disclaimer: not for the guy readers :)

Whew! Only a few more days until our first ultrasound...finally! It has been almost two weeks since we found out the big news, and lemme tell ya, what a LONG two weeks. We are very excited to finally see the little one, even if Norah, Jr. just looks like a little speck.  HOPEFULLY we will get to see the heartbeat. I think that would make this whole thing feel more real.  :)

Muddy Buddy came and went.  I didn't feel well most of the time.  I was very tired and very irritable.  I'm not sure what other mothers-to-be feel at this stage in their pregnancy, but I will describe my experience. Well, first, I should preface this with a disclaimer that I am the type of person who pays a lot of attention to my body.  Every ache and pain, every odd sensation... if I am tired at 8 oclock at night, I go to bed.  If I have a toothache, I go to the dentist. Some people may even claim I am a bit of a hypochondriac.  My retort is this...how can you be a nurse and see all the nasty awful things that can happen to people and not worry a bit about yourself?  ANYWAY...I digress. :)

How I have been feeling... my breasts are sore.  If yours get sore before your period, just think of that, times about 10. It's actually a little better now.  Either that, or I have gotten used to it.  Also, I feel bloated.  Like, pre-menstrual bloating, except worse.  My pelvic area/lower abdomen just kinda feels....full or congested..(I know this is super gross)...but kinda like it needs a good cleanin' out! haha.  I occasionally feel some mild cramping, not near as bad as menstrual cramps though.  And... I am a little bit moody. :)  Other than that, I feel pretty good.  Not any horrible nausea yet. Knock on wood!

I gotta say, though, this little baby has already done so much for me.  I have been taking better care of myself than ever before.  I think about what I eat and drink, and somehow, it is very easy to deprive myself of things I would normally eat when I remember who else I am feeding. :)  This is not to say I haven't indulged a time or two in greasies or sweets, but the majority of the time, I have been thinking about my food groups, and planning my meals around what I am lacking in for the day. I had already been taking pre-natal vitamins since about Febuary.  I had thought...just IN CASE we get pregnant right after we get married...I should go on and make sure I have all the vitamins and minerals I need. :) Lo and behold, looky what happened!! ;)

I probably won't post again until after our ultrasound on Tuesday. I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day weekend. :) I work Sunday (booo!) but I am spending Saturday at Lake Herrington with my family (except Stuart, who works...sigh).  I will leave you with some pictures from Muddy Buddy. :)

BEFORE

AFTER

PROUD PARENTS-TO-BE :)

small sacrifices

The day after we found out we were expecting, Stuart went to Joseph Beth and bought me two "What to Expect" books...one, the original What to Expect While You're Expecting, and the other is an entire book dedicated to nutrition during pregnancy.

I have not had a coke (or any other caffeinated beverage) since Saturday. I am definitely jonesing for a coke, or a mountain dew, or a grande white mocha...and according to my book, you can have up to 200 mg of caffeine per day with "very little chance" of harming your growing baby. To put things in to perspective, I did further research and found the following caffeine content of some of my favorite pre-pregnancy beverages:

Grande Starbucks brewed coffee - 320 mg
8 oz. brewed tea - 40-120 mg (varies by brand)
12 oz. Moutain Dew - 54 mg
12 oz. Coke - 35 mg

Not too bad, but for some reason I can't bring myself to put a caffeinated beverage to my lips. Excessive caffeine consumption leads to low birth weight... so what does moderate caffeine consumption do?  Maybe nothing, but I'm relatively sure that it won't HELP my growing baby, either.  Instead, I will stick to milk, juice, and water. And the occasional Sprite. :) 

I have also been avoiding artificial sweeteners.  I ate a regular fruit yogurt the other day, and WOW! it was yummy...all 170 calories of it. :-/  I am trying my hardest to eat a more balanced diet, and it's actually easier than I thought it would be.  Knowing that what I eat is what the baby eats makes a huge difference.  :)

We are heading to Nashville this afternoon.  Originally, Stuart and I (Team Pugalicious) were going to compete against Brad and Melissa (bro and sis in law, and Team Stack o Pancakes) in the Muddy Buddy, a 6.6 mile bike/run.  At the end, there is a huge mud pit you have to crawl through.  You end up looking something like the two in the middle:

After alot of talking to other mothers, doctors at work, and scouring the internet for advice, I decided to bow out of the race.  The general consensus was that I can maintain my usual activity level....here's a little secret: I RARELY run and bike 6.6 miles, or crawl through mud pits.

This is a small sacrifice for such a wonderful blessing, and although Stuart and I are both a little bummed that I don't get to compete, Stuart's friend Drew is going to represent me in the race.  Me and Norah junior will be cheering from the stands. :)

A baby is on the way!

On Saturday, May 15, I decided to take a pregnancy test. Mostly on a whim, but also because I had been feeling a little out of sorts.  Heck, I even went to the ER a week and a half earlier because of my nausea. So anyway, I took one, and saw an ever-so-thin and light second line...and that just wasn't going to cut it.  So, at my request, Stuart went out and bought the cadillac of pregnancy tests...the digital! Twenty dollars and a "yes" later, I finally believed it. Stuart picked me up and twirled me around, and we both laughed and screamed.  I think Daddy may have even cried a bit. ;-)

At first, we only wanted to tell our immediate families, and we did on Saturday. But we both worked the next day, and neither of us could contain our excitement... and pretty soon, well, you get the point.  The cat was out of the bag.

So, here I sit, 4 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I went to my primary care physician on Monday, were I took yet another urine pregnancy test.  I left feeling a little rattled, as she told me that 20-25% of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage during the first 12 weeks.  "I didn't even tell my own mother until I was 12 weeks pregnant" she said. 

The way we see it, if something, God forbid, does go wrong, we will have all the support and love of our family and friends to help us through it.  Little Baby Wiser, although still an "embryo" and not yet a fetus, needs to feel love and joy from everyone from the get-go, not just when the second trimester begins. :) We are so grateful to have so many incredible people in our lives, and we know that Baby Wiser will be loved and cared for...and maybe a little spoiled.

So, what's it like so far?  Well, nerve-wrecking and stressful but still somehow peaceful and wonderful.  I have been a little nauseated at times and craving salads (at least I am not hungry from candy bars and chips right!?) My husband may even claim I am a bit moody. :) We go for our first ultrasound on June 1st.  That will be right around the 6 week mark.  According to my research, sometimes you can hear the baby's heart beat.  AT SIX WEEKS! How incredible.  At this appointment, they will make sure the baby is in the right place and that it is growing like it should be. Until then, I think we will be on pins and needles, praying that everything is happening the way it should.