The Making of the Scholl Family

Hadley's Christmas Update

2012-01-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

Now that Hadley's over a year, I won't be doing monthly updates, but I do plan to post when I think of enough significant things from her life to blog about. I would also love to start blogging about OTHER things, but we'll see how that goes - I know how much time I don't have on a daily basis!

Hadley had a WONDERFUL second Christmas! She seemed to love opening presents, but as expected, the boxes and paper were much more entertaining than what came inside! Haddy also did an amazing job with all of the changes in schedule/routine and considering that she was sick with her second cold (to go along with her second and third teeth coming through)! She did end up being rocked to sleep quite a bit, which (thankfully!) we've gotten out of the habit of doing except for occasionally at nap time, but it's really hard NOT to rock her to sleep when you're traveling, sleeping in a Pack n Play, and/or staying in a house full of people who are also trying to sleep!

Hadley was so blessed by the generosity of family and friends this Christmas (as were Mommy & Daddy)! So much so that I do believe we'll need to add on to our house just to contain all of the toys and clothes she received! What a blessed little girl!

Hadley got to see Santa (or was he Father Christmas?) at Goody'z restaurant this year! She was shy and a little clingy, but she didn't cry! She really enjoyed looking at his musical pocket watch! We also took her to see the train display at Uncle B's store - she really enjoyed that, too!

Haddy also started doing many new signs this month, and making more noises/sounds/words. She now signs "fish," and "please," (in addition to milk, more, and thank you). She has also started making up her own signs for things like "sit" (she pats her belly, mimicking how I pat my lap when I want her to sit on my lap) and "Captain Hook" (she makes her finger into a hook and waves it around). She also stretches her arms up for "so big!" and will consistently say, Mama, Dada (although she thinks SHE is Dada), dog, cat (in a cute high-pitched voice), duck, and she'll smell Daddy's shoes, scrunch up her nose & say "stink." Hadley has also started to put her hands in front of her face to play Peek-a-Boo & she will act out "If You're Happy and You Know It," "I'm a Nut," "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (we sing Haddy Scholl, Haddy Scholl)," and "Patty Cake."

Hadley still knows what she likes as far as food is concerned, so Mama's still having to figure out ways to sneak in fruits and veggies other than bananas, peaches, applesauce, and peas. Meats and breads never seem to be a problem, though! Haddy is also starting to feed herself with a fork. She will put the fork right into her mouth if you pre-load it for her, and she will try to load it up herself, but she doesn't quite have the hand-eye coordination needed for that yet! She is also starting to be able to catch and throw.

Oh and one last thing - come this spring, Hadley will be a big sister to a LITTLE SISTER! Yes, Baby Scholl #2 is a GIRL and we couldn't be more excited (especially Daddy, since now he doesn't need to buy new stuff - LOL!)!

Hadley's 1 year update!

2011-12-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

Here goes - Hadley's ONE YEAR UPDATE! I still can't believe our baby girl is a year old! Time truly DOES fly once you become a parent. To start off with, here are Haddy's one year stats from her well-baby checkup last week. Our little peanut is still a little peanut. She measured in the 5th percentile for everything: she weighs 18lb-2oz, has a 17 inch head circumference, & is 27-3/4 inches tall. She got three shots, which she was NOT happy with and she didn't seem to be too convinced when Mommy tried to tell her that the shots were meant to keep her safe & healthy!

Hadley is completely weaned at this point, which may have happened sooner than the time that I actually weaned her, as I've been feeling like my supply had been drying up for a while since I've become pregnant again. Especially since I just decided to go cold-turkey one day (2 weeks before she turned 1) and she never looked back! I would say that Haddy had minor emotional issues that week & it wasn't exactly a smooth transition to cow's milk, but I think that was more the fact that she doesn't like to drink much period, not just milk. She seems to be doing pretty well now. There were a few weeks in there (that coincidentally went hand-in-hand with weaning) where Haddy was a terribly picky eater. Fruits & veggies were spit back out the second they were put into her mouth. We seem to be working past that for the most part now, though, which is a huge relief to Mommy!

Haddy FINALLY sprouted her first tooth this month, which coincided "nicely" with her first cold. The first night was rough, as she was so congested & couldn't breathe, so she spent a couple of hours sleeping on Mama's shoulder in the rocking chair until she had finally drained enough to be put down flat, slept 5 hours in her crib & was then super clingy all of the next day. She was pretty much her normal self after the first day or two, which was a relief, since she wanted nothing to do with anyone other than Mommy while she was sick. Lucky for her that she has a great Daddy who went out to buy her VapoRub at 10PM after a super-long day of work with parent-teacher conferences just to give her some relief!

In Haddy's 12th month, she celebrated her first Halloween and her first Thanksgiving! For Halloween, she dressed up as Tinkerbell. We only went trick or treating to two houses, Aunt Mel/Uncle Pat's & Carolina's (the next door neighbor), but Haddy didn't really know the difference. She was more excited to pace back and forth in front of the door, waiting and
watching out the window for more trick or treaters to come! It was so precious! Hadley did a great job eating her first Thanksgiving dinner, as well! She really seemed to enjoy the turkey, stuffing, corn casserole, homemade noodles, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes!

During this month, we also celebrated Uncle Rob & Aunt Kasia's wedding! Hadley enjoyed entertaining everyone there!

Hadley's vocabulary is slowly starting to grow. While mostly only understood by Mommy and Daddy, Haddy can now say dog and duck (which basically sound the same). Although she doesn't verbalize much, she understands a TON! It seriously amazes us on a daily basis how much she seems to know and absorb from her environment. And WOW can she communicate! She really started to pick up on the baby sign language this month! She regularly (and accurately) signs 'more' when she wants food (or more food) or if she wants you to read her a story again - she also uses it for 'please'. Haddy can also sign for 'milk' and she finds her own way of communicating other things to us. For example, if she wants a snack, she will sign 'more' and then smack her lips!

Hadley also learned how to climb the stairs this month, so I guess it's about time we invested in some baby gates at the top and bottom of our stairs, huh? Haddy also loves to dance now! Her favorite tunes are Sharky & Bones from Jake & the Neverland Pirates (hopefully we'll get video of this soon!).

And here are some picture updates from Hadley's two birthday celebrations!

If you would like to see the video that Gregg made for Hadley, you can watch it here (password in caps: HADDYKINS)

Our Cards!

2011-11-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

Without further ado - our Christmas cards!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas Cards!

2011-11-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

Can I just say how much I LOVE Christmas? I have always been one to be really excited about the holidays (pretty much from Halloween through the New Year) ever since I was a little kid, but I have to say that this year is probably the most excited I've been in a long, long time. Five of the past six Christmases have been marked by sadness, emptiness, and longing for a child. And then last Christmas, I was mommy to a one-month old, so while I do remember bits and pieces of it, it more or less passed in a sleepless blur.

But not this year! This year, we will have a one-year-old who loves to play with paper and boxes and can really pick up on the emotions (excitement!) of others, particularly Mommy & Daddy! Although I've already started listening to Christmas music with Hadley, we're most excited to start decorating the house, watching Christmas movies and cartoons, and making our own Christmas traditions.

I'm also really excited that we'll be sending out photo Christmas cards again this year! I've already started scouring through our recent pics (and we even purposely took a couple photos while we were on our vacation) to find the perfect ones for our cards! I’ve been browsing the cards on Shutterfly and there are so many options, my head is spinning! I think these two are my favorites, but we will probably want to put in one family pic and one or two of Hadley, so maybe something like this or this or this would be better! I'm also planning on making photo calendars for Christmas gifts, too! ☺

And now onto the fun stuff! Because I have such great readers & took the time to share about my great experience with Shutterfly, they have sent me 3 codes to give away to my readers, good for 25 free photo cards! (Shipping may still apply, but I know it is very affordable!) If you would like to enter, simply leave a comment below telling me your favorite thing about Christmas (favorite song, movie, cookie, food, memory, tradition, etc! Anything!). I will use a random number generator to select three winners on November 28th! Good luck!

15 weeks!

2011-11-11T18:32:00.001-08:00

I know, I know...it seems SO unfair that Haddy got a post almost every week in-utero from 4 weeks on through her birth...I feel like I'm short-changing this baby. I HAVE been writing down notes, etc, but I just honestly don't have the time during the day (or the energy at night!) to type them up! I'm going to try and do a re-cap (complete with all the pics that I've taken of the belly progression & our ultrasounds when G scans them in) of the 1st trimester - I can't believe we're quickly approaching the halfway mark...we will know the gender in just over 5 weeks! HOLY MOLY!

On September 7th, Gregg was home from school (on what would have been his 2nd day back for the year) due to flooding. I was on my online infertility board while Haddy was sleeping, asking my friends about how long it took for their cycles to regulate after giving birth, since it had been about 8 weeks since I had last seen mine! They all told me that I needed to go out and "take a test" to which I laughed - I mean seriously? We tried for 5 years before we finally got our miracle baby & they were trying to tell me that I was pg now? When we weren't even trying? When the chances were less than they had ever been in all of the 5 years prior to this? I didn't want to spend the money on the test, but I had heard of using an ovulation predictor test strip as a pg test. I went upstairs and peed on the stick, only for two lines to pop up immediately. That meant one of two things...either I was pg or ovulating. I was still in disbelief & I told the girls that it would have to wait until Friday (this was a Wednesday) when I could get to the dollar store to buy a test. Well...they were having none of that and told me that if I didn't go march myself out to the drug store and buy a test, they were going to start a pg test fund for me! LOL! Ok, ok, twist my arm! So I went out and bought a test & came home and took it. Well...the test line used so much of the dye that there was barely anything left for the control line! We were pregnant!

After several days of major freaking out on my part (worrying about how I could possibly handle two babies when Haddy still wasn't sleeping through the night, etc), I got used to the idea and definitely started getting very excited.

On September 9th, they squeezed me in to the doctor's office for the initial consultation & bloodwork. I had them run a few extra checks for my thyroid & progesterone levels, since those are things I've had issues with in the past, once I've gotten pregnant...but everything came back fine!

On September 15th, we went for our initial ultrasound. We didn't really know what to expect since we didn't know for sure how far along I was (we thought 8 weeks), but the dr's office was great. They had me listed as "high risk" until we got that first appointment and could see/hear the heartbeat. I ended up measuring about 6.5 weeks & we could see & hear a strong little heartbeat inside! It was all so surreal - how could this be happening? to us? and so soon?

At the end of September (the 18th & 30th respectively, I believe), we shared the good news with Gregg's family and then with mine! Everyone was as shocked as we were! We shared the news by putting Hadley in a bib that said, "I'm the BIG sister!" I think we confused everyone a little bit, but once they caught on, they were overjoyed for us!

The day before leaving for Disney, on October 19th, we went to the Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit for our Level I ultrasound. We got some great pics of the baby & once again it hit us how surreal this whole experience was!

As for how I'm feeling, things are going well. The first few weeks were really rough. I don't think they were any worse than the last time around, but to be dealing with nausea & extreme fatigue while simultaneously chasing around a VERY active little one - well let's just say it was tough. I slept during all of Hadley's naps from about 8-12 weeks - I was seriously wiped out (which could have also had something to do with the fact that I was still nursing until just two days ago!). I definitely don't remember feeling so tired last time. I still do take a nap during at least one of Haddy's naps now, but the EXTREME fatigue (like seriously wanting to fall asleep while playing with Haddy) has passed for now.

The nausea was really bad during that same time period (8-12 weeks). I not-so-fondly recall gagging over changing dirty diapers & the smell of Hadley's baby food. I am SO glad that phase is behind me!

Now that I'm in the second trimester, I'm starting to feel better & a bit more like my old self again! Hadley has been a sweetheart & will kiss Mommy's belly anytime we ask her to! I don't think she gets it at all, but it's still so darn cute!

We've got exactly 5 weeks to go until we find out if BS#2 is a boy or a girl! We can't wait!

Pics to be added later!

Hadley's 11-month update!

2011-10-31T18:32:00.001-07:00

As promised, Hadley's 11th month was an exciting, busy, and fun-filled one! It started off by announcing to Grammy, Granddad, MumMum, & Pops that Hadley was going to become a big sister! Yes, much to everyone's (including Mommy & Daddy's) surprise, Baby Scholl #2 is due Cinco de Mayo, 2012! We couldn't be more excited!

Hadley mostly wears 12 month clothes now, but still hangs out in some of her 9 month outfits. She is still in size 3 diapers, and has (much to Mommy's dismay) become somewhat of a picky eater. She will eat pancakes, rice, toast (carbs!) with the best of them, as well as most meats, but give her a fruit or veggie and she spits it right back out, unless it's in baby food form, or her morning banana with her yogurt. It's frustrating when trying to get her a balanced diet, but we do what we can to squeeze everything in!

This month, Haddy has gotten really good at bending over to pick up something from the floor (even a small object) and not falling flat on her hiney, but rather being able to stand back up with ease. She also can now clap & say "yay!" and she will give kisses (nice big, wet, open-mouthed ones) if you ask for them, or she will "blow" kisses to you if you blow them to her first. Her blown kisses are really quite funny, though, as she sticks a finger or her fist in her mouth, makes an exhaling sort of noise, and shoots her hand out in your direction, but it's still SO cute! She also will hug and kiss her "babies" (stuffed baby, penguin, Minnie Mouse, etc).

Hadley also had her first trip to Uncle Tim's pumpkin patch & apple farm this month! Though, we don't think she really understood what was going on very much, Haddy had fun sitting amongst the pumpkins & getting her picture taken with the fall decorations!

Haddy also had a mini photo-shoot to model her Thanksgiving dress in the beautiful fall leaves at Aunt Sandy's house! She wasn't quite sure what to think of those brown, crunchy things!

Hadley also had her first trip to Disney World (and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter) this month with Daddy, Mommy, Grammy, and Granddad! She was such a trooper the whole time, including being a very good sleeper and behaving great on her first plane ride. She rode many rides, which included: Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Scary Adventures of Snow White, Peter Pan, Prince Charming's Carousel, Finding Nemo, Great Spaceship Earth, Captain EO, the Haunted Mansion, Journey to Imagination with Figment, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, the Enchanted Tiki Room, MuppetVision 3-D, and Aladdin's Magic Carpets. Her favorite ride was It's a Small World and she loved the Disney Jr. Show, as well! She met several characters (Snow White, Marie the Cat, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy), but she wasn't really sure what to think of most of them.

We also celebrated Haddy's 1st birthday while in Disney (a bit early) - she was so meticulous when pulling the little chocolate candies off the outside of the cake.

What a wonderful little girl we have!

Hadley's 10-month update!

2011-09-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

The word of the month is....SLEEP! Yes, that's right, this month, we can really, FINALLY say that Hadley now SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT! It only took her ten months, but for about two weeks now, Hadley has been going to bed around 7:30pm and sleeping (almost always without waking) until 6:30am! Napping has also gotten somewhat better. She usually takes one long nap in the morning (1.5+ hours) and then her second nap of the day tends to be more unpredictable, ranging anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour and a half again.

Hadley has become a super walker & now attempts to run at full speed when she wants to get somewhere, particularly when Daddy walks in the door from work. It's actually pretty funny because if he doesn't come to see her immediately, she starts to cry. She won't even let him go to the bathroom or change his clothes without taking her with him! I guess it's a good thing so that Daddy can get a little taste of how Mommy feels all day (especially the baby in the bathroom part! LOL)! In true Haddy fashion, she also decided a little late that crawling actually is a necessary skill, particularly for those times when you fall down with nothing around you to pull up on. Her version of a crawl looks more like the bear crawl (hands & toes), but it serves its purpose!

Hadley is also learning more and more about how to communicate. She waves often, which we've come to discover is sort of her universal communicant. Instead of pointing at something, she'll wave at it. If she wants something, she'll wave at it. If she likes something, she'll wave at it. Of course she still waves hello and goodbye, too! It also seems like Hadley understands us more and more everyday. If we give her something and say "give this to Daddy," she will (usually) walk it over to Daddy. Or if you say,"Go get a book to read with Mama," she'll often come back with a book and plop down beside you or in your lap. It's especially funny on days like today where she went and got the TV remote, gave it to Mama, sat down beside her & kept looking from the remote to the TV, waiting for something to happen! What can I say? She loves her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with her breakfast!

Despite the fact that she still has no teeth, Hadley is a super eater! She doesn't necessarily eat a great deal in quantity, especially at lunch (she'll eat half a jar of stage 3 baby food meat dinners and some puffs or fruit), but there is basically nothing that she won't eat for us! We took her out to eat over the weekend and she was eating rice and lo mein at PF Chang's & then today, she ate baked chicken pieces & bits of broccoli, just like Mama & Daddy! She usually has a cup of yogurt & half a banana for breakfast, half a jar of baby food & puffs for lunch, and then oatmeal & some of whatever Mama and Daddy are eating for dinner. She's great at gumming her food!

Hadley is also still wearing a size 3 diaper. Her growing definitely seems to have slowed down, now that she has eliminated her nighttime feeding. She is still wearing mostly 9mo clothes with some 12mo thrown in there, but they're really still too big - she's in that "between sizes" stage where everything just seems to be too small or too big! She's just such a little peanut!

Haddy got to meet her Great Uncle Jim, Great Aunt Lisa, & cousin Jimmi!

I can't believe it, but preparations are underway for Hadley's first birthday party! Yes, in less than two short months, Hadley will be a year old! Where does the time go? Next month's update will be full of fun things from a visit to the Pumpkin Patch to a trip to Disney World!

Hadley's 9-month update!

2011-08-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

Hadley is nine months old today and what a crazy month it has been! As per her 9-month checkup at the pediatrician's office, Hadley is now almost 17 pounds (16lb, 13oz) & is 26 1/4 inches tall! She is in the 10th percentile for weight, height & head circumference - our little peanut! Haddy is still wearing size 3 diapers (though we tried 4s for a bit, but noticed no major difference, so we might as well stick with the cheaper size!), and mostly 9-month clothes. She still has no teeth & no sign of their impending arrival anytime soon. She has, however, began babbling up a storm with ga-ga, maaam, and DA-DA being her favorites, lucky for Daddy! Hadley has also begun to eat chunks of fruit and whole puffs this month, which she finger-feeds herself (mostly the puffs, the fruit is still a little difficult for her hand-eye coordination).

Haddy's new "talent" this month is standing up in the bath tub, which she finds highly entertaining. When Mommy and Daddy tell her sternly, "Hadley Rebecca, NO STANDING UP! PLEASE SIT DOWN!," she simply laughs at them! Oye! We're in for it! She is also getting better at creeping (army-crawl style), but makes it about two inches before getting frustrated & rolling over. She would prefer to walk, and has taken about 4-5 steps on her own.

Hadley is also obsessed with paper these days. She can't get enough of playing in Daddy's recycling bin, tipping it over, spreading the contents all over the floor, and then ripping up the paper into itty-bitty pieces. Because of this, she has also learned the word "NO," which she actually responds appropriately to (we let her rip up the paper but she hears NO when she tries to put it in her mouth).

We started the month out with a family photo at the beach with EVERYONE from Daddy's side of the family - all of his brothers & sisters & their families came to Grammy & Granddad's shore house in Ocean City for a picture. It was really crazy having everyone there all at once. Haddy especially had a good time chasing around the kitty & "talking" to her cousin, Abby.

After returning from the shore, Mommy & Daddy took Haddy to Daddy's church softball picnic. Hadley was such a good girl there! She slept in her stroller & enjoyed walking all over the inside of the modular while Daddy was in the hot sun playing his game. We also took another camping trip this month. Haddy was a "decent" sleeper while we were there, but that's a relative term, of course! She enjoyed her stroller rides & started eating small pieces of puffs & veggie straws while we were at the cabin.

Haddy also visited her friend Payton this month, when Mommy and Daddy went to Payton's parents' house for a picnic. Hadley had a good time playing with Payton & even tried to give her a big kiss! We think it was really nice for the girls to get together and it was really neat to see them interact!

Finally, we went to the shore again this past week. Haddy (along with Mommy, Daddy, and Aunt Kate) experienced her first earthquake, while she was finishing up her lunch. What a crazy experience that was, but everyone was fine, thank goodness! Hadley seemed to enjoy the beach more this time. She loved the sand and even didn't seem to mind getting her feet wet...that is until a wave came up to her belly button & the cold water made her cry! Hadley also took a surrey ride with Daddy, Grammy, Aunt Ellie, Aunt Mel, David, Caroline, and Kathryn (basically everyone but Mommy, as she was back at the house sleeping). She was a very good girl and seemed to enjoy the ride.

We had been planning to stay at the shore until this coming Saturday (tomorrow), but Hurricane Irene had other plans, so we left last night to beat the rush (as there is a mandatory evacuation of Ocean City). Hopefully everyone stays safe & I don't have to write about any crazy hurricane stories in Haddy's 10-month update!

Hadley's 8-month update!

2011-07-25T06:27:00.001-07:00

I guess since I wrote Hadley's last update two weeks late, it would only be appropriate to write this one a bit early! Hadley has continued to amaze us this month with the things she picks up on and how quickly she learns (including how to get what she wants, when she wants it!!)!

This month, Hadley went on her first camping trip with Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Jenna, MumMum & Pops at MumMum & Pops's cabin in Pine Glen. She was an ok sleeper there (for the most part) and she also learned (while camping) that her stroller isn't half bad! Mommy's friend Stacey came to visit while we were there, along with her husband Seth & their daughter Mady.

Since we were just a few minutes away while we were camping, we also went to Hadley's first parade in Snow Shoe (where she scored a nice, big bag of candy for Daddy). She loved watching the bands and twirling groups go by, but she wasn't as thrilled with the loud firetrucks.

We spent Hadley's first fourth of July at the shore (we had an early picnic at MumMum & Pops's house the weekend before), where Hadley was her usual non-sleeping self!

We went to the beach for a little bit while we were there, but Hadley (again) wasn't too sure of the sand or the water! Aunt Jenna went on this trip with us, as well, so that was fun for everyone!

While we were there, we drove over to the Cape May Zoo! Hadley loved looking at the animals & she did a great job in her stroller, despite the fact that it was so hot! As a special treat before we left, Hadley, Mommy, & Aunt Jenna rode on the carousel (Haddy rode on a zebra)!

We also took Aunt Jenna mini-golfing (Hadley slept almost the whole time, which was super!) & Haddy had her first lick of a lollipop after we had breakfast at Uncle Bill's restaurant!

Mommy and Haddy went up to MumMum & Pops's house to stay for a few days while Daddy was playing softball. While there, Mommy introduced Haddy to the finer points of central PA yard sales! It worked out great for Hadley since she got a nice start on her fall-winter wardrobe! Mommy also took Hadley to her old church's annual picnic, where Haddy got to go on her first hayride! She also got to meet Mommy's friend Jen & her son Cody that weekend!

As far as new milestones, Hadley is getting so strong! She still hates to be on her belly, but will occasionally push up onto her hands and knees. She doesn't rock or attempt to creep really (maybe a little) because she doesn't like being there, so she just cries and then rolls over! She does, however, love to walk & gets frustrated when you hide your hands from her, because she just wants to take them and walk all over the house (particularly when she can chase the cats at MumMum & Pops's house)! She likes to stand beside boxes or furniture & is slowly starting to get the hang of holding onto it! She is starting to pull herself up onto furniture, etc, so I feel that lowering the crib will be in the very near future (like today!)!!

Hadley also waves at herself in the mirror (and occasionally at people she sees) by raising her arm and sort of slowly turning her hand over (like a beauty queen!)! She also likes to kiss herself in the mirror!

Hadley continues to be such a great eater! Mommy has gone a little crazy making baby food this month, so Hadley has eaten green beans, carrots, pear/blueberry/banana, peach/banana, as well as chicken and turkey blends (though Mommy didn't try her hand at making those last two yet). Haddy eats pretty much everything, which makes this Momma happy! She even tried a little lick of an ice cream cone and (like her Daddy!) loved it!

Haddy also got to meet her Aunt Kasia (from Poland) this month! Here she is with Aunt Kasia and Uncle Robbie (Haddy likes to play with Uncle Robbie's beard).

And a special shout-out to Hadley's "Uncle" Nicholas who is bravely serving in the Navy in Afghanistan! Go Navy!

Hadley's 7-month update

2011-07-11T18:07:00.001-07:00

I know, I know...I'm more than two weeks late with this update, but better late than never, right? We've been away for basically the past three weeks straight, so my computer time has been even more limited than usual! Hopefully I can get this published before she turns 8 months old!

Hadley has really started to become a "big girl" this month! She sits up on her own and will reach for you to hold her if you put your hands out to her. Her eye sight is impeccable; Hadley smiles at you from across the room & can see even the tiniest speck of anything lying on the floor - unfortunately for Mommy & Daddy - gotta watch that girl like a hawk! Along with her eye sight, her manual dexterity is pretty amazing! She transfers from one hand to the other & can reach for & grasp things as tiny as a hair...which she then tries to put in her mouth! She also says "MA!" quite often, but I'm still not convinced it's used in reference to Mommy! Hadley also decided that now was the time to roll onto her belly! She will willingly roll from back to belly now (sometimes without any motivation), and then back again!

Hadley got too big for her tub, so we started giving her baths in the sink, sitting in her Bumbo and she is finally starting to sleep through the night (minus the time we were on vacation, of course!). She is still in size 3 diapers, and in mostly 6 month clothing, with some 9 months just beginning to fit her.

Hadley's favorite toys this month are her Taggie blankets and Potsy (which she loves to dump over & then throw the pieces). Mommy & Daddy also let Hadley watch 10 minutes or so of a show here & there. She really likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Sesame Street, but doesn't have much of an attention span for it, which is great!
Hadley went swimming in the pool at Grammy & Granddad's house for the first time this month! She did really well, but we couldn't be sure if she actually liked it or not!
We also let Hadley gnaw on a pretzel this month, though it's hard to tell whether she enjoyed it or not (the second time, she seemed to like it a bit more)!
Hadley went on her first trip to the shore this month (for Memorial Day), and then again with our friends from Daddy's work in mid-June. Aside from sleeping, she did a great job! She didn't mind her toes in the sand, but wasn't too sure of that cold water!
Haddy celebrated Daddy's first Father's Day this month, too! It was a really special day for Daddy, even though he spent much of it playing softball!

Hadley also said goodbye to her Great Grandpop Scholl this month. Although they never had the chance to meet (Hadley was just 2 weeks old when they had a party at the nursing home, celebrating his 99th birthday), Hadley will grow up hearing many stories of what a special person he was!

What will Hadley's 8th month bring?

Happy Half-Birthday, Hadley!

2011-06-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've been a mommy for half a year now! It almost seems impossible. I realize I did spend more than half of that time in a sleepless haze, but still. I'm glad I've journaled about her life every month because it just goes to show how time does fly by!

Hadley's sixth month continued to be another month of growth and change for our little girl! At her 6 month check-up, Hadley weighed 15 pounds exactly. She is 24 1/2 inches tall & her head circumference is 16 1/8 inches. This month, Hadley tried apples, bananas, peaches, green beans & apricots for the first time. She does not like apples or green beans, no matter how much we try to get her to eat them...she spits them right back out every time, but we'll keep trying. She will eat apples mixed with other fruits, though.

Mommy had a very special birthday of her own this month - her first birthday with Hadley! We went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse & Hadley wasn't such a good girl - she didn't want to sit in the high chair at all, so Grammy ended up taking her outside after she was finished eating - Hadley just wants to be on the move all the time!

Giving Mama lovin' on her birthday!

Hadley had a big milestone this month when, on May 7th, 2011, she rolled over from belly to back for the first time, and she hasn't stopped since. I guess that must have been her early Mother's Day gift to me! She still won't roll back to belly, but I think it's more a matter of her not wanting to, rather than not having the ability to do it. She hates being on her belly, so why would she willingly roll onto it, you know?

On Mother's Day, we went to Aunt Ellie's house for Katy's First Holy Communion. Haddy did great in church & finally met all of her cousins, aunts & uncles that she hadn't yet met. She also got a picture taken with all 11 of her cousins, so that was very special. On that day, Haddy used her big girl car seat for the very first time.

On Hadley's six-month birthday, she went to both the 3- and 4-year-old graduations at Mommy's preschool. It was so nice to visit with the children, parents, and co-workers one last time.

What an exciting month!

We had a cookout at MumMum & Pops's house - Haddy liked to chew on their cups!

Haddy even watched the Royal Wedding with Mama on April 29th!

Hadley's 5-month update

2011-05-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hadley turned 5 months old about a week ago (I hate that I missed blogging about it right away, but things have been SO busy here!)! She is growing, growing, growing - up to about 14lb, 9oz now, with a head circumference of about 16 inches & a height of 24 inches! She is also gaining such a personality & is really a lot of fun to hang out with all day. Her favorite new toy is her Elmo's Super Boom Box from Aunt Jenna; Cookie Monster says, "Play it again!" - Daddy loves that, too! Hadley also makes "raspberries" with her lips from time to time & she laughed out loud this month when my family was up visiting from central PA.

Hadley has grown so much that she moved up ANOTHER size in diapers (up to size 3 now!) and her car seat is also on its biggest setting (we adjusted the waist and shoulder straps). We're hoping to get a few more months out of the infant seat, though she is getting too heavy to actually carry her in the seat when we go anywhere.

Hadley consistently uses her pacifier for naps now & she sleeps (at bedtime) with a little lovey blankie in her crib & her new crib aquarium. She is still in the swing for naps, which we're working on eliminating, but we also still have to swaddle her & bounce her to sleep for naps, so those ones might be tough to break!

Hadley also laughed this month when my family was visiting for her baptism!

Hadley had a lot of big events going on this month! She had her baptism on the 17th, which went very well. She looked like a little princess & didn't cry when she got the water sprinkled on her head. We had a nice brunch with all of our family and friends at Grammy & Granddad's house - we had a lot of visitors at our house that weekend since some of Mommy's family came in to visit: MumMum & Pops, Aunt Jenna, Aunt MaryAnne, Uncle Frank, Aunt Sandy & Tim.

The following weekend was Hadley's first Easter - she did GREAT on the trip up to MumMum & Pops's house, sleeping almost the entire way! While we were there, we got Hadley's picture taken to redeem a gift certificate that we received for her shower - the pics came out really cute, too. The trip home after Easter was not quite so smooth, as Hadley screamed for 45 minutes simply because she didn't want to be sitting in her car seat; fun times!

We also started Hadley on solids this month! It took her a couple weeks to get the hang of it, but now she eats like a champ - her favorites seem to be pears, bananas & carrots, though she seems to like everything we've given her so far (also squash & sweet potatoes). We started out with diluted rice cereal & she hasn't seemed to be a fan of that, but she does like it mixed in with her other solids.

Hadley's not a fan of rice cereal!

But she does seem to like it mixed with sweet potatoes!

Hadley also had two big events right after her 5-month-birthday, so I'll blog about them now otherwise I'll forget by the time the next (6 month???? REALLY?) update rolls around. First of all, a few days after her 5-month-birthday (right around Mommy's birthday), we started sleep training - she was still up EVERY THREE HOURS (or less) EVERY NIGHT and it was getting REALLY old for sleep-deprived Mommy. We knew that she didn't need to be eating, but we couldn't figure out why she was always up, as her gas issues seemed to have subsided for the most part. We finally realized that she just didn't know HOW to put herself back to sleep, since when she was up with gas, I would either nurse or just hold her to fall asleep because I felt so awful that she was in pain. With the exception of one night of crying for 3 hours (night #3), Hadley has done an awesome job! While she is still waking up almost as often, she is learning various self-soothing tactics to put herself back to sleep & has gone as much as 8 hours between feedings now! During the day, Hadley will stretch to about 4 hours between feedings, which is excellent!

We also had a visit to the pediatric GI specialist (which was scheduled a month and a half ago, when her gas issues were still really bad). We loved the doctor; he praised that I had continued breast feeding even though she had the gas issues, knowing that formula would not be more easily digested (though some people had suggested adding it in) & that I was planning on BFing for a year. He was really great in that he explained everything & did a lot of talking and questioning so that he could really get an in depth history of Hadley & her issues. In the end, he said she was a beautiful little girl and he couldn't rationalize ordering invasive tests on an otherwise healthy child, so that was that! Hopefully as she continues to grow, the gas issues will continue to lessen.

Overall, we had another great month! It just keeps getting better!

Hadley's 4-month update!

2011-03-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hadley had her 4-month checkup on Friday! I can't believe she's a third of a year old already! She is growing so quickly! She weighed 13 pounds, 6 ounces; her head circumference was 15 3/4, and her height was 23 1/2 inches! That put her in the 10th percentile for height, the 25th for head circumference, and the 50th percentile for weight - our little chunky monkey!

Although still having major sleep issues (still getting up every three hours all night, every night, almost always due to gas pains), Hadley continues to be a very pleasant baby during the day. She smiles all the time now...at Daddy when he comes home from work, at herself in the mirror, at her grandparents (even on Skype!). Hadley is also slowly getting a little more tolerant of tummy time, so she can lift her head pretty high (90 degrees) when she wants to. She squeals often, which we think must be the precursor to her laughing, and she seems to want to have nothing to with rolling over yet, though she does lift her legs and shift her weight from one side to the other when she is playing on her back. She is also getting really good at grasping things, which means that once she gets ahold of something, it goes right into her mouth! Her favorite toys are stuffed ones, which she can chew on!

During this month, Hadley has also found her feet, which she plays with often now! She will hold onto them as she lifts her butt for diaper changes, which Mommy and Daddy both think is pretty funny! Hadley also loves to suck on her fingers; she does this quite often! She can also (and usually does) go about three hours between each feeding during the day now, so her schedule is often eat, play, sleep (for 45 minutes - no more, no less), play, then repeat!

A few weeks ago, we took Hadley to visit our friends, the Knights. Their son, Ryan, though not due until January, was born just two days after Hadley in the same hospital (the day we were going home). They were so cute when we actually got them to look at each other (and Shake n Bake with their daddies' help!!)

And finally, here is a funny story from Hadley's fourth month...Daddy was playing with Hadley one day while Mommy had a snack - a banana with peanut butter. Daddy wasn't sure if he liked it, so he asked Mommy for a bite. Later on, while Mommy was feeding Hadley, Daddy got the same snack and offered Mommy a bite in exchange for the one she gave him earlier. As he was bringing the banana over for Mommy to take a bite, the banana broke in half and landed, peanut butter side down on Hadley's head! I wish we had taken a picture because she looked like a little peanut butter Alfalfa (and smelled like one, too)!

And now for this month in pictures...

Hadley's 3-month update!

2011-02-28T12:13:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Hadley turned 3 months old! I can't believe she's a quarter of a year old already! That is so scary and it makes me sad, but it's been so much fun to watch her grow and change! I can't wait for each new step! We weighed her on her granddad's baby scale over the weekend & she weighed 12lb, 1 oz! What a big girl!

This month, Hadley had a bunch more firsts! She went to her Daddy's school for the first time and met all of his co-workers and students. She also met all of Mommy's cheerleaders and they oohed and aahed over her! She did an awesome job that day and wasn't fussy at all, which was a huge deal since she went to a dinner for Daddy's basketball team that evening, so she had been out and about all day. She also watched her very first Superbowl with Mommy and Daddy at Aunt Mel & Uncle Pat's house, but unfortunately (or fortunately if you ask her daddy), the Steelers lost to Green Bay.

Hadley is becoming somewhat of a better napper, but does still like to be held for at least one nap a day. She typically eats, plays & naps (in that order) about 3-4 times throughout the day. She is slowly becoming a better sleeper at night, as well. In her third month, she typically slept between 3-4 hours for her longest stretch each night, followed usually by a couple of two hour stretches. She did have a six hour stretch about a week ago, so I think we're on to something, as she continues to grow! Speaking of growing, Hadley is now in size 2 diapers and all of her clothes are now 3-months (none of the 0-3 will fit anymore)!

Hadley has been cooing and smiling a lot more this month, but it's still been difficult to catch them on film (because she tends to look at the camera instead of at Mommy or Daddy, who are trying to get her to smile). Hadley is getting better at sitting in the Bumbo seat, as well, though she still doesn't *love* it. She also doesn't really enjoy tummy time, but has been picking her head up to about 45 degree angles here and there.

Hadley still loves playtime on her back & that is often when she has her best smiles, however, she does love to sway her head back and forth, which has given her a lovely bald stretch all across the back of her head (think bowl cut up high & mullet down low with the nice hairless streak in between!).

We got to take a trip home to visit Mum-Mum and Pops (and the rest of the family), which was really nice since we hadn't been home since Christmas. Hadley did an amazing job in the car ride, sleeping for most of it, despite the fact that she was in her dreaded car seat for about five hours that day. On the way to Mum-Mum & Pops's house, we stopped to pick up Aunt Jenna at school, so we couldn't pass up the chance to get Hadley's first photos with the Nittany Lion, especially since it was such a beautiful day!

Finally, Hadley's newest accomplishments are sucking on her upper lip and her fists, which is really, really cute. She's also starting to twist and roll a bit, so we think that rolling over might start within the next month. She's growing up so fast!

And now, some pics from this month...

Hadley's 2 month update!

2011-01-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hadley turned 2 months old on Wednesday! WOW! She had her 2-month well-visit & had to get some shots, so that wasn't very much fun! 3 shots & an oral vaccine later & the tears were done as soon as Mama picked her up - I think I may have cried almost as much as she did - it's so sad to see your baby in pain!!! Here are Hadley's 2-month stats...she weighs 10lbs exactly (up almost 2 whole pounds from last month!), her head is 14-3/4 inches (grew 3/4 inch), and she is 21-3/4 inches long (2 inches longer than last month)! She got her vaccines for rotavirus (oral), pneumonococcal, ADPT/IPV/Hib, & a booster for HBV.

Hadley had some big milestones this month. She has started to coo and smile - her first smile was during a little family dance party, around 6.5 weeks. Her best smiles are usually during her early-morning diaper changes. She has slowly started to become a better sleeper, now going 3-4 hours between her first and second feedings at night...all the others are still usually 2 hours & often only because she gets woken up by dirty diapers or gas pains. She still won't take a pacifier, but we've figured out two pacis that are good possibilities for the future...she has also outgrown almost all of her newborn clothes now & is also in the next size (size 1) diapers. We also adjusted her car seat straps to the second level (but she still cries when you put her in the seat)!

Hadley also had to have an ultrasound done on her hips this month. At her 1-month appointment, the doctor said that she had "asymmetrical thigh folds," so they wanted to do an ultrasound just to make sure that the ball & socket were aligned & forming properly, which they were. She was such a good girl for the ultrasound, too!

Hadley is much more wakeful during the day, which also means that she does not like to take naps (or if she does, she insists on being held the whole time). This would make Mommy crazy except that Hadley continues to be pleasant most of the time during the day. When she gets fussy (and she's not hungry), bouncing on the big exercise ball usually does the trick (and often puts her to sleep). Hadley also loves to look at herself in her swing mirror & also the mirror on her play mat. She's getting very good at hitting and kicking the toys on her mat. Mommy and Daddy are always singing to Hadley - Daddy's new song to sing is "Sweet Little Hadley" to the tune of "Sweet Serendipity" by Lee Dewyze.

Hey! You want a piece of me?

Bathing Beauty

Not a fan of the Bumbo seat!

Big smiles!!

Snow Day with Daddy!

And some videos...

Hadley's 1 month update!

2011-01-08T13:27:00.001-08:00

I'm only 2 weeks late, but better late than never! Here's a list of Hadley's milestones and favorites from her first month of life!

Hadley has had a big month! She's met and had her picture taken with almost everyone in her Mommy & Daddy's families. She's been given a Godmother (Aunt Jenna) and a Godfather (Uncle Jeff/ Uncle J-Mo). Her neck and legs are getting very strong and she's beginning to grow out of all of her newborn clothes! She got her social security card in the mail, as well as her birth certificate, which came printed with the wrong date (November 27th)!!

Hadley had a lot of firsts this month: Her first tub bath, her first photo shoot, her first Christmas, her first big road trip up to Mum-Mum and Pops's house for Christmas, her first trip to the doctor & her first time at church! She even got to play baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve service (with Mommy and Daddy as Mary and Joseph!) Hadley also met Santa for the first time when he came to the neighborhood on a fire truck!

Hadley's favorite toys right now are her Little Einstein's Radio & her Leap Frog Pal, Violet (though I think that's really Daddy's favorite toy instead)! Hadley's only fussy when she's gassy & she's beginning to randomly smile. Hadley loves to dance with Mommy and Daddy - Daddy's favorite song to sing to her is "Smiling Face" by James Taylor. She also loves to bounce when she's fussy.

Hadley's a great little eater & that definitely showed at her one month doctor's appointment. After initially losing weight (going down to 5lb 10oz after leaving the hospital), she began to gain weight again and shot up to 8lb 1oz, 19 and 3/4 inches (grew an inch), and her head was 14 inches (grew an inch)!

Hadley dislikes being put into her carseat (and screams like a cat when Mommy and Daddy put her in it) but she is getting better and usually settles down once the car gets moving. She sleeps between two and three hours at a time at night, usually the first stretch being three hours and all of the ones there after being two hours at a time.

And now some first-month pictures (coming soon - having some upload issues w blogger)...

PS - I also added pics to Hadley's birth story post & I added a post before that for my 39 week update since that's the day I went into the hospital with her! :)

Cute little crying face...

First tub bath

Meeting Santa...

First photo shoot (she cried through about 90% of it - poor Renee!)

The Holy Family at the Christmas Eve service!

Christmas Morning!

First road trip to Mum-Mum and Pops's house on Christmas Day (look for Hadley in the mirror, just to the left of Gregg's ear! You can see her little head!)

One month old at Great Aunt Sandy's house for the family Christmas party!

Hadley's Birth Story!

2010-12-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, MIL is getting some Hadley time, so here is your birth story!!! :) Sorry, my kitty dying is intermingled with this story because it's part of the day's events.

On the morning of Black Friday (November 26th), I woke up around 2:30 AM with contractions. They weren't painful, but were coming at regular intervals between 7-20 minutes apart. I went downstairs and watched TV, etc so I wouldn't keep Gregg up. After a bit, I realized that I hadn't yet seen my kitty that day - she was not looking good the night before (breathing funny & just not being herself) & I actually cried at that time (Thanksgiving night) because something in me just told me it was the beginning of the end. I checked her usual spots & couldn't find her anywhere. I laid back down on the couch for a while, read, watched TV, etc & for some reason, though to check for her in the basement. As soon as I saw her lying on the concrete (something she would never normally do) and she didn't respond when I said her name (I didn't get close enough), I knew that she was gone. I was so, so sad. She was only 7 years old & she was a dating anniversary gift from Gregg for our 2nd anniversary. It was around 4:30 AM at this time & I ran upstairs to Gregg & woke him up: "Baby - um, two things...I think Faithy died and I'm in labor" - according to him, that was not the way he had planned on waking up that morning.

He went down into the basement and confirmed that she was gone & then texted his mom & dad so that they would call when they woke up. I continued with contractions throughout the morning until his dad called back. They were shocked at the news of Faithy passing & his Dad came over to take care of her. I wanted to see her to get some closure, but her eyes were open (according to G) and they could not be shut again, so I didn't get to see her. We drove over to G's parents' house & she was buried in their "pet cemetary" behind their house. G had basketball practice, so I stayed at his parents' house and continued laboring while he was gone (yeah, I know, I told him to go to practice...LOL). His mom and one of his sisters (Mel) timed my contractions all morning/afternoon. They were continuing to get stronger throughout the day & definitely becoming more regular. When they were about 7 minutes apart, I texted my mom and told her that I thought it was the real thing (after G's mom felt my contractions in my stomach and confirmed that this was most likely true labor).

We went home & I got showered & then we called the doctor around 3:30 when my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. Gregg had to take the call from the doctor when she returned our call (it goes to the answering service first) because I was busy throwing up. Despite the fact that my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart at this time, they told us to wait an hour and then leave for the hospital. My contractions were definitely stronger at this point & I was SO upset that we weren't able to go to the hospital yet. I was face-down on my exercise ball with a heating pad on my back, or with G rubbing my back constantly. We determined that my parents were about an hour away, so we waited for them to get there & then we left immediately.

The car ride was not a fun one & it seemed to take forever with lots of curvy, windy roads, despite the fact that it was only about 25 minutes. When we got there around 5PM, we went to L&D to get checked in & they told me that I needed to wait in the waiting room because they didn't have room for me. I was SO upset, I'm surprised I didn't cry. I ended up kneeling on the floor in front of one of the waiting room chairs, with my face in the chair, while mom or G rubbed my back and I breathed through all of the contractions, which were gaining in strength and frequency. To make matters worse, there were some annoying kids in the waiting room and I think I remember telling my mom that I was going to kill them - LOL.

After FORTY FIVE MINUTES (5:45pm) of laboring in the waiting room (there were about 4 other pg women there, but none as obviously into labor as I was), I was finally taken back into a triage room. A midwife came in to check me and immediately said, "whoa! We've got an active one - she's 8cm!" We were shocked! I knew the contractions were strong, but I was breathing through them and didn't think they were THAT awful. The doctor came in and I pretty much had to decide on the spot whether I wanted an epidural or not. I told her that I felt really good, but I was worried about the pushing part. She said, "I won't lie, the pushing is intense, but you're really going to feel that part either way" so I decided to tough it out (which is good since the anesthesiologist never got around to seeing me anyway, which they're supposed to do either way). They moved me to an L&D room & checked me again maybe half an hour later (6:30) and I was 9cm. The doctor broke my water & an hour later, I was 10 cm. I really didn't notice a difference in the strength of my contractions until the very end (right before I was checked at 10cm) - the nurse told me that if I felt the urge to push, I should take a deep breath in and breathe out in spurts like I'm blowing out candles - those were the hardest ones by far.

Once I was able to push, it was actually a great relief - fighting the pushing was definitely the worst part of labor. I began pushing around 8:15pm. There was definitely a learning curve in learning how to push, but the doctor and nurse were both great with encouragement & G was there the whole time with my ice chips, rubbing my back. After about an hour of pushing, I started to get really frustrated because I felt like I was doing it wrong or that it should be going faster, but the dr. assured me I was doing an amazing job. I remember both she & the nurse saying that they seriously should have made an educational video about laboring on me because they never ever would have guessed that I didn't have an epidural - I was one of the best "breathe through it" patients they ever saw! They encouraged me to change pushing positions (on my side) and those really helped to bring her down. Just before 2 hours, they switched me back to my back and I knew it must be time because they took off the bottom of my table, put up the stirrups & the dr. put on her gown. About 5 pushes later, I felt her head come out & another push or two came her shoulders & she was out! I did not even feel the "ring of fire" that so many women talk about - I honestly don't remember any pain during the pushing process - it was just exhausting...I think my nerve endings must be dead down there or something! :) And I was so proud of Gregg, he watched the whole thing and didn't pass out or get sick or anything (HUGE accomplishment for him)! Hadley Rebecca Scholl was born at 10:08PM, 19 inches long, weighing 6lb, 8oz! She had dark blue eyes and a little bit of brownish hair. They put her on my chest and it was all just so surreal - I almost felt like it was happening to someone else - some kind of out-of-body experience.

H was whisked away to the nursery (G went along) because they wanted to check her breathing (she was "grunting" a bit), but everything was fine. I delivered the afterbirth & was stitched back up for my 2nd degree tear & then I ended up watching What Not To Wear on TV alone in the room for 45 minutes while G was gone, even though I had asked the nurse to go get my family, which they never did. Our parents, G & H all ended up coming back at the same time and stayed with us until about midnight. I was so glad that both sets of parents could be there to see her right away. Though we hadn't planned on it, we ended up sending H to the nursery that night because we were both so exhausted and needed to get some sleep...of course I couldn't sleep anyway due to worrying about her, plus being on the adrenaline high, but that's a whole different story!

My doctor was amazing throughout the whole thing - before coming to me, she had only had an emergency c-section & then I was her only patient. She sat on the bottom of my bed the entire time - there are about 10 doctors at the practice and if I could have chosen, she would have been the one that I wanted, so I was SO happy when I knew she would be with me.

We texted Becki to tell her the good news and she cried when she heard the name - she said it was just perfect and she couldn't wait to meet her!

In the end, we said it's almost as though Faithy (our kitty) was like our filler baby - one angel left us just as the other came into our lives...

39 weeks!

2010-11-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

Here is me on Thanksgiving day with the animals protecting Hadley...one day before she was born...
Here I am at my in-laws' house the day that Hadley was born. Gregg was at basketball practice, so his mom and sister were timing my contractions while he was gone. Max, their dog, has always been my little buddy, but this goes to show that dogs really do have a sixth sense. During a contraction, he jumped up on the couch and put his paw on my belly!

Here is me at 39 weeks, in the hospital (at 8cm dilated) just about 4 hours before Hadley was born! We had just been checked into a room after laboring in the waiting room for 45 minutes (and at home all day!)

38 weeks!

2010-11-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

Today, I am officially 38w4d - holy moly! I had an appointment and everything appears to be great. My blood pressure was good & my weight has seemed to reach a plateau with exactly 25lb gained. Hadley's heartbeat sounded great & the nurse even commented on how active she was (as always)! We also found out that I'm about 1-2cm dilated, 40-50% effaced, and my cervix is soft & high - all good signs that my body is preparing itself just like it should! As the nurse practitioner said, I'm getting a lot of the leg-work of labor done ahead of time, which is excellent since all of my contractions have been non-painful!

So now we just continue to wait...and wait...and wonder if today is the day that little Hadley will finally decide to make her appearance! I've been bored out of my mind at home, so going to the doctor is actually a great distraction, which I'm thankful for! I'm so glad that G will be home for 5 days in a row to keep me company!

Next appointment scheduled for next Tuesday!

Christmas!

2010-11-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

Can I just say how much I LOVE Christmas? I love everything about it and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve already broken out the Christmas music a time or two, much to the dismay of my husband (but hey – at least I listen to it privately since I know how much it irks him to listen to it any time before Black Friday)!

This year is especially exciting for us because it will be the first Christmas in five years that will NOT be marked by sadness, emptiness, and longing for a child. Don’t get me wrong, I always managed to find a way to enjoy the holiday season (it is, after all, my favorite time of year), but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that there was always something missing – that Child-like wonder that comes with Christmas is hard to find when a) all you can think about is having a child to share that joy with and create family traditions with and b) a very special baby IS the reason that we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

I remember last year being particularly depressing because, for a short time, we had been pregnant & the thought of family Christmas cards joyously passed through my head, but then our loss shattered all of that & I was once again feeling bummed that we were just sending out plain, generic Christmas cards….friends encouraged me to send them out as a family of two, but it just didn’t seem right to me given that we had no big event to share with everyone.

So this year, we’re very excited to actually make Christmas cards to announce the birth of our precious little miracle, Hadley. I’ve been browsing the cards on Shutterfly and there are so many options, my head is spinning! I think these two are my favorites & once we get our pictures done and see what we have to work with, I’ll be able to make a better decision, since I need to figure out the wording & how much we’ll be able to fit in! And once she’s big enough, I’ll take pics every month & make photo calendars for Christmas gifts, too! ☺

Check it all out! There’s a new promotion where Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly http://bit.ly/sfly2010 !!!

37 weeks!

2010-11-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

Here we are! 37.5 weeks and no sign of baby H anytime soon (despite the fact that I predicted her to come tomorrow)! We had a bit of a scare on Friday night when I was getting some close contractions & having some pain throughout my middle where I was having trouble breathing deeply & I couldn't comfortably sit or lie down...that lasted about half an hour & left as quickly as it came! All has been quiet since then!

Friday was my last day of work and the parents of my 4-year-olds threw me a little shower/ice cream party for the kids. They each gave me a book & a very generous gift card to Target, which I'm sure we'll find many ways to spend! It was really bittersweet to tell you the truth - I do love my job, but I couldn't cry because I'm so excited for the work I get to do at home very soon! My boss cried as I handed over my keys and another co-worker/friend cried, too...I promised the kids I would be back to see them graduate at the end of the year, though!

My parents came over the weekend & my dad finished up some handy-man things in the nursery for us - we got the quilt hung that was a gift to Hadley from our nieces. My dad also hung the over-head light, the blind, and the shelf for her "collectibles" (My poor dad always has a running to-do list when he comes!)

I had my 37w appointment today & everything looks good. The doctor said that my group B strep test came back negative (woo hoo!), her heartbeat sounds great, my blood pressure is excellent & based on the ultrasound a few weeks ago, H is measuring in the 33rd percentile (little bugger!). I also opted for the internal exam today (SO not as bad as the horror stories you hear - unless maybe my dr. was gentle??) & found out that I'm 1cm dilated...which basically means nothing, but at least now I know!

Pictures, pictures!!!

36 weeks!

2010-11-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Wow! 36 weeks! I can't hardly believe it! Let's see what's happened since I last wrote...

On Thursday, the parents of my 3-year-olds threw me a surprise "Books for Babies" shower - it was really cute and I got some very nice books (and a couple other little goodies) for baby Hadley! It was so sweet and certainly not expected.

Then, on Sunday, G & I got up to get ready for church as normal. I wasn't feeling completely like myself & I ended up throwing up right before we left...I assumed it was pre-labor or something like that, but as I ran out of the sanctuary (completely missing communion) for fear that I wouldn't make it in time before throwing up (which I did - but just barely), I started thinking that I was actually sick instead. As we headed home, it was confirmed as I only made it to the front porch railing before becoming sick a third time! Let's just say my Sunday was awful & involved me unsuccessfully trying to suck down liquids all day & 3 phone calls to the on-call doctor to make sure that baby would be ok (I also had a fever up in the 101s). I took yesterday off of work since I hadn't eaten, drank, or slept in over a day. I was dehydrated big time, but the doctor assured me that "baby gets what baby needs" and that it was just me left feeling miserable.

Today, I returned to work & had a nice surprise little shower with the daycare kids! It was so sweet - they all made cards and got a neat toy for Hadley! After our staff meeting, I then had a doctor's appointment & everything looked great. Gregg came along with me, so he got to hear the HB & they also did the group B strep test (I'll get the results at my appt. next week). The doctor offered to do an internal since she was already down there, but I opted against it since I didn't want to deal with any of the spotting or anything that COULD happen. This is the first of our weekly appointments from here on out, which is exciting and scary at the same time!

My parents are coming for a visit this weekend & Friday is my last day of work, so I've got lots to look forward to (although it sure will be weird not getting up and going to work next week)!

And some pictures...the first is our nephew Max looking for the watermelon....

35 weeks!!

2010-11-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we're already at 35.5 weeks! WHOA BABY! My belly is getting bigger by the minute, I swear - even my co-workers can't help but comment how much I've grown each weekend when I come back to work on Monday. In general, I still feel pretty good & I don't seem to have as much of the back/belly-spot pain that I had been having - now it's more of just a hip pain while I'm trying to sleep. Once the tylenol wears off, I just can't seem to get comfortable again.

Otherwise, there isn't much new news to report. Hadley's still been moving around like a mad-woman at night, making me wonder if I've eaten something she did (or didn't) like. I go back to the dr. next week for my group B strep test & my regular check-up & then my weekly appointments start (if we make it that far). I haven't been having a ton of braxton hicks contractions or anything, so I would be surprised if we found out that I was dilated at all (if they even do an internal exam).

Here I am in my Halloween costume for preschool at 35 weeks exactly!

And here is Hadley's homecoming outfit (sorry it's a bit blurry - it was with my phone)

34 weeks!

2010-10-26T08:19:00.001-07:00

I got chastised by my loving husband last week for posting the 33 week update the day before I became 34 weeks, so I decided to get on top of things & take advantage of my day off of work to post on time this week!

I had my ultrasound this morning to check on Hadley's growth (since I had lost weight last week & she was stuck at 31w, according to the fundal measurement). Everything looked perfect. All of the measurements came back between 33w4d & 34w5d (I think). She is still a girl (LOL), weighs about 5 pounds and is head-down! The u/s tech commented on how active our little bugger is & I think that means we're in for it when she gets here since so many ultrasound techs have told us that - I figure they see babies all the time, so for her to mention something, H must be extraordinarily active! The tech actually saw my stomach bulge as she stuck a foot out the side! LOL! What a crazy girl!

I go back to the dr. in 2 weeks (Nov. 9th) for my 36w appt and my group B strep test. I got the OK to stop my baby aspirin & folic acid - wow, we are really nearing the end of this! I'll update later with pics from the wedding we went to over the weekend (for my 34w belly shot!) and next week's post with pics of me in my Halloween costume for preschool :)

33 weeks!

2010-10-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

The weeks are just flying by now! I can't believe that little Hadley will actually be here in (most likely) less than six weeks!!! We are so excited, but still in that surreal, this-isn't-really-happening-to-us, state of mind. Her room is all ready to go, my bag is packed (G's will be after this weekend) & basically all that's left to do is get the car seats installed in the car (which we will do after next weekend since G's going to a Penn State game & his seats will all be used)!

I had a shower with my (former) cheerleaders last week & that was a lot of fun! They are doing such an amazing job this year & I'm sad that I have to miss it, but also very realistic in knowing that I just don't have the time (or energy) for it this year! They "surprised" me (they didn't know that I actually knew about it) with a little shower after one of their practices. Five of the girls gave gifts & 11 others contributed toward the squad gift of a high chair & outfits. They are so excited to meet her - I promised she would come to a basketball game (and maybe a competition?) this winter, decked out in a little team onesie!

My co-workers also threw me a shower last weekend at a cute little tea room near where we work. It was so special & I had such a great time. I'll have to see if I can get a few pics from it to put on (someone printed out pics for me, but I have no digital ones of my own).

Work has been interesting - I decreased my hours starting this week, so it has been nice to sleep in (when I can actually sleep) that extra hour...even if I don't sleep, though, it does help to alleviate a little stress, knowing that I don't have to rush around so much in the morning. My kids are doing well, for the most part & my replacement is starting to pick up a lesson or two here & there, to get the kids used to her. I just finished progress reports, so now I feel like whenever I leave, I've finished all of the big things that I needed to do.

Apparently, there is some sort of drama going on amongst the moms of my 4-year-olds - and if you know me, I am SO NOT into drama, so I'm interested to see how it all pans out. According to my boss, 2 of the moms took it upon themselves to plan another shower for me (yes, that makes shower #5!). The only problem is that they aren't working together to do it & neither one of them wants to relinquish control to the other, so it sounds like one big mess! Maybe Hadley will decide to come before they get the chance to do it???? Ok, not that I really want that to happen, but you know...

Finally, I had my 34 w appt yesterday. The HB sounded great - we could actually hear Hadley moving on the doppler, the little acrobat!, but my fundal measurement is coming up almost 3 weeks behind (it was 31 at the last appt & now 31 at this appt)...the nurse practitioner was not at all concerned about it, but wanted me to go for an ultrasound since I had actually lost half a pound since my last appointment two weeks ago & my fundal measurement had not changed. She wanted me to go for the ultrasound in two weeks, but I wasn't happy with waiting that long, so they managed to squeeze me in next Tuesday instead...I'm not really worried about it, but at the same time, I would be lying if I said I wasn't slightly concerned. I've been trying to load up more on my calorie intake (who has to worry about LOSING weight DURING pregnancy???) and drink, drink, drink! At least we have a wedding to travel to this weekend, to keep our minds off of things!

I'll keep you posted! Please keep our little girl in your prayers!!

This is me at 33w, after the breast cancer 5K (walk)!

And if I can figure out how, I'll upload the 7sec video that G took of our little jumping bean in my belly!

32 weeks!

2010-10-13T14:23:00.001-07:00

I honestly can't believe we're at this point - I'm 2 days shy of being 33 weeks at which time, I'll have 7 weeks left until my due date and only 4 weeks left of work (if I make it to either of those dates). I truly cannot believe that we're almost at the end of this pregnancy, that we'll really get to meet our little girl very soon! It's all so overwhelming, but still so incredibly surreal. I have to remind myself DAILY (even with the aching back & bulging stomach) that I'm actually pregnant & that our long and drawn out dream of becoming parents is actually going to become a reality very soon...

I still feel like I have so much to do, even though we've really done almost everything we can to prepare. I just have a few odds and ends to tie up...progress reports at work, shower thank-yous, finish packing our hospital bags, make my ipod list for labor (I'm hoping it's a viable distraction) & getting the car seats installed in our cars. All of the shower gifts have been cleaned & put away, all of the nursery items have been purchased & we've even picked out Hadley's home-coming outfit! Now all she needs to do is stay in there and cook for at least another 5 weeks!

I had my second shower this past weekend & I had an awesome time! My mom threw an amazing shower & everyone was again so generous! Time for pictures!

31 weeks!

2010-10-07T12:01:00.001-07:00

These past few weeks have really been flying by! Last week was particularly exciting because I had my first shower (something I never thought I would get to have)! People were so amazingly generous to our little Hadley - our living room was filled to the gills when we brought it all home from my in-law's house! I had a good time the next day, putting everything away, doing laundry, etc.

This past week, pregnancy has really hit me hard & for the first time, I really FEEL pregnant. I have a pain in my back that just will NOT go away & a pain just below my ribs in the front that seems to be here to stay for the duration, as well. The doctor basically said it's from stretching and there's nothing that can be done about it besides Tylenol, which stinks, since I hate to medicate unless I REALLY need to. I was hoping that there were some stretches or something that would help, but so far, I haven't found anything that eases the pain.

I had my 32w appointment yesterday. My blood pressure looked good, my weight was up to 124 (up 21lb from the start) & Hadley's HB was right in the 140s-150s, just where it should be. He didn't give my belly measurement, but said that it looked good & I got my flu shot, as well!

I just looked at my calendar and realized that I only have 25 more days of work to go - um WOW! I have another shower this coming weekend back home with my family & friends there - I am SO excited :)

Pictures...

30 weeks!

2010-09-28T15:14:00.001-07:00

Whoa, baby! 30 weeks is here & I can't believe that our little one will be here within 10 weeks (most likely)! I've continued to feel pretty good, though I have to admit that I can feel the tiredness/exhausting beginning to set in. I've been sleeping ok for the most part, though last night I woke up after just an hour of sleeping & had a hard time falling back to sleep. Hopefully I can get to bed early tonight.

I've been having a spot of pain in my back that seems to directly correlate with a tender spot on my front, at the top of my belly, where my belly & ribs meet. It's the same spot that first started to become numb around 12 weeks, but the PA basically said it was nothing...I think I'll be asking about that again next week at my appointment. It's actually so tender at times (feels like it's bruised actually) that I've had to put a heating pad/bag on it here or there).

Over the weekend, we took Hadley to her first unofficial Penn State game! It was a great (but boring) game! This weekend is my first shower & I'm SO excited :) Yay!!

28-29 weeks!

2010-09-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

I CANNOT believe we're swiftly closing in on the BIG 3-0! I can honestly say that I'm feeling great and I have no complaints. I'm sure the 3rd trimester will kick me in the butt in the next 2 months or so, but for right now, I still feel like I must be in the 2nd tri because I feel great! All of the moms of my students can't get over how tiny my belly is and how good I'm still looking/feeling. After such a struggle to get here, I can honestly say that I can't get over it either - this pregnancy has been nothing short of a miracle from start to (so far) finish! Let's hope that L&D go just as smoothly, right?

A few picture updates are in order - 28 & 29 week belly pics & nursery updates below..

Womb with a View

2010-09-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went out to Womb With a View for a 3D/4D ultrasound - we had debated on whether or not to go (because it is a bit of a frilly expense), but we told ourselves that this would most likely be our only chance to be pregnant, so we wanted to have every momento possible of this special time for us...plus, who doesn't want an extra peek of their baby? What really convinced us to get it done, however, was a "mystery" check that showed up in our mail for a somewhat significant amount of money! When I called to question it (to make sure there wasn't some kind of mix up and we actually OWED that crazy amount of money), the man on the phone told me that my account was showing an overpayment from my old RE's office and that money was ours!! WOO HOO!

So without further ado...here are a few pics of little Miss Hadley at 28w gestation...

G thinks she's channeling her inner Little Rascal (you know, the He Man Woman Haters Club passcode?)

Smile for the camera!!

Licking the umbilical cord?

Hi Mom & Dad!

Being this cute is a tough job! Time for a nap!

27 weeks!

2010-09-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

Um wow - I'm in my THIRD TRIMESTER! I can hardly believe it to be perfectly honest with you! I still have to remind myself on a daily basis that I'm really pregnant. Such a strange sensation! I've been having weird dreams, which I guess comes with the territory, including having dreamt last week that I woke up one day and Hadley was home with us, but I don't remember going into labor, being in labor, her being born, calling our families, etc....but Hadley knew how to nurse and was the size of a 4-month-old - it was really depressing actually! I felt like I had missed out on so much! My other dreams, while still as vivid, are creepier than anything else & G has to wake me up because he can tell I'm having a bad dream! Thank goodness he's there to wake me up!

Hopefully I will have time to update more later this week, but I had to at least post my 27w pics! I go tomorrow to meet with a friend who is making one of my shower cakes (I'm having 2 cakes at my local shower because one is the mom of a former student and the other is my neighbor & they both wanted to make my cakes!). Wednesday, we have our next OB appt & then on Thursday, we get to see Hadley again at our 3D ultrasound! SO EXCITING!

I've been feeling great, but getting more tired by the day. I get back pain in one spot in my back if I sit for too long (especially without a proper back rest), but otherwise, I still can't complain!

26 weeks!

2010-09-01T03:02:00.001-07:00

I'll try to update with more info later! :)

24-25 weeks

2010-08-26T11:48:00.001-07:00

I've been such a bad blogger for the past 2 weeks (but really all summer), so I've gotta squeak this post in before I turn 26w tomorrow! Things have been going well & I've been feeling great! We had our first educational class at the hospital two weekends ago (Childbirth) and it went really well. G is going to be an amazing labor partner, which I'm so thankful for! I'll admit that I'm still very anxious/nervous about the whole birthing process, but I just keep telling myself that we'll take it one contraction at a time and go from there. G (and our friend Jeff) even got to wear the pregnancy suit at class (I'll have to put the pic in!!!). Tonight, we've got breastfeeding class (which I have to admit I'm somewhat nervous about because that's one thing that I really, REALLY want to be able to do successfully), and this weekend we have Baby Care 101.

We've also been making a ton of headway with the nursery. We had picked up the changing table, which G & our BIL carried upstairs (HEAVY!) & then last weekend, G & my dad went to pick up the crib and dresser, which they set up. My mom ordered the glider and the crib mattress, which both came yesterday & I have an order in for wall letters for above the crib! The nursery is really almost done! Everyone thinks I'm just obsessed with getting it done, but in reality, once school starts, we know that it's nearly impossible to get things accomplished, so it was really our goal to have most of it finished by the time the school year started!

I had my glucose test on Monday & I haven't heard anything back, which I'm assuming is good news! It wasn't half as bad as I had heard it could be & they even let me leave to go shopping (Kohl's is right next door, so I could walk)! I bought H six new summer outfits for next year for just $15 out-of pocket (one cute little sundress was seriously only $2.40!)! It was great & they are so adorable! I love buying clothes for her!

We also got an unexpected check in the mail for a supposed over-payment at my RE's office from more than two years ago, so we called right away to schedule our 3D ultrasound! We had been wanting to get one done, but had been having a bit of a struggle justifying the cost. The check in the mail made us feel like we had hit the lottery! So the 3D ultrasound is coming up in just two weeks, Sept. 9th & we're so excited to be able to see her again!

And now for some pictures...

Baby Giveaways!!

2010-08-14T12:57:00.001-07:00

I've stumbled across a ton of baby giveaways, so I wanted to throw them out there for all my mommies & mommies-to-be!

Happily Southern is giving away a Planet Wise wet/dry bag from Planet Wise (ends 8/28).

Grovia diaper goodies at The Cloth Diaper Whisperer

TinyTush hemp fitted at 29Diapers

One Little Mister is giving away a $20 Gift Card to Bellalojo Baby (ends 9/5).

23 weeks!

2010-08-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Another week, another update! Things have been going great & I still have no reason for complaints! I had developed some back pain while camping, which I was hoping and praying was just related to sitting in camp chairs, picnic table benches & sleeping in a camper. Lucky for me, it seems that's all it was (whew!). We had a lot of fun camping, but I was bummed that I had to miss the one hike that Gregg & Jenna went on. I went on it last time (in June) & I knew it would just be too strenuous for me this time around (climbing over fallen trees, etc), so they took some good pics for me & told me that they talked about me while I was gone because I'm always the line leader & apparently I'm braver than either of them because they're both afraid of walking into spider webs....haha

When we came back from camping, Mom and I did some shopping to get supplies for my shower, which is now in the works (WOW!!). As luck would have it, we found plates, napkins & tablecloths at Big Lots! - they only had them in two colors & wouldn't you know it, they were MY colors - magenta & bright green! It was meant to be! We also bought some invitations at the dollar store, but then found ones later that we both liked better - they looked like onesies with little ducks on them, but we thought they needed a little dressing up. We went to the craft section & found these adorable little daisies on a strip of ribbon - in magenta and bright green! - so we got those to hot glue onto the bottom! Too stinkin' cute! And my mom's neighbor is going to make us little footprint cookies for favors & a pink and green cake! Wow - everything is actually starting to materialize...

We had a great appt. yesterday. Little Hadley's heartbeat sounded good & I reached a new milestone: belly measurements! I'm carrying small, which the CRNP said is to be expected with my stature. I got orders for bloodwork & the fated glucose test in a couple of weeks. After the appointment, we headed over to BRU & Target & started those registries. All I can say is that I'm SO glad I was prepared. I had never been inside a BRU before and if I hadn't done my research & known exactly what I wanted to register for there & what I wanted to register for elsewhere, I would have been completely overwhelmed...G was kind of in shock at all of it, but he too was SO glad that I was prepared! They're running a special on the furniture that we want (buy all 3 pieces, save 20% on the crib) through next week, so we're going tomorrow to purchase all of those pieces. G's parents are getting us the crib & changing table & we're getting the dresser. My parents are getting the rocker & then we'll have to see what we still need from there! We can't wait to get the room all set up for our little princess!

22 weeks!

2010-08-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Today was an exciting day! We got to see little Hadley again! My cousin (studying to be an ultrasound tech) gave us an ultrasound so she could get some practice. Hadley was all over the place again, but Michelle's teacher did confirm that Hadley is a Hadley and not a Gracin, despite the fact that she wouldn't be still long enough for us to get a pic to prove it.

I'm feeling great & the little one is moving around like crazy every night. I have been having a little more back pain than before & I've been getting a weird, tingly feeling at one area on my skin, at the bottom of my ribcage on the left. Very strange - I'll have to ask the dr. about that one next week. I've also been having some of what I think are Braxton Hicks contractions, just every once in a while. Otherwise, I've got no complaints and everything has been going smoothly!!

21 weeks!

2010-07-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Nothing really new to report these days, which I suppose is a good thing. I have been feeling a TON of movement, mostly at night. Sometimes it is really strong that it makes me stop what I'm doing...I can't even imagine how it will feel four months from now! WOW! I haven't had any real cravings, per se, but I have been eating a ton of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden, so I sure hope little Hadley likes those down the road when she can eat (not via me!).

We spent part of last week at the shore & that was a lot of fun, though I spent a great deal inside due to the heat. I did get out to the beach a couple of times, so we got a few pics...

I just put a call in to my OB's office to get a permission slip (of sorts) that would allow my cousin (who is studying to be an ultrasound tech) to do an educational ultrasound on me sometime next week. It would be really cool for her, I'm sure, and I really want my parents and my other cousin to be able to be in on that since they're usually so far away and don't get to experience any of that first-hand. We'll be up that way for our 2nd camping trip of the summer, so I figured we might as well squeeze everything in that we can!

Finally, the GTG with my IF friends last weekend was AWESOME! We had such a great time shopping in the city, sightseeing, talking, eating, you name it! It was so great to meet them, but truth be told, it really didn't feel like we were all meeting for the first time...it was like catching up with old friends! What a great time! (I updated the post below w/ my 20w belly pic since it was taken at the GTG)!

It's a....

2010-07-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

GIRL! I was SHOCKED as I told Gregg that I was 90% sure we were having a boy! We both shed some tears & were so incredibly happy!

Little Hadley was adorable (we even got a yawn) and the doctor said she looked perfect (we thought so, too! Her heartbeat was 157 bpm and we're pretty sure she's going to be a little gymnast...just look at these legs up over her head!

I'll admit that I was a little disappointed that the u/s tech didn't give us a "girl" ultrasound shot, but I'm working on getting one elsewhere.

I've been feeling tons of movement in there lately which is SO exciting, and Gregg gets in at least one good kick a night!

I had an amazing time over the weekend and got all sorts of wonderful baby gifts for our little girl from my IF friends at our GTG. What amazing women - I had an awesome time & can't wait until we can do it again!

20 week belly

19 (almost 20) weeks!

2010-07-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

Wow! There are times, like now, when I feel like this pregnancy is just flying by! Tomorrow, at 19w6days, we have our BIG ultrasound to check for the gender & more importantly check on the vital organs, count fingers & toes, etc. I'm going to be like those kids on the Disney World commercial..."we're too excited to sleep!" The good news is that our appointment is bright and early at 8AM, so I won't have to wait around all day long! And I might go out to Kohl's while G is at his class and buy our very first (official) baby purchase! I promise to post pics if we do!

I've been feeling more movement, which is so cool! G got to feel it once, but it's so irregular at this point that I'll say "oh I just felt it HERE" and then he'll put his hand there and wait a few minutes, but baby's gone back to sleep. Oh well, all in good time.

Here's a pic from last week when I was just turning 19 weeks! I love the pregnant belly! And for my friends that were wondering, I'm still wearing my normal non-maternity clothes, but I couldn't do it if not for my Bella Band - it's my life-saver & I hope I can wear it for at least another month because it really makes my wardrobe SO much more versatile. Hey, Bella Band, can I do a commercial for you?? :)

18 weeks!

2010-07-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Uh WOW is all I can say! 18 weeks seems like forever in pregnancy terms. I've definitely been feeling more in the way of baby movement in there, but nothing with any regularity yet. It's also pretty obvious that I'm pregnant in basically anything that I wear, other than sweats, but I'm ok with that! I go tomorrow for another OB appt, so at least we'll get to hear the HB & then I'm not sure what else they'll do. Urine test? Bloodwork? Your guess is as good as mine, but either way, I can't wait to hear the little washing-machine sound in there! :)

I had a strange dream last night that we had our BIG ultrasound and found out that the baby was a girl & then immediately after that, I went into labor and had our baby & she got to come home with us right away, weighing in at 5 pounds...except when my friend called to check in on me, I couldn't remember the baby's name and I had to ask G to remind me. LOL :)

Otherwise, I'm feeling great & attempting to get walks in here and there whenever I'm able, though this week we're having a heat wave with temps over 100 degrees everyday, so I've been cooped up inside in the air conditioning, drinking my fluids like a good pregnant girl. We're headed up to central PA for a wedding this weekend. I'm excited to see some of my former co-workers & show off my belly!

Pic to come soon!

17 weeks

2010-06-30T15:36:00.001-07:00

So far, so good! Not much to report, which I guess is a good thing. I have felt what I *think* has been the baby moving, although it feels nothing like "flutters" as it is so often described, but more like gas bubbles popping. And they're almost always on my left side so I have a feeling that is where we'll find Beanie's feet in 2 weeks (unless s/he surprises us and does some acrobatics in there between now and then)!

I've been doing pretty well about getting my liquids in & I've been out walking for 1/2 hour every morning (nice and early before it gets too hot) for the past 3 days. Otherwise, I feel like a bum. G hasn't been home this week (basketball clinic) and I've really had nothing to do, aside from a couple of little household tasks here and there. It will be SO much better once G isn't gone all day (after this week)...plus then I'll have 2 appointments & my IF GTG to look forward to! :)

Here's my 17w pic...

16 weeks!

2010-06-22T10:19:00.001-07:00

I'm still feeling great, which of course has me freaking out...I did have another bout of gagging sickness this morning, but if sickness = healthy baby, then of course I'll take it! I definitely think this time off of work is the hardest time to be pregnant in that I am enjoying the summer so much, but at the same time I find myself living for the next appointment, inadvertently wishing my summer away! We've got tons to keep us busy, which will (fortunately or unfortunately) make the time go super-fast!

We're camping this week, then next Thursday, we'll leave for 6 days at the shore to spend the 4th of July there (ugh! I can't believe G is still in school and the 4th of July is not far away!). The week we come back, I have another OB appointment & the following week is our BIG ULTRASOUND and then my east coast infertility-girls GTG! Things will settle down slightly after that, then we're going camping the first week of August & then to the shore again the week after that!

A highlight of the week was the "Dinner with the Phillies" last night to benefit the Jamie Moyer (pitcher for the Phillies) Foundation. Before the dinner, I went over and met the Philly Phanatic (mascot). He gave me a huge hug & then G told him to be careful because there was a baby in there! He got all dramatic, compared belly sizes with me, blew his party-blower nose on my belly & then gave it a big kiss! It was great! The baby is destined to be a Phillies fan now! I also got my picture taken with Cole Hamels! For you baseball fans, we also had Shane Victorino, Kyle Kendrick, Chase Utley, Wilson Valdez & a few others at our table! It was a ton of fun! My only disappointment was that my favorite, Ryan Howard, never made it to our table! I have pics posted on FB, but I'll try to post a couple of pics here when I can :)

Until then, here's my 16 week "ghetto-mama" pic! :) And what's that old wives tale about gender prediction based on the mama's butt? I think that just might apply here (though I've always had a booty for my stature).

15 weeks!

2010-06-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

15 weeks and not much new to report around here. Morning sickness reared its ugly head again this morning, which was rather strange since I hadn't been sick (outside of tooth-brushing incidents) in a month! I was nauseous all morning & finally decided to force myself to eat (read: BAD IDEA) and then promptly lost my lunch! I felt better afterwards, however & have been back to my normal eating habits.

Otherwise, I can't complain! I feel pretty good & seem to be OK energy-wise (nothing different from my usual midday tiredness).

In other news, I got together with some real-life IF girls (2 whom I knew & 2 whom I just met) who are all Christians. We all came together because we're attempting to organize a couples IF retreat sometime in early 2012. It will be set up like a conference w/ meals, break-out sessions & a keynote speaker, focusing on how God speaks to us through IF. It's overwhelming but exciting at the same time...

Finally, since a few of you asked, the get-together w/ my online IF girls that I referenced in my last post is coming up in mid-July. 7-8 girls from all over the place (mostly the east coast: NY, CT, PA & OH, but also one from WY!). I'm so excited to finally meet these women whom I feel like I've known forever! We're going to spend the weekend doing girly things like shopping & talking & lots of eating, I'm sure! I CAN NOT WAIT! :)

14 (and a half) weeks!

2010-06-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

SECOND TRIMESTER!!! Um WOW!

So far, things continue to be good...and honestly, I had to ask Gregg the other day if this was really happening or if it was just some crazy dream that I was going to eventually wake up from. I honestly still don't believe we're here and that this is happening to us!

I had an appointment yesterday & all is well. They did a urine sample & listened to the heartbeat with the doppler...of course I was silently freaking out because it took her (the NP) more than 5 seconds to find it, but all was well. I got nicely reprimanded for not drinking enough water, so I've been trying to be better about upping my intake (though most of it hasn't been water, but juice or milk since I hate water).

Otherwise, things are going well. I have the 2nd half of my sequential scheduled for the 26th of June, my next OB appt. on the 8th of July & the "BIG" ultrasound on the 19th of July (which the online girls are begging me to get bumped up so that I can know the gender before our big get-together on the 16th-18th)...I also called today to schedule 3 classes in August: childbirth, baby care & breast feeding. G & I are taking them with friends of ours (a coworker/friend/co-coach of G's and his wife). We're really excited to take that next big step...and knowing how quickly our summers always go by, those ultrasounds, appointments & classes will be here before we know it!

I'm still feeling great, only sick a few mornings a week (and it's all tooth-brushing related or drinking water on an empty stomach), though still pretty tired in the afternoons. Work is almost finished, though (2 more days), so I think once I get the chance to actually sleep in every morning, that will go away, too!

13 weeks!

2010-05-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

I never did get around to my official 12 week post, but the 13 week post will be more than enough, I'm sure! We had our NT scan at the Maternal Fetal Medicine office on Friday. It went great. The ultrasound tech got all the measurements (which the doctor said looked normal, putting us at low risk for Downs or Trisomy 18) and she printed out about 15 pictures for us to keep! It was great, as we didn't know that we would get to have any pics from this ultrasound. The tech was great and did some awesome 3-D pics, too! I'll post the link to them at the end! And by the way, if those pics don't scream "boy" to you, I don't know what will...especially the 3-D frontal view.

The sickness has faded for the most part, except on the occasional morning while brushing my teeth. I've been eating more regularly again & I'm still loving the dill pickles and pickle juice.

That's about all for this update! I go for my follow-up bloodwork on the 28th of June, my next OB appointment is on the 8th and our "BIG" ultrasound is on the 19th of July!

Click here to view our baby's pics!

11w5d

2010-05-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

I suppose an 11 week update would be appropriate before I hit 12 weeks, huh? I am doing well - still getting sick here and there, a couple times a week, however I've noticed that the whole toothbrush-gag thing is become more prominent this week (therefore my evening sickness is definitely becoming morning sickness). One of the moms of my preschoolers called "girl" yesterday when she heard I was throwing up bile, but then I told her about the whole drinking pickle juice straight from the jar thing...she was sooooo grossed out - LOL! She's the only mom of my students to know & I only told her because she was feeling so much remorse (and thinking I would take it personally) that she's most likely moving her younger son to her own church's preschool next year. She was literally bawling to me about it because she thought I would be upset with her - so I told her about me not being here the whole year next year so that she wouldn't feel so bad. I trust her - most moms I wouldn't! And I love her - she's so sweet!

My pastor came down to my classroom yesterday to see me (I had written him a note after I had gone to see him twice and he wasn't there) - I told him that we were expecting and his first question was, "An adopted baby?" He was in complete shock but so happy for us! He sat and prayed with me and asked lots of questions & told me that he would have to congratulate G on Sunday when/if he saw him at the church softball game...I just hope I'm not being over-zealous in telling people now - It's so exciting!

I'm starting to show just a little bit now & I love, love, love it! I just bought a bella band (lace trimmed, black) on ebay for $10.45 including shipping! Yay! Pic of my belly coming soon!

We're going to a wedding in North Carolina this weekend (college roommate of G's) - I still have to decide tonight which dress to wear. The one I had planned on wearing definitely gives me a baby bump, so I'm afraid it might not be the most comfortable throughout the day/night. The other is less formal, but since it is an outdoor, afternoon wedding, I don't think it will be inappropriate either.

10 week update!

2010-05-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

I had a great appointment on Tuesday! I'm still measuring 2 days ahead and they confirmed my due date at 12/3/10! The HB was great at 170bpm & the little sucker was in there moving all over the place - it even looked like it was waving at us!!!! Best feeling in the world!

We told G's parents over the weekend and his mom was a little confused at first (or we were just confused at what she was asking us)! G's dad is a radiologist, so he looked at the date at the top & saw my name & knew right away what was going on & hugged me immediately. His mom started sobbing and couldn't figure out how we'd been keeping it a secret for so long! We told G's 2 younger sisters and they FLIPPED, then he called his oldest sister and her kids told her that she said Oh My God 21 times! LOL! We emailed the rest of G's brothers and sisters to tell them & we heard back from every single one of them within 12 hours!

I go back in about 2.5 weeks for my sequential screen & then again on the 8th for my 2nd regular OB appt. The doctor said everything looks GREAT! We couldn't be more excited!

As for me, eating has slowly been getting better. I haven't thrown up since Sunday (after I had a huge breakfast out to eat for Mother's Day - and they even gave me a flower at the restaurant for my first Mother's Day ever!!). I had a big (for me lately) supper last night & I'm always starving at lunch time. My pants are starting to get a bit snug (mostly in the afternoon/evening) and I'm still really tired (can't wait for that to go away!). Overall, everything is great!

(almost) 10 week update!

2010-05-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

Things are so-far, so-good. I have another u/s on Tuesday and I'm really anxious for it since I haven't had one since the 26th.

We told my parents the good news last weekend and it was CRAZY. Oh MY GOSH - it was the best reaction ever! My mom & dad were busy getting things ready for the picnic that they were having for my bday. They were both finally in the house at the same time and I told my mom that I wanted her to open her Mother's Day gift before she was up to her elbows in something else...my dad almost left but I told him he had to stay. Mom opened the card and started crying (nothing in the card but a sappy little verse) and then she opened the frame and SCREAMED, CRIED & she and my dad made a Teri-Sandwich out of me. My dad cried (this is only the 3rd time in my life I ever saw him cry) and my mom sobbed, "This is the BEST MOTHER'S DAY PRESENT EVER"...it was awesome
Then we told my little cousin Jenna (19) because she's our bud - she and Gregg always "pretend" they are Ron & Hermione from Harry Potter when we go camping (mainly just finding sticks & pretending they are stupifying each other, or quoting the movie, etc). Gregg asked Jenna if she wanted to be Aunt Jenna or Aunt Hermione - and her eyes got wide and she looked at me & I smiled and she got SO excited & screamed - she had to compose herself before we went back to the rest of the family.

Then, after we were done eating, my mom took the frame & gave it to my Grammy saying she wanted to show her what we gave her for mother's day. My Grammy opened it and just stared at it for what seemed like an hour - my cousin Michelle was sitting right beside me (she's studying to be an u/s tech, so she knew exactly what she was looking at) turned to me and said, "Nuh-uh, seriously?" so she got it before everyone else did. Then of course the frame was passed around and the congratulations came out & everyone said how I was glowing, etc.

My evening sickness has turned into morning sickness, at least for Saturday/Sunday. I've been feeling fine since! I went for my last b/w (progesterone check) at the RE on Thursday & I went to the OB yesterday - I really wish I were getting an u/s before we told G's parents this weekend....although I have no reason to worry - no spotting, just normal stretching-cramping (probably from dehydration, too, since I'm still always thirsty).

And I'm putting it all out there to show you my 9w belly shot (all bloat, once again, although G said I have a hard belly today)...this was after a long day of partying for my 30th!

8w update!

2010-04-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

We had our 8w (and final) ultrasound with the RE on Monday. The baby measured 2 days ahead (8w4d) & HB was 164bpm! The RE's office "released" me with a really cute ultrasound pic baby card & a stack of pregnancy magazines, though they can't officially release me while I'm still on progesterone (though they probably will be releasing me unknowingly while I'm still doing PIOs since I REFUSE to go cold-turkey at this point). They did decrease my dosage, so I have to go back tomorrow to see how my p4 is holding. I will absolutely be telling them if I am not comfortable (if it has dipped too low by my standards, since the highest it has been this whole time is 20). I refuse to play the "what if" game should something happen, you know?

My TSH is back down to normal levels at 1.86, so that is reassuring. We are excited for this weekend because we're heading up to central PA! My parents are throwing me a 30th birthday party on Saturday & we're giving my mom her early Mother's Day gift. It's a frame with the picture and poem shown below! G's mom is getting the same thing the following weekend for Mother's Day. We're still very nervous to tell anyone, though...I can't wait until 12w for a little more security.

Isn't the pic so cute? The head is on the bottom left and the little feet are on the bottom right. The yolk sac is on the top!

7w update

2010-04-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'm nearing the end of my 7th week! I can hardly believe it. I go through days where I feel miserable (like Tuesday) and then days like today where I feel GREAT & that actually scares me a bit. I'll take feeling miserable at this point, just for a bit of reassurance.

I had a bit of cramping on Wednesday & that scared me, but there was no spotting, so I know it's not cause for alarm - I know there's lots of stretching going on in there. Monday is our last scan with the RE and then we're released to the OB - I'm terrified about that simply because I've been so spoiled with weekly scans. I've contemplated buying a dopplar around week 10-12 just to give myself some peace of mind.

As you can see from the picture below, the 2nd sac that they discovered last week has gotten bigger. Even though we know it's empty, the pregnancy hormones seem to be feeding it and causing it to grow. I hope it goes away soon, even though the PA didn't seem to think it could cause any complications! Everything else looked good. The baby measured right on target at 7w2d & the heart rate was 136bpm! Hopefully more good news is coming!

Belly pic @ 6w

2010-04-18T13:09:00.001-07:00

This pic is from about 6w2d, I think, but it's all bloat - that little belly you see goes back and forth from being there and not being there depending on the time of day. Is that normal??

Houston - we have a heartbeat!

2010-04-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, G never did get around to taking that belly pic, but I took one yesterday since we...

SAW AND HEARD A HEARTBEAT!!

We also saw another mass in there which we've determined was likely a 2nd sac that just never developed (considering how high my betas were, this would make perfect sense, since I was right in the average range for twins). Trust me, I'm perfectly fine with one, healthy baby. We also got u/s pics yesterday & saw our little bean - not much to see yet at 1/8 of an inch, but we're so in love already! Progesterone was holding steady at 20 & hcg rose steadily to 30,896. The doubling time has slowed, but I'm not worried at this point since A) we saw a 2nd sac that had previously been contributing to the huge betas most likely and B) now's about the time for slowing betas anyway.

6w2d according to my calculations, but 6w0d according to the measurements. Heartbeat was great at 120 bpm, which is above the normal for 6w (90-110). They haven't given us a due date yet, but if you go by the conception date, it would come out to December 5th. If you go by their measurements of 6w0d, then it would be December 7th...I don't think G would mind sharing his birthday week at all, do you?

I caught him last night researching what the baby looks like at 6 weeks. It was so stinkin' cute. He even called me in and showed me the website. Then he of course got ahead of himself & started looking at what we'll see in upcoming weeks...though, I'm still having a hard time making it from one day to the next.

I have no real symptoms other than being really tired (which to be honest isn't much different from my norm, though I could usually push through without a nap & I can't do that as easily anymore). My bbs are pretty sore, too. I did get my TSH results back from yesterday & it did come back still slightly elevated, so they upped me to 100mcg & we'll retest & hope that it goes down. It wasn't too high (3.8) but still something to def. keep an eye one since they like it to be between 1 & 2.

Becki was just over the moon for us! She sounded like she was crying on the phone when I called her yesterday - I just hope the little bean hangs in there for the long haul. We want to tell our families so badly, but of course we want to do it in person & G is adamant that my family know first (since his family gets so many other experiences with us), so we're holding out to my birthday weekend (April 30) since we're going up for a visit & bday party for me (since it's my 30th). And then we'll tell his parents the following weekend, for Mother's Day.

And more good news just keeps a'coming! G's friend from work (aka his Bro-mance & friend that he coaches with) just shared today that he and his wife are 11w pregnant & just saw the heartbeat yesterday, as well! How cool is that? So the little beans can be buds!

Nervous

2010-04-07T14:45:00.001-07:00

I think this will be the point each week when I start to get nervous again. Ultrasound is coming up Monday, and once again, I'm freaking out because I have no symptoms other than the larger bbs (and hey, I'm NOT complaining about that!).

No spotting at all anymore due to the progesterone supplements, so that is good, since the spotting always freaked me out. Dr. Google has not been my friend, though, as I've constantly been searching crazy things like "do progesterone supplements mask pregnancy symptoms?" Ugh - I think I've gone crazy. I'm sure everything is fine. I'm even going to get G to take a belly pic tonight...5w4d!

Starting Anew...

2010-04-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would be typing this out again, but I need to get it down so that I don't forget what has happened. We've been pretty hush-hush about our frozen embryo transfer cycle just because we didn't want to make the same mistakes we made last time...we didn't want the "is everything ok?" and "when is this happening? when is that happenings?" As much as we are truly grateful for the support of our family and friends, it just made it that much harder to have to eat our words last time and say that we had miscarried.

So we started out not telling a soul. I told my boss just so that she didn't get upset when I took a couple days off of work & I told one of my co-workers because she was helping me with my shots and that is it. No parents, no other friends, no one. In fact, when we went up to my parents' house this weekend for Easter and two weekends prior for a family dinner, I learned to do my own shots rather than spill the beans.

On March 18th, we transferred 2 beautiful blastocysts. Seeing as how this is pretty much our last effort, we put all our eggs in one basket (pun intended, I guess!) and sprung for the laser acupuncture that they were offering. They boast that it improves implantation rates 5-6% in their study group, so we figured for the extra $200 it cost, it would be worth it.

In the time since our original donor cycle, we also had repeated pregnancy loss bloodwork done on me, which revealed one mutation of MTHFR which inhibits my absorption of folic acid, so we added a folic acid supplement to my protocol. I also self-added one baby aspirin to my medicine chart, which is to help with any clotting disorders I may or may not have (to prevent miscarriage).

On the morning of our beta, March 27th, I took a pregnancy test, which came back negative. Actually there was the faintest of faint lines, but seeing as how I had some spotting and cramping the night before, I took it as a BFN.

Lo & behold, I got the phone call several hours later that, not only was I pregnant, but my 1st beta at 14dpo was a SUPER number at 163. We were both in shock, but not excited like we should have been. We had been to that place before & we knew better than to get our hopes up prematurely. But we hoped, and we prayed, and we prayed some more.

2 days later (16dpo), I went back for repeat bloodwork & discovered that not only had my number doubled, it had almost tripled to 412! I was beginning to get more excited at this point. However, when I inquired about my progesterone level, which they said looked "good," I discovered that it was low by most RE's standards at 13. So I did what any desperate girl would do. I first called and got my PIO dosage increased (only by a 1/2 mL). I also pleaded for a prescription for progesterone suppositories, but to no avail. You see, some REs don't give much thought to p4 levels (or apparently to their patients' sanity!!!!). So again, I did what any desperate girl would do...please don't tell...I self-medicated. You see, I had some expired progesterone suppositories in my refrigerator & with the help of my enablers (aka my online infertility girls), I started taking my p4 supplements.

I also begged for a 2nd repeat beta for some peace of mind (especially since we were traveling to my parents' house for Easter). Again, I got the call with good news! My beta needed to be at least 1648 to meet the standard 48 doubling time (now at 20dpo) & it came back with a SUPER STAR number of 2379 & my p4 went up to a comfortable (for me) number of 20. Not sure if it is the extra p4 supplementation, but I'll take it. Many of my online girls were thinking twins at this point because my betas are so high.

I went back today for more bloodwork and our first ultrasound. I was terrified. This was the point last time when we discovered there was nothing there. No gestational sac, no yolk sac, just an "indeterminate mass" & we were crushed...
BUT NOT THIS TIME!!! This time we saw ONE beautiful gestational sac with a yolk sac inside! Just what we wanted to see. The PA said it was too early to measure for a due date, but that everything looked just like it was supposed to look today (5w2d according to my calculations). My bloodwork also came back stellar with my p4 holding steady at 20 & my beta shooting up to 8067!! That's an awesome number!

SO now we wait for next Monday's ultrasound & bloodwork to check on the progress! I'm not sure at what point I'll be able to relax and get really excited, but I'm sure the day will come. Right now, I'm just happy to have made it this far...farther than we've ever made it before!

Torturing myself

2009-08-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

This week has, in my opinion, been far more torturous than all the previous weeks in this IVF cycle combined. The week after the retrieval was kind of aggravating, but I knew the wait was worth it so that we could transfer the embryos that were the "best of the best." The week after transfer was annoying as I analyzed every little twist and turn I made with my body, wondering "Did I just lift something too heavy or make a turn that could harm a possible baby, or (fill in the blank)?"

This week, however is just plain torturous. Knowing that I'm pregnant, but not experiencing any symptoms has been absolutely driving me insane. Every time I feel the slightest bit of wetness in my underwear, I'm rushing to the bathroom to make sure it's not blood. Every time my bbs stop hurting for part of the day, I convince myself that I'm no longer pregnant (like I'm doing right now). To be perfectly honest, I had been feeling more symptoms (maybe they were all psychosomatic?) early on than I do now. I swore I was having indigestion, bloatiness, crampiness, sore bbs & mild nausea, but honestly I'm feeling fine. No fatigue. No morning sickness. No ANYTHING...

What will I do tomorrow if we get to the u/s and there's NOTHING there? THIS is what infertility has done to me...

4w6d

2009-08-16T16:56:00.001-07:00

Today, I'm officially 4w6d & anxiously awaiting Tuesday (5w1d) when we have our first ultrasound. Hopefully we'll see one or two beautiful yolk sacs & maybe even a heartbeat or two!

In the week since we've learned we were FINALLY pregnant, we've only told Becki, our parents, my brother, 4 of G's sisters and one of his friends. It's been REALLY hard keeping it a secret, but we really don't want to tell anyone anything that we'll have to retract later, so we're at least trying to hold out until after Tuesday anyway. After then, I'll feel a little more assured about this whole pregnancy thing, especially if we see a heartbeat.

As far as symptoms are concerned, I've basically had none. I've been downing water like there's no tomorrow (probably at least 5 bottles a day, if not more), but that's more of a self-imposed thing because I know that I don't normally drink enough. I had some slight cramping earlier in the week (around 4w3d) & the ever-so-slightest peach tinge on the TP the next day, but it was just once & after I downed some water, both went away. I haven't had any morning sickness yet & just the slightest tenderness in my bbs (TMI, I know). I know that this is like a double-edged sword, but I'd almost welcome some morning sickness just to make me feel like I really am pregnant.

Right now, according to "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (WTEWYE), the baby(ies) is now the size of a sesame seed! It has a head & a heart & the extremities are starting to form! According to G, it basically looks like a little shrimp! Click here to read what BabyCenter has to say about the 4w milestone!

My favorite part of being PG so far is having G take such good care of me. Not that he didn't take good care of me before, but it's just the little things, like insisting that I not carry in the groceries or the little hugs and kisses he steals and whispers "mama" in my ear :) LOVE IT! I especially loved when he started reading to our little one(s)...Harry Potter, his favorite!

Your Thoughts?

2009-08-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you realize, we are far from being out-of-the woods, as far as this baby (or these babies) are concerned. I'm feeling great & so far, have no symptoms (I think I should be considered 4w5d today) & our 1st u/s is scheduled for Tuesday to see what we can see in there. We're VERY excited, but VERY cautiously optimistic at the same time.

But, regardless of what happens, I need some input from my readers concerning the direction you would like to see this blog take now, particularly those of you who are still in the trenches of infertility. Of course the name of the blog will not change, as I will always remain infertile; however I also remember what it feels like to be one of the ones who is "left behind." I remember how much it hurt and how I felt so certain that my dream to be a mommy would never be realized and I would forever be left behind. I couldn't live with myself knowing that this blog has made someone (especially another infertile) hurt and feel the same way.

At the same time, however, I know that when I was hurting, I did take comfort in knowing that even though these women had struggled and hurt just like I did, they somehow found joy again and eventually saw their dreams come to fruition. Whether it be through adoption like my bloggy buddy Melissa, or adoption & then a surprise pregnancy like my buddy Missy, and the countless other blogs (miracle stories) I follow in my sidebar and in my profile, I have learned that there are many roads that could lead you to the end of your journey.

So here is where I need your help. Where would you like this blog to go? Obviously, I'm not going to be spouting off about my woes of pg symptoms (because I remember how many times I saw other girls complaining and I thought about how I'd give my right arm for their morning sickness and round-ligament pain), but I also know the reality that it would be very hard not to talk about a pregnancy at all...and I don't want to lose any of you as readers, so I would greatly appreciate an email or comments about the new path that this blog will take.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

(If you're my friend on FB, don't mention anything there, please! We're waiting to tell the rest of my family (more than just parents) for a couple of weeks.)