13 weeks and counting...

Pregnancy Highlights: (GB stands for Gummy Bear)

How Far Along: 13 weeks (the FINAL week of my 1st trimester - I actually thought this was the beginning of my 2nd trimester, but I was mistaken)

Fruit: (but we’re going with seafood in honor of eating sushi this week) a medium shrimp





Size: nearly 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce

Baby changes: Fingertips have formed on GB’s tiny fingers
* veins and organs are clearly visible through still-thin skin
* GB’s body is starting to catch up with its head
* GB’s head is 1/3 of its body size

Total Weight Gain/Loss: umm…I think I’ve gained another pound

Best Moment this week: Our Young Life family and friends gave us a 'Going Away - Come and Go’ Shindig last night! It was very special and we feel so loved and will miss our friends and family here so very much.

Gender: We are due to find out in late July / early August, but we’ve chosen to be SURPRISED!

Movement: not yet

Food / Drink Cravings: cereal – I thought I’d get specific this week (Honey Bunches of Oats w/ strawberries, Frosted Mini Spooners and Corn Pops), ‘cooked’ sushi (don’t freak out, it was in moderation), LOVE snacking on fruits – apples, strawberries, grapes and peaches

What I miss: I can’t think of anything at the moment

Sleep: sleeping well

What I am looking forward to: listening to GB’s heartbeat and NO MORE SICKNESS!

Symptoms: Wednesday (June 23) began the start of GB’s 13th week of life and unfortunately, that same day ended my 96 hours (4 days) of NO throwing up streak.

My mom was right when she said you just ‘forget’ how bad it was. I’d definitely say looking back to when I first found out I was pregnant, that those days were unbearable to me. I’d also say I have had a gradual sense of feeling better over the last several days. I haven’t felt the ‘immediate’ sense of GREAT that some moms have described to me when they entered into their 2nd trimester (though technically I am still another week out), but I think because mine has been so gradual, I have forgotten how bad it was. Granted, I still get hit with nausea, my zofran dosage has been reduced!

I can’t believe I’ve forgotten to mention the hiccups! I think I have gotten them EVERY single day since finding out about GB.

12 weeks and counting...

Pregnancy Highlights: (GB stands for Gummy Bear)

How Far Along: 12 weeks

Fruit: Lime

Size: just over 2 inches long and weighs ½ an ounce

Baby changes: Reflexes!
* fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench and mouth will make sucking movements
* intestines will start to move into abdominal cavity
* kidneys will begin excreting urine into bladder
* nerve cells are multiplying rapidly
* synapses in GB’s brain are forming furiously
* eyes and ears are right where they should be

Total Weight Gain/Loss: no gain / loss since last week (Looks like I may be ending the 1st trimester with a total gain of 3 pounds).

Best Moment this week: Looking forward to our weekend - lots of events – bridal shower, dinner in Round Rock with family and Father’s (to be) Day.

Gender: We are due to find out in late July / early August, but we’ve chosen to be SURPRISED!

Movement: not yet

Food / Drink Cravings: cereal, apples with peanut butter or caramel, PB & J, ICE water (a staple all day long), milk

What I miss: any and all foods tasting and 'sounding' good to me to eat

Sleep: still sleeping well, thank you, Benadryl.

What I am looking forward to: listening to GB’s heartbeat and NO MORE SICKNESS!

Symptoms: Sad to report I’m still getting sick, but I feel like I’ve had more ‘good’ days this week along with more energy to help my Love around the house.

My new nemesis is acid reflux / heartburn. I have NEVER experienced this in my lifetime until now, and I feel for those who do. It feels as if food is hanging out in my throat and comes with this constant feeling of needing to vomit to feel better and that’s what eventually happens. Thankfully, a girl at work shared the trick – fruit flavored Tums…they taste like candy!

11 weeks and counting...

Pregnancy Highlights: (GB stands for Gummy Bear)

How Far Along: 11 weeks

Fruit: Fig





Size: 1 and 1/2 inches long

Baby changes: Our baby is now almost fully formed!
* hands will soon open and close into fists
* tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under its gums
* some of its bones are beginning to harden
GB is already busy kicking and stretching, and its tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet

Total Weight Gain/Loss: no gain / loss since last week

Best Moment this week: Umm…the weekend and getting to sleep (sorry I’m reaching here). Johnny and I did have a realtor open house on Wednesday and that was very successful. We got lots of great comments on our home and hopefully that will bring a buyer soon!

Gender: We are due to find out in late July / early August, but we’ve chosen to be SURPRISED!

Movement: not yet, though I have felt stitches / cramps in my abdomen occasionally this week.

Food Craving: frozen purple grapes (skin peeled), cereal

What I miss: exercising – I know I didn’t do lots before, but I hope to pick it back up.

Sleep: sleeping well, but I can’t seem to get enough this week.

What I am looking forward to: listening to GB’s heartbeat and NO MORE SICKNESS!

Symptoms: Sad to report I’m still getting sick, but mostly just feeling exhausted this week. My doctor told me to try Benadryl at night to suppress my cough. That isn’t cutting it during the day, so she then suggested Delsym. We’ll see if that helps!

10 weeks and counting...

Pregnancy Highlights: (GB stands for Gummy Bear)

How Far Along: 10 weeks

Fruit: Kumquat – what’s this, you ask? (see picture below)

Size: 1 and ¼ inches long and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce

Baby changes: This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in the body rapidly grow and mature
* GB is swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm
* Vital organs — including its kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function
* tiny nails are forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin
* limbs can bend now
* GB’s hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over its heart, and its feet may be long enough to meet in front of its body
* outline of GB’s spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from its spinal cord

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Hey, I’m going to be really honest here…
+ 3 pounds since my very first appointment (May 3)
My husband had just brought me Chick-fil-A for lunch so maybe that’s why ;)

Best Moment this week: June 1 – this was our 2nd sonogram and 1st time to see our baby, find out exactly how far along I am, and get a due date (which just happens to be my Mom’s b-day – December 31st)

Gender: We are due to find out in late July / early August, but we have chosen to be SURPRISED!

Movement: Not yet, however, GB was very active during my sonogram, flipping around and bouncing off the womb walls (Dr. Pilkinton said it’s the most active baby she’s seen this early on)

Food Craving: Crispix cereal and watermelon, I’ve been eating lots of fast food for lunch, if it sounds good, I grab it! I’m sure I’ll regret this later, wait, I do regret it.

What I miss: Getting off work at 2:30 every afternoon, it’s more like 5:30 now and wearing my pants comfortably…already, I know!

Sleep: Sleeping well. I still wake up pretty early (6:15 or so) ready to eat or throw up…whatever comes first! It takes me a while to get around in the mornings.

What I am looking forward to: Listening to GB’s heartbeat and NO MORE SICKNESS!

Symptoms: Nausea and sometimes vomiting seem to hit me at least once a day, but Zofran has been my miracle drug. I’ve got this bug-a-boo cough that does not seem to go away, and lots of times this leads to my vomiting. My doctor says hopefully I am on the upswing of things since I’m getting close to the end of the 1st trimester.

The funny thing is...

...is that if you've read Johnny's last blog (yes, this is Taylor by the way - I think you'll be getting more of me than him during this next season of our lives :) ...

Then you've noticed that on April 29 he told you guys we were NOT pregnant!

That's obviously not true according to the picture below!

Just to get everyone up to speed...here's a little background on what has transpired in our lives over the past month and a couple of days.

The following day (Friday, April 30) we found out we indeed WERE pregnant! All that week I had been telling Johnny how I just knew we were pregnant. He of course, thought I was calling "Wolf" again, but hey, I can't blame him since I have 'thought' I was pregnant every month that we've been married. That's 28 months worth!

This time I took it upon myself to take a pregnancy test while at work on that Friday...without telling Johnny. I didn't want to embarass myself again (since I had done this same thing back in February when I thought we were pregnant).

I got the results in about 4 hours, which felt like 24! The nurse told me over the phone and it was definitely a very surreal moment. They were ready for me to start scheduling my first appointment and all I could say was I'll be back here on Monday.

I went down to my office and shut the door and cried...I think it was even more emotional for me just having found out that we're moving too!

I left early that day because there was no way I could focus anymore. I tried thinking of really creative / cute ways to share the news with Johnny, even though excitement was not the emotion I was feeling. I knew we would forever remember this and I wanted it to be special.

As soon as I got home, still not having any plans in mind, I was greeted at the door by Johnny who starts rubbing my belly and asking how Baby Bambino is. To that, I lost it, again, and told him in an ugly sob voice - 'We ARE pregnant!' Not very cute or creative, huh?!

We cried together and then I remember Johnny jumping around the house saying 'My boys can swim, my boys can swim!' We laid down for a nap and Johnny started talking to my belly and I pushed my stomach out and you wouldn't believe the 'in awe' look on Johnny's face. 'He kicked...he kicked!' Johnny exclaimed. I felt bad to break it to him that actually, it was just me, pumping my stomach, if you will, not the baby.

Johnny went ahead and bought Wal-green's best take home pregnancy tests (2) because he didn't think the hospital test I took was accurate. That still doesn't make any sense to me. So as soon as I took those, I guess it started sinking in for him.

We spent the next month (May) apart mostly. Fortunately, for Johnny, he missed me in a lot of my pregnancy sickness glory and fortunately for me, my mom was around to help me.

Johnny spent a week in Colorado for an Old Testament class and then I left right before he got home for a week long trip to Nashville (by the grace of God I survived) and then we reunited for about 3.5 days before Johnny left for Young Life Wilderness Work Week in Colorado for another week.

While Johnny was away, I had my first appointment / sonogram (May 3). My dear friend, Lucy, accompanied me to these appointments in Johnny's absence. Unfortunately, we didn't see much in the sonogram...only an empty sac and the nurse practitioner couldn't even tell me how far along I was. That was definitely disappointing!

Johnny and I did get to spend our first weekend together this past 3 day Memorial Day Weekend! It is good to have him home and taking care of me....that is for sure! He has been such a good sport and has served me really well and cleaned up (lots) after me and has given me an unending (?) $ supply for my fast food runs...EEK!

I think that brings us pretty much to the present...

That's where the sonogram picture comes in to play below. Johnny and I had our 2nd sonogram appointment this past Tuesday, June 1. I cannot believe how just 4 weeks ago we couldn't see anything and now our Gummy Bear is apparent - a very active one I might add. This has been the first real excitement I have felt so far and know the joy will continue to grow!

You'll have to check back in weekly as I hope to remain consistent with baby updates / pictures / etc. I got the idea from fellow bloggers and think it's a great way to keep our friends and family up to date and an awesome way to look back on what's transpired!

Glory to God!

Sonogram # 2

Johnny and I wanted to share these with you...
(This was officially 9 weeks and 6 days)