Tomorrow I will officially be 9 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy seems to be flying by. With Josh I remember feeling like my 1st doctor's appointment was 4 months away and with this one I can't believe I'm seeing Dr. Hocking in only 3 more weeks! Yikes!! By then I'll be in the second trimester already! Phew! Anyway, just thought you'd like to see where the bean is at developmentally at this point. Listen to this....
The embryo may now officially be called a fetus, which literally means "little one"--and he's about the size of a strawberry. An inch long, he has hands that can flex at the wrist, and he's able to fold them over his heart. Weighing in at one gram, your baby is very active, although you can't feel its movements yet. He or she now has all the major organs, muscles, and nerves; and a Doppler may be able to identify the heartbeat. While his or her testes or ovaries are formed, the external genitalia still appear sexless, which is why it is too early for an ultrasound to reveal its gender. Eyelids are beginning to form and the trunk is straightening and elongating, cartilage and bones are forming, the basic structures of the eyes are in place, and the tongue is beginning to develop. The fingers and thumb are visible, albeit short and webbed.
No wonder I'm tired all the time! :-)
"This is hard work!"
When God thought of autumn for a season, he had to imagine a day like today! It is beautiful out so we figured we'd work outside and get the yard ready for winter. Josh was a huge help as usual and about 10 'rakes' into the front lawn he stops and says, "Jeez, mom, this is hard work!". One of these days he'll realize that the whole reason we have children is to lessen the amount of work we have to do around the house.
Enjoy the pics from today! (Can you tell he just had blue juice?)
Tossin' cookies (or fries as the case may be)
Well, the title should say it all. I lost a pound and a half in one day!!! I'm down 6 pounds total. CRAZY! I shouldn't be surprised since this is the same path I was on with Josh, but somehow I don't remember it being like this. Yesterday I took Josh to preschool and had a momentary lapse in judgement because I actually felt like I could eat something. I stopped at McDonald's and ordered the two cheeseburger meal. Yes, I know, I said I felt hungry and when that chance comes, I load up. BIG MISTAKE!
Let me explain something to you before you judge me, when I'm hungry it lasts for about 10 minutes. So if I'm hungry, I need to eat and eat now! (Here's the part where you might judge me) I was on Blairs Ferry Road and began eating my lunch while I was driving because I figured by the time I actually got home the smell would have gotten to me and I won't want to eat it. So, I'm scarfing down this food as if I hadn't eaten in about two weeks (which actually is pretty accurate). Anyway, I get both the burgers down (no judgement) and about half the fries and I pull up to a stop sign on McGowan, only 10 blocks from home. The smell of the fries hit me and at about 32nd street I open my door only to throw $4.19 on the ground. (If ya know what I mean) Nice, huh?
It is just one big psychological game. If I eat something I have to keep my mind off of what I just did. Don't think about it. Focus on something else. That is not rice on my plate, it is not even food. If it is not food, it won't make me sick. I say this sort of thing all day. Yes I feel sick, but more importantly I feel bad because I can't sit at the dinner table with my family. The only thing worse than eating is watching others do it. Josh will ask, "Mommy, you not sit with us?". Talk about guilt.
On a brighter note, I looked in my pregnancy journal from Josh and I had written that the "morning, noon and night sickness" ended around 16 weeks. So, hopefully I only have about 7 1/2 weeks to go!
Let me explain something to you before you judge me, when I'm hungry it lasts for about 10 minutes. So if I'm hungry, I need to eat and eat now! (Here's the part where you might judge me) I was on Blairs Ferry Road and began eating my lunch while I was driving because I figured by the time I actually got home the smell would have gotten to me and I won't want to eat it. So, I'm scarfing down this food as if I hadn't eaten in about two weeks (which actually is pretty accurate). Anyway, I get both the burgers down (no judgement) and about half the fries and I pull up to a stop sign on McGowan, only 10 blocks from home. The smell of the fries hit me and at about 32nd street I open my door only to throw $4.19 on the ground. (If ya know what I mean) Nice, huh?
It is just one big psychological game. If I eat something I have to keep my mind off of what I just did. Don't think about it. Focus on something else. That is not rice on my plate, it is not even food. If it is not food, it won't make me sick. I say this sort of thing all day. Yes I feel sick, but more importantly I feel bad because I can't sit at the dinner table with my family. The only thing worse than eating is watching others do it. Josh will ask, "Mommy, you not sit with us?". Talk about guilt.
On a brighter note, I looked in my pregnancy journal from Josh and I had written that the "morning, noon and night sickness" ended around 16 weeks. So, hopefully I only have about 7 1/2 weeks to go!
Let them eat cake!
Friday was Uncle Joel's birthday. Anyone who knows my family understands that the month of October will bleed you dry because of all the birthdays. Josh had celebrated Pop-pop's birthday just two weeks prior and Papa Adam's just the weekend before. When I told him it was Uncle Joel's birthday he looked at me like, "Lady, you must be crazy." With all of this practice he understands the purpose of a birthday.....cake and presents.
We went out to Joel's favorite restaurant for his birthday - the Outback. Josh had just finished discussing with us how Mommy has a baby in her tummy and that now he has a baby in his tummy as well. Uncle Joel decides to take this opportunity to test his nephew in a game we now call....Baby Jeopardy.
Uncle Joel: Josh, what is that in that picture?
Josh: A kangaroo.
Already I'm impressed because I have never spoken to him about this animal and at no time has he ever expressed interest in it. I'm thinking I have the brightest kid ever.
Uncle Joel: Josh, what does a kangaroo say?
Me: Jeez, Joel must you be such a smart ass.
Josh: A kangaroo hops.
Uh....MY CHILD IS A GENIUS!!! I'm telling you he's brilliant!!!
Uncle Joel: Josh, where does a kangaroo put its baby?
Me: Good Lord, Joel. Are you trying to set my son up for failure? Does this make you feel smart? Ass.
Josh: In his pocket.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Move over Einstein, there's a new kid in town.
Okay, so as I descended from my high of having the smartest kid IN THE WORLD, we finish dinner and Josh and I head home. On the way home I hear him singing in the back. I turn down the radio and realize he's singing "Happy Birthday". I start singing with him and he stops and gasps. Now I understand that I am by no means Celine Dion, but come on!
He says, "MOM, we didn't have cake for Uncle Joel's birthday". We of course had to call Grandma and scold her for being so completely thoughtless. But more importantly, I was reminded that only my son would be so concerned with missing any excuse to eat cake. I'm telling you he's brilliant!
We went out to Joel's favorite restaurant for his birthday - the Outback. Josh had just finished discussing with us how Mommy has a baby in her tummy and that now he has a baby in his tummy as well. Uncle Joel decides to take this opportunity to test his nephew in a game we now call....Baby Jeopardy.
Uncle Joel: Josh, what is that in that picture?
Josh: A kangaroo.
Already I'm impressed because I have never spoken to him about this animal and at no time has he ever expressed interest in it. I'm thinking I have the brightest kid ever.
Uncle Joel: Josh, what does a kangaroo say?
Me: Jeez, Joel must you be such a smart ass.
Josh: A kangaroo hops.
Uh....MY CHILD IS A GENIUS!!! I'm telling you he's brilliant!!!
Uncle Joel: Josh, where does a kangaroo put its baby?
Me: Good Lord, Joel. Are you trying to set my son up for failure? Does this make you feel smart? Ass.
Josh: In his pocket.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Move over Einstein, there's a new kid in town.
Okay, so as I descended from my high of having the smartest kid IN THE WORLD, we finish dinner and Josh and I head home. On the way home I hear him singing in the back. I turn down the radio and realize he's singing "Happy Birthday". I start singing with him and he stops and gasps. Now I understand that I am by no means Celine Dion, but come on!
He says, "MOM, we didn't have cake for Uncle Joel's birthday". We of course had to call Grandma and scold her for being so completely thoughtless. But more importantly, I was reminded that only my son would be so concerned with missing any excuse to eat cake. I'm telling you he's brilliant!
146 beats per minute!!
Now, I understand that this doesn't look like a baby, or much of anything for that fact, but this is HUGE to us! The sac is where it is supposed to be and everything seems to be right on track. It is absolutely amazing to me that at 6+ weeks gestation, a human already has a heartbeat. Whoever can say that the creation of life is not a miracle should have seen the ultrasound screen as we watched our child have some of "its" first heartbeats. Talk about getting your juices going for the rest of our 9 months!
I know it's kind of blurry, but if you can see the small arrow pointing to a white "bean" you can see our child. Right now it's a little smaller than a raspberry. Pretty amazing, huh?
Not much else is new here. Dustin got a huge raise yesterday and will be staying at Sprouts Unlimited, Inc. until further notice! :-) I'm so proud of him. Without getting into details, we had a stressful 24 hours. We're just so much happier with him working there. He loves the people, he loves the work and we love a happy Daddy.
Out damn spot!
I woke up this morning to a site that no pregnant woman wants to see. Spotting. I have been reassured by my doctor's office and numerous other sources (including several women who have had this), that what I had this morning is something many pregnant women experience and the vast majority go on to have completely normal pregnancies. That being said, anyone who would like join us in praying for the health and safety of our little bean is very much welcomed and would be much appreciated.
Dustin had already gone to work by the time I saw it and I called him panicing. I knew we had to stop by Dustin's work to grab Josh's bookbag this morning and it took me right back to May 8, 2003 - the day they rushed me to the hospital and I thought I was losing Josh. The minute I saw Dustin on the corner waiting for us I started sobbing. There are no words to describe my love for that man. I will spend the rest of my days loving him and thanking God that he is my husband. Because what I feel when I see him somehow becomes emphasized. When I have great news to share and I think I couldn't possibly be happier, somehow I do when I get to share the news with him. When I am sad and am trying to hold things together, I become a blubbering mess when I see him. For however much he frustrates me, he makes me feel twice as much loved and cared for. I'm a lucky woman and Josh is a lucky boy.
Speaking of that little guy, he did A-okay at school today!! We've been having problems getting him to go to school without crying and getting all upset. It is so stressful to try and drop off a child who is screaming, "Mommy, take me with you!". Talk about ripping your heart out. Well, today he didn't cry!!!! He wanted to for a moment, but he fought it off and took it like a big boy!! I am so proud of him. I can't wait to give him a big hug and tell him he earned a trip to Chuckee Cheese's!!!
Per doctor's orders, I am to go home and rest so anyone who would like to sign up for a shift of house cleaning, feel free to give Dustin a call because Beth is OFF DUTY! :-)
Dustin had already gone to work by the time I saw it and I called him panicing. I knew we had to stop by Dustin's work to grab Josh's bookbag this morning and it took me right back to May 8, 2003 - the day they rushed me to the hospital and I thought I was losing Josh. The minute I saw Dustin on the corner waiting for us I started sobbing. There are no words to describe my love for that man. I will spend the rest of my days loving him and thanking God that he is my husband. Because what I feel when I see him somehow becomes emphasized. When I have great news to share and I think I couldn't possibly be happier, somehow I do when I get to share the news with him. When I am sad and am trying to hold things together, I become a blubbering mess when I see him. For however much he frustrates me, he makes me feel twice as much loved and cared for. I'm a lucky woman and Josh is a lucky boy.
Speaking of that little guy, he did A-okay at school today!! We've been having problems getting him to go to school without crying and getting all upset. It is so stressful to try and drop off a child who is screaming, "Mommy, take me with you!". Talk about ripping your heart out. Well, today he didn't cry!!!! He wanted to for a moment, but he fought it off and took it like a big boy!! I am so proud of him. I can't wait to give him a big hug and tell him he earned a trip to Chuckee Cheese's!!!
Per doctor's orders, I am to go home and rest so anyone who would like to sign up for a shift of house cleaning, feel free to give Dustin a call because Beth is OFF DUTY! :-)
Drowning in paperwork (and freezing water)
Today was my first appointment with the nurse for my pre-natal informational appointment. I have a bag, yes, a bag full of information. Pamphlets with information about quad screening, cycstic fibrosis screening, books on things to avoid eating, doing, even saying!! (Just kidding on the last one) I had to fill out four different groups of paperwork with family medical history. These forms were so detailed that I even had to report a paper cut Dustin got back in the 2nd grade! I'm not quite sure how that event will affect our unborn child, but I certainly wasn't going to be blamed for leaving something out. ;-) Seriously!
I was not aware that Duct Tape had developed a new band-aid. After I had my blood drawn this morning, the tech insisted on giving me one. Considering it usually takes about 5 pokes (and plenty of digging) before anyone can find any blood to take from my arm, I'm assuming the only reason she gave me this was to cover up the fact that she had to poke me twice. I came back to work and immediately ripped off the band-aid only to find the top 10 layers of my skin on the back of it. Now instead of having two little pokes on my arm, it appears I am wearing a huge red band-aid! Nice.
We surprised Pop-pop this weekend with our announcement and I think I got him good! I'll post some pictures later but the weekend was very enjoyable and the birthday boy said it was his best birthday ever. Considering the man has had 80, I'd say that was a compliment!
Josh was so well behaved all weekend. Long car rides, long dinner conversations, a long party and a long church service make for a very long weekend for a little guy. His payoff was swimming in the hotel pool, which obviously did not have a heater. Josh and Dustin sat in the whirpool most of the time. Uncle Joel and I decided to brave the cold waters of the pool and see exactly how long it would take for hypothermia to set in. We lasted about 20 minutes and decided to eat some Little Ceasar's instead.
Dad and Thomas are coming this weekend. I see a trip to a pumpkin farm in our future!
I was not aware that Duct Tape had developed a new band-aid. After I had my blood drawn this morning, the tech insisted on giving me one. Considering it usually takes about 5 pokes (and plenty of digging) before anyone can find any blood to take from my arm, I'm assuming the only reason she gave me this was to cover up the fact that she had to poke me twice. I came back to work and immediately ripped off the band-aid only to find the top 10 layers of my skin on the back of it. Now instead of having two little pokes on my arm, it appears I am wearing a huge red band-aid! Nice.
We surprised Pop-pop this weekend with our announcement and I think I got him good! I'll post some pictures later but the weekend was very enjoyable and the birthday boy said it was his best birthday ever. Considering the man has had 80, I'd say that was a compliment!
Josh was so well behaved all weekend. Long car rides, long dinner conversations, a long party and a long church service make for a very long weekend for a little guy. His payoff was swimming in the hotel pool, which obviously did not have a heater. Josh and Dustin sat in the whirpool most of the time. Uncle Joel and I decided to brave the cold waters of the pool and see exactly how long it would take for hypothermia to set in. We lasted about 20 minutes and decided to eat some Little Ceasar's instead.
Dad and Thomas are coming this weekend. I see a trip to a pumpkin farm in our future!
Say "Cheese"!
My first ultrasound is scheduled for October 16, 2006. Hopefully by then we should be able to see a heartbeat! Isn't that just amazing?!?!? My doctor wants to make sure everything is where it should be and that we are on schedule. I have been a little worried with all the extra testing they've done with this one as compared to when I was pregnant with Josh. However, I was informed that this is all normal procedure when you get pregnant "with assistance". I don't think I'm going to relax much with this pregnancy. It's hard not think about all the things that could go wrong when it took so much out of us to get this far. We just need to have a little faith....and our wonderful doctor!
We are all getting ready for the big trip to Wisconsin this weekend. I've worked all night and most of today on a photo collage for Pop-pop's party. It was so funny looking back at all of the old pictures and realizing that Josh is the spitting image of his Uncle Joel. It really is uncanny. I can't believe I was EVER that skinny!
I'm hoping it will be a nice relaxing weekend. Josh is excited to go swimming and Mom and Dad are excited to get out of town for awhile. Pop-pop will be finding out about our future addition at his birthday party. That is, if the t-shirt I ordered ever arrives.
We are all getting ready for the big trip to Wisconsin this weekend. I've worked all night and most of today on a photo collage for Pop-pop's party. It was so funny looking back at all of the old pictures and realizing that Josh is the spitting image of his Uncle Joel. It really is uncanny. I can't believe I was EVER that skinny!
I'm hoping it will be a nice relaxing weekend. Josh is excited to go swimming and Mom and Dad are excited to get out of town for awhile. Pop-pop will be finding out about our future addition at his birthday party. That is, if the t-shirt I ordered ever arrives.
Definitely pregnant!
Well, I just got off the phone with the lab and the tech said that my results show that I am "definitely pregnant". I know I've literally taken about 20 tests in the last week (I have photos to prove it :-)) and that every one has come out positive. But, it's just nice to have yet another confirmation.
I have a funny "Josh" story for you. Now I understand the child is only 3-years old, but sometimes he says something and you'd swear he was a teenager. He had informed me that he needed to go potty....NOW! So we run upstairs and he pulls his pants down, hops up on the potty and I sit on the edge of the tub. We discuss the current day's events and chat about what game we are going to play next. He goes #1 and looks at me with a big smile and says, "Do you want to smell my poop?". While this question caught me a bit off guard, these types of questions have become quite the norm at the Bricker household. I thanked him for his offer but informed him that "No, I do not want to smell your poop." Without missing a beat he looks at me and chuckles, "Well, then get out!". I almost fell off the tub. Seriuosly, where does he get this stuff? I'd like to blame it on the older kids at daycare, but HE IS THE OLDER KID DAYCARE! Ugh.
I have a funny "Josh" story for you. Now I understand the child is only 3-years old, but sometimes he says something and you'd swear he was a teenager. He had informed me that he needed to go potty....NOW! So we run upstairs and he pulls his pants down, hops up on the potty and I sit on the edge of the tub. We discuss the current day's events and chat about what game we are going to play next. He goes #1 and looks at me with a big smile and says, "Do you want to smell my poop?". While this question caught me a bit off guard, these types of questions have become quite the norm at the Bricker household. I thanked him for his offer but informed him that "No, I do not want to smell your poop." Without missing a beat he looks at me and chuckles, "Well, then get out!". I almost fell off the tub. Seriuosly, where does he get this stuff? I'd like to blame it on the older kids at daycare, but HE IS THE OLDER KID DAYCARE! Ugh.
