14 weeks!

I do apologize for the lack of updates.  I have a good excuse, I promise.

About halfway through week eleven, I started coughing and it got progressively worse and worse.  At just after 13 weeks (i.e., last Thursday), I gave up on getting better on my own and went in to the doctor's office (even though I had just been there the previous Wednesday) and received a diagnosis of bronchitis and a prescription for antibiotics.  Of course, my first dose of antibiotics made me sick to my stomach and I then proceeded spend the evening throwing up. I ended up missing an entire week of work because I couldn't breathe/function.  Thankfully, I finished the antibiotics on Monday and I'm now feeling somewhat better, even though I'm still not 100%.  The cough is still lingering, but everything that went with it is pretty well resolved by this point and the cough is getting better on a daily basis.

So, again, I apologize for the lack of updates, but I thought I was dying over the past couple of weeks and have just recently returned to the land of the living.

So, minus the bronchitis, what else exciting has happened over the past couple of weeks?

On January 12th, we had our 12-week appointment and had the amazing privilege of hearing Stick's heartbeat on Doppler for the first time.  One week later, on January 19th, we successfully reached the end of the first trimester and begin our journey into the second one!

Symptoms have pretty well disappeared by this point; however, from what I understand, that's pretty normal upon starting the second trimester. I'm just glad the nausea's gone!  I mean, I know I didn't have it all that bad, but I'm a baby myself when it comes to being sick.

We're still weighing in lower than my pre-pregnancy weight; however, considering this is a plus size pregnancy and we're only a week into the second trimester as I type this, I'm not too concerned about it.  Starting weight was 205 and when I weighed myself last week (mind you, I was sick) I was weighing in at 197.  Tonight when I weighed myself after supper, we were at about 203.  I haven't gained six pounds in a week though, the 197 was a morning weight on an empty stomach and I'm sure water weight has varied mightily over the past week or so as well since I've gone from being horribly ill to almost completely functional again. =]

I know we're a few weeks behind on belly pics, but we're just going to have to deal with it.  When I look in the mirror, I still don't see a change, but as I'm glancing through the pictures, I am thinking that perhaps I'm starting to see a small one.  Definitely no bump yet, but thicker I think.  If you look back at the pictures, my pajama pants are covering up the lower part of my belly up until about my belly button, so what you really see in the pictures is everything belly button up.  Without further adieu, here's what Stick and I look like at week 14!

After my appointment on the 12th, we stopped by Wal-mart and they happened to have holiday baby clothes on sale for $0.75 a piece.  Not even exaggerating, a whole whopping three quarters!  So, naturally, we splurged and spent a whole $1.50 on baby clothes. =] They're pretty stinking cute though if I do say so myself!  I've included three images here.  One of them together and then a close-up of the words on each of them. =] I apologize for the flash washing out some of the images a bit, but that's what I get for trying to take pictures at 11 p.m. when there's 0 natural lighting! 

And with that, this mommy-to-be is definitely heading to bed.  Two more days of work this week until I get to hit the weekend! 8D

11 Weeks (+1 Day!)

That's right!  11 weeks and 1 day today!  Because I'm cool like that and never quite manage to get things done on time. =]

I weighed myself this afternoon and I'm still checking in at a steady 205, which was my pre-pregnancy weight.  Which means I haven't gained anything yet.  Considering that I started at 205 though, not gaining anything in the first trimester is just fine!

If you look at this weeks belly pic. though, I'm starting to think that maybe I do look just the tiniest bit fluffier! From what I've read, at about 12 weeks is usually when the uterus gets big enough to start raising out of the pelvic cavity.  So, hopefully there will be some real changes soon! =]

On a side note . . . those spiffy pajama pants?  My husband's.  He got them for a Christmas present and they're sooooo soft that I steal them once in a while.

Symptoms have definitely kicked it up a notch over the past couple of weeks.  Morning sickness kicked in about week nine and, usually, I'm able to keep it at bay, but I've had a few rounds of hovering over the toilet. Surprisingly, some days, the only thing I'm able to keep down (like today), is fast food!  I know that's hardly the healthiest thing for me and Stick, but I assume a burger is better than NOTHING all day.  At least the burger has protein and some veggies and stuff on it, whereas nothing . . . has nothing.  This evening, I've been feeling pretty good.  I ended up going home early from work today though because I had a KILLER headache throughout the day.  A short, three-hour nap upon arrive home plus two Tylenol seemed to have done the trick though and I'm functional again!

I've heard that 10 weeks is supposed to be the worst in terms of unpleasant, first-trimester symptoms and we're quickly closing in on the end of that though, so I'm hoping this feeling good tonight starts showing up a lot more often! =]

Our next prenatal appointment is quickly closing in as well!  Next Wednesday we'll be visiting Dr. Clark for our second prenatal appointment and, hopefully, we'll get the opportunity to hear Stick's little heartbeat on the Dopplar!  From what I understand, they're typically audible through Dopplar by week 12, so, fingers crossed!  I'll keep you posted! =]

10 Weeks! (+1 Day)

Sorry I'm a day late peeps. =] I'm also short on time, so all I'm going to give you is the quick ten-week belly pic and then I'll be back later to give some other updates. =]

Nine weeks! =]

We're doing Christmas at my hubby's mom's today, two sets of grandparent's tomorrow, at an uncle's on Saturday, and at my parent's on Thursday with two other Christmases still not quite on the calendar as far as dates go.  So life is a little crazy right now!

And so (only a day late, although the picture WAS taken yesterday!), I present to you the nine-week belly pic. =] Still no baby bump, still don't even look prego for that matter, but hey, it's kind of fun to document anyways and hopefully, in a few weeks, it will be a little easier to see that there is indeed a 'Stick' growing in there. =]

Now, with that, off to finish helping my mother-in-law cook supper!  Can't wait for the shrimp and scallops!  =]  I hope you're all having a very joyous holiday season!

Time Warp!

Sorry for the delayed posting, the last week has been crazy!  I haven't had a chance to sit down with my laptop for more than a few minutes since probably the last time I posted in here!

I'm going to rewind a  little bit here back to last Wednesday at my appointment. =] The appointment went well, even though I was RIDICULOUSLY nervous!  Along with giving me a substantial amount of literature (including an entire BOOK that went through the stages of pregnancy step by step), my ob/gyn performed an internal exam and said that everything felt right on par for about eight weeks, which, based on the date of my last menstrual period, would be about right.  I tried to inform her that I knew that I hadn't ovulated until CD21 so she ordered an ultrasound for me so we could see how far along Stick really was!

So we called and scheduled an ultrasound and were able to get that in for last Friday at 3 p.m.  If I thought I was nervous for the appointment . . . that wasn't even a shadow of how nervous I was for the ultrasound!  All I could think about was how there HAD to be a heartbeat, there just HAD to!  I nearly started crying at the beginning because nothing that was showing up on screen in the first couple frames looked anything like there was even a baby in there.  Thankfully, that was just me being paranoid and impatient.  Indeed there WAS a baby in there, one (just one though!) that even had a little heartbeat of 165 beats per minute!  And, even more than that, was measuring at 8w and 2d as opposed to the 7w and 4d that I thought we were at!  So, we time warped ahead a little bit and basically skipped an entire week!  Instead of just hitting 8 weeks today like I had originally thought, we're almost at NINE weeks now!  HOLY BROCCOLI!  Which means we've hit a bit of a time warp and fast-forwarded the pregnancy by FIVE WHOLE DAYS!

Also, because you're dying to see him/her, allow me to introduce to you, the beautiful, long-anticipated, little Stick!  I've never seen a more beautiful little tadpole in my entire life. =] For the first time in over a month, I'm actually start to a feel a little confident that maybe things will turn out all right in the end for us. =]

Along with today now being 8 weeks 5 days instead of just 8 weeks, that also means I'm going to start taking my belly pics on Wednesdays instead of Mondays.  Check back on Wednesday for my nine-week belly pic!  It still looks quite a bit the same, but if you could poke my lower belly (not a chance, unless you're my husband), the texture has changed quite a bit and I can actually feel my uterus growing down there!  I can't WAIT to sport a little baby belly!  =]  I'm so excited for that!

Along with Stick's debut, apparently the fabulous Mrs. Morris sent a TWO-part gift!  Along with the items that I posted last Monday, we received a SECOND box a few days later with even MORE items in it!  HOLY CRAP!

The second box contained a 12-pack of cloth diapers and a package of pacifier keepers!  Although, I must admit that we were a little confused by the cloth diapers at first.  Our intention all along has NOT been to use cloth diapers so we felt a little awful and ungrateful when we opened them, kind of giving each other that 'What the heck are we supposed to do with these?' stare.  I mean, it's certainly NOT that we don't appreciate the gift, we just weren't quite sure what we were going to do with it.  Thankfully though, one of us (I don't even remember which), had the sense to look at the packing slip.  That was definitely an AHA moment!  Mrs. Morris had specifically written in there that cloth diapers were actually the best burp rags that one could find.  Now THAT made a lot more sense and made us a feel a lot better about things.  THOSE we will USE!  Hehe.  Again, I cannot even begin to thank you enough Mrs. Morris for your contribution to this newest stage in our lives!  Rest assured that I will post pictures of "Stick" and these items for you next summer!  Well, minus the burp rags and the diapers . . . unless you really want to see him/her burping or pooping. XD

Another exciting delivery last week!  My hubby's step-mom had ordered me maternity clothes for my birthday from J.C. Penney's!  They all arrived last week!  Of course, I don't really need them yet, but some of my clothes (especially anything that goes across the boob area), is getting a bit more fitted, so I've been wearing them here and there, just for fun, even though I really probably don't need them yet.  I must say though, holy cow are maternity jeans COMFORTABLE!  

Symptoms haven't changed too much, nausea increased a little bit over the past week or so, along with a three-day headache (ouch!), but it's been pretty well back to normal the past two days or so.  The girls are still painfully tender and I could probably win some serious contests with my burping abilities the past week or so (my husband complimented me on my 'hang time' on a burp yesterday -_-).

And that's about all she wrote! =] Check back on Wednesday for the nine-week belly pic!  My next prenatal appointment is scheduled for January 12th at 3:30 p.m. and, according to my (new) calculations, we should be at exactly 12 weeks that day!  Oh!  And just a few other updates from my visit with my ob-gyn, the way she laid out the schedule, we'll be getting one appointment a month until we hit the 24-week mark.  At that point, they'll change to every two weeks until week 36, and then they'll be weekly!  Also, she pretty much gave me the go-ahead to eat w/e I wanted (minus drugs, alcohol, and shark) as long as it's in moderation!  Which I thought was pretty sweet. =] Although she did point out that caffeine dehydrates a body, so for any caffeine that I do choose to indulge in, just be sure to drink the same amount of water to balance it out!  I'm beginning to like her more and more. =]

Seven weeks!

That's right!  We've hit another milestone!  Seven weeks and Stick is STILL living up to his/her namesake!  Grow Stick, grow!

As promised, I was good and actually took a belly pic for you guys this week (as opposed to last week when I had the cold from SATAN and was essentially non-functioning).  Still no baby belly, but I do wonder if I'm starting to look a little 'thicker'.  My weight still essentially has not changed from pre-pregnancy (which is just fine, considering this is essentially a plus-sized pregnancy!).  Although I do think that weight is redistributing a bit!  I must say, it is getting more and more difficult to keep 'side boob' out of the picture because there's more to cover up these days!  Anyhow, without further adieu, here is my 'essentially not changed much at all' seven week belly pic! =]

Oh! Oh!  And I got some fun things in the mail today that I wanted to share with you! =] I lady from one of the websites I frequent has a little girl and was kind enough to send Stick and I a gift!  I still don't know what motivated her to do so, but I am very excited and very thankful for it!  It was definitely like Christmas getting that box in the mail today because I knew it was coming, but I had no idea what was in it!  Very practical gifts but I couldn't be more excited about them!

In the back, you see a box of 124 Pampers Newborn diapers.  They go to 10 pounds, and quite frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if that's all we're going to need in that size for Stick!  If s/he's anything like his/her daddy, I doubt s/he'll stay small for long! =]  In the front left, you see a swaddler.  I've heard wonderful things about this invention and I cannot WAIT to try it out!  And, on the front right, you see the part of the gift that I'm most especially intrigued by (even though I'm sure it will be the last one used!).  They're Munchkin fresh food feeders.  You can put fruit or veggies right inside the little pouch part and then the kiddo can just suck on them to their heart's content without the danger of choking!  Here, I've pulled a better picture of them from Amazon for your viewing pleasure.

I can't wait to use these things!  The concept is so simple yet so incredibly ingenious at the same time!  Mrs. Morris, if you're reading this, please note that both "Stick" and I THANK YOU very, very much for your contribution to this next part of our lives. =] We really appreciate it!

And then, as long as I had my camera out, I realized that I haven't shown you guys the onesie that Kelly's sister bought for "Stick" yet either.  She put quite a bit of thought behind it and I think it's adorable!  It's gray and purple and, according to her, "If it's a girl, it's purple.  If it's a boy, it's Vikings!"  Haha.  I love it!  

And of course, if you're having trouble reading the writing on the front, it says, "My Auntie is #1!"  Hahaha!  Stick will definitely have to wear this while visiting his/her auntie in a year or so. =]

And, one last quick picture to share with you guys.  It's not Stick-related per se, but it's definitely Mommy and Daddy related!  We're both kind of nuts when it comes to the holidays, so, for your viewing pleasure, this is what Christmas looks like in the Olson residence this year. =]

If you don't hear from me again before Wednesday, you will definitely be hearing from me on Wednesday after our first prenatal doctor's appointment!  Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well! =]

Countdown to Ultrasound!

I really don't have all that much to say today, but I figured I'd throw a post out there anyways! =]

Our first prenatal appointment/ultrasound is NEXT WEDNESDAY!  I'm so excited!  That means in almost exactly four days (the appointment is even at 2:00 and it's currently 1:59 here!) we'll get to see 'Stick' for the first time!  The whole thing still seems so surreal.  I mean, is there REALLY a baby in there?  I can't wait to see Stick's little heartbeat pumping away on the screen. =] Plus, then we'll know whether there's one or two in there!  I'm still betting on one, but hubby's step-mom is determined that there are two.  We shall see! =]

As far as symptoms go, I'm so grateful that I've been morning sickness free for the most part!  Although I think the nausea is starting to kick it up a notch.  I've started wearing my sea bands on a regular basis and there's a few times where I've found myself gagging.  But nothing too serious.  I'm still able to eat and still pretty much have an appetite.  Although lunch today was interesting!  I was craving barbecue chicken so I dug the last chicken breast out of the freezer and cooked it up.  When it was finished, I took a bite and the texture made me gag.  I couldn't eat it.  And now, two hours later and thinking about it again, I find myself almost gagging at the thought of any kind of chicken coming anywhere near my mouth!  I think chicken may be off of the menu for awhile!  Oh!  And typically I don't like apple cider, but last night, my hubby was having a glass of it and it smelled GLORIOUS!  I ended up drinking the whole thing and had to make him a new one.  Ha.

We got the prenatal Yoga DVD that I ordered in the mail about a week ago but I haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet.  I was ridiculously ill with this cold/asthma/sinus thing that pretty much knocked me flat on my back with a box of tissues for half the week.  It just started breaking last night and, I'm still a little congested and coughing, but feeling MUCH better!  Which means, as soon as hubby gets home from work, I think we're going to break out the DVD tonight and he's totally going to do it with me. =]

And I know I never did manage to get back to the blog with a six week belly pic, but it really hasn't changed much. So, pretty much, if you want to see this week's, just backtrack and look at last week's.  XD  I will be good and have a new one up on Monday though for the seven week mark. =] Girl scout's honor!