23 weeks

So, here's the last prego pic I have of myself. This is 23 weeks.

I have been feeling pretty good since then. The all-day-sickness is about 97% gone.  The only time I get nauseous is when I get too hot, too full or too hungry.  I want to eat EVERYTHING.  Anytime somebody talks about a certain food, I want it and I want it now.  No real cravings to speak of, but sometimes something very specific will sound good, like a cheeseburger or an ice cream sundae.  What can I say? The girl knows what she wants... Because I have nothing to do with it.  At least that's what I tell myself as I scarf my face. 

Second Trimester

Up even through most of my second trimester, I still didn't feel like there was a baby in there.  All I really had to show for the past 3 or 4 months was lots of funny, embarrassing throw up stories, heartburn, constipation, and this slight bump on my stomach that I was convinced you still couldn't tell if it was a baby bump or a beer belly.  It wasn't until I felt the baby move for sure that I was convinced I really was pregnant.  It felt like fluttering and muscle spasms at first, but then they started getting stronger and more consistent.  I didn't realize how big my belly was getting, since I looked at it everyday.  When I went to Logan, UT for a week at the end of January for work, I came back and Colin couldn't believe how much it had grown in just a week.  That's when people I think people could actually tell I was pregnant and not just putting on 10 pounds.  My morning sickness was getting better, it wasn't happening everyday, which I was relieved to finally start to see the end of. 

At 20 weeks we went in for our ultrasound and to find out what the gender was.  We were convinced, along with all our friends and family, that it was a boy.  So far, all the grandkids in Colin's family have been every other and they just had a girl last.  Colin's cousin, Ariel, had a little girl and everybody pregnant at my work and in our ward all just found they were having girls. I thought it had to switch back sometime and we just had this feeling it was a boy.

She was a little shy, laying in the fetal position with feet crossed at the ankles, so the tech couldn't tell yet. 

 The tech started looking at some other stuff, hoping baby would move around a little bit.  We saw that she has Colin's full lips, and likes to lay with her hand over her eyes, just like momma.

 

 Here's her little foot. 

 

 She then got in a 90 degree angle stretching out her legs and grabbing her ankles, which gave us the shot we needed. 

We were a little shocked she was a girl! I immediately felt a connection and was ecstatic.  I have always had a special connection with my mom and I knew it would the same with my daughter.  Colin, on the other hand, said the first thought in his head was "what do I do with a girl?". Then, "Holy crap, when she brings home her first boyfriend".  They had another trained tech come and check, which Colin was happy about (I think he really wanted a second opinion).  Colin also asked the nurse that came in to take my blood sample to take a look.  So, we had 3 people confirm she was a girl.  We had already decided on names either way, so we knew instantly she was Oaklyn Kay.  Those 3D images are great because you can really get an idea of what they look like.  I'm sure she will change a bit, but she totally looks like an Oaklyn to us so far. 

First Trimester

I went in for my first prenatal visit at the beginning of December, where I found out I was 9 weeks.  I was really nervous because I had heard that so many things could go wrong those first few weeks.  But, I was still feeling pretty nauseous all the time so I assumed that everything was normal.

 Baby looked like a gummy bear but I was relieved to see it and to hear the heartbeat.  It was fast, about 170 bpm, which was normal and we even saw it flip over and face us when our midwife went to measure it.  Everything was measuring on time and looking normal.  Aside from the morning sickness which I struggled with for another few months, everything went perfect.  I didn't feel like I was throwing up and eating a whole lot less in that first month, but I dropped 10 pounds! It was almost scary to see I weighed only 105 at this first appointment.

So, from the time I found out to up clear until the middle of my second trimester, I struggled with morning sickness.  They should change the name because I was not only sick in the morning, I was sick all. day. long. and all night too.  I started to get it under control with medication after New Years, I wasn't throwing up as consistently and learned how to manage the sick feeling throughout the day by snacking and eating certain foods.  Then, I started feeling more crappy at night, so I switched when I took my medication to  manage that.  I had a lot of food aversion in the first trimester.  Colin was so wonderful making me countless meals that mainly including spaghetti-o's, macaroni and cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches.  He even made sure that the trash was taken out, the dishes were cleaned, and the fridge was cleaned out on a consistent basis because even just stepping foot into the kitchen and getting a whiff of the slightest smell would make me vomit.  Everyone kept telling me that after the first trimester was over I would feel better.

It still hadn't quite set in that I was pregnant. I just felt uncontrollable ill all the time.  It didn't feel real that I in a short few months, I would have a baby. 

  

Pregnancy Test

Well, since I haven't done any journaling during my pregnancy, I thought I would try and play catch up. I found out I was pregnant on 11/11/11. Wierd huh? I had been feeling really nauseous (more than usual) all week.  Especially when I would get hungry.  So, I woke up on Friday and threw up for the first time.  It was my day off so I decided to take a pregnancy test. I had one left since we had been trying to get pregnant for awhile.  Normally when I would take one, I would try not to look for a few minutes, but usually would see the darn negative line start to form and would immediately be disappointed, then.  This time was different.  I could immediately see the horizontal line starting to form. I hurried and set it down, running out of the bathroom, too giddy to keep watching and assuming it would magically change it's mind and go back to negative.  After a few minutes, I went back and sure enough, still positive! I couldn't stop smiling and was soooo excited for Colin to get home so I could tell him.  I felt like my heart was so full of love and excitement it was going to burst out of my chest.  This is what Colin came home to:

The positive pregnancy test and a onsie that says 'I Love My Daddy'. Colin came in and saw me on the couch, smiled and said hi.  Then, he saw the surprise.  With a smile on his face, he asked "What's this? Are you really?" I said yes and he asked "For real?" He told me he was excited and wanted to hear all about taking the test and how far a long I thought I was.  We called his parents and told them, because my mom works late on Fridays as a Temple Worker, so I knew I couldn't let her know until the next day.  Mom and Dad Sorensen were very excited to hear they were going to be grandparents again.  This will be #9.  The next night, we called my mom and called her Grandma when she answered.  She was obviously very excited since this will be her first grand baby.  I also have quite a few friends and family who found out they were expecting around the same time.  My two cousins are due in June and July and my best friend Ashley is due just 6 days ahead of me. 

Starting Over

Well, it has been over a year since I have blogged and either I can't remember my login and password to blogger or blogger just doesn't remember me.  I'm choosing the latter. A lot has happened since then. We have moved twice. Well, 4 times if you count moving into this teeny, tiny, dirty shack that we ended up abandoning and then moving into our friends' house for a week while we looked for a new place.  Loooong story. We graduated last April. We found out we are pregnant with Baby Girl.  Due July 8th. We celebrated our 2nd Christmas and 2nd anniversary at home just the two of us.  Mostly because I was sick as a dog with morning sickness and it would be our last year celebrating with just the two of us. Colin is hoping to get a job with Delta at the end of the summer which means we will probably be moving to Georgia.  I was a little nervous at first but honestly cannot wait to quit my job and be a stay at home mom.  We went to visit Aunt Sheila and Uncle Craig in Georgia this March and I absolutely fell in love with Peachtree City, GA. So, the plan is to keep working up until Baby Girl is born, then start applying for jobs.  Hopefully, we can bless her here in August, then move anytime after that. We are super excited to get out of Rexburg and to start our new lives with our new baby.