5/17/08: I went to work, started feeling EXTREMELY bloated, then nauseated! I pretty much felt queasy the whole entire day! I have also noticed I have been EXTEMELY fatigued as well!
5/18/08: Same as yesterday: still feeling bloated and queasy! Also feel very drained! I have other personal symptoms making me think that I might be pregnant! I research online for early pregnancy symptoms.. and low and behold everything is a symptom of pregnancy! So.. makes me start wondering, but I am very doubtful seeing as we have been trying for a year now! I am also cramping.. thinking I am about to start.
5/19/2008: Well, even though I am cramping and today is the day I am suppose to start, I decided to go ahead and take a pregnancy test. I was thinking, I will stop wondering.. and go ahead and start before our vacation next week. I peed on the stick.. and laid the test down. I started taking my morning meds, putting my contacts in, and brushing my teeth. Steve was getting out of the shower and I told him that I didn't think I was pregnant b/c I was cramping.. but then reminded myself and him that I did cramp with Madi too. So he glanced over at the stick and made a goofy looking face. It was so cute! He just smiled! I said "No I am NOT! Don't play around like that!" Then I looked at the test.. and I'll be danged if there wasn't a POSITIVE sign!!! I actually looked two more times to make sure I had seen it correctly. I called my mom and Cheryl.. then my brother Lance. Those were the only ones that I thought would be awake.. or wouldn't be mad if I woke them up! Ha. Then I started thinking.. what if that test was wrong??? So I took another test! Two home pregnancy tests.. both confirm I am indeed pregnant. I tried to set an appointment with the doc, but after dealing with a rude lady.. not so much up for it! I am feeling REALLY tired today. Still somewhat nauseated, but not too bad. No vomiting yet. Steve and I have decided we need to put our home up for sale and buy something bigger! Ha. I also noticed that I have been EXTREMELY emotional the past few days. Now it all makes since. Like for example: I was bringing an inpatient down for a CT Saturday, and I was telling them that their nurse was wonderful.. that she was the same nurse that took care of Madi a few days when she was in the hospital and that she was awesome! I started tearing up!! What the he--? I hope I am not going to get all whiny and stuff this time. I hate whiners! If I do.. please let me know! Ha!
5/21/2008: Started feeling the pain in my back that was a burning sensation. Also developed a BAD headache. I am thinking it is from the lack of caffine.
5/22/2008: Same back pain, now people are making me think I might have a UTI. Headache is still horrible!
5/23/3008: Back pain is still there, but it seems as if it is easing up some. The headache isn't as bad either. I went by work and did a dip stick urine test.. came back negative.
5/24/2008: Back ache is almost non-existent as is the headache. ER docs told me to do the dip stick test again, still negative, but I do have trace protein, which can be normal for pregnant women. I was told to watch my blood pressure. Also noticed my heart was beating kind of abnormal. "Flutters" so to speak, but other than that I feel fine.
5/25/2008: Still feel good. Did yet another dip stick test after researching that protein in the urine can possibly be pre-eclampsia. I should be too early to be developing signs of that according to everything, but there are still trace amount of protein in my urine. Got to keep a watch on it. I also have researched the backaches in early pregnancy, and so some people will stop worrying so much about me ; ) I will inform you of what I learned. There is a hormone called relaxin which is released early in pregnancy. It softens ligaments and joints to prepare us for labor! So, unless I start bleeding or anything else, this is probably normal. I still have no OB appointment, but I am calling as soon as we get in Colorado probably on Wed. to set it up. The "winch" that I talked to the other day told me they wouldn't see me before June 10th anyways. So I am going to wait until we get out there to set up the appointment.
6/7/08: Well, I thought I would blog since I haven't in a while. We were on vacation the last week 1/2. I felt fine the entire time. The headaches are better and the back pain is gone. Well.. at night my back hurts and I am having trouble sleeping. I can't seem to ever get comfy. That will get worse the bigger I get. I get nauseated every now and again, but no vomiting (well only once on vacation). I am feeling good and I think I am starting to show already. Hard to tell under all this fat.. but I think my wasteline has gotten bigger. I have not gained any weight as of yet! YEAH! That is great news for me seeing as I am already carrying 25 pounds still from my pregnancy with Madison. I finally made my first OB appointment. I go Tuesday, June 10th at 9:30 a.m. I am ready to put some of my worries behind me and ready to see that baby and heartbeat on the ultrasound. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that there is just ONE in there! Ha. That's it for now!
6/10/08: Steve actually was able to schedule himself off work and go with me to the doctor! Thank goodness! To help keep Madi calm! She was tired and ill therefore a little bit fussy! Dr. Reidy perfomed my ultrasound and said that everything looked great! I am only 7 weeks prego according to measurements! I figured my original due date wouldn't last long since my periods are not on 28 day cycle! They are more like 33-35 days! So my new due date is January 28th! There is only ONE fetus in there! Thank goodness. I was a little worried! Ha. Steve started stressing. I remember what the yolk sac looks like! So I knew the round circular one was the yolk sac and the other was the baby! He didn't know that! So he was flipping out thinking there were twins! The doc reassured him there was only one in there and he actually fells much better now! I saw the heartbeating. He didn't get to see it since he was trying to keep Madi calm! I teared up! You know emotional me! Ha. Then we heard the heartbeat which REALLY made me tear up! I am so much more excited now! The heart was beating at 140 bpm. I don't remember Madi's exactly, but I was thinking hers stayed more like in the 160s. Wondering if this means a boy? Hmm... I guess we won't know until I am 20 weeks! Unless I can get the ultrasound tech to let me come in during the week and her scan me at around 16 weeks! If not, I know I can go to Anniston and get a friend to do it for me (Kelly) haha! Which is the same girl who told me I was having a girl with Madi! So I trust her! But I go back in 4 weeks! Everything is fine! I go for blood work before I go back to the doctor! So I guess I will wait and go get that done next week. That's all for now! Other than I am EXTREMELY tired the past few days! I think I should take some phenegran and pass out!
6/17/08: We thought of baby names on our vacation and I am just now getting around to writing them down. For a boy: so far, we like the name Kaiden Sean/ Kaiden Steven (after Steve). For a girl: Braelyn Lauren/ Braelyn Hope (after me). Not sure which.. and not sure if we will wind up in a complete different direction with the names. We will put more thought into it once we know what we are having!
6/19/08: Steve has informed me that the baby does not like oreos since the past two nights I have thrown up after eating a few of them. I have been banned from oreos by Steve!
6/21/08: I weighed myself and somehow even though I have been eating healthy I managed to gain one whole pound in a week! UGH!
6/22/08: I had a dream. Here it is!!! Okay.. so being pregnant does make you have the weirdest dreams. Last night.. wasn't really so weird.. more GREAT for me. I dreamed that I went to one of the races, and was allowed to be in the garage area where I could meet all of the drivers.. HOW FREAKIN AWESOME IS THAT? Well.. in my dream, I saw Kasey Kahne first making his way towards my direction.. talking on the cell phone. I started yelling "Kasey, can I please have your autograph?" He kept walking past me.. and as he was walking past me I put my hand on his chest and again begged for his autograph. He kept going. A second later he tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around and he says "HA! Gotcha!" He hung up the cell phone and proceeded to give me his autograph.. signing it (I remember SO VIVIDLY in my dream) " To the beautiful Jennifer: with lots and lots of love, Kasey Kahne!" So I am so excited. He then takes me over to check out his car and garage area.. and meet his crew where I got each and everyone's auto-graph. I finally bid him farewell and wish him lots of luck during the race. As I am walking on.. there is this fenced area where there are TONS of drivers hanging out in there. I catch a glimpse of none other than the wonderful Dale Jr. I politely ask him if I could have his autograph. He says "Sure." So I hand him a piece of paper and I am looking for my pen.. can't find it. "No problem.. I'll be right back." So I am standing there waiting as Jr goes running off.. he comes back with a picture of himself and a sharpie. He signs his name right in front of me!! Then hands me the picture. I start screaming in excitement and he then asks me "Hey.. would you like to ride around the track with me in my car??" I am TOO crazy with excitement by this point. I of course take him up on his offer.. and hope into the 88 AMP. He hands me a helmet and says "here.. gotta put this on" with his cute little crooked smile. He then takes off and before I know it we are going 200 miles per hour!!! I am beside myself in excitement!! After several laps around the track.. he then takes me back. Says it is about time for them to get ready to race. I get out of the car and thank him for the ride. I start to walk off.. and he says. "Here Jennifer.. I forgot to give you something" and hands me some kind of paper.. it looked kinda like a map of the racetrack that I was at. It had been autographed by everyone of the drivers.. each writing personal messages on it. I read it and was amazed and thanked him so much. Then I said "How come Ryan Newman didn't sign this?" Jr looked shocked. He said.. "I guess he wasn't around the garage while we were gone on our joy ride. That is when I had all the guys sign it." He said "come with me and I will introduce you myself to him". I see Ryan Newman and my heart starts racing as I get closer to him! I start acting retarded.. telling him how much I love him and his racing.. and blah blah blah.. He signs his autograph onto the piece of paper that Jr. had gotten everyone else to sign. Then thanks me for being such a great fan. Then the alarm clock went off... DANG IT! I was having such a great dream.
Sometimes I love the weird crazy pregnant dreams! How great they can be!!
6/27/08: Weighed myself and I have surprisingly lost 5 pounds. YIPEE!
7/8/08: I went to see the doctor today. Had to get my follow-up pap smear from all the cervical stuff I went through. They weighed me and I had lost a total of 7 pounds. The doctor is fine with that. Told me that since I haven't been vomiting too much, it is probably just from me eating healthier and drinking lots of water now. So, they listened for the baby's heart rate and we heard it again (137 bpm). Everything looks a-okay so far. I can't wait to get the pap results back. I am just praying that everything is normal on it. She said that it looks as if my cervix has healed properly from the procedure I had done. So hopefully there will be no problems with premature labor. I will have to keep praying and keep my fingers crossed!
7/26/08: I have had an entire week of freedom from the nausea and vomiting. I will admit I did get a tad queezy once or twice.. but nothing that lasted long at all.. an NO vomiting. Thank goodness. I hope that is over with. My appetite is back. I have been eating a lot more... and the scales could tell. I have gained back one pound since last weekend. Now I am scared I am going to eat like crazy and start piling on the weight.
I also felt the baby move for the first time. I was leaning forward talking to a co-worker and I felt it. I swear it feels more like a fish flopping around than "butterflies". I felt it again once I got home that night and was talking to Steve. I can't wait to feel it more often. That is the exciting part.
8/2/08: So it looks like a boy... kinda. The baby's feet were down making it difficult for my friend to see. There is one pic, where it looks like a little turtle (penis) so my friend is going with "it's a boy" for now. We are going to check again in a couple of weeks. But I sure hope she is right! It definitely looks like it! So I am going to say it's a boy until I find out differently. Ha. Oh and baby is doing well. Bouncing around like crazy. It looked like he was either hiccuping or kicking himself around in there. He definitely doesn't look like a blob anymore! I am so excited now since I have actually SEEN my baby! I mean I saw him at 7 weeks, but he was just a blob. Ha. I have one great shot of him opening his mouth as well. Measuring at 15 weeks and 4 days..
