Almost reality

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was very nice and quiet. The baby got several gifts and we appreciated that. We are well on our way to getting the house taken care of before the child arrives. We have the painters scheduled for Jan. 23-24 and my parents are coming out to be here during the day since both John and I are working. My mom will definitely be here, and my dad will come only if he isn't working. I'm sure he'll enjoy spending his birthday supervising a paint job. John has completed the floor installation in the man room. The next step is to get new baseboards and attach those, and then rehang the closet doors and do some final touch-up. It looks really good! I'll attach some before and after pictures at some point so everyone can see. Of course, that's just one room. Now he gets to move on to the family room, hallway and other bedrooms. We have decided to do new tile in the entry way and kitchen, so that'll be a different project. But really, I just want the painting done.

I have been meaning to start a journal for the baby. Sure, he/she'll be able to one day read this blog, but I wanted to have something that was just for her/him. I started it at work today. Gimme a break, it's the day after Christmas. There is nothing going on here. I am using this beautiful leather bound journal that I had gotten in Florence way back when I did my study abroad program. For some reason I had never used it, but I guess saving it was a good decision.

I started it by writing a little bit about my history with John, how we met, engagement, marriage, etc. Then I started talking about trying to get pregnant and the Doctor's appointments and all of that. My first entry was pretty long. I will write more later, but I think I got a good start.

It wasn't until a couple of minutes ago, about an hour after I put the journal away, that it really started to hit me. Reality hasn't quite settled in yet because I can't feel any movement yet, but the fact that I am basically writing a letter to my child who will be reading it when they grow up is an odd feeling. It gives me a lot of excitement but also produces a lot of fears. I worry about being a good mom and having no idea what I am doing. I don't have much experience with babies, John is much more advanced in that arena than I am. I worry that I won't be close with my kids, or that I will be totally overprotective (even though I am telling myself that I am not going to be one of those moms that doesn't let their child do anything). I'm sure that all first time moms have these doubts and fears but it kind of freaks me out. And it hit me all of a sudden: I am going to have a kid that is going to be totally dependent on John and I. It's an awesome responsibility and I sometimes have those doubts as to whether I am up for it. Honestly, I really don't see myself as a mature 28 year old. Let's face it, I don't always act grown up so it's hard for me to see myself as a grown up. But then I look at my friends who have kids, like Sara, Amber, and Jason & Noel, and to see what amazing parents they are really makes me see that I can do it and that I have this incredible support system of family and friends behind me that will always be there to help should we need it. But most of all I have John who has been nothing but wonderful through these first 4 months. I'm sure I haven't been the easiest to live with but he has been really patient and has picked up a lot of the slack. And I don't think that he has once complained about cleaning out the litter box.

Elvis

I realized that Elvis hasn't made an appearance in the blog yet. Here he is. He obviously decided that it is too much work to stand or sit to drink his water so this is what he does now. In advance, I want to apologize for the type of bowl that I allow my cat to use. It makes me sick every time I see it.

16 weeks

We've made it to 16 weeks. Only 24 more to go. Jeez. Honestly I think I'm ready to have the 9 months over. I know some women just love being pregnant. I do not think I am one of them.

We had a request for some belly pictures. These were taken today, at exactly 16 weeks. I am really not showing that much, but below are a couple shots. The one of my full body I am going to apologize for because John didn't tell me if I was in the picture or when he was taking it so I am looking off somewhere else. Also, I know my outfit doesn't match. I had just changed my pants after eating dinner and I just wanted to be comfortable.

I'm also noticing that you can see where the band of the pants I was wearing before cut in to my stomach. Nice.

Anyway, we had a Dr.'s appointment today. It was very quick. He just answered some questions that I had. My main question was on skin care. I don't think I've mentioned it before but my skin is TERRIBLE. It's never been perfect but since I got pregnant it has gone from semi-bad to the worst it's been in a long time. And of course there are conflicting reports on what should or should not be used as far as acne treatments are concerned during pregnancy. So I asked my Doc and he said that as long as it doesn't have Retin-A in it then it should be fine. I'm like a junkie now. I need my fix. I've gone 4 months without any sort of treatment and now I can use it. You bet your butt I'm going to. I can't wait to get to the store (I threw most stuff away at the beginning thinking I couldn't use it, but I do have one little tube of spot treatment stuff).

Then we got to hear the heartbeat again which eased all my anxieties. I have felt so good that I almost didn't feel pregnant, but that quick beat that you hear on the doppler makes everything better. The kid is all over the place in the heartbeat range. Apparently there is an old wives' tale that says the higher the heart rate then the baby is a boy, or vice versa, I don't really know. Well this kid must want to keep us guessing because the first time we heard the heartbeat (11 weeks) it was 168 bpm, during the ultrasound (13 weeks) it was 143 bpm, and then today it was 153 bpm. I don't know what to expect at our next ultrasound which, by the way, is January 15. We will be able to find out the sex of the baby that day, assuming the little one cooperates.

John got his Christmas gift from the Coyotes today. It is a bottle of wine from the Wayne Gretzky Estates and it is personally signed my Wayne Gretzky. It is very cool. We are not going to drink it. Even if I could drink right now, we wouldn't. It's a really neat thing for him to do. We had John's holiday party on the 10th. It was at the arena and they let everyone go down and skate on the rink before dinner. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do that, but definitely next year. Here are some pics of John and I.

With the rink in the background. We were going to use one of these as our Christmas picture but decided that you couldn't see the rink very well, so we didn't. Maybe next year we'll get a better shot. And, yes, that is maternity clothing that I am wearing.

Preggo clothes

Yes, I am into maternity stuff for the most part. I do have a couple pair of pants and most of my skirts still fit (as long as they have an elastic waistband), but as far as work clothes I had to buy some new pants and tops. So now I am extremely comfortable even though I may not necessarily be big enough for them. At this point, I don't care. It's much better to have a belly panel and be comfortable than to wear my pre-pregnancy pants that are too tight and have my belly hanging over. That's always attractive.

John and I have chosen a painter for our rooms. It looks like they will be coming the second week of January and we will be all done! Of course I do have to pick the colors now which could be the hardest part of the entire process. They are even going to fix our amateur paint job in the living room and kitchen which is the best part of the whole deal because it really does look like crap. We also bought the first room worth of laminate flooring. John has already moved everything out of the man room (which was a chore because of all his dolls - oops, I mean bobbleheads) and pulled up all the carpet and padding. I think he is going to start installing the floor sometime this week. I am very excited about it. We are really on our way. After all the flooring is done we'll only have to worry about getting the backyard finished. All that will really entail is having someone come out and spread rock. That is not high on our priority list right now though so I'm not even thinking too much about it.

John's company holiday party is tonight at the arena. They are going to let everyone skate on the rink before dinner but unfortunately I won't get to and I'm disappointed about. Maybe next year. We're going to have someone take our picture for our Christmas card tonight so I'm hoping to get that stuff all printed and mailed by this weekend. Ideally, that's the way it will work. In reality, who knows.

Our next appointment is December 20 and that is just a basic check-up so I don't know that there will be much to report there. I'll try to put something up though.

Pictures!

John and I had our ultrasound today. According to my dates I am 13 weeks along. According to the ultrasound technician she estimated that the baby is measuring 13 weeks and 5 days, so since that is within a week of where I think I am she said that the due date is accurate. She said that from crown to rump the baby is about 3 inches long. She didn't give us an estimate of weight but at 3 inches long I'm sure it can't weigh that much. Here are some pictures:

This is a shot of the top of the head. The brain is the butterfly looking thing. It shows both lobes.

Saying hi!

Looking at the camera - face to the right, belly to the left.

Full body shot - head to the

right, feet to the left.

So there we have it. Our ultrasound tech did say that there wasn't anything popping out at her either way as to the sex of the baby. We'll just have to wait until our next ultrasound which will probably be at the end of January or so.

This is so weird! But very cool! I'm having a hard time believing that this little thing is growing inside of me. What a miracle!

Overruled

Alright, I got overruled on the Polish names. John doesn't want to use any of them and I'm sort of starting to agree. He also vetoed Sloane which is okay too. Delaney and Reagan are on our short list still.

We have an ultrasound scheduled for Thursday. It will be fun to see something finally. And I have eaten a salad the last two days! Yay for me finally getting some good vegetables! I also started our registry on Target.com last week while I was at work the day after Thanksgiving (yes, we were one of 16 or so states that worked that day). At least I was productive!

It's getting cold here. We had to turn on the heater this weekend. I'm such a wuss now. The highs have been in the upper 60's and I'm freezing! I have to wear a coat during the day and then I come home I put on sweats and slippers. I thought pregnant women were always warmer than everyone else. Not so for me!

I'm planning on having almost all of my Christmas shopping done by this weekend, and everything mailed by next weekend. One can only hope.

Girl names

I know a lot of people say not to tell any of the names that new parents might be considering because we'll get all sorts of criticisms, etc. about them, but I guess I'm not heeding that advice. I really just needed a place to write down names that I like so I won't forget them so I am going to use this forum. I don't think we're going to announce the name we choose before the child is born, but here are some options for girls. Most of them are Polish names that I found in my baby name book. You'll probably either love them or hate them. I don't think there'll be much in between. I think if we have a girl I would like to give her a Polish name.

Girls:
Ania (Polish)
Kasia (Polish)
Minka (Polish)
Delaney (Irish)
Sloane (Irish)
Reagan

I have found that I am enjoying looking for girls' names more than boys. Probably because I like more uncommon names for girls and more traditional names for boys. Plus I think we've pretty much decided on the boy name we'll use. IT IS NOT TROY SWITZER!

Also, here is the bedding we are going to get for the nursery. We are going to get cherry or another dark wood color for the furniture. The walls will be light as well. Notice how it is gender neutral. =)

Heartbeat!

John and I had a Doctor's appointment today and we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! It was done with the doppler thingy so we didn't get to see anything but we definitely heard it. (I almost wrote him instead of it - I guess I'm thinking it's a boy, or maybe it's just wishful thinking.) It was really cool. The Doc said that the beat sounded good, that the rate was normal (168 per minute) and that the size of my uterus was right along with 10-11 weeks along, which is where I am. So everything is looking good. It is definitely a relief, and very neat, to hear something. It's making this seem that much more real. Of course all the side effects I've been having have been making it seem real as well. Men have NO IDEA what we go through!

John also got to sit through my internal exam. =) I'm sure he loved that. He can't even stand to hear the word tampon or anything female hygiene related so I'm sure seeing my feet up in stir-ups wasn't fun for him. Of course I laughed at him.

Our next appointment is November 29 when we have the Ultrascreen ultrasound so that will be our first glimpse of the baby. We are going to have them record it for us. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to get it on here so everyone else can see it too.

Have a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving! We'll be thinking of all of you in the cold weather while we chill in the upper 70, low 80 degree weather out here. =)

Busty

One of my co-workers told me I was really busty today. Yeah, well. Not much I can do about it. Thought all of you out there would appreciate that. As if I'm not already busty enough, pregnancy has just made me bigger. And I know it'll just get worse. I'll try to keep them under wraps in our Christmas picture. They don't need to take that over too.

First time pregnant ladies

I have no idea what is going on with my body. I have never been through this before so the things that I feel kind of freak me out. Since about week 5 or 6 I occasionally get this fluttering feeling in my chest - right in the center. I don't know what it is, but I do know that I did not have it before I got pregnant, so I figured it was pregnancy related. I tend to feel it more in the morning or when I am working out. I called the Doctor's office and they said that more than likely it had to do with the increased blood flow, etc. related to bringing this new life into the world. The heart is working harder and blood volume is increasing so weird stuff might happen. They said that as long as I wasn't seeing any stars, or having any dizziness or pain I should just watch it and that everything was probably fine. Anyway, my Dr. decided to move my appointment up two weeks because of it, but as soon as I rescheduled I started having pain in my chest. Not bad pain, like an ache that went all the way through to my back. It wasn't constant but I could feel it for the better part of the day. I thought maybe it would be related to heartburn but I didn't want to wait to get to the Dr. to find out I was alright.

So . . . I ended up at the Urgent Care place on Tuesday night just to get it checked out and I have good old indigestion. Great. The doctor on duty did an EKG just to make sure and everything with my heart was perfectly normal. She told me to keep my Tums with me. They stay in my purse at all times.

Like I said, as a first time pregnant lady I have no idea what to expect or what is happening. And this is just the beginning. I hope I don't become one of those patients that freaks out every time something weird happens.

Ten weeks and counting!

Ellie pictures!

Here are some pictures of our family's newest addition:

I'll post more as I get more. She's so cute!

Ellie

Ellie's here! Yay!! She was born this morning at 9:15 a.m. Dallas time. She is 6lb 3oz, 20 in. long and apparently beautiful. Which I have no doubt about. I am so excited, I just wish that I was there to see her. Mom and baby are healthy and doing well. I'm hoping to have some pictures soon, so I will post them when I get them.

I was able to tell my extended family this weekend. It was driving my mother crazy not being able to say anything to anyone. So they all know now. Busha was hilarious. (For those of you who don't know, Busha is the Polish word for grandmother. She is my mom's mom.) She basically screamed on the phone. I'm glad my parents were there so they could make sure she didn't hurt herself. =) Everyone else was happy too. I have the best family. They are all so supportive. I'm waiting a couple of more weeks to tell everyone else.

I got really sick on Monday morning. It was really weird. I'm thinking it was something that I ate the night before because once I got it out I was much better. I had not felt that bad before Monday, and I haven't felt that bad since. So I think it must have been a fluke. I don't think that it was morning sickness.

Our next doctor's appointment is November 30, but we have a screening for Down's Syndrome on November 29. I don't think that I am at high risk for Down's but the screening is covered by my insurance and it'll give us our first chance of seeing the baby, which is the main reason for scheduling it. We're going to take a CD-R to record it. I'll try to get some still shots to put up here. Then in January or February we'll probably be able to find out the sex. I don't really mind not finding it out, but John wants to know, so we're going to go ahead and find out. My mom doesn't want to know, so if we tell you, don't tell her!

I'm going to try to get John to go out and do some shopping with me this weekend. Not really shopping, more browsing, trying to decide what sort of stuff we are going to need for the nursery, etc. Strollers are going to be a big thing for me. There is so much to do and so much to get! We need to get the rooms repainted too, and new flooring for the house. We can start that now actually. Maybe we'll go to Home Depot and Lowe's and look at laminate flooring. I think that John wants to try to install it ourselves to save some money. Good luck with that. I know for sure that we are going to get someone to come in and paint. There is no way I am going to do that again.

First Dr.'s appointment

I had my first office visit on Monday. Nothing special, just met with my Dr.'s nurse. They took some blood and then gave me all sorts of stuff to read and look at. John and I have to talk about some optional testing that we can have done and then I'll have to call my insurance company and see if they cover the testing. I'm planning on doing that today. We'll see if that acually happens.

As far as the morning sickness is going, I'm doing better with it, although today is not the best day so far. It's still not the best feeling, but I've gotten some tricks down that seem to be helping. I eat saltines before I even get out of bed in the morning, and then I make sure I sit down and eat something for breakfast. Right now it's a bowl of Quaker Oatmeal Squares or frosted mini-wheats. I am still having a hard time with food. Nothing sounds good. I did make an actual dinner the other night which was a nice change. Poor John has been eating so terribly because of me. I feel bad for the guy. Right now vegetables are not my friend and I am not really having cravings, so much as moments of something sounding really good. Then if I eat it I can only eat a few bites before I feel full or sick. Being pregnant is just awesome!

And by the way, I already think I look pregnant. My belly is poking out. I don't know if it's from the actual pregnancy or whether it's from bloating or good old weight gain. Part of it is bloating I'm sure. I have put on a few pounds but not enough to be the difference that I see around my waist. It makes it a little bit harder to dress. I am trying to continue to exercise. I don't have much energy but I try to walk on a treadmill at least every other day and do some crunches and push-ups. It makes me feel better so I make a point to try to do it.

Other than that and other common symptoms of pregnancy I am feeling alright. Although I'm a bit of a downer for John. All I want to do is sleep on the weekends. Which I'm sure is not fun for him some of the time. Other times I'm sure he enjoys it.

I plan on letting the cat out of the bag this weekend to the rest of my family. It is driving my mom crazy not being able to tell anyone, and I figure 8 weeks is an okay time to tell family. I can't wait to hear everyone's reactions!

Almost 7 weeks

I told John the other day that if I feel this crappy throughout this pregnancy we are only having one. That's it. I feel really bad. Actually, today is not too bad. I'm trying to figure out what is going to work for me as far as reducing nausea. Monday and Tuesday were really bad. I bought some SeaBands and have been wearing them for 2 days. They seem to be working okay. I also bought some fresh ginger and lemons to sniff because that is supposed to help as well. It seems to be helping some too. Although today I have a headache. I would much rather have a headache than nausea though. JB reminded me yesterday that I only have 2 months left of it. Thanks.

I'm having a hard time with the eating too. Nothing sounds good to me. I'll have random moments when John will suggest something and I'll want it, but most of the time if I sit and look in the pantry or refrigerator, nothing will look appetizing. And I find that I am prefering things that don't smell that much. My sense of smell is definitely heightened. Yesterday at lunch one of my coworkers brought back mexican food from one of my favorite places and I almost lost it. I got up and walked to the bathroom thinking I was going to puke. I didn't, but came very close. And I almost fell asleep at my desk during lunch.

My family was so excited when I told them on Thursday. I told Erin and my dad first. Then my mom later. I told them the same way. We got to talking about our sailing trip in May and I told them that I wouldn't be able to go. When they asked why, I told them that you're really not supposed to travel during your third trimester. I think it took a moment for it to register what I said. Erin and Dad looked at me like I was crazy. Dad said, You're shitting me! And Erin said, You're not pregnant already? I said, No and Yes. They cried and laughed and it was very nice. I told Mom the same way, but she had food in her mouth that she ended up spitting out in shock. She cried too. Danny, of course, was the only one who didn't cry, but he seemed excited too. I did end up telling my boss on Monday. I was feeling so terrible and I wanted him to know why so he didn't think I was slacking. Other than that, no one except Sara and JB (and Ryan) know at this point.

My reunion ended up being fun. I got to see several of my friends and we had a really nice time. Other than the football game and the party I didn't do much. I spent a lot of time sleeping and sitting on the couch. Sunday we had Jennifer's shower which I really enjoyed, especially the chocolate bars in the diapers game. Hilarious.

Tomorrow

I am telling my parents tomorrow when I get home for my reunion weekend. I went to the doctor this past Monday to confirm and their test was positive too. So, yes, right now I am 5 weeks and 6 days. But I'm freaking out a little bit because this week I have had two instances of spotting. Although it is not heavy or accompanied by severe cramping it still worries me. I've seen where it is a common thing that happens at this point because the placenta is growing and the umbilical cord is becoming viable, etc. so there may be some bleeding. But the fact that it is still so early on and the risk of miscarriage is still pretty high, it makes me nervous. I sent an e-mail to my Dr.'s office asking if I should be concerned. I guess I'll just wait to hear back from them. I go back for my first pre-natal appointment on October 22 where I'll have all my bloodwork and all of that done. John will also be going with me.

My parents are going to flip! John is going to miss their reactions and he is disappointed. He's going to tell his mom on thursday or friday too. It sucks being so far from everyone because we can't tell them in person. Everyone is going to be so excited when we finally spread the news. JB and Sara are the only ones who know at this point. We are going to wait until around 10 weeks or so to start telling everyone else. Just to be safe.

I am having a really hard time with the eating right now. I have more or less been on Weight Watchers for the last 3 years or so. It has been hard for me to get through my head that I don't need to be eating to lose weight. I'm am not used to counting calories, and I feel like I am eating so much, even though I've figured that I've upped my amount to about what I would eat if I were trying to maintain my weight. I actually went out and bought some Slim-Fast shakes and bars because they are about the right amount of calories and they have so many vitamins and minerals that I need. They say you should only eat about 300 calories more per day, and maybe even less than that earlier on. That is one thing that I will discuss at my appointment on the 22nd. I am still working out as usual but am finding that I get tired much more quickly. I have been asleep before 10 several times this week, and that is unusual for me. I have just been exhausted. Other than that I really haven't had many side effects (knock on wood). I have felt pretty good.

Yes, 10 year high school reunion this weekend. It will be interesting. It makes me feel so old to know that I am old enough to have already been out of high school for 10 years. Ugh. I am really only going to see a few people, and there is going to be a baby shower on Sunday for Jenn (Olivier) Keel, so that will be fun.

Ummm . . .

Positive test last night! My period was three days late and I couldn't wait. Not knowing was killing me. So after John and I got back from Dallas yesterday (which ended in the loss of his bag, though it was later found and returned) we stopped at the store for groceries and I went ahead and picked an EPT up. I waited until after dinner almost before bed time because I didn't have to go to the bathroom and I didn't want to waste the tester. I took the test and 2 minutes later I had a very distinct positive sign. It actually became dark very quickly, so I guess my HCG was pretty high. I have a doctor's appointment next Monday for a confirmation test, and then after that, I don't know what happens.

After the test showed positive I had a mini freak out session. I was shaking. John was surprised and excited when I put the test on the counter in front of him while he was shaving. Luckily he was pretty much done so he didn't cut himself. Of course he proceeded to say that we were going to have a little Troy Switzer. Uh, no. Today has been a bit better for me. I didn't sleep well last night. In fact I ended up infront of the computer from 2:30-3, after waking up at 2 unable to fall back asleep. I am a little calmer now, but still have my moments of "What was I thinking? There is no way I'm ready for this!" etc. I'm sure that's normal. But then I start thinking of everything we need to do to get ready for this baby. Do we have time? I'm going to have to recruit family members to help, so if anyone wants to volunteer in advance for painting, replacing carpet with laminate floors, etc., you are more than welcome. =)

I've had some inkling that I was probably pregnant for about a week, although a lot of the symptoms I had been experiencing were similar to those that happen before a period. I had cramping for about an hour on Sept. 24, which was probably the implantation of the zygote. Then I had some thicker vaginal discharge which was probably the build up of the mucus plug. Lovely. But right now I feel okay. My abdomen is a little uncomfortable, almost like I'm sore. But really, knock on wood, I haven't felt sick yet. If you go by my the start of my last menstrual cycle I am about 4 weeks along with a due date of about June 5. I'll firm that up at the Dr.'s appointment.

This past weekend we were in Dallas for Noel's baby shower and to see the rest of my family. We had such a wonderful time. Thank you to all of you who made it so much fun! We hope to see all of you very soon. I have a bunch more pictures, but these will have to do for now.

This week is a busy week. The D-Backs start the NLDS versus the Cubs on Wednesday and John and I are going, then the Coyotes' opening night is Thursday and we are going to that as well. Friday is our 5th wedding anniversary (!) and we're going to a nice dinner that night with another hockey game on Saturday. Maybe. I may bow out of that one. The Dallas weekend was non-stop and exhausting and I won't have time to catch up. Although I do have Monday off for Columbus Day. Gotta love government holidays. I'll post more after my appointment next week.

Once Again

Look how cute Mia and her Mommy and Daddy are!

I was right! Not pregnant. Got my period a couple of days before John and I went to Anaheim for an Angels game. I was not surprised, but I was disappointed. I am very ready for all of it to happen and, although we're only on our third month, I am getting impatient. Surprise, surprise. Me? Impatient? Never!

Still, the fact that I was not preganant allowed me to have some apple martinis after the game, which Erin, JB and Sara (as well as Tom) heard about. I also made my first trip to Hooters, which was uneventful. But I think I need to go again and get those fried pickles which I really enjoyed. And all of this happened before 7:00 p.m. It was an early night. =)

This week began the third round of trying. Looking for the LH surge again. I have a good feeling about this month, but I don't want to jinx myself, so we'll stop there.

I found out that another friend of mine, Emily (roommate and teammate at Rhodes) is pregnant with her first child. They had been trying for 2 years! So good for them! I am really happy for her because I know she always wanted to have kids. And now she will have one that has a birthday very close to hers in February. Plus, a friend from high school's wife is due in March. So those are a couple more that I can add to my seemingly never-ending list.

John and I are heading to Dallas in a few weeks for Noel's shower. John will be doing the golfing thing with the guys. We are both really excited. And we get to meet Mikey for the first time. I can't wait. Also that weekend is when my next period is due, so I might be a little anxious. We will see what happens.

I need to keep track of names that I have decided John and I should consider for our kids. I'm sure I'm forgetting one girl's name, but I can't think of it right now. I like the name Ryann and Emerson for a girl, but John doesn't. Here is what we (actually I) have so far (John still claims if we have a boy we're going to name it Troy Switzer - Not going to happen):

Girls

Rachel Laura/Harper

Maya Laura/Harper

Danielle Laura/Harper

Claire Harper

Boys (Ryan after Nolan Ryan, Brett after George Brett - my husband is crazy)

Justin Ryan/Harper

Jacob (Jake) Ryan/Harper

Jackson Ryan/Harper

Brett Harper

Waiting

I don't think that we did it this month either. I don't know why I think that, but I do. It's just a feeling I have. Of course, I won't know for sure for another couple of weeks, but I am pretty certain that no baby was made. We'll just move on to next month.

Erin is coming in tonight for "Mark Grace weekend". We're going to two D-Backs games this weekend - Saturday (for bobbleheads) and Sunday for "Grace's Place" where she is hoping to meet him. We'll see. It'll be fun.

I'm getting really excited about the shower weekend in September. It has been a while since I've seen my entire family so I can't wait. And I can't wait to see Noel's pregnant belly. My mom said that she almost started crying when she saw her a couple of weekends ago.

Maybe I should hold off on writing on this thing until I have actual updates. =)

Keepin' on

My mom sent my sister and I a picture that a friend of hers had sent from when she and I were little. It is so cute. What happened to us? And what's with Erin's mouth? =)

Things have been quiet in the Dickey household for the last couple of days. LH is still surging, although I didn't think it would last this long. We will see what happens.

I am not a patient person. You all know this about me. So now that John and I are actually in the process of trying to have a child I just want to get it done and get on with it. It still scares the crap out of me, but I'm ready. It's been worse since we found out about Jason and Noel are having a baby. I told Jason on the phone when he let me know the good news that just that week John and I had been talking and I mentioned that I was okay with waiting a month to go off the pill because Jason and Noel weren't having kids yet. I want our kids to be close in age because growing up I didn't have any cousins that close in age to me. The closest were Luke, Price, Brad, and Erin who were 2 years younger, and then Jason was 3 1/2 years older. It would be nice for our kids to grow up together. I want them to be close like I am with my cousins.

Anyway. John and I went to the concert on Monday, that I mentioned in my last post. I went to see Daughtry. I was indifferent to Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback. But once Nickelback came on stage I was hooked. They are so great in concert! Total rock stars with pyrotechnics and everything. Their drummer used to be with 3 Doors Down and his drum solo was incredible. I wish that I had that kind of talent. They are playing at The Woodlands pavilion tonight. I wish I could go. But no. I am stuck in 110 degree Phoenix. Of course it's probably pouring rain there right now. Not fun.

Month Two

This is my first attempt at an actual blog so technically my title is a little misleading. But this blog thing came from my reading Amy and David's blog as they went through their adoption process. I thought it was pretty cool so I decided to copy them.

The title Month Two refers to the second month of Operation PAKO (Operation Pop A Kid Out), aka Operation Little Dickey, appropriately named by my sister's boyfriend Ryan. Erin tends to be our biggest fan when it comes to our little project so it's no surprise that she and Ryan have come up with a name (or two) for it. This is the same girl that sent me a University of Texas onesie for my birthday back in March, before I even came off the pill. To say she's a bit anxious is an understatement. I figured that keeping a blog would be an easy way of keeping her, and everyone else, informed of the status/progress of the operation. Although, this may also be a little bit of a self-indulgent project because it is the sort of thing that allows me to indulge in my love of writing. It may not be the Great American Novel, but I'm going to try to make it as entertaining as possible, and I know it will be something that I enjoy doing.

Once John accepted his position with the Coyotes back in June we knew we would be here in Arizona for several more years so we decided it was time to think about the whole baby-making process. He was getting a little anxious about getting started on having kids because he has said that he doesn't want to be an old dad, and at 32 he felt like he was getting there. As many people know, for a long time I had been set against having kids, but things had changed. I don't know what and I don't know when, but something did. I can't explain it. I can narrow it down to after Amber had Austin and before Sara got pregnant with Mia which spans a period of a little less than 2 years between 2004 and 2006. Other than that I guess it was just a change of heart, a maturation or something along those lines. For a long time I didn't want to share John with anyone at all. Now I think I can do that.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING MAY CONTAIN TOO MUCH INFORMATION FOR SOME MALE READERS. I DON'T THINK IT'S THAT BAD, BUT GUYS MIGHT NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT CYCLES, ETC.

So here we are. August 2007. I began taking prenatal vitamins in June and quit taking the pill at the beginning of July, much to JB's dismay. I did give her 30 days notice though so she can't complain too much. =) But of course she still will. I visited my new Dr. on July 26 for an annual exam and to discuss that John and I were going to start trying for a baby.

Here is probably where I should back up a little bit - prior to going on the pill I had kind of irregular cycles and my hormones were out of whack and I was told that I was low in one of the hormones that is involved in getting pregnant (I can't remember if it was the LH or FSH), but anyway, I was informed that it may be a problem later on when I was trying to get pregnant. But at that stage, and that age (21), I didn't really care.

I discussed with my doctor that I didn't know what my cycle was, etc. and he said that it could take up to 10 months before I got anything resembling a normal cycle and to come back and see him if I wasn't pregnant in a year (standard time frame). He recommended Ovulation Test Kits and FertilityFriend.com as ways to help figure out when I am ovulating.

To my surprise my next period started sooner than I expected. I might actually have a 30 day cycle. But I have to see how this month goes. Of course I was a bit disappointed when it started too because obviously that meant that I wasn't pregnant, even though John and I definitely tried at what I figured were the right times. Oh well, the fact that I could possibly have a regular cycle is a start.

Back to present day. I started using the Ovulation Predictor tests last week and today it came up as positive for the LH surge, which indicates the onset of ovulation. So that means it's time for another round of kind of tiring attempts at babymaking. Don't get me wrong. It can be fun, but it can be exhausting too. And, on a side note, John and I went to the Puddle of Mudd, Daughtry, and Nickelback concert last night (P.S. It was awesome!) and didn't get back until late so we're extra tired. I did warn him this weekend though that he needed to get some rest because the particular time of the month was coming up.

So that's where we are. More to come!