13w!!!!

Today I am officially in my second trimester. I am happy to report that everything is still going great.... Still no morning sickness and no crazy hormonally problems. I am still convinced that if i wasnt a person who kept track of my periods that I would have no clue I was even pregnant.

The only issue I've found that I have had lately is bloody noses. I had one this past weekend, one Monday night, one really bad one Tuesday during the day and another one Tuesday night. Its a little frustrating because there isnt much you can do to prevent bloody noses

Otherwise all is going great. I've started to show a teeny bit, but still not much for the average person to notice. I've resorted to the 'rubber banding' of the pants to help them fit more comfortably but I am still not in maternity clothes yet. We should find out sometime in July the 'official' sex of the baby. We're already talking about names and plans and what we are going to do... I cant wait for my next ultrasound appointment so we can see the baby again!!

Im pretty convinced that my cat totally understands and knows that I am pregnant... She will not leave me alone, its kind of cute actually but it can be so annoying sometimes!

Anyway, that is all for now ... Until next time.

14w4d - Attack of the bloody noses is back again. I was doing so good but today its one bloody nose after another. If I even look the wrong way it starts bleeding. Its completely ANNOYING. The air doesnt seem particularly dry, but I assume it must be. Its been so nice here lately. We went to the dog park yesterday and I sat down and read Jenny McCarthy's book "Belly Laughs" it was pretty good and although some of the stuff I couldnt relate to (morning sickness & hormonal stuff) it was still really good I read it in about an hour and a half or so. I also got a nice little sunburn on my arms from sitting outside... not bad enough to hurt though.

I've had my first bout of pregnancy nightmares... 2 in one night and it was pretty freaky but oh well... I also dreamt about the baby ... no clue what it looked like or anything but it was a dream about it nonetheless

Otherwise all is well in my neck of the woods. Just going through the motions!

15w2d.

So I officially had my first 'bad day' of my pregnancy. (LUCKY ME, it only took 4 months I have had this lingering pressure headache all week but yesterday it was one of those, if you put your head down at all it throbs with pain. I toughed it out all day at work feeling completely unmotivated ... but once I got home I took a nice hot shower and took an extra strength Tylenol & went to bed at 7:30. I feel a lot better this morning !

Otherwise all is well in the land of me. Nothing significant to talk about other than the usual annoyances of work. We're still struggling to find baby names... I think we have it narrowed down to a few right now if it's a boy... but we might add to the list eventually. I feel like I've looked at every name under the sun!!!

I'm definitely starting to feel some 'heavy pressure' down in my abdomen so I know the baby is growing! According to normal growth charts the baby is about 4 inches right now!! I find that if I get up too quickly my ligaments tell me "oh...oh no no.." and they do their stretchy thing... I feel a bit annoyed being limited already but its not so bad yet.

I dont know why but I've been feeling really tired lately. This past week has been just exhausting and it's not like there is so much going on that it should be that way, but it is what it is.

Today we might do a bit of room re-arranging to prepare this computer room to be the babies room! Yay babies room

17 W!!

Things are going great! It is kind of weird that I've been feeling more tired lately. I was so exhausted during my 1st trimester and once I hit the 2nd (just like they said) it subsided and I wasnt as tired. But it seems like this past week I've just been drained once I come home from work. I think its because the baby is supposed to have doubled in size in a very short period of time, so s/he is probably just growing more and more I think I've been feeling the baby move more... I dont want to get too excited in case its gas... that would be totally lame... lol ... but im getting bigger!!!! its fun! I dont think I realize how big my belly has grown until I look at my 8 week pic. It makes me really glad I have been taking them all along, regardless of how stupid some people think it is to do it that early. Some days I just get this realization that ... oh my god.. Im going to be a MOM... it hasnt really sunk in yet... I think it probably wont until we actually see the baby or start feeling it more

I'm pretty sure we've picked names. I hadn't planned on really telling anyone because I dont want people to tell me they are dumb or this or that or whaaatever.. but then I realized I dont care.

So we are PRETTY SURE the names will be:


Boy: Efren Aaron Nichols
Girl: Maggie Ann Nichols OR Maggie June Nichols OR any other form of Maggie Nichols that sounds good that doesnt spell man or men

We could always change our minds but... right now... those are it!

Rant & Update - 17w1d

Today I was supposed to have my 3rd prenatal appointment (yes ive only been seen 2 times and I am 17 weeks) The first time I was seen was paperwork, the 2nd time I was seen was the ultrasound... this time was just a general checkup... but I havent been seen since 11 weeks. Well it was just going to be me hearing the heartbeat, but I had my heart set on it because I havent heard the heartbeat yet, plus I am going on vacation all next week and will be out of town and wanted the reassurance that the baby was doing good...

Well I got a call yesterday afternoon on my home phone (I work 8-5) so I didnt get the message until i got home at 5:30 saying to call them back and to call before 4:30 because they close at 4:30... well it was too late by then so I called this morning and they had to reschedule my appointment...... WHAT!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!!?

She said if I had called back yesterday I could have gotten another time TODAY but since I didnt call back yesterday they cant schedule me today because they don't do same day appointments. I HATE HATE HATE HATE military health care.

So she proceeds to ask me if everything is going ok... and I said "well... i have no idea since I havent been seen since 11weeks"....... she said she could schedule me for Monday but Ill be out of town .... so I had to reschedule forl June 23rd.


Well it turns out that I was so upset and beside myself that I called them back and raised a little hell... they told me if I came in at 11:30 I could get in today... so....


I had my 11:30 appointment and it went great! For a bit of history. Back in August 2006 I had a cone biopsy for pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. If you have had a biopsy such as this it can cause problems with your cervix (incompetence etc). Well at this appointment we talked about the issue and they decided to do a pelvic ultrasound on me to measure my cervix. he said they look for it to be no less than 2 1/2 inches and mine is 3 ... so that is GREAT news. I have to have another vaginal ultrasound at 24 weeks to make sure my cervix has not thinned out any. So I got to see a glimpse of the baby! I saw the head and chest (ribs) and stomach and an arm at that point the baby is so big that its hard to see on a vaginal... but I saw the heartbeat and then I got to hear it (161)... and the doc said he was 90% sure it was a boy... you couldnt really tell because the umbilical cord was between the legs, but so far I've had one person tell me 99% and one 90% sure that it was a boy. At my next Ultrasound (anatomy scan) which should be the first week in July I should find out for sure what it is.. Sadly Zack wasnt able to make it to the appointment he was 10 minutes late, he tried to get there but he had another appointment 45 minutes away... he was totally bummed. Oh & I also had my quad screening today so hopefully everything turns out ok w/that.



but the baby is doing good and all is well!

Today I am 18w3d along and everything is still going great! As I may have said before we're pretty sure we have decided on names (Efren Aaron(boy); Maggie June (Girl) & as I suspected no one likes the boy name which is why I really didnt want to say anything until it was attached to the baby...(not that their opinions matter because its OUR choice... but it is still annoying) You can tell they dont like it because they usually say something like "well... you might change your mind later" or they keep suggesting names even after we've told them we have decided. I've also heard tons of suggestions of 'what it sounds like'... how the baby will be made fun of...etc.. augh...!!!!! They are right, it might change later, but for now its safe to act like the baby will be Efren if its a boy (which we're assuming at this point, should find out for sure soon)! I heard a really cute name the other day for a girl that I just love "willow"; I think it's ADORABLE! Would I ever name my baby Willow? Probbbbably not, but it is still way cute.

I can finally distinguish (when I'm laying down) where the baby is. I can tell because it's usually harder and more firm in that area. I am pretty sure my fundus is up even with my belly button now, which is jut crazy. I am really excited to actually feel the baby kick and move more... I feel the flutters every now and then but nothing note worthy.

I am getting bigger as the days go by. It's so much fun! I am so lucky to have had such an awesome pregnancy so far... so lucky. I just sometimes look at myself and think "oh my... this is REAL"... what the hell am I going to do? It's kind of a weird feeling knowing you actually have a human life growing inside of your own body. VERY weird, but also very fun to see the changes. I was looking at my 8week picture compared to now and its so weird that you don't really realize how much you've grown until you refer back to older pictures.

We are going to go probably either next weekend or sometime soon thereafter to buy the baby crib... It's going to be virtually free since we have two gift cards and some money from my mom.

There really isnt much else to talk about symptom wise... Nothing is happening to speak of... just feel like I'm randomly getting bigger... & I dont really feel pregnant. I have noticed a few hormonal changes that I can't control but it still isnt to the point where I'm crying because of a commercial or because we're out of a certain food. I've only cried, I think twice, during my whole pregnancy so far... so I'm doing pretty good I think! I think it comes out in the forms of anger for me instead of crying... ha!

I've found that I can't move as fast as I used to since it feels sometimes like I've pulled a ligament or muscle if I do, so I have learned to slow down and learned how to and how not to bend and move I need to start doing some exercises... eesh. When we were on vacation we went swimming & that was awesome. We need to start going swimming more often. It's hot enough here... and for once in my life I can fill out a bathing suit top!

19w2d

Most pregnant women say there is a moment in the pregnancy where they just tend to 'pop out'... I feel like this week was my 'pop out week'. Before when I would lie on my stomach, if I sucked in... it could actually SUCK IN mostly... now though, when I suck in, there is still a little baby bump there for me to look at & I just love it. Most people who see me now tell me how much I've grown. It's cool & I am really happy with how things are going. I can't say it enough, that I am so grateful that I've had such an easy pregnancy. There are days where I wake up and feel like I just dont want to do ANYTHING because I'm so tired... not because of lack of sleep but just because my body is working so hard. I also had the ever present bloody nose yesterday at work. I talked to the doctor about them when i was in but he didnt really seem concerned that it was because of high blood pressure or anything... My blood pressure has been around 133/80something every time I've went & I'm not sure if that is considered a bad thing or not.

The only problem I've noticed recently is my back. I'm so afraid that my back problems are going to come back and my pregnancy is going to be unbearable. I really hope it doesnt start again but the past few days from the base of my neck to the top of my butt has been stiff & sore... and when I walk I get a pang.. it sucks bad and Im just keeping my fingers crossed that it is temporary... I dont want to go through what I went through again & Im hoping all this weight doesn't cause the discs to herniate more that they already are because with 8 of them I dont think I would be able to function. Im just scared that I wont be able to carry my baby around and have fun with them because I will be limited.

I have my anatomy scan on July 8th and my next appointment after that on July 10th (regular checkup) At my July 10th appointment I will get results from my Quad Screening, as well as we'll get to go over results from the Ultrasound. They will tell me while I'm there if anything is wrong I'm sure, but still they will probably go over it more on the 10th. Plus on July 8th we should be able to find out the sex of the baby 'for sure'!!!!! yay! I hope s/he cooperates. Whenever I refer to the baby as a boy OR a girl at work... everyone is like "psht... its a boy, shut up" lol.... arent we all going to just DIE if it turns out to be a girl? I know I would(not in a bad way) It would just be weird since we've been referring to the baby as 'he' for all this time.



my 19w Pic (hopefully this works)

Attached Images

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You are def starting to show now! You look great, just a little baby bump! Cant wait to hear about your ultrasound!

Thank You! I am so amazed at how much I've started to show within a couple of weeks. It makes me glad that I take a picture every week so I can see the progression. I will SO post about the ultrasound when I get home from work on that Tuesday : )

19w4d

So today when I got home from work, Zack and I were laying on the couch watching T.V & I felt this Punch... well i didnt think anything of it, really I assumed it was gas, but I pulled up my shirt and started watching more closely, and so in turn Zack was watching too... and the baby kicked while we were both watching! Twice!!!! That is the first time so far that I have actually seen it from the outside!!!!!!!!!!!! It was pretty freaking exciting :-)