It's a BOY!

I can't believe I forgot to blog almost 2 weeks ago to let you all know we are having a BOY!
Sorry for the delay! I know most of you are friends with me on FB, so you already know.  I have this blog to basically document everything that is going on.  It was super special, we had our ultrasound at 8:45 in the morning and my parents as well as Justin's mom were able to be there! We also had a surprise guest come in at the end which was super special to me and it was perfect that she was there.  Our dear friend Marianne.

I was the only one allowed in the room while the tech was doing all the babies measurements.  It took about 15 to 20 minutes of getting all the pictures they needed.  He was so squirmy, but she did a great job! Then she went to get the family.  She then started showing them his head, arms, legs, and all that good stuff.  She then asked if we were ready! She showed us his "goods" and sure enough, it was a boy! He was not shy!
We had already had a name picked out, and it was so special to be able to call him something, not just the baby.  His name will be Luke Matthew Gerhart.  We all were just so excited! I had forgotten to ask what he was measuring, so at our appt this week (almost 2 weeks later), my midwife had said he was measuring 19 weeks 2 days instead of 18 weeks 6 days.  So we will see if this progression goes further and he is going to be a big boy.

18 weeks 6 days

At my Dr. appt this week(20w/6d), everything went really good.  I've only gained 8 lbs at this point which is so good because of where I was at weight wise to start.  They seem to be really pleased with where I'm at.  All in all, everything is great!

My back is the only thing that is really bothering me at all.   I went to the Chiropractor yesterday and he said from here on out, it is probably going to get worse because of all the movement and changes.  He said just to keep coming in and getting adjusted.  I am currently sitting with a heating pad on my lower back at work, which helping immensely!  He even commented on how well I'm doing with everything.

Luke is kicking up a storm! Usually every other day he is super active and then the other days he is somewhat active but more calm and resting.  Today is a super active day! We can't wait for him to get here and hold him and touch his face.  He is our little miracle baby.

Thanks again for being on this journey with us!

19 weeks 5 days

I can't believe I am almost half way through this pregnancy.  I will say again, pregnancy is not for the feint of heart.  Some have easy breezy experiences, others have okay experiences (which is where i am), and others just have a rough go at it. For week 19 I found myself going to Disneyland with the Hawkins clan.  We packed up the kiddos and headed for the magical kingdom.  I don't have any pictures because I didn't bring my phone in with me.  I wanted to be present and not be tempted to be on my phone.  I really need to invest in a good camera so I don't have the excuse of...I need my phone to take pictures with.  The kids did really well and I think I pooped out before the kids did.  I started getting a pretty bad headache around 5 pm that kept getting worse.  I also was having horrible deep sinus issues.  I remember having Justin pressing on my forehead while we were in line getting everyone ice cream while everyone else found a spot to watch the parade.  I was just done.   I'm sorry family for complaining! I digress....the kids had so much fun which is what we were aiming for.  They did have a lot of the rides down for maintenance.  I guess that's a thing in the winter, which makes sense.  We had a really nice lunch in DT Disney and then ate dinner in the park.
I ended up staying home from work on Tuesday as I woke up with that same darn headache.  I think I was just over exhausted as well.  This body hasn't done that much walking in one day in a LONG time.  lol.  It was good for me though.


I had Justin take a photo of my belly before we left for Disneyland and this is it:

 19 Weeks 3 days

I don't know about you, but I think I look smaller than last week.  Not sure why or what happened.  Could be the angle.  Let me show you 18 weeks again: 

18 weeks ? days 

Oh wait I do know why.  Above picture was taken in the morning.  18 week picture was taken at night.  That makes sense now.  lol.  

How am I feeling?  

I'm feeling good overall. Still pretty tired.  I am having more round ligament pain as well as shooting pain in that area even at rest.  I can feel Luke moving around way more and I can feel when he kicks me in the front.  I still can't feel when he kicks into me (towards my back).  I'm sure that will come soon enough.  Justin is anxious to feel Luke kick from the outside.  I've only experienced one kick so far that was hard enough to be able to maybe feel from the outside.  I have a pretty thick layer of fat covering my belly. (Just being real) 

I know that will come soon enough.  I love being able to feel Luke all the time as it reminds me I'm never alone. I know God is always with me, but I have a little human attached to me at all times! 

Hope you all are having a great week! 

Much Love! 

17 weeks 6 days

I seem to not be able to find the time to weekly blog these days on my progression of the baby belly! It seems somewhere around week something or other the weeks have been flying by.  

On to what's important.  

This past week I have actually really popped out all of a sudden.  Here are some pictures from week 16 to week 17.  CRAZINESS I tell you! 

Week 16

Week 17

In week 16 you can still see my rolly polly tummy, but in week 17 it has smoothed out quite a bit! 

I've been feeling a lot better.  Still have major hip pain and the exhaustion is still there, but hey! I'm making a human! No more nausea except for when I'm in bed and I lay on my back for a few minutes, it's weird! 

The baby is the size of an onion this week and weighs a little less than 6 oz.  So tiny! 

Next week, Thursday, we have our anatomy scan which will determine gender! I cannot wait.  I'm beyond excited and it seriously can't get here faster.  This whole process is just surreal to me.  Sometimes I think it's weird that I'm pregnant, and the only reason I say that is because as much as I wanted kids, there was something deep down inside of me that thought that I wouldn't be able to have them naturally.  (welcome to my crazy place in my head).  

Poor Justin isn't getting very good sleep along with me these days.  I toss and turn constantly all night long due to the hip pain I have.  And I won't mention having to get up and pee all the time.  Nothing new and nothing no one has ever not gone through.   It's just part of the initiation process! 

I've been craving strawberries like no body's business lately.  I think we might clean out Costco of all of theirs! 

I don't have very much more to go on right now.  On Saturday, Justin and I will be celebrating Valentine's Day by going to the  aquarium and having lunch down there.   I'm really looking forward to that.  We haven't done anything fun like that, just the two of us, in a long time. 

Until next time, what do you guys think we are going to have?????

15 weeks and 5 days!

I can't believe how fast time is flying by.  We had an appointment this past Monday to meet our OB Dr.  We love her! We couldn't have asked for a better team to take care of us.  She is also super down to earth and she just knows her stuff.  (Obviously, because she is a doctor)  So far so good.  My blood pressure is great! My rate at which I'm gaining weight is great!  My testing they do every appt for glucose came back perfect.  Overall, this has been an extremely easy pregnancy.  I mean, I have my things, but I know other women who have it much worse with tons of complications and I'm just very thankful for what we have going on.  God is definitely watching over me and baby G.

I think I finally feel my energy coming back slowly but surely, and it's a little surreal because I know as soon as the 2nd trimester is over, so is my energy...and my breathing...and everything else.   lol.  I have been feeling more "flutters" as of lately.  It definitely only when I'm sitting or laying down.  I know what they say about what and when you should experience things, but I'm a firm believer in it's YOUR journey and YOUR body.  EVERYONE is different and no two pregnancies are the same.  Like at all.  They say that skinnier women tend to feel the baby sooner, ummmmmm seriously?  The stats out there are what make women treat each other so badly when it comes to mother hood and raising your kids.  That's the point, they are YOUR kids.  Not joe smoe down the street that you just have an opinion on.  They are YOURS! You are responsible for birthing them, feeding them, making sure they are safe, and loving them.  No one know's how to do it better for your kids than you (and your husband).  END OF RANT>

I have been noticing I'm feeling aggressive, not to scare you off.  I'm not towards people, but just in general.  I'm sure it's my hormones going cray cray, which in turn is making me cray cray. CRAY CRAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I digress, as today I ate chili cheese fries for lunch.  The whole not gaining any weight thing is getting to me.  I need to put on the brakes with that thought.  I mean once in a while I guess is okay, but right now I feel like I just ate crack and I'm shaking like a leaf.  Not to mention the sugar in the fruit punch is probably doing that to me.  BUT WAIT! Yesterday I ate really healthy, salads and all that.  So like I say again, I guess once in a while isn't to bad....Am I trying to convince you? or myself?  IDK.

We have our next appt on the 27 and that is a full anatomy scan.  Which means.....GENDER! YAY! I have to do my second state blood test for abnormalities that day as well.  First set of test results came back so negative, it's stupid, but oh so great to hear.  So they do it by chances, so the higher number you have the more negative you are.  Our numbers for Trisomy 18 came back in 1:92,000 yes i said 92,000.  And for Down's I believe it was in the same neighborhood, tens of thousands.  SO we felt really blessed by that!

I feel like God is giving me my biggest test in patience. I'm such an instant rewards type of person, I think that is why loosing weight hasn't worked out for me.....YET.   I'm learning tons of patience through this baby cooking stage.  I'm enjoying it, but I'm anxious and just want to meet our little guy or gal.

I know some of you are probably wondering where my belly pictures are.. To be honest ( and no this isn't a bashing to myself, its just a fact) You can't really tell the difference.  I just look really overweight, more so than I did before.  I'm not a stick that you can see a cute little baby bump  at 15 weeks.  I look more like i'm 25 weeks pregnant, because of my extra layer of love.   As soon as I feel comfortable doing pictures, I'll put some up.  As of right now.....you will just have to imagine it.

Until next time! I hope you are all doing well! I hope you can find joy in your life or circumstance and know that God is meeting you right where you are today!

Our Baby Shrimp!

Last Friday we had our very first ultra sound of our baby! We went in on Friday at 8:30am and she took a bunch of measurements.  Everything looked great and baby Gerhart was measuring exactly at 7 weeks.  We officially "graduated"  from Infertility and we can now be seen by an OB.  So we have our first OB appt appointment this Thursday at 10am.  Prayers would be greatly appreciated! It is a 3 hour intake appointment and Justin is so graciously going to come with me.  He is just incredible.  He wants to be there for everything, and I feel blessed by this man every single day.  While we were having our first ultra sound, Justin immediately whipped out his cell phone when we knew that we were going to hear the heart beat.  Here is what he caught!

My immediate reaction was, "Baby! It's a little shrimp!"  and it is! It is our little shrimp, and we couldn't be happier! 

It's been to long.

I realized I haven't been blogging as of late.  I love to write and I have been feeling like I have been missing something.  WRITING!

I just wanted to give a big disclaimer since I'm at the beginning of this pregnancy.  If I talk about how I'm feeling or things that are happening to me, it's not because I want to complain or that I am complaining.  I just want to document everything that is happening.  This is something that is beautiful and I can't believe it's happening to me! I was chosen to take care of one of God's children.  I"m excited to see where it leads and who I come across on this journey of motherhood.

The last two weeks, since I found out I was pregnant, I have been SO crampy.   They come and go, and the intensity comes and goes.  My Dr. said that it is fine, and to use a heating pad.  Well, I'm not comfortable using a heating pad, so a friend of mine who experienced the same thing, said to take a warm bath.  I'm good with that! I have also been experiencing headaches.  I had one right before we found out and I had to go home from work because of it, and then I had one yesterday that sent me home.  Since I can't take anything and I'm prone to migraines,  sleep in a dark room is the only thing that will kick it out.  I'm fortunate to have a very understanding boss, who is very family oriented and has already given me a lecture about taking it easy and resting and not lifting and take my vitamins.....He's great! I know he's on board 100% with this pregnancy.  Makes my life so much easier! I'm also STARVING! Like FEED ME NOW! lol.

I really can't complain at all.  I have it pretty easy.  No nausea, (knock on wood!)  I am really tired, but that is perfectly normal.

We feel extremely blessed by this whole process, but are nervous.  I think every new parent feels that way.  We are continuing to pray for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy delivery and most important a healthy baby.  Thank you for your prayers and being apart of such a bigger picture with us!