Well 15 weeks has come and gone!

I had some major allergies going on this week. Obviously.

I had an OB checkup the day before I was 15 weeks. I had gained 3 pounds and baby boy's heartbeat was 155 bpm. They haven't started measuring my bump yet, because I didn't really have much of one at that point. I did start showing this week though! I can still wear my jeans/shorts/leggings, but it's uncomfortable to keep them buttoned. And the waistband of my leggings cuts into my stomach a little bit, which isn't the most comfy thing in the world. I'm sure a maternity clothing shopping trip will be in order soon.
Also at the appointment, they did a blood test to test for spinal defects. And great news, the test came back negative!

Based on my What to Expect pregnancy app, the baby is the size of an orange, weighs about 2 ounces, and is 4 1/2 inches. The baby can also sense light at 15 weeks and is forming taste buds!
I haven't felt any kicking from the baby yet, but based on the ultrasound and the fetal heartbeat sounds, this baby is constantly moving! Future athlete? Eric sure hopes so!!

My cravings are still the same, except for the added Olive Garden salad and breadsticks craving. Poor Eric has had to run out and get me that for dinner several times in the past week or so. Salty foods and V8 cravings are still going strong. I want candy every now and then, but when I do, it's just a couple pieces of sour patch or jellybeans at a time. Nothing like before pregnancy when I could down a whole bag of sour patch kids in one sitting. I've been drinking sparkling grape juice every now and then to "pretend" like I'm drinking wine. Let me tell you...it is definitely NOT the same. The nausea is still present, but only when I get hungry. So I pretty much eat every 3-4 hours. The exhaustion is also still lingering, but I have noticed that I am getting a little bit of energy back, slowly but surely. Which is good news, because I have my 10 mile race the first weekend of April!

Because of my heart defect, I have to be followed throughout the pregnancy by a high-risk OB and my cardiologist. So far, my cardiologist has cleared me for a normal delivery, of course, if nothing crazy happens between now and the due date. The high-risk OB will be monitoring the baby throughout the pregnancy (and me on day of delivery), which I am very thankful for! I have my first appointment with the high-risk OB at around 16 1/2 weeks pregnant. She will be doing the anatomy ultrasound and check my due date. At some point in the pregnancy, she will also be doing a fetal echocardiogram to look at the baby's heart to see if baby boy has the same heart defect I have. If he does, then we will all be prepared for it on the day of delivery and she will be present to make sure it's fixed. I am so thankful this is being taken so seriously!

On March 24, I turned 16 weeks pregnant (4 months!!). So I will be posting an update soon! (and an update about the anatomy ultrasound) Yay!

We are officially in the second trimester and I'm very excited about it! I honestly haven't had the easiest first trimester, so I have been ready for the second trimester for awhile. I was sick for weeks 11-13 with a nasty cold that pretty much knocked me on my butt. {And let me tell you, when all you can take is Tylenol and mucinex when sick while pregnant, it takes a whopping month to finally feel human again.} Then, around week 12 I started having an intense sciatica pain on my left side that leaves me couch ridden every couple of days depending on how aggravated it is. So painful! But regardless of everything that went on in the first trimester, I feel very thankful that this little boy is healthy and growing!

13 weeks:
I look absolutely miserable and exhausted...I was sick this week!! So don't judge.

I wasn't really showing this week, I just felt bloated and like I had a muffin top at this point in the pregnancy.

14 weeks:

You can't really tell because I'm wearing all black (trying to look slim, what can I say?), but I have an actual teeny tiny baby bump. I'm able to cover it up right now, but it's definitely there.

So far, I have gained about 1-2 pounds depending on the day. My skinny jeans are still able to button, but they feel tight and they leave a nice mark around my waist after wearing them for awhile. I wear scrubs to work, so that's been nice because I basically feel like I'm in pajamas all day, but when I'm not in scrubs, I tend to stick to leggings or my loose-fitting nike shorts. Speaking of nike shorts, wouldn't it be so great it they made maternity shorts??? I mean seriously, they would make even more money than they already do. I plan on just buying up a size in the near future.

I'm still running and working out regularly when I'm not sick, and I actually have a 10-mile race planned for the first weekend in April! I'm really excited about it! I wanted to do a half marathon, but Eric gave me a firm "no" on that one. So a 10-miler it is! My mom and one of her friends are going to be running it too, so that should be fun.

As far as cravings go, I am still craving V8 like crazy. I buy it in bulk now. The salty cravings and pickle cravings are still there, but my sugar addiction is slowly but surely starting to return. Jellybeans are my jam right now.

Biggio and Colbie are adjusting pretty well to everything...Biggio is much more lovey-dovey than usual and Colbie is way more possessive than usual. She looks out for me like her life depends on it. And Biggio just sits next to me 24/7 looking for extra pets and lovin'.

Overall, I feel pretty good all things considered. I know a lot of people have pregnancy horror stories, so I consider my self lucky and keep looking at the positives...the main one being, we will have a BABY BOY to love and snuggle and kiss in less than 6 MONTHS!

This coming weeks I will be 15 weeks prego...update coming soon!

And just for kicks, here is a picture of Biggio in all his glory...

SURPRISE...Eric & I are having a baby! Due September 8, 2016!

We found out right before New Year's and it has been the hardest secret to keep. I had a terrible sinus infection right after we found out, so I was pretty much "forced" to tell our parents, but I am glad we told them so early. I am almost done with the first trimester and my exhaustion is out of control!! You will notice a trend in all my weekly pics...EXHAUSTION. So far I have had pretty weird cravings (grits, tomato juice, salty foods, pickles, and NO CANDY whatsoever), nausea (no morning sickness, thank goodness), and extreme tiredness.


Here is the first trimester in pictures...

6 weeks:

7 weeks:

8 weeks:

Biggio enjoys being in the pictures...obviously.

9 weeks:

I think it's pretty obvious that I am struggling to keep my eyes open.

At 9 weeks we had our first ultrasound. It was the craziest thing I have ever experienced. Up until that point, I was still kind of in shock about the whole thing and was still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that there was a tiny human in my belly. So hearing the heart beat and seeing this teeny tiny baby wriggle and dance around in my stomach was so amazing. Here is our little nugget at 9 weeks...

10 weeks:

Baby was the size of a prune here.

11 weeks:

12 weeks:

Maybe starting to show?

One of these days I will take my weekly pictures in actual clothes, rather than scrubs or workout clothes. Maybe when I get my energy back...maybe.


Eric and I did the genetic testing around 10 weeks, which just so happens to also tell you the baby's gender and we couldn't wait to find out if our bear cub was a boy or girl!
We found out on a Friday and had a gender reveal at Top Golf that night with my parents, Eric's parents, and Eric's brother and sister-in-law. {Click the link below to check it out!} It worked out perfectly and everyone was so thrilled to find out it was a...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azAcmfTeCCQ&feature=youtu.be

BOY!!! We couldn't be happier!

Eric and I would appreciate everyone's prayers for our baby boy (and US!) throughout this pregnancy and delivery. We are very nervous about everything, especially with it being our first baby, and it would definitely ease our anxiety if all of our friends and family were joining in prayer!

"For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart." -1 Samuel 1:27

Hopefully my next blog post will be an actual weekly post vs a whole trimester worth of posts. Blame it on the exhaustion! ;)