Finally sinking in....

Last night I was in bed before Steve got home. He was visiting with his mom and brought home a bassinet to use for Baby Pierce. I woke up this morning to let Bella out and noticed it sitting in the family room. Seeing the bassinet made being pregnant 100% more real. For whatever reason, even after the ultra sound and hearing the heartbeat, being pregnant doesn't seem real yet. I thought once I heard the heartbeat that would be it. Hearing Baby Pierce's heartbeat was the best noise in the whole world but it just seems weird being pregnant still. I thought it was going to take some movement from the baby or actually getting the pregnant belly but I was wrong. It was the bassinet of all things. Steve said the same thing when I talked to him this morning on the phone. Since the morning, I've pretty much been smiling all day. It's such a cool feeling. :-)

Tomorrow is New Years Eve and Steve and I are having a few friends over. There will be 4 pregnant women over so I won't be the only one not drinking. I can't wait to eat some good food and hang out with friends. I think I'm most excited for my BEST FRIEND Kari to come home and visit tomorrow. She lives in California and I miss her sooooooo much. I can't wait to hangout with her and catch up. We always have a good time and share a lot of laughs. I wish she would just move back to MI. It's going to be hard to say goodbye again. Especially being pregnant, there will be some tears for sure. Dang....already have one in my eye now. LOL.

Pictures

11 WEEKS

12 WEEKS

BABY BOY NURSERY IDEA

BABY GIRL NURSERY IDEA

FRIST BABY CLOTHES FROM AUNT JENNA :-)

JACE AND VIDEO GAMES

2011 CHRISTMAS TREE

SANTA, JACE AND I AT BROADWAY BAR

Christmas and 12 weeks

Oh yeah...baby Pierce is 12 weeks. I've been feeling good and finally getting some energy back. Still craving salads and pickles. I feel like I'm starting to show and feel bloated all the time. I'm starting to have the urge to shop for baby clothes and furniture. I really want to wait until after I know the gender. I found a few cute nursery ideas too. Next appointment is January 12. We get to hear the heartbeat again and then schedule the appointment for the gender ultrasound. Early February we should know finally if it's a boy or girl.

Christmas was great this year. We got a lot of nice things and had a great time with family. I got an iPad, VS gift card, Sephora gift card, new perfume, baby clothes, awesome stereo tower and much more. I feel spoiled this year. Christmas Eve we spent with Steve's mo and step-day, Christmas day with my family and the day after with the Maday's. Busy weekend but loved every minutes of it. I can't wait until next year when we get to share Chrsitmas with our little one. 2012 is going to be a GREAT year and I'm looking forward to all it brings.

Oh yeah...I also got rear ended again. That's twice within 3 weeks. My poor baby. I called the doctor and he said the baby should be fine. As long as I didn't have cramps or spotting. Winter has just begun and I've had horrible luck so far. Please people.....pay attention and stop hitting me.

Thats all I can think of now.

Update

Geez...it's been a while since I wrote last. Between being busy and my computer not working, I haven't been able to write. A lot has been going on...

• I will be 10 weeks on Friday. Still feeling good minus the being tired part. I'm slowing getting some of my energy back though. I've been doing cardio a couple days a week at the gym to help me stay active and sleep better at night. Can't really do a lot of lifting but I do some here and there. Just need to take it easy. Don't want to stress the baby. No morning sickness and the nausea comes every once in a while. Tomorrow is my next appointment and we get to hear the heartbeat. I can't wait!!!! I'm going to try and records. If I can, I will post the video. :-)
• Work has been super busy. I've been doing a little bit of overtime here and there to try and catch up. Were always behind being down people but we always seem to close the month. I guess a bigger paycheck is nice with the holiday coming.
• Our Christmas tree is up with the help of Jenna. Well...it's been up for a few weeks now. Looks pretty good. Steve put up some lights on the outside of the house too. Nothing super special but it looks nice. Pretty sure our LED lights are the brightest on the streets.
• Also, this week at work is Secret Santa. So far I have received some candy, socks and flarp. LOL. The flarp is pretty funny. When you play with it, it makes farting noises. I'm going to give it to Jace.
• Last week we went out to Vitale's in Comstock Park to celebrate Shentel's birthday. It was nice to get out but weird since I can't drink. We had a great time though!
• The first day it really snowed here, I tried to be safe and take the back roads. Well...that was a mistake since I got rear ended. My poor car! There isn't much damage and I wasn't hurt but it was pretty scary. I called my dad crying since Steve was sleeping. Cops came and gave the lady a ticket. The lady that hit me tried to tell me the cops weren't coming because her boss told her. Umm...ok and you boss knows that how?? Oh yeah...your wrong because pretty sure the cops came. Did she think I was stupid???
• We made Christmas/Announcement cards this year. They are going out in the mail this week. Friday is the big day everyone will find out we are expecting. This coming year is going to be GREAT!!

I can't think of anything else right now. I will post some pictures very soon. I will also update once I hear baby Pierce's heartbeat.

Ultrasound

Today was another BIG day! Steve and I got to see the baby for the first time. It's a cute little circle in my belly. According my the baby bump app, my baby is the size of a small pea. Even though you can't see much this early, I'm already in love. The other cool thing we got to see in the ultrasound was the heartbeat. It was a little to early to hear it but you could see the baby pulsating. That was awesome! So...I was correct, I'm 6 weeks and the due date is July 13th. My doctor was very happy with the results from the ultrasound. Also, Kellie and Ali told me about this Chinese calendar. You enter in your age and the month of conception and it tells you if your having a boy or girl. The people that I talked to that have used this website site all say it's been correct for them. So....if it's correct for me....it will be a little boy. I have about 12 more weeks before I will know for sure. I hope it goes by quick. I'm ready to start shopping!!!!!!

Megan & Ethan's Wedding

November 9-14 we spent in AZ for Megan and Ethan's wedding. It was so nice seeing the whole Bawol family and just relaxing. We did a little shopping, went out to lunch, lounged around and of course the big wedding. The rehearsal dinner was at this AMAZING mansion at Superstition Mountain. They had it catered by a local Mexican restaurant. The food was good and it was nice getting to know Ethan's family and friends. Ethan truly is a wonderful man and I can see exactly why Megan fell in love with him. They are absolutely perfect for each other and I was honored to be apart of their special day. The wedding was also at Superstition Mountain. Both the ceremony and the reception were outside. Thank God the rain held off and it turned out to be a great day. There was a lot of dancing at the wedding and everyone looked like they were having a good time. The day after the wedding, we went to Uncle Jeff & Aunt Erin's house for lunch. Megan and Ethan also came before the left for their honeymoon. Overall it was a great trip and I just love being with the Bawol family.

BEST WEEK EVER!!!!!

Last week was a very exciting week. On Tuesday November 8th I found out I was pregnant!!!! I've been waiting 15 LONG months to get a positive result. I was shocked and still am a little. I was telling myself that taking Clomid probably wasn't going to work the first month and that was ok. So when I got up Tuesday morning and took a test after I was a day late I was so excited to see 2 pink lines. :-) I woke up Steve from a dead sleep at 5:50am to let him know I was pregnant. I think I just kind of yelled it. He had no clue what was going on at first so I had to tell him again. He gave me a big hug and kiss. Of course I still had to get ready for work and I think I had a permanent smile on my face all morning/day. I kept saying to Steve....we're having a baby. I think I had to say it out loud a few times to make sure it was real. I'm such a dork so I also brought a pregnancy test to work and took another one just to make sure. Hahaha...that one was positive too! Called the doctor and got blood work that day to confirm and see what my hcg level was. So...all that happened Tuesday and then we were leaving for Arizona on Wednesday. I had to tell my parents and sister of course because they would wonder why I wasn't drinking. I emailed them also on Tuesday to let them know I got them a b-prize to get our vacation started. It was a TOTAL lie but they would wonder why I got them a present. I made them each a onesie and they opened it up before the plane ride. Kellie started screaming and crying instantly and the rest of us had tears in our eyes. Steve and Jace looked very confused because it was 5:30am again. We called Steve's mom Colleen and Brad on November 15th. It was actually her birthday and we thought it would be an awesome birthday present. Plus it was hard not telling her until Friday when they came over for dinner. They were also super excited because they know how bad we want to be parents.

P.S. I'm keeping this a secret until closer to Christmas. I want to make sure the baby is healthy before I share the wonderful news. The ultrasound will confirm how many babies I have in my belly. I think there is only one but there is a possibility for 3.

Appointments so far:
November 21st - 1st ultrasound and meet with the doctor
December 1st - consult with the NP
December 15th - meet with the doctor again

Pictures

Slacker

So...I've totally been slacking on posting stuff. Dang....but I've been kind of busy lately.  Here's what I've been up to lately.

• Working a lot
• Addicted to Pinterest so I'm doing a bunch of crafts. I will post pictures later.
• Jace was Spiderman for Halloween. My parent's had a International Halloween party for people in town from work. We took Jace trick or treating and then hung out. Great party!
• Buba turned 30 so we went to Lansing for his birthday party. Met more Ali and Andrew's family. They are awesome!
• Steve has been on a cleaning binge. He has already cleaned, organized and got rid of a bunch of stuff. So far the office, guest room, our bedroom and basement are clean. Thanks Steve, you're the best. I was just left to go through my pile of stuff and clean the bathroom. Ok, that sounds fair to me. :-)
• Ali and Katie both had doctor appointments and their babies are healthy. Katie finds out the gender on the 22nd and Ali on the 28th. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Heather and Andy welcomed Kinsley Grace into the world. She was 5lbs 7oz 18inches long. OMG....she is so precious. I will definitely be posting a picture of her. Maybe I should check with her parents first though. I got to see her once in the hospital but I want to see her again very soon.
• We are headed AZ Wednesday for Megan & Ethan's wedding. I can't wait to see the Bawol family. It been a couple of years and I miss them.
• Went to the pumpkin patch with Heather, Ali and Brittany. Had a lot of fun shopping and going on the hay ride.
• Got my ear pierced twice like a picture I liked on Pinterest.

I think that's all that's happened in the last couple of weeks. If I forgot something I will add it later. Promise to not slack anymore or at least for a while.

Ultrasound & weeked

• Thursday was my 1st ultrasound to see if I had any eggs. Good news....I had 3 but 1 that was 19mm. The doctor said the one that is 19mm is good size and I should ovulate anytime.
• Doctor wanted me to take and ovulation test Thursday, Friday and Saturday or until I got a positive one. All the ones that I have taken are negative. :-( I've never had a positive result.
• Another thing the doctor told me is that my uterus lining is 6.7. Not bad but he likes it to be at least 7 or higher. So...next month if I'm not pregnant I will take the clomid again along with another pill to increase the thickness the uterus lining.
• Had dinner with Brad & Colleen. We went to Fuji Yama on the Beltline & Knapp area. It's a Japanese steakhouse. The food was ok but the cook was hilarious. We did sake shots and had a lot of good laughs.
• Got up this morning for church. Helped with the 2 year olds again. There were only 7 kids this morning. Olivia and Ava are my new buddies. They are so adorable. Olivia likes to make me food and read books to me.
• Went to the mall and got some cute stuff from NY & Co. I even found another dress option for Megan and Ethan's wedding. Hmm...tough decision now.
• Tonight is dinner with my dad and sister at Ichiban. That's where we go every year for his birthday. Looking forward to a yummy dinner and then to bed early.
• Heather's baby will be here next week. I can't wait to meet Kinsley Grace!!!!!!

Feeling sick

Monday dinner - felt nauseous after eating dinner

Tuesday lunch - full quick and didn't feel good after eating

Tuesday dinner - soup for dinner and felt nauseous right away. Ended up throwing up

Wednesday breakfast - ate 1/2 my oatmeal on felt nauseous and got horrible cramps. Felt like a zombie all day and just not with it.

Wednesday lunch - felt nauseous and horrible lower right side abdomen pain.

Called Dr. Dood's office and was told it could be a side effect from the Clomid however I haven't taken it for 7 days. If this is a side effect, this sucks! I know getting pregnant will be totally worth it but so annoying. Tomorrow is my ultrasound so I hope it will be a much better day.

Time for dinner.....hope this goes better.

Can't wait to rock these

Just another Monday

Today was another good day. Worked and then went to the gym. Got to see Jace and gave him a cool new water bottle from Heather Mey. OMG...he loved it. He made me fill it with water at the gym so he could drink just like me, papa and gamma. Came home and made dinner for Jay and Steve. Now I feel like total crap. Heather thinks it's because I had a good workout, I hope she's right. I have a slight feeling it might be from the chicken Steve cooked. Now I'm watching The Sing-off and then headed to bed. Three more days and then I get to have my ultrasound. I keep praying for some eggs. Every time I see a baby it makes me want to be a mom more and more. I know I have to be patient and God has a plan for me but it's hard at times. I'm staying positive and trying so hard not to stress. I know it's not good for me or my body.

Busy day tomorrow! Work, church group, and taco Tuesday at my parents. Good night!!!!!

Pictures

Sunday Funday

Happy Sunday! Had a busy couple of days and forgot to write. I finished my last dosage of the clomid last week. Noticed I was starting to get a little grumpy. Not sure if it was just the meds or a mix of being tired. Still doing some overtime at work so I know I'm getting tired. Thursday is my ultrasound. Very excited to see some results.

Last night, Saturday, we had the Pero's, Jenna and my parents over for dinner. We made fajitas, guac and Spanish rice. We got told hold baby Jackson and see how big he's getting. He slept a lot but he is so precious. After dinner we decided to do some drinking. Jenna and I finished a liter of wine and then moved to vodka. We talked Steve into driving us to Taco Bell and then we talked until 3am. I slept in until 11 the next day. Ahh....that felt good. No hangover for me. :-) Jenna on the other hand.....felt like death. haha

Our new bedding also arrived this weekend. I surpirsed Steve and put it together while he was gone. He actually liked it. I don't need to paint like I thought I would. Just a few decorations and we will be good. I think that's all the news for this weekend. Getting ready to watch X Factor and then heading to bed.

Day Four

Happy Wednesday! I really wish it was Friday because I'm exhausted. I've been coming into work a 1/2 hour early and taking 1/2 hour lunches. I just keep telling myself the paycheck will be worth it. :-) Today I notice that I'm not very hungry. Not sure if that's a side effect of the Clomid or just not feeling great. Other than that I still good.

After work I went shopping with Jenna. She really wants to redo her bedroom so we were on a mission. We went to Bed Bath and Beyond and then Target. Jenna was very successful but me on the other hand, not so much. All I wanted was a pair of pumps but the ones I found were dirty. So, I didn't buy them. I guess I will have to go to a different Target and get them then. After shopping we met Kellie and Jace for dinner at Tokyo Grill. Mmm....we were all craving there food for about a month now. It definitely hit the spot.

Now I'm home in bed watching the Real World and writing on my blog. Steve is out with friends so the house is quiet. Ahhh.....I will be sleeping in the middle of the bed until he gets home. Good night!!!!

Day 3 of Clomid

Today is my 3rd day of taking Clomid. I really don't think there are any side effects because I still feel the same. Only two more days of taking the Clomid and then to hopefully see some results.

Tonight we had our young married couples church group meeting. We watch two short comedy clips pertaining to being the best christian you can be. I really enjoyed it and laughed pretty hard. On my way home I decided to stop at Target. Oh how I love Target. I got a pair of black pumps, lotion and Steve some boxers. There was also a really annoying mom yelling at her kids in the store. She almost ruined my shopping experience.

Oh yea....baseball is on tonight so I can't watch New Girl. Ugh....I'm not happy! Stupid baseball.

Day 2 of Clomid

Well...hello there!! Haha I just felt like writing that for some reason. I also said it in a weird voice while typing. Yup...I'm a dork. Today was my second day taking Clomid. Still feeling the same but excited to see some results. Called my specialist today and my ultrasound is October 20th @ 11:45. Can't wait to see if I have some eggs. Maybe 2 so then I can have twins and be done. Although that would be nice, I'm praying for 1 healthy baby.

The other thing that has been consuming my life is Pinterest.com. OMG....the BEST website ever but now I want to do a lot of things around the house. I found some really cute arts & crafts, food & drink recipes, hairstyles and a bunch of pictures I like. I can tell all I think about is babies because almost all the pictures I liked have something to do with a baby. When I get maternity and baby pictures, I already have a bunch of ideas.

That's pretty much it for today. Watching the Lions, The Sing-off and then heading to bed. Good night and sweet dreams!!!!

My dad and Steve's birthday dinner

Steve, Jace and my dad

             Our family minus my mom. She's taking the picture.

BIG day!!!!

Today was the first day I took my Clomid. So far I don't feel any different but I'm very excited to see if this will help us. Tomorrow morning I have to call my Dr. Dood's office and let him know I started my period and get an appointment for my ultrasound. My ultrasound should be on October 20th and then I will be able to see if I produce any eggs. I'm praying there is at least 1 there. :-) Dr. Dood told me if there are 5 eggs Steve has to stay away from me. He doesn't want either of us on the front of People magazine. Although I think it would be awesome to get some free shit from Ellen, I really DON'T want 5 kids. Well...6 including Steve. Haha, I love you Steve.

Today is also my dad's 54th birthday. We had a joint birthday dinner for both my dad and Steve. My grand parents also joined us for dinner. We had flank steak, ribs, baked potatos, veggies and salad. For dessert we had marble cake, ice cream and sugar cookie fruit pizza (I made). All of our belly's were happy!

I guess that's all for today!!

Struggle

Besides our immediate family and friends, most people don't know about the struggles we've been going through to start a family. I was on the depo shot for about 2 years. At the time, that birth control was the best option for me. I never really thought about any long term effects, I just wasn't ready to have a baby. Now that Steve and I have been married for 4 years, we are finally ready to have a family of our own. It's been 13 months now and I'm still not pregnant. Steve and I both did the basic testing to make sure everything was ok. My ultrasound, blood work and physical all came back normal as well as Steve's sperm analysis. So...what is the problem? At this time both my doctor and my specialist aren't sure but we do have a plan. Dr. Dood is having me take Clomid tomorrow, day 3 of my cycle. I will take it for 5 days and then have an ultrasound on day 14. At that time, they will check to see if I produce any eggs. If they see some eggs, I will stay on this dosage for 3-4 months in hopes to become pregnant. If there are no eggs then Dr. Dood will increase the dosage for the next month. I can be on Clomid for a total of 3-4 months and if I'm still not pregnant we will try something different. Dr. Dood is very optimistic that I will become pregnant with the help of Clomid. I pray that this will work because I have been having a horrible time dealing with this. I'm trying to stay strong and not let people know exactly how hard this is on me, especially Steve. I've cried alone a few times because I'm just so frustrated. It's just a lot to deal with and I've dreamed about being a mother for as long as I can remember. Wow....this was a really long post. Tomorrow is a big day for me, more to come.

First time writing

My awesome friend Katie Arens convinced me to start a blog. She thought it would be a good idea to write about my pregnancy journey and life in general. So....she came to my parents house for pizza, Grey's and to create my blog.