Island Life

Aloha!!

I admit-I've been a bit of a slacker again this week. But I have a good excuse this time, I promise!!

We're in Hawaii!!

Wednesday was the official 12-week mark, but we spent the day traveling (and going to bed at 7:30pm). And besides, would you choose writing a blog post over sunbathing?

Me either. 

Here are some quick photo highlights of our trip so far:

Toes in the sand!

Paddle boarding (is the bump showing?)

Can't beat the sunset!!

Dinner for two.

Haven't had a chance to take our 12-week bump pic yet, and at this point, it might be more of a food baby. What can I say? Vacation makes me hungry. 

Stay tuned for more updates. 

Aloha!!

Eleven Weeks!

I've been a bit of a blog slacker lately, but it turns out that over a 40-week pregnancy, not much changes day-to-day. Here's the latest big news, the eleven week bump pic:

Still not really a noticeable bump, but I read that during the 12th week, the baby begins to migrate out of the pelvis and into the abdomen, and that this can result in a more visible bump. I guess we'll see!

We had another doctor appointment today, just a regular check-in. I'll go every four weeks from now on, until we get closer to delivery. Baby's heartbeat was 166 beats per minute, right inside the normal range! We had an ultrasound scheduled for today, but it was rescheduled for next week. Bummer! We were really looking forward to seeing how much Peanut has grown in the last 2 weeks, since our last ultrasound. Guess he or she will have more time to grow until we get to see it again!

The countdown is on until we leave for Hawaii, just over 35 hours until take off! Really looking forward to soaking up some sunshine and doing some fun touristy activities!!

More news when there's new news!!

Ten Weeks!!

I'll admit, I'm a little behind here, but it's been a busy week. 

We were ten weeks last Wednesday, the 8th, but spent a few days in San Antonio mid-week, so we had to wait to take the latest bump picture. Here's the official ten week bump:

Still not really anything to write home about (har har) but I see myself everyday, so I'm not sure I'll really notice when "it" shows up. 

Last week we had our first official Dr. visit (after our first ultrasound, we're doing it all backwards I guess). There wasn't much in the way of new information, just the long list of what I can't do (hot tubs!) and can do (exercise!). It seems like a long time to wait to first see he doctor and "confirm" your pregnancy, since it's basically been two months by then that you should've been taking care of this growing little one. Good thing there's plenty of information out there readily available in the meantime. 

We go back next week to meet with the actual doctor (versus the nurse practitioner last time) and go over the results of my lab work and get started with the myriad of prenatal screenings that are recommended. Sooooo many tests. But Jeff and I agreed we'd rather know baby is healthy than guess that he or she is. 

The really good news here is that just a few days after they poke and prod me, we get on a plane to HAWAII! We're both really excited to have some time away and do some fun and touristy things while we're in Honolulu. I'm hopeful Peanut still won't quite be big enough to press on my bladder during the marathon flight, but we'll see. The lengthy travel will be WORTH IT, as I'll be spending most of my time here:

Can't wait!! 

More updates soon, week 11's bump is right around the corner!!

 

What to Eat??

But really, what can I eat? 

There are no shortage of books and articles and internet know-it-all tidbits about what/where/how/why/who to eat when you're cooking a baby. The irony here is classic, though. They tell you to eat ALL THE THINGS without telling you that most of it will be, at best, unappealing and, at worst, send you running for the toilet. 

I've been lucky enought not to have been plagued with unbearable morning sickness or nausea (thank you, Pregnancy Jesus). For about 2 weeks (you read that right: PAST TENSE! Yay!), I'd wake up on empty and feel a little icky, but as soon as I had something to eat, it would mostly go away, and by lunchtime all icky feelings would be gone completely. Sometimes if I wake up super famished, I still feel a little gross, but eating usually cures it pretty quickly. However, I haven't escaped eating challenges altogether, because my sense of smell seems determined to make me starve. 

Not even joking, Jeff regularly shoots me sideways "whatever you say, crazy lady" glances when I tell him things like how our house smells like the fish section at a pet store (BECAUSE IT DID THAT DAY). 

I find myself particularly averse to cooking meat, eggs, and brewing coffee. I've found I can eat some meat if I push through the initial smell and get it in my mouth, and if it's well seasoned (think taco meat). Last night we ended up at Rib Crib and upon being assaulted by the smell of barbeque as I walked in, we almost walked back out. It's one of Jeff's favorites, so I held my breath and got through it like a champ. Back pats for me! But we probably won't be going back until my nose returns to being blissfully unaware of just how fragrant the world is. 

So we're finding ourselves navigating the tricky world of pregnancy eating, and my super smeller isn't just making me look insane, it's also making nearly every food with a scent unappealing. Not quite at the makes-me-want-to-vomit level of cooking meat, but even some of my formerly favorite foods are now just, meh. I find myself gravitating towards sweet foods that have little-to-no smell to them. Things like graham crackers (also a bit of childhood nostalgia here), fruit, and popcorn. And carbs. Sooooo many carbs. Bring on the pasta, the pizza, the dinner rolls, and the pretzel dogs (sans hot dogs-no nitrates for this lady and her baby!). I try to balance with fruit and veggies but the carbs are so delicious, and when you have to pick and choose, you take what you can stomach at any given time. 

At nine weeks and four days, I've probably got a solid four weeks until things get a little more "normal" for me. In the meantime, I'm eating what I can and forcing down some nutrition for Peanut so s/he doesn't starve. I'm hoping it won't be this challenging to feel this baby once it's here! 

Only 213 days to go!!

It's Official!!

Today is our first notable milestone!!! While we've known of our pregnancy for about five weeks now, we hadn't yet had it medically confirmed. This can cause some stress, knowing, but not knowing, at least not for sure.

That changed this afternoon!!! We had our first ultrasound, and got to actually see Baby Van Orsow for the first time. Not long after we found out we were pregnant, Jeff and I decided to nickname it Peanut (and Butter, should there have been a second baby). So here's the first real look at Peanut, our little gummy bear: 

It looks, Jeff and I decided, remarkably like a baby. We had both been expecting a small blob on the screen that the ultrasound tech would have to convince us was a baby. But this, this looks like an actual, albeit large-headed, human baby. Who knew?!?! (That's a rhetorical question...obviously anyone who has ever had or seen an ultra sound knew...)

This probably goes without saying, but we're over the moon. We have proof now, real proof, that there is a tiny human growing in my belly. We heard his or her little heartbeat and watched it blip blip on the screen.

This is crazy. 

Because Peanut is only about the size of a strawberry (and hopefully just as sweet!) he or she hasn't really made his or her presence known in the way of a bump. Yet. 

See? 

Week 9:

I'm pretty sure any bump I'm seeing is just my jeans, right?? That's just bunchy denim?? Let's hope so, I don't feel quite ready to have my body spill the beans. 

That reminds me, it's KILLING me not to be able to tell my friends. Especially those who are already very suspicious. Now that everyone is coming back into town, I'm eager to see them again and tell them our news, but I know that I will feel most comfortable in the long run if I keep quiet just a little longer. Here's hoping my excitement doesn't get the best of me and let my secret slip!

So far, so good. I'm feeling fine as long as I can get a nap in, and it seems as though what little nausea or sick feelings I had have passed. I'll be a happy clam if I'm in the clear!!! 

I hope you're enjoying reading this, Pids. So far you're the only one who knows about it. ;D