Here's a fun little Old Wives Tale quiz I found on another blog.

How You Sleep:

Old Wives' Tales suggest that if you sleep on your left side, a boy is sure to come our way. Sleep on your Right? Pregnant with a girl.

I almost always put myself to sleep on my left side because I read somewhere that it’s the “healthier” side in the sense that it helps with digestion and yet I always awake up facing C on my right side. 

Guess: Girl

Nausea:

Extreme nausea = girl. Boys are good to their mommas.

I really haven’t had much nausea. I mean, I have felt nauseous A LOT but I’ve only throw up a handful of times and in comparison to other pregnant women, I think I’m pretty lucky.

Guess: Boy

Hands:

If you have soft hands, you can expect a girl. Always "rubbing lotion into your skin or else you get the hose again" dry hands? Then you'll deliver a boy.

My hands have been SO incredibly dry, but that could be weather related as well, as winter has hit us.

Guess: Boy

Cravings:

If you crave citrus, a girl may be your way.

Nope, no citrus cravings. Just salt.

Guess: Boy

Pimples and Spots:

Girls steal their momma's beauty, so if you're spotty, you've got one on the way.

My skin has broken out like CRAZY. It’s JUST finally beginning to clear up.

Guess: Girl.

Clumsy?:

If you're losing your balance, it's a boy. Graceful? Girl!

I haven’t lost my balance yet.

Guess: Girl

Fatty Face:

Fuller face= girl baby.

Nope, no change

Guess: Boy

Salt and Sugar:

Sweet cravings = a sweet little girl. Salt= a boy.

Guess: Boy

Heart rate:

>150 beats per minute= girl

<150 beats per minute= boy

The 2 times I was able to hear the heartbeat it ranged between 145-150

My vote: Boy

Tally:

Boy votes: 5

Girl votes: 4

Well that’s pretty close lol My dreams have all been about a boy though. I can’t wait to find out.

We have our ultrasound tomorrow and we are SO anxious to see our little one again and see how much they’ve grown. I just want to go to bed and sleep away the rest of the day tomorrow and wake up just before our appointment tomorrow afternoon lol I AM SO EXCITED! It’s been 5 weeks since we’ve had an ultrasound and I’m going crazy! I can only imagine how excited I will be after this ultrasound waiting for our Anatomy Scan to find out if it is indeed a boy, or if it’s a girl. 

I’m FINALLY starting to feel like myself again. On Saturday I actually felt well enough to do my hair and put on makeup. It was like “Whoa, there she is!”. I’m sleeping through the night now, the need to get up and pee seems to have disappeared, or I’ve gotten smarter about not drinking close to bed time lol 

According to my Midwife, 2^nd trimester starts on Thursday for me, so I welcome it with open arms and a big HELL YEAH!!!!

Speaking of our Midwife, I love her. Honestly. She is amazing and so thorough. She explains EVERYTHING in detail and I feel so comfortable with her. It’s a shame she’s not a regular doctor as well, I’d transfer all my care to her. I can’t say enough about her. She’s fantastic and I have NO concerns about birthing at home with her all.  I feel very safe in her care.

12 Weeks & A Heartbeat!

I haven’t updated in a bit. Things have been so busy with the holidays approaching and there hasn’t been much on the baby front to really talk about, until this week.

I purchased the Sonoline B fetal Doppler off a friend and have been trying it out for the past week to no avail. We just couldn’t find a heartbeat and even though I knew it was too early, I was starting to get a little worried; especially when I was reading that women who are earlier on it their pregnancies were finding their’s. So, I tried again on Saturday while C was working and after about a minute or two of searching, I FINALLY found the babies heartbeat! It was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I could have listened for hours but after a couple minutes I forced myself to put it away. The heartbeat was beating steady around 149 bpm. 

When C got home from work I dragged him into the bedroom and let him hear the heartbeat. It was such a special moment. We both were in awe.

Last night I had a bad dream and woke up feeling a little panicked so I decided that the entire reason I bought the Doppler was for reassurance, so I tried again this morning. Sure enough, I found the heartbeat again, this time between 150-155 bpm. So amazing!

We meet our midwife tomorrow and I’m so excited and anxious. We’ve decided to go ahead with the IPS testing (the equivalent of the NTS in the USA) and so she will be giving us the paperwork to go ahead and get the blood work and next ultrasound done for that. I cannot wait for the ultrasound. I can’t wait to see our baby. At 12 weeks they actually LOOK like a baby, not just a blob any longer. I’m hoping we’ll get an apt to have the ultrasound done before Christmas. I really want to come out and tell the rest of our family & friends at Christmas, but I want to do so with the ultrasound in hand. So fingers crossed we get in by the end of this week (wishful thinking) but at the latest, the end of next week.

I’ve started picking up a few small things for the baby lately. I bought some children’s books to start the baby’s library (something we both feel is SO important), I have one little onesie that says “Daddy’s Backseat Driver” and my MIL & FIl bought us a little blankey for baby. Just a couple small things. Once we’re well into 2^nd trimester I’ll feel more at ease about making bigger purchases for baby. 

We’ve decided that we want to find out the sex of the baby as well. Something we’re both so excited for. My gut instinct now, is that it’s a boy. In the beginning I said girl, but I think that’s because I would really love a girl first but the further along I get, the most I feel like this baby is a little boy. We can’t wait for the anatomy scan. Only 7 more weeks to go!!

So now for the baby recap!

How far along: 12 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Over the past few weeks my weight has dropped about 5-8 pounds but I seem to have gained a bit back and have leveled off at a total of 3 pounds lost. No weight gain in 1^st trimester would make me VERY happy. I should only gain 15-20 pounds during this entire pregnancy (according to the Dr) so I need to be very careful and so no weight gain in the 1^st trimester is definitely a positive step towards that goal.

How big is Baby: Baby is the size of a plum!!

Sleep: I wake up at least once or twice a night to pee and I’m finding it hard to get comfortable lately. I have been using my body pillow but it’s not quite long enough to work as I need it so I think I might ask C to buy me the Snoogle pillow for my birthday in January. By then I’ll be showing enough that I can justify it lol

Movement: Not yet. I can't wait though!

Food cravings: Dill pickles and green olives lol Such a typical pregnant woman craving but what can you do.

Gender: Not yet, but my guess is BOY.

Symptoms:  Nausea (if I let myself get hungry, if I smell something gross or if I brush my teeth), Gas and Heartburn.

Best moment this week: Hearing baby’s heartbeat for the first time! Words can’t describe it.

There is a baby in there!!!

Today we got to see our sweet little one!! We had our first ultrasound this afternoon and although we couldn't hear the heart beat, we saw it fluttering away on the screen. It made me cry. Seeing the heartbeat was so reassuring.This is really happening. We have a real baby in here!

How far along are you? 8 weeks today!
How big is baby? Raspberry
Weight gain/loss? I've lost 8 pounds!
Stretch marks? None from the baby yet.
Maternity clothes? One pair of cargo style maternity pants. Comfiest pants I own.
Best moment this week? Seeing our baby during the ultrasound and seeing its heart beating away.
Gender? Not yet!
Movement? No, way too early
Belly button? In
Symptoms? Nausea, exhaustion and frequent urination
Cravings? Carb's and salty snacks
What do I miss? Wine
What I’m looking forward to this week? Showing our families the ultrasound picture!
Milestones? Hitting 8 weeks today!

How far along?: 6 Weeks on Thursday!
How big is the baby?: The size of a Sweet Pea (as of Thursday!)
Total weight gain?: About 3 pounds (although it looks like 15)
Wearing Maternity clothes?: Not yet but on the weekend I am going shopping for mat jeans. I can't take this anymore. All my pants fit too tight from the bloat and it hurts. I can't wear yoga pants to work, nor can I wear them in the winter so it's time.
Any movement?: Not yet
Any food Cravings/aversions?: Still can't eat chicken, tomatoes or sweets (candy or baked goods). I'm craving fresh fruit but that's really about it so far. I've become Lactose Intolerant as well. Which bites!!
Guess on the sex of the baby?:  I think it's a Girl.
Any signs of labor yet?: Nope
Best moment of the week?: Telling DH's one sister & BIL. They're so excited! We're telling his other sister tonight.
What do you miss the most?:  CHEESE & WINE! lol
What are you most looking forward to?:  Our first ultrasound on November 17th. Praying everything is okay and we see a heartbeat. I don't have many symptoms so I worry myself that something is wrong. I just can't wait for that reassurance (at least for that day anyway) that everything is fine and there really is a baby in here.
Any milestones this week?: Got my 2nd round of HCG numbers back. They were drawn at 21 DPO (Friday) and they were 5,550!! My first one was drawn at 10 DPO and was 38. Makes my doubling time approximately 36 hours. BIG RELIEF! I celebrated by eating 4 slices of pizza and then waking up in pain from the cheese at 2am. lol Damn you dairy!

Baby Update #1

 I've been experiencing some pretty severe pain above my pubic region for over a week now. The Doctor orignally thought it might be a urinary tract infection but the test came back negative for any infection this morning. So he has me going back tomorrow morning for more tests. I believe he'll do an internal ultrasound to try and rule out an ectopic pregnancy so hopefully everything is fine and baby is where he/she needs to be!

How far along are you? 5 weeks today!
How big is baby? Apple Seed
Weight gain/loss? I'm up 3 pounds right now but it's all just bloat.
Stretch marks? None from the baby yet.
Maternity clothes? Nope – not yet. But I might cave and get some pants because of this bloat none of mine (other then yoga pants) fit comfortably.
Best moment this week? We told my family on Friday & Saturday and oh man were their tears of joy! That was last week but I'm counting it. On Monday my fabric samples for the baby's bedding arrived in the mail. We won't order it yet but I still asked for the sample anyway.
Gender? I think its a girl
Movement? No, way too early
Belly button? In
Symptoms? Severe pain above my pelvic area. I'm going to the Doctor at 10:30 tomorrow to rule out anything terrible (ie: ectopic) because the pain is making me vomit.
Cravings? Pasta & Potato
What do I miss? Wine & Chicken (Chicken makes me throw up right now)
What I’m looking forward to this week? Telling DH's one sister tomorrow night and possibly having an ultrasound tomorrow. Not for the best reason but I'll take it.
Milestones? I hit 5 weeks today. I have officially missed a period. To me, that made this a lot more real.

This is really happening!?!

I have severely slacked off on updating this. Now that I have my own laptop it should be a lot easier. I really need to get someone to design me a nicer layout. I think I'll look into that this weekend. In the meantime... here's an update :)

For the last week I haven't been feeling that well. I've been tired, nauseous and just all around feeling not so hot. We went away to our friends house last weekend and I really didn't feel right. When we got home Sunday night, I took a pregnancy test. Within 15 seconds a 2nd line showed up right away. I was shocked. We had been trying, but I really didn't think our timing was that great this cycle.

I ran out of the washroom laughing/crying and yelled at C that I saw two lines. His responce was 'What does that mean? Are you pregnant!?" to which I said "I think so!". He proceeded to grab the test, box and directions and read lol He didn't think the line was dark enough, even though I kept saying "A line is a line!". We decided I would test again the next morning.

So Monday morning rolls around, I tested again with another First Response Early Repsonce and a Digital for good measure :) Both were positive. I ran in the bedroom and was so excited I started waving them around like a crazy woman. C was half asleep and was like "I can't see them!" lol So I showed him and we were like "Okay, this is really happening...we think". 

I called my Doctor Monday afternoon and they had me go in right away for blood work to confirm and get my HsG number. They called me yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon to tell me that Yup, I'm pregnant!!!! My HcG level was 38, perfectly normal for only being 10 DPO. Based on my charting with Fertility Friend, I'm 4 weeks along as of today!!

I told my two best friends yesterday. I couldn't keep it from them. I also told my sister. We'll be telling C's parents tomorrow night at dinner, mine on Saturday at dinner and C's sisters & BIL's next weekend. After they know, we're keeping it quiet until after Christmas. At that point we'll be 14 weeks along (give or take) and we'll tell everyone else then.

We're so excited. Cautiously optimistic also. It's still so early, so many things can go wrong, but for now, we love this little baby and pray he/she grows big, strong and healthy. My due date as of right now is June 29th, 2012. This is really happening!!! We are so blessed!!!!

So for now, this is my pregnancy blog :) Hope you'll stay with me through this journey!

Track It and Move Forward.

So I’ve been MIA for awhile. I’ve been so busy as of lately I haven’t had time to do much of anything.  4 weeks ago I decided to join Weight Watchers and I have to say I am SOOOO incredibly happy that I did. I’ve lost (officially) 13 pounds in the past 4 weeks. What’s amazing to me is that I’m already noticing subtle changes. For example my engagement ring fits perfectly now. It’s actually almost too loose (almost). My bras don’t fit so tight around me anymore. 

Most noticeably is the extra space in most of my pants. Who knew a little 13 pounds could make such a difference! Now I’ve got 100 more to go and I’ll be all set lol I like to think of it as 10 more installments of 10. That’s less intimidating. Right now I just take everything one day at a time. I don’t deny myself, I still eat what I want but its smaller portions and if I eat that piece of cake or scoop of ice cream, I make sure I adjust my day/week accordingly. Add that bit of extra exercise or eat a lighter lunch & dinner. 

Weight Watchers has definitely made me pay a lot more attention to what I’m eating and how much I’m eating. I took some before pictures and will be taking pictures every 25 pounds lost to kind of keep track of my journey. My goal is to be down to 145 pounds in 1 year. I’m 5’9 so 145 pounds is on the thin side but I’d like to get pregnant once I’m down so I figure if I get down to 145 and gain 20-30 pounds when I’m pregnant then I’ll still be in a healthy weight range.  

 Goals, that’s what it’s really all about. Setting them, working towards them, meeting them and forgiving yourself when you just can’t do it and you don’t have a “lose” one week. Track it & forget it is the motto at our meetings. It is what it is and all you can do is learn from it and move forward.

So hello 13 pound lighter self, my you look lovely today!

Cakes!!

Today’s been a good day so far, stepped on the scale this morning and since last Monday I am down 4 pounds. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot but it was good to see that all this healthy eating has been making a difference, and besides 4 pounds a week is more than the recommended weight loss in a week , I believe, so that’s great.

Things have finally settled down in the Squish house. It’s not so busy and I like that. This weekend on Saturday, Mr Squish and I will be celebrating 5 years together. Crazy time! I can’t believe it’s been 5 years already.  I still remember our first date and how I circled the building twice before going in because I was SO incredibly nervous lol I almost backed out, can’t imagine where I’d be if I had. It all started with strawberry milkshakes at the coffee pub and here we are today 5 years later, married and thinking of babies. Just wow. Time flies!

Our Winnie the Pooh cake turned our amazing. It took us 3 tries but it looks awesome! The first time Winnie’s head fell off lol It was tragic. The second time he stuck to the pan and crumbled into chunks. By the 3^rd time we were weighing other options but Mr Squish was determined to make it work. I mean at that point it was pride lol We couldn’t let a damn cake win! It finally worked, although just barely. His head started to fall off and he ripped right up the middle so we stuffed him full of icing and away we went. I think he’s our best cake yet. I’m really proud of us! As I mentioned before, I figured out how to post pictures so here are some pictures of the cakes we’ve made.

 I’m really excited because we’re starting to get requests for cakes from friends and family and I think we’re finally ready that we can start charging people; Nothing major maybe $40 or something.  I didn’t feel comfortable asking for money before because we were just starting out but as Mr Squish pointed out we need to recover our costs of making the cake and using all our own products to make them so I mean that makes sense to me but I’m still not ready to ask for a lot. We’re no Duff or Cake Boss lol 

Anyway, here’s our cakes!

Winnie the Pooh... known in our house as the cake from Hell lol

I made this one year for Easter. Peeps came in handy after all! (It's meant to look like a sunflower)

Easter Cake from last year's Easter

My sister in law's baby shower cake. We did a rubber ducky theme for the shower.

Mothers Day cake from last year.

 My younger sister's birthday cake. She is notorious for destroying Blackberry's. A few days before her b-day she dropped her newest one in a huge puddle and destroyed it and our idea was born lol

My cousins Baby Shower cake from last year.

  Cupcakes from my cousins Baby Shower for the guests to take home.

My Best Friends 30th Birthday Cake. That's her, her 2 cats and her Guitar Hero guitar and Wii Fit lol

 Baby Shower cake for my coworkers friend's shower.

 Birthday Cake for my Best Friends, Husbands 39th birthday LOL