What a crazy day...

I went to the doc this morning. I was told that I wouldn't be able to hear the heartbeat in the office until week 11 or so. I can't wait that long!!! They were going to try and fit me in for a sonogram, but the doc who does those is out on vacation...for over a week! What was I going to do? I have no reason to worry, but I really wanted to know how my bean was growing. Dawn, the nurse, was going to see what she could do and then call me. In the meantime, I went to get my bloodwork done (not a fun experience - I HATE NEEDLES!!!) and while I was waiting for my Cruisers burger, Dawn called. She worked her magic and got me in at the hospital for an ultrasound. So now it's noon and I haven't eaten AND I was told to drink 32 ounces of water in 10 minutes. What? Who can do that? I had both an internal and external ultrasound. But, and here's the kicker...the tech doing the scan couldn't show me any picutres (I did sneak a peak when she wasn't looking) or let me hear anything. That sucked! But she did tell me that I was about 7 and a 1/2 weeks and that there WAS a heartbeat!!! What a relief. Dawn called a couple hours later with the results and said everything looked great. That made me so happy. Hopefully some of my anxiety will go away now.

I go for my next appt on Sept 28th and Dawn said they can probably do another ultrasound then - with pictures! As for the morning sickness - I feel so much better today. I was able to get some good sleep last night and that burger today was soooo good. Cruisers is the best! Leaving for TN tomorrow. I'll update when we get back.

Love ya! -Erika

7 weeks, 1 day: You told who?

We told my Mom, Jim, Jesse, Tiffany and Grandma as well as my Dad and Courtney this past weekend. Mom opened the shirt with Grandma and at first didn't get it. Wait...There it is! The light bulb just went off! Everyone was so excited and happy for us. We spent an hour at Mom's picking funny names. (Guess you'll have to wait and see if we choose one of those Jesse.) Mom gave me a bunch of clothes that she had stashed away. And Dad even said "Thank you"! (Insert sarcasm...) He's not excited about being a Grandpa at all! We fly to TN this weekend to tell Michael's family. I'm sure they'll be just as excited!

As for everything else...I'm ill. Very ill. And it changed from afternoon sickness to ALL DAY sickness! Last night was the worst. I woke up at 1.30 in the morning with a bad migraine and an empty stomach. I ate my usual midnight snack - a banana, saltines and water - and tried to sleep. No go! I spent the next 5 hours tossing and turning because of the pain from the headache. And throw in two trips to the porcelain throne...not a fun night! But, in a weird kind of way, I LOVE IT! Hopefully the baby is growing bigger and stronger each day and it's all worth it!

Tomorrow is my first official OB appointment at 10.15. I sure hope we get to hear the heartbeat! That will make my day.

Gotta go. Love ya!

Erika

5 weeks, 6 days: Afternoon sickness?

When is morning sickness supposed to start? Not too sure. What about afternoon sickness? For me, it's started. For the past 3 days I've been feeling ill...not too bad, but if this is just the beginning then I'm in for it. I wake up early in the morning VERY hungry, but not sick. I eat and I'm fine. But around lunch time it hits me. The nauseous feeling in my stomach. It wasn't so bad over the weekend b/c I was able to lie down, but today I found myself hugging the toilet at work. At work? Gross!!! No other choice. It was mostly a dry run, but the feeling is still there, sitting in my stomach, like something is stirring. Oh wait...that's a baby growing! That's the only somewhat good thing about morning/afternoon sickness. When you're in the early stages and you don't "feel pregnant", afternoon sickness is there to remind you that you are...and you've got a long way to go.

More to come. - Erika

5 weeks: Meeting Dr. Christian...

The doc called yesterday. Someone cancelled, so I was IN for 3.15. First things first - had to pee in a cup. Knew that was coming. Another positive!!! Whew...They confirmed what I already knew. I was 4 weeks, 6 days along and due on April 17th! With that all out of the way, Michael (yes, he was able to go with me) and I went and met Dr. Christian. My friend Hollie here at work has had 3 children with him and she speaks very highly of him. And, here's the best part...he looks a little like Santa Claus! "Hello world! Oh, hi Santa!" He explained to us how his office works, gave me some stuff to read, more paperwork to fill out and an updated Rx for vitamins. He also gave me a Rx for Fioricet for my migraines and reassured me that taking tylenol and using my heating pad for my head was totally safe. I can pretty much go about life like I have been doing, just with a little one growing inside of me...My next doc appt is Aug 31st. I'll be a little over 7 weeks along so I'll get bloodwork done then and hopefully we'll be able to hear the heartbeat! (Not looking forward to the needles, but I guess I better get used to it...)

I ordered Tshirts today for Rusty (Michael's brother) and my Grandmother. They both say "I'm going to be an Uncle/Great Grandma again and all I got was this stinkin' t-shirt". The idea is for them to hold up their gift and everyone to read it and be SURPRISED!!! Hope it works. We're heading to TN on Labor Day weekend to break the news to Michael's family and hopefully we'll make it to Gville before then. Not real sure how to tell dad yet, but it will be around the same time.

Oh, one more thing (this if for Angela, Michael's sister)...you called me today and you had a "feeling" that we were coming to tell you that I was pregnant. You were right! I had to tell a fib to throw you off. And yes, it was killing me the whole time I was talking to you.

Love you lots! - Erika

4 weeks, 4 days: You can never be too sure...

I took another HPT Saturday morning. Both Michael and I just wanted to be sure. And...we definitley are now (but I still have one more test). YEAH!!! Nothing really new to report except for the very sore bb's and the exhaustion. I feel tired all the time. The other night I came home and napped from 7.00 to 8.30. Is that a nap or early bedtime?

Michael has been very helpful about getting me on a good diet. I have a glass of milk (not a favorite, but I know it's good for me) and OJ a day and water all other times. The hardest thing so far has been eating breakfast in the morning. I'm not a breakfast eater, but this past week I've been eating a bowl of cheerios with sliced strawberries (that's what was in the pantry). Next week I may start eating some eggs. Getting in the habit now will sure help me when the morning sickness hits. Not looking forward to that...

Only 2 weeks, 2 days til my doc appt. I can't wait!!!

-Erika

4 weeks, 1 day: Surprise!!! I’m pregnant! Here’s what led up to today…

Friday, August 4th – It was only day 24, but I have been having “symptoms” for over a week. After 7 months of trying I broke down and took the one test that I had in the house. Two lines? Could it be? It was faint, but according to the box, a line is a line. Did I do it wrong? I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but that mixed with all the symptoms was a good sign. Still a little early, I decided to wait two days and test again. It was off to the store to get more tests…

Sunday, August 6th – I had to be a little sneaky b/c I didn’t want to tell Michael until I was 100% sure. He had been telling me for months that my so called symptoms were all in my head and month after month he was right. So I hop out of bed and head to the testing sight…the bathroom, of course. There it was again, TWO LINES! And it was definitely darker than last time. Now I was getting excited, but it was still only day 26. Cautiously optimistic…

Monday, August 7th – One more test…just to make sure. I had been using First Response, so I decided to try another brand. This one was supposed to show a plus sign AND IT DID! I was sure now. It all made sense, the sore bb’s, the week when I could barely keep my eyes open, the metal taste in my mouth and the migraine I had since Sunday afternoon. This time it wasn’t all in my head. I WAS PREGNANT!!!

How to tell Michael? I printed the picture I had taken of the tests along with other baby related stuff – crib, mobile, rocking chair, bouncer, changing table and ‘baby on board’ sign. I taped in them in his closet knowing it would be one of the first places he would go when he got home. “What the heck is this?” I hear him say. “Seriously, what is this?” I walk in the room and asked him what he thought it meant. “You’re pregnant?” YES!!! It was the best moment. He was so surprised and I will never forget the look on his face.

So…here we are today. I took another First Response this morning, a day after Aunt Flo was supposed to be here and the two lines are darker than before. That’s a good sign. I have my first doctor’s appointment on August 28th, but hopefully I can get in sooner. I know most of you reading this have not been told at this point, but we both wanted to wait until the first doc’s appointment. I’ll keep this updated with progress reports and pictures. We love you all and can’t wait to share the next nine months with our family and friends.

Love ya! - Erika