The First Trimester

November 21, 2006- John and I anxiously drove up to Dr. G's office in Richmond for our first ultrasound appointment! Everyone at the office was so happy for us and they were all so nice! At this point in my pregnancy I was around 6 weeks pregnant. It would be a few more weeks before the baby would be big enough to get an exact age/due date.

Dr. G knew I was really nervous. After all we went through trying to conceive I was so afraid of finding out that the pregnancy didn't take.... The instant the image came up on the screen he said, "There is one baby... and there is a heartbeat!"-

I was elated! I started to cry and John was standing beside me just mesmerized. The image on the screen was nothing but a little blob, but that little blob was our baby! It flickered. That tiny flickering was the heartbeat, working before the heart was even fully formed! How amazing!

When I was around 6 or 7 weeks pregnant, I started having terrible allergies. For a while I thought I just had a cold coming on, but it never went away and got worse and worse! It would come in phases. I'd have 3 or 4 days of being so stuffy, congested, and miserable that I couldn't eat. Moving made it all worse so I would just stay in bed and rub vapor rub on my nose and try to breathe. I wanted to take medicine so badly, but I didn't. I stayed strong!! Now that I am moving toward my 2nd trimester, I will talk to the doctor about starting some kind of medicine to see if it will help ease all of this "yuckiness." Poor John has to be so grossed out by me now! I realize I am VERY blessed though to not have had to deal with morning sickness or any kind of nausea really.

I had my first prenatal visit with Dr. Lee Mahoney on December 4th. They made an appointment that day for an ultrasound on December 8th. John and I drove up to Richmond again for our second ultrasound. This time they had a TV screen in the corner so we could both see the baby without having to turn awkwardly to look at the u/s monitor. John spotted the baby and heartbeat instantly, while I was still staring at the monitor trying to figure everything out. The baby looked like an actual baby this time!! He didn't move very much at all, but we got to see him bobble his head like he was nodding! Everything looked great and they gave me an estimated due date of July 15th. I was 8 weeks 5 days pregnant at the ultrasound!

I am still getting used to all of the aches and pains associated with my changing body! I still get mildly nervous when I feel a sharp tug or pull as my tummy begins to stretch out to accommodate our little baby! At about 9 week I noticed my belly starting to bulge a little. I don't really think it is from the baby yet, I think I am just really bloated! My jeans are all too tight now and uncomfortable to wear. I bought a "belly band" that is like a tube top that you wear around your waist to hold your pants up without having to button them! It's been a life saver, but it can get annoying because it rolls down when you sit and stand. (Picture: 11 weeks pregnant)

We drove up to Ohio to spend Christmas with John's side of the family. Isabella provided so much entertainment for us in her little doorway jumper! I decided I MUST have one of those for this baby!! I was pretty bloated and had mild allergy issues while we were there. The day we left to drive back to Virginia my allergy problems kicked in full force! I was hacking and sneezing the whole way home. I was miserable and I am sure John was too being stuck in the car with me!

At 13 weeks (my last week of the 1st trimester) I had my 2nd prenatal appointment with Dr. Mahoney. We heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time! It was an unusual swooshing sound! The heart rate was in the 150-160 range. Everything looked great and I got permission to start taking Claratin and even nose spray when needed to help me breathe!

After my 13 week appointment, John and I went to lunch at Red Robin's and then headed to the Barnes and Noble to purchase a few baby name books! We then headed over to a specialty children's shop and bought our baby his/her first gift: a little green blanket with a froggy head attached to it. We went home and started making our lists of baby names!!!

During my 1st Trimester I have been experiencing some anxiety over John's move to Korea and my time living with my parents in Huntsville. I know the situation is not ideal, but it is what is best for us all right now. I am anxious that John might not make it home for the birth of this little baby. But hopefully the Lord will bring him home in time! My only major "craving" so far has been pizza, or really anything with tomato sauce! We have ordered or gone to Pizza Hut MANY times the past few weeks for an orginial crust pizza with onions and green bell peppers! Yum!!!!