Bye Bye First Trimester

Hello second.

I hear I have less peeing to look forward to. More belly growing, more energy, fetal movement and I'm VERY excited about finding out the gender (on June 2nd).

But I want to reflect on the last 3 1/2 months.

LOTS and LOTS of trips to the bathroom. One day, by noon I realized I had made so many trips that I counted 9 times so I counted the rest of the day and it ended up being SEVENTEEN times in one day! It led me to wonder how much time in a persons life is spent traveling to the restroom. Not even how much time is spent in there - let's not think about that, but traveling time. Whether your in your own house or a grocery store, the mall, class, the wilderness. I wonder, if you take how much time it takes to get from wherever you started (the couch, a tree, a desk, the ice cream isle...) to get to the actual restroom... how many hours, days, weeks would that add up to in your lifetime? I've never had that thought until pregnant. Thought provoking, huh. ;)

I mentioned a few posts ago about finding out we were expecting. I hope its like that every time because that was a pretty magnificent reaction. Telling people was so much fun. I think I assumed everyone would be very excited for us, but that wasn't the case a few times. I wasn't prepared for that and it was hard. Some people just need to digest before they can be excited and that's fine. I was pleasantly surprised at how the boys on Jaren's side reacted (his dad and grandpa). A lot more visible excitement than I thought and it made me VERY happy. We are having the first grandbaby on Jaren's side and the 7th on mine (but I'm the first daughter to get knocked up).

Telling my Young Women girls was the best. I teach the 14 and 15 year olds and I decided I wanted to play hang man. If I didn't have enough time I was going to put "november third" and then tell them that was the official date I needed a baby sitter. But I had ten minutes so I made it super long "whitney is making a person right now" It was long on the board with all the little lines for letters. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly. I couldn't put the word "baby" because the second they guessed that word they would have known. They guessed all of the letters except the "m" and the "k" in "making". They stopped guessing letters and tried to guess the one word; "whitney is dating someone right now??...... whitney is hating a person right now??....." So I told them to keep guessing letters. Someone guessed an "m" so I just wrote in the "k" and sat there with a huge grin on my face. Finally the other leader after a few seconds says.... "wait.. are you pregnant?!" I said yes and there was the loudest screaming I've ever heard. All four of my girls screamed bloody murder and then were squealing and asking questions after. I was beaming. We got out of class and people in the halls were coming worried that we had had some horrific accident. So they had fun telling everyone. It made me happy that they were so excited. And now every time I see them, "Your belly is getting bigger! It's WAY bigger than last week!!" And that makes me love them even more.

My nausea was on and off. It happened every day in the morning and at night and sometimes during the afternoon until 11 weeks. 7up was my saving grace. I took ginger and vitamin B6 pills to help. I think they helped some, but I didn't notice a huge difference. I started taking my prenatals at night and that helped quite a bit. At 11 weeks it let up. Wasn't as strong all the time and some days I didn't have it at all. As of now I've felt pretty good the last few days, it's just when I'm hungry that I start to feel a little sick, but by no means nauseaus.

I am SO THIRSTY. I have never drank so much water in a day in my whole life. Yes, probably doesn't help with my squashed bladder situation, but it tastes SO GOOD. I down at least 80 ounces a day - it's pretty amazing.

I've not been as tired as I would have thought. There's only been a few days that I've really really needed a nap. But... the exhaustion is supposed to let up for this trimester, but the last few days I have been very, very tired. I'm worried I'm all mixed up. I need my energy to get my house spotless and the nursery ready and everything finished before I get too huge to do anything.

The cramping. I found out I was pregnant on a Friday and the cramping started on the Monday before that. So, from day one I have had it. It has got progressively worse. Stronger and more often. It's getting to be a bit more painful which isn't the most fun at times, but I'm not at all worried. I'm going to talk to my doctor about it next week at my next appointment, but since it's been going on the whole time and so far everything is fine I'm not worried. It's just inconvenient and really uncomfortable.

I got my Bella Band yesterday and had to use it on my first pair of pants that I can't zip. With the others I can zip, but I can't button. Well.. that was as of about 4 or 5 days ago, so it's probably changed now. I'm very glad for it and will probably order at least 2 more in different colors. I have two maternity shirts; one that my mom bought for me at 10 weeks that I haven't put on yet and the other I ordered online (it was very much on sale and very cute) and haven't got yet. I don't think I'll need shirts for another month or two - it's the pants I'm going to need. The problem is all of the one's I've tried on I really don't like. And those are the cheaper ones. And looking online the ones that I like and are flattering are the more expensive ones. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I knew I'd be this size every pregnancy. So, I'm waiting and thinking. I'm going to Salt Lake at the end of the month and that's when I'll go try on a bunch of different ones and try and find some on sale. Does Nordstrom Rack have maternity? Because that would be fabulous.

I'm excited. I'm hoping to get my appetite back soon. Even though I'm starving all the time nothing looks or sounds good. Except Mexican and Top Ramen. So, hopefully soon I will start wanting other foods so I don't have to force everything down my throat.

Also, I can't wait to feel this baby move. I know he's too small right now but I'm still trying to feel something, anything. I'm not expecting it for a few more weeks. But I fully expect the emotional hormones to fully rage when I do feel it. I'm going to be a mess.

Here is my 14 week picture. I'm trying to decide whether to post a picture once a week or once every two weeks. Tell me if it would be too many pictures of my belly once a week and I'll do once every other week. Either way I take a picture for myself each week. :)

I'll probably always have that hand on my love handle for the sole purpose that it hides it :D

Pregnant

I am officially out of the pregnancy closet!

I've been dying to talk about it all, but since I had the opportunity to tell just about all of my family in person I kept my mouth shut until everyone heard it from me. This last week I told the last of them and so it meant I could squeal to everyone else whenever I wanted. So I waited 2 days. :) Another thing is when you tell people right away it makes the wait SO LONG for them. And it's already seemed long enough for me.

I'm 3 months, two more weeks left in my first trimester. I'm due November 3rd (my best friends birthday). How have I been feeling? Sick. I have not been throwing up, which I'm very grateful for. Not that I don't feel like I need to quite often, my body just likes food so much, I guess, that it doesn't want to waste any of it. My thighs and face will confirm that. I started taking my prenatal before bed and it's seemed to help a bit, I've not been as nauseous the last few days. It's been nice not having to eat every 45 minutes. Food; nothing really sounds good. I've really liked Bajio Salads. When I went home I had the best tasting Mexican food I've had since... well, the last time I ate there. It's too bad nothing is as good here.

Cramps. A lot of cramps. Anyone else go through their entire first trimester feeling every itty bitty stretch and pull of your uterus? Only sometimes are they painful, most of the time just uncomfortable. I've already made sure everything is fine. But since it's been constant through my whole pregnancy (started before I even knew I was pregnant) and I've made it to 12 weeks I'm not worried. I think I'm just a bit more sensitive to the changes goin on.

I've had my first ultrasound at 8 weeks and the little guy was moving quite a bit. Didn't like the spotlight. Every time the ultrasound thing would push on my belly to get a better view he'd try to move away. Doesn't like the spotlight? Or his picture taken? A lot like his daddy, I'd say. We go in tomorrow to hear the heart beat. I'm excited :) It will just confirm that everything is moving along well. Oh, I keep up on the weekly updates of the development and my kid has fingernail beds, nostrils, elbows and knees, no webbed fingers and a brain. He (yes, I'm calling it a he until I hear otherwise) has a lot of other things, too, but I get excited about the new things. :)

Some of you understand how very much I have wanted this. I am so incredibly happy. I'll whine about some of it, but I am constantly happy with my situation. I feel so blessed that everything has happened at a time where it is perfect (even though I couldn't see further than what was in front of me 5 months ago). I'm finished with school, we just celebrated our 2 year anniversary, we'll have been married for over 2 1/2 years when the kid pops out. I'll be 23, Jaren will be weeks away from 28. Now I get to enjoy making a baby, and getting the house and our lives ready for the change. Which I completely understand will be drastic. But we are very much ready. :D

I'm experimenting with my blog layout. Anyone know how to put your own background into the "layout"? Some sort of code...? I'm not sure how much I like the header I have at the moment. You will probably see a lot of changing going on till I find something I like. Your feedback would be wonderful!

Here is my 12 week picture

I look great, huh! Haven't gained an ounce.

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Hah, yeah right. That was 6 weeks. Here is 12 weeks and very much GROWING.

What bothers me is when I'm SO excited about actually looking pregnant and people think they are being nice by telling me I don't look any different. Yes, I realize that unless you've seen me on a regular basis I just look fat. But by no means do I feel like I look the same as I did 3 months ago (or even 6 weeks ago!). So, take note, when a barely pregnant girl says, "Look! I'm showing!" with a smile on her face, don't say, "Oh, no, sweetie, you look the same." Or, "I can't tell any difference." Because what do I hear? "You looked that fat 3 months ago when there was hardly any baby in you." Instead say, "Yeah! you sure are growing." something, anything to confirm there is a DIFFERENCE.

Yes, the difference is minimal to everyone else but me. But don't rain on my parade... I'm excited about the change.

My First Digital Scrap

I had no idea you could even do this on your computer until I met my friend, Victoria.

She told me about how amazing it was and how real digital scrapbooking looked. Before this I would sit for hours trying to work on one page by cutting, positioning, then re-cutting and finally taping, then not being super satisfied, but being too tired to deal with it and it never get's fixed.

The problem was I didn't have any software and didn't know what to get. I looked around and then I realized that one of my bloggy friend's blog has amazing scrapping.

Why don't I ask her?! So I did, I asked Brigitte what software she used. She was so kind to send me an email explaining what she used, so I downloaded a free 30 day trial.

It took FOREVER to download and I once I had it open I had no idea what the heck I was doing. I tried to figure it out but just got super frustrated. After a few frantic e-mails to Brigitte she told me about tutorials at Shabby Princess where I download all of my elements. I read one of them and figured it out.

Feast your eyes my friends!!! I can now digiscrap!





I stopped when I had everything in place. Tomorrow I will figure out how to add shadow's and whatever the finishing touches are. But for now.. I'm pooped.

(I'm trying to decide if I should add "learn how to digiscrap" to my new years resolutions since I just accomplished it. That would sure boost my self esteem to have already finished so mething)