Healthy thoughts....

**24 weeks**

Today I had my 24 week checkup and everything went great. My blood pressure was 120/78, I had gained 4 pounds (which my doctor was very happy with), and Samantha's heart rate was 152 beats per minute. I am still measuring about a week ahead of schedule, but they are sticking with my due date of February 10th, since Patrick and I were both over 9 lbs when were born. The doctor looked at my ultrasound pictures and said that Samantha is definitely a girl from what he can see, so that was nice that he reassured me. :) He recommended that I take Zyrtec or Claritin for my sinuses, which I was thrilled about because they have been giving me a fit lately. Thankfully that is all I have had, and Patrick has gotten over his case of the swine flu without passing it around to me and Sam. I got my glucose drink and will have to go take my glucose test in about 3 weeks, and at my next appointment I will get the results for that along with a rhogam shot for my RH negative status. Also, lately Samantha has been kicking up a storm. I had been a little worried because she hadn't made any significant movements until about 22 weeks, but now I feel her every day, usually when I am trying to rest or go to sleep. She kicked so hard last week we could see my belly move, and last night she was kicking good enough so that Patrick could feel her with his hand on my belly. We are so thankful that she is finally letting us know that she is ok, without having to go to the doctor to hear a heartbeat, now if she could just stay off my bladder I would appreaciate it. lol. So far everything is going great and I will keep you updated with all of the exciting and even the not so exciting baby news. :)

In other news, we are officially moved into our new house! We still have a few boxes to unpack, but for the most part are settling in very comfortably. Patrick got to enjoy the living room for 5 days last week as he was recovering from his bout with the swine flu, which was a blessing in disguise because it gave him a much needed break from work and school. He is feeling much better now and we are thankful for all of the thoughts and prayers we received. :)

I guess that's it for right now. I have attached a very unflattering photo of my growing baby bump. I just thought I would share with you the growing miracle that is making me look like a house. lol. :) It will all be worth it when we bring home our beautiful baby girl in just a few short months. Oh and my younger sister called me after she saw my bump picture and said "you look huge" I said "thanks Jessica, I appreciate it, but my doctor says I'm doing fine" then she said "well you look like you are 6 months pregnant" I said, "Jessica, I am 6 months pregnant" she said "oh". lol. So at least I am starting to look pregnant and not just chubby, so I'll take it. Leave it to my little sister to give me a laugh at her expense. ;)



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Dear God,
Thank you so much for everything that you do for us. Thank you for taking care of Patrick while he was ill, and for protecting me and Samantha from catching the flu. Thank you for letting Samantha show me that she is getting stronger and is staying healthy and thank you for letting us get a good report at the doctor today. Please continue to take care of our family and to take care of others that are sick or need your help right now. Thank you for everything that you have given us, and all that you do in our lives every single day.
AMEN
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So much has happened...

**22 weeks**

Sorry I haven't updated lately, but we have been so busy. Last Wednesday we officially moved into our new house! Everything went very smoothly. We hired Two Men and a Truck and they were amazing. The two guys they sent were very courteous and fast! My father in law Bill came up for the day to help out. He brought me lunch, and helped me get anything that I wanted to carry to the house myself, put into the cars. Then he stayed while the movers put everything in the house and even killed some ant beds for us while he was here. I was really glad I didn't have to be alone. Then Thursday I turned in our notice at the apartment, packed up some of the food from our pantry, and had lunch with Patrick for 10 minutes, since he has been so busy at work that was all the time he had. Friday I spent most of the day changing addresses with various people, and resting from the busy week. Samantha was moving around in my belly all afternoon! I love knowing that she is ok in there especially since I don't know when I will get to see her again before she is born. Saturday Patrick's parents came up to help us with some stuff around the house. He and his dad cut the grass and fixed our back door. Me and his mom spent the day unpacking and organizing the kitchen. I felt like we had accomplished something HUGE! :)We tried a new BBQ place that is right up the street and it was awesome! I was really glad that they came to help us. Then Sunday my parents came up to load the rest of the odds and ends from the apartment into their van while Patrick was working on homework at the school, and then we all went to lunch and came back to the house. Patrick and my dad spent the afternoon moving the cable in the living room from the wall right in front of the door, to where we wanted it on the largest wall in the room. Me and my mom spent the afternoon unpacking some more in the kitchen and organizing the pantry. We are so lucky to both have such wonderful parents. I don't know how we would have gotten all of this stuff done without them. I guess that is all for now. We are still unpacking, and I will post pictures as soon as we are finished.Please keep us in your prayers, as we are starting this new journey together.

22 week bump: This picture was taken in Sam's nursery!

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Dear God,
Thank you so much for everything you do for us. Thank you for our new home, and for letting everything go so smoothly so far. Please continue to work in our lives and let things go well for us. Thank you for letting Samantha be healthy and strong. Thank you for letting me feel her move around this week and give me a sense of comfort that everything will be ok. Please continue to help Patrick juggle all of his enormous responsibilities at work, school, home, and with our family. Let him know that he is an intelligent, wonderful, sweet man and give him the confidence to do well in everything he puts his mind to. Thank you for giving us such wonderful parents that are always so supportive and willing to help. We can only hope that someday our children will feel the same way about us. Please continue to take care of our friends and our family who may need your care. Thank you again for everything.

AMEN
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It's a GIRL!!!!

**20 weeks 1 day**



We went to our BIG ultrasound tonight and got great news! We are having a little girl!!!!! We would have been happy with a either a boy or a girl, but were so excited to be able to call her by name. Samantha Noel Jeff, is growing healthy and strong. Her heart rate was 133 beats per minute. At first she was sleeping, but the technician let me get up and move around a bit, and soon enough Sam started moving too. She was so modest at first, and had her little legs crossed, but then changed positions to where it looked like she was sitting on a table, and the tech said that she was 100% sure that she is a GIRL! Patrick and I both started crying we were so excited! I was really surprised about how high up she is. When the tech was looking for her legs, they were up in my ribs! She weighs 15 ounces, and the tech said that it looks like I may be 21 weeks instead of 20 weeks and a day. However, it is up to my doctor to officially change the due date. The tech said that she may just be a little above average in size, but since Patrick and I were both over 9 pounds that doesn't really surprise me. After our ultrasound we went out to dinner to celebrate, and then had to make a trip by Baby's R Us to buy a couple of girly things. :) We are so excited and feel so blessed!

Sam!


Samantha sucking her thumb!


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Dear God,
Thank you so much for everything that you do for us. Thank you for giving us a healthy baby girl, and for letting us be able to call her by name. Thank you for letting me and Patrick have such a wonderful night, after such a hectic week. Please continue to take care of us.
AMEN
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Happy 2nd Anniversary!!

**19 weeks 6 days**

Today was our 2 year wedding anniversary. Patrick had to work, but decided to work from home so that he could spend most of the day with me and go with me to my 20 week check up at the OB. Our appointment was at 10:30 and while it went well there is nothing too exciting to report yet. Everything seems to be going well. The baby's heart rate was 144 beats per minute, and my bp and weight were good. The nurse said that I was measuring closer to 22 weeks, but that they wouldn't change my due date, unless the baby measures bigger in our ultrasound. We scheduled our BIG ultrasound for Thursday at 5:30 so that Patrick can go with me when he gets out of class. Hopefully our little one will cooperate and we will be able to find out the sex this week. I will keep you posted when we find out anything. After the appointment we went out to Macaroni Grill for lunch. It is one of our favorite restaurants and always reminds me of our first "fancy" date. Considering we were in highschool when we started dating our first official date was at an Arby's and our second was to Homecoming. lol. It was nice and gave us a chance to talk about the baby and about everything else that is going on in our lives (moving, his job, his grad school, our weekend plans). It was really nice. After that we came back and Patrick worked from home for a little while, and then we cuddled up on the couch to watch "Meet the Robinson's" one of my new favorite Disney movies. Patrick had to go to class, and I packed for a while, and then we just hung out for a little while longer. Now I am blogging and getting ready to go lay down. It's been a long day, but a good one. :)

I will keep you posted on our ultrasound results as soon as we find out on Thursday! Please say a little prayer that our little one cooperates.



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Dear God,
Thank you so much for everything that you do for us. We are so blessed to have you in our lives, and each other. Thank you for blessing us with 2 wonderful years of marriage, and for 9 incredible years together overall. We love each other so much and know that you put us on this earth to find each other so that we could be truly happy. Thank you for our healthy baby, boy or girl. Thank you so much for giving me reassurance today when hearing their heartbeat, and thank you for giving us something to look forward to on Thursday. Please continue to work through us, and help us through our everyday lives. Please help Patrick do well at work, and school. Please help me to get everything packed and moved next week, I know that everything will work out somehow, and I just hope that it works the way we have planned for it to. Thank you!
AMEN
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We are Homeowners!

**18weeks 5 days**

Today we closed on our house! There weren't any surprises, we took a cashiers check for our closing costs and down payment, signed a bunch of papers, and were done! Our lender even bought us a sweet little "bless this home" frame! Now the list of what to do next starts. lol. I will try to add more details and updates soon, but I'm exhausted, and this is all I can think to write right now.

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Dear God,
Thank you so much for letting everything go smoothly with the house today. Please continue to help us make good decisions and take care of everything throughout this entire process. Thank you for letting us have such a wonderful lender that helped us so much and thank you for preparing us so well.
AMEN
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Cute Onesies

**17weeks 2 days**

Tonight after going to Motherhood Maternity for a few shirts to fit my growing belly, Patrick and I got online and started looking for some cute onesies. We found a few on cafepress.com and I had to share a few of our favorites, and yes we refer to ourselves as geeks. lol. Enjoy!

Happy Things!

**16 weeks**

Today I went for my 16 week check up. Everything is looking great, good bp 120/80, gained a whole pound, and the baby's heart rate was 154 beats per minute. So I guess that the nurses first guess about a boy, may be wrong. We don't believe in old wives tales anyway, but this just proves it is always a 50/50 chance. I scheduled my next appointment for September 22 (our 2 year anniversary), and they will schedule the anatomy scan a couple of days after that. We are really looking forward to finding out if we are having a little Samantha or a little Benjamin, but as long as everything seems to be healthy we will be thrilled. After my appointment I treated myself to a crunchy zucchini roll and a ginger salad at my favorite sushi restaurant, and then went and bought Patrick's books for his classes this semester. It isn't enough that he has work, and school, and a baby on the way, but we are buying a house too... Are we nuts or what?! lol

In the same week that all of that is going on, we should also be closing on our first house! We signed a contract on Monday and are hoping to be moved in by early October. It has been crazy so far just trying to get things together for the contract, and I know it only gets crazier from here. We think we have found a lender with a great interest rate. Talking to her yesterday made me feel so good, because she kept telling me what a great job we have done financially and that we are very responsible for our ages, and that our baby is going to be so lucky to have parents like us who plan ahead. :) It's all paying off! We have a home inspector coming on Friday, and decided to ask our dad's to be there, so that if he says something we don't understand about electrical stuff or anything else that may need to be fixed, they can let us know how serious the problem really is. Luckily with the house only being two years old, there shouldn't be a ton of problems, and hopefully the inspector will give us the all clear.

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Dear God,
Thank you for everything you do for us. Thank you for reassuring me that our baby is healthy and getting stronger every day, by letting me hear their beautiful heartbeat. Thank you for taking care of me and letting me feel so much better this week even though I have been running around like crazy. Thank you for watching over Patrick and helping him at work, and school, and for letting him be such an amazing husband. Thank you for helping us through the process of getting a house and for letting us deal with the stress that comes with it. Thank you for letting our dads be available for the home inspection so that we have even more reassurance. Please continue to help us as we are going through so many changes in our lives right now.
AMEN
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WE GOT THE HOUSE!

**15 weeks 2 days**

We got the house!!!! I don't know what else to say right now, but we are super excited. We made an offer on Tuesday, and got approved by the local bank that owns the house, and found out last night around 7 that the corporate office approved us too! Not only that but they added that they will pay an additional $2k towards the closing costs! We are a little stressed about some of the details, we have to have the home inspected within 10 days, find an interest rate we are happy with and get the actual loan through a lender,start packing, after our inspection comes back we have to break our lease with our apartment, then we close on September 23 (the day after our 2 year anniversary), then we have to change over the utilities, cancel the utilities and cable here, change our address, get an estimate of moving costs, clean the carpets, buy a refrigerator, washer, dryer, and lawn mower, move, and clean the apartment up before we can officially be out. It's a lot to take on in a month, but I really hope that we can get it all done.

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Dear God,
Thank you thank you thank you! Thank you for watching over us. Thank you for letting us find the house that is perfect for us and our family right now. Please help us through this process and make it as painless as possible. Thank you for our baby, and for taking care of them. Thank you for Patrick's job that will support our family. Thank you for everything you do for us.
AMEN
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Waiting, not so patiently...

**15 weeks**

So it's 4:30 in the morning, and I can't sleep. I keep having baby dreams, followed by house dreams, followed by baby dreams. I just can't seem to relax. Most of the baby dreams are happy, but with my round ligament pain lately a couple of them are closer to nightmares that cause me to jump which wakes me up. A couple of weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a stabbing pain on the left side of my pelvis. I thought I was losing the baby. I hurt so bad, that I couldn't breathe, and was doubled over in pain. I broke out into a sweat and turned white as a sheet. As soon as I stopped hurting I woke Patrick up, and called my doctors office. It was 3:30am but they have a nurse on call. She said that it was probably round ligament pain, since I wasn't having any cramping or bleeding. I took it easy for a couple of days, but have still been having some pain, however it is nowhere near as bad as the first time. I called again last week to follow up and make sure that my doctor thought everything was ok, and again I was reassured, and told to take Tylenol and use a heating pad to help. I know it's all just a part of pregnancy, but I can't help but worry. My mother in law insists that worrying is a big part of motherhood, and buddy she isn't kidding. The house dreams are mostly centered around the fact that we put in an offer on the house we want last night. I know that whatever happens will be for the best, but I am so ready to be done with this process. We were in a small bid war against someone who put in an offer on Friday, but think we may have offered more than what they wanted to, without going over our budget. I am trying to have faith, but my dreams are not being kind. Hopefully we will know something by the end of today, so at least I can stop worrying either because we got it and will have a whole other set of things to worry about, or because we didn't in which case we will have to start our search all over again. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Baby bump beginning 15weeks


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Dear God,
Thank you for everything you do for us. Thank you for our baby, and for giving us a doctor and nurses that can help to ease my worries. Please take care of me and the baby, and let us stay healthy. Thank you for Patrick. He is such a wonderful husband and knows what I need, thank you for letting him know the right things to say to me when I am in need of comfort. Thank you for our families and friends. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to try to buy a house, which is a luxury that many people do not have right now. Please help us to make the right decisions, and if this house is meant to be ours, please help us to get it. Thank you for everything you do for us.
AMEN
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The Holy Grail of Pregnancy

**14weeks**

So today I am officially in the 2nd trimester, YAY!!!!!! There are several reasons for the excitement actually. The big one is that most sources say that the chance of a miscarriage drops significantly to less than 5% after the 13th week, which helps put my worrying mind at ease. The other reason to be excited is that supposedly my morning sickness should decrease, my energy should increase, and basically everything is just supposed to be so much better during this part of the pregnancy. I'll have to wait and see. I have still been getting sick periodically, I still have to take a mid morning nap, and the digestion issues that come along with pregnancy are not being kind. But all in all I am just thrilled to be this far along! I am scheduled to go back to the OB on August 26th for my 16week checkup. Not really sure what all they will be checking, but hopefully I'll get to hear a heartbeat again. There was also an optional test to check for downs syndrome and cerebral palsy, but I have decided to decline. After talking it over with Patrick and my mother, I decided that no matter what the outcome of the test was, I would not terminate my pregnancy, and therefore don't want to put my child at risk during an amniocentesis, which has a 1/200 rate of miscarriage, just to find out. Patrick and I have no history of any of these disorders in our family, we aren't over 35 years old, and we are keeping the baby no matter what, so what would be the point. On a lighter note, we are hoping that our 20 week appointment will be scheduled for the day after our 2 year wedding anniversary, since this would be the day that we would have the anatomy scan to find out the gender of our baby. We are still in the mind set that we don't care if it is a boy or a girl, but would really like to start calling our child by name. :)I just hope that our little Sam or Benji will cooperate and not be modest like their mommy. lol

4 weeks 1 day..........13 week 1 day picture(no baby belly just pudgy)


Daddy is still healing well from his surgery. He actually had his first physical therapy appointment today, and the therapist was happy with his ability to move the arm by himself. He has a list of exercises that he is supposed to work on, and hopefully in another few weeks he will be able to use it a little bit more. First they will work on the range of motion then later they will start adding weight so that he can try to regain his strength. I told you my daddy was tough.

Last night Patrick and I met with our Realtor. We had a list of 7 houses to see, but 4 of them sold last week. So we went to see the other three. The first two were very nice, but not what we were looking for. The third house was one we saw a couple of weeks ago, that we still are in love with. We are seriously considering putting in an offer, but are really scared. We are the kind of people that like to think on things for a long time to make sure that we are making the right decision. It took us a year to buy a tv we knew we wanted, and 9 months to buy my car that we had picked out 9 months prior to that. So putting an offer in on a house that we just found a couple of weeks ago is really really scary! We are just hoping that if this is supposed to work out it will, and if not that God will pull the plug quick.

The house

My favorite part of the house


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Dear God,
Thank you so much for everything you do for us. Thank you for keeping our baby healthy and for letting us get to the second trimester. Please continue to care for us and to keep us strong. Please continue to help Patrick to do well at work. Thank you for taking care of my daddy, and for helping him and my mother through this entire ordeal. Please help him to continue to do well in his therapy and to heal so that he can get back to farming, which is something he enjoys immensely. Please help Patrick and me to make the right decisions about buying a house. Please help this process be painless and as easy as possible. Please help us to find a good home for our family, especially our precious baby. Thank you so much for the births of Tabitha Gail Lankford (Sara's daughter) and Landon Michael Thorne (Nicole's son). Thank you for taking care of my friends during their labors and now while they are at home learning to take care of their new blessings. Thank you for making these babies be born healthy, and please continue to bless them and to watch over them. Thank you for everything you do.
AMEN
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Daddy's Surgery

So today my parents and I got up at 4AM to take my daddy to the hospital for his rotator cuff surgery. We got there at 6 and got him signed in, first in the wrong place because his doctors office told him the wrong place to go, then at the right place. lol. We all went back to his room, where they talked to us about the procedure, medications, and his medical history. My sister and her sons got there at 9, which was when he was supposed to be taken back, but of course things don't always go according to plan and it took until 11:20. We all kissed him and then went to grab a bite to eat and then brought mom a sandwich back, because she wouldn't leave the room, but needed a minute alone. She gets really emotional about surgeries and stuff, and really just needed a minute to calm herself down. We went back to the room and sat for another couple of hours, when the doctor came in and told us that daddy was out of surgery. The doctor said that he was awake in recovery and doing fine, but that the surgery was more difficult than anticipated. Apparently dads shoulder had been messed up for a lot longer than we realized, and the fall in March where he dislocated the shoulder just exacerbated it. He had a 4 cm tear in a tendon, but had so much scar tissue on the muscle that they had to scrape it all away and just tie the tendon to whatever was left. The doctor was hopeful that daddy will be able to use the arm like normal in about a year or so if the surgery was a success, but if it wasn't, then they will have to do another surgery that would require them to take a muscle from his back and place it over the shoulder to hold the tendons together. Not good. So we are just praying for the best and hoping that he does well with his recovery and physical therapy. He was really groggy when he came back to his room, and and didn't remember much of what we told him during that time. My nephew was really worried about him and didn't want to leave while his Grandpa was still in the hospital but we insisted that Grandpa needed his rest and some peace and quiet too. So reluctantly he and my sister and other nephew left,, but after a couple of hours of sitting up and talking daddy was released to go home and we let the boys know that he was doing fine. He has a small machine with a catheter that dispenses pain medication and something similar to Lida cane directly to the site of the surgery, and a neat ice pack that hooks up to a cooler and circulates the cold water constantly on his shoulder, not to mention the cool immobilizer he will be wearing for approximately the next 12 weeks. We drove him to CVS to get his pain medication and he wanted candy so that was a good sign, and by the time we left there he wanted a sandwich, so that was even better. He is doing great and right now is not feeling a lot of pain. He goes back to his doctor next Friday for a check up, and hopefully he will be progressing well. Mandie came by after work and brought us dinner and spent a while hanging out to check on our daddy, she couldn't get off work because she didn't have any vacation or sick time, but had me keep her updated throughout the day. We love our daddy! I just want to thank you all for your prayers, and ask that you continue to pray for my daddy's recovery, as it seems it is going to be a long hard road ahead of him.

Me and Daddy the day after his surgery


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Dear God,
Thank you so much for taking care of my family today, especially my daddy. Thank you for watching over all of us and letting us know that he will be ok. Please help my daddy to rest and to heal over the next several months. Please give him the patience to take care of himself, and the courage to ask for help when he needs it. Thank you so much for everything you do.
AMEN
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♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

**12 weeks**

Patrick took me to the doctor this morning for my 12 week appointment. We got to hear our little peanut's heartbeat which was 140 beats per minute and it was the most beautiful sound in the world!I had tears streaming down my cheeks, and Patrick stood up as soon as he heard it and smiled the biggest smile. :D The nurse said that it sounds like a boy, because according to an old wives tale boys typically have lower heartbeats. I joked with Patrick that Benji is on his way. We are definitely waiting until the 20 week ultrasound to make any assumptions, but will be happy with a boy or a girl! My doctor wasn't thrilled that I had lost half a pound, but said that as long as I am feeling better, and my medication is keeping me from being sick, that it was fine. I will go back in 4 weeks for my next appointment and will keep you up to date. We were so excited and feel so blessed that our baby is growing healthy and strong, and hope that you will continue to keep our little peanut in your prayers.

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Dear God,
Thank you so much for taking care of me and our baby. Thank you for giving us a sign that our baby is growing healthy and strong, especially since right now we cannot see it for ourselves. Please continue to watch over us and help us to continue to grow. Thank you for letting Patrick get to go with me so that he could experience this miracle with me. Thank you so much for everything you have given us.
AMEN
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High Hopes

**11 wks 4days**

Finally! The last 3 days I have been feeling more like myself. Still not 100% but no morning sickness, no excessive sleeping, and I actually have had enough energy to go swimming and shopping. :) I'm praying that it lasts!

Yesterday Patrick and I even woke up early on a Saturday to go get pre-approved for a mortgage loan. We have been looking at houses periodically on the internet, and have even gone to see a couple, but now with the baby on the way, he would really prefer that we get a house sooner than later. I told him that as long as we move by December that I would be fine, but I refuse to move at 9 months pregnant or with a new born, so if we don't find anything soon, we will wait until next summer. We figured the first serious step to finding a house would be to go to our credit union and find out if we could get a loan for what we are wanting to spend, and guess what?! We got immediate approval! The mortgage officer said she had only ever seen that happen in the office one other time, that usually it takes several days to even get an initial approval. It felt so good to know that we are being rewarded for being responsible and thrifty. So now all we have to do is find the perfect starter house. Easier said than done, mainly because there are several things we would like. At least 3 beds, 2 baths, one level, approximately 1500sqft, preferably full brick, 2 car garage, and a decently sized flat yard. Not to mention convenient to the interstate for Patrick's work, and easier for when we go visit our families, and a great school system. Shouldn't be too hard to find right? God I hope not. lol.

I am really excited about this weeks OB appointment. I keep reading that doctors typically look for a heartbeat with the Doppler at 12 weeks, and since I will be 12weeks 2 days at my Wednesday appointment, Patrick is going to take off and go with me just in case. :) I am so glad that he works at a place that lets him take sick time in 2 hour increments so that he can go to the special appointments with me. I will update on Wednesday and hope that I will be able to give some new hb stats!

On the other hand, I am a bit nervous about my dads rotator cuff surgery on Thursday. I am really glad that they decided to just repair the right shoulder which was much more damaged for the moment and put off fixing the left shoulder until after he has healed. I could just picture my poor father not being able to even feed himself for weeks... :( He is like superman, so independent, so strong, you know one of those down and dirty tough SOB's, but with a heart of gold. I would hate to see him so tormented with both arms strapped to his sides and unable to do anything for himself. Luckily that will not be the case, and while he will be in a good amount of pain and unable to use his arm for about 12 weeks, I am glad that he is having the surgery so that he can get back to feeling like himself. I am going to go spend a few days with him and my mom, that way if he needs extra help I will be there, and if my mom needs some moral support I will be there for that too. Poor Patrick will have to be all by himself for a couple of days but it is a home weekend anyway so he will join me shortly. So if you are a prayer, please say an extra one for my daddy this week. Thanks.

Well I guess that is all for right now. I will give some updates later this week, but they will probably be much shorter.

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Dear God,
Thank you so much for everything you do for us. Thank you for taking care of me and the baby, and making me feel so much better over these last few days. Thank you for encouraging Patrick and I to start looking for a home and for giving us the means to find one. Please help us to find a home that will be perfect for our family, whether that means a house or staying in our cozy apartment. Please watch over us this week as I go to the doctor, and please let us be able to hear our babies sweet heartbeat. This is such a special time for us and we are so grateful that you are giving us the opportunity to go through this together. Please take care of my daddy this week. He means so much to me and I just want him to be ok. Please help my mother through the surgery, as you know she worries so much, and she loves my father more than anything, please comfort her, and let her know that you are present during his surgery and recovery. Please take care of my Nestie friend Stevie, and give her peace in knowing that her father is now with you. She is a wonderful and strong person and I pray that she knows that you are watching over her and comforting her during this difficult time. Please watch over my friends Nicole and Sara as they get closer to their delivery date, I just hope that they both have healthy baby's and will be wonderful mothers. Thank you so much for my wonderful family and friends please continue to care for them all. We know that you will do what is best for us. Thank you so much for everything you do.
AMEN
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Feeling Better

**10 wks 1 day**

I don't usually post this close together, but wanted to give a quick update to my dehydration post from Monday. Today I felt much better, still tired, but after not vomitting for 3 whole days I didn't feel as weak. My doctor was happy, I had gained 2 lbs of the 3 I lost back (with a little help from a burger last night and a chicken biscuit this morning lol) and he was happy with my urine test. I just have to keep taking the zofran and keep chugging the water. Hopefully I will continue to do well and get another good report in a couple of weeks when I go back for my last first trimester appointment.

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Dear God,
Thank you so much for all that you do for me. Thank you for taking care of me and the baby and giving us the medicine and the nourishment that we needed. Thank you for watching over us and always answering our prayers. Please continue to take care of us and make us healthy and strong.
AMEN
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Holy Dehydration Batman

**9weeks 5 days**

I just got back from my check up and my doctor was not happy. I lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks and was really dehydrated, he gave me some new anti-nausea medication to help me eat and to actually keep it down for once, and told me to drink as many liquids as I can, and to eat whatever sits well. For the first time in my life I am actually trying to gain weight. lol. He wants to see me again on Thursday and hopefully by then I will feel much better, otherwise he wants to admit me for iv fluids. I got some of those kids pedialyte freezer pops too so hopefully even when I don't feel like eating, I use those to replace electrolytes and fluid. It doesn't help that everything I drink tastes funny. Even my favorite capri suns don't taste like they used to. I also told him that my vitamins were making me sick and he said not to even worry about them for now, that if I could stand to take Flintstones chewable s to just take 2 of those a day, but if they make me sick that it wouldn't even be worth trying to take them for now. The most important part is to get me and the baby hydrated. I'm doing my best and hope that Thursday I will have good news. :)

Not much else to report, Patrick and I had a nice weekend together at home, just hanging out and watching movies. It was a much needed break from our normal go, go, go! He is still being so wonderful. Last night he folded and put up 2 loads of towels and 2 loads of regular laundry. What a man! :)

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Dear God,
Thank you for everything that you do for us and our family. Please take care of me and the baby during this time of sickness and help us to be healthy and strong. Thank you again for blessing us with this child. Please watch over our families and friends especially those who are going through a difficult time right now.
AMEN
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Man, I feel rough!

**8wks 6 days**

Nothing really to report, but just had to voice how bad I feel lately. I sleep all the time, I feel nauseas all the time, my stomach hurts all the time, I have a constant headache, and even though I've lost 2 lbs this week I am so bloated I look about 4 months pregnant instead of just 2. I haven't been puking a lot, about once a day, but I just feel so dehydrated. Trying to keep down gatorade and some canned fruit. I'm really hoping that this will all get a bit better in the next few weeks when I get to the second trimester. I am still so nervous about that. Patrick and I keep talking about when we want to share our news with the world, but I still worry that something bad will happen, and we would have to explain it to people that are pretty much strangers on fb. We are still so excited though, and a big part of us wants to scream it from the balcony! I know it is best to wait until after the first trimester but I don't know that I can wait another 3 weeks. We will see. I don't mean to complain so much, just having one of those days.

I have to take a minute to brag on Patrick again. He is being so wonderful! Yesterday he came in from a long day at work, helped me cook, did all of the dishes, and then sat on the couch and rubbed my feet while we watched a movie. He talks about the baby all of the time, and constantly asks how I am and how the baby is doing. Ofcourse I tell him I feel rough, and I am guessing that the baby is doing good, because I feel like crap. lol. I love that man so much! :) He is going to be such a good daddy!

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Dear God,
Thank you so much for taking care of me and my family. Thank you for always listening to me and for loving me so much. Please continue to take care of me, the baby, Patrick and our families. Please keep our baby safe and help me to grow stronger and feel better over the next few weeks. Please help me to be as good a wife as I can be and thank you so much for helping Patrick be such a wonderful husband. Please above all things give me faith and hope to know that you are doing everything in your power to make sure that things will work out the way they are supposed to and in a way that we will be happy. Thank you for everything you do for us today and everyday.
AMEN
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Check up

**7 weeks 6 days**

Yesterday I went to the doctor for another little checkup. Nothing really special happened. All of my bloodwork came back normal, my bp was 120/60 and I had gained a pound and a half, which I contribute mostly to staying with my parents for a full week while Patrick was out of town on a business trip. lol. The doctor did talk to me a little bit about my bloodwork because it turns out that I am RH negative which can cause complications later on, but walked me through the procedures that they take to ensure a healthy delivery and healthy births of our future children. I feel like my doctor covers all the bases. :) They are putting my due date at February 10, 2010 for now, but I am still sticking to my Ovulation date, so I am going with February the 8th. Time will tell. I am still feeling nauseated, but the fennigran that my doctor gave me is helping a lot. I have to be careful when I take it though because it knocks me out. I took half of one when I got home from the doctor and was out for four hours. Oh well, good thing I'm a stay at home wife for now. lol. I am just continuing to pray that our little peanut will continue to grow, I still worry so much that this is all too good to be true.

Patrick has been a huge help around the house. He does laundry and dishes almost whenever I ask. He tries so hard, and I hate to ask him to clean when he gets home from working all day, but I just don't have the energy right now. I love him so much. He is going to be such a good daddy. :) He guessed one of his birthday presents that I got him, so I gave in and let him have it. He has been watching Arrested Development on Hulu for weeks and keeps telling me about it, so I bought him all 3 seasons of the show. We started watching them yesterday and the show is really funny! I was really glad that I liked it too, it will give us something else to watch over the summer while tv is dead. lol.

Today my mom and nephews came up to see me and go swimming at our apt. complex. The boys and I swam while mom sat at the edge of the pool and put her feet in. She is so funny. She drives all the way up here with them just so we can talk. I don't think I will ever be able to tell her how much that really means to me. :) We ordered pizza and Patrick came home to hang out with us on his lunch break. I love that he has grown so close to my nephews. He is really trying to be a good role model for them especially now that their parents are divorced, not that their dad was great to begin with. The boys played video games for the rest of the afternoon and me and my mom tried not to fall asleep on my comfy sofa.

My mom called when she got home and told me that my dad is going to have to have shoulder surgery on both shoulders. He has been having a lot of pain, especially after he fell down some stairs and dislocated his right shoulder, and had an MRI done last week when I was home. He went back to the doctor today and they told him that he had a tendon that tore and healed the wrong way and has to have major surgery on it and that he won't be able to use it for 12 weeks afterward. Not only that, but the left shoulder also sustained some damage due to him compensating for the right. So they will have to do some minor sugery to repair that one as well. Luckily that one will only take a few weeks to heal, but he is worried about getting his garden harvested this fall. I just hope that between me and my mom and hopefully some help from my sisters everything will work out, but for atleast 3 weeks he won't even be able to feed himself. My daddy is a very strong man, and is not one to ask for help. I am just praying that everything will work out.

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Dear God,
Thank you so much for all that you do for me. Thank you for my wonderful family. Thank you for my amazing husband. Thank you for our baby that is growing more and more every day. Thank you for providing for us and watching over us. Please continue to help us be better stronger people every day. Please help Patrick to enjoy his new project. Please help my father know what to do when it comes to his surgery, and let my family pull together to help him do the things he won't be able to. Please watch over our friends and family that need extra prayers today. Please help Mamo to a speedy recovery from her knee surgery. Thank you so much for all that you do for us.
Amen
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Drama

I am staying at my parents house this week while Patrick is out of town on business. I missed my parents so I am enjoying myself, but I miss my hubby and I worry with him being in DC. Last week they had a shooting at the Holocaust meuseum, and whereas my logical brain is telling me that he is more likely to die in a car accident down the street from our home, it scares me that he is so far away. Thankfully we have good friends that live close to where he is staying so I know that if he needs them, they will be there. That's why we have been friends since we were nine. :) I went out with my friends Ash, Barb, & Steph last night, for my first real girls night out since my bachelorette party. lol. We met at a mexican restaraunt and had a great time. Just a few hours of talking about the changes happening in our lives, especially my little pinto bean in the oven. Barb and Steph got Patrick and I the sweetest card, congratulating us on becoming parents. It made me miss them even more than I usually do, which is a lot. I went from having the best night out with the girls to having one of the worst days with my sister.

About a month ago, my sister left her loser boyfriend and went to stay with my parents. She and her little boy Jakob were welcomed into my parents house, no strings attached, with open arms. Our entire family was glad to see that she actually cared enough about herself to leave the jerk that had been abusing her for the past 3 years, and even more glad that they were getting the chance to spend time with her son who is almost 8 months old, and whom we have only seen a handful of times. We wanted so badly for her to have changed her old ways, to do right for her and her son, to get a job, and a place of her own, to stop lying, and stealing, and just to finally be happy with herself. No such luck. Last week when she was staying with my parents, she snuck into my mothers jewelry box, and stole her engagement ring. My mother waited for 20 years for my dad to actually be able to afford something so nice for her, since they didn't have anything when they got married. Jessica took the ring, pawned it for $95, and bought my mom a birthday card and a picture frame with a picture of Jakob at the beach in it, and I have no idea what she did with the rest of the money. In the card she gave my mom it said, "I'm sorry for all the thing's I have done to you, Love, Jessica". Mom didn't realize the ring was gone until later that night. She tore her bedroom apart, hoping that the box had just gotten knocked over and that the ring was just misplaced. But she knows Jessica. The next night she sat down with my sister, told her that if she gave her the ring back that she wouldn't call the police, but that if she didn't, she would put her in jail, and call DHR. Jessica confessed and told her where she pawned the ring, but didn't have the money to get it back. She had several other pieces of my moms jewelry too, but couldn't get any money for them because they weren't worth anything to anyone else just held sentimental value to my mom (her college class ring, and her baby bracelet). The next day, my mother's 53rd birthday, my mom gave my oldest sister Sarah $100 and sent her with Jessica to go buy her ring back. She got it back, but can no longer trust Jessica alone in her house. Jessica stayed with Sarah for a few days, but when she realized that Sarah didn't want her there any more either, she went to stay with some guy she met on myspace. I know this is a lot of backstory, but it gets worse.

Jessica IM'd me today. She asked what I was doing, and acted like nothing had happened. She wondered if we were mad at her. I told her that the family was aggravated, and didn't understand how she could do something so awful to our own mother. Her reply was that mother got her ring back, so she didn't do anything wrong. I asked her if she was crazy, and if she really thought that everything was ok, just because she got it back. Then she went into a tizzy about how if I wasn't having a baby, that Jakob would still be the favorite, and because I was having a baby, that everyone was going to forget about her and him. I think she needs psychological help. I have two other nephews, everyone pays just as much attention to them now as they did before a new baby came around, nothing was going to change now that I was having a baby too. She kept insisting that my baby was going to be the favorite, and that everyone was going to buy me stuff and forget about her. I explained that the reason Patrick and I are having a baby is because we wanted it, and didn't want anything from anyone else, that this was for our family, and we don't expect anyone else to take care of our child. She was so angry, she kept insisting that she would be forgotten. It was so insane, and upsetting. I really hope that she gets some help, she used to be on hormone therapy and since going off has become extremely irrational. I don't know what else to do but pray for her and for her son.


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Dear God,
Thank you so much for giving me such wonderful parents. Thank you for all that you do for me and my family. Please take care of Patrick while he is on his trip, and let him find his way back to me safe and sound. Please continue to take care of our baby, and to let them grow strong so that we can complete our family. Please help me to forgive those that have hurt me and my family. Thank you for giving me such wonderful friends, and for letting us get to spend time together. I am so blessed and am so grateful for all that you do for me.
Amen
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First Ultra Sound!

**6weeks** or **5weeks 5 days**

Today I had my first prenatal appointment with Dr. Tallent. Patrick went with me and we spent the first hour answering questions and getting my weight, bp 120/80 and urine test. Dr. Tallent and Patrick joked about me having the Grand Canyon for a pelvis, it was hillarious. I went and had some bloodwork done (6 tubes). Then went to lunch at Chick Fil A. I have been craving salads like crazy and Patrick read my mind and knew I wanted a salad from Chick Fil A. He is an amazing hubby! :) He took me back to the apartment, and went back to work while I went back to bed for a nap. Patrick got back home at 4:15 and then we went to the imaging center to get my ultrasound done. I had to drink 32oz of water and wait in the lobby. The first time I got called back my bladder wasn't full enough, so we had to wait and go back a few minutes later. Then the tech couldn't see anything with the regular ultrasound so I had to empty my bladder so that we could do the internal ultrasound. The tech saw the baby and based on the size at .20cm they gave me a date of 5weeks and 5 days along. Our little alien blob was gorgeous!!! Then the tech said that she could see some slight movement, it was a HEARTBEAT!!! 106 beautiful beats per minute, typical for 6 weeks is between 90 &110, so we were sooo happy. We got a couple of copies of the picture and came home. I emailed all of our family and some of our friends we had already told and added a couple of other friends. Today was a great day.



**Today we told Meg, Neil, Barb & Steph!!! They were all so happy for us, and it made me even happier!!!

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Dear God,
Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! Thank you for letting us hear and see our beautiful baby today. Thank you for taking care of us. Please continue to bless our famlily and keep us safe.
Amen
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Blood Work

**3 weeks 5 days**

Today I went to a lab for Huntsville Hospital and got some bloodwork done. I was worried about my progesterone levels because of my oldest sister Sarah's history with miscarriages, but it turns out that I had no reason to worry. My HCG count was already up to 163 and my progesterone was 27, and apparently 20 is a good number!!!

I got a call from an old co-worker who said that they heard about a job opportunity that sounded perfect for me. It was an administrative assistant for the local international airport. I am so touched that they thought of me and called but I don't think I am going to take the interview. I am planning on staying at home with the baby when it gets here and I don't think it would be fair to them to go and work for a few short months and then leaving them with the position to fill again. Also, at a new job I wouldn't get much vacation and sick time so it would be very difficult to make doctors appointments. The extra money would be nice with a baby on the way but money isn't everything and the stress of a new job (I worked with these people at my old job and it would bring lots of stress) wouldn't be good for the baby either.

So far we have told a few people that we are expecting here is the list. lol.
Mom, Dad, Patricks parents, Patricks Grandparents, Mandie, Ashley, a couple of cousins, Nicole, Sara, my sister Sarah, and a couple of our family friends. I know we should wait but we are just so excited. Today I felt ok. Morning sickness sunck in and I puked up my orange juice in the kitchen sink. Tomorrow I will remember to eat with my vitamin.

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Dear God,
Thank you so much for taking care of me and the baby today. Thank you for opening new doors and letting me know that I have people who care about me here. Please continue to care for us and keep us healthy. Please help me make the right decision about the job. Please let Patrick's job be safe and secure and let him stay in the state throughout my pregnancy. Please take care of our cousin Amada and her baby, and please ensure that she has a safe and healthy pregnancy too, especially after her loss last year.
Amen
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