So much to do...

So little time. Sorry I haven't updated in... months. I'm bad at keeping up with a blog, sue me.

So, we're 38 weeks today, and things are starting. Last Monday, I had a drs appointment. I was dilated 1 fingertip, 50% effaced, with baby at approximately -2 station. If you know what that means, give yourself a gold star! Basically, things are starting. I've had an extraordinary amount of braxton hicks contractions, including today I had five (FIVE!!!) contractions, getting more intense, 7 minutes apart... I thought it was the start of something. And then, poof, they stopped. It was uncool.

We have everything we need, including the car seat installed. Everything is all set up for her, we have bags packed as much as we can... we even put the Christmas tree up and have all of our presents we have so far wrapped. It's just a waiting game now.

I'm doing well, except for my headaches. I was prescribed medicine for them, and it helps, but I don't like taking it constantly. I'm also having a LOT of hip pain, to the point where it's almost unbearable. In fact, I'm thinking of talking to the doctor on Monday at my checkup to tell her that it IS unbearable. I can't stand it sometimes. And it's not just sleeping, it's all day. I don't think there's anything she can do though.

Baby should weigh between 7.5 and 8 pounds right now; lets hope she's not bigger than that because if she is, I won't get to use my newborn clothes and I SOO want to! lol

I started working on birth announcements today, and I think they'll look really cool! We need to find Christmas cards this week and thank you cards; I just realized I didn't send thank you cards after the shower. I'm sure people will forgive me if I don't though, right??

Anyway, still hanging in there. Due date is 14 days away (And counting the hours. Really.) The doctor thinks she won't make it to her due date, so fingers are crossed!!! Hopefully the next post will be a Welcome post with pictures!!!!!

Kick kick kick!

Wow, this little girl is so incredibly active! I can't believe how much she moves! She responds almost every time to music played loudly or close to my belly. She is also starting to kick back sometimes if I push on my belly, which before she usually didn't do.

So this weekend is busy! Friday we have an OB appointment, then Saturday is the wedding!! I'm so excited and feel so blessed to be spending my life with Eric, he's so amazing and I'm so lucky!

Also... so I teased my friend about naming her baby Bella; she's a huge Twilight fan, and I thought she was naming her after Bella Swan. Well, then I go and name my daughter Rosalie, you know, like Edward's "sister" Rosalie Hale. If that isn't bad enough... I just finished rereading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I had totally forgotten... Ron and Hermione named their daughter, what else? Rose.

Gee, and I thought I was naming her that because of the Roses Eric gave me as the first thing he really gave me, or because I had a dream about it. :)

Oh, and the results from the ultrasound and the triple screen were all normal, healthy, good good good! :)

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Eric here Krystal has been forgettin/puttin off....we found out its a girl and have bought sum girl clothes and her sister has to and her sister has even bought us girly diapers.

Waiting....

So, last Friday I had my appointment to get my blood drawn for the triple screen. I haven't heard back yet, but we're all assuming that no news is good news!

My mom went with me, which was cool for her but bad for Eric... when the doctor went to listen to the heartbeat, she couldn't find it, which scared the crap out of all of us. Well, I knew that the baby was ok, because everytime she pushed on my belly the baby responded by kicking me, and the doctor said the doppler said the heartbeat was 135; but at the same time, I was worried there was something wrong with it's heart. So, unfortunately for Eric, my mom and I got to see an ultrasound. Everything, of course, was fine, and it was really cool to get to see it!

We go TUESDAY (!!!!) to find out what the baby is! Hopefully it cooperates with us, because I NEED to know lol!

In other news, I started school this week! I'm going to Grand Canyon University online, which seems to be a great school so far. I am hoping to get a B.S. In Elementary Education with an emphasis on Early Childhood; what's great is they set up the student teaching at the end of the degree, and they even help get a job when you've graduated.

So, I'll try to remember to update the blog on Tuesday with the sex!!

Life gets in the way sometimes...

Sorry it's been so long, but I've been so busy and things have been so crazy, I kinda stopped thinking about blogging. So much has happened! First, baby news. We had the 3rd appointment a couple of weeks ago, and heard the heartbeat! It was 143, which is perfectly normal. It was easily one of the coolest moments ever. My next appointment is NEXT Friday, where I'm having blood drawn and I'll get to hear the heartbeat again, and mom's going with me this time, which she's excited about. :) Eric has to work, so I invited her. On the 26th we get to have an ultrasound done, to find out whether it's a boy or a girl, and we're sooo excited about that, we can't wait!

We finalized names; if it's a boy, it's going to be Daniel William, and if it's a girl, it'll be Rosalie Zona.

We've been doing lots of wedding planning too; it'll be on August 13th, which is also the anniversary of two of our best friends, and since they don't mind, I think it'll be very cool. we got the invitations today; we're going to print them up and mail them out in the next week, and since we aren't inviting many people, if you're not invited you might be getting an announcement in the mail instead.

I also applied at an online school and will be starting this month, taking one class to start. I'm going for a B.S. in Elementary Education (K-8) with an emphasis on Early Childhood. I'm not planning on finishing school online; I'm going to take probably one year at a campus of some kind.

We're also looking into moving to Mechanicsburg or Urbana; we've actually found a couple of very inexpensive houses we're looking at. Very exciting stuff!

After the second prenatal visit

So we had the second visit... unfortunately, my doctor doesn't do another ultrasound until 18 weeks, so it won't be until JULY when I see what we're having... sad. She said on me, because I'm overweight, we probably won't be able to hear the heartbeat until 14 weeks, so maybe next week? But if she's not doing an ultrasound will she do that? Hmm, no idea.

Anyway, I lost a whopping 16 pounds! In a month! Normally that would be a great thing, but since I'm pregnant, not so much. She said she's not worried about it yet, because of being overweight, but if it happens next month she'll be worried. It's probably because I'm not eating much because every time I eat, my stomach hurts. She thinks what we already guessed, that it's because of gas. She told me to eat slower... which I already do. So now I'm eating like a snail lol. I also have a little bit of a UTI, which I guessed also, so more antibiotics. At least these ones are pills lol.

I've also had my first real morning sickness episodes this weekend. I have been nauseous several times but never like this. Sunday night, Eric gave me a couple of tums, which helped because it was caused by indigestion. I haven't actually gotten sick but it's been a close thing, and I've felt that this was much worse than before.

It's ok... the light at the end of the tunnel is that, after next week, I'll be into my second trimester so it'll hopefully get better. :)

Officially into the 3rd month!

So, today is day 1 of week 9! Here's what webmd says about week 9:

The embryo measures about 0.9 inches to 1.2 inches from crown to rump, or the size of a strawberry. The arms and legs are longer, and the fingers might be a little swollen where the touch pads are forming. The head is more erect and neck is more developed. Your baby now moves its body and limbs, and this movement can be visible during an ultrasound, but you won't be able to feel it yet.

A strawberry! Cool! I'm still calling it a peanut though, just saying. As of next week, it will be, to the doctors, no longer an embryo - instead, it'll finally be a fetus. I'm sorry, but how can you call something with fingers and a heart beat and a BRAIN an embryo? It's a baby, period. :)

For mother's day, Eric gave me a red rose, and my sister gave me a "mother-to-be" card. I thought that was really sweet of her.

Nothing else is really going on with us; I got my teeth cleaned today, and they told me I have two cavities that need filled but... idk if I'm going to worry about it until the baby's born. I also have one tooth that has to come out, and the dentist said as long as it doesn't give me major pain it would be fine to leave it until after the baby's born, so that's good. Apparently my teeth looked great though!

First Ultrasound and lots of stuff

Ok, after much anticipation and excitement on our part, here is the little peanut!

The official due date is now December 15th, which puts me at 7 weeks, 1 day in the ultrasound (7 weeks, 3 days, as of today). I LOVE my doctor and the nurses, they were all so nice to us. I'm very happy with my choice in the doctor's office. In the appointment, my blood pressure was a little up, so they're going to be watching me closely, but other than that, everything was great.

The appointment was Friday, the 29th. On Saturday, we went to a couple of yard sales and got some pretty cool stuff, including some clothes, and a wipe warmer that was only one dollar. Then we went to my sister's house, where we hit the jackpot! She still had her stroller and car seat, which attach to each other, along with two front facing car seats, a regular booster, and a regular booster that has a detachable base. So we're set on those. She also gave us a baby monitor set, a nursing pillow, a ton of maternity clothes and some baby clothes. Most of her clothes are 18 months to 4t, so we didn't take much. She had an entire box of bottles... basically, we just hit the baby stuff jackpot over there. We took some of it, and the rest they're going to go through and give us whatever out of it, so that's awesome. I feel like we've already got half of the stuff we need! :) So, thanks Aunt Becky!

Good news!

So I applied for Medical and Food assistance and got both! They didn't even make me go down for an appointment; I guess because I have no income and because I'm pregnant, they did the interview over the phone. We took down my ID and stuff though, and so as soon as she gets that in the system she'll be sending out my medical card and food stamps. The medical card is great though; it covers all prenatal visits, blood work, the birth of the baby, and then once the baby's born it will be covered too. So yay! As soon as that gets here I'll be going to the doctor; according to everything online and in the books, they should be able to find the heartbeat as of now, so maybe we'll get to hear it!!

Eric applied for this job that he'll most likely get today; idk what the pay is like, but he'll probably start in May I think. It's working for this racetrack just doing odd jobs I think, but we heard that they need people so bad that just about anyone who applies gets it, so that's great. :)

Also, we went to the thrift store yesterday and got a couple of cute outfits, including a little Steelers onesie. So cute!!

(almost) Everyone knows; it's definitely official

Since telling my mom, we've told everyone now except my sister. I don't want to tell her online, so I'm trying to figure out when and how to tell her. My dad took it well; he said "How did that happen?" and then he paused, thought about it, and said, "Well, I know how it happened!" :) Eric's dad took it well too; his mom was just mad that she wasn't the first person we told. His Gradma was very happy, especially when we told her what we'll be naming it if it's a girl. (You'll find out eventually. Be patient.)

So told I went to planned parenthood to get an "official" pregnancy test, so that when JFS gets me in for an appt I can give them something to prove it. If they don't call by next Tuesday or Wednesday though, we're going to go down there. The only reason I didn't just drive down is because it's kinda far-ish away and I didn't want to waste the gas if they couldn't see me the day I was there. Anyway, did the whole pee in a cup thing... which, frankly, is a LOT harder than it sounds when you have to pee really really bad. Afterwards, I got to talk to a really really nice LPN who gave me a bit of info, including estimated due date. According to two different web sites it's 12/9, according to her it's the 8th.... either way, early December is the due date.

As of right now, I'm at 6 weeks. Here's what webmd says about week six:

The embryo is starting to look like a tadpole. It's about 0.08 inches to 0.16 inches -- the size of a BB pellet -- from the top of the head to buttocks. (This crown-to-rump length is used more often than crown-to-heel length because the baby's legs are most often bent and hard to measure). The eyes and limb buds also are forming. A heartbeat can sometimes be detected by an ultrasound around now.

Ok, now to tell my sister, and then, the world (aka Facebook).

And now mom knows

So I told my mom earlier. She took it well, mostly. For a few minutes she was seeming to be a little freaked, but then she called me downstairs later and told me that she supported me, and was giving me a little advice, and she seemed a little happy. I guess a little happy is better than no happy at all.

Also I realized something today: Financially we're not ready for this, but here's the deal. I no longer really believe in the Christian God that so many do, and that I grew up believing in. Now I find myself believing there is a God, and whatever else he does, he would not let me get pregnant if things we're going to fall into place. I really believe that this will all work out. Eric has some good leads on job, including one that if he can get it offers 22 dollars an hour. And my mom is planning on helping with gas at first, so... it will work out.

Next on the agenda, telling my dad and sister. I'm pretty sure my dad will be fine with it, if a little overwhelmed. My sister... maybe, maybe not. Sometimes she can be a little pushy; by that I mean, she has a way she sees the world and if everyone doesn't fit into that view of the world, she can sometimes think they're wrong. She'll still support me, I'm sure, but that doesn't mean she'll be nice about it. She also thinks that she needs to be tough on me; she thinks that will make me change into her way of doing things, I think. I like her view on life, it's great; but it's not the way the world works for everyone. So I'm hoping that she doesn't stress me out too much; but if she does, oh well - that's what I have Eric for, right?

When to tell my family?

So, I have no problems telling my friends and starting a public blog, but I'm so freaked out to tell my family. I'm mostly just afraid they're going to freak out and stress me out about stuff. I would really love to stay as far from stressed out as I can. Thoughts, suggestions?

Plus, everyone says not to tell a lot of people at first because of risk of miscarriage... is that a smart thought, or should I just tell them soon?

In the meantime, eating healthy isn't as much of a challenge as I thought; it turns out, a lot of my favorite foods and stuff I already eat are good for me. I do think that my mom will figure it out soon though; I keep turning down offers of caffeine, and at the rate I used to drink caffeine before, it's probably really obvious.

I applied for medical help through job and family services; hopefully they respond soon; I have no idea how long this process takes, but I need to get in to see a doctor soon, and I'd love to do it without having to take out a loan or rob a bank or something. :) The sooner I get to the doctor, the sooner I can share with everyone the due date and start really planning!!

And that second little blue line means...

We're having a baby!!!!

Why another pregnancy blog?

The reasons for making this blog are twofold; first, I want to give my family and friends a place to see what's going on with me and my family as we start this amazing journey; secondly, I wanted to leave a kind of journal for my child to look back on when he or she is older, and see what we went through.

As I write this today, I'm not even sure if I am pregnant or not. What I am sure of is that I'm completely broke, and finding a job in this day and age is next to impossible. I'm also sure that whether I'm pregnant now or not, I am the happiest I have ever been in my life, poor or not. If I'm not pregnant, don't worry... I still plan on keeping this blog going. I need to jump start my writing creativity anyway, and it will be great to have an outlet for it, even if it doesn't take much creativity to write about my own life.

So where did this journey begin? I guess it started last August... I met Eric, the man of my dreams. We didn't get to be high school sweethearts, and we didn't go on a blind date that was set up by our friends; this is, after all, the age of technology, meaning we met online. I always thought that online dating sites were fun to look at and think about, but seriously, it's not like anyone would ever REALLY meet their soul mate there. I was proved wrong. Since I met him, everything in the world makes sense.

Today, even though neither of us currently has a job, we're scraping by. Eric is donating plasma so we can have gas money and pay our basic bills. We're living with my parents, which has serious downfalls, but at least we have a roof over our heads. I know, in the event of us not having the money for our own place, that they won't (hopefully...) kick us out to live on the streets with a baby.

So what this blog is really about is how to grow a baby for the first time, trying to do it while trying to find a job, and how we get from here to there - the place of our own with enough money to feed ourselves and a little miracle.

So, time for a little bit about the actual possible pregnancy. Warning: it might get a little bit TMI here. If the miracle child is a boy and he's reading this in the future, he may choose to stop reading now. I'm officially, if judging from my normal cycle, which is exactly 28 days, one week late. Which isn't much to be thinking I'm pregnant under normal circumstances, I know. But, since coming off of the pill (when I no longer had the money to pay for it...) my periods have been every 21 days, 3 weeks. Which makes me exactly TWO weeks late. And I've been off the pill since November... that's 5 months of constantly being every 3 weeks. So I'm thinking at 2 weeks late, it's time to take a pill. I've had late periods in the past, but not for almost 18 months, and not since coming off the pill. Oh, and did I mention, last month my period was extremely quick and light... just a little heavier than say, spotting. Could it be that I was pregnant last month but just experiencing spotting, as I've read can happen?

On top of that, I'm extremely fatigued, with the worst headache I've had, possibly ever, which I've read could happen to some women in their first trimester. Also, I've had a little bit of moodiness toward Eric... normally my moodiness isn't enough to even touch him, I try exceptionally hard not to be moody with him. And though it's a bit early, I've been having food cravings and aversions... there are some other things too, that are WAY too TMI... all adding up to Eric bringing home a pregnancy test later.

If it's positive, then this will be the journey through pregnancy. If it's negative, then it will be a journey through life, getting pregnant, and planning a family. Will update with results!