week 28- bump update and letters for Reagan

Bump Update

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain: still not looking. I'm guessing between 20-30 pounds. It's amazing how winded I get, then I remember all the extra weight I'm lugging around!

Maternity clothes?  oh yes! She is so low that there is no way I can wear anything normal. My belly sticks out the bottom.

Stretch marks? nope! Mom didn't have any, so I don't expect to get any. I heard stretch marks are all in the genetics.

    Sleep: sleep this week is going better! I started turning the air down at night and that seems to help. I'm becoming my own heater!

Best moment this week: making it to the 3rd trimester. I can't believe we are already here!

Miss anything? I miss the stamina I had before. The smallest thing (walking up the stairs or getting in bed) makes me winded and I'm looking forward to having my stamina I had before. For goodness sake, you'd never believe I used to run half marathons. I can't barely make it 1 mile when we walk the dogs every night.

Food cravings: still loving my fruit! I go through tons each week.

Anything making you queasy or sick? nope, but my sense of smell is very strong so I smell EVERYTHING!

Gender: Team Princess

Labor signs: nope, but have had a few braxton hicks.

Symptoms: round ligament pain, occasional heartburn, feeling full all the time, peeing constantly and urgently, swollen ankles, winded easily, braxton hicks.

Belly button in or out?  In! but looking more like a belly button slit these days.

Wedding rings on or off: On, but yesterday was our first 90+ day in Texas and by the end of the day my rings were very tight!

Happy or moody most of the time: I am happy! ALL the time! I even asked Kyle how my mood swings have been and he said good! Not like he'd really tell me the truth anyways ;) but I really have been an easy preggo!

Looking forward to: my shower in May and hopefully having a sono at my next appointment.

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week 27: bump update and letters for Reagan

//shirt- A Pea in a Pod (not available)// shorts- LOFT//

Bump Update

How far along? 27 weeks

Total weight gain: still not looking. I'm guessing between 20-30 pounds. It's amazing how winded I get, then I remember all the extra weight I'm lugging around!

Maternity clothes?  oh yes! She is so low, that there is no way I can wear anything normal. My belly sticks out the bottom.

Stretch marks? nope! Mom didn't have any, so I don't expect to get any. I heard stretch marks are all in the genetics.

    Sleep: this week sleep and I did not get along. I struggled with falling deep asleep. I think it's because I'm up peeing all the time that my body can't fall into a deep sleep. I also stole Kyle's pillow for between my legs and that seems to be helping, but no, sleep and I aren't getting allow right now.

Best moment this week: this week was a pretty uneventful week. I had my glucose test, but I wouldn't say that was the "best" moment. Now, if I pass, that'll be the BEST moment!!

Miss anything? being comfortable. I get uncomfortable very easily. Rolling over in bed is hard, walking up the stairs takes my breath away. I also miss my stamina. I tried to do an arm workout the other day and I normally do 3 sets of the whole workout. I only made it through 1 set and half way through another before I couldn't do anymore.

Food cravings: still loving my fruit! I go through tons each week.

Anything making you queasy or sick? nope, but my sense of smell is very strong so I smell EVERYTHING!

Gender: Team Princess

Labor signs: nope, but have had a few braxton hicks.

Symptoms: round ligament pain, occasional heartburn, feeling full all the time, peeing constantly and urgently, swollen ankles, winded easily.

Belly button in or out?  In! And I don't think it will ever pop. It's the deepest inney ever! Definitely getting stretched though!

Wedding rings on or off: On, but we will see for how much longer! I already have my fake ring picked out and ready to purchase once my rings don't fit, which I'm sure will be soon with the Texas heat.

Happy or moody most of the time: I am happy! ALL the time!

Looking forward to: my shower in May and hopefully having a sono at my next appointment.

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week 26- bump update and letters to Reagan

//dress- Target// scarf- Charming Charlie (similar) // earrings- Kendra Scott//

Bump Update

How far along? 26 weeks

Total weight gain: I'm sure after the terrible stomach bug I had last week the number has gone down a bit, but again, still not looking and don't care to know! :)

Maternity clothes?  FULL on maternity clothes now, but to not make it look like I'm bigger than I am, I make sure to have a belt or the shirt must have synching at the waist. Rae goes straight out and if I wear a flowly shirt, I look huge!

Stretch marks? nope! Mom didn't have any, so I don't expect to get any. I heard stretch marks are all in the genetics.

    Sleep: I decided to put the snoogle away for a bit and it's actually been helping me sleep! Of course, I'm up 3-4 times a night to pee, but it's just preparing me for the near future :)

Best moment this week: watching Rae move from one side of my belly to the other. The weirdest thing to watch and the funniest. It's almost like she's trying to break out! That girl has some power behind her kicks and punches!

Miss anything? being able to slide by someone/something without bumping them with my belly. HA! Actually I don't really mind it. I just look at them and say, "I'm sorry, I'm pregnant." Deal with it! :0

Food cravings: the cravings have started to subside, but the other night, I wanted Braum's ice cream, and I didn't care how, it was going to happen! It was delish!

Anything making you queasy or sick? just strong smells in general get me. They don't make me sick, but they certainly make me take a step back and say "Whoa!"

Gender: Team Princess

Labor signs: nope

Symptoms: round ligament pain, occasional heartburn, feeling full all the time, peeing constantly and urgently, swollen ankles.

Belly button in or out?  In! And I don't think it will ever pop. It's the deepest inney ever! Definitely getting stretched though!

Wedding rings on or off: On, but we will see for how much longer!

Happy or moody most of the time: I am happy! ALL the time!

Looking forward to: my shower in May!

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The Stomach Bug of 2014

Have you heard about the stomach bug that's been going around? Well if you haven't, pray you never have to experience it.

The stomach bug of 2014 hit me like a ton of bricks Thursday night.

I started getting sick about 8:30pm and honestly chalked it up to being pregnant and possibly morning sickness was rearing it's ugly head again.

But no. Once it started it didn't stop.

Finally around 11:30 after my 4th trip to the bathroom I laid in bed thinking, I really think I might die and if I throw up one more time I'm calling the doctor on call. And of course, back to the bathroom I went not 2 minutes later.

After putting in a call to my on call OB, she called back, listened to my symptoms, and said I needed to come to the hospital.

She sent me to the ER which is where Kyle and I sat from midnight to around 4am.

There was little sleeping and lots of trips to the bathroom. They tried 2 rounds of zofran and 1 round of phenagran. Nothing helped.

Reagan sure knew something was up. She was kickin' up a storm! She knew it would make momma feel better to know she was ok.

At 4am the ER doctor said there was nothing else they could do, so they either had to admit me or send me home.

Being pregnant, there was NO way I was going home. Go home to continue being sick, get dehydrated, then have to come back up here again?!

I think NOT!

By now they had already taken out my IV, so they poked me again then sent me up to Labor and Delivery. And can I say WOW!

We were at the hospital I'll be delivering at, Baylor Frisco, and these rooms are amazing! Here is a panoramic view from my hospital bed.

You can see Kyle in the back working away.

Poor guy was such a trooper. Once they admitted me, he went home, showered, and went to work for alittle bit. He definitely went to bed early that night and slept a LONG time!

Let's just say, I am so glad we picked this hospital to have Reagan in. It is NICE! They monitored Reagan and made sure she was ok, which she was. Only momma was sick. It was nice to know she was totally fine!

They discharged me around 1pm on Friday and we went home.

I literally slept from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening besides to be woken up to take my nausea medicine.

I'm feeling much better, but still have barely any energy. Ready to feel back to normal.

I am thankful that all of that is over, and pray that NONE of you get the stomach bug of 2014.

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week 25 bump update and letters to Reagan

//shirt-PinkBlush Maternity (not available anymore)//

Bump Update

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain: I am not caring anymore how much I've gained. I'm gaining exactly the amount that baby Rae needs! So no more looking when they weigh me. I will look though at my last weigh in to know how much I gained for the whole pregnancy.

Maternity clothes?  FULL on maternity clothes now, but to not make it look like I'm bigger than I am, I make sure to have a belt or the shirt must have synching at the waist. Rae goes straight out and if I wear a flowly shirt, I look huge!

Stretch marks? nope! Mom didn't have any, so I don't expect to get any. I heard stretch marks are all in the genetics.

    Sleep: I decided to put the snoogle away for a bit and it's actually been helping me sleep! Of course, I'm up 3-4 times a night to pee, but it's just preparing me for the near future :)

Best moment this week: watching my belly button slowly disappear! At night is when I laugh the most since I'm full from a day of eating it's just a slit. It's so deep that I don't think it'll pop, but it for sure is going to get stretched!

Miss anything? being able to do anything I want. I'm getting to the point where I am really have to start thinking about what I do. Should I go to the mall and walk around or just I stay at home and rest? Should I schedule multiple lunches a week with friends or stay at home and eat alittle more healthy? I have alittle one to think about. Things are changing!

Food cravings: Craving Chick-fila constantly! I could eat it for every meal! And love fruit :)

Anything making you queasy or sick? nope, but I have gotten sick a few times this week. I'm blaming it on traveling and being dehydrated.

Gender: Pink

Labor signs: nope

Symptoms: Swollen ankles (a new one), winded easily, sensitive skin (gets a sun burn even with 70 spf), crampy (she's growing a lot lately), and of course, peeing constantly! I can't get in the car without going before we leave. Kyle always remind me to pee before we leave, just like a kid! And the newest symptom is leaking. Haha. Apparently my poor bladder is just not strong as it's being smooshed by my uterus. 

Belly button in or out?  In! And I don't think it will ever pop. It's the deepest inney ever! Definitely getting stretched though!

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: I am happy! ALL the time!

Looking forward to: having our sweet girl here. We are 15 weeks or less away from having her here with us and I can't wait!

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week 24 bump update and letters to Reagan

// sweater- PinkBlush Maternity // top- Old Navy // jeans- Citizens of Humanity //

Bump Update

How far along? 24 weeks

Total weight gain: I am not caring anymore how much I've gained. I'm gaining exactly the amount that baby Rae needs! So no more looking when they weigh me. I will look though at my last weigh in to know how much I gained for the whole pregnancy.

Maternity clothes?  FULL on maternity clothes now. Texas has been having silly weather, it's time for warm weather, but it's still chilly, so I can't wait till it's warm so I can sport dresses and flip flops 24/7.

Stretch marks? nope! Mom didn't have any, so I don't expect to get any. I heard stretch marks are all in the genetics.

    Sleep: I decided to put the snoogle away for a bit and it's actually been helping me sleep! Of course, I'm up 3-4 times a night to pee, but it's just preparing me for the near future :)

Best moment this week: There have been a lot of best moments this week.

1. getting the nursery painted happened this weekend. Her theme is pink, navy, and grey. Her crib will go on the striped wall. I'm pretty proud of our stripes!

2. winning $250 to PinkBlush Maternity. Yep! This happened! All I had to do was hashtag #prettyinpinkblush in a picture on Instagram that I was wearing a PinkBlush item and I was entered into the monthly contest for $250. I've been trying since I got pregnant and I finally won! And the fact that this sweet picture at our gender reveal won makes it even more special. I will be doing a blog post once I receive all my items. Yes, I already used the gift card. I can't wait to get all of clothes! It's my favorite maternity clothing store for sure!

3. finally getting Rae kicking on video. Baby Rae finally cooperated and I got to capture her moving and grooving! Watch my right side (the top of the video) at about 7 seconds she lets out a big kick! Make my heart melt!

Miss anything? I know this is vain, but I miss my pre-pregnancy arms. I know I'm supposed to gain weight, and I am not complaining about that, but the gaining of the weight has been harder to deal with that I thought. I am gaining it rather quickly and know I will be gaining so much more. Hence my not looking at the scale anymore. There's not much I can do besides eat healthy and get in as much cardio as I can. My body is going to gain the weight it needs for baby.

Food cravings: Craving Chick-fila constantly! I could eat it for every meal! And love fruit :) I have a feeling this will be constant through the rest of the pregnancy!

Anything making you queasy or sick? nope! I think I've finally moved passed the nausea! Wahoo!

Gender: Pink

Labor signs: nope

Symptoms: swollen everything (my rings are starting to get tight), constant peeing, leaking (lovely, I know! working on adding more kegel exercises to my day), round ligament pain, back pain, and I'm sure more will be added to the list as I get bigger!

Belly button in or out?  In! And I don't think it will ever pop. It's the deepest inney ever! It's starting to stretch sideways though.

Wedding rings on or off: On, but I'm not sure how much longer. I plan on buying a fake ring alittle bigger in size so I don't have to be without a ring.

Happy or moody most of the time: I am happy! ALL the time! But the emotions sometimes get to me, it comes on quick and I just want to cry. Haven't actually broken down and cried yet, but who knows what will set me off? :)

Looking forward to: decorating the nursery and our trip to Boston this weekend. Can't wait to get some sushi! No raw though, I promise :)

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Due Date #1

At first I thought I wouldn't write about our 1st due date, but I firmly believe that God's glory will be brought from all that is lost and I wouldn't be giving God the glory He deserves if I didn't talk about this. Our story is a testament of God's plan for us and looking back over our journey, I wouldn't change a thing, even the heartache and loss.

We found out we were pregnant on July 21, 2013 and lost our baby on July 31, 2013. Petri's (that was baby's nickname) due date was this past Saturday, March 29. For days before Saturday, I thought about how I would feel when the day finally came. It's hard thinking about that baby. Even though we are pregnant now, that 1st pregnancy was such an exciting time for us. It was unexpected and exciting! So different from when we found out we were pregnant from IVF.

I should have been driving home from the hospital around now. I should be holding our baby in my arms. I should be giving him/her kisses on their adorable cheeks. I honestly never thought we would lose a child. After everything we had gone through and then to add a miscarriage on top of it? I was almost to my breaking point. I was angry. I was so angry. I felt like God had turned his back on me and for about 2 months I turned my back on God, but He never turned His back on me. He had a plan the whole time.

It wasn't until I started really thinking about it that it hit me. Our baby Reagan is due July 21, 2014. EXACTLY a year after we found out were pregnancy for the 1st time. God has always had a plan and this is just one more part of our story that I just have to smile.

I know that for us to be pregnant with Reagan now, our sweet Petri had to go to Heaven. Reagan was made for us and I can't wait to meet her, but I will always remember our 1st child. Without that baby, our sweet baby wouldn't be growing inside of me now.

I know when July 21, 2014 comes around this year, it will be one of the most joyous days of our lives just like July 21, 2013 was. I know our sweet Petri will be looking down from Heaven on the day that his (I always thought Petri was a boy) sister is born saying "It's ok mom. I'm here and I'm so excited for my little sister!" God brings joy through sadness and this is no different.

We love you little Petri and I sometimes can see you sitting in God's lap as he tells you all about us and we can't wait to meet you one day. I would be lying if I said it doesn't hurt knowing that I will never hold you in my arms, but I know you are in best arms anyone could ever have wrapped around them.

Love you sweet one.

**sorry for the random ramblings of this post. My heart is a mess of ramblings when I talk about our 1st pregnancy**

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