Summer weddings...

We have been getting wedding invitations in the mail for summer weddings, oh, for the past month or so. I've kind of ignored the whole possibility of seeing people we haven't seen since we moved to Tucson AND I BECAME A WALKING BABY MACHINE. The last time everyone saw me I still looked and acted like a normal human being; now I look more and more like a beached whale and I pretty much only think and talk about the baby. Goodness!

So, as you can imagine, attending social functions such as a wedding this summer is kind of terrifying. I tried on all the dressy maternity clothes I own last night and it was really frustrating...they looked cute about two weeks ago when I had a little belly, but now that my belly is BIGGER, they are looking scarier off the hanger and on me. Of course, my husband, having learned his lesson early on in this whole process, tells me I am beautiful no matter what I wear, look like, or smell like when I ask his opinion (potentially a smart man, but in reality you have a frustrated wife either way). Thank goodness my former college roommate, Tammy, is coming to town and is planning on shopping with me to look for something I'll feel more comfortable in. Tammy will tell me the truth and it'll be hilarious instead of frustrating! (I refuse to shop for something like this by myself, since my feelings on how I look change daily).

Yesterday I did go shopping, like actual shopping, for the baby. I was looking for his "take home" outfit; figured he'll need to look good for those first family pictures! There are of course a million cute things out, but there is a particular onsie at the Gap that I really fell in love with, so I'm hoping it'll go on sale later this summer, in addition to the matching hat.

Cycling went well last night...the bibs are super comfortable, but I was only on the bike for 5 minutes...going to work up from there as sad as that sounds! That's about it!

Blessings and more blessings!

Ever since our ultrasound all these great things have been happening in regards to the pregnancy! First, I've been feeling great for over a week now (yea! new record). Kevin found a belly button ring for me that I can wear throughout the duration of my pregnancy! That arrived today and is going to be perfect; so far my holes have started to migrate north and get a little farther apart, so if you know anything about navel rings, that means my current jewelry will be too small soon. Also, we received a bunch of boy baby clothes and an infant car seat from friends of ours who are expecting their first baby (a girl) later this week. Very exciting.

Then, yesterday I decided to see if I could find some cycling bibs for $35 or less...and if you know anything about cycling bibs, that would be a great deal. So, I go online and the lowest price I can find is $35, but the gift certificate I have won't let me make online purchases. I decided to check out our local Supergo and found a pair of Cannondale cycling bibs for $29. Amazingly, they were actually discounted even more at the register and I got them for $25 altogether! What a deal and I'm very excited to start riding my road bike again on the trainer tonight. I figure I'm in training now for LABOR. Regretfully, I was followed by an aggressive dog on my morning walk and so I'm thinking I'll have to change my routine to when Kevin is home for my daily walks because I don't want to be caught alone with a big dog like that again! And lastly, we qualified for a discount for the water aerobics I wanted to take this summer and it came out to less than $10 for my fee (originally $70).

So, with walking, riding, and water aerobics...I'm hoping my endurance and fitness will be good come the end of August! Keep me accountable: if you see me on chat, ask if I've worked out today!

Lastly, I was a little concerned last night about our baby because I listen to his heartbeat every night via a stethoscope and it sounded slow last night...like 100 beats/minute (usually it's around 140). I checked my heart rate and it was at 88, so I knew I wasn't accidentally hearing my heartbeat. Kevin gave me some orange juice, just to make him move around and he's been a little gymnast ever since in my abdomen, so I'm not worried anymore.

That's about it! Kevin has all the ultrasound pictures on his computer, so I'll post them as soon as I get copies!

IT'S A BOY!

But, you probably knew that already! We're still tossing the names around...Kevin claims he needs a couple of days to chew over the names now that we know "for sure" that it's a boy. Both of our moms came down to Tucson for the ultrasound appointment and that was too cool to have them here, seeing him live on the screen! We had a great afternoon of lunch and shopping; we so enjoyed having them both here for this day because it made it that much more special for us!

I had convinced myself it was a boy, so the ultrasound just confirmed that for me...if you don't know the whole story: I had a dream the morning we found out we were pregnant that I gave birth to a baby boy; so that is why I thought we were having a boy this whole time!

In other news, I've been feeling good! This means eating everyday and taking two walks a day which is really making me feel better.

That's about it! I'll be posting ultrasound pictures tomorrow...for now you can check out a picture on my husband's blog.

Welcome to "Name that Condition"

You may have noticed I'm posting a lot more often this week and that is because a lot more has been happening...medically at least. Suffice to say, I did not start my walking regimen yesterday or even eat solid food all day!

I was for sure I'd wake up feeling better yesterday morning, a little weak from my mostly liquid diet, but better for sure. Well, I woke up with a stabbing ear ache and coughing up some lovely green mucus from my lungs. I thought the ear ache might have been from allergies and my nose draining somehow, so I stuck out the pain until 10:00 in the morning...then I called the doctor because it was getting worse (the story of my medical life lately)! I talked to the nurse and she got me in at 11:30. By the time I checked in and was sitting in the lobby tears were already coming down my face from the pain. This continued until the doctor showed up an hour after my appt time and I think I kind of freaked him out. I told him the tears were from the pain, but he insisted on asking if I was stressed out, if everything was okay at home. Good grief! Despite this, he did start me on antibiotics and some anesthesia drops for my ears.

I actually really liked this doctor, even though he's not my usual physician, but my favorite exchange of the appt went like this:

D: You're pregnant?
Me: Yep
D: How far along?
Me: 20 weeks
D: Really! I can't even tell you have a belly! (I pull my maternity shirt tight over my belly) Ahhh! A little one!

Smart man, this one. The one thing every pregnant woman wants to hear is that she doesn't look as pregnant as she actually is, and I'm not being sarcastic, as this was true for me also.

Today is better so far; I've eaten a little something for breakfast and been able to drink some water, in addition to no new medical problems! Kevin says it happens about every other day this past week, so I won't be holding my breath for tomorrow's health outlook!

Thanks to everyone who has been letting me know about the names: Kadin and Mikayla seem most popular among you!

Name Meanings

I received an email that stated:

"NAMES I FEEL, NEED TO HAVE A MEANING BEHIND THE NAME, AS IN BIBLICAL TIMES WHICH STATED THEIR CHARACTER. ALL THE NAMES YOU PICKED ARE LOVELY, DO THEY HAVE A MEANING TO THEM?"

Why yes the names do have meanings and here they are:

Kyle means crowned with laurel in Hebrew
Kadin means friend in Arabic
Madalyn means high tower in Greek
Mikayla means who is like God in Hebrew

Of course, some of these names have multiple meanings, so if you go look them up yourself, you might find additional or alternate meanings.

The Name Game

Being pregnant, I tend to change my mind almost every hour about various subjects. Kevin will argue that I also did this before I became a walking baby machine, but that's up for debate. Of course, the big deal for me right now is what to name this new addition, so here are the current choices:

If it's a boy:
Kyle Daniel or Kadin Daniel

If it's a girl:
Madalyn Ann or Mikayla Ann

Yea, yea, you guessed it, we're trying to stick with our respective initials. Leave a comment as to which you like best or even suggest something else! I'm going to want to name this child as soon as the anatomy screening comes back from the ultrasound technician (which happens on April 20th)!

And the winner is...

First, a health update: Last night I ate my first solid food and IT STAYED DOWN. I stuck with liquids again today until dinnertime and, cross your fingers, dinner is still in my tummy.

I think the baby is happy I'm eating food again. He/she was really active while I was on that liquid diet, but since I've been able to eat a little, the baby has settled down some.

Last night we had our latest appointment and found out there is definitely only one baby (according to my uterus size), in addition to hearing the heartbeat again. Also, I just make the cut for low risk in regards to glucose screening, which means no gestational diabetes test for me (if you know how I fear needles, this is like winning the lottery). I am gaining weight right on schedule, about 10 pounds so far and should gain about a pound per week from here on out. The baby weighs almost a pound now according to the midwife. I think that's just about all of the exciting news we found out.

My goal tomorrow is to start up my walking regimen again! Wish me luck!

Today's real post!

So since Thursday my body decided that rejecting food in the form of vomit and diarrhea was the way to go, so the midwives put me on an all liquid diet for the past 24 hours. Thankfully, I kept it all down...the threat of an IV may have helped. Despite all of this, I am still feeling yucky and now my husband is sleeping in the guest room because he doesn't want to get it. I figure I must be looking pretty unhappy if he's scared of getting it...the boy didn't even move out when I had morning sickness, but I guess that isn't contagious.

We celebrated hitting the halfway mark today (20 weeks) with dinner at beyond bread...all this meant was a bowl of soup for me, but it was good to get out. I am too excited that every week from now on is on the down slope of this whole being pregnant fiasco. I'm sure some ladies just completely love the experience of being pregnant, but I have no desire to ever go through this again no matter how cute that baby is (can you say adoption for our next child?). I'm not sure Kev would survive taking care of me and a toddler if we tried to do this natural for a child #2!

That's all for now, next appt is on Monday, so I'll try to post after that!

A Delayed Post...

Blogger was down, so here is my delayed post from Thursday...

So, the news I have is indirectly related to baby...I feel yucky. This is probably due to the fact that Kev and I spent last night in the ER waiting to have my infected, pussing, incredibly painful right eye examined because Benadryl made it worse! Turns out I have an infection (conjunctivitis?) and have to do antibiotic eye drops for the next week, three times a day. Now where did I pick up this fabulous little infection you ask? Well, that's a good question...seeing as I was frequenting middle and high schools the past two weeks, I assume I got it there. If you've been in contact with me recently (like the past week), wash your hands a lot and be on the lookout for red, pussy, painful eyes. Regretfully, I've felt like crap since waking up this morning...now this could be from lack of sleep, the sore throat I'm now experiencing, or the queasiness. All three just aren't making me a happy camper. Baby has been particularly active, most likely due to the change in his/her schedule I assume! Our next appt. is on Monday, so I'll give you an update then. That's it for now!

I would post more but...

Just a brief aside...and I warn you that this one is bigger than the last! Thanks Grandma Pam!

Yea for an update!

Just a brief update: I am feeling good most of the time...a few yucky days here and there. My belly seems to grow in spurts; Kevin's mom took a picture at 18 wks and I think it will definitely rival the picture she took at 16 wks! I'll keep you updated on when that picture is posted! I had been experiencing little flutters and such feeling the baby move, but my first real good thump occurred on March 24th, right before Good Friday. The midwives call this your "quickening" date; whatever that means! Since then I get thumped pretty regularly about 3 times a day...usually around the times when I eat slightly larger meals than my typical grazing. If I miss out on a larger meal, then the thumping gets really insistent; one of the girls I talked to said my baby is already ordering "womb" service...hehe.

On the cat front, for those of you that didn't know, my cat has become an annoying terror since I became pregnant. She would wake us up at all hours of the night, multiple times and meow as if she was dying. We sent her to Kevin's mom's house for a week or so, but that didn't seem to help until I started playing with her right before we go to bed! Now she sacks out and lets us both sleep as much, and as late, as we want!

In other news, we have a doula: a.k.a. a birth assistant. Now I hear you thinking, isn't Kevin your birth assistant? Yes, yes he is, but how would you like to be the ONLY encouragement for a laboring women if labor goes on and on for hours. Also, since neither of us have really experienced or done this before, I thought it might be nice to have another assistant there. Now, I hear all you family members saying "I would gladly encourage you during your birth" and of course I know this. However, there are certain things I will feel more comfortable doing and saying to someone I won't be seeing the next day than to a family member who will remember it for the rest of my life, so that's one of the reasons I wanted a doula.

And lastly, we finally have a date for our ultrasound: April 20th at 11 a.m.. That's it for now!

So we'll be driving down the road and I usually ride passenger side, so I'm watching all the shops go by and I see a pizza place...mmmm...that sounds good, then next door I see a sub shop...mmm...that sounds good, a 1/4 mile up the road a Chinese place...mmmm...that sounds good too. It doesn't matter where we're going, every food place I see makes me crave something they make and the last food place we see before we get home is what I usually want for my next meal. Regretfully, this is usually the Jack in the Box up the road, but oh well. I think I now understand why so many woman have told me that they gained 50-60 pregnancy pounds instead of the suggested 25-30...you are so hungry and EVERYTHING sounds good!

Not only does this happen while driving around, but also when we watch TV. I can't even tell you what we used to have to do when food commercials came on: mute the sound, cover my eyes, turn the TV off; just because I would get so sick just watching/hearing those commercials. Now the food commercials just make me crave different foods, but it doesn't only happen with food. Last night there was a hotel commercial running and I said to Kevin "I want to go stay in a hotel tonight!'. LOL.

Heavens...I am feeling better today after taking my full dose of unisom + B6 last night. Weirdly, I actually threw up before breakfast, not just dry heaves like usual. This baby is definitely growing because my ligaments are sore everyday now! Here's to showering before 11 a.m. today!

Rollercoaster Ride

So, once again, a lot has happened since my last update...I am feeling better, or was feeling better. See, Kevin has this thing about taking pills, and one of the "no more puking" strategies I have is to take a combo of unisom + B6 every night. We saw our midwife yesterday and she said it was fine to keep taking it, but Kevin insists on trying to wean me off of it. So last night I took half pills, instead of whole pills, and I feel yucky today.

On that note, I have been doing better lately! Those daily tasks such as showering, brushing your teeth, actually getting dressed, and EATING are all happening. It's so nice to eat. I've actually gained back the 10lbs. I lost during morning sickness including 2 post pregnancy pounds; Right on schedule!

We had our first group prenatal appointment last night and it was great! You take your own weight and blood pressure, then have one on one time with the midwife, there is a topic we talk about, ask questions, and really dialogue about our experiences. It was soooo nice. All the other couples are expecting their first child also, except for one! We not only heard our baby's heartbeat last night, but we could hear the baby MOVING! It was too exciting! We are officially 16 weeks 3 days in to this adventure.

This weekend was really wonderful because it was the first time I had seen a lot of my extended family since finding out we were pregnant! They were very excited and supportive. Also, Kev's mom took our first picture since I've started showing, so I'm hoping she'll post that soon on her own blog!

And finally, I did do just a little registering for the baby, so if you're interested, here's the site and you can find our list under Kevin or Mindy Harkins. The rest of our registry will be through Target here in a couple of weeks (after we *hopefully* find out if it's a boy or girl). We'll be in Phoenix just about every weekend from here through Easter at least, so give us a call or drop us a line if you'd like to get together!

Just kidding...

Last week was going pretty well early on, well, kind of. I puked real badly after taking my unisom/b6 combo before bed on Monday, so I stopped taking the combo altogether and felt pretty good until Thursday. I can't even explain how bad it was on Thursday, so I eased myself back on to the unisom/b6 combo and today is the first day I've felt fairly well.

In fact, I took a shower, brushed my teeth (without getting queasy!), drove downtown, acquired my teaching certificate, got a soda (soda is like nectar from Heaven lately for me) with Kevin between his classes, did a little shopping, and came home. That is the most I've done by myself since we found out we were pregnant! I must say I am exhausted.

As far as baby stuff is going, we've decided on an "alphabet" theme for the the baby's room. We've chosen to go unisex with the room decor no matter whether it's a boy or girl so if we are blessed with another surprise in the near future, we won't have to purchase new nursery fabrics/accessories, etc... I definitely have a belly now if you see me in profile, which is kind of cool, but also scary. We're officially 14 weeks and 3 days along, which means welcome to the 2nd trimester. Our next appt., if you could call it that, is March 14th. We won't know if we're having a boy or a girl for at least another 6 weeks, if not a little longer.

Well, I have to go eat again or I'll be queasy in no time...Here's to hoping for more frequent updates and feeling good!

Despite popular opinon...

I am still alive, though barely at times. So I think today is the best I've felt yet...exactly 12w6d in to this pregnancy. Now, I'm not experiencing this whole supposed "superwoman" phenomenon where you wake up and it's like a switch was flipped while you were sleeping and you feel amazing. I'm just feeling better, which is a definite improvement and I'm not sure how excited I'm going to get about it until I've got a week's worth of feeling better under my belt.

I still threw up this morning, but I've been eating all day so far and DRINKING WATER! For the past 8 weeks drinking anything, but especially water has been grounds for puking everything sitting in my stomach and intestines (I'm convinced) up.

I've been taking a combination of Unisom and B6 every night before I go to bed. There is some research on it, but you'd have to ask my husband, Kevin, if you want to know the details. NO, it does not help you sleep...it has some effect on the nausea. I've actually slept worse with it, but I'm typically not near as sick.

Since my last post, we had a very traumatic doctor's appt. which I won't post the details of here, but it was only traumatic for us as parents, the baby is just fine. Due to the fact that Kevin almost fainted at this appt., I have a feeling he will be well near my head during delivery and most likely not cutting the cord! We'll start our group prenatal care appts. in March, which means no more individual appts.! This is actually very convenient because the group prenatal care meets in the evenings which means we don't have to work around Kevin's school schedule.

Also, we had visitors! Our moms graciously traveled down to Tucson from Phoenix in order to clean our house. Praise the Lord! With me out of commission and Kevin just taking care of EVERYTHING, it was 12 weeks of filth, which was the dirtiest our place had been since we got married. It made me feel better to have it cleaned, I must say and we can't thank them enough!

That's all I can write for now, I'm exhausted. Thanks for all of the prayers and support!

Will it ever end?

So, I figure it's really no fun to update my blog on a regular basis when I'll be giving you the same information everyday...yes, I'm still sick; you can see a full update according to my husband. We did receive our first baby gift from a couple in our Bible study (who are also expecting). They gave us this adorable romper in the U of A colors that says "Arizona Half Pint". It's too cute and will work for a boy or a girl. I have hung it off our canopy bed to remind me what I'm being sick for as I hover over the trashcan puking.

Today officially marks the end of week 10 and I will begin week 11 tomorrow. I saw my new primary care physician today in order to get a referral to the birthing center we're using (this just has to do with insurance red tape). My next appt at the birth center is Feb. 1st.

As far as sickness goes, I discovered sitting in the shower that I could drink the warm water and it didn't make me queasy! This is a big deal because every time I would drink any liquid, I would throw up 20 minutes later and was definitely feeling parched. So, I now drink water from the fridge, but it is heated up for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Kevin is being a trooper. I had one good day this week (Monday) and we were hopeful that this was my turnaround point in to feeling super! However, that was not the case and I think we were both fairly disappointed and frustrated by this.

Also, I've still been interviewing, but alas, until I feel better I can't accept any positions. I was offered my DREAM JOB on Monday and waited until the last possible moment to decline hoping beyond all hope that I would feel amazing by the acceptance deadline.

That's all I can write, my body is exhausted again. Goodnight!

The appt plus a little info...

Just so you know, I really did write a nice, long, detailed account of our doctor's appt and then it disappeared in to cyberspace when I clicked "Publish". So here is my latest update with a little of the doctor's appt thrown in!

The doctor's appt went well. We basically sat down and talked to the midwife, received lots of great information, found out they have a resource and video library available, in addition to group prenatal care! After we talked, she asked if we'd like to try to hear the heartbeat. I assumed we'd definitely hear the heartbeat this time, but she told us that it is very rare to hear it this early on (7 1/2 weeks). We both agreed that the grandmas wouldn't be satisfied if we hadn't at least tried to hear the heartbeat, so I laid down and she took out a microphone looking device. She moved it all over my abdomen, but all we really heard was static from her moving the device around. Then she went real low on my stomach and I think she gasped, then Kevin and I realized what we were listening to! She counted the beats and our baby's heart was going 160 beats/minute. It was so encouraging to hear the heartbeat...I figured I could now survive my blood work after hearing that heart going pitter patter all nice and strong.

After she had answered ALL of our questions, it was time for the blood work. I sucked on some hard candy and Kevin let me squeeze and claw at him the whole time. It's always more psychological for me, then true pain. I was assured that there probably wouldn't be anymore labs, unless I chose certain optional tests in the future.

As far as this weekend, we were in Phoenix because Kevin was in a wedding there. I stayed at Pam and Jerry's and was really, really sick. I don't know if it was the car ride, the change of scenery or what, but I just was not doing well. We came home Sunday and I was still in the throes of nausea. A few things I did pick up though were a long body pillow for making my sleep more comfortable and a huge bottle of Tums.

However, today was looking up. I made it downstairs and kept all of my meals down (YEA!). Chewing gum has become my new best friend as it seems to curb my sick stomach when it really gets going. Also, I've discovered Gatorade...the only drink that I can actually drink often and not throw up over.

Kevin goes back to school tomorrow and I'll be on my own again...everyday he goes in between 8 and 9 and doesn't get home until 5, so it's really a long time after having him here all Christmas break! We've received a lot of congratulations and encouragement since announcing our big news to family and friends! Here's to actually sleeping tonight!

Same old story...

So yes, it's been awhile, I know. I wish I had a good excuse...it's not that I'm doing much besides sitting around being sick, but I'm just exhausted. I'm running out of stuff to eat because I've puked up the majority of it at one point or another. It's not very appetizing after you've seen it twice.

Today is my doctor's appt...first one and I know they are going to draw blood which is one of my biggest fears ever. I hate needles and shots and blood work. Kevin will be there, but I still freak out.

That's about it...I'm going to go take a quick shower...standing up too long now really takes it out of me. I take a nap almost everyday after my shower because it's so exhausting. Kevin is in a wedding in PHX this weekend. At first I was going to stay here, but he said he wants me in PHX so he can take care of me (awww...), but also because I won't have a car or access to anyone while he's gone.

Since he's gone back to school I've been sick more often; I think from actually moving around, up and down the stairs, preparing food, etc...but anyways, pray for my nausea if you think about it...I've probably got at least 4.5 weeks left of being sick which seems like an eternity at this point!

I'll update after the appt...

Dying a slow, painful death...

So yesterday was one of my worst days yet...I thought I was going to die I felt so bad, but I also have come to the conclusion that I'm pretty much a wimp when it comes to being sick and in physical pain. After reflecting on my day, I realized that I really hadn't eaten enough or that often. So today started differently and I'm feeling a lot better. I've been eating every two hours and drinking more water. However, I've come to the conclusion that I will not feel like myself again until 9-12 months AFTER the baby is born *sigh*.

That's about it for today because I have to go make/eat dinner and hopefully head off nausea at the pass.

A week's worth of posts...

Yes, I know, it's been a really long time since I posted. It was so good to see my family in VA, but I was sick the whole time; not like, sort of sick, but I felt like I had the flu everyday, all day. Turns out those prenatal vitamins my mom bought were sending me over the edge and making me sick. Of course, we didn't figure that out until the day we left VA. Ah well. So, it's officially six weeks plus a couple of days! Supposedly, the baby has little webbed hands and feet now, in addition to a beating heart!

Let's retract to vacation for a few details. So, anyone who's spent anytime with a woman in early pregnancy probably knew I was pregnant, but we didn't tell the family while we were back East and they didn't ask. However, on the one day I'm feeling good and able to leave the house (for a trip to the mall), my mom INSISTS on looking through every maternity section and in every maternity store there. Thankfully, it's a small mall, but it was quite bewildering to be looking at those clothes. I discover a pair of .77 shorts which seem like a good idea since I will be most pregnant during the hottest months of the year here in Tucson.

Despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I've got a good 1.5-2 months before I'll even begin to show, my hips have decided they need to be a little wider, so I am unable to button all but one pair of my jeans and have been living in track pants.

The good news is that everything I'm experiencing so far is normal, but I'm convinced if I am able to remember this being sick part of pregnancy, I will not choose to become pregnant again (and I can hear you thinking, "But did you choose it this time?")...Yea, yea, I know. Merry Christmas present!

Oh wow, I can't believe I forgot to tell you about our dad's reactions. So Kevin's dad, Denny, seemed pretty blown away by it and excited. He totally scrapped chocolate chip pancakes for Christmas morning breakfast, in order to provide me with something a little healthier. My dad, on the other hand, said it was probably a good thing we got pregnant now because if I had been 30 I might have been a little old...LOL. He proceeded to take the baby's first "pictures" in front of his Christmas tree.

It has been so much fun to tell our parents about this baby. I know they are all going to be amazing grandparents!

In other news, my cat has taken to sleeping right in the crook of my belly (she has ALWAYS slept at our feet), so I think she knows something is up. Also, I had a job interview yesterday for teaching 6th graders, but the commute, daily schedule, and salary just weren't worth it. That's it!