Pictures of baby Declan

Okay yesterday was a STRESSFUL yet magical day. I literally couldn't sleep all night the night before - was WAY too excited! The next morning I woke up early like it was Christmas morning- no kidding- I was MORE excited than I ever was Christmas morning- plus it was cold out, the heater was on, I was snuggled up in boots and a coat, and running around the house telling Jonny to hurry because I didn't want to be even a minute late. I was SO nervous- I ended up drinking caffeine in HOPES that would help him not be shy...I learned something yesterday- it's SUGAR I should have had. I had a NON sugary caffeinated drink which did nothing. My little boy was comfy as he could be in my womb and was probably mad we were poking and prodding at his little home.

My mom, sister (who JUST had a baby a week ago), my hubby of course and my BEST friend all came with! When we got into the office the lady who worked there kept saying- UMMM it may be too early to tell and "You should do the cheaper package because it will look like an alien and not be worth it." I'm like REALLY lady? I am willing to pay you more money so be quiet and let me enjoy my moment! I KNEW what a 14 week ultrasound looked like- but I didn't want a picture of just his man part and then to be kicked out (which is what they do with the cheaper package) At first I was worried I should have done the cheaper one, however when I got home and REplayed the video of my little BOY on the tv...I cried and realized it was worth every penny. One day he will LOVE it! I love being able to see pictures from the CELLULAR form and up- and want as many pictures as I can get! This kid will be spoiled rotten I'm sure!

I will save you all the "dirty" BOY picture- but I can assure you it was a BOY indeed! My initial reaction was COMPLETE shock! I was like ummmm- are you SURE that is not an arm !? The best part of all of this was seeing my husband's reaction- he was totally shocked and EXCITED! It's literally ALL he talked about all day- Camping trips, how he already has his first gun, video games, transformers and toys, hunting, and ALL that fun stuff he get's to do with his son. He was a proud daddy- in fact he went out and the FIRST thing he did was go buy him a recliner that was made of leather- totally ridiculous and won't fit into my nursery ideas but I couldn't say no to him.


He lit up like it was Christmas and had a glow ALL day about his mini me. It totally melted my heart when I talked to a lot of the other moms about boys- getting SO excited now for a cuddly little boy, getting to have a little missionary, having to watch toy story 8,000 times in a day, and seeing Jonny as he LOVES on his son. Having a little boy cousin 6 months apart means they will be the BEST of friends as well! That day though we went home and had the walk through on our apartment- LAST DAY! YAY! Then was stuck unpacking, hanging stuff up, and cleaning the house for the party. The party was PURE CHAOS! Not gonna lie- I should have planned a little better because the gender announcement was a bit anticlimactic with all the children running around- LOVE them all- but Chaotic! Got me a little nervous for my boy- haha! By the time everyone left- (SUPER late) I felt like I had ran a marathon I was so exhausted- but STILL couldn't sleep with the excitement for a while- PLUS my husband had a fever and was getting sick. Awesome.

My sister was late but we finally announced it by having the kids uncover the blue balloons in a big box and watching the video- I will try to post the video a little later but MOST had already figured it out from the video- his poke was hard to miss...haha! Today I am excited to start looking EVERYWHERE for baby ideas- still in shock it's a boy. :) Makes me smile just thinking about it. And to the little bean pictures I love so much!

Here is him when he was finally kicking his legs around- he must have been VERY sleepy :)


He is maybe sucking his thumb here? I have NO idea- he kept his hands touching his face a lot of the time...

You can kind of see his little eyes here- I know these are all a little ALien but he has grown SO much in 4 weeks!

Covering his face and showing off his cute ear!

In a little ball :)
Here is him stretching out his legs- So funny!

CRAZIEST feeling last night! Had to share to document it: I have obviously NEVER been pregnant before- so I have NO idea what a baby feels like when it moves. I thought I felt SOMETHING the past two weeks a few times- but had NO idea what it was. Last night I was SURE and was amazed at what it felt like! I was sleeping and move around A LOT! Ask my husband- I somehow was sleeping on my tummy- which the doctor told me was fine and could happen but IF the blood supply was cut off for even a moment it would wake me up out of my sleep and NOT feel good. Well it happened- haha I was sleeping on my tummy -literally woke up with a pain on my right side. I felt it and it was hard- felt like it MUST have been the baby's sac because the left side was squishy- I was a little freaked because it wasn't going away so I naturally went to my computer at 4 this morning and looked it up. As I was reading random things I FELT what felt like a WORM swim across to the middle of my belly! I was TOTALLY freaked and it felt SO strange!!!! I didn't believe it- but I felt down and that sac on my right side was gone and it was squishy and normal again!!! OH MY GOSH- it was MY baby!!!! hahaha! It was SO strange- I woke Jonny up to to feel my right side and he felt it after and was totally amazed! I am SOO excited to start feeling the little movements now FINALLY! 14 weeks and SO thrilled to be feeling A BABY INSIDE ME! Still freaks me out- STILL IN SHOCK I am pregnant and have a little baby boy joining our family! Just can't wait to meet him. :) Sorry for the long post- I commend you for reading it all if you did. :)

Drum Roll Please..

It's a

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DECLAN! We are having a little boyfriend!!! Busy day today so pictures and video to follow- we are SUPER excited though! I was shocked, thrilled, overwhelmed, AHHH so many emotions I can't even think of anything else but this little BOY I get to hold in 6 months and cuddle :) Wanted to quickly share the news- LOTS to update soon :)

Good Info for those of you with PCOS

Even though I'm pregnant now- I still have to make sure to keep my PCOS in check- especially for the fact I would LIKE to try to get pregnant naturally after this one. :)Unfortunately the anxiety STILL get's to me- here are some ways to cope I found:) I get this awesome newsletter about PCOS each month- thought I would share when I find some good information.

How's Your Mental Health?

I suspect you know this even if your doctor doesn't: A major part of your PCOS disorder is psychological and emotional.

I don't have to describe the distress, suffering, frustration, embarrassment, desperation and hopelessness many of you are experiencing. You know exactly what I'm talking about.

You are not alone, according to emerging research. For example, the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine studied 60 PCOS women over 22 months. 40% were depressed, 17% had major depressive disorder or other depressive syndromes. This rate might have been worse but 23% of the women were taking anti-depressants.

11.6% had anxiety syndromes, and 23.3% had binge eating disorder.

56.6% of all the women had some kind of mood disorder. The Iowa researchers also noted that 18% of the women did not start out depressed but became depressed after 22 months.

They also said menstrual function, fertility and body image (weight, hirsutism, acne) were the same among both the depressed and non-depressed women. So, surprisingly, these features were not the apparent cause of the mood disorders.

In another important study, the Karolinska Institute in Sweden reported a strong association between PCOS and anxiety. They compared 30 women with PCOS to 30 women who did not have PCOS. The groups were matched for age, weight, and body mass index.

They discovered that the PCOS women were much more anxious. Their most troublesome symptoms were reduced sleep, worry, phobias, and pain.

There's no question that polycystic ovary syndrome is actually both a physical and a mental disorder.

We can't just sweep the mental/emotional part under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist. There's an 800 lb. gorilla in the room and we all need to find ways to deal with it.

Your body and being is one whole. In your body, there is no separation between your physical parts and your mental/emotional parts. Your physical and mental aspects are in constant communication with each other and influence each other.

It should be obvious that a successful treatment program for polycystic ovary syndrome would include both physical and mental components.

But think back for a moment. When your doctor gave you a diagnosis, what did he or she do? Prescribe birth control pills, tell you to lose weight if overweight, and dart out the door to the next patient?

And what about your feelings? Your emotions? Your depression and anxiety? Your stress level? I'll bet these critical issues were never discussed or dealt with.

So it's really up to you. I encourage you to acknowledge the mental aspects of PCOS and find some ways of solving the issues of depression, anxiety, binge eating, etc.

Here are a few quick ideas to get you started.

1) Find a psychologist or other mental health professional to help you. You need to get outside your little bubble of isolation and helplessness. An experienced mental health professional can be very helpful to you and give you the support you need to make positive changes.

2) Take walks. Simple physical activity such as walking can relieve depression and anxiety, reduce the urge for compulsive eating, reduce stress, and more.

3) Keep a daily journal. Doing so will help you maintain greater awareness of what's going on in your life.

4) Find some good self-help books and read them. Maybe they will give you some good ideas. Example: "Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life" by Martin Seligman, PhD.

5) Ask a health professional about nutritional supplements that may help with mood disorders. Two examples are: inositol and fish oil.

Whew....Heartbeat is there! :)

No sure why but I was feeling some EXTREME anxiety this past week about my Doctors appointment- It was like all the sudden I was KNOWING I needed to protect myself just in case! I hadn't been to a doctors appointment in a whole month! I didn't get an ultrasound today- but the sound of the heartbeat (140 beats per minute) eased ALL my fears in that moment. All weekend I was picturing all our families at the ultrasound and getting some sort of bad news- just anxiety getting the best of me! Glad I am feeling so much better today!

How Far Along: 14 weeks today (3 1/2 months now!!!)

Symptoms: Nausea is still here- but I THINK dying down a bit. Two days in a row I didn't take my Zofran till 4 in the afternoon ( A Miracle I tell you!) The next day it came back again in the morning full force so we will see. My headaches are getting so bad though they wake me up from my sleep! I have broken out like I am 12- and have to take docolax to help with "Regularity" all in all though I am a happy camper still!

Weight Gain: ONE pound! haha! Could be the nausea- This next few months though I can expect to pack on the pounds!

Best Moment of the week: So far- hearing the heartbeat this morning. I have a feeling finding out the gender tomorrow though will be at the top of my list!

Food Cravings: Sour skittles this week :)

What I miss: Nothing really! Maybe I miss not getting headaches and the nausea- just a little bit :)

What I am looking Forward too: TOMORROW!!!! SO excited to know if this little bean is a girl or a boy! Then I can start figuring out nursery colors- decor- buy clothing- register and all that fun stuff!

BABY: Baby is the size of a LEMON! Only weighs one and a half ounces but it 3 and a half inches long. Baby is one third of the way done cooking now. Baby is all done with the big stuff like the organs so this week it's working on building up some fat. He or she even has fingerprints now! Baby continues to gain new and impressive skills such as practicing and controlling voluntary muscle movements. My tiny dancer's movements are no longer the jerky, uncontrollable twitches of yore—she now moves with graceful control. He or she??? We will know tomorrow...stay tuned!

Taking a Poll??

Okay I am taking a poll on the right- what do you guys think I am having- It is KILLING me at this point! I was SO positive it was a girl until we picked an actual boy name- now I have NO clue! Just a few more days till the big reveal! I am getting SO excited I can't stand it! 5 more days! I still can't believe I am almost 14 weeks!! My baby is a size of a PEACH this week- a lemon next week! I am wondering when the whole nesting phase comes in- mine has NOT hit yet- I am SO exhausted by the end of the day that I would LOVE to just be lazy and sleep- unfortunately moving is forcing me to go through LOTS of boxes! I need this phase to kick in early....:)

P.S. I bought some bella bands this weekend. LOVE them. Really good purchase so you can stay in your cute jeans- Holy cow tried to find maternity pants and it was a nightmare- they are ALL so ugly- anyone know of CUTE maternity clothes?? There has to be something good out there!

EEK!

Baby Boy made his arrival late last night- to check out more ADORABLE pics of my sisters little one click HERE. :)

Second Trimester (13 weeks down)

Yes- that's right...I MADE IT! Okay I think I have at least- I have been somewhat freaking out about the fact I haven't really been to the doctor in weeks- I was tempted to buy a doppler, and then I realized if I can't find the heartbeat myself I would freak out even more! Luckily I only have one WEEK till my next appt! Next Monday I get to hear the heartbeat again and see my regular OB, Tuesday of next week I get an ultrasound to HOPEFULLY find out the gender of my little peanut! I am actually warming up to the idea this COULD possibly be a little boy. Jonny and I narrowed down my name list and when I finally figured out a boy name it hit me that I would SO be okay with a girl or a boy. SO- here are the names thus far:

IF it's a boy:

Declan (unsure of middle name) Maybe Gray??

If it's a GIRL:

London Brielle

Jonny picked London and loves it- I have ALWAYS wanted the name Brielle (Still debating because I think it's worthy of a first name)

We also like Hudson for a boy and Brielle Rose for a girl. (Rose because that was my nick name from my dad so it means a lot to me) So- which one will it be...Declan or London??? 7 more LONG days till we know. :)

As for Black Friday- it was a success! We got all sorts of good stuff- as for the baby- I don't think he/she liked Black Friday so much. I literally threw up out side of EVERY store we went to...not kidding. Target, Michaels, Sears, Spencers, Bed, Bath and Beyond...I had a total breakdown after Bed, Bath, and Beyond- first one since all this nausea stuff started. I would usually catch myself before complaining about it- even with my husband. I couldn't stand those pregnant ladies complaining because I wanted it SO badly! So every time I would get sick- I would say: I hate...I mean I love this part of pregnancy. Then yesterday when I got the car and dealt with dry heaving pretty violently the whole way there- people staring- I started balling- and then I said it....

I am SO tired of being sick!! It's not fair- I HATE this part of pregnancy! I felt so guilty- but SO much better after saying it out loud. My husband gave me a hug, got me the dinner I wanted, and took me home to watch a movie and relax. I think every once in a while you need to just cry it out. I was tired, running on NO sleep, and was shopping all day- pure exhaustion! Was it worth it? I dunno- I got lots of good stuff for good prices! I even grabbed stuff I didn't need at all because everyone ELSE was grabbing it as quick as they could- figured it MUST be of value! I am just grateful I didn't get trompled, pepper sprayed, or shot. :)

Exciting News of the Day:

My sister is AT the hospital!!!! She is going to be given pitocin (however you spell that) at 3:30!! She has been there since late last night! SO excited to meet and hold my little nephew! I already know I am in love with this little guy!

One other exciting thing: I felt butterflies a few times this week- not sure if it's the baby- but I cannot WAIT to feel him/ her moving in there!!!