnancy (Mitzi is now in her mid 40s).  I can have three beers and ten cigarettes a day.  But no more.  Wow, times have changed!

Of course, both families are extremely happy and excited.  This will be my family's first grandbaby and the Culp family's third.  The two granddaughters are in their 20s, so a baby is a big deal.

Needless to say, we are all super excited!

It's positive!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

I woke up at 4:00 am and needed to pee.  I knew I needed to take my pregnancy test first thing in the morning for optimal results, so I did.  I bought 50 pregnancy tests off Amazon.com, because I had gotten into the habit of taking one every day; sometimes twice a day :)

I was so used to seeing just the one line, tossing it in the trash and going along with my day, knowing that when I came home I could enjoy a nice cold beer with my neighbor.  Well.... there they were: the bright blue test line, and a teeny tiny, very faint, 2nd line.  WTF!?  My heart was racing and my hands were shaking.  Immediately I grabbed the digital pregnancy test that my best friend gave me (she had recently found out that she was pregnant!).  I needed confirmation.  Sure enough it read, "pregnant."  Pretty clear answer.

There were then so many thoughts and questions that raced through my head.  I had to figure out how to tell Clint!  He was still asleep and I didn't want to wake him up.  I laid back down in bed, but there was no way I could fall back asleep.  When I finally got up for work, I heard Clint move and check his phone.  Perfect opportunity!  I took him the positive pregnancy test, and of course, started crying before I could get the words out.  He knew immediately what was going on, and was thrilled!

We're going to have a baby!