First Ultrasound

Heartbeat: 196bpm

The nurse said I was measuring 9 weeks and 4 days although I am technically only 9 weeks today.

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The Best Christmas Gift

Merry Christmas!  Today was the day we finally got to tell my family the news.  Each year Courtney and I give my mom a photo album filled with pictures and memories from that year.  My family gave up giving Christmas gifts to each other a long time ago, so this is the only gift exchanging we do.  It is pretty special for my mom, but every year we threaten to stop doing it because it takes so much time!

Anyway, last year we gave my mom her album and then gave my dad a small gift as well.  In May of 2012, my parents would celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.  Courtney and I decided to send them on a trip to San Antonio.  Inside my dad's gift bag was a small strip of paper with the first line to a 40 line poem.  When he opened his gift last Christmas, he had no idea what the strip of paper meant and we wouldn't tell them.  We proceeded to give them a new line each day for the next 40 days (although it only took them about 20 days to figure it out).

So that leads me back to today.  After mom opened her album, I handed dad his small gift bag.  Inside I had placed a similar slip of paper that said "last year it was 40 days, this year it's 40 weeks."  I thought my dad would get it right away, but here's how it happened...

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It's amazing to me that we were able to surprise both sides of our families and do it as we had planned to.  It was fun keeping the big secret between Seth and I for a little bit, but I am so relieved that our families know now!

Besides the Fab Five girls, which I will see tomorrow morning, we will wait until the first ultrasound (this coming Friday) to tell our close friends.

The Clashing Plaids' New Addition

We FINALLY got to tell people last night!  We had a Clashing Plaids Bluegrass practice at the Frack's and then we all built gingerbread houses.  Grammy and Grandpa were in town too.  When we were getting ready to leave, I asked Beth if she was going to give us our presents (she told me ahead of time she had bought everyone a plaid shirt to wear for our "concert" on Sunday).  What she didn't know was that Seth and I had bought a plaid shirt of our own.  Well, actually, a plaid onesie :)  After we all opened our shirts, Seth got the small gift for his mom and gave some speech about how something was missing from our bluegrass group.  She opened the gift and here was her response...

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Although Kevin said he knew, I think we surprised them all!  Now, if they can just keep it a secret from my family until Christmas Day!

7 Weeks

Sick, sick, sick

Happy 32nd Birthday to me!  I haven't felt this terrible in a long, long time...if ever.  I came home from the school ornament exchange/Christmas party on Thursday night feeling horrible.  I thought I was just exhausted from spending ALL day in Kernersville, 7am-8pm.  I came home and went straight to bed.  Friday morning I woke up still not feeling great, but I headed off to school anyway.  At school my office is always freezing, but  I could not stop shivering and all I wanted to do was lie down on the floor.  I had a meeting scheduled for 10:15 so I kept telling myself I could make it a half day and then go home if I still felt bad.  After the meeting was over it was all I could do to call the office and tell my AP that I was going home.

Thank goodness Seth was at home (working with his dad, Drew and Jimmie to pour the concrete pad for the shed out back).  I took my temperature and it was 101 degrees.  I called the OB/GYN's office and they told me to take Tylenol.  I didn't have any and Seth had to head back to work so my FIL went to Walgreens and bought me meds.  I was so nervous that he would ask why I needed Tylenol specifically or that he would figure out that I am pregnant.  No questions were asked though, and I slept the rest of the day and night.  I continued to drink as much water as I could handle and popped pills every 4 hours.  My mom also came over later that day and I was so worried she would figure it out.  She kept asking questions, but I just reassured her that I had called the Dr. and was drinking lots of fluids.

Saturday morning I was supposed to run the Mistletoe Half Marathon.  Since I found out I was pregnant, I had decided I was going to take it easy and run a slower pace with my sister or BIL.  I was so disappointed when I continued to run a high fever Saturday morning.  I bundled up in a gazillion layers and made Seth drive me to the course so I could at least take pictures and cheer them on.  It was Jonathan's first half and they both did amazing.

I hated that I wasn't at the finish line to celebrate their accomplishments!  Instead I was in bed shivering and mildly freaking out that I continued to have a 100+ fever.

Today, I am not any better.  My fever is still up and I have no energy.  I feel so weak that it is a struggle to move from the bed to the couch downstairs.  I am tired of lying around.  It is 70 degrees outside and it is my birthday.  I want to celebrate!  We are supposed to go to the Frack's for my birthday dinner and bluegrass tonight.  I want to go because I need a change of scenery, but I don't know if I should.

Still No Bump at 5 Weeks

I just told Tamar the news!  She knows I can't lie and she asked directly.  It was nice to be able to talk to someone about it besides Seth, especially someone who has recently been through the same thing.

No Bump at 4 Weeks

Dear Baby, 

This morning I woke up and took a HPT.  I set the timer for 3 minutes and waited as I watched the first line grow darker and darker.  It wasn't until close to 3 minutes that the second line began to faintly appear.  I wasn't sure if this meant positive or not, because the line was pretty light.  I woke Seth up and asked him to come in the bathroom.  I asked him if it was a line and he said yeah and high-fived me.  He was very happy, but I was still unsure.  We went back to bed and Bella came and layed right on top of us, licking our faces.  She wants to be a part of the family too.

I am nauseous, but hungry.  I felt this way now for about 5 days.

I am heading out to IKEA now with Mom, Court, Jules and Josh.