14 Weeks

So I realize that I totally skipped week 13, and no it's not because I think it's unlucky or that there's bad mojo with the number 13. It's actually because I started working night shift and spent every free moment sleeping without remembering that I needed to update the blog. So, sorry about that, I promise to try to be good about the weekly updates. I want to have good pictures of everything going on this pregnancy. So, without further ado, here we are:

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 14 Weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 8 pounds (yikes!)
Maternity Clothes: Yes. Jackson had the privilege of taking me shopping this week. The problem is my shirts don't fit because I've gone up several sizes on top, but I don't have the belly to fit the maternity shirts. Thankfully, I've been working a lot so my wardrobe lately has consisted mostly of hospital scrubs!
Best Moment this week: Being out of the first trimester and scheduling our 16 week 3D gender ultrasound! We also had another doctor's appointment that went well, with baby's heartbeat going strong in the 160s.
Gender: Who knows! It's too early to tell but we have a poll going on the blog, so feel free to vote!
Movement: None yet.
Food Craving: I haven't really had any specific cravings yet. Still having some aversions. Not really wanting to eat any chicken.
What I miss: Still missing my smaller chest!
Sleep: Definitely sleeping well now that I'm up at night and am exhausted. Thankfully, I havn't had any trouble adjusting to sleeping during the day.
What I am looking forward to: Watching my belly grow and going to the 3D ultrasound with our family. And going back to the gym...that's my goal for the week!
Belly Button: Definitely in
Symptoms: Feeling much better. I still had an upset stomach at the beginning of the week, but overall I feel great.

It seems like the past few weeks have flown by. I'm excited to find out whether there's a little boy or girl hiding inside there. Work has been fun, as there are several other girls that are expecting, so we all have babies on the mind and get to talk a lot. I wouldn't be surviving without my sweet husband, who has definitely been a lifesaver, doing all the grocery shopping, cooking, and straightening up. Stay tuned for week 15!

12 Weeks

The baby is now the size of a large plum!
Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 12 Weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 5 pounds
Maternity Clothes: Yes. I had to buy some shorts and tops. I am spreading at an alarming rate!
Best Moment this week: My 12 week ultrasound, hearing the baby's heartbeat and seeing him/her wiggle and jump around.
Gender: Who knows! It's too early to tell but we have a poll going on the blog, so feel free to vote!
Movement: None yet.
Food Craving: I haven't really had any specific cravings yet. Usually I'll see a commercial or hear someone talking about a certain type of food and then I want to have it. Although I did eat popcorn with chocolate chips in it for dinner the other night.
What I miss: My clothes fitting! My smaller chest!
Sleep: Sleeping ok, but definitely having weird dreams. Between that and getting up 5-6 times during the night to go to the bathroom, I've been taking a lot of naps!
What I am looking forward to: Finding out what we're having and planning the nursery!
Belly Button: Definitely in
Symptoms: Slowly getting better, but I've definitely been nauseous and extremely tired. I wasn't prepared for how incredibly tired I would be!
Overall, the past 12 weeks havn't been too bad. I've only thrown up a few times (the most recent being an unfortunate event involving my 2 year old nephew, naptime, and a dirty diaper). Jackson has been incredibly supportive and accommodating these past few months. I think I've only cooked dinner twice and we've gotten a lot of use out of the takeout menu and frozen dinners! Stay tuned for the next update.

The Story

We are so overwhelmed and amazed by everyone's sweet words and prayers. We are blessed to have so many friends and family members encouraging us along the way. I'm hoping to be consistent in blogging so i can have something to look back on to remember this time. So here is how we got to where we are now.

I found out I was pregnant May 10th, the day after Mother's Day. I find it amazing that God in His great wisdom and allowed me to find out when I did. Mother's Day was a little hard given the miscarriage, and I was stuck on call at the hospital. I didn't feel well, but figured I was just tired. By Monday morning I wasn't feeling any better and I figured I might as well take a test, even though I shouldn't have been able to find out for another 4-5 days. Well, it was positive. And so were the 3 tests I took after that one! By the time Jackson got home in the afternoon, I was anxious and nervous and just wanted to tell someone. I was too excited to even think of any creative way to tell him. I think I just handed it over to him and said "here, look at this". Of course he was so excited and we went right out to buy a nice camera, which I still havn't figured out how to use!

I had a lot of time that day by myself to take it all in and I immediately thought to myself "I don't think I can go through this again, I can't have another miscarriage". But I decided right then that I wasn't going to allow this experience to be ruled by fear or worry. I thanked God for the amazing gift of a baby and said that if this pregnancy lasted 9 days or 9 weeks or the whole 9 months, I would praise Him and enjoy every moment. I read Psalm 34:4 which said "I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears". What an amazing thought. I needed to trust God to deliver me from all my fears and worry and live with the joy that He has intended for me. Our first appointment went well and I held my breath as the doctor did the ultrasound, until we saw this...

As she zoomed in, we saw the beautiful flicker of a little heartbeat and I started to cry. Everything looked great, but my sweet doctor said "I know you're nervous, so why don't you come back next week and we'll do another ultrasound". It was music to my ears. So the next week Jackson and I and our sweet friend Kim (Jackson wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it so she came with me so I wasn't by myself) headed back to the office, and that's when we heard the heartbeat for the very first time (I tried to post a video, but havn't figured out how to do that yet).
I've never been so happy in my life. So here we are 12 weeks into our journey and we continue to be amazed at God's goodness.

So thanks for coming along with us on this exciting ride! Don't forget to vote for your thoughts on whether baby is a boy or girl. And feel free to leave a comment, as I usually check them daily. Tomorrow will be my first belly shot (yikes!), so we'll see how that goes!

It's Official

Well, Jackson and I will be changing our names come January 2011.....we will further be known as "mommy and daddy"! That's right, God has blessed us with the most incredible gift and we couldn't be more humbled or grateful. We had our 12 week ultrasound today and everything looks great. Baby's heart was beating strong at 170 and the little peanut was fast asleep. The ultrasound tech had me drink a coke to help wake him/her up and it certainly did the trick. After that little burst of caffeine we had a full fledged acrobat putting on a show inside my belly. I can't put into words how amazing it is to see this life growing and I can only be more certain of the fact that God is an amazing Creator. So without further ado, we are proud to introduce you to Baby Jones!

I am so excited to have this blog as a way to keep family and friends updated on our little one's progress as well as having a way for me to keep a journal of this exciting time. Every Friday I will be updating the blog with a belly shot (yikes!) and the latest info on where we're at. Tomorrow I'll update with more pictures and how we found out about the little one. Thank you for all of your encouragement and support. We covet your prayers for a healthy baby and look forward to the next several months!