for you

I came across a new blog that I hope to be following. Her name is Bev and this is her blog: a baby? maybe. She struggled with infertility for over 2 years and I admire her strength so much.
I have an obsession with quotes, I love them. I would have them everywhere but no one would probably read them but me, and it drive Jeremy bananas! She ends every post with a quote. I love some of them and will probably be using them. This particular quote meant alot to me. Some of you will not understand, but for those who do, this is for you, with much love and blessings ~ {{{hugs}}}

"Thoughts on Becoming a Mother"
"There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better.
I will be better not because of genetics, or money or that I have read more books, but because I have struggled and toiled for this child. I have longed and waited. I have cried and prayed. I have endured and planned over and over again. Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams.

I will notice everything about my child. I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover. I will marvel at this miracle every day for the rest of my life. I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed him and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream. My dream will be crying for me.

I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see. Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to, I will not be careless with my love. I will be a better mother for all that I have endured. I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend and sister because I have known pain. I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body, I have been tried by fire and hell many never face, yet given time, I stood tall. I have prevailed. I have succeeded. I have won.

So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort. I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs. I listen. And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely. I have learned the immerse power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth and when life is beyond hard. I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.I have learned to appreciate life.Yes I will be a wonderful mother."
-Unknown

nursery thoughts

I really like this bedding for a girl
But for a boy, which one?
Numero uno
Numero dos
Numero tres

Yes, I'm teaching the baby espanol! hehehehe =)

My 13th week!

Wow, it goes by SO fast. Here's my baby developement and my pregnancy this week:


How your baby's growing:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Fetal development in pregnancy week 13:fetus in third month This is your final week in the first trimester and your little weed continues to grow and grow and grow. Of the three trimesters, this one has been the most important for your little one’s development. Assuming you’ve carefully adopted a healthy diet, continue to exercise and get ample rest, your little one is set up perfectly for even more growth and development in tri-two! Way to go! He or she now weighs about 2.5 ounces and is roughly 3.5 inches in length. Little hairs, known as lanugo, will start to cover their body this week, as their sense of taste and smell are further refined. Their cozy little amniotic sac is also increasing in size and mass as it continues to fill with more fluid.

And how's mom doing? Congratulations on a successful first trimester! A lot has happened (and there’s a lot more to come). You should be proud of your hard work and sacrifice. Giving up lattes, soda, and wine is not easy. Even if you snuck in a few of these goodies over the past 13 weeks, don’t dwell on it—there’s a lot to look forward to!
Besides, now is the perfect time to rededicate yourself if you have had a few lapses. Remember, every day and decision is an opportunity to improve your eating and exercise habits—your baby and your body will thank you in the long run.

If you’re the planning type, you can celebrate the beginning of your next trimester by purchasing some choice maternity clothing to fit your elegantly evolving new shape. The good news is some fashion designers are realizing that being pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t look sharp, sexy, sporty, or whatever your particular style might be. Cruise the online stores for a preview of the range of fashion out there for pregnant women—even if the local shops are still stuck in the nineties, you can always hit up some chi-chi online store based out of NYC! If you’d rather wait a few more weeks (until you really start to show) before making any purchases, then get ready to dig out your sweat pants, over-sized t-shirts, and any other comfy loose fitting clothes you’ve got at your disposal. At the very least, just unbutton that top button on those pants that still “almost fit”. Come on, you’re pregnant! This is definitely not the time to suffer for fashion.

baby purchases

I purchased my first items for our baby yesterday. I had a coupon for a store and they were running their annual baby sale, so I ventured in and made a few purchases. Here is what I came home with...all for only $25 =) I am impressed. I did survive the 'bouts of depression realizing all my items will be gender neutral, as we most likely will have a surprise baby and not know the sex of our little bean until d-day! Here are my new items:

Cupcakes

I took these to school to share the news. Jeremy was convinced no one would catch on, and he should just eat them himself. I'm proud to say, almost everyone caught on right away =)

"Have fun with your baby"

I must start by saying that I have the best group of students. Onry, you better believe it, my class is 70% male, but so, so precious. I told my students today that I am having a baby, and they were all so cute. They were excited, and then a little while later, this little boy said, "We forgot to say 'Congratulations!'" So, all the kids took their turn giving me a hug and offering their congrats. Then when it was time to leave, one boy said, "Have fun with your baby teacher, see you later!" And out the door he flew! It was so cute. I tried to explain that it will be a few months before the baby comes out of my tummy, and got out the calendar and showed them all the months before November. I think a few of them understood, the others are probably sitting on pins and needles all weekend, waiting to see that baby on Monday! They'll be in for a surprise =)

Thank you for checking out our blog! Please feel free to leave comments, I would love to hear from you! I do not allow anonymous comments, so if you do not have a blogger name, please leave your name in your comment, and I will approve them when I check online. Thanks, with much love, Mindy

sharing our news!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here is our photo montage that I emailed to all our family and friends, announcing the pregnancy. It was fun!

Gender Prediction!

How fun, I came across this, I'm excited, and guess what? They are 50% right - good odds!?!


Baby Gender Predictor

Middle of my 12th week!

So, I was out of town in Atlanta when my 12th week started, so I'm a tad late on posting this. I'm now in the middle of my 12th week, and here are the stats:

Fetal development in pregnancy week 12:fetus in third month Even though your little Einstein’s body is still growing quite rapidly 2 inches long right now, the overall super-speedy growth of their amazing brain continues to leave the head proportionately larger than the body— and is actually slightly more than one third of their total body mass! The head and neck are still straightening at this point as can be seen by their little chin lifting off of the chest. Your baby is also actively rehearsing “breathing” by using amniotic fluid to prepare the lungs for future air respiration.

The big news: your little pooper is now officially going to need diapers! Although a majority of the waste produced is transferred to the mother’s system for discharge (to avoid having it linger in the amniotic sac), some urine is released to the amniotic fluid and your baby will actually breathe it in before it passing it on to your for discharge. Not to worry, urine--in this particular form, is completely harmless to your baby.


And how's mom doing? Logically, as your baby is growing bigger, so must your uterus. By now, your once-flat and relatively small uterus is stretched to the size of a softball (12-14 cm), but that’s nothing: by the time you deliver it will have grown to 15 – 17 inches (37 – 42 cm). Your uterus is slowly increasing at a rate of approximately one centimeter per week. If you've got a burning sensation that extends from your breastbone to your throat, you've got heart burn or acid indigestion. To lessen this unpleasant experience: eat smaller meals and avoid fried, spicy, and fatty foods. Otherwise, there's always TUMS, but check with your healthcare provider first

As your pregnancy becomes more physically visible, you’ll have to adjust to people asking you when you’re due and giving lots of unsolicited advice from women who’ve “been there.” Additionally, this is probably the right time to share your pregnancy news (if you haven’t already) with close family and friends and anyone you want to have involved in your pregnancy. Allowing your friends and family to have role in your pregnancy encourages participation and support for the future—when you’re really going to need it! - This information is from baby-gaga.

I have also really enjoyed American Pregnancy and found this information there:

What changes are occurring with your body?
Your uterus is continuing to grow, and your healthcare provider can now actually feel it in your lower abdomen. You may not need maternity clothes at this point, but you may have noticed that things are not fitting as well. If this is a subsequent pregnancy, you will most likely need maternity clothes sooner than a woman who has never been pregnant before.

You may have also noticed that your skin is changing, such as the darkening of the areola. Other changes you may have noticed include irregular dark patches on your face and neck. These are called chloasma or mask of pregnancy. These patches normally disappear or become lighter shortly after delivery.*

What is happening with your baby?
This week your baby will begin to take on more of a normal appearance as the eyes move closer together and the ears move closer to their final position. The intestines have grown so fast that they actually extend into the umbilical cord, but they will begin to move back into the abdomen. The kidneys can now secrete urine, and the nervous system is continuing to mature. Your baby may have developed more complicated reflexes such as sucking.

How big is your baby?
Your baby is 3 inches long and weighs 1 ounce by the end of this week.*

What should you plan for this week?
Now is a great time to really look at your diet and make sure both you and your baby are receiving all of the nutrients you need. It is important that you realize that just because you are pregnant, this does not give you a go ahead to eat all you want. Weight should be gained throughout your pregnancy. You can avoid gaining excess weight by:

Avoiding fast food/junk foods
Avoiding late night snacks
Limiting fats and sweets
You can learn more about what you should eat at Eating for Two: Weight Influences on Pregnancy.

Tips for making your pregnancy better:
Many women benefit from Kegel exercises before, during, and after pregnancy. Kegel exercises are for strengthening the vaginal muscles. Pregnant women who perform these exercises find that it helps with birth and tones the muscles for after delivery.

A good dr's appt!

I had my appt, it went very good. I've gained 1 lb and we heard the baby's wonderful heartbeat! I'm so happy =)

It was the neatest thing. I was so worried about it, my heart started beating so fast. I layed down on the table and my dr started to feel for my uterus, which he found immediately and was like, right there. He got his doppler and as soon as he put it on me we had a heartbeat, he didn't have to move it around or look for it. I was so excited!!! After he was done, he said, well, you can tell everyone that the heartbeat was 164, so, and he looked at Jeremy and said, sorry, you're out of luck, they say that means girl, of course, they're only right 50% of the time! hehehehe! We talked for a little bit and then we left. Jeremy was sorta sounding down and I asked him, aren't you excited?!? He said, yeah, but the dr said it's a girl! I said no he didn't he was teasing. (Jeremy is so adimant about not finding out the gender). It was good day =)

11 weeks 4 days

I have been so stinkin exhausted, I just don't know what's up. I feel like my blood sugar is off as well. I'm really hoping I don't get gestational diabetes, for some reason, that really concerns me. I have my dr's appt this afternoon, please pray we hear a heartbeat. My what was once m/s (which I thought had subsided) has suddenly turned into night sickness, and it sucks. It's really kicking my butt. I just come home after work and sleep all night. I tried to eat oatmeal and toast this morning (because I didn't eat supper, I was hungry this morning), but I only got in about 6 bites. I just couldn't do it. Altogether I just feel different, tired, nauseous, light-headed, and thirsty. I'm praying for a good report this afternoon, I'll be back then to report the dr's visit.

scarry weekend!

Okay, so pretty much right after I wrote the previous post, disaster striked! I became a projectiling-vomit machine...here's the story!

I spent the weekend in the hospital:
Ugh, it was horrible and if I wasn't pregnant, I probably would have lied and said I feel fine and let me go home! I know, I know, that's awful, but I hate being there. I threw up ALL day Saturday. It was weird. I usually loose at least a portion of my breakfast on a normal day, but on Saturday, after I ate lunch, I just started projectiling vomit like crazy. I just couldn't believe it. I layed in bed for hours on end and each time I took a sip, I mean a sip, I started throwing up nonstop. Which led itself straight into diaherra madness. So, I was sitting on the toliet with a trash can, it was ridiculous. I called my ob and the answering machine said to call the hospital, so, I did. They didn't really have any advice for me, so I waited it out. I told Jeremy that if I threw up again that night we were going to the ER. Well, it started. I threw up just horribly. I was running a fever, had a headache, nausea, and diaherra. I go to the ER and they told me this was more than just pregnancy related, that I was dehydrated and had a viral flu. Nice. They didn't seem concerned to call my ob dr, just my reg physician. Well, by 2:30 am, they decided to keep me overnight, and as we were getting on the elevator, my dr was on there going to deliver a baby. He talked to me, and that made me feel better. They gave me phenergan for nausea and I haven't thrown up since. They put me on an IV for liquids, and I was so dehydrated, I didn't pee for 12 hours!!! I think that's a record for a pg lady!
They put me on an all-liquid diet and it was like they forgot that I was 11 weeks pg, and that I have a growing baby and despite my conditions, I was hungry! I lived off of shasta and soup, then today they gave me toast, YES! Well, needless to say, I feel much better, and I'm home.
They said this is a huge sickness going around my town, and to stay hydrated and stay away from sick children (ha! I'm a teacher!).
I felt silly going in, but I know it was best for the baby not to get dehydrated from vomitting and diaherra. I'm glad I'm better, I'm home, just ate a waffle and I'm getting ready to soak in the tub.

starting 11 weeks!

So, I have completed 10 weeks of being pregnant, and today starts week 11!!!! Yeah!

Here's some info about my baby and my body:

Fetal development in pregnancy week 11:Maybe you’ve noticed… your baby is a super-duper grower! Your lil' fetus will be gaining a substantial amount of weight this week and has already achieved fruit-size-status comparable to a plum. What's more, your little scientist is already starting to explore their body, focusing most intently on touching their head, and especially their face and mouth. Their mouth in particular will provide them with hours of entertainment. This happens not only because your baby is gaining coordination, and is therefore able to move a hand on command, but also because their palms have gained sensation and can actually “feel” what it touches.They're also developing their swallow reflex this week. And lastly, your baby's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide your baby with their first experiences of taste and smell.

And how's mom doing? If you’re still enduring the joys of morning sickness, it should finally be subsiding to the point of non-existence by the end of this week. The growing placenta combined with your little one’s developing pituitary gland have given you a break on hormone production, so now your can focus on the fact you’re about to enter the second trimester of pregnancy, which can be most aptly characterized by lots of growth for both you and your little uterus-tenant.

At this point you should be making a conscious effort to gradually increase your consumption of healthy, vitamin-rich food, but remember: THIS DOES NOT MEAN LIFE IS NOW AN OPEN BUFFET. Think about it, if it’s not good for you, then it won’t do any good for your developing baby. If you’re finding that you’re still hungry after dinner, don’t simply default to having extra ice cream for dessert. Have a second helping of vegetables and fish, or whole grain bread with jam. Good nutrition is absolutely vital for your baby's brain and body development.

Additionally, make sure you’re taking “me-time” to center yourself and focus on your body’s interactions with your baby: listen to relaxing or inspiring music, read good books, think happy thoughts, you know, all the mentally stimulating stuff that puts you in a good mood and makes your pregnancy feel like a positive experience. In other words, watching international news isn't recommended. The better you treat your body and emotions now, the healthier and happier your child will be once “they’re on the outside.”