Sunny Saturday!

I realize that I'm averaging one post a week...so unlike me, but truly the best that I can do right now. I've had a lot on my heart and mind, but it's not really something that I'm at liberty to blog about. It's something that I'm working through...just me and God, one on one. I also have the counsel of my husband, thank goodness. I don't know what I would do without him. If I happen to come to your mind, will you pray for me? I don't feel like I need to share details in order to ask for prayer. God knows my heart.

As for the miracle baby that I'm carrying...he/she must be growing and doing well, because this mommy is still very sick. I have good days, but they are few and far between. I have learned that I pretty much have to eat non-stop and keep my stomach full. This seems to help with the nausea. I'm not really eating constantly, but it sure feels like it. I've had some really bad days, but today was a good day and I'm praising God for it! I was also having problems brushing my teeth. I would brush and then throw up. Of course, this is a never-ending cycle. Once I throw up, I need to brush my teeth again. I brush my teeth again, I throw up. You get the picture. My sister-in-law, Sara, told me that she had to switch from her Sonicare to a normal toothbrush and that helped her. I'm addicted to my Sonicare but if it was the problem, I was more than willing to go back to a normal toothbrush. I did and it has helped A LOT. Thank you, Sara!!

Today was a beautiful, warm, windy, day. Alex is really good about making a list of projects that he'd like to complete around the house. Since finding out that we're going to have a baby, he has really wanted to complete the rest of his list. Well today, cleaning the garage/attic and making our flower bed pretty again was at the top of his list. We went to HD and picked out some pretty flowers. We also picked out a couple of fruit vines. We have never grown anything in our lives, but are excited to see if we can. I will probably stay away from them because I have a history...of killing plants. I just really don't know anything about them and I tend to over-water. Alex studies how to take care of something and does a beautiful job...he takes pride in taking care of our lawn in the summer and it always looks fabulous. I have a man that believes in working 6 days a week...5 days at his full-time job and on Saturday, he wants to work around our home. I love that about him. I also have to share this, because it's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. I told him that I bought a pair of sandals and needed to buy some new tops for spring/summer and he said, "you buy whatever you want...I work, so you can have those things." Um, can you say, I'M A LUCKY GIRL!? I haven't really shopped for me in a long time, but now that my body is changing, I need some things. And the new sandals...well they were just too cute to pass up. I'll have to post a pic later. :) I just feel extremely blessed to have him as my husband. He is not only the provider of this family, more importantly, he is the spiritual leader of our family, my teacher and constant cheerleader. I'm excited that we're about to start reading through the Bible together. He has read through two different versions of the Bible already this year. I have a deep desire to read through the Bible in it's entirety. I don't read and comprehend quite as fast as he does, so he has promised that we will go at my pace. I didn't mean for this post to be all about Alex, but that's okay...he needs to know that I appreciate him and all that he does for our family. I love you, sweetie.

I hope to be blogging on a regular basis again soon, but for now, know that I'm reading your blogs and keeping up with what's going on with you. And as soon as I have the liberty to come back on a regular basis, I will. That's the best way that I can explain it.

Love you guys,
Jill

U/S appointment #2

Thursday was our second ultrasound appointment. It has been a busy weekend...sorry I'm just blogging about it. We waited for over two hours at the clinic. I couldn't believe how long we waited. We waited an hour in the actual waiting room and then another hour or so in the room (unclothed from the waist down, I might add). I'd much rather wait completely clothed in the waiting room. (LOL) The doc came in and immediately found the baby. :) We heard the heartbeat and it was so loud and strong!! It was 170bmp, this time. We were so excited upon hearing the heartbeat. I will never tire of seeing our baby on that screen. It just seems like a dream. The baby was standing on it's head and we could see it's little arms and legs. We were amazed at how much more you could see vs. at 6 weeks. The baby measured right at 8 weeks. The doctor told us that everything looked perfect! He also gave me some natural remedies to try for the nausea. He told me that if these didn't work, I could talk to my OB in the next week about something else. That was another big thing...I graduated from the fertility clinic. I was a little sad. I have been going there for the last year and a half. Same doctors and nurses every time...I love that clinic. God used them to help us achieve pregnancy and I will be forever grateful. I was able to hug my doctor goodbye before leaving...I was glad he was there (he wasn't the one that did the u/s). They were all just grinning from ear to ear. They seemed as excited as we were. Makes me cry, just thinking about it. I am supposed to see my OB in the next week or so. I've talked about him before...he's a wonderful doctor and a wonderful man of God. He delivered Alex, 32 years ago, so we're excited for him to be the one that delivers our baby, as well.

The doc said, my ovary was only twice the size that it's supposed to be now and there were still cysts, but they are getting smaller. My stomach is starting to go down some, as well. Oh, and they actually changed my due date to November 26th...Thanksgiving Day. :)

I'll end this post with a new pic of our baby. Isn't he/she the cutest thing!? :)


Love you guys,
Jill

Easter Weekend...

God cares, even about the small things. He answered my prayers and took the morning sickness away (for most of the day) on Easter Sunday. We had someone taking Easter pictures, before and after service for any of the families that came Sunday. I really liked this idea! Here is our pic. I look so pale...man, do I need some sun! I had a really cute maternity dress on, underneath my cardigan. It was chilly though, so the cardigan stayed on. Yes, I said maternity dress. My stomach still hasn't gone down from the OHSS, so I had to buy maternity. Honestly, it was so comfortable, I don't care if my stomach goes down. I'm really going to enjoy buying cute dresses for this summer. Um, Gap Maternity, just fyi...there is no need to worry about your sales this summer/fall.



It was cold and stormy all morning, but none of that mattered once I was at church. I really enjoyed the worship and message. I also love seeing the kiddos walking in, all dressed up in their Easter outfits. I'm looking forward to having a little one to dress up next year. We had lunch with my in-laws after church...it was so yummy. We also got to see Alex's baby sister, April, try on her prom dress. She is a senior, which is totally crazy for me to even think about. I remember when she was just a little 4 year old, walking into daycare. Needless to say, she is all grown up and is gorgeous. She looked just like a barbie doll in her prom dress. After lunch, we headed home. I immediately fell into bed and took a 2 hour nap. When I woke up, my parents and grandparents had been here for a while. My family came over that evening, to celebrate my little brother, Drew's birthday. It was a fun time. Little Jackson was quite entertaining...he had us all laughing so hard. There is no doubt, he is his father's child. My brother, Cary, can make me laugh like no one else. Love him.

I had a restless night of sleep and woke up this morning, you guessed it...feeling sick again. Guess I should have prayed for it to stay away a little longer. My doctor called me in some phenegrin. I am only able to take 1/4 of a pill each time...it makes me terribly sleepy. I go back for my second u/s on Thursday, so I think I will ask him about Zofran. So many of you mentioned that. I have tried several things that you girls suggested...some have helped, so thank you! I do realize that this is just a regular part of pregnancy...I just want to be able to function and accomplish a few things each day, so whatever helps me do that, I'm a fan. :) I don't know why, but I've also had "bloggers-block". I still get online and stay updated on what's going on with you girls. It's just for some reason, I just don't feel like writing as often. Maybe it's just that I feel sick and have very little energy. I'm lucky if I feel like cleaning the toilet, let alone blog. Even though, my sweet husband is giving me some help with the cleaning and I'm so very grateful. He keeps telling me, "you're one and only job is to cook this baby." (LOL) So I'm doing my very best.

Well, the phenegrin has kicked in...that means it's bedtime!

Love you guys,
Jill

Long Time No Post...

I have been wanting to post for almost a week, but to be honest, I've been sick. Very sick. All I have been able to do is just lay here...praying that it will go away. I always hope to just fall asleep, because then I don't feel the nausea. The morning sickness is getting worse, not better. If anyone has any advice on how to help with the morning sickness, feel free to comment. Right now, I sit with cheerios on one side of me and a bowl on the other side. A very large bowl...to catch the cheerios, incase they decide not to stay down. I know...gross. I had hoped and prayed that I would be one of those women that didn't experience this, but knew in my heart that nothing about pregnancy has come easy, so I'm not surprised. I have never been more thankful to be at stay-at-home-wife. I have a sweet friend that is having to drag herself to work every day and is running to the bathroom, every 5 minutes. Bless her heart. I couldn't do it.

I'm praying that this lets up, at least for Sunday. The past couple of Sundays, God has been good. As soon as I need to go up on the stage to sing, I feel okay and I'm able to worship and not think about anything else, but Him. My parents are coming in this Easter and I'm looking forward to time with family, as well. I just want to be able to enjoy the day. Easter is such an emotional holiday for me...I'm so thankful for God's love. I'm thankful that He sent His Son to die. But let us not forget...it didn't end there...the true meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ's victory over death! He died, but more importantly, He rose again! His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him! Just makes me want to shout!! :)

I pray that you have a wonderful Easter holiday with family and friends. And I pray that we not lose sight of the true meaning of Easter.

Love to all,
Jill

Lunch with a new friend...

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a blog friend for lunch. She was coming through my hometown and asked if I wanted to meet up! I was so happy that I was able to meet her, her husband, and their sweet baby girl. They were a precious couple. I hope we get to hang out again in the future, when Alex can be there too. BB & MTB, you guys were so sweet and your little Bumble Bee was even sweeter!! (Their blog is private, so I don't feel comfortable sharing their names) They brought me a little baby rattle and this picture frame for our baby's first u/s picture....Alex and I love it.



Today was a beautiful day and I spent it on the couch, sick. Alex was here most of the day, working on his message for tomorrow's service, so he was the sweet hubby and took care of me. I napped a lot and I'm feeling a little better this evening. I also switched from my progesterone injections to a daily progesterone pill. I have to admit, I've enjoyed the past couple of days...when Alex comes to tell me bye at 6:00am, it's not followed by a shot in the hip. :) I have been so sore and bruised...it's going to take a little while for the swelling to go down in my backside. YAY...for no more shots!!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow...Sunday is always a good day.

Love you guys,
Jill

We have a heartbeat!!

We arrived around 10:00am, this morning. We waited for almost an hour. Alex and I were rather anxious. We asked our Moms to go with us. They were something else. We thought we were going to have to split them up...they were laughing and carrying on the entire time! :) I love that our Moms get along so well though. We were so happy that they could share this moment with us.

Anxiously waiting...


Did I mention that these two were a mess!? HA!


They finally called me back, so off the four of us went. I think the nurse and Dr. M got a kick out of us bringing our Mommas. This is the first time we've ever seen Dr. M smile. He's rather serious and to the point, which we love about him. He first checked my ovary (which seemed like it took forever). I found out that the cramps and large abdomen that I've been sporting are from my ovary being overstimulated. It was huge. He said it could take a while to go down, since I'm pregnant. I've been able to manage the pain with tylenol and he said my stomach will go back down eventually, so that was good to hear.

Still waiting but getting excited!!


He then found the baby (that's right...there's ONE in there :) He asked me to hold my breath and that's when we heard it...music to our ears...the heartbeat. The baby's heart rate was 107bpm. I was a little concerned when I heard that it was 107, but he said this was a totally normal heart rate for a baby at 6 weeks. He said that I would come back in two weeks and that we will see a lot of changes in the baby's growth and heart rate by then. When we heard the heartbeat, we all started crying. The nurse put her arm on my Mom's back and said, "you guys are making me cry." It was just the coolest thing I've ever heard in my life. Alex told me later, "it took my breath away." I heard him gasp, but I thought it was him holding back tears. I just couldn't believe that we could hear the heartbeat from something that tiny. From what I read, our baby is roughly the size of 1/2 a small corn kernel. TRULY AMAZING!!! I had my blood drawn and received hugs and congrats by all of the nurses, on my way out. My due date is November 23rd...my sister, Joy's birthday. She told me that if Alex wants, I can be induced, so that the baby will come on his birthday, November 22nd. :) Either way, a Thanksgiving baby is rather appropriate in my book. I'm so very thankful for the last 3 years that have brought us to this very moment. It has been a wonderful day...one we will never forget.

Our itty-bitty baby. :)


Love you guys,
Jill