11 Weeks

Size of baby: Fig
Total Weight Gain: 4-5 lbs or so. This is a major cause of stress in my life. I have gained more weight than I want to already. I am super worried about this. After years and years of trying to loose weight, it is surprisingly hard to accept the fact that I have to gain weight.Why can't fat just magically convert to energy for the baby, and then I don't have to gain any weight! Seems logical to me, but not to any of the books I have been reading!
Continuing symptoms: Tiredness, congestion, breast tenderness (less than before),round ligament pain when I cough or roll over in bed fast, some nausea.
New symptoms this week: Nothing really new, in fact I feel like there has been less symptoms. This worries me a lot.
Maternity Clothes: There is no way I am going to be able to wear my normal shirts for much longer, they are getting short! I need to invest in some basic maternity t shirts because I am starting to feel uncomfortable in my regular clothes but I don't want them to look too "maternity" at this point.
Sleep: I sleep great. I get up once every night for the washroom, but I think this had become more of a habit than a necessity.
What I'm Eating: Not what I should be eating, that for sure. I am still eating lots of fruit, but the other stuff in-between isn't that healthy, thanks to the cravings.
Cravings: Chocolate and candy,
Special pregnancy moments: Being so close to 12 weeks! I really can't wait to see the baby again, really want to know how baby is doing, because not feeling pregnant enough worries me! I am hoping at my first prenatal appointment on April 12th I will at least get to hear the heartbeat via doppler. After being so sick last week, I just want to know that this baby is ok!


This week I had a bit of a breakdown. I am not really sure what triggered it, probably the realization that my clothes are not fitting great. Then I read in all the pregnancy books that there should be no need for maternity clothes at this point. And then someone had said to one of my friends they were worried about me "eating for two" my entire pregnancy. And maybe a few people commenting about how I already have a baby belly. And throw in people checking out my stomach to see if I look pregnant yet (YES, people, I notice that).  All this piled up together just left me feeling like a huge, ugly pig that is going to gain 100 lbs. I was so angry at myself for not loosing weight before this pregnancy. Angry that I won't be a cute pregnant person. Angry that I won't be able to take those adorable weekly pregnancy pictures because no one will be able to tell I am pregnant for at least a few more months. I am embarrassed that I need to wear maternity clothes already. 


These feelings totally caught me off guard. I always thought being pregnant would give me a "free pass" to feeling fat. That I wouldn't care about how I big look. I couldn't have been more wrong. I am *SO* hoping these feeling of mine will change once I am far enough along to feel the baby move and the books tell me it's normal to have a belly. I am sure part of these feeling are due the fact that I don't really feel pregnant yet!


I hope you don't see this as a complaining post, because that is not at all what I am trying to do. I am crazy thankful that I am pregnant, and if it means I feel fat and ugly for 9 months, than it's worth it! I wouldn't trade it for anything! Plus I have an amazing husband that will NOT let me believe those things. He makes me feel beautiful even when no one else does!

The Perfect Crib

I was really having a hard time finding a crib that I love, until I stumbled on this beauty. It is the venetian iron crib by Bratt decor. I love the antique feel it has, yet it is still build to today's safetly stantards. Please ignore the bedding in the pictures, it is not my taste! The only trouble I am going to have is picking a color. There is 4 to choose from and I like them all! And maybe convincing Eric to spend this much on a crib!

10 Weeks

Size of baby: Kumquat (I tried to think of a fruit that was a similar size, but I couldn't!)
Total Weight Gain: Around 3lbs
Continuing symptoms: Tiredness, congestion, breast tenderness (less than before),round ligament pain when I cough or roll over in bed fast
New symptoms this week: Some nausea in the morning before I eat, or if eat too much.
Maternity Clothes: Other than the jeans, I am trying to avoid any maternity looking clothes because I don't want people to think I look more pregnant than I am.
Sleep: Sleep has been a little more rough because of the cold, but towards the end of the week it got a lot better!
What I'm Eating: Lots of fruits! I need to start incorporating more veggies. And less grease.
Cravings: Milkshakes! 
Special pregnancy moments: Double digits! And 1/4 of the way through this pregnancy! I can't believe it has been that long already. 

9 Weeks!

I have seen this journal on a couple other blogs and I really like it. It is such a great way to document this amazing journey! Although most people include belly pictures, I won't for the most part. I don't have the right body type to do that, seeing as how most people think I already have a baby belly. Sorry people, it's still just chub. 


Size of baby: Grape
Total Weight Gain: Around 2lbs
Continuing symptoms: Tiredness, congestion, breast tenderness (starting to decrease now), enhanced sense of smell, round ligament pain when I cough or roll over in bed fast ( I know they say that doesn't start till the 2nd trimester, but I don't know what else it would be!)
New symptoms this week: Nothing really new, other than coming down with a wicked cold that left me stuck on the couch for several days.
Maternity Clothes: I haven't been wearing a whole lot, but I have swapped my regular jeans and belt for maternity jeans. The belt was getting a little tight!
Sleep: I sleep great! Other than the intense dreams I have every night.
What I'm Eating: Pretty much everything, except garlic butter. It grosses me out. I especially love pomellos recently!
Cravings: Nothing anything specific really, but strong preferences for sweet or salty things 
Special pregnancy moments: Being the pregnant lady in the room! I just love soaking up the joy of this experience. I am so very blessed!

A Healthy Pregnancy

I really want to have a healthy pregnancy. I guess everyone does! But so far I have not been very successful. I haven't been eating the healthiest food, and I hadn't worked out at all, except for two walks before I knew I was pregnant for sure.

Tonight I finally cracked open my prenatal workout DVD. And honestly I did it because I was bored. I got snowed in today, so I was stuck at home all day. The living room has finally been set up and cleaned, dishes were all done, floors were vacuumed, and I had read for a good portion of the day already. Eric left for hockey so at 9:30 I was inspired to pop in the DVD. I am glad I did. The workout was challenging but not too strenuous. And I feel great! I would ideally love to do this DVD 3 times a week, walking 2-3 times a week and doing the prenatal yoga 2 times a week. But I am never good at sticking to my plans, so we will see!

Next I need to work on healthy eating. Fruits and veggies are not satisfying enough. but I need to find a way to make them work!

Lately

I really thought posting for an entire year would help form some good blogging habits, but it seemed to make it worse!

This past weekend was a busy one. Saturday we went to the Matheson Island Fishing Derby, which we go to every year. It was a very nice sunny day, but there was only one fish caught. The fish was 0.74lbs and won the man over $3500! Pretty good I would say! This year I didn't fish, but Eric always does. He loves it!

On Sunday Eric and I went to the Baby & Kids show at the convention center. It was a fun experience, I got some free stuff and lots of ideas! I found a really awesome newborn photographer and I would LOVE to get pictures of this baby when he/she is all fresh and new!  I also found a made in Manitoba option for cloth diapers, and we bought a cute little onsie with Eiffel towers all over it. It was fun to walk around and tell people my due date and just enjoy the fact that I am pregnant.

I feel like my mindset has done such a 180 since finding out I am pregnant. Hearing about other pregnancies doesn't hurt as much, I almost look forward to it because these are all the babies mine will grow up with! Walking around the Baby & Kids show and seeing all the pregnant ladies, babies and little kids made me excited about the future, instead of left out and alone.

October 16th seems so far away. But I am looking forward to every step of this journey. Even the huge, hot, uncomfortable summer part. At least I will get to wear this dress : )

A Heartbeat

The ultrasound was today! There is one beautiful tiny baby with a heartbeat in there. We are so pumped! It kinda felt like we were holding out breath until the ultrasound. It is so good to know there is a living growing baby inside me. It is so cool to be able to say that. I cried SO many times (happy tears of course) driving back from the city and when I read comments from people on Facebook. This baby is already SO loved. :)

Thanks again for all of your prayers. They are so greatly appreciated, it is hard to express how grateful we are for them.

Oh! And thanks for voting in the poll, it was fun to see the results!

How Are You Feeling?

This is a question I get a lot. And honestly, I feel great. I am 6 weeks today, so that is when the books say a woman should expect the morning sickness to start. I feel tired in the late afternoon and evening everyday, so I get ALOT more sleep than I used to, which feels great! Eric commented yesterday that I don't do anything in the evenings after work like I used to. I used to knit, or sew, or bake or whatever but I just don't have the energy any more. I have this quilt that I am all set up to start sewing, but have yet to do it!

This is okay though. They say in someways being pregnant is like running a marathon everyday, which accounts for the tiredness. I am totally fine if baby needs more energy than I do right now. I love it!

Other than that, I don't have a lot of symptoms. I read last night in a book that lots of women worry about not "feeling pregnant" at this stage in the game. I was glad to hear it was a common feeling. I wish I felt more pregnant, it would make it feel more real! Thats for sure! Everyday when I get home from work Eric expectantly asks me if I puked today. I think for him too, seeing me with morning sickness would make it feel more real.

Our ultrasound is just three short days away, so for fun we added a poll to the side bar. We think there is two, but have no real scientific fact behind that! We will be happy with any amount of course, we are praying to see a heartbeat on Thursday.

And just a reminder that we are keeping this off Facebook until after the ultrasound!

Not Only My Own

I have had so much fun telling people about our pregnancy. I could not wait to share it, but I had to wait a couple days for the blood results to confirm the home tests. 

I am mostly excited to share because there has been SO MANY people praying for us. I just wanted everyone to know that their prayers have been answered, and to thank them so much for praying for us. This joy is not just our own, it is the joy of all of our friends and family that have supported us with prayers and encouragement. God has truly blessed us in so many ways. 

It was also fun to talk to the Heartland nurses about it. They were almost as exited as me! They were so happy to see an IUI work, and happy for me that I didn't have to go to IVF.

Tomorrow I will be 5 weeks.  The nurse told me I am due on October 16th. I have an ultrasound on February 23rd, to hopefully see a heartbeat and to see if there is more then one baby in there. Eric and I have a feeling there might be more than one. 

Thanks you to everyone for all your prayers and support! We would still greatly appreciate your prayers as we start this new, very exciting phase in our life!

Because Of Your Prayers....

.... I got to see this on Tuesday morning.

And on Thursday afternoon I had beta HCG results of 415!

I think I am still in shock. I can't believe the IUI worked on the first try. 

It kinda reminds me of one of the time Peter was in jail. The church prayed and prayed and prayed for him to be released, and when he showed up on their doorstep they didn't believe it was him! 

I kinda feel like that.  So many people have prayed for this, so why I am I having such a hard time believing it! 

I feel so incredible blessed, humbled and thankful. God is SO good. His timing is perfect. His plans are better than ours. Praise God for being so amazing to us. 

Our House

Some of you have asked for pictures of our new place! So here are some of the outside! I will post before and after pics after we paint and decorate!

One Week Down

I have had lots of questions from people so far. How is it doing? Do you know anything? Do you feel different? How are you passing the time?

I am doing good. I am trying not to think too much about it. When I think too much about it I start to get really excited. Excited that this could really be it, that I could be pregnant right now. It all gets so real. But then I also get super nervous that AF is going to come, that this won't work and then I try to prepare myself for the letdown. This is about the point my head start to spin and I force myself to think about something else. The unknown is killing me!

I don't feel different yet. Today is 7DPO so it would be the first day the embryos could be implanting, so naturally I wouldn't have been able to feel anything before today.

And to pass that time, I have consumed myself with getting my house in order! I have been doing more unpacking, picking out paint colours, looking up DIY decor ideas, etc. Hopefully our flooring and painting can be done in the next few weeks so I can start putting stuff up on the walls and unpack the rest of the house!

S & A

I had the privilege of taking engagement photos for Eric's brother and his fiancé, who also happens to be my best friend! It was a lot of fun! I am really looking forward to their wedding this summer!

DONE

Well, today was the day.

It's almost anti-climactic. It's done and over. I did the injections, I've had the IUI. I don't feel different, other than slight cramps. Should I?

I am trying to stay calm for the next two weeks. I am going to have to keep myself busy with stuff. We should be painting out house and getting new flooring in the next while, so that is something to distract myself with and keep busy with. After that is done I can start hanging things on the wall and making this house feel more like a home. I can't wait to feel more settled!

I now have this strong desire to buy baby stuff. I found a car seat and stroller combo today, and ALMOST bought it. If it wasn't for my level headed husband, I probably would have. It was the perfect color, and its was on sale. But the stroller was kinda cheap, and we have done no research on what would be the best. I wast just colour blind I guess.

Our other debate now, is who to tell and when. Ideally we would just tell close family until 12 weeks. But nothing about our situation has been ideal so far. And because I have been so open on this blog, everyone will know something is up if I don't post about it. So for now, if I don't say anything on here, I hope you will understand. And PLEASE don't say anything on Facebook if you have questions. 

U/S #3

Still 3 follicles in the running! They were all around 18mm today. I took my last dose of Gonal-F today. Tomorrow (Saturday) I trigger with HGC, which apparently I will get a rash from, then Monday is the AI day! I also start Prometrium on Sunday.

I am getting really excited, but I am also trying to say calm and not be stressed!

U/S #2

We have 3 follies in the running. The Dr. said it was a perfect amount! I am gong back Friday morning for another u/s, and probably triggering Friday or Saturday with AI Sunday or Monday!

I don't wanna get ahead of myself, but can you imagine if I would have triplets! Life would sure change. I would be one busy woman! 

First Monitoring!

I had my first monitoring appointment this morning. I paid the $700 clinic fee and then waited in a packed room. I was on the of the last ones there, so I knew I would have to wait the longest. I got my bloodwork taken first, and even that nurse commented on how busy it was today. A while later I was taken for an ultrasound. There was a resident there who started the u/s, then Dr. T came in to double check.

From what I saw/heard, I have 5 follicles on the left and 2-3 on the right. The ones on the right looked bigger to me. I picked up another two days/$300 worth of Gonal F for today and tomorrow, then I go back Wednesday morning for the same thing. Then I will see if I need more meds after that or not.

But from my calculations 8 follicles is too many for an IUI. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but if they all continue to grow this cycle will have to be cancelled or switched to IVF. And I ain't gone do no needles for nuthin'. (Sorry, I read The Help all weekend! Amazing book, BTW)

So glad this is all in God's hands. Thanks so much for all the prayers I have been receiving! 

Day 3!

I am on Day 3 of injections today. I started Gonal-F today as well, so I did two injections today. I am finding them easier to do than I thought it would be.So far I have been feeling great!

We are slowly unpacking the house. I started the bedroom today. I am running our of clean clothes to wear, so it was time. I am hoping to get it done by tomorrow night. 

We have Eric's cousin and her friend Mandy staying with us until the end of the January when their school semester ends. It will prove a challenge for me to take care of them for the month! Making sure they get where they need to go, making food that they like, making sure they have lunch, etc. Eric and I are so used to doing our own thing. 

Big Changes

Wow! These past few days have sure been busy and eventful! I think I need to break in down into point form:

-I started injections today! I am doing 20 units of Suprefact for 4 days, then on the third day of that I start 150mg of Gonal-F ( Tuesday) for 6 days, then Monday the 16th I go in for bloodwork and ultrasound at 8 am, and then we will see where to go from there! I was so nervous to do the first injection. I did it myself, it took a few attempts until I could actually work up the courage to poke it in. But it was actually super easy and didn't hurt at all.

- We are (mostly) moved in to our new house! I will have pictures up very soon. This is the main reason I have not posted in a few days. We have been very busy with packing, moving and unpacking. The farm is up and running full swing again, so Eric is very busy with that. Have I ever posted where we are moving to?

Well we are buying half the family turkey farm from Eric's uncle, so we are also buying their house which is on the farm yard. It is the same house that Eric's dad grew up in, so we are the 3rd generation of turkey farmers to live in in this house. It is a beautiful house. I am so thankful to have all this space.

Eric is also LOVING living on the farm yard, so close to work. He really enjoys farming, he always gets a little antsy when it is the slow season. He likes to keep busy with work. It makes me so happy to see him happy about this new stage in our life! I am looking forward to when I can be at home with little ones, when he can just walk home for lunch. This is partly my dream too, I have always wanted to live on a farm!

-Eric's brother Sean asked my very dear friend Alyssa to marry him this weekend. I am so excited to have another sister, especially one as wonderful as her! We have had a lot of fun planning the wedding so far, and I am looking forward to doing more. We are going dress shopping tomorrow!

I guess that is it for tonight! This post ended up being more wordy than I originally planned. I don't like long wordy posts without pictures. Sorry about that. To make up for it here is a picture I took today of Sean and Alyssa!

Last One!

Today I took my last BCP!! Now I just have to wait for AF to come and then call Heartland for directions  as to when to start injections! I am thinking by Friday I will get started.  Can't believe it is here already. I am really feeling the positive vibes for this month!