Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

I know it's been a while since I've blogged. It's been a busy couple of weeks. Plus I can hardly keep my eyes open past 8:30pm and even when they are open, I'm not that productive.

Joe and I got back from our Alabama trip yesterday. It was a long drive but a great trip. It was really nice to see Joe's family and to spend Christmas with them. We haven't had a Christmas together in a couple of years. It was cold in Alabama though! Cold for us anyway. I know a lot of you had much colder temperatures than we experienced (20's-40's) but I am not used to that. Taking the dogs out was miserable. I definitely confirmed myself as a Florida girl. It was nice to get back here and into 70 degree temperatures today.

Today we drove up to Jacksonville to visit Lindsey and baby Nate. It was great to see them too. Nathan is so adorable and so tiny. He's a little snuggle bug too. It was nice having him snuggled up, sleeping on my shoulder.

There really isn't much going on around here lately. Aside from our trips, we've been hanging close to home and close to the couch. Some of my symptoms started to subside over the last week and a half but the nausea is back in full force today. I haven't really felt terrible so I guess I've been pretty lucky. As far as I know, things are all still going well. I have a doctor's appointment next Wednesday that I am waiting anxiously for. I've posted an 8 week belly picture below. I haven't gained any weight yet but I feel like I already look rounder. I'm sure it's a combination of bloating and lack of exercise. Oh, and also the carbs that have made their way back into my diet. That seems to be the only thing I want to eat lately. I told Joe I hope he doesn't mind the "Super Obese" because I'm afraid that's the direction I'm going. I really want to make an effort to get back to eating better and exercising I just haven't gotten there yet.

As far as New Year's Eve goes, we have no plans. Even with all the set backs and heartache we faced early in the year, it really has been a great year for us. We both got promotions, lost a bunch of weight and got healthier, and are finally looking forward to our first baby. It's definitely been a year worth celebrating. Unfortunately, I'm just not sure if I'll even be able to keep my eyes open until midnight. Maybe we'll pretend and do a countdown at 8:00 instead.

Whatever your plans are, I hope you all have a great time. Take time to celebrate the passing of another year and to look forward to the possibilities that a new year brings. Happy New Year y'all!!

8 week belly picture

Back to life, back to reality

We made it back from our trip to Key West. The four days flew by in a blur. But not for the reason that my time in Key West used to be blurry. Yes, this trip was much different than trips of the past but, like usual, we had an amazing time.

I love the Keys. Everything is so laid back and everyone operates at a slower pace. Throw in gorgeous weather and beautiful sunsets and you've got my idea of paradise. We met up with Joe's sister, Annie, and her husband, Steve, and Joe's uncle George. It was a mini family reunion. We stayed at a cute little place that had little cottages that shared a courtyard area with a pool. It was really nice.

I obviously wasn't expected to drink but I did venture into a couple of bars, sipped on some water, and watched the hilarity unfold. The trip was a celebration of Joe's and Steve's birthdays which fall 3 days apart. A little side note on Steve... he's like 6'4" or 6'5".... Joe is not. To commemorate their birthdays, Steve commissioned some T-shirts for everyone that had his and Joe's heads superimposed on the heads of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito from the cover of their movie Twins. Hilarious. So on the first night we all wore our T-shirts out on the town. There are pictures floating around that I can't wait to get my hands on.

I didn't make it much past 9:30pm on any night we were there but everyone else had quite the time out on the town. I actually really enjoyed just wandering the streets, walking in and out of the shops, and just taking in the sights. We lounged on the beach one day and Annie and I got our toes done. We ate A LOT. Nothing good either. I'm feeling pretty miserable today and actually looking forward to getting my eating back on track. Last night we walked down to the waterfront to eat dinner and watch the sun go down. It was the perfect end to another great vacation. I've put a couple of pictures in the family album.

Other than vacation, things are going well. I seem to still be pregnant. I'm at least exhibiting all the symptoms. As we "speak" the buttons on my shirt are getting closer to popping open and I feel like I could puke on my computer at any second. I'm happy though. Symptoms seem to reassure me. I just can not shake the terror of something bad happening. I'm trying so hard just to enjoy every moment but, I swear, I'm essentially holding my breath waiting for the moment when this is no longer real. I'm hoping that as time goes on, I'll feel better and more comfortable.

Anyway, hope you're all enjoying your week so far! Only a couple of days until the weekend.

With one beat of your heart, our lives will never be the same

We have a heartbeat! The ultrasound was a pretty surreal experience. I was so nervous I was shaking. I held my breath when the image popped up on the screen because I couldn't really see anything at first. Then she zoomed in and there it was, a tiny flicker coming from the middle of a little white blob. I burst into tears and laughter, so excited that my baby was okay. Then the tech let us hear the heartbeat and I cried even more.

Everything looks exactly how it should. The heart was beating at 129 beats per minute and the baby is measuring 6 weeks 4 days. That's exactly a week behind where I thought I was. It's a little disappointing to go back a week but as long as things are going okay in there, I'm fine with it.

There was one thing on the ultrasound that shouldn't have been there. An extra sack, empty. The tech said that it may have originally started as a twin pregnancy but the twin didn't develop. That may have been why my HCG numbers were so high and why I thought I was further along than I really am. She said that it's fine and that it will most likely just reabsorb and won't affect this pregnancy at all. It's kind of crazy to think that, even for a brief moment, I may have been pregnant with twins. Eeek!

It still seems so unreal. Even when I was watching the ultrasound screen, it didn't seem like it was me we were looking at. I thought that seeing the heartbeat would automatically put me at ease that everything was going to be okay and it has, a little, but I'm still so worried. I don't know if it's the maternal instinct kicking in where I'm going to always worry about my child and want to make sure he/she is okay. It's just knowing that I have a little heart beating inside of me and I want to do everything in my power to keep it safe and happy.

I've attached the two pictures they gave us at the ultrasound today. There's really not much to see at this point. Although, judging by the 3-D picture, I'd say I'm carrying a squirrel.

Progressing

Well, there's been a little bit of progress since my last blog. I was able to get in to see the doctor on Monday. We did a lot of talking and I had a quick exam but that was about it. She sent me for more blood work to check my HCG level again and make sure it was rising appropriately. Since we still don't know when this baby was conceived, it's hard for the doctor to figure out how far along I am and she wanted to see what the levels were before scheduling an ultrasound. I guess if you go too early, you won't be able to see anything.

So I went for the blood work early Tuesday morning and stressed about the results for the rest of the day. The doctor told me if I didn't hear anything from them by Wednesday at noon to call the office. Well, by Wednesday at 10am I couldn't take the suspense anymore and I called. Of course I had to leave a stupid voice message! So frustrating. By 1:00 I still hadn't heard anything so I decided to become one of those patients and call back. This time I went straight to the receptionist and pleaded my case until she got a nurse on the phone to talk to me. The nurse seemed a little annoyed but whatever, I got what I wanted.

Okay, so remember my numbers from the first blood draw were 1152? HCG levels are supposed to double every 48 hours, which should've put me at 9,216 by Monday. Well on Tuesday, my level was 14,840!!!!! I freaked out when the nurse told me. It was an instant wave of relief mixed with excitement and shock. Not only did I get pregnant, but it actually seems to be progressing! I seriously cannot believe this is happening.

The nurse told me to go ahead and schedule my ultrasound so, fingers crossed, Joe and I will be able to see our little baby's heartbeat Wednesday morning! I am really curious what my reaction will be to seeing MY baby's heartbeat for the first time. I've waited so long for this moment and it still doesn't seem real or possible. If it weren't for the nausea and the gigantic boobs, I'd think I was dreaming. I know I'm definitely not out of the woods yet but this is farther than I've ever made it before so hopefully things will keep progressing normally.

Since we got such good numbers from the blood work, I went ahead and did a "starting" belly shot. Please excuse how awful I look, I'm growing a human for Christ's sake!