18 weeks + Belly Pics!

Here is the progression for you:


11 weeks 5 days

13 weeks

18 Weeks

Yes, it looks like I've just been eating too many jelly donuts instead of having a true bump. I want a nice round bump that identifies me as preggo!!!! :) But the key thing is that I am in fact still pregnant and my little pumpkin is on track.

Weight: +10 gulp. Yep, in the month since my last appointment, I gained five pounds which is way too much for me! Since I'm already a made-with-butter-girl, I don't really need to gain a ton of weight. What's crazy is this happened in four days when I went to see my sister-in-law in New Hampshire. Hello? Go away weight gain! My midwife didn't give me a lecture, but she did tell me to be careful. 

Clothes: Maternity shirts, shorts, and jeans combined with regular undies and my regular athletic pants. 

Cravings: salad with juicy tomatoes and strangely I really want a giant rice crispy treat.

What I'm actually eating: salad wherever I can get it, oatmeal or shredded wheat, bananas, oranges, triscuits, sandwiches

Move status: We're waiting for the movers to come after the long weekend. However our house is ruthlessly organized, clothes are packed in suitcases, and our trailer is packed. Since we'll be gone for about three weeks traveling up to Alaska and then probably in a hotel for a month, we have quite a bit of stuff to actually take with us. Hence, we have a trailer! There are only a few staples in the refrigerator and we are now transitioning to finding food outside of the house. This makes eating healthy difficult but not impossible!

Hope all is well with you! 

xoxo

The deed.

*Don't read this dad!

Okay, so my hubby and I finally after seventeen weeks of being pregnant + three weeks of being in California for treatment without him--did the deed. We've been way too nervous to think about it before now. We were so relieved that our little pumpkin was apparently undisturbed by the adventure.

As a side-note, I've been banned by my Dad and Fairyeggs from calling the baby Caligula...so I guess we're back to pumpkin. :)

xoxo

Girl or Boy?

So on June 4th I'm going in for my level two ultrasound at 18 weeks 5 days. Yes, it's a little early because I'll be on the road for a month as we meander our way up to Alaska. However, it's still within the appropriate window of time. So here is the question: is it a girl or boy? I have no idea!

boy or girl? What do you think?

xoxo

Visits Galore

I feel so remiss in my blogging in that I can't keep up with all of my visits and fun! Let's summarize:


Last week I recovered from my trip to New Hampshire and Boston with a quick day to turn around a pile of finals and then a run to St. Louis to pick up Fairyeggs! This was just a quick trip in for a few days which is perfect so that she doesn't start to pine for her kids too much!! We had a fantastic time eating at PF Changs and registering for my baby paraphernalia. I loved having her there and simply registered for everything she told me to! I figure that I am clueless and after three kids, she is a pro. We spent a good four hours at the store going through each aisle. I even took notes. Geesh, I am such a dork. 


The best part of the visit is that we talked about our feelings for this baby. Fairyeggs was actually a wee bit nervous to see how things had changed. To both our delights, I think that we are both headed along the same lines. This experience has given us this inexplicable tie between our families. My parents and sister are so infinitely grateful for her gift and also had a chance to get to know Fairyegg's mom and daughter whom they adore. Fairyegg's mom and sister have both followed me through my entire journey and have cried with happiness over our success. Now more than ever, I feel this tie to her family whom I always loved.  It's like they have moved into the realm of those family friends who are truly part of your family. I am so lucky to have all of them.


After Fairyeggs departed, I turned around to unsuccessfully grade my next set of finals and ended up sleeping the day away instead. No matter! I picked myself up the following day to drive the four hours to visit my grandma. I haven't mentioned this here, but we found out a couple of months ago that she had uterine cancer. After a surgery, we found out that radiation was also needed which she just completed last week. For my infinitely healthy grandma in her eighties, we were all pretty shocked with the news. Since we moved so close to her, I haven't actually been able to get down to see her. First there was the holidays, trips to California, pregnancy, and endless nausea. With the nausea, there was absolutely no way I could make the drive as I could barely take fifteen minutes in the car. Needless to say, I finally got down to see her which was lovely. I love her dearly. All of my cousins, aunt, and uncle who live there also made the time to come over and see me which I appreciated. It's so nice seeing all of my cousins as adults. 


I finally hauled myself back home and am now desperately putting off grading finals. However, I must get to it! The move has creeped up on us, and the movers come right after Memorial Day! One week people! We'll leave the following week for our trip and new adventure in Alaska! 


xoxo

Bri.tax Deal for any prego/adopting moms!

Just wanted to let you know that Bri.tax is having a special deal on the Moonstone infant car seat carrier. You can get the infant car seat carrier and the matching full-size stroller for $299 and free shipping. These usually retail for about $550 but since they are phasing out the Moonstone fabric choice, there is money to be saved! I initially just wanted a frame stroller, but this is just too good of a deal combined with the great quality to pass up! You can see the promotion on this page down on the right hand side of the page.

xoxo

Two hundred? Holy Moly!

Post #200? A blogoversary that passed and I didn't even notice? Yep, all of these things apply here!

When I think back to where I was last April when I started this blog, I am astounded. With my husband deployed, I had just completed three unsuccessful IUIs using his frozen sperm. Quite unexpectedly, we had to use an extra sample which meant that our IVF plans were dashed until my hubby could come home on leave. I taught my fifth graders, facilitated online college classes, walked my dogs, took care of our house and had a desperate loneliness that prompted me to start blogging.

Fast forward to July with a surgery to remove a polyp, IVF #1 with three eggs retrieved and a big fat no. Hubby returns safely to me, and we prepare to move to Missouri. While we are at it, we decide to throw in IVF #2 into the mix. Five eggs, two delayed fertilized and another big fat no. That was the cycle that sent me over the edge filled with hysterical crying and abject hopelessness. Those feelings made me not hesitate to move towards the next option of donor eggs. That decision started off our lucky streak where FairyEggs volunteered to donate and Dr. Leprechaun offered his part of the cycle for free. Twelve eggs, two embryos, and a big fat freakin' positive.

So three IUIs, three IVFS, and $35k later, I sit here happily hoping that my little pumpkin is growing away inside of me. The needles, the heartache, the tears, the anguish, the nausea and now the headaches--they were worth getting to this point.

Thanks for being there!

xoxo

WW...Park in Boston

The best part was the smell of the lilacs. :)

xoxo

Weekend Trip

I finally managed to flee my house and get out of dodge this weekend. My SIL and BIL, the only ones I have now, moved to New Hampshire last year. My hubby hasn't seen them since before his deployment nor since his brother died a few months ago. I thought it was important to go before we move far far away to the land of snow next month.

During the weekend, I managed to exist without naps which I must say was an incredible feat.

We had a great time hanging out in their charming house that was built in the 1700s and also going to Boston. Despite traveling all around the world, I have not spent much time in New England and have never set foot in Boston until this weekend. Between eating, we managed to fit a trip to the USS Constitution and Fanueil Hall with a nice walk to simply take in the city. It was raining the day we hit Boston, so we didn't make it everywhere I wanted, but I still got a little flavor of the city. It's still on my list to go explore though when I have more time. On Sunday, we decided to hit up the local movie theater, Chunkys, for a little "Iron Man II" action. This place cracked me up as you sit at tables and order food during the movie. After our local rinky-dink theater, it was a nice change of pace.

After getting in late last night, we were able to pick up my sweet pup from the kennel. There is nothing like the joy of a dog who is happy to see you! Now she is sleeping at my feet while I guzzle water in an effort to get my swollen fingers and feet back to a normal size. Note to self: don't weigh yourself when you know you are swollen!

xoxo

Wordless Wednesday

Small things

There are some days where I still can not believe that I am so lucky that our third time was a charm (along with some kicking Fairyeggs of course). This blog has helped me in so many ways in simply getting through the days that led up to this. I have really appreciated everyone known and unknown who comments and supports me. Without this, I really don't know if I would have every made the choices that led me up to where we are now. 

That being said, I get that it is incredibly painful for some of my fellow infertiles to continue to read about my happiness. If you must go, I understand. I hope that the future brings you peace and success in building your families. But, I really hope that you'll stay.

~~~~~~~

My hubby and I were able to escape to a city about an hour south of us and hit up a few stores. We are trying to put together a survival pack in case anything happens on our big adventure north. Those purchases didn't go so well, but I was able to hit up the shops for some maternity jeans, soft shorts, and a very cute dress. The dress was great because it actually covered up the girls completely which can be hard sometimes for me! I also scored a pair of Merrell winter boots for 1/2 price which will be helpful when we move to the land of snow! Finally, we hit up Old Navy for my hubby's favorite flag shirt which he buys every year. We also bought our first baby item in the picture at the bottom. :)

Seeing how incredibly tiny the little onesie is brought it home for me that this is happening. That this really could happen. In mere months there could be a little squirmy baby inside. I think my heart melted.

xoxo