First of all, a huge thanks to all of you for the love that you've shown us in all of this; from your comments, to e-mails, to all the excitement you've shared with us. We could not be more grateful to have such an incredible support system in our great friends and family. So thank you!!!!!
9 Weeks!!! For the record, I HATE this picture! But for purposes of documenting everything, here it is. It was just one of those days...didn't feel pregnant, just felt fat and no matter how many times we snapped a picture, didn't like it. Alas, here's the 9 weeks picture! I'm thinking I need to stop wearing black shirts for these shots...everything just kind of blends, and I need to find a new wall - yellow isn't so flattering!! However, I feel like in the past week, the "bloat bump" has disappeared a little bit. Pregnant gals I talked with said you get the bloat bump, then you're back to the "flat" stomach (ha! right...) and then onto the preggo belly. Well, I think I'm clear from the bloat stage!
This week has been a bit of a challenge for me. Thank goodness for a great hubby, ginger snaps, peppermints and water because they've definitely helped me through the day-sickness. I don't know how many of you know at this point, but when I was about 12 years old, I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder. I was diagnosed with a form of seizures very different from what the word "seizures" brings to mind for so many people today. I'm still completely alert, no convulsions on the floor or anything, but the best way I can describe it is a "deja vu" kind of feeling, or as my doctor calls them, "auras". The biggest problem that I have with them is that afterwards, everything just seems a little foggy and my memory isn't nearly as clear as before. Within a week or so, I'm usually back to normal. When I was 12, after lots of searching, my mom and I found an absolutely incredible doctor who has been so amazing in helping me get through it all...with medication. About 6 months before talks of "trying" started with Mark and I, we decided to try to have me get off the meds. While the medication doesn't cause any "major" effects to the baby, the biggest effect was cleft lip. We decided that major or minor, we didn't want me to be on meds. Through the 6 month trial, everything went so great and God was so good - I felt wonderful. Being pregnant was going to be something entirely different though. A few years after I was diagnosed, they linked it to being hormonally related. Well, in pregnancy, hormones are all over the place, so we weren't sure what to expect. While my neurologist and family doctor both were convinced that things would actually be better during pregnancy, there was still no telling for sure. This week has been a very rough week with it. Why am I being so candid with it all?? Because I feel like there is so much power in prayer...and prayer in numbers!! We would just covet your prayers during this time as we figure out how to get past them, how to live through them, and what to do to prevent them while not on medication. Today has been a better day, and I'm sure tomorrow will be even better. I'm just still aware that I've got awhile to go.
On a more positive note...our garage sale went WONDERFUL!!! We had so much more stuff than I even thought we were going to have. My mom was a huge help to Mark and I, setting everything up, marking last minute items and running it with Mark while I worked Friday. We actually ended up making about $500 which is incredible and will be a great help for all of the purchases we have coming up!!
Last week, we went and bought the stroller. I had decided on an Eddie Bauer one that I liked at Target, Mark decided on a Safety 1st one at Babies 'R Us. I've got to say, as much as I've not liked Babies 'R Us because I think they are so over-priced, they really do have great quality products, and the people there are so incredibly helpful. Anyway, we told a salesclerk which 2 we were debating between and she was brutally honest telling us that the "parent group" over these brands makes both, so they were basically the same stroller, different prints. She said that this "parent group" has had more recalls on their products in the last year than any other brand and if it were up to her, she would stick with Graco or Chicco. She was so incredible, and ended up easily talking us into the Chicco stroller; it's so user-friendly and by far the safest she showed us. It's a bit more modern looking, no patterns or anything, but we're really happy with it.
I think that's it for week number 9! Thanks for checking in!!
