Pregnancy: Week 18 Gender Ultrasound!

Week 18! December 19, 2012



IT'S A BOY!


Our gender ultrasound appointment was wonderful! I'm thinking I should have gone to school to be a sonographer, because I could watch that baby on the screen all day long! I'm so fascinated by ultrasounds. That has to be the best job, ever!

I think I knew all along that our baby was a boy. Whenever I would think about the baby, I just felt like it was a boy. I'd slip up and call the baby "him" every once in a while. When I thought about my baby being a girl, it just didn't feel right...even though I've always wanted a girl. I'm not disappointed by any means. I like the idea of having the oldest child be a boy and I'm so excited to see Jake with a son. He's going to have so much fun teaching him sports and rough-housing with him!

Back to the appointment: Our little boy is super active! The sonographer said she couldn't go in order on her checklist because our little man wouldn't sit still. As soon as she found what she was looking for, he would move. She showed us his stomach, kidneys, abdomen, legs, arms, hands, feet (which are the cutest feet ever), head, spine, individual bones, etc. We were able to watch the heart beat and see the different chambers. We could even see the separation between the left and right hemispheres of his brain! One of the coolest things to see was the umbilical cord. There was even something like a heat sensor that showed the blood flow through it. Baby had his legs crossed and I was getting really nervous we wouldn't see the gender, but he eventually opened up and we got to see his "little boy part" as the sonographer called it. :)

We decided not to tell anyone until we got together with my entire family for Christmas that weekend. My brother got to find out a little early because he helped us put together "gender reveal" cupcakes for everyone to bite into. It was really cute and it was fun to see our nieces and nephews react. Thanks again, Ross!



Jake is very happy to be having a boy! Here's the proud daddy to be!

Pregnancy: Weeks 15-17

Week 15! November 28, 2012



So, this week I started feeling little vibrations that I thought could've been the baby moving, but I definitely wasn't sure. I really had my doubts because I'd been told as a first time mom, I most likely wouldn't feel the baby until I was 20-22 weeks along.

Week 16! December 5, 2012



Look who has a bump! This week I could definitely say I felt the baby move! Those little vibrations that I had been feeling last week were my little peanut in action. I was tying quilts at the extension office with the 4-H kids for work and I just kept feeling this little rubbing vibration inside. I don't really know how else to describe it. Most women say it feels like butterflies or bubbles popping, but that didn't quite fit for me. I had my doubts at first, but I continued to feel the same thing on and off throughout the next few days and that pretty much sealed the deal. I was thrilled! I'd been waiting for the longest time to have some evidence that this was really happening! It's still hard to believe there really is a baby inside of me.

Week 17! December 12, 2012



Pregnancy advice, for anyone out there who is less intelligent than I am: DON'T chop off a lot of hair or make any major changes to your appearance while pregnant. Your body is changing enough! Any sudden, drastic changes will cause you to have an emotional breakdown, in which you will suffer a complete identity crisis. Okay, maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but pregnancy hormones make you do that sometimes. I decided to cut my hair this week (evidence doesn't show up until next week's picture) and donate it to Locks for Love. I'm adjusting slowly, but right after I chopped it off, I had a total meltdown. I came home to Jake sobbing. Then, we had to rush to our first prenatal class, but I couldn't stop crying. I am sure they all thought someone had died because I was very red and puffy. My friend, Candice cut my hair and she did a great job and I really do like it now. I just grow very attached to my long hair and it hadn't been cut in almost a year and a half. Moral of the story: save big changes for well AFTER the baby comes!

This was yet another nerve-wracked week. I was terrified about the upcoming ultrasound. I didn't feel like they would find anything wrong, but you never know. Mostly I was scared they wouldn't be able to tell the gender of the baby for certain and I would have to wait even longer. Waiting to find out the gender was torture!

Pregnancy: Weeks 13-14 and some other good stuff.

Week 13! November 14, 2012



I definitely thought I was getting my belly this week, but it still wasn't good enough for others to notice. Morning sickness was still kicking my butt, though slightly less so. In other news, we got a new house guest this week. Unfortunately, Jake's Nana took a fall and broke her hip. She will be in a rehab facility for a while, so we are watching her pup, Wyatt. He's crazy, but cute!



Riley is learning to tolerate the new addition. (Maybe this will be good practice for him having to share the house and the attention for when the baby comes!)


Wyatt is learning to fit in.


Week 14! November 21,2012



I consider this the week when the morning sickness finally let up for the most part. (Insert praise music here.) This was just in time for Thanksgiving!

I made my mom's famous rolls all by myself for the first time and was pretty darn excited for how they turned out.


And Jake carved his first turkey! We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with his mom and brother.


I couldn't leave out this kodak moment: this is how I know Jake is going to be the best dad! What man will cuddle a dog (one that he pretends not to like) like a baby?? Too sweet!

Pregnancy: Weeks 9-12

9 Weeks! October 17, 2012



Our first ultrasound was this week! SOOOOO EXCITING!

Ultrasound! October 22, 2012




What an awesome experience! When we went to our ultrasound appointment, we were told that my doctor was called out to do a delivery. We could either reschedule and see him the next day for the ultrasound or see one of the other doctors in the clinic. I was already a nervous wreck and had been looking forward to this day since I found out we were pregnant, so we decided to see the other doctor.

I'm not sure what I expected. I've seen ultrasound pictures before, but I was still absolutely in awe and amazement when I saw my baby for the first time. I don't know if I expected it to take a while to find the baby or what, but I remember being shocked when all of a sudden...there was our baby! And he was MOVING! Right from the very start, our little boy was super active! I couldn't believe how much he twisted and jerked! I guess I thought about the ultrasound pictures and not the fact that we'd be able to see what he was actually doing. It was incredible! Oh, and he was so cute! I started crying, of course.

We were able to see so much! We saw the umbilical cord, head, body, arms, legs, and even a defined set of the cutest fingers ever! We heard the heart beat (a strong 171 bpm) and he measured in at 1.1 inches or 9 weeks, 4 days. (My calculations put him at 9 weeks, 5 days.) It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life!

10 Weeks! October 24, 2012



Nothing too specific to mention this week. Eating was such a chore. Morning sickness wasn't necessarily intense and I didn't throw up a lot, but I felt kind of miserable all the time. Food rarely ever sounded good. I would eat only because if I didn't, THEN I would dry heave. Lovely, I know.

11 Weeks! October 31, 2012



I started to feel like I was developing a bit of a belly at this point, but I was the only one who noticed. I was beginning to think morning sickness would never end. Jake and I were supposed to go out to a dinner party on Halloween, but he had to work and I just felt too lousy to do anything and definitely too lousy to eat dinner with friends without them knowing something was going on.

12 Weeks! November 7, 2012



This week was the first time I thought there might be a light at the end of the morning sickness tunnel. I had a couple days that weren't as bad as usual. I began to be hopeful. Also this week, I got to make my first real baby purchases! The girls in my ward were all raving about the JJ Cole warehouse sale that comes to town once a year, so I dragged Jake along and went to check it out. We bought a diaper bag, bundle-me, support pillow, and a pacifier holder. I'll have a put a pic of my cute diaper bag up sometime.

Pregnancy: Weeks 5-8

5 Weeks! September 19, 2012

Most of this week was spent as a nervous wreck. I lost a lot of sleep between worry and excitement. I was terrified that I would miscarry. It was as if the moment I knew I had this little baby, he was mine, and I was so scared he would be taken away from me. I started making calls to find a doctor and get set up with everything pregnancy-related that I could. I just wanted to DO SOMETHING to make it real. It seemed like a dream. I wanted time to fly by so that I could start telling people and seeing my belly grow....anything! I wanted to rush into all of the exciting things about pregnancy! I had all of this excitement!!!! I couldn't talk about it with anyone, so mostly I read A LOT about pregnancy and drove Jake crazy.

6 Weeks! September 26, 2012

If I remember right, I had a breakdown this week. I was really sad that I hadn't lost the weight I wanted to PRIOR to getting pregnant. I had always wanted to be a cute pregnant woman and instead I felt like I was just going to be a huge blob. I wanted to take my weekly pictures, but I felt like I already could have looked 5 months pregnant. (I'm (mostly) over that now.) I was starting to feel a little tired, bloated and nauseated.

7 Weeks! October 3, 2012

Hello, morning sickness! Or, general-feel-lousy-and-not-want-to-eat-anything-all-day sickness! Food was not my friend this week. On the bright side, we decided to start telling family.

My mom and dad: I told them back in week 5 because I NEEDED to talk to my mom. I told both her and dad over Skype, but I made sure not to just come out and tell them. I made dad guess and I built the suspense up for mom.
Jake's mom and Nana: I walked out with a sign over my belly that read "no vacancy until May 2013."
My siblings: I called Ryan and Rachelle to tell them. For Ross, who's bday was on the 5th, we sent a card from Jake, Becky and Baby Bourne.
Jake's dad's family: We went to the cabin for General Conference to see them. We told them we had a game to play and it was kind of a role-playing game where everyone had a character on their back and they had to guess who they were by asking other people yes and no questions. I switched out the name tags with one's that sad, "grandma, grandpa, uncle, aunt, etc." It was late and everyone was a little tired, but it eventually sunk in for everyone!

8 Weeks! October 10, 2012

We got to go have our "nurse's consult" this week. FINALLY I felt like I was DOING something! Of course, it really just consisted of getting a lot of my health info and I got to ask a few questions, but it felt like a step in the right direction. Funny story: I really hadn't had too many emotional pregnancy moments, but as I was getting ready for my appointment, I started feeling sad about not being a small, cute pregnant girl again. I started crying and couldn't get myself to stop! I felt like a moron in the waiting room and consult because I kept tearing up and crying. Darn pregnancy hormones!

It's positive!

This is more for me and possibly my child if he ever cares to read this, but I want to keep a record of things throughout my pregnancy. I'm going to start from the beginning (a reasonable place to start), even though I'm well into my pregnancy now.

A little history: Jake and I began to think seriously about having a child right around our first anniversary (last February). We knew it was still a little early, but it was on my mind and in our conversations more and more. We decided around April/May that it was time. Unfortunately, as is often the case, our time wasn't quite in sync with Heavenly Father's time. Every month that would go by, I was upset that we hadn't gotten pregnant yet and I was worried that something may be wrong and that we wouldn't be able to get pregnant without help. (I was paranoid, but I had good reason: my mom waited several years and adopted my older brother and sister before she was able to get pregnant. She had severe endometriosis and I was worried I might have similar issues.) By our fifth month of trying, something "snapped" in me. I hadn't given up, but I came to the realization that it might be a while before we could have children and I knew I just needed to settle in for the long haul. It was weird, but I felt more peaceful, that things would be okay and I just needed to trust and be patient. I think the Lord was waiting for me to have a little more faith, because sure enough, that month we got pregnant!

I had decided to be more patient that month and wasn't planning on testing until I was pretty sure I might be pregnant. Then, Tuesday, Sept. 11, I was home while Jake was at school and I got thinking about the date and it occurred to me that it really was possible. It was like a light bulb went on. I tried to convince myself to wait to test, but patience is not one of my stronger qualities. I told myself that I would be okay if it was negative, again. Still, my excitement was building and I almost knew...

It was POSITIVE!!

I was nearly in shock. I was laughing and talking to myself out loud. I think I even threw in some jumping up and down and perhaps a little dance. I'm sure if someone had glanced in on me, they would have thought I was crazy.

And I almost went crazy...because I couldn't tell anyone yet! I tried to think of a perfect clever way to tell Jake. When he got home, I was grinning ear to ear, but I didn't want to tell him yet because I wanted to wait until he was done with his homework. Otherwise, he would have been distracted by school and I wanted to have his full attention. Luckily, he just thought I was really excited about Riley doing well at the vet that day. (This was the longest day of my life!) Finally, just as he finished homework up and we were about to get ready for bed, I went in the bathroom and wrote: "World's best Daddy TO BE!" on the mirror so that he would see it when he went in to brush his teeth. When he FINALLY went in, I stayed just outside and waited. At first, he just smiled, like "aw, isn't that nice" as he turned to look at me. I was smiling from ear to ear. Then, I literally got to see the realization hit him. His face changed and he looked at me in shock, "you pregnant?!" I nodded emphatically.

I don't think it matters if you are planning a pregnancy or not. When it actually happens, I think there is always an element of shock. I didn't sleep very well that night...or the next few nights for that matter. It took me FOREVER to fall asleep and the second I was awake, I was AWAKE. My mind was racing. I was so happy, but very nervous. I was nearly in panic for the first few days because I wanted to read everything I could and so much of what I read said that at that stage (just 4 weeks), it was still very common to have a miscarriage. I wasn't planning on telling anyone for at least 4-6 weeks, but I HAD to talk to my mom. Of course, I had to tell dad too because there was no way mom would've kept it a secret from him. Given their history, they had also been concerned that I would have trouble getting pregnant, so both of them were overjoyed when I told them the news. I would love to say that talking to my mom calmed my fears, but I was still a nervous wreck. Time and prayer eventually calmed my nerves.

I am so overwhelmed with gratitude that I have the opportunity to carry this child. My heart aches for friends and family who have trouble conceiving. The few months Jake and I had to wait for this blessing felt like an eternity. My prayers go out to those deserving parents-to-be. I feel such a huge responsibility for this child already and an enormous amount of gratitude for the opportunity to share in his creation and development. I am overwhelmingly grateful and so excited that Jake is his father. I'm so excited to know that this child is a part of both of us. I love Jake SO MUCH and know he will be the best dad. I have looked forward to being a mom my entire life. Being pregnant at last is such a miracle and while it has definitely come with its challenges, I couldn't be happier that this is happening to me now.

Hello again, blogging world! The last time I posted a blog, I was in grad school and I mentioned this guy I was interested in. See HERE.(maybe that link will work?) Anyway, that was about 2 1/2 years ago. A LOT has happened since then! Let me catch you up:

Jake asked me to marry him.

I said YES!

We got married!

I promptly came down with mono. Basically I spent the first few months of our marriage sleeping...and doing this puzzle.

I got an internship for the summer in corporate wellness and Jake was able to get an engineering internship, both in Kansas City. We were lucky enough to stay with Ross and his fine family for a couple months. This is them enjoying some Mario Kart.

I took a cake decorating class.

And we celebrated one crazy, but wonderful first year of marriage!

I graduated with my Master's Degree in Health Education!

We've played a lot of softball

I got a job working as a Nutrition Education Assistant (NEA) for Food Sense, a USU extension program through Cache County. I teach cooking and nutrition lessons.

Jake started the graduate school portion of his concurrent Bachelor's/Master's degree in Civil engineering.

AND we found out we're about to embark on the biggest adventure yet!

Stay tuned! It's about to get interesting...