Happy Holidays!

Hey everyone!

Okay, so this post is.. but isn't really about the baby.
First and foremost, I just want to say:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF MY READERS!

Okay, so that's out of the way! Haha. Now, I just want a minute to bitch, then I'll get to my point...
I'm kind of dreading Thanksgiving.. Why? Because I know there will be all kinds of food (MY FAVORITE KINDS OF FOOD) and yet, being pregnant, I'll probably eat like.. 10 bites and be like, "Ugh, i'm gonna hurl." Yep, so dreading Thanksgiving.

But now, onto the one thing that's reallllllyyyy on my mind today:

CHRISTMAS!!!!

Everyone things I'm a big Bah Hum Bug... but I'm not. It just takes a little longer for me to get into the "Christmas Spirit." And I won't lie, there are parts of Christmas, that I just cannot stand. The Christmas get together's are a big one, why? Because usually they are just full of tension. When I was little they were fun.. I used to love Christmas Eve!

Around 3:00 my sisters would come out to the house, and we would exchange our gifts with them. Then at around 5:00 we would all load up in our cars. By load up I mean, gather the gifts for my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, the works.. the food that we were taking for the pot luck, and of course ourselves. We would drive down to town. My grandpa rented this banquet room in the basement of a bank, and we would have a big family party there. We'd eat, and sing, and open presents. It was a lot of fun.

Now though, my grandpa has grown grumpy in his old age, my grandma has Alzheimer's and can't remember who half of us are, one of my sisters has nothing to do with our family anymore (if you want to know about that, ask). It's just a mess. So, needless to say: There's no big family party anymore. Which is fine by me.

But anyways: I really didn't come to bitch about my family. I came to say: I think I picked what I want to do for my mom for Christmas. I found it on... wait for it... Pinterest. Hahaha, that's not a big shock to most.


I want to make her one of these! I figure I can go on the hunt for a teapot at a thrift store. And it's adorable. I think she'll really like it! So hopefully that goes over well! (: 

Anyways:

I need to find something to do/get for my dad still. Ugh. And I want to get a shirt made. XD

Something like that ^^. Haha. But I'm done ranting/posting for today! Date night tonight, so that should be fun.

See everyone later, and have a great Holiday! Be safe if you're going out, and dress extra warm.

9 Weeks and Counting

That's right everybody! Today starts a new week! (:

I'm officially 9 weeks along!

So what's new this week? Well let me first start by saying that the baby is now nearly an inch long and weighs a fraction of an ounce. The baby is the size of a grape. AND, the baby is finally starting to look more like a human than alien. The baby's "tail" is completely gone now. 

The baby's heart has finished dividing into the four chambers, and the valves are starting to form. The organs, muscles, and nerves are starting to work. The babies eyes are fully formed, but the eyelids will be fused shut until about 27 weeks. The baby has tiny earlobes, and the baby's mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct now. The baby's external sex organs are now in place, but won't be distinguishable through ultrasound for about 8 weeks. 

This is what the baby looks like this week:

So that's pretty much all the new stuff about the baby. I found all my information at babycenter.com (again).

Now onto a few other things.

This past week I had to undergo some normal prenatal testing, and to be honest, it sucked! I had to do a glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. So, to give you an overview of what I had to do.. I had to drink about half a cup of straight up sprite syrup, and then sit for an hour. After my time was up they drew my blood.

On the bright side everything came back peachy, and I won't have to do that again until about 28 weeks. (:

They also did some blood tests, and stuff like that. But once again, all routine.

My next appointment with the doctor is December 4th. So I'll for sure be updating everyone. (:

Anyways, I'm gonna watch movies, and finish off my lazy day. Have a nice night everyone.

"What will it Bee??"

Hey Hey!!

So, I decided to make this post all about the baby shower, even if I don't plan on that being any time soon!

Why?
 -Because I like to be prepared.

So here we go!

The baby shower is also going to be a gender reveal party. So for all of you who want to know the sex of the baby.. I guess you're just going to have to wait! I've decided the theme will be, "What will it Bee?" Ahah, get it? Bumble bees!

I've also decided on the games. Some of these are a little wacky, but I want my baby shower to be a PARTY to celebrate my little one, not just a bunch of women sitting around being bored. Oh, and it's coed, by the way!

So anyways. The games.

1: BABY POLL
This is going to be one of the easiest. Upon arrival each guest will be given a small slip of paper. On that paper the guest will be asked to put their name, what gender they think the baby will be, what day they think the baby will be born (based on mommy-to-be's due date), the baby's length, the baby's weight, and what time the baby will be born.

After baby gets here and all the numbers are known, the cards will be scored, and whoever wins will get a portion of the pot.

Now let me make a few things clear:
A: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY TO GUESS, UNLESS YOU WOULD LIKE A PORTION OF THE MONEY AS YOUR PRIZE SHOULD YOU WIN.
B: LENGTH IS TO THE NEAREST WHOLE INCH.
C: WEIGHT IS POUNDS AND OUNCES.
D: TIME IS HOUR AND 15 MINUTE INCREMENTS.
E: THE LOWEST SCORE WINS! 

2: BOBBING FOR DRINKS (RELAY)
Alright, so for this one I found 2 games I really liked, but decided to mash them together. 

The group will be divided into teams. (How many people per depends on the party size).
The first person will start in front of a tub of water on their knees with their hands behind their back.
When the mommy-to-be says "Go!" the person most bob for a bottle nipple.
After the person catches the nipple they must run back to a table, put the nipple in a bottle (filled with 6 oz. of lemonade) and drink the full six oz.
Then the next person starts.
Fastest team wins.

3: BIRTHING BABIES
Upon arrival each party-goer will receive an ice cube. In that ice cube will be a small plastic baby. The recipient must put the ice cube in a drink. Once the ice has melted completely the participant must yell, "My water broke." First person to "birth their baby" wins.

4: DIAPER RAFFLE
Each guest will be asked to bring a package of Pamper's diapers or wipes, and for ever package they bring their name will be added to a drawing for a special prize!!

5: EAT UP BABY (TO BE DECIDED)
I'm not 100% sure we're going to do this one yet, but I'll let you know what it is just in case.
Each person will have a partner. Both will be given a giant bib, and then blindfolded. Each will receive a small bowl of applesauce and a baby spoon, then the partners must feed each other. First team to finish their applesauce wins. Might also give out a prize for the cleanest pair, who knows. (:

So there ya have it.
Lot's of fun stuff to do at Baby Clark's baby shower! If you'd like an invite, send me a message on Facebook with your address. I'm thinking we'll have this in April, so if you go to Ambrose keep that in mind!

If you'd like to put in your guesses for the poll now, send them to me via Facebook also! 

On that note, the baby is telling me it is time to relax...
Have a nice night everyone!

The not so beautiful part...

I've been noticing it a lot more lately, television shows tend to glamorize pregnancy. They show the good parts, but not really the down parts of being pregnant.This photo summarizes that pretty well:



So I'm gonna tell you a little about my... uhm.. not so beautiful moments. And everything I'm going to tell you revolves around one tiny, itty-bitty aspect of pregnancy that I don't think a whole lot of people even think about until they are actually pregnant.

HORMONES!

Trust me, hormones do some pretty crazy things to your body, and they are annoying but that's not even the worst part. 

Since I got pregnant (8 weeks and 4 days ago), I have barely been able to eat. Lucky for me, I haven't actually thrown up from the nausea, but let me tell you.. if I eat too much, it feels like someone is dropping pain bombs in my stomach. And it is NOT FUN! The food aversions and cravings are also driving me bonkers. I don't have many aversions, but it seems the main one lately is ranch, and for those of you who know me... that's a HUGE deal.*For those of you who don't: I eat ranch on almost EVERYTHING.* My cravings are sporadic to say the least, but there seems to be one sticking with me. COOKIE DOUGH. No, not cookies.. just the thought of baked cookies makes me want to hurl, but good ole' raw cookie dough. For those of you who don't know.. this is a HUGE no no. Raw eggs may contain salmonella, which could harm the fetus. *See the bottom of this for cookie dough recipes that don't contain eggs, and can be eaten straight from the bowl... YUM!*

Now, onto probably the worst part of being a hormonal, pregnant woman. I...Cry...All...The...Time. About anything, nothing, everything... My fiance says the wrong thing and on come the water works, joking or not. My favorite example:

My fiance LOVES Christmastime. He loves the lights, and the smells, and the sights (he's like a little kid at a carnival). we We were at Wal-Mart one day and we were looking at Christmas trees and I said we should pick one up. They had 6 foot trees on sale for $20 and we probably wouldn't find one much cheaper. He (jokingly) said, "We don't need a tree." I turned and said, "YES WE DO." He then started (jokingly, again), going off about how we didn't need a tree, unless I worshiped the tree god, and all kinds of stuff. Any other time, this would have been hilarious.. 
Being pregnant and extremely hormonal... it took everything in me not to break down in tears right there in the tree aisle. Needless to say: we got the tree. 

But yeah. The hormones.. they suck.And they don't/wont't get better for a while, so... I have a bumpy road ahead I guess.

Now to talk about the part of the hormones that.. can, not always is, but can be fun.

The DREAMS....

My dreams lately have been.. well to put it nicely CRAZY. But they aren't always dreams, I've had nightmares too. And the nightmares are a lot more vivid than they used to be. It seems like I have 3 that tend to come quite often...

The first one involved my fiance... He told me he hated me, and that he never wanted the baby in the first place, and then he leaves.  This one had me in tears, in my sleep. My fiance was home that night (He works third shift), and he woke me up and I couldn't quit crying.

The second nightmare involved miscarriage. I read somewhere that dreams about miscarriage are pretty common, but it was so real, it scared me for days.

The last one is a recurring nightmare. When I was in Junior High I was raped by a boy that was supposed to love me. Since then, whenever I get close to guys, I have this dream. 

It's a significant event (monthiversary, anniversary, etc), he tells me he has a surprise for me. I'm not much for surprises, but this guy loves me, so why not. He blindfolds me, and helps me into his car. We drive for what seems like hours, and then he leads me into this room. I don't know where I'm at, or what we're doing. I'm thinking it's going to be some fancy place, but when I remove the blindfold it's just a dark room with a single light shining over a bed. And the boy that was supposed to love me, all those years ago, is in the corner, waiting for me. And the rape... it happens all over again.

I've only had this dream once since I got pregnant, and I think it's because I saw him the day I found out. (Read post #1 for the craziness of finding out I'm pregnant). He was outside the Hy-Vee we stopped at. The dream has a different ending now though:

He's standing in the corner waiting for me. I start crying, I know what's going to happen. But to my surprise, he speaks.. "So you're pregnant huh?" I can't find my voice, I just nod. He shakes his head, "Such a pity." And that's when the rape starts, except he isn't raping me.. he's using a household object. He's trying to hurt my baby.

This dream shook me to the core. I woke up, and could not fall back asleep. I was alone that night, which made it even worse. I was petrified. 

But enough about that, not all the dreams are bad. There are some that are actually fun, crazy, and just overall awesome to have. The newest happened just a couple of nights ago:

I was in Chicago with one of my close friends. We were driving, though I'm not exactly sure where we were going. Then, all of a sudden, she screamed, "Oh my goodness." I freaked out then looked over and was in shock. There was a giant Toys R Us, but it was shaped like a pirate ship, and the whole outside was a giant jungle gym with slides and swings and all kinds of fun stuff. We HAD to go! So we got there, and found out there was this massive ball pit, and my friend just HAD to go in it. Well she was the millionth ball pit participant, so we got a $1,000 gift card to the store.

We went into the store and bought all kinds of crazy toys, mostly nerf guns. We took the nerf guns back to our school and hid in bushes outside of our friends' dorms and whenever the left or came in, we shot at them. They never found us, and had no idea what was going on. Then we got bored and decided we were gonna go back to this store. So we went back to Chicago, and when we got to the Toys R Us they had added more to it. The wording now lit up like casino lights, and there was a giant crows nest. Off that crows nest was a slide, that weaved all over and in and out of the building. We just HAD to go on that too! So we did...

And then I woke up. I don't dream like this every night, but when I do it makes for some good stories. Haha. And I can officially say I dream in color. Because the lights at Toys R Us were pink, and orange, and purple, and green, and just gorgeous! 

So anywho, I wanted to post about my dreams yesterday, so I'm glad I got that out. Now I'm off. (: 

Have a great day everyone!

Problems, Problems, Problems

Well, let me start by saying I never planned on writing more than one blog post a day, but after spending almost an HOUR on the phone figuring out all of this stuff, it's time to vent.

*Disclaimer: To any teens reading this and thinking they want to have babies RIGHT NOW, I'm not posting this to tell you, you're stupid or that you can't make it. I am posting this to show EVERYONE, teens and adults alike, that pregnancy and child raising isn't everything it's all cracked up to be. It's not all about glamour like it is on MTV. I'm only 8 weeks along and have had problems I've never even heard about on MTV. But anyways, good luck everyone.* 

So now, about this phone issue...

My first phone call was to the WIC office to schedule an appointment. Now, before anyone comments on how "Lowlife's shouldn't have babies if they can't afford it.." or whatever, let me just say that I'm a 20 year old full-time college student, I work 30 hours a week, and live on my own. I'm not stealing from the state, I simply want my baby to have the best nutrition possible, and to achieve that I'll need some help. So that call seemed to go decently, except the first person I talked to couldn't understand a damn word I said. I had to spell out my name 3 times, and then she asked me to hold on. After a brief period, a new lady came on the line. Luckily, after that, the conversation was easy and done.

Now onto the HUGE problem. I've had the same OB/GYN since I was about 16. When the doctor's thought I had PCOS (see post one for that story)the doctor switched me to a different doctor. I wasn't exactly sure why, but today I found out. 

I received a bill from my insurance last week, and found out that the doctor I had been switched to was not covered under my insurance plan, and I would have to pay full price to see the doctor. I called today to see if I could switch back to my original doctor, seeing as I DO NOT have PCOS, and the woman on the phone told me...

"She's a nurse practitioner. She'll be able to see you through the pregnancy, but she won't be able to deliver the baby. And regardless of whether you see her or him, the bill will be under his name because he's the main doctor."

So, pretty much.. if I want to go to the office I've been going to for almost 5 years.. I have to pay full price for the visits, ultra sounds, delivery.. everything.

I spent about 20 minutes online today hunting for a new OB/GYN that would be covered under my insurance. I found one, in the same building as my doctor, just a different office. The only issue with that? I can't get into the doctor until December 18. I'll be in the middle of my 12th week by then. So, hopefully nothing goes wrong.

So yeah, moral of the story, it's been a stressful day. There's a lot more that goes into being pregnant than most people think of.

The Beginning of Something Incredible

Look who's back to blogging! Haha. I haven't blogged in a while, so bear with me.

This blog isn't going to be anything like my old one, and I'll explain why in just a minute, but before I do.. I want to say

Sit down, buckle up, and enjoy the bumpy ride!

So, Why isn't this going to be like my old blog? Because this blog is going to simply be used to track my pregnancy. Ohh, did I just say that? I hope everyone reading this already knew.

That's right. As of today, I'm 8 weeks and 3 days pregnant (yes, I do count to the day). That means, I have 222 days to go until my little Jellybean is due. For those of you who are wondering, my due date is June 29, 2014, which is kind of relieving. Why? Because in my family most of the birthdays are winter birthdays. I mean my almost three year old son,my fiance, my mother, four of my sisters, my grandfather, my dad, my nephew,one of my little cousins, and I all have birthdays between December and the end of March. So, the winter months are a little packed. that's 12 birthdays, 11 of which are between January and March. So, yeah. Summer birthday = relieved mommy-to-be.

But anyways, I'm getting off topic. First I want to update you on where my little Jellybean is today, and then I want to tell you all about the craziness of finding out I was pregnant, and I, for sure, want to tell you about some decisions that the fiance and I have already made. I may also talk about some of the crazy dreams and nightmares I've had lately.

So, here we go:

My Little Jellybean Today

Today (as stated before) I'm 8 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I have 222 days until my due date (June 29, 2014). Development in a fetus is calculated by weeks, so I'll only be able to update this section once a week. But here we go.

This week my baby is the size of a kidney bean (a little over 1/2 of an inch long). The baby is constantly moving, but it's so small that I still can't feel the movements (I'm waiting for that day)! The baby now has webbed fingers and toes sticking out from it's little hands and feet. The baby has eyelids, that almost completely cover its eyes.The breathing tubes that will connect to the baby's lungs are forming, as well as primitive neural pathways. The baby's tail is almost gone (that's right, baby's have tails in the womb).

To me, the baby still kind of looks like an alien, but the baby is MY alien, so it's okay! 

All this information was found at: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-8-weeks_1097.bc

If you're pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, I highly recommend this site. There are all sorts of articles, forums to talk to others, and all kinds of fun stuff to use to aid in the pregnancy. Look at it!

Finding Out We Were Pregnant

My fiance and I had started talking about having children around the middle of June. At first I was kind of apprehensive, I mean I am still in college full-time and working full-time. We finally decided that we would try, and if it happened it happened, if it didn't... well it just didn't, so I quit taking my birth control. I also quit taking it because it was making my stomach upset all the time. After I quit taking the birth control, I had a short cycle, and then had a full (long and terrible) cycle at the end of July. I had expected it to be pretty gruesome, because my body was getting used to not having any extra hormones. After July 31st, I didn't have anymore cycles.

After about a month and a half (two weeks after my missed period) I started to think I could be pregnant. So I took a home test, negative. I decided I'd wait a week, negative. I took at least FOUR more tests... negative, negative, negative, negative.After 6 failed tests, I called my OB/GYN. They scheduled an appointment for October 17, and left it at that.

The morning of October 17, I got up and decided I would try one more test. I took the test, and thought.. today will be the day it says I am... I had all the signs: nausea, tender breasts, fatigue. NEGATIVE.That negative result was about enough to send me over the edge. All I could think was, "What the hell is wrong with me?" I let it go, and went to the doctor.

My doctor said I had Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). This means that my hormone levels weren't going to be normal, and that instead of ovulating I grew cysts in my ovaries. She asked if we were actively trying, and I said yes. She said that it would be extremely hard for us to ever conceive, not impossible, just extremely difficult.She accounted the pregnancy symptoms to other causes, because the test I had taken that morning had come back negative. The tender breasts were from needing to ovulate, the constant nausea was probably some minor food aversion caused by anemia (I'm anemic), and the fatigue was my hormone levels not being correct. She ordered some lab work, and sent me on my way. 

I had the lab work done, they drew 9 vials of blood, and said it would be about 3 or 4 days for the doctor to have all of the results. The doctor called the following week, and scheduled an appointment for October 24. I went into the doctor and found out that my estrogen and testosterone levels were high, but that wasn't what bothered the new doctor I had been switched to. What bothered him was another hormone that was off the charts. The high range during PCOS is usually 350-375, and my hormone count was at 496. At that appointment he prescribed me 2 medications: Metformin, to help regulate my cycle, and Provera, to force the first cycle to start. He also scheduled another appointment with an endocrinologist, and an appointment for an external and internal ultrasound so he could view my ovaries. 

The ultrasound was scheduled for October 30, and it was probably the worst procedure I have ever went through. Well, at least the external ultrasound was. I had to begin drinking water at 12:00, and the appointment wasn't until 2:00 pm. I had to have at least 32 ounces of water drank before 1:30. By the time I arrived at the hospital I had to use the restroom so bad, I couldn't even sit down. Luckily, the registration process and the waiting in the imaging department didn't take very long. The ultrasound itself, however, felt like it took a life time. After the external exam the ultrasound technician informed me that the doctor also wanted internal photos. I was allowed to use the restroom and then had to go back out in the room. 

The internal exam wasn't terrible. The gel was cold, and it smelt funny, but other than that there really wasn't any pain. She listened to the blood flow to my ovaries, took pictures, and then right in the middle of the exam she stopped. Just because it wasn't terrible, didn't mean I wanted the wand inside me any longer than it had to be. The lady looked at me and said, "Uhm, I'm gonna show you this." That was when every thought of everything bad that could be happening hit me. I nodded, said, "okay," and she turned the screen.She pointed out my cervix and my uterus and said, "And this, I believe is a gestational sac." I didn't know what to say. I knew what she meant, but all it looked like to me was a black hole. I looked between her, the screen, and my fiance about 30 times before she asked if I had any questions. I told her no and she let me go change. Then I thought of one. I asked her about the medications I had been prescribed and whether I should still be taking either of them. She called my doctor, and he said no.

We left. I was still kind of in shock, didn't really know what to say, but I wanted chocolate milk. We stopped at Hy-Vee right down the street and while we were there my fiance got a phone call. He answered and it was the doctor. They wanted to know if we had made it home, and since we hadn't, they wanted me to come back to take a blood test to be sure my body was producing HCG (the pregnancy hormone) and the black hole wasn't something bad.

I went back to the doctor's office, had the blood drawn, and left. My fiance and I had decided (even though we weren't 100% sure yet) that we were going to celebrate. We went to Los Agaves for dinner.The woman at the lab had said that if they doctor hadn't called by 4:50 to call them and ask if the results had come back. When they hadn't called, I went to the bathroom to call them. I spoke with the nurse and she said that everything had come back normal, my body was producing HCG, but they were worried. The ultrasound didn't show anything, it literally was just a black hole, and based on what my hormone levels were at there should have been more showing. The doctor ordered another blood test for that following Friday (two days later). 

I had that blood test ran, and it was a terrible experience. It took 3 people to finally hit a vein, the second lady burst a vein, and it was just not fun. After the blood tests were done Aaron and I left. I had to work, and came in around 1130. Right before I clocked on, the doctor called back. My hormone levels were doubling as they should be, and everything looked great. But the doctor was still worried about the ultrasound pictures, so he scheduled another one for a week later. On Friday, November 8, I got to see my baby (it looked like an alien) for the first time. There was actually stuff in the gestational sac, and the baby's heart was beating. It was so amazing to see.

And from then on, it's been official.There will be a little baby, in my near future.

 

Decisions We've Made Thus Far

Perhaps the biggest decision I've made so far, is the decision to NOT tell people the sex of the baby. Do I want to know? YES! Do I want others to know? NO! Why? There are multiple reasons. 1: It'll be fun to hear people guessing all the time using old wive's tales. 2: I want to use it as a baby-shower game (make a bet, guess the sex, date, weight, and length of the baby. winner gets 50%; mommy and daddy-to-be get 50%). 3: I feel like I'll get more practical items at my baby shower instead of a ton of frilly dresses or sports themed onesies. Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer of the thought it was what matters, but baby's grow quickly and having a ton of clothing is impractical. 

We've also decided on names (YES, this early). If the baby is a boy, we'll be naming him Gavin Elliote. The first person I told questioned the "e" at the end, so I'll explain. When I first learned my fiance's middle name was Elliote, I automatically thought, "E-l-l-i-o-t-t." Then I saw it on paper and was instantly in love. So, Elliote it is. If it's a girl we have decided on Adelynn Grace. Auntie Brenna helped pick this one out. She put in her spelling of the name I had already picked and.. well I fell in love.

The last decision, and so far the most controversial (especially with my mother) is the nursery theme. We've decided on Star Wars, boy or girl. If we have a boy, the color scheme will be red and black (Sith, duh). If the baby is a girl, the color scheme will be purple and white (Jedi).

I've decided to skip out on telling you about my dreams/nightmares for today, as this blog is getting pretty long. However: I will be back, if not tomorrow, then in a couple days to tell you all about them, because I know you're just dying to hear. Did I mention that crazy dreams are normal for pregnant women? So if you want to hear about the craziness I think up in my sleep, tune in!

Have a great day everyone!

-With love,

Auni and Baby