8 Weeks

This weekend I shared the news with some old friends that I am pregnant.  We all went out for a fun girls dinner to celebrate a friends birthday.  I wanted to make sure I waited until dessert to say anything about my pregnancy because I didn't want to take away from my friends special day.  They kept trying to make me drink and it was getting more difficult to keep to the end.  I was sure they were going to tip my head back and make me drink eventually because they knew it was unlike me not to drink.  Anyway, I made it to dessert without drinking and I could finally share the news.  I find it funny now how people will ask: are you pregnant?  And it catches me off guard (if I haven't told them yet).  Whereas before I would shrug or laugh it off no problem.  4 more weeks and I can tell the world... well at least the rest of it. :)

So far I've been feeling really great!  Sometimes I question: am I really pregnant?  because I feel so good!  The only symptom that I have which I hate is acne.  I feel like I'm the old pizza face Emily in grade 8.  Ugh!  But I did go out and buy La Roche-Posay Effaclar foaming gel.  

It's a great product that seems to be helping a bit.  It also has less harmful chemicals for pregnancy.

One battle that I'm facing too is making Jesse clean the litter box.  He simply fefuses to do so.  There's a risk that I could catch Toxoplamosis.  This is one thing I'm going to have work on because the risks are pretty serious when you catch this parasite: Toxoplamosis

I've been thinking about ways that I'm going to decorate the nursery.  I think I'm going to follow the Sarah Richardson method and pick a fabric first and then build from it.  I want to know what the gender is of the baby so that I can decorate it exactly how I want to.  Also, it makes baby showers a lot easier too.  Here's some fabrics I think would be super cute for a nursery:

Fabrics can be found at: fabric.com or designerfabrics.ca

As you can see it's a lot easier to find girl fabrics!  I'll be making curtains with the main fabric chosen and some pillows and whatever else I can fit in.  I would love to make a couple of these little peg bears that I found in the One Yard Wonder book:

Important dates that I cannot wait for:
- August 9th Next Check-up with Nurse Practioner (confirm hospital for delivery and get set up with an OB-GYN)
- August 20th Ultrasound (get to see the little peanut)
- October 28th Ultrasound (get to see the gender of the baby hopefully)

Em

7 Weeks

This week I'm really feeling like a stuffed sausage.  I'm not feeling pretty at all and I'm watching my nice figure disappear before my eyes.  It's quite difficult to watch.  But I'm so thankful for my awesome husband who reassures that I don't look like a stuffed sausage... yet.  So far, 2 lbs gained.  Not too bad for 7 weeks.  I'm only 4 weeks away from my 2nd trimester, and some women have told me they gained A LOT of weight in the first trimester.  But so far so good!  At 8 weeks I'll start taking pictures of my belly.  It'll just be a fun way to see how much I expand.  This way you can decide if I really do look like a stuffed sausage.  :)

Regarding work, I'm going to try and make it through July and August before I have to tell my boss.  I don't know how that's going to work since my belly is growing quite a bit.  I'm still going to the gym with a friend from work, but with me still gaining weight they may catch on early.  So keep your fingers crossed that I can make it through without too much trouble!  

I'm also planning to keep myself busy throughout this pregnancy by reading booking that my good friend Kendra gave me to read:

  

Nothing else really new or exciting this week.  I'm just looking forward to my appointment on August 9th and ultrasound on August 23rd!

Em

 

6 Weeks and 1 Day

At 6 weeks pregnant I'm feeling great!  All my blood work came back clean and clear and apparently raging with pregnancy.  So I have gotten over the denial... I AM PREGNANT.  Weird!  

I'm still working out twice a week and I plan to keep doing so until I cannot even move.  I've learned that it's so important that you keep active in order to get the weight off quickly postpartum.  I've actually been reading a really good book that a friend gave to me now that she's given birth to her beautiful baby girl Maddie.  It's the What to Expect When You're Expecting: Fourth Edition book.

This book has been absolutely amazing at answering all the questions I've had and in a really down to earth non-pushy way.  I really didn't want anyone's opinions pushed on me, just tell me what's healthy and what's not.  This book is it!  There's a great section for expecting Dads too.  But there's no way in hell I'm going to be able to get Jesse to read that section.  He's been amazing anyway so I really don't have anything to worry about.

One thing I don't think they mention in the book that I would like to share with you, is make sure you eat before you take your prenatal vitamin.  I learned the hard way and had to get a second breakfast.  Yuck!

One major dilemma I'm facing right now is that I've just started a new job on June 7th probably near the day I actually conceived, which is crazy, and I'm struggling with what to do.  So far my plan is to wait until my three months probation is done on September 7th.  I really hope I don't get too big before then.  The policies at work states that if I'm at work for 13 consecutive weeks that I'm eligible for mat leave.  I'm not sure if that includes probation period.  I'll soon find out I guess.  I found this page that really helped me knowing what my rights are in Canada as a pregnant woman: http://www.babycenter.ca/pregnancy/work/maternityrights/#6


I'll make sure I update my blog with what I end up doing.  


I haven't posted and belly pictures yet, but as soon as a really baby belly starts to show and less of a gas belly then I'll start to post. :)


Oh and one last book I want to share.  I'm going to sew some really cute baby "things" from the One-Yard Wonders book.  I just need to find out what the baby is so I can get started!  I cannot wait to visit the fabric store!!!!

My first appointment with a practicioner

Today I had my first visit with a nurse practitioner to discuss my pregnancy!!!!!  It think it made the whole thing a lot more real for me today.  I was told that everything was going to be fine!  How happy was I to hear that.  The one thing still missing was one more pregnancy test.  Yeop, I needed one more because I still wasn't convinced.  But anyway :)

She weighed my bag of bones, and I'm still 124.  Yay!  I'm going to try and only gain 20 or less pounds (minimum of 15 naturally).  I'm going to do this by continuing to exercise with my personal trainer that I totally can't afford.  I hope I can keep the nausea at bay.  I wanted to barf in his face the last time.

I have to see her every 4 weeks!  This is going to be a bit of a problem when right now I'm hiding it from my boss and I think I will continue to keep my pregnancy top secret until early September.  

So far I've told: my best friend, my best cousin, my mom, my husbands parents, my two girlfriends at work, my brother-in-law, a couple we're really close with,and an old work friend of mine.  I hope I can keep that straight!

Jesse and I have already decided that:

1. We're going to find out the gender of the baby as soon as it's possible to see if it's a boy or girl,

2. We're going to test for any disabilities (i.e. missing limbs, down syndrome, etc...)... but haven't decided what we'll do with that information.  So scary!

The nurse sent me off to get 6 tubes of blood drained out of me and then she'll call me if there's anything wrong or if I'm not pregnant.

Well, right after I went to Wal-Mart and bought my THIRD pregnancy test.  This pee stick was all high tech with it's digital screen and all.  And guess what?  I'm pregnant! Haha.  I'm a dork.  At the same time I bought the test I also bought my prenatal vitamins.  

I'm going for a facial tomorrow and I have to stay away from essential oils.  Apparently they can abort the baby!  That scares me a bit, but I'm sure all will be fine.  6 weeks on Monday!

The Week Following the Great Discovery

This week has been truly surreal.  I don't feel pregnant, but I notice my body is different.  I'm sooooo grumpy, my face is breaking out, I'm really tired, my stomach is oh so slightly protruding, I'm hungry all the time, and I've had cramps for the past two weeks.

I actually had to call Teleheatlh yesterday because I truly couldn't believe I was pregnant!   Because I took the two tests about 5 to 7 days after my expected period date, that were both positive, I was definitely pregnant.  So now my fear is that the baby is okay and that my exercising, running, drinking, smoking cigars and taking lots of Advils didn't hurt the baby in anyway.  

My husband has been absolutely wonderful through all of this.  He is either just as excited as me, if not more.  It just makes the whole process so much more enjoyable.  He's completely supportive in EVERYTHING.  We even agree on all the names that I like for both a boy and a girl!  So far we like for a boy: Ethan, Liam, Grady and Keegan... for a girl: Isabella, Sophia, and Ella.  My bosses daughter is named Ella so I may not choose that one now. :)

It's a good thing we decided to renovate the upstairs (adding a bathroom and installing hardwood flooring) since we're going to need to build a nursery.  This is going to be fun fun fun! :)

Tomorrow is my first doctor's appointment.  I'm so excited, yet sooooo nervous.  I'm so worried that something may be wrong with the baby or that I've had a miscarriage already.  But that's no way to think, I have to think positive! 

Until then!

Em 

The Great Discovery!!!

On the Saturday of the Canada Day long weekend, I was feeling some really strange and painful stomach cramps. I was sweating buckets and my poor husband did everything he could to make me feel better.  I thought for sure I was getting my period this time since I hadn't gotten it since Monday.  It was pissed and wanted to come out now!  

Well, no period that night or the next morning.  At that point, I knew something was up.  I even knew in the evening of that Saturday because when we went to the grocery store to buy ice cream (since I was craving it) I wanted to buy a test.  I had period cramps all week but no period.  Jesse was laughing at me and wouldn't let me get one.  But I knew I needed one.  

So the next day I snuck out and bought two tests.  I went home and immediately peed on the stick.  When I saw the positive sign, I started to shake.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  Every other time I tested it said negative.  I had to re-read the results about 10 times before I called Jesse in.  He was so excited, but I was shaking like a leaf!

The next morning I took another test, and there it was.... the positive sign.  This was it!  I was going to have a baby no matter what.  I immediately felt a great connection with my body and thought that I need to started educating myself on this whole pregnancy thing.  :)

Em