I thought I would share the good news that Bank of America approved us for a home loan! Yippee! It only lasts for 90 days, so we might have to renew it but other than that, its a relief to know we have the first part taken care of. I've been looking mostly in the Columbia area now since we decided $135,000 is probably the max we can go; the homes we want in Ashland tend to be in the 140,000 and above range. We have luckily found tons of homes so far in the area that are perfect for us and are in the 129,000 range. I am very positive we will find our dream home soon!


On the baby front, I am learning he is QUITE the kicker. I think he's going to be a soccer player! He just kicked me again! This should get interesting... :)

Please forgive me!

Okay, I admit it, I have been a complete slacker this past month. I didn't feel there was much to report though. The time from 13 weeks to now, 17 weeks, was really dull, and not very fun to be perfectly honest. Though I am so fortunate to have sidesteped morning sickness and most of your typical first trimester woes, I have been dealing with one symptom that I didn't expect: migraine headaches. I mean, bad. All day, every day. I worried that taking tylenol on a daily basis was going to be bad for the baby, but my doc insisted he'd be just fine. So I've been doing just that, but still feeling pretty guilty that I'm pumping my body full of medicine. I wish there were alternative methods, but so far, there hasn't been much offered my way to help. So I'm getting by, but there are days I wonder if I can take 5 more months of this intense pain. My body is starting to become immune to Tylenol, and thats not a good thing! All I want for Christmas is a freaking massage at this point.

On a much happier note, I can finally feel the baby move! I'm very lucky to feel him so early on in my pregnancy, and good thing because I was about to lose my mind in anticipation! When I'm not getting ultrasounds, my mind starts wandering with unnecessary stress. At least now that I can feel his movement, its reassuring. It actually happened when I was 15 1/2 weeks and I went to Mandy's for some girl time and Mizzou football. We made nachos and those jalapenos must have been spicy because he let me know for about 10 minutes! I knew it wasn't gas(you would think making nachos, right?)- you can't mistake those little flutters! It is really the best feeling I can describe. You tend to forget you have this tiny growing human being in your stomach and out of nowhere, he reminds you and you can't help but smile. At the risk of sounding corny, its so amazing.

My 20 week ultrasound is set for October 9th now, and the gender will be revealed. I love that there are all these little milestones you get to look forward to. Just when you think it couldn't get better, it really does! And the ultimate prize is seeing and holding our baby for the first time. It will be surreal to see the baby at 20 weeks and maybe even get a small inkling of who he looks like more already. All I know: the baby better get Ian's height!

I'll post some photos of the belly soon; its certainly getting bigger and changing everyday! And even though I barely know my body anymore, you better believe its all worth it!

Okay...This is Ridiculous

I'm not so sure what has happened to me in the past few days, but ever since spilling the beans to the office, the baby must have decided that it was time to spread out and live a little. Geez, the baby is only 13 weeks- it's only the size of a peach, its not like its big enough to make ME bigger yet. But my uterus is overcompensating to give him space! I am a BALLOON! I'm just taken by surprise...and my belly is aching like hell! I guess I signed up for this, right? Just thought I would have a few more weeks before I got this big (and maybe its all in my head). Hopefully Ian finds it sexy, ha!

I'm So in LOVE!

As most of you know by now, my 12 wk ultrasound appointment went much better than I could have expected. This was the NT scan that I have been anxiously waiting for to make sure I wouldn't have a repeat disaster like last time. Well, it was nothing like it whatsoever. The measured thickness on his neck was 1.5 (those numbers ring preciously in my head), which is completely NORMAL and indicates no problems. The doctor was very pleased. The sonographer also said he is developing perfectly. Thats all I wanted to hear. The heartbeat was a wonderful 158 bpm. I know I have another big milestone to pass, the 20 wk mark. I can breathe a lot easier getting past this appointment, but getting past 20 weeks, finding out the sex and knowing all is well- that will be even more sweeter. It think by then I will really start kicking up my heels and feeling good!

Meanwhile, I have some ideas for a baby room already. I'm thinking khaki walls and a classic black and white look to the room. Apparently these colors are really good for new babies, which is funny since most wouldn't really classify them as "colors." My mom introduced me to this idea when she talked about some black curtains she spotted and at first I wasn't sure, but now I am completely on board! Mother knows best, righ? I can totally envision all of it in my head, which is a good thing. I am just not one of your typical blue/pink people.

The Incredible Growing/Shrinking Bump

The Day/Night belly pics, as promised:

Day:



Night:



The difference drives me crazy, because I can't tell if I am growing or if I just eat waaaay to much. But dinner is my lightest meal, so its absurd. Either way, I know for certain that I'm not going to be getting any smaller from here on out. I am seeing more of a bump in the morning, which you can sorta see in the picture. I'm getting excited to say the least!

Do I Bore You?

So, its getting down to the wire. My NT scan is one week from this Monday. This week just might be the longest week I've ever had in my entire life.

I'm 11 weeks 3 days, and so far, still no belly. I do have what I like to call day/night belly. In the morning I look like your average person, but after I get home from work and I've had some dinner, I look like I could pass for 5 months pregnant. I should really take some pictures to prove this. I do feel guilty not having any fun pictures to show yet, but I promise those will come soon.

I am curious- is anyone even reading this blog? Besides the usual 2-3 people that I know of, I feel like my posts might be falling on deaf ears. Though its been fun having this outlet to vent my emotions and stress, I'm not sure I want to continue if no one reads it!

I guess a weeks time will predict whether I continue...

For those who do read, I'm glad I continue to amuse you so you keep coming back! :)

I'll Have Seconds, Please!

I just turned 10 weeks last Thursday, going on 11 this week. Things are progressing well. I have somehow managed to sidestep morning sickness altogether, but the fatigue and moodiness remain, and rampantly! I did have a scare last week with a little spotting, but it turned out to be nothing. But without really knowing at that point in time, I had myself in quite a tizzy. I couldn't imagine getting this far for nothing (again), yet realize many women go through miscarriages all the time and it breaks my heart. I already lost one child myself; to lose another might be more than I could handle. I'm praying so hard that this pregnancy makes it all the way, but there is just no way to tell. If I learned anything from my past experience, its that your life can change in an instant. I am trying to enjoy this pregnancy and this little baby growing inside me everyday, but on the flip side, I find it very hard to connect when I don't know if he/she is healthy. Its such a burden, but I have to live with it. I don't have the luxury of "ignorant bliss" that other pregnant woman have.

Meanwhile, I can't stop eating. Its completely ridiculous. If I wake up at any time dring the night, I have to eat. My hunger becomes so ferocious that it hurts. And with that obviously, comes weight gain. Though I've only gained about 3 lbs at this point, it looks like 10 to me. And I think, "where the HELL am I going to put the other 25 lbs???" Seriously, I am 5'1" people!! I don't have room left in this body of mine. I am going to come down to the wire, walking into the labor room looking like a freaking oompa loompa. I don't take this lightly. I know its temporary and I will lose about 20 of those a month after birth, but that doesn't do much for me when I'm feeling like a brick house NOW. Nobody said it was easy though I guess. However, if I wasn't craving cinammon rolls and donuts on a regular basis, maybe it wouldn't be as bad. Seriously, who craves broccoli?

For now, I am still counting the days until my NT scan. You would think I wouldn't be looking forward to it, and I'm really not, but I'm ready to start loving this baby full force and looking ahead to all the great things to come.