My First "Bump" Pictures!

Today we are 15 weeks, 5 days pregnant!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I'm writing this a little late, so it's technically Friday and we're 15 weeks 6 days, but in the spirit of the holiday, let's just keep it at Thursday.  :)  Anywho, I've got my first pictures of my belly as I finally feel like I'm showing the tiniest bit.  And yes, that's exciting to me!  So here goes...  First picture is before I was able to see any real difference, at 10 weeks, 2 days.  The second picture is this evening, before Thanksgiving dinner unfortunately, so at 15 weeks, 5 days.  Enjoy!

Shawn sure does look proud, doesn't he?

Maurer Milestones

Today we are 14 weeks, 3 days pregnant!

No big newsworthy events so to speak, but I think these are pretty groovy points...  First of all, as of yesterday, I have hit the triple digits!  I've been pregnant for 100 days!  As of Sunday, our estimated due date was exactly 6 months away.  While I feel like this is going sooooo slow, most people think it has gone by so fast.  Also, we find out the gender in exactly a month from today!  Yayyyy!  Shawn still feels girl, but there is something inside my head, heart, and gut that feels boy.  I don't really know why, and I can't put my finger on it, but it's just this tiny little feeling I have.  So we'll know next month!  Shall we make you all wait until Christmas day to find out or will I end up telling everyone within five minutes of us finding out?  Haha!  So last but not least, for the first time in about 8 weeks, I actually wanted my go-to Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.  I haven't been able to stomach the thought of it since about 7 weeks along, but yay, I had my first bowl today!  Life is getting to be back to normal once again.  Well, at least for a short while!!!

Thank you for reading my extremely exciting posts, your support means so much to me!  :)

What A Stocking Stuffer!

Today we are 14 weeks pregnant!

Well hello, all!  As this holiday season is floating in, I just had to make some purchases.  And I am going to share them with you now...  Every year, Shawn and I pick a Christmas ornament with the year on it, sort of a little tradition we're trying out.  So what better type of ornament to buy this year?

Well, that's about it for now, still looking forward to the 17th of December, when we find out Team Blue or Team Pink!!!

Normal Results!

Today we are 13 weeks and 2 days pregnant!

Hi all!  Just a couple things today, first of all, I've started my SECOND TRIMESTER!  This means a couple things, such as, had I not blabbed so early because I couldn't keep it from any of you :), you would all be finding out right about now.  But we all know that I have a hard time keeping any happy news in!  Second, it means that hopefully I will start feeling better soon.  I've chosen not to take any medications for nausea, regardless of my OB/GYN's gentle suggestion, because quite honestly, no amount of happy images will ever take the pictures I have seen of children of thalidomide out of my head.  So I'll deal with the sick feelings with the great and helpful suggestions I've gotten from my family and my friends.  Without all of you, I would have gone crazy in the last three months!

Second, I got some good news today!  The genetic counselor from the office we got our NT scan done at called me today with my results.  Our results are normal!  What she told me is that we started out our pregnancy with a 1 in 400 something chance of having a child with a genetic disorder, due to age and other information as well.  And now, after my blood screen and ultrasound, our chances have dropped down to 1 in 4000 something.  So this is good news!

One last thing - this is kinda silly and may be TMI - but I can actually feel my uterus now!  It's this little hard bump between my hips and belly and its so exciting!  :)

Love you all!

Some Upcoming Dates

Today we are 12 weeks, 5 days pregnant!

Hi all!  Just got back from a little visit to my OB/GYN, just routine (except for the FOUR VIALS of blood they had to take).  But I did get to hear the heartbeat for the FIRST TIME!!!  I didn't know this was going to happen, so since I thought this was going to be purely a "womanly visit" I told Shawn he didn't have to go.  So he is really bummed that he didn't get to hear the little wawawawawawa of the heartbeat, so I feel really bad :(.  But the heart is till a healthy rate of 150bpm, so it's a tad bit slower, but still in the normal range and over the old wive's tale girly limit of 140bpm.  So we'll seeeee!  Actually we'll see on the afternoon of Thursday, December 17th so mark your calendars!  I will be just two days short of 19 weeks then, so hopefully we have a cooperative baby and get to see his or her nether regions!  Other than that, my next OB/GYN visit (the gender visit will be at a different office) will be Thursday, December 3rd.  Should be another opportunity to hear the heart, so Shawn's definitely coming to this one!  Anywho, just that I'd put those dates out there for anyone who wants to keep track.  I'm just really happy we've got a really happy pregnancy going on here!  :)

Last View Until December...

This one I found amazing because you can see the fingers and thumb.  The doctor showed us five fingers on each hand, too incredibly cute!  He also showed us the heart, the right and left ventricle, and said "This is a very good looking heart!"  Yay!!!  I still just can't believe that we can see the little nose, lips, everything.  I can't put into words how in love I am and how purely beautiful this little baby is already.  It's amazing to feel these first twinges of motherly love!!!

**FOR ALL OF THESE, IF YOU CLICK ON THE PICTURE, YOU CAN SEE THEM BIGGER!**

Another View

Just another view of our beautiful baby.  The doctor showed us the nasal plate, which was very comforting since 70% of babies born with Downs Syndrome don't have this nasal plate.  The NT measurement (fluid in back of the neck) was 2.1 which he said was 'very normal and a very popular number.'  This is also used to predict if the baby has DS.  We are awaiting the results of a blood test to accompany the scans, but I feel much better now!  :)  By the way, the baby now measures 5.9 centimeters crown to rump!

12 Week Debut!

You can see his/her hand (farthest away from you) perched upon the forehead, evidently we felt dramatic this day.  The arm closest to you is stretched out above the head and along the body, very relaxed.  You can see the thigh and where the leg bends at the knee where the beautiful leggies were kicking and stretching.  :)  I am in love with the most beautiful person in the world!!!

Oops - I Gave Y'all the Wrong Date...

Today we're 12 weeks, 2 days pregnant!

So sorry, I gave you all the wrong date for my NT scan, it's tomorrow, not today.  And truth be told, I'm so excited!  I can't wait to see our little buggie again on the big screen, and I'm secretly hoping that they'll be able to tell me the gender.  I know, I know, its a little early, but the almighty internet has provided me with stories of some finding out this early.  And we all know if it's on the internet, it must be true!  Haha!  Well, I will definitely keep everyone updated on our progress tomorrow and will get the scans up as soon as I can.  Til then!

Long Time No Write...

Today we're 11 weeks, 5 days pregnant!

I just had a great week-long visit with my family in San Diego, and though I'm very happy to be home with Shawn and the puppies again, I always miss being back home with my parents and sisters.  It was a great week, and along with all the visiting I got to do, I had a breakthrough with my morning sickness!  No more do I have it every day, only sporadically, so I'm hoping that this is the beginning of the end with the vomiting!  Yay!  I've put on a few pounds since my last ultrasound, much to my Dad's delight.  He kept telling me to eat and eat, and with his cooking, it's not that hard to do!

I also got to visit with Kim and Brian, my sis- & brother-in-law and their two beautiful babies.  I got to meet my nephew for the very first time, before Shawn, too!  We got to talk baby for hours and hours and with every passing word, I get more excited.

For the upcoming plans, we've got an ultrasound on November 2, which is at a different office since it is the Nuchal Translucency test (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuchal_translucency) which will be the only scheduled round of tests we're planning on going through.  So we're excited to have our second ultrasound which we will post as soon as we can, provided that we get copies!  :)  So I'd say check back by the 4th of November for those...

Anywho, I've got some stuff to plan and stuff to do, so feel free to comment with any questions or anything!   I'll write again soon!  :)

Here and There...

Today we're 9 weeks, 6 days pregnant!

I'm really excited because tomorrow we get in to the two-digit week mark!  Silly, yes, but I feel that saying "I'm ten weeks" sounds so much more established than "I'm nine weeks."  Hey - I've never been known to be the most rational person in this world!  :)  I'm also really excited to enter my second trimester, which according to different websites, will be somewhere around October 31 to November 4.  I will be soooo happy to leave the gagging, the vomiting, the dizziness, the tiredness, and all that behind.  Well, at least until the latter part of my third trimester!  I also feel a little silly to admit that I am scrutinizing my belly every day to see if I can see the smallest hint of a bump yet!  I know, I know, I probably wont see anything until December, but I guess this is why first pregnancies are so fun and exciting!  Quite honestly, though, I do see a slight rounding of my lower belly, which seems to be consistent with the many websites I scientifically consult every day...  ;)

Shawn and I attended our first wedding while expecting last week, and to tell the truth, it was such a unique and neat feeling to remember ours and see us coming full-circle right before my eyes.  There were many wedding guests with whom I had attended high school, and the congratulations were plentiful!  As a matter of fact, as we approached the bride and groom to congratulate them, they congratulated us before we could even get there!  The support we have received from friends and family has been so great and so inspiring.  It reminds you how much people do care!  Mushy stuff, huh?

Anywho, I am so excited to continue seeing these changes in our lives, and I feel so grateful that I get to share them with people.  Which brings me to a question:  Since the heart rate was 161 bpm,  does everyone think it's going to be a girl?  My chinese lunar predictor calendar says we're having a girl...  All I know is I can't wait to find out!

xoxo

The Second Set of Scans...

Today we are 9 weeks, 3 days pregnant!

By the way, if you click on the pictures, they will get bigger :)

Our First Baby Pictures!

Here they are, the first pics of our little Maurer!!!  :)

Oh, By the Way...

Our due date is projected to be May 15th!  Kim, I guess you and I are totally on the same schedules!!!  Hahahahahah!  :)

Saturday Night Fever Baby!

We're OFFICIALLY 8 weeks, 5 days, +/- a few days.

We saw the baby!!!!!!!!!!!  That little bugger was dancing like it was on American Bandstand doing the boogie with John Travolta!!!  We've got a healthy 161 bpm heart rate, and I do believe the doctor said it was perfect!!!  My next ultrasound will be in about 4ish weeks and we can't wait!  So many exclamation points today!!!  Anywho, I will post pictures as soon as we can get them scanned, which I hope is soon.  I can't wait for everyone to see the little dancer!

All the best,
Nickie and Shawn :)

Say a Little Prayer for Meeeee....

Today we're 8 weeks, 5 days.

Sorry, I love that song, the one used in My Best Friend's Wedding...  Anywho, I'm sitting here drinking my Carnation Instant Breakfast (thanks, Kim!), trying to keep it down, and I'm about to get ready to leave for my appointment.  I am really quite nervous, so if any of you read this before we get home, please say a little prayer for us.  Why is this so nervewracking?    

I'll update in a few hours...

Thought I Was Just Lucky...

Turns out my luck has finally run out.

I finally vomited today, after a long and arduous train of vicious dry-heaving.  I guess I'm now a true-blue pregnant woman.  Just thought you all would want to know.  :)

Cheers!

False Alarm :(

Today we're 8 weeks, 4 days.

Well here I am frantically brushing my teeth and doing my hair in preparation for our big appointment.  And there the Hill Country OB/GYN is calling me to tell me my doctor had been called in for a delivery.  The good news?  That the doctors there deliver their own babies.  The bad news?  My appointment is no longer for today, but instead tomorrow at 10:30am.  Ugh!  I'm so disappointed, I doubt I got more than two hours of sleep last night worrying about today and poor Shawn had to take time off of a meeting this morning, only to have to turn around and rush to the office.  Now he has to tell them that he's taking off tomorrow morning at 10:30!  Oh well, ¡que sera, sera!

I will update you all tomorrow...  :)

Tomorrow's the Big Day!!!

Today we're 8 weeks, 3 days.

Not only is tomorrow our second anniversary (yay!), tomorrow is our first prenatal appointment and first ultrasound!  Just wanted to let y'all know!  Our appointment is at 10am central time, so hopefully I will update this as soon as possible with any pictures I am able to put up.  Until tomorrow!

PS - We're celebrating our anniversary on Friday night so we can have softball tomorrow night and celebrate the ultrasound tomorrow :)

My Poor Kitchen...

Today we're 7 weeks, 3 days.

Why do I start with my kitchen?  Because it's a mess.  Not very regular for around here as much as Shawn and I use it, but I can't bear the thought of doing the dishes for some reason.  I'm fine with pretty much any other chore, but for some reason, the thought of old food and dishes makes my stomach turn.  I'm going to see if I can bribe Shawn to help by doing the other stuff if he can do the dishes for me today.  I'll keep you posted.  Anywho, I truly believe I've gotten the brunt of some goddess's anger in the form of morning/afternoon/evening sickness.  I've felt terrible for the past few days and am in dire need of a brisk walk with some cool air, but the problem is we've got no cool air.  It just won't cool down and participate with fall!  And talk about food aversions...  The thing that has rocked me most of all is the fact that I seem to be turned off of most pasta!  I know!  Nickie and no pasta?  Although today I desperately craved Shawn's spaghetti and meat sauce, and he consoled me by telling me he has a cookie for me.  I asked him if the cookie tasted like his spaghetti, and he tried so hard to convince me it did.  But  it didn't.  :(

Other than that, Shawn and I are looking forward to a few things coming soon:  Our anniversary (October 7th), our first appointment (same day), and softball (starting next week).  Thank goodness the team was willing and able to change the game nights from Thursday to Wednesday so Shawn can play again!  His school schedule left him unable, so we're back in now!  It'll be nice to get to share the news with more people, it's so fun!  Plus, we will be so happy after (hopefully) getting to hear the heartbeat that morning that we'll be high on that.

Anywho, Shawn has begun to read some of What To Expect, which made me very happy.  I guess he's finding out rapidly how crazy I am getting and how demented my sense of smell and appetite is.  Oh the joys!