Ho Ho Ho, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! We hope that everyone continues to have a wonderful holiday season. We spent Christmas Eve and Day with Joe and enjoyed our time together. We will be traveling on Thursday to Ohio to visit with our extended family and friends. We wish everyone safe travels and will update more when we return.

Here I go again...

Well my pregnancy induced indecisiveness has struck again. First it was changing my mind over and over again regarding the nursery furniture and now I have changed my mind on the crib bedding. I have picked out a new set and switched everything on the registry. I KNOW I am happy now because this set does not have any plaid and is SUPER CUTE!!! Something just wasn't agreeing with me and the frogs and the plaid. But the new set is dots and I am really happy. I promise, no more changes :)

BFF

Vicki and I posed for this picture this weekend at her house. Isn't her tree BEAUTIFUL!!! In this photo I am 25 weeks and she is 27 weeks. We have such cute baby bumps :)

Early Christmas

This weekend we celebrated Christmas with not only my side but Miguels family too. Joey and Jill will not be able to travel to Raleigh on actual Christmas so we decided to celebrate together early. And Miguels parents are flying to Venezuela today and will be there for 2 weeks so we got together with them as well. It was a busy fun filled weekend!
Saturday was the celebration at my dads house. We had lunch and then opened presents. HE SURE DID SPOIL US ALL!! The tree was surrounded by presents that dad had all wrapped himself. I was super impressed because every one even had a matching bow!!! He put a lot of effort into making this Christmas special and we all felt it. Even without all the presents just being together for the day was what made it soo wonderful. I know my mom was watching over us all and sharing in the fun. She was with us! After presents we went to Maggiano's for our dinner feast. This was my first experience with the Family Style ordering and it was A LOT of fun and super good. We had so much food on our table and in our to-go bags I couldnt believe it. Dad now has enough leftovers to feed him and Joey all week. Well maybe not all week, those two are quite the piggies!!
Sunday Miguels parents, Gabriel, and Meagan came to our house. We have our tree and all our decorations up so it was nice to show them off. I cooked up a big fiesta, which TOTALLY EXHAUSTED me, but I think everyone enjoyed it. We exchanged gifts and had a great time together. His parents gave us the stroller travel system we had registered for and afterwards Miguel put it together. WE LOVE IT!! It is amazing to think that very soon we will have a little baby to push around in that stroller. Right now I am trying to convince Miguel to let me practice with the dog but he says NO WAY!! I think little Sissy would love it if I strapped her in the infant carrier and put her in the back seat of the car to do a test drive, dont you?!?!?

Nursery

Miguel and I have FINALLY choosen our nursery furniture and actually ordered it yesterday. It should take about 2 weeks to be delivered which is perfect because Miguel is busy busy getting the room ready. I have found that this pregnancy has made me VERY INDECISIVE!! I have been changing my mind a lot lately and often at the very last minute. I had already choosen 3 different nursery sets but when we saw this set at Babies R Us we both knew that this was THE ONE and we just needed to commit. Miguel even started last night clearing out the office (which will be the new nursery), moving furniture around, and getting the room ready for painting. We are going to paint the walls and he is going to paint a bookcase. I am VERY excited to see it once it has all come together. I know my mom would love it and is watching over us and with us through all these fun decisions. Here are some pics Miguel snapped in the store from his cell phone (so they are not the best) and also a pic of the matching glider my dad bought for us!!! :)

Hip Hip HOORAY!!!

Miguel passed his written Dental Boards!!!! We got the results in the mail yesterday and are SO THRILLED. He is relieved he doesn't have to retake them and I am just so happy another thing is checked off the list. Yesterday I was the first one home so I checked the mail and put it on the sofa table as part of our normal routine. I quickly looked through to see what we got and noticed the envelope from the Dental Boards. I immediately knew what it was and got very nervous. I said a couple quick prayers and put it back in the pile. Miguel got home a few minutes later and I didn't mention the envelope to him because I wanted him to find it on his own. He took the pile and brought it into the kitchen to sort. I watched him but didn't want to look too eager so I tried to look like I wasn't paying attention. Well he sorted all the mail, threw away the junk, and then asked about dinner. HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE ENVELOPE AND I KNEW IT WAS THERE!!!!!!! I went upstairs to change out of my work clothes when he came running up screaming I PASSED, I PASSED. He handed me the paper and I looked at the scores and sure enough he did pass, both sections. I told him how happy I was and he was ecstatic! I said, "I knew that envelope was there and was wondering why you didn't say something earlier" and he said he got so nervous when he saw it he wanted to open it in private just in case and if he didn't pass maybe would of waited a few days before he told me. I told him I would of been sooooooo mad if he didn't say anything but I am glad he did pass and that we could both be happy. The next step is for him to pass the patient based boards in February. So if anyone has any dental work that needs to be done please think of Miguel and come to be screened at the dental school and maybe you will be the lucky one to get your dental work done for free!!

In other news, I have been sick with a horrible head cold. It started on Saturday when I woke up with a sore throat but then REALLY hit me on Sunday. I was in bed all day Sunday because I just felt soo miserable. I made it to work on Monday and am back today and hope to be feeling better soon. Unfortunately there are not many medications I am able to take so I have to tough it out. If anyone has suggestions I would LOVE to know how to feel better faster!!

Thanks Baby R

My best friend Vicki had her follow-up ultrasound today and this time the baby cooperated. SHE IS HAVING A GIRL!! She is very excited to start planning the nursery and her registry. How exciting if we both have girls... they can be baby BFF's!!

22 weeks today...

It still is hard to believe that I am over half way. Only 126 days to go. It is REALLY going to be something when we have less than 100 days. Wow, that will be exciting!!!! Lately I have been feeling pretty good. I am able to stay up later now and if I miss my afternoon nap on the weekends it doesnt ruin the whole day. I have been wanting to go on walks and now I just need the weather to cooperate with me. I must really look pregnant because strangers comment on baby. Sometimes I wonder what in the world they are talking about and then remember, whoops i am pregnant!!

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had a nice holiday and ate our fill. Miguel, Dad, and I cooked turkey and all the fixin's on Thursday morning... then we all went to Miguels parents house for dinner with MORE FOOD... and we did it all again on Friday when Joey and Jill came to town. SOOO MUCH FOOD!!! It was great and we all enjoyed ourselves. Now we just have to finish up these leftovers :)

I am feeling what I think is baby moving around more and more each day. According to the online info I read baby is about 1 pound now so that would make sense that I am feeling more! I think it will be exciting the first time baby has hiccups, I am looking forward to that! I cant wait until baby moves so much Miguel can feel. I know he is anxious for that to FINALLY happen. I also read that baby hears more and more of my voice and those around me. I keep encouraging Miguel to talk to my belly so that baby knows his voice and I have to remind myself to only say "nice words" so that baby doesnt pick up any bad language. hahaha :)

Wedding Registry was WAY easier...

We are officially registered!!! We have baby registries at Babies R Us (www.babiesrus.com) and Target (www.target.com). We had a lot of fun picking everything out but it is amazing the amount of stuff we need. Basically it comes down to this... WE HAVE NOTHING AND NEED EVERYTHING!!! It felt like we were registering for the whole entire store and in the end we probably did. I have decided that the wedding registry was MUCH easier than the baby registry!! It is a lot less stressful to pick out crock-pots and spatulas than it was to choose a car seat and stroller!

We went Friday afternoon to set-up the one at Babies R Us and believe it or not it took almost 5 hours to complete!! By the end my feet hurt so bad and I was REALLY ready to sit down! I don't know if it took so long because I move slow or if it was that difficult for me to make decisions. It definitely started off VERY overwhelming and I sort of froze and Miguel had to take charge for the first bit. It is just really stressful for me to know which type of bottle, pacifier, toys, etc to choose when there are soo many different brands and I just want the best one for baby but don't know which one that is!! We ended up just scanning whatever looked good and may need to make changes to the registry as we go along and learn more. After we finished at Babies R Us we were both too tired to go to Target so I just set that one up online. I need to go to the store and make some additions/changes and plan to do that sometime this week.

Baby still doesn't have many clothes on the registry (I only put onesies and sleeping gowns). But everyone reassures me that just comes with time and I should not worry about it. I sure hope they are right because I have recurring NIGHTMARES that my baby has no clothes to wear and is naked all the time!!! Poor baby is sooo chilly :(

The only thing I am not completely happy with on the registry is the crib and changing table we choose. I am not sold on the brand, quality, or style. We do know we want a convertible crib and I do like the darker wood finish but just think this one may not be the right one for baby. A book I have rates baby brands and it gave the crib a B+ but the changing table got an F. I DO NOT WANT F quality anything for baby!!! I want to keep looking around and hope to find something else. We probably will have to spend more money on the crib but at least we will know it is good quality and will last.

It is AMAZING when I think that we are half way closer to baby being here! We have a registry set up of all the things we need to welcome baby and now we just have to get the nursery set-up too. I am so excited!

Half Baked!

Today is the offical half way point, 140 days down and 140 more to go. It is hard to believe we have already arrived at this milestone. SOO EXCITING! I guess this means I am 5 months pregnant, WOW. Only 4 more to go!!! Miguel and I have SO much happening in the upcoming months... Miguel takes Dental Boards Part II, Register for Baby, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Start setting up nursery, Baby Showers, My birthday, Miguel takes Patient Based Dental Boards, Miguel interviews and hopefully finds a job, Baby arrives, Miguels graduation! So many exciting and wonderful things all in the next 6 months, crazy!

Within the last 2 weeks my belly has finally popped. I really do look pregnant and not just an in-between fat stage. YEAH!

Miguel is BUSY BUSY BUSY studying for his written Dental Boards (which he takes this Thursday and Friday) so we plan to hold off our 20 weeks celebration until this weekend when we will finally start our baby registry. I think we plan to register at Babies R Us and Target. It is going to be exciting yet VERY overwhelming. I am stressed about choosing the right brands, the right stroller, the right bedding, the right everything. There are just so many options but I want to get the perfect one for baby. If anyone has suggestions about good products/brands or ones to stay away from PLEASE let me know. Also if you have a favorite MUST HAVE for first time moms let me know that too bc I am very open to others experiences. Afterall, other moms have the best advice to give!!

Guesses Anyone??

We were given different images of the gender along with many different pics of baby (click on the pics above to see larger images). We have two gender revealing images (one bottom shot and one shot with the legs stretched straight out), a footprint, a scary face shot that looks like a halloween mask, and many images of the body profile. One even has the arms crossed in front of the face, cute!! If you can figure out what you are looking at please send us your guess. We now want everyone to help us guess, do you think BOY OR GIRL?!?!?

Mom's Birthday

Yesterday was a very special day, it was my mom's birthday as well as my 18 week anatomy ultrasound. We had a wonderful day! After my appointment I met up with my dad, brother, and Linda Ware (a dear friend of my mom and our family) and we went out to Umstead Park. This beautiful park has always been a favorite spot for my family and especially my mom because of her love of trees. We did our favorite hike and just enjoyed walking through the woods on a great fall day. My mom would of loved the rustling of the leaves on the ground! We also attended the All Saints Day mass at St. Raphael's and afterwards went to dinner. We spent the day together knowing that mom was with us too.

The day started off with Miguel and I going to our 18 week anatomy ultrasound. I was quite nervous/excited and anxious. I just wanted to see the baby and hear the heartbeat (FHR was 148) and know that everything was still ok. Miguel was excited and very calm which helped me relax a little. We first met with a genetic counselor and went over a lot of family history. Then we were brought into the ultrasound room which reminded me of a spa's massage room. The lights were dimmed, soft music was playing, and it was a very calming atmosphere. SOO NICE!! The exam started and immediately we got to see baby again. It is soooo amazing watching the screen and seeing baby move around. I hope that VERY soon I am able to feel all those movements more! We saw in depth images of the heart, brain, spine, and all the organs. The babys development looked great and everything was healthy. They also checked for markers for Downs syndrome and nothing was seen. We left the office feeling relieved, happy, excited, and just sooo grateful for a healthy report.

Baby Rutkowski

My best friend had her anatomy ultrasound today and was SUPER excited to find out boy or girl AND THE RESULTS ARE IN........ baby did not cooperate and they have to go back in 5 weeks. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? Baby had its legs crossed and would not give them even a small peek. They also were unable to see the face or spine. She is REALLY disappointed and I told her she needed to have a talk with that baby about being more cooperative next time. She is lucky though to get the additional scan in 5 weeks. It gives her another chance to see baby when otherwise she probably would of had to wait much later to get a glimpse again. She did say baby looked really cute! How will we ever wait 5 more weeks?!?!?

17 weeks

I am 17 weeks today, can you beleive it?? In just 3 more weeks I will be half way there (half baked as I like to say)! Most of the time I feel like all of this is going in slow motion and TAKING FOREVER but then when I think about being 20 weeks I realize how fast it has really been. I hope to start feeling the baby move soon, nothing yet though. Actually I dont quite know what I am expected to feel so I might of felt something but didnt pay attention. I am not the most observant person after all!! I promise as soon as I KNOW I felt something I will tell everyone.

My best friend Vicki has her anatomy ultrasound scheduled for this Thursday. I am so very excited to find out what she is having, will it be blue or pink? We have been opposite most of our pregnancies with me having morning sickness but her nothing and me not showing and her having a cute belly for several weeks now. I am going to guess she is having a boy... only 2 more days until we find out for sure!!

This upcoming Friday Miguel and I have our 10 year high school reunion. It is going to be a casual event and hopefully a lot of fun. I am really looking forward to it! It will give us a chance to see classmates who we have lost touch with and share what we have all been doing for the past 10 years. If any drama occurs I will be sure to share!

Our next ultrasound has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 1st at 10:00 am. This will be the 1 1/2 hour long scan where they check all the anatomy and also can tell whether it is a boy or girl. I am really looking forward to spending that much time looking at baby. And like I said before, we do not want anyone to confirm boy or girl but are more than willing to look at everything on the screen and make our own guess!

I REALLY wanted for the ultrasound to be on this day because this is my moms birthday. I feel like she will guide us and be with us every moment. It also happens to be Miguels mom's bday as well! We are extra excited and looking forward to it. Only 20 days away... let the countdown begin!

Was that all?

I just got back from my doctors appointment and let me tell you that was a FAST one!! It was not longer than 5 minutes total. I checked in, got weighed and blood pressure taken, provided my "specimen" (haha), met the doctor, chatted about how I have been doing, checked my stomach and listened to the heart beat (which was 155-160). ALL OF THAT IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES!! They told me this appointment would be quick and no need to bring Miguel along but I had no idea they meant this fast! Wow, I am impressed. My next "Quickie" is scheduled for Nov. 7th at 10:10am and again I will be meeting a different doctor. I guess they want me to see each face at least once considering it is hard to know which one will be on call the day baby arrives. So far everyone is very nice and made me feel comfortable.

It was wonderful hearing the heartbeat again! Since I am not really showing that much yet and sometimes dont even feel pregnant it is nice to have reassurance I REALLY am still pregnant. This was the first time they used the doppler to listen to the heart and I now see why people want to buy those things. Very cool!! If I owned one Miguel and I would try and listen all the time and FREAK OUT whenever we could not find it. Probably best to leave that to the doctors!

We will be having our Level II ultrasound very soon! This will not be at my normal doctors office but somewhere across the street and affiliated with Duke. Apparently a specialist needs to perform this type of ultrasound. They are to call me to schedule the appointment for 3-4 weeks from now. I am VERY excited because we will be seeing a detailed view of baby and we have decided we want to SEE IT ALL!! We still do not want anyone to confirm Boy or Girl but we want to see everything on the screen and make our own guess. I CANT WAIT!!!

Shop Till Ya Drop :)

We had a WONDERFUL weekend. My Aunt Jane and Uncle Louie were in town and it was great spending time with them. I loved having them here and when they left it was hard to say goodbye. But we will see them again soon, hopefully at Christmas! On Friday Jane and I went out shopping for maternity clothes. We had the best time!! We went to Kohls, Belk, and Motherhood Maternity and we HIT JACKPOT!! We found lots of cute tops and a few pairs of pants and I should be set now. It was just a great time and so much fun. Even my dad and Joey hung around to critique the outfits and name a few of them (ie Thanksgiving outfit, Birthday Party shirt, January top). Everyone was a lot of help and I couldnt have done it without them. Jane reminded me so much of my mom on our shopping trip too.. I would try on the clothes and she was in charge of putting it all back on the hangers. My mom always did that for me. It was tiring trying on all the clothes but Jane was the one that REALLY had to do all the hard work of putting everything back together. It was so special to have her with me and I loved it.

Friday night my dad invited all my moms friends over for a get-together. It was wonderful seeing them together at our house. They all remind me of my mom soo much; with their silly jokes, happy smiles, and funny stories of school. At times I almost caught myself looking around to see who my mom was chatting with. After hearing of Jane and my shopping adventures the ladies requested a fashion show (EXACTLY THE THING MY MOM WOULD OF DONE TOO)! I loved it and got a lot of compliments. Hopefully they were being honest and not just telling a prego what she wanted to hear! I just love them all and am so happy my mom has such GREAT friends.

All this excitement totally wore me out and by Saturday morning I was exhausted and headachy. I missed my typical Friday afternoon nap and I stayed up until almost midnight on Friday, which is WAY PAST MY NORMAL BEDTIME. I was able to recover on Saturday and Sunday and am doing alright today. I am hoping this week goes quickly though because I am looking forward to the weekend yet again :)

So Slow...

I am now 14 weeks. Doesn't it feel like time is moving very slowly? From week to week I continue the countdown but I never really feel like I am getting anywhere. I think also since I only have doctors appointments once every 4 weeks the time in between seems sooo long. Plus I do not have a belly yet so I dont really look or feel that pregnant. I am always anxious to get to the next appointment or milestone but need to learn just to enjoy where I am right now. Before I know it this will all be over and baby will be here. April just seems really far away right now!

Other than baby countdown Miguel and I have been on a pretty normal schedule. He is back at school and starting his studying for his national boards part II. He has it scheduled for mid November and I know he will be happy to put that behind him. I have FINALLY started to feel better... just a little bit of nausea usually mid morning and I am getting a little more energy back. I took a walk last night before dinner and it was great. The weather was perfect and I felt good walking. I have recruited Miguel to be my motivation/encourager because on my own I would never get off the couch. He got me moving last night and I hope he continues his good work. I need to remind myself how good it is for both baby and me and walk as often as I can.

The NC State Fair is coming in 2 weeks and I could not be more excited!! Miguel and I LOVE to go each year but this time I think will be the best ever. I have already started my list of food I want to eat... roasted corn, Al's fries, corndog. I know the list will grow and just hope all the yummies agree with my newly picky belly and tastebuds. It is amazing how foods I used to love I now dont like since being pregnant. I used to LOVE ketchup, putting it on everything and always using a ton. But now I could care less. Also, my favorite part of cake has always been the icing but now it is just too sweet and I would rather just eat the cake alone. I can't stomach anything breaded and just looking at chicken makes me feel gross. I dont understand, WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME??? My dad says the strangest of all is the fact that I now like eggs. My whole life I have ALWAYS complained about the smell of eggs cooking and HATED the taste. My poor dad would have to listen to my constant whining and complaining of how his eggs were smelling up the whole house and making me sick. Well guess what, I LOVE scrambled eggs now. Every weekend that is my breakfast and it is so yummy. My dad just doesnt get it and neither do I. I wonder if these strange changes are normal??

2nd Trimester Day :)

I am officially 13 weeks and today I start the 2nd trimester!!! It is amazing to think 3 months are already done and only 6 more to go. I have been starting to feel better now which is GREAT NEWS!! Everyone told me that once I hit 12 weeks the nausea would go away and they were right. I am still really tired and many nights have gone to bed around 7:30pm. Unfortunately I have been warned that the exhaustion continues until they baby is 18 and out of the house.

My next dr. appointment is Oct. 10th at 10:10am (weird huh?) and should be a quick visit. At that time we will schedule the anatomy ultrasound for sometime in early November. Miguel and I have decided that we want to see everything on the ultrasound screen, including anything that might hint at gender, but we do not want the doctor/technician to confirm boy or girl. We want to make our own guesses but still not really know for sure and wait to be surprised in April. We do not want to miss out on seeing all of baby and I am already getting VERY excited. My last ultrasound was at 11 weeks and it feels like such a long wait until we get to see how much baby has changed.

I am still not showing, NO BELLY HERE!! My regular pants have gotten too uncomfortable though so I have found some elastic maternity pants and gauchos to wear for right now. I am loving the elastic waist (even though it is not soo stylish) and am thinking now I may never go back to buttoned pants, haha! Hopefully soon enough my belly will POP and I can do some serious shopping. I think my favorite store is going to be Motherhood Maternity because it is the only place I can find that doesnt only sell giant tent t-shirts they expect me to wear for 9 months. The shopping at some stores has been VERY DISAPPOINTING to say the least. I know if my mom was with me she would laugh and laugh about how ugly some of these clothes are. And she would probably make me try it all on, telling me I had to give it a chance before I said NO WAY, but really it would be just so we could laugh more together!!

11 week Ultrasound Pic

Miguel did it, he was able to scan in the ultrasound pictures!!! You can click on the image for a bigger view. Hasn't the baby changed soo much in just 2 weeks. And doesn't that head look just like Miguels??? I still think this looks like a boy... guesses anyone???

Baby Update!

I had my 2nd doctors appointment yesterday and everything is GREAT!! I even had a surprise ultrasound and got to see baby moving around. Baby was very active even doing a full roll around. I cant believe it can move soo much and I feel nothing yet!!! It is also amazing how much baby has changed in the last 2 weeks. My first ultrasound looked more like a baby blob but this image you could really see a tiny baby with legs and arms and everything. They did not give us any online images this time so I am unable to post a picture, unless Miguel figures out a way to scan it (hint hint) :) In my opinion the head looks JUST LIKE MIGUELS HEAD!! It is crazy. I even compared Miguels profile to the baby and think they look the exact same. He isnt so sure though!
My next appointment is in 4 weeks. Hopefully I do not gain too much weight from now until then. I had gained 2 pounds this visit but what can I do about it??? The only thing that helps me not feel super nauseous 24/7 is eating and I know I have been eating constantly but it is just a necessity right now. They say in 2 weeks I will start to feel better and then I can cut back on my snacking. Here's hoping!! Also I am going to need LOTS of encouragement to be more active so anyone who wants to help get me moving PLEASE DO!! I am just so tired right now excercise seems like a crazy idea. But soon enough I will feel better and can more active, anyone want to join me???

Another Weekend Gone :(

It is amazing how quickly the weekend flies by. I was looking forward to so many things but none of it happened, boo. We did have a lot of fun Friday night at the St. Raphael's church fair. It is a family tradition to play "Beer Bingo" but this year for me it was "Water Bingo". Somehow it just isnt the same!!! I did hear that both Joey and Jill won a game, WAY TO GO!! Other than the bingo we ate some food and watched dad rush around helping make sure all the electrical issues were fixed. He always is such a great help to the fair and this year he dedicated his time in honor of mom. It was tough for him to be there but he knew mom would want him to help and so he did.
Miguel and I had BIG PLANS for Saturday night but it ended in a big disappointment. We had our first outing planned to check out baby stores!!!!! Plans were to go to dinner and then to different baby stores to get ideas on pricing for nursery furniture and bedding. We were really looking forward to it and extra excited! We started off the night at Hooters for dinner. Normally I love hot wings and Hooters has the best. NEVER AGAIN!! I have decided that this baby DOES NOT LIKE ANYTHING BREADED AND FRIED. YUCK YUCK YUCK! After eating the wings I felt soo sick. I kept feeling like I was going to loose it, GROSS!! We made it to our first baby store (USA Baby) but about half way through Miguel decided it was best I go home bc I just felt horrible and wasnt enjoying anything. He was soo sweet and patient and wonderful. He put me to bed around 7:15 and of course I was a mess. I was crying bc I didnt feel good, crying more bc the night was ruined, and crying the most I wanted my mom to comfort me. He took great care of me and luckily I feel asleep really fast. I was so overtired I needed the extra sleep! And the lesson learned.... NO BREADED OR FRIED FOOD FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS!!!!!
In other news, moms marker at the columbarium wall now shows her name. Miguel and I went to visit her on Friday and saw this for the first time. It is so hard to see it written on the wall and still does not feel real. I wonder how long it will take before it really sinks in that she is gone because right now it is just too hard to believe.

Oh Tuesday...

The long Labor day weekend is over and I am very sad!! We had a GREAT lazy weekend and it was much appreciated. I have been feeling better and think the extreme laziness helped a lot. Not being on a schedule and being able to lay on the couch all day sure helps!! I am back at work today and started to feel sick again in the shower this morning. Maybe the baby is allergic to work?!?! It is only Tuesday but I am already looking forward to the weekend!
On Sunday my brother, sis-in-law, Dad, and Miguel and I all went to brunch at Cracker Barrel. It was soo much fun and I really enjoyed spending time together. The best part was I GOT MORE PRESENTS!! Joey and Jill gave us an adorable baby book and our very first piece of baby clothing. It is a tiny onesie and I cant believe the baby is going to be small enough to fit into. I LOVE IT and know they are going to be wonderful as Aunt Jillybean and Uncle Yo Yo. My dad (aka Grandpa Joe) also gave us a gift... a baby naming book! It is soo useful and gives the meanings of the names and their origin. It is REALLY going to come in handy when choosing a boy name because we are very undecided. We have a couple different girls names but boys names are just hard. Suggestions anyone??

First Baby Gift...

Yesterday I got my VERY FIRST BABY PRESENT!! It was from my wonderful best friend Vicki and she got me a baby scrapbook to put the ultrasound picture and any other special keepsakes along the way. I am not very crafty and have never scrapbooked before but I am looking forward to making this something cute we can cherish forever. Miguel is more artistic than I am so I am hoping he will help!

Miguel comes home for good on Thursday night. HIP HIP HOORAY!! Finally this horrible summer of rotations is over. He will have to make up some time missed during winter break but at least it will be in the area so he will not be leaving again. We have had such a tough time being apart and with all that life has thrown at us. We are really looking forward to things returning to normal, or as normal as possible.

I went to bed at 9 last night but am still very tired today. Got to make it through this work day before I can get back in bed. I might try to sneak in a nap at lunch!! I am really looking forward to this upcoming long weekend to do nothing and sleep/rest at home. Haveing no plans is a WONDERFUL THING!!

Can You Believe It???

Miguel and I wanted to share our happy news with everyone, WE ARE PREGNANT!!! It has been really hard to keep the secret the past 3 weeks and are soo happy we can't wait any longer to spread the news to our friends. I am 9 weeks along and the due date is April 1st 2008. We had our first OB visit today and I was lucky to have Miguel join me. We even had an ultrasound which showed the baby, the heart beating, we got to hear the heart at 174 bpm, the baby did a little wiggle for us (which was crazy cause I can't feel a thing), and I am measuring right along at 8 weeks 6 days. It truely is unbelievable and we are so very excited. We have been wishing to start our family for a long time now and are blessed that this is the becoming our reality.

So far I have been doing ok. Basically I am nauseous 24/7 but have not thrown up. Eating little meals tend to help so I feel like I am constantly looking for something to put in my mouth. No major cravings to report but I have wanted a lot of fruit and even asked my dad to bring home a watermelon one night. Last night I wanted something sweet but couldnt decide between the coconut cream pie or red velvet cake so Miguel encouraged me to just buy both. I think he might be enjoying the extras for his own sweet tooth!! The Dr. today said to limit sugary items so that might of been our first and last splurge!!!

We hope to keep everyone updated through this blog so check up on us often. Right now things are just getting exciting for us so I hope to have a lot to write about.