Eleven to Thirteen Weeks

As I marvel and laugh at the fact that out kiddo can kick me in the stomach now... here are weeks eleven to thirteen. I apologize again at the lack of 'bump' pics all standing the same way and everything... We were busy this summer. We did our best.

June 4, 2013
11 Weeks, 0 Days
Today I got to hear our sweet baby's heartbeat. Yep, I'm calling it a baby now. Although I'm still not sure if I believe anything's really in there. Like Kyle said, "how do you know that's not your heartbeat?" And I know, my heart doesn't beat at 160 beats per minute, but it's like when you're on a ropes course and your're still scared. Even though you know the rope's going to catch you. Feelings are sometimes different than the truth.

It was a fun visit though, well interested for sure.

I drank plenty of water in case a urine test or a blood draw was needed. Gotta stay hydrated. But when I ran through the door of the office me and my pregnant self had to pee. Got the urine cup, headed to the bathroom. Check.

Met with the nurse Regina to answer a few questions. I tried my best to remember which sample of prenatal it was that I had liked the best so I could tell her, but I couldn't remember the name. Oops. I met with nurse Amanda and she said my blood pressure and weight were fine, so I headed to the exam room.

After a good long while of sitting my doctor walked in. Then paused. Then said, sorry I'm in the wrong room. Apparently she had another patient to see before me. So I waited. And waited. And then my pregnant bladder had to pee. I was in the paper gown and I was not about to run across the hall dressed in paper. So after debating for a few minutes I changed all the way back into my real clothes, ran across the hall, peed, returned to the room and donned my paper gown once again. No problems.

Little while later the doctor came in; she's nice. Kyle was is Colorado, so it was just me and her. She told me a few abnormalities that apparently I was born with. Tilted uterus anyone? And then got down to the exam.
She picked up the Doppler and then warned me, "You're exacly 11 weeks right? Because the baby's still so small we may not hear anything. I don't want you to worry. If that happens we'll have to get out the ultrasound machine and check. That doesn't mean anything's wrong." So then secretly I'm hoping we can't hear the heartbeat just so I get an extra ultrasound. Right?

Baby didn't know the plan. The second she touched my stomach with the Doppler we heard a nice big loud fast heart beat. I almost cried a little. Then I asked if I could record it for Kyle to hear, and maybe for me to listen to over and over again, but she didn't need to know all that...

We moved on and we talked about how my next appointment would be in Colorado. Then my next appointment in Texas would be in August. This would be the big 20 week ultrasound where you get to stare at the baby forever. Kyle wouldn't be there. So I just had to ask, "Can we wait a few weeks to do the big ultrasound so Kyle can be here?" And then ever so gently and politely she said no, medically we needed to get it done by 20 weeks. And then it happened.

I bawled.

I lost all emotional control and I was sobbing, sucking in breaths in the middle of sobs, full on Julia Roberts ugly cry. Like that time I missed my flight last summer going to Colorado. I knew I was uncontrollably crying and I could do nothing to stop it. The doctor said, "oh I 'm sorry, is it because your husband can't be there?" She was trying, and all I could say through the tears was "I'm sorry I'm crying, I don't know why, I'm not even sad." She told me stories of when she cried for no reason when she was pregnant. She assured me that working with pregnant women, she had seen her fair share of crying. Did I mention that I really like her?

I pulled myself together and I got ready to go. She told me I'd need to go ahead and schedule my appointment on the way out. So I did. Or at least I tried. When I told the lady at the front desk that I wouldn't be back in town until I was 20 weeks and 1 day she said I'd have to come in on the day my flight got back. Scheduling issues, my work issues, and the reminder that my husband wouldn't be able to make it... and it started again. The crying.

This time I got out a warning before it got to bad and I said "Sorry, I'm emotional." Then I lost all ability to talk or breathe through the sobs. She told me ever so sweetly that I could call her tomorrow, and then asked me if I was okay to drive home. After a small panic attack and a few snotty rags later, I was okay. Laughing about it even. Truth though, I missed my husband. I just know how excited he is and I don't want him to miss one bit.

Maybe we'll pay ungodly amounts of money to find out the gender in Colorado at 16 week. Maybe we'll pay more ungodly amounts of money to get a 3D and 4D ultrasound in Texas when we get back. We'll see. All kind of depends on how much this July visit in Colorado is going to cost us...

Oh Colorado.

11 Weeks:
Craving anything cold and fruity, because it's just the start of summer but I'm already so hot. Cannot even think about pulled pork. Oh gosh. And they added it to the menu this year at camp. Oh gosh, must. stop. thinking. about. pulled. pork.

How far along? 11 Weeks
Maternity Clothes? Nope, but I'm seriously tempted. Got some maternity jeans from a friend on Sunday, may be wearing those sooner than later...
Stretch Marks? Nope.
Sleep? Sleeping through the night again. Maybe I'm dehydrated. But I'm waking up earlier 6:30 ish and going to the restroom. Much better than 2am.
Best Moment This Week: I think I'm supposed to say "hearing the baby's heartbeat" but I think it's hearing my husband's voice on the phone. I miss him more than I thought.
Miss Anything?: Husband, lol. Great steak, had some wonderful steak Monday night, but had to ask them to cook it longer than I typically like.
Movement? Nothing I can feel.
Food Cravings?: Cold fruity things. Watermelon, cherries, snow cones... but not so much sweet things like ice cream... too sweet right now. Which is kind of crazy. Did I say steak?
Anything making you queasy or sick? Post nasal drip. Pulled pork. Same old.
Boy or Girl? I think I think boy sometimes, but I have no idea. I like the idea of either, but not both :)
Labor signs? Nope, too soon.
Belly Button In or Out? In.
Wedding Rings On or Off? On
Showing? I'm not really sure. I don't think so, but I'm not exactly wearing the slinky things I used to trot around in. Mostly I'm self conscious that someone will notice.
Looking forward to: Seeing my husband. Really. Hugs from that man are priceless. And then looking forward to the 20 week ultrasound, I think. Not so much looking forward to the insurance-ness of finding a doctor in Colorado.

Week 11 rounded out nicely with me wrapping up the school year in Texas, waking up early the day I flew to Colorado to install a programmable thermostat at the house, and hopping a plane to Colorado.

My sister actually surprised both me and herself and stopped by to see me and drive me to Dallas to catch my flight. She happened to be driving from Baton Rouge to Dallas that same day and didn't realize my house was on the way. She's pretty good at geography, lol... as her about Washington D.C.

Anyways I made sure sister and her boo Drew played the claw game while they were at the house...

Week Twelve

Back at camp life got busy. We decided that after the second doctor's appointment we were ready to tell people about the baby. Different people found out at different times...

Mom and Dad found out when I filled up baby bottles with their favorite Icees flavors and hand-delivered them to their living room.

I told Payton and Jared by hiding milk in baby bottles when we picked up donuts in Lake Charles. Jared's face was priceless when he opened the fridge to get milk to go with his donuts. He actually shuddered back, closed the refrigerator door, then reopened it... like he was going to see something different. Then Payton screamed, and then cried...

We told Justin via picture mail because he was out of town... he likes Star Wars.

We told some friends with a number of baby bottle options. Kyle told his parents by slipping it into the Christmas vacation planning conversation.  We sent my grandma a Christmas card, you know, since the baby is due at Christmas time.

Then it came time to tell camp. Kyle decided we could do it in his sneaky fashion. When we were praying before Sunday lunch with the staff he slipped "and pray for the baby in Brittany's tummy" into the prayer. everyone looked up... asked if it was for real... and then everyone was so excited! It was great to finally tell camp because we had been sneaking around with the secret for weeks at camp!

Of course had we been in Texas it would have been easier to tell more people in person, but we figured from Colorado, our best option was facebook. So we posted the announcement using a picture we had taken weeks earlier and it was out.

For week twelve we didn't quite get a 'bump' picture, but we got a few interesting photos... The app on my phone said that the baby had fingerprints during week twelve. And guess what? We had to go get our fingerprints done for camp that week!! I asked the lady at the office if she'd take our picture. She said yes.

Week 13

Week thirteen my sister came to camp! Oh I could not have been more excited! If you've met my sister you know we may not look alike but we're kind of a pair. Kyle loves to see me and Payton together, I think he finds it quite entertaining.

I also started wearing elastic pants this week. These are wonderful pants, they say their from Gap size 8 maternity jeans. A friend gave them to me to wear while pregnant and I have no idea who of my friends originally bought them. But they are comfortable and the perfect size and they're only elastic waist and not the full panel craziness (that apparently is needed later in pregnancy) and I've been wearing them for like 7 weeks now... almost EVERY day. They're like those magical sisterhood pants.

I even got a few baby gifts this week! One family got me one of those awesome Aden + Anais swaddle blankets and another friend of mine sent me this cute baby book!

Week thirteen we went out of our way and took actual bump pictures this week! You should be impressed...

Again, we'll catch up with the fruit pictures when Kyle's back in Texas. As for that... thirteen week. Still seems like I long time ago...

The Real Eight to Ten Weeks

Get ready for a fast forward into the present. Like I mentioned before, we're already past 20 weeks with this kiddo in the belly and I'm only at 8 weeks on the blog. I know it may be more info than some of you may want to read, but who knows, our little kiddo may be interested in the details... if baby's anything like Mama ;)

So we're going to be flying through months of pregnancy in just a few weeks here on the blog. Starting with weeks eight to ten... man feels like forever ago.

May 16, 2013 
Eight Weeks, 2 Days

We're at camp. I made it through the turbulence on the flight, however, this morning I did not make it through the Human Resources presentation. We were in the lodge and they were cooking up lots of raw meat in the adjoining kitchen... chills/nausea and I ran out of the room. I left the lodges and went to find the new director's wife Angie. I started with "Guess what? I'm pregnant!" and followed with "but I feel really cold and shaky and I don't know what to do... what should I do?" A few questions in and I had to run out the back door. 

And then I threw up. Oh it was awful . Kyle was a sweetheart, he ran right out to help me. He even tucked in the back of my shirt when it may have 'ridden up' a little... oops. Angie got me cold water and a cold rag and Kyle rubbed my back. I thought 'well, we're pregnant for sure now.'

The night ended with a fever, chills, body aches, and what I'm convinced was a short bout of something awful. I kind of panicked, and then I rested. I think we still have a baby in there... if the sickness didn't ruin it...

May 28, 2013
Ten Weeks, 0 Days

How far along? 10 Weeks
Maternity Clothes? Not yet, but buttoning my skinny jeans is getting harder in the tummy area.
Stretch Marks? Nothing new.
Sleep? Not the best, mostly due to the post-nasal drip and the coughing and the Colorado.
Best Moment This Week: Throwing up... just kidding. Maybe crying while sharing devo with our staff, listening to the song Worn, and sharing the Lord's goodness (without sharing our baby secret).
Miss Anything?: I would love a medium rare steak. Or the ability to choose anything for a meal and not worry about the nausea.
Movement? Not yet.
Food Cravings?: Been eating a lot of cinnamon Teddy Grahams and cinnamon Pop Tarts... only because it's an easy mid-meal snack. Craving cold juicy things... watermelon anyone?
Anything making you queasy or sick? Pulled pork. Eww, especially the recipe I make with the homemade coleslaw. Oh I'm queasy just thinking about it.... Oh also the post-nasal drip... gagging every few seconds when I talk. In front of people... pretending like it's not weird at all...
Boy or Girl? No guesses yet. When people ask, "so do you want a girl or boy?" I think about how silly of a question that is... like we could choose. And then it freaks me out because I start to think, "oh my goodness this thing inside me is going to have a gender and be a REAL PERSON! ...not just a condition..."
Labor signs? None. Think it's way to early for that.
Belly Button In or Out? In.
Wedding Rings On or Off? On
Showing? I don' think so. Maybe it's just all the pop tarts I've been eating...
Looking forward to: The next appointment. Which is technically next week. I want to hear the doctor say that baby's healthy even though I got sick, and am coughing up a lung. Please don't let me have gotten the baby all germy inside already...

As for pictures, apparently we didn't take any pictures of me while at camp. Remember we were trying to still be pretty discrete up at camp. And also at nine weeks the baby is the size of a green olive... which I could not fathom smelling without gagging. At ten weeks I headed back to Texas to wrap up the school year, while Kyle kept plugging away at camp. It was a little easier to take pictures there.

I spent my days at work and my break time eating cold things... you know, like Wendy's Frosties. A lot of Frosties.

Or what a friend of mine describes as Mimosas. Don't worry, they were baby friendly. I was downing sparkling grape juice and orange juice with calcium like it was going out of style.

It was also easier in Texas to read every book I could get my hands on about pregnancy and childbirth and things of the sort. Books from friends... books from the library... so I thought it appropriate to include them in the picture.

Oh the reading. I really did read non-stop once I was home from work for those two weeks. I think I almost read all of these, oh and an entire book online too...

At nine weeks there is a little discrepancy in the 'your baby is the size of a' statistics. Some people say grape... some say kumquat... some say prune. I don't think any of them are the same size, so I just went with all three. We'll catch up later with Kyle and the fruit of the week since he was in Colorado.

It was a good two weeks in Texas, but by the end I was ready to get me and baby-in-the-belly back to see 'dad' in Colorado.

Leaving Colorado

On a plane today, multiple planes actually heading back to Texas today with a belly full of baby. I love airports but I'm trying my luck at catching earlier flights than the ones I have scheduled... it may be an interesting afternoon and evening.

Colorado, I'll miss you and your cute little town soda shops and your 54 degree weather...

Texas, I'm ready to battle the heat with lots of smoothies and snow cones and indoor working out. Can't stop me.

I was a good summer, real good summer. But I have a feeling the next few months will be quite entertaining as well.

Let's Clear Up this Baby Business

After the first doctor's visit we realized our timeline was setback. So this is where we're going to clear that all up. Let's see... we'll play a little mix and match with the bump and fruit pics to bring us up to date.

During Week 3: April 9-April 15 We find out we're pregnant. Take the test, do a dance.

During Week 4: April 16-April 22 Baby's the size of poppy seed. Told random people we were pregnant, lol.

During Week 5: April 23-April 29 Baby's the size of  an apple seed. It's my birthday.

During Week 6: April 30-May 6 Baby's the size of a Pea. First Baby Doctor Appointment.

During Week 7: May 7-May 13 Baby's the size of a blueberry. Third wedding anniversary, Kyle leaves for Colorado.

During Week 8: May 14-May 20 Baby's the size of a raspberry. I head to camp, taking Baby Hess to live at 8,350 feet for the summer...

(It was hard to get a 'bump' picture for the first few weeks of camp without anyone seeing us and knowing our secret. So we just took cute pictures together instead. No problem... because there really wasn't any bump to show yet...)

Funny thing is... as I write this we're actually almost at twenty weeks already! Guess it's time to play catch up and tell you all our good news!