Just a few more updates on the baby front and we’ll be all caught up! I really want to capture my feelings and thoughts on some of the key pregnancy milestones, so here are a few questions/categories to get me started.
How far along are you? I am 17 weeks 2 days today.
Size of the baby? Baby O is the size of a sweet potato (5 inches long, 5.5 oz).
How are you feeling? Well…this is quite the topic for me. Up until we went to our first doctor’s appointment I was feeling great. In fact, no real signs of pregnancy at all! I thought I was one of the lucky ones who wouldn’t have morning sickness, and that I’d get off scott free from feeling yucky during my pregnancy. Funny how the Lord had a different plan for me!
The day after our first appointment was when the sickness set in. It was a weird feeling. I started feeling light headed in the shower and wasn’t able to stand up while drying my hair or putting on my makeup. I was nauseous and had no idea what to do to make it go away. I tried to lie down for a little while, but that wasn’t doing much. So, I pushed through the terrible feeling and tried to finish getting ready for work. Right about the time I was ready to get dressed I had my first real experience with morning sickness. (Side note: morning sickness does not limit itself to just the morning. Sometimes the feeling of nausea would last all day for me. Which I would have known had I been reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”) I felt like I was having an out of body experience. I had never been that sick before and it scared me a little. I didn’t know how frequently I would get sick or if my nausea would go away or how to handle the situation at all! It was awful.
My “morning sickness” continued pretty consistently for about six weeks. I was getting sick about four times a week with some days feeling nauseous all day long. Everyone (including the doctor) said that the nausea would go away after the first trimester—but that came and went and I was still getting sick. At about 13.5 weeks it tapered off to about two times a week, and over the past two weeks I’ve only gotten sick a handful of times. However, the queasy stomach is still there and I got sick as recently as three times last Tuesday! But I’m thankful that it’s tapered off and keep telling myself it’s all worth it in the end!!
Total Weight Gain/Loss? Last time I checked I was up a total of 7.5 lbs. I gained a few lbs. at first, but didn’t gain anything between my first and second appointment. But of course, between my second and third appointment I managed to gain 5 lbs.! HOLY COW!
Maternity Clothes? I am fully into maternity clothes and have been for almost three weeks. I did the button/hair tie thing for awhile, but I was getting too uncomfortable in my jeans to keep that up any longer! Any why should I when I can wear maternity jeans—OH MY GOODNESS those are so comfortable! Seriously. Thankfully I can still wear some of my regular shirts. I had a couple of breakdowns along the way trying to find clothes that fit—especially at first. Shopping for maternity clothes isn’t nearly as much fun as I’d hoped. Guess I’ll have to stick to shoes and accessories.
Gender? We cannot wait to find out the gender! Just 15 more days and we’ll know if we’re having a boy or a girl!! Be sure to vote in our gender poll on the right side of the blog.
Movement? I haven’t felt a definite movement yet, but I did experience what I now know to be “little flutters”. They feel a little like a butterfly is flying around in your stomach. At the time I wasn’t quite sure what it was.
Cravings/Aversions? At the very beginning it wasn’t so much what I was craving but what I didn’t want to eat that was the problem. Almost immediately after getting a positive pregnancy test my aversion to protein—poultry in particular—set in. I wanted NOTHING to do with chicken and the thought of a chicken breast literally made be gag. Any kind of meat was a huge turn off and I still haven’t been able to eat a hamburger. Nothing healthy sounded good at all. And—if you can believe it—my chocolate craving was gone. My diet consisted of baked potatoes, cheese, crackers, peanut butter and cheez-its. I was craving refried beans at first, but I QUICKLY found out that was a terrible craving to have and thus have been avoiding them like the plague ever since.
I haven’t really been craving anything in particular—but do have a hankering for something specific every now and then. We had dinner with some of our friends, The Smiths, and they made homemade rice krispie treats for dessert. Little did I know that they’d be such a hit with Baby O! Dare I confess that I’ve eaten 4 batches of rice krispie treats since then??!
I also got on a cheez-it and lemonade kick for awhile (only the Simply Lemonade brand though—everything else was too sweet). Kelly thought I was nuts for going through jugs of lemonade in just a few short days. And best of all, I do find that a good-‘ol-fashioned Slurpee will do the trick no matter what! I was having a sinking spell one afternoon while running errands with my Mom and a Slurpee sounded amazing. I haven’t stopped drinking them since. Needless to say—I think they’ll be my saving grace this summer!
What I miss? Thankfully there’s not a whole lot I’ve had to give up, but if you know me, you know I miss my morning Spark the most. I also miss not running out of breath after climbing the stairs or a brisk walk.
What I’m looking forward to? We’ve been counting down the days to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl—so I guess I’d have to say the gender reveal. But coming in a close second is the nursery! Once we know what we’re having then I’ll be able to figure out what I want the nursery to look like. Oh yea, and that I can finally start buying stuff for our little one!!
Well that’s all I’ve got for the latest pregnancy update. Until next time!
May 16, 2011
American Idol's American Idol!
We interrupt this program to bring you the latest news from American Idol!
I haven't always been a big American Idol fan, but for some reason I got sucked into it this year. I LOVE the new judges panel (even though I was a little skeptical at first of Jennifer Lopez as a judge), and I am thrilled that my fave singer, Scotty McCreery, has made it to the final three! I know he's not the most versatile contestant to have ever graced the Idol stage, but I love his tone, his "good 'ole boy" personality, and his conviction to stay true to his values.
This week is Homecoming Week on Idol. The final three contestants get to go home to see their families, and they are usually welcomed by the entire town. Below is a clip of Scotty's Homecoming Party with a fun surprise from his all time idol, Josh Turner. Scotty sang a few of Josh's songs on Idol this year and sounds exactly like him. It's so fun to watch Scotty's excitment when the reality sets in that it's actually Josh on stage with him. Hope you enjoy!
Now back to your regularly scheduled updates on Baby O!
I haven't always been a big American Idol fan, but for some reason I got sucked into it this year. I LOVE the new judges panel (even though I was a little skeptical at first of Jennifer Lopez as a judge), and I am thrilled that my fave singer, Scotty McCreery, has made it to the final three! I know he's not the most versatile contestant to have ever graced the Idol stage, but I love his tone, his "good 'ole boy" personality, and his conviction to stay true to his values.
This week is Homecoming Week on Idol. The final three contestants get to go home to see their families, and they are usually welcomed by the entire town. Below is a clip of Scotty's Homecoming Party with a fun surprise from his all time idol, Josh Turner. Scotty sang a few of Josh's songs on Idol this year and sounds exactly like him. It's so fun to watch Scotty's excitment when the reality sets in that it's actually Josh on stage with him. Hope you enjoy!
Now back to your regularly scheduled updates on Baby O!
May 13, 2011
What's your guess?
I thought it would be fun to take a poll of everyones guess for what Baby O will be. We will find out on May 31 (the day after Memorial Day...18 days away, but who's counting, right??) and we are so pumped! So, hop on over to the poll and take your best guess at whether we'll be bounding in blue or pretty in pink!
P.S. If you already voted in the poll please vote again! Blogger was experiencing some problems yesterday and we lost the poll in the update.
P.S. If you already voted in the poll please vote again! Blogger was experiencing some problems yesterday and we lost the poll in the update.
May 12, 2011
Baby Bumps
I haven't been as good at taking pictures of the bump as I thought I would be, but I do have a few I can share!
12 weeks 5 days
(Please excuse my messy bathroom. However, I think you would be more shocked to see it all picked up! Just keeping it real.)
14 weeks 5 days
15 weeks 5 days
And of course, it wouldn't be Cinco de Mayo without a sombrero!
I am 16 weeks 4 days today and haven't changed much this week. I keep anxiously waiting for the bump to pop out but I guess slow and steady wins the race :)!
May 11, 2011
The Doctor Confirms
So...after two weeks of nail biting suspense, we FINALLY had our first doctors appointment. On Tuesday, March 8, Kel and I met up at the doctors office and walked in together. After filling out some paperwork and little bit of a wait, we were finally called back to see the sonogram technician. I was a little bit nervous to go into the room, but was more than ready to confirm what we already believed to be true.
Before we knew what was happening, we were looking at the screen trying to make sense of black and white blur. The technician explained the images we were looking at, and then out of no where, we saw a little flicker on the screen. It looked like something was swimming, but we quickly learned that we were looking at the baby's HEARTBEAT! I could hardly believe it. It was amazing to see the little life inside of me. That's when it really hit us. Kelly sqeezed my hand and I started crying. We were witnessing one of God's little miracles!
Before we knew what was happening, we were looking at the screen trying to make sense of black and white blur. The technician explained the images we were looking at, and then out of no where, we saw a little flicker on the screen. It looked like something was swimming, but we quickly learned that we were looking at the baby's HEARTBEAT! I could hardly believe it. It was amazing to see the little life inside of me. That's when it really hit us. Kelly sqeezed my hand and I started crying. We were witnessing one of God's little miracles!
Spreading the word...
When Kel and I found out we were expecting we agreed to keep our news a secret until the doctor confirmed and gave us the official thumbs up. I don't know why, but we wanted to be able to say for sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that we were 100% pregnant.
However...even the best laid plans go awry. (Remember the balloons and the onesie. My point exactly.)
The Saturday before our appointment on Tuesday Kelly was on the phone catching up with his Mom. They don't have long chats all that often, and toward the end of their convo he put the phone on mute and said, "I feel like I should tell her...it feels awkward not to." I agreed and thus began the domino effect of telling our parents. Kel knew I'd want to tell my parents ASAP, so I immediately texted my mom, dad, and brother and asked if they wanted to have lunch on Sunday after church. Of course, they obliged, and I couldn't wait to share the good news with them.
We headed to my parents house on Sunday just as the brisket was coming out of the oven. As my mom was slicing up the meat she started to tell me that she saw my cousin, who is about 8 weeks ahead of me, at church and that she was beginning to show. To which I replied something like, "well, I guess I'm next because I'll be 7 weeks tomorrow {at this point I wasn't quite sure how far along I was}." With the brisket knife in her hand, my mom threw her hands in the air, screamed, and immediately started crying. So did my brother! My dad was so proud he started shaking everyones hand. It was a joyous and emotional moment for all. We explained why we hadn't told them yet and that we had our first doctors appointment already scheduled. It was such a relief to share my biggest secret with the ones I love most.
Tuesday couldn't come fast enough.
However...even the best laid plans go awry. (Remember the balloons and the onesie. My point exactly.)
The Saturday before our appointment on Tuesday Kelly was on the phone catching up with his Mom. They don't have long chats all that often, and toward the end of their convo he put the phone on mute and said, "I feel like I should tell her...it feels awkward not to." I agreed and thus began the domino effect of telling our parents. Kel knew I'd want to tell my parents ASAP, so I immediately texted my mom, dad, and brother and asked if they wanted to have lunch on Sunday after church. Of course, they obliged, and I couldn't wait to share the good news with them.
We headed to my parents house on Sunday just as the brisket was coming out of the oven. As my mom was slicing up the meat she started to tell me that she saw my cousin, who is about 8 weeks ahead of me, at church and that she was beginning to show. To which I replied something like, "well, I guess I'm next because I'll be 7 weeks tomorrow {at this point I wasn't quite sure how far along I was}." With the brisket knife in her hand, my mom threw her hands in the air, screamed, and immediately started crying. So did my brother! My dad was so proud he started shaking everyones hand. It was a joyous and emotional moment for all. We explained why we hadn't told them yet and that we had our first doctors appointment already scheduled. It was such a relief to share my biggest secret with the ones I love most.
Tuesday couldn't come fast enough.
Reality Sets In
Let's take a quick trip down memory lane...and with pregnancy brain that's a little tougher to do these days :).
During the third week of February I had the opportunity to go to Chicago and Baltimore for work. It was for our annual Message to the Field (I wrote about a previous trip to Baltimore for the Message to the Field here). And since we were going to be on that side of the country, I decided to tack on a fun weekend with my Mom in NYC! Mom met me in Baltimore on Thursday, February 17 and we spent the weekend running around the city. But more on that later--our trip deserves it's own post! Mom and I were scheduled to come home on Sunday, but ended up getting stuck in Chicago for the night, so I didn't actually get home until Monday after work. I was gone for a total of six days! Three cities, four hotel rooms, and countless flights later, I was MORE than ready to get home to my hubby and pups and to sleep in my own bed.
I was also DYING to get home so I could take a pregnancy test. I had a sneaking suspicion that I was pregnant the entire time I was on my trip, but wanted to wait until I was home with Kel before taking "the test" to confirm. When we got home from work on Monday night I couldn't wait any longer. I hadn't told a single soul (not even my mom!) that I thought I might be pregnant because I wanted it to be a complete surprise. I had big plans of taking "the test", finding out, and surprising Kelly with balloons or a cute onesie or something, but it didn't quite pan out that way.
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Even though I already had a feeling I was pregnant, once "the test" confirmed my suspicions, I was paralyzed. Don't get me wrong, I've been planning and preparing for this my entire life. It's just that when the double pink lines are staring you in the face, it takes your breath away. I didn't know whether to scream or cry or jump for joy! Is it possible to do all three at once?
So--once I knew, I had to share the news with my baby daddy! Kelly was plopped on the couch watching TV...or maybe playing his video game (I can't remember), but I walked into the living room (sans balloons and a onesie) with "the test" in my hand, walked over to him, and showed him the results. He looked at me in disbelief and said "are you serious??" And then his cute little grin quickly covered his face! After a quick moment of tears and hugs, we were left holding the biggest secret in the world! At least, in our world. I remember saying, "so, what do we do now" to which Kelly replied, "maybe we should call the doctor." Good idea, babe! {Later we would learn that the day we found out I was already 5 weeks 2 days.}
So the very next day (February 22) I called my doctor's office to schedule our first appointment. Much to my dismay, they couldn't get us in until March 8!! March 8, I thought?! That's a LIFETIME away. You mean, I have to carry this secret with me for the next TWO WEEKS?? It felt like an eternity. And I was DYING to spread the word!
During the third week of February I had the opportunity to go to Chicago and Baltimore for work. It was for our annual Message to the Field (I wrote about a previous trip to Baltimore for the Message to the Field here). And since we were going to be on that side of the country, I decided to tack on a fun weekend with my Mom in NYC! Mom met me in Baltimore on Thursday, February 17 and we spent the weekend running around the city. But more on that later--our trip deserves it's own post! Mom and I were scheduled to come home on Sunday, but ended up getting stuck in Chicago for the night, so I didn't actually get home until Monday after work. I was gone for a total of six days! Three cities, four hotel rooms, and countless flights later, I was MORE than ready to get home to my hubby and pups and to sleep in my own bed.
I was also DYING to get home so I could take a pregnancy test. I had a sneaking suspicion that I was pregnant the entire time I was on my trip, but wanted to wait until I was home with Kel before taking "the test" to confirm. When we got home from work on Monday night I couldn't wait any longer. I hadn't told a single soul (not even my mom!) that I thought I might be pregnant because I wanted it to be a complete surprise. I had big plans of taking "the test", finding out, and surprising Kelly with balloons or a cute onesie or something, but it didn't quite pan out that way.
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Even though I already had a feeling I was pregnant, once "the test" confirmed my suspicions, I was paralyzed. Don't get me wrong, I've been planning and preparing for this my entire life. It's just that when the double pink lines are staring you in the face, it takes your breath away. I didn't know whether to scream or cry or jump for joy! Is it possible to do all three at once?
So--once I knew, I had to share the news with my baby daddy! Kelly was plopped on the couch watching TV...or maybe playing his video game (I can't remember), but I walked into the living room (sans balloons and a onesie) with "the test" in my hand, walked over to him, and showed him the results. He looked at me in disbelief and said "are you serious??" And then his cute little grin quickly covered his face! After a quick moment of tears and hugs, we were left holding the biggest secret in the world! At least, in our world. I remember saying, "so, what do we do now" to which Kelly replied, "maybe we should call the doctor." Good idea, babe! {Later we would learn that the day we found out I was already 5 weeks 2 days.}
So the very next day (February 22) I called my doctor's office to schedule our first appointment. Much to my dismay, they couldn't get us in until March 8!! March 8, I thought?! That's a LIFETIME away. You mean, I have to carry this secret with me for the next TWO WEEKS?? It felt like an eternity. And I was DYING to spread the word!
May 10, 2011
Ooo baby, baby!
Oh my goodness! I have so much to tell you. I can't believe the last time I posted anything was for Valentine's Day. So much has happened since then!!
I come to you today with not ONE but TWO bits of exciting news!! But...to keep you reading this sorry excuse for a blog, I'll save the most exciting news for last.
My first bit of exciting news is my wonderful blog face lift! If you are reading this post from Google Reader or a Feedblitz email, be sure to visit the actual site here so you can see the amazing work of my blog designer and friend, Marina from Penny Lane Designs. Marina has given my blog several face lifts over the years, and I am thrilled she was willing to work with me again on another wonderful design. But be patient as I work to get all the pages populated with content. I am just too excited to wait until I get it all ready before showing it off!
But to the real point of my post...I am OVER THE MOON excited to announce that Kelly and I are expecting our first bundle of joy this fall! We are due October 22, and can't wait to meet the newest addition to the O'Donnell family!
For most of you this "news" is not new seeing as how I made the official announcement on Facebook about six weeks ago, but I wanted to wait until the face lift was ready before making the official announcement on the blog. I feel like I have TONS of updating to do, so bear with me as I try to recap the last 16 weeks over the next several posts.
Up next:
- How we found out
- How we told our parents and friends
- Our first appointment
- Baby bumps
- Pregnancy highlights
I am so excited that I FINALLY get to blog about our little peanut! The whole reason I started this blog was so I would have a place to record and share the pictures and stories of our little ones. And now it's finally here! SO VERY EXCITED!!
I come to you today with not ONE but TWO bits of exciting news!! But...to keep you reading this sorry excuse for a blog, I'll save the most exciting news for last.
My first bit of exciting news is my wonderful blog face lift! If you are reading this post from Google Reader or a Feedblitz email, be sure to visit the actual site here so you can see the amazing work of my blog designer and friend, Marina from Penny Lane Designs. Marina has given my blog several face lifts over the years, and I am thrilled she was willing to work with me again on another wonderful design. But be patient as I work to get all the pages populated with content. I am just too excited to wait until I get it all ready before showing it off!
But to the real point of my post...I am OVER THE MOON excited to announce that Kelly and I are expecting our first bundle of joy this fall! We are due October 22, and can't wait to meet the newest addition to the O'Donnell family!
For most of you this "news" is not new seeing as how I made the official announcement on Facebook about six weeks ago, but I wanted to wait until the face lift was ready before making the official announcement on the blog. I feel like I have TONS of updating to do, so bear with me as I try to recap the last 16 weeks over the next several posts.
Up next:
- How we found out
- How we told our parents and friends
- Our first appointment
- Baby bumps
- Pregnancy highlights
I am so excited that I FINALLY get to blog about our little peanut! The whole reason I started this blog was so I would have a place to record and share the pictures and stories of our little ones. And now it's finally here! SO VERY EXCITED!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
