Bump Update!

 Today I am 6 Weeks pregnant!

Baby Blair has continued to grow and is now

10,000 times larger than when this whole things started!

He or She is .51 inches and weighs less than .04 oz.

Brain cells are now generating at the rate of 100 per minute. 

Tiny legs and arms are beginning to bud!

And our little blue berry's face is becoming more defined, 

and has a heart beating 100 to 160 times per minute :)

*Compliments of Google.com

Mommy Report: 

Welcome to the wonderful world of morning ... and afternoon, and night... sickness! I haven't been feeling so wonderful the past few days, but I'm still eating like I'm supposed to and still seeing a steady weight gain. I gained another pound this week, which is exactly what the nutritionist recommends during the beginning of pregnancy!  Having a few emotional moments, but nothing too out of control. Mostly just crying if I see a stray animal or getting my feelings hurt easily. Looking forward to the end of this first trimester and the beginning of feeling better and looking pregnant :) 

Hello, Morning Sickness

Today is the first day that my pregnancy has left me feeling awful. I guess the constant hoping and praying that morning sickness would skip me all together was a little unrealistic.

I went to bed the night before with a slight headache, and woke up this morning feeling like I had the stomach flu. Even though I didn't really feel like eating, I made myself. Crackers, rice, fruit cups, and some toast. This helped a little bit...

Still, the nausea waves came in spurts and the only thing I really did all day was lift a remote and nap.
(On a more positive note, I'm now on season 2 of my Boy Meets World marathon!)

I did feel okay enough to fix dinner for Steven tonight.

He re-payed me by rubbing my feet :)

First Time Parents at Aviano

Today I had my very first appointment, a mandatory first time parents class. I got up extra early to get ready, giving myself time to have some cereal and make my grocery list. Having one car makes week day outings and all day event, so I like to be prepared. 

 Most of my morning went by slowly... Snack, gas coupons, post office, etc. I had planned to have lunch with Steven and then attend the class alone afterwards, deciding that there were more important appointments for Steven to leave work for. So I was happily surprised when he called to tell me he wanted to come and that his superior said it was fine.

We had lunch at the bowling alley (I had a YUMMY cheeseburger and curly fries). Then we headed over to the clinic.

In true military fashion, the class ended up being more of a briefing than anything else. We met in Women's Health and then a nurse took us to the "classroom" upstairs to start. We were all given a folder with information sheets, print-outs, and DVDs inside. And for the next two and a half hours we sat while people from all different areas on base came in to talk to us. Nutritionists, lactation consultants, legal, WIC, dental, fitness consultants, and family advocacy all stopped by to give us info and tips on how they could help us through pregnancy and birth.

Legal and nutrition were the most helpful, in my opinion. Legal informed us that our baby will have an italian birth certificate, and that we have to submit paperwork for our names to be added to it. Apparently, in Italy, the country does not recognize the parents as legal guardians unless they submit a form requesting to be placed on the birth certificate. The government believes that this reduces the number of abortions, because a mother can have her baby in a hospital and then leave without any consequences. Her baby belongs to the Italian government unless she decides otherwise. The legal representative also gave us information on when we can start our baby's paperwork and lots of other important info that we will need once the baby is born. The nutritionist gave us handouts with ideal pregnancy "super foods" that would help with our baby's development. He gave us meal plans and also a list of what to avoid.

Over all, I'm glad we went. There were times when I wanted it to just be over, but it definitely would have been A LOT more boring if Steven hadn't been there. Also, the whole experience made the pregnancy more real. :)

Good Signs

We planted our rose bush in April and have been waiting for it to grow and bud ever since. I worried for months that I had somehow killed it while planting, or the soil was wrong. It just wouldn't grow!

This morning Steven and I went out on the back porch to enjoy the morning and found this...

What a wonderful sign of things to come. God just keeps giving me confirmation of His love and beauty. Reminding me that he is always near.

I will always remember that our roses started to bud the week we found out about our little miracle. :)

Bump Update!

Today I am 5 weeks pregnant!

Baby Blair is growing rapidly and will almost triple in size this week. 

Our little apple seed will become  a small sweet pea,

 weighing less than .04 ounces and .25 inches.

He or she will be developing basic facial features this week, including:

eyes, ears, chin, jaw, cheeks, and nose.

Our sweet babies little heart is starting to pump blood,

beating 80 times a minute <3

(Compliments of Google)

Mommy Report:

So far I still feel pretty good! No food aversions and no specific cravings. Still getting sick if I don't eat ever few hours, sometimes sooner. I'm using the restroom A LOT. The past two nights I've gotten up to use the bathroom 2 or 3 times and usually get a snack around 3:30 AM. I'll eat crackers or a fruit cup, usually with a glass of whole milk :) YUM! I'm still taking my prenatal vitamins every morning and I've gained one pound so far this week! School starts for me on the 9th of this month. It will be interesting to see how I manage it all as my pregnancy symptoms increase.

It's Just a Little Blood

For the time being we only have one vehicle in our household. So at least one day a week I ride to base with Steven to run errands and get out of the house. Sometimes I meet up with friends between paying bills, checking the mail, and buying groceries.

With the new discovery of our little apple seed, I had a few more errands to run today.

First thing this morning, after dropping Steven off at work, I went to the clinic to take a pregnancy test.
(The clinic requires you to do this before they will refer you to Women's Health or order any of your other lab work.)

I took the test, with the help of a Mango Madness Snapple, and waited for the results. There is something about getting the news from a doctor that makes it even more exciting. I remember telling myself, "Of course you already know its coming back positive... But what if it comes back positive!?" Horrible logic, I know. You just can't help but not believe it 100% until a person in a lab coat tells you so.

I'm given a small form from the lady at the front desk and told someone will be out soon to talk with me. This is new! The last time I did this, a month ago, I got a call a week later after I already knew I wasn't pregnant. "This is different," I tell myself. My excitement is at an all time high now and I fill out the form quickly, tracing back over all the letters as I wait. When the nurse finally comes out, she congratulates me and gives me some information. "Go pick up your prenatal prescription, head over it Women's Health for more paperwork, and congratulations!"

She wasn't kidding about the paperwork! By the way, I am not the best person to be concentrating on medical history and social security numbers right after receiving life changing news.. I had a few mark outs, re-dos, and sloppy signatures throughout it all. When all was said and done, I returned the folder and my appointments were made! The lady kindly informed me that I could do my other lab work at any time.

My excitement is shaken... Blood work!

I've never been one to enjoy getting blood drawn. Who is? Except, for me, it has nothing to do with the needle and everything to do with you touching my veins and taking the blood out of my body. I don't like it, because I usually get sick. Why should this be any different? I decide to get it over with and so I headed back to the lab.

My technician leads me back and begins prepping. She informs me that she will be taking 6 vials of blood and that it is nothing. I'm proud of myself, because I'm being pretty adult about the whole thing. I mean, I'm going to be a mother soon, so I need to be able to handle a little blood being drawn! (For the record, I had lunch 30 minutes prior to this. So, yes, I did eat!)

She begins the process and is asking me questions. "Was it a planned pregnancy?" "Wonderful! How far along are you?" I answer well enough and then the room starts spinning. "Are you okay?" I think I told her I was feeling a little sick. She tells me to let her know if we need to stop and continues. My whole body goes numb and the next thing I knew I was face down on the chair arm. (Thank goodness she had it surrounding me!) She stops immediately and lays me down on the exam table. Getting me a glass of water and asking me a few questions to make sure I'm ok.

I pretty much feel like an idiot, and only 3 vials are completed. :( I apologize several times, and she reschedules me for tomorrow morning... Thankfully, after looking at the blood she took, she decides that she only needs two more vials when I come back.

Hoping for a better reaction tomorrow :)

Bump Update!

Today I am 4 weeks and 5 days pregnant! 

My perspective due date is...

May 9, 2014!

That's right! Baby Blair is due on Mother's Day. 

And I can't think of a better present than that :)

Right now our baby is the size of an apple seed.

(about .13 inches and weighing less than .04 ounces)

He or she is dividing into three layers of cells.
The top layer will eventually become the central nervous system:

the brain, spinal cord, spinal nerves, and backbone.
The middle layer will develop into the circulatory system

and the bottom layer is where the lungs, intestines, thyroid, and other major internal organs will develop.

I'm not feeling very many symptoms right now.
Of course I'm tired and my chest is sore, but the nausea only happens if I don't eat every couple of hours and it goes away as soon as I'm fed!

*Three pregnancy tests to convince Steven :)

Labor Day Travels, Babies, and Fender Benders...

This Labor Day weekend started out like any other long weekend. Steven had four days off, so we planned to travel with some friends. The location? Vienna, the capital of Austria.

Before we left on Friday morning I took a pregnancy test.The test was negative, as usual. And I promised myself I wouldn't think about it anymore this weekend as we walked out the front door to leave.

The city was clean and beautiful. The architecture was lovely and the people were friendly. We saw palaces, gardens, capital buildings, and even took a class on how to make an austrian apple strudel! The boys of course sampled the local Austrian beer. I remember eating a lot of German food and feeling tired, but I contributed this to all the walking we did. Keeping my promise not to spend another weekend worrying if I had conceived or not. Our friends kept us busy, and vice versa. We had a wonderful weekend and I got to mark another travel destination off my list!

September 1st, on our way back to Italy, we stopped at a rest station and I remember seeing some spotting. Confirming what I had already known, I thought, "Oh, well. Better luck next month!" I was slightly disappointed, but I had felt little cramps on Saturday that prepared me for the inevitable arrival of my period. So when we got home that night I was a little surprised to realize that nothing more had come from it. I made dinner, snuggled with our cat Maggie, got comfortable, and passed out on the couch. I didn't give my fatigue too much thought. Then Monday morning happened.

When I woke up on Monday morning it was still early, especially considering we had no where to be that day (Around 6:30 AM). I noticed that "Aunt Flo" still hadn't arrived, and that is strange for me. Deciding that taking a pregnancy test wouldn't be a complete waste, I tested my luck yet again...

"Pregnant!"

I couldn't believe it, but there is was. "Pregnant" written across the screen. I didn't sit alone like most women do, contemplating what this meant, how it would change everything. I had been imagining all those things for months, so all I wanted to do was tell tell Steven. ASAP!

He was still asleep, and I bounced on the bed asking him to turn the light on and look at me. I think I worried him at first, and in retrospect I should have been a little more calm when waking him up, but I couldn't help it! He saw the test and looked surprised, then skeptical. It would take 2 more tests, one with him sitting in the bathroom with me and watching it with his own eyes change from an hour glass to "pregnant," before he really began to believe it.

We were both filled with excitement and I bounced once again off the bed and into the other room to celebrate. That is when the first of many commands happened, "Don't bounce around like that! You'll hurt the baby!" Followed by, "Get ready so we can go get you some good things to eat." "Did you take your prenatal vitamin today?" "Have you had any water yet?" I LOVED it. It was the first sign to me that he cares just as much about this pregnancy as I do.

The rest of the day was a little bumpy. Our trip to the commissary ended as soon as we got there and realized it was closed for the day, Labor Day (Duh)! The day was saved momentarily when we decided to eat at Burger King and discovered they had chocolate milk shakes now (Which was perfect for dipping my French fries in). Yum!! We were feeling good and talking babies on the ride home when Steven accidentally rear ended the car in front of us. Maybe we were both a little distracted with everything else that was happening. The good news is that there was barely any damage to either car and we have insurance! After an hour of broken Italian and translator apps we had everything squared away and made it back home in one piece.

Overall, I think today was one of the most exciting days of my life. I have been given a blessing that only God could give... I am carrying a beautiful life and it is with the person I love most in the whole world. I can't really explain what it feels like... I just know that I have never felt so complete or so close to Steven. I've never felt so happy or favored by God in my whole life.

After 6 months of thinking and planning and hoping... Baby Blair is here and growing inside me. It is truly a miracle from God!