Chalkboard Update!

I have the most wonderful husband in the world and he is working on making me the chalkboard for baby updates and blog posts! It should be up and running for next week's post! Yay! Can't wait :)
Here is a picture of the progress...

17 Week Update!

Hello, all! Sorry it's been so long since I posted last. I haven't had a chance to catch my breath, let alone sit down and make a blog post. As of today, I am 17 weeks and 2 days along. I don't have a current picture to share today, but this is one from last week when I was 16 weeks (4 months, already!).


A lot has happened since I last posted... we have had a few baby appointments which have been very exciting. At our 12 weeks appointment we heard the baby's heartbeat, and the heart rate was right around 150 bpm. :) She did some blood work which all came back normal and perfect, which was great to hear, as well.
So far, this pregnancy has been pretty great. Besides the nausea that lasted for a few weeks in the beginning, I have been pretty satisfied with the way things have been going. I have started to get some pretty painful sciatica pain, though, which is making work extremely difficult for me. I am hoping to get to a chiropractor (that specializes in prenatal care) within the next couple of weeks, and hopefully get adjusted enough to fix the painful situation that I am in!
For a few weeks I had been having some serious sinus problems, which at first I chalked up to the weather changing. And while it probably did have something to do with that, I also learned that you can get a stuffy or runny nose just from being pregnant. And since everything is 10x worse when you are pregnant, needless to say, I was miserable. I found nothing that would give me any relief, until I went to an appointment with Monica, my absolutely WONDERFUL midwife, who gave me a few things to help clear it up, including some acupuncture beebee's to tide me over until our next appointment. :) She is a life saver! Then, a few days ago I came down with some type of stomach bug which was the most miserable two days of my life. I have no idea how I got it, and ended up having to work a 12-hour shift on my second day with it, which was almost unbearable. It's difficult to feel that sick when you're pregnant, especially when you can't keep anything down. I was so empty, and I couldn't help but feel like I was starving my poor baby. But by the third day, I was good to go, and back to ravenously eating like I had been!
Since the chalkboard is still a no-go, you would think that I have given up on the idea, but I haven't... yet. I am planning on ordering something here in the next few days and I can (hopefully) finally get to doing what I REALLY wanted to do from the beginning. Oh, the joys of living an incredibly busy life.
I have been feeling the baby moving around for quite a while, now. But Zack had yet to feel it. The other night I tried to call him in to feel it, but by the time he got to me, the baby decided to be stubborn. BUT... last night we were relaxing watching a movie and this little baby would NOT stay still. It was flipping back and forth and I knew that he would be able to feel it. And finally, after about 5 minutes he did. It is amazing to be how active this baby is already, it is the most incredible feeling.
Being that I am 17 weeks along, we will be having an ultrasound in a few weeks (about 3 or 4) to find out what this beautiful little baby inside of me is! I am so excited, I can not even explain it.

How far along? 17 weeks
Total weight gain? About 5 pounds.
Maternity Clothes? Sometimes!
Stretch Marks? Negativo.
Sleep? Oh yes. When I have time, of course.
Best moment this week? Definitely the baby appointment, and hearing the baby again!
Miss anything? Not that I can think of!
Movement? LOTS!
Food Cravings? Anything strawberry flavored or related, pancakes, kiwi, chocolate, blue popsicles!
Anything making you feel sick? Nothing!
Gender? Three more weeks till we find out.
Labor Signs? No, no, no.
Symptoms: Nothing too specific anymore.
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody most of the time? Generally Happy!
Looking forward to: Ultrasound to find out the gender, of course.

At 17 weeks, baby is the size of an onion! The skeleton is finally starting to harden, the umbilical cord is getting stronger, and the fingers and toes now have prints!

Quick Update

I didn't forget about you guys, I promise! Things have been very busy since we got home from California and I have been working a lot, lately. I am really hoping that Zachary will get me the supplies to whip up a chalk board in the near future. I would really like to start making the weekly posts. For the time being though, here is a picture I took around a week and a half ago. I was around 13 weeks, 4 days in this picture.

Here We Go...

So, my post will start becoming more detailed once we return home from California. There, I will be better set up to take weekly baby bump pictures, and keep everyone a bit more updated when we get back into our normal routine. But for now, I will do a little teeny weeny post.

That is a picture of me when I was about 10 weeks, 5 days along. I have been noticing though, that my belly size is still fluctuating. In other words, some days it is HUGE, and others, not so much. But one thing is for sure... my pants don't fit. I decided that it was a good idea to head to the store and invest in a few pieces of maternity clothes. I was right. I got a few shirts, but most importantly, my first pair of maternity pants! And let me tell you... they are the most comfortable things I own. They're just too long. Imagine that. My other favorite item was my Target BeBand. It is super comfortable!
Now onto some questions. Each week when I post a picture of my belly, along with my decorated chalkboard (an idea stemmed from Jessica Garvin's blog, Little Baby Garvin.) I will post these questions along with it. I think that it will b a fun way for myself and everyone else to really notice the changes that I am experiencing. After all, I will only do this for the first time, once!

How far along? (In this picture) 10 weeks
Total weight gain? Around 3 pounds, give or take.
Maternity Clothes? Sometimes!
Stretch Marks? No way, Jose!
Sleep? That's literally all I want to do. Ever.
Best moment this week? Probably going to pick out maternity clothes. It was fun!
Miss anything? Sushi, and not having acne.
Movement? None!
Food Cravings? Oh boy... Tuna, Sushi, Seafood, Cadbury Creme Eggs, Icecream... shall I go on?
Anything making you feel sick? Nothing specifically... but certain smells are still really getting to me.
Gender? Who knows! Only 10 more weeks to find out!
Labor Signs? My goodness, NO.
Symptoms: Still lethargic, occasionally nauseous, pimples EVERYWHERE, lots of belly (stretching!) pain, and sciatica pain out the wahzoo.
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody most of the time? It depends on the day. These hormones and I are currently not friends.
Looking forward to: Baby appointment when we get home. Finally hearing the heartbeat! :) <3

At ten weeks along, baby was the size of a kumquat. (Who the heck uses that as a size comparison?!)

Yes, we are serious!

So yes, it is true. We are expecting a tiny miracle around September 20th, 2013! We have always planned on having children, but never expected it so soon. So yes, this was unexpected, but a miracle all the same. It was a welcomed surprise! Here's the story: It wasn't very difficult for me to realize that I was pregnant. Almost instantly I became completely lethargic, extremely nauseous, and sore EVERYWHERE. I had a feeling, but I figured I would wait until I was one week late before I took the test. Friday, January 16, Zack woke me up early (way too early for my liking) and made me take the test before he left for work. We flipped it over on the counter and Zack was super anxious to see it. When we finally flipped it, it confirmed our suspicions. There was a sense of overwhelming happiness and nerves all at the same time.

The line was super faint, but combining that will all of my other symptoms, I was convinced. When I found out I was just about 5 weeks pregnant. We decided to keep it to ourselves for a while, until we were in a comfortable enough state to start sharing our exciting news with friends and family. Well... now's the time! I plan on using this blog to keep friends and family informed, and that way my forgetful brain(I blame it on the baby ;)) won't leave anyone out on any information. Everyone can get it in the same place. I hope to keep it updated weekly, or as close to that as possible. I will post weekly baby-bump pictures and any other updates that I can think of! Love to all, Megan, Zack, and Baby Gallipeau :)