And Stretch...

Well Friday marks our first, official ultrasound-- and I gotta say we are very excited to find out how baby is looking and doing and how long/old he/she is.. OH and to find out how many there are in there. :)

Josh and I have established some compromises as far as baby is concerned. And yes I realize that the baby isn't born yet, and we have NO idea what we're getting into-- so things may change, but these are things that we would LIKE to have or see happen.

1) Josh has established himself as getting the good in the baby- meaning he gets to feed, coo, hold the baby, and change the pee-pee diapers. I get to change the poo-poo diapers and clean any spit-up and/or throw-up. :) This one is still in the works of compromise. :))

2) We're going to get a Baby Bullet. We want to know what's going into our baby's mouth, and we want to make sure it's produce with natural sugars and so forth.

3) We're going to have a separate playroom for toys and games-- MAYBE a TV. In their room, books only. That way when they get sent to their room, they can either read to pass time or do nothing at all.

4) Which leads to.. no cell phones until they are driving.

5) Final and more important-- I'm going to breastfeed, and baby is going to stay in a bassinet in our room for the first 4 months or so. I'm reading a book called the Baby Sleep Guide, and it's really given me a lot of pointers and helpful hints for a peaceful and healthy sleeping baby.

So... what's going on with my ever-changing body?? Well-- just within the week or two, I've gone from looking sorta pregnant to really looking pregnant (which is really cute if I do say so myself). Putting on scrub pants or pants/shorts in general is interesting in itself. Usually the front band or elastic is below the belly while the back of the pants is pulled up like it should be b/c they're too small. 1) I don't want to buy scrub pants if I don't have to.. too expensive (unless you can find them at Goodwill, but when you wear a size XS or S- what good does a L or XL do you?) 2) As previously stated, I have a small stature, and it is VERY difficult to find pants that will fit in the waist and in length. Shirts are starting to get tighter on me. And not meaning to get gross, but I'm going to have to move up in a bra size or get a maternity bra soon. I've gained back my pre hCG weight, which is fine now that I know what the added weight IS now. And I can literally feel my stomach muscles stretching and getting bigger. My skin is super tight right now and seems to be even worse after I eat.

Some days I'm not tired at all and feel great, like I can do anything-- and others I have a lot of pressure on my lower back and stomach, and I feel like I could crawl in a hole and sleep. I took a nap today in our little screening room, and it was dark and cool and quiet.. and I did NOT want to get up and go back to work. But it gave me enough energy to get through the afternoon. So today was a, "I can feel the baby growing," day. LOL. I'm still bloated and gassy (again, sorry) on a daily basis, but I've been trying to eat and snack throughout the day to avoid that. Some days it helps, and others like today, it didn't.

I'm still craving lemonade (which I gave into today and got some Minute Maid). But I find that I crave weird things at weird times like today I wanted shrimp sauce. I've only been nauseous twice now, and today was one of them. I smell weird things like onion rings across the room at a restaurant. My coffee smelled like wet cat food. And my Chinese food smelled like... well I don't remember, but I thought, "What the hell is that smell?" and realized it was supper. OH and the smells STILL came through my stuffy nose this am, but all I could smell was cologne and perfume (which gave me a headache).

So in short, that's what's going on. :) Weird feelings and weird smells. I still can't believe I'm pregnant, but I know that will change Friday. Will keep you posted.

1st Baby Picture.

Sweet little baby Vittitow in there.

Pregnancy Trumps Drunk.

Josh and I decided to go to Savannah on Saturday and walk around to 1) get exercise (something I was a little nervous about but I had no problems and rested when I needed to), and 2) to let Josh take pictures of the green-watered fountain at Forsyth Park.

On our way up to Forsyth, we counted 4-5 wedding photo shoots going on, 1 military ball photo shoot (nonprofessional), and 1 bridal shoot. Not to mention people looking at the fountain and then handing us their camera and asking, "Will you take our picture please? Don't let our camera offend you now." There were 3 other Great Danes there, tons of pregnant women, other photographers, tons of people wearing green- including a guy with a shirt that read, "In My Pants," on the front and, "Lucky Charms," on the back- and the whole downtown decorated in reds, purples, and green.

After Josh got his pictures, we were walking back up towards River Street and decided to grab some dinner and take more pictures of Broughton Street lit up with signs and cars. While Josh was snapping away, I took the opportunity to go pee at Starbucks.

I walked in, and already there's a line to the single stall women's bathroom. The longer I stood there, the more I had to pee. One lady was in the bathroom with her kids, there was a girl in front of me, and before too much longer, there were two more girls standing behind me. One thing I guess I need to mention that along with all the people in green-- about 75-98% of them are drinking and/or drunk. SO the girl in front of me went in, and I'm standing waiting doing the bouncy dance. And I hear the last girl standing in line say, "Excuse me, can I go in front of you? I feel like I'm going to hurl." The girl behind says yes, so the girl asks me. I turned around to look at her, and you could tell she was hammered-- glassy, sleepy eyes, yellow skin, etc. "Can I please go in front of you?"

My response, "Well I'm pregnant and gotta pee, so no you can't go in front of me."

"But I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

"Sorry. I gotta pee. My pregnant body trumps your drunkedness need to throw up. Don't worry. I pee fast."

I told Josh later, "I'm going to love this pregnancy thing." (as if I'm not already outspoken when people cut me off in line).

Short and to the Point.

Pre-natal exam thingy went well. Technically it was more the doctor's nurse asking me questions about my medical and personal history, Josh's past history, family history, and etc... Oh and let's not forget about the judgmental look of, "How did you not know?" But I was given a lot of info, as well as pre-registration to Hilton Head Memorial.

I went to Labcorp Thursday pm for my bloodwork, and I was really kinda nervous about it. Not that I mind getting my blood drawn or the needles (I have tattoos, trust me- I'm used to needles), but I was more nervous about getting lost or getting there too late OR the fact that they were going to fill up five vials of blood and I'd pass out. Turns out, I found it just fine and they only took three vials of blood. The nurse asked me how far along I was and if I had been sick.

"No," I replied.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Anyone that tells me they haven't been sick with their pregnancy, I want to kill them."

Thanks lady.. you're kinda killing me by digging that needle into my arm and switching the vials out. :))

So the 18th of March, we officially go to the doctor for the ultrasound. HOPEFULLY, I'll be far enough along to be able to see what we're having.

***Fingers crossed***

The Past 4 Days...

It's thought that I'm probably anywhere from 2-4 months along at this point and time, but I go to the doctor tomorrow to have my prenatal exam done. Then judging how far along the doctor thinks I am depends on the ultrasound appt- so it's possible I'll be going back on Thursday or next Tuesday.

I've gotten a lot of questions about being pregnant and how did I not know I was pregnant. Well first off-- no morning sickness, not even the slightest hint of an uneasy queasy feeling. Second off, no extreme fatigue. Now there were some days that I felt like I had to take a nap at lunch, but I had done this in the past and wasn't pregnant, and just thought I was tired or hadn't had enough sleep the day before. Third, no increased urges to pee.. let's face it, I pee a LOT-- especially right after lunch. It's nothing for me to pee 3-5 times in an hour after lunch. And forget drinking coffee, water, or tea when we travel. Fourth, I was on birth control and believe me when I tell you-- there were months that I wouldn't have my period at all. BUT my OB-GYN in NC said, "As long as you take it everyday like you should, then don't worry about it." So I didn't. I never, ever thought I would end up pregnant.. despite the fact that (pardon the language) my boobs were getting bigger and the fact that I was gaining weight. Keep in mind too-- eating what I want and not drinking water was what I thought was making me gain weight.. hence why I thought my boobs were getting bigger and tender.

So now what? What's going on? What do I notice? Well like I said, the prenatal visit is tomorrow (which hopefully if I'm up to it, I'll blog about). My body is tired, I'm tired, and I'm freaking bloated and gassy. I don't mind the tired part as much as I mind the bloated and gassy feeling. I also feel like when I stand up, there is all this pressure on my body and back. My grandmother tonight said, "Don't worry kid, you still got a long way to go." Thanks grandma. :)) Which is why I really enjoy laying down and putting my feet up. The cute little scrub top I bought just a week or so ago, I can't wear anymore which is going to make the other ones even more difficult to get into. And I'm starting to feel little flutters, here and there, especially when I'm laying down and getting ready to go to sleep. I've had that one episode of queasiness- other than that, nothing. OH and I get choked up easier now too.. this morning it was Michael Buble singing, "Home," which is usually very soothing to me but this morning, I choked up. I choked up at Barnes and Noble looking at stuffed animals. And when the first chord of Brad Paisley's song "Anything Like Me," comes on, I choke up and have to turn it.

So that's what's been going on the past 4 days.. complaints and all. The journey still isn't over yet, so be on the lookout for more blogs about weird and unusual pregnancy things.

Expecting...

Yes, yes... after years of trying and finally thinking we weren't able to have children, we have unexpectedly found out that we are expecting #1, or possibly #2 (twins do run on my side of the family). We're very shocked and surprised and excited and possibly running on every emotion there is.

We're guessing I'm about 2-3 months along, but I'm going to the doctor soon so we can have a better guesstimate on when we're due. We thought something was up when I went on this hCG diet, and I was losing weight everywhere BUT my mid to lower stomach. Josh brought to my attention that I could possibly be pregnant, and bless his soul-- I didn't believe him and even argued with him that I wasn't. So we bought a test, and we both peed on it... yes, he took a pregnancy test with me-- for the simple fact that we were both on hCG and since it's a pregnancy hormone, it could or would show up on both tests. His took a while but finally showed up negative. My test, however, showed up positive in a hurry. I stood there looking at the results for a while, and Josh said, "Honey I don't think the results are going to change the longer you look at it." LOL...

So I stopped my birth control immediately and am now taking prenatal vitamins that look like red horse pills. And maybe it's a mental thing, but my body knows that I'm pregnant. For instance, this morning at I-HOP, I was eating hashbrowns and the first thing I tasted was butter.. not potatoes but butter. Josh tasted it as well but not as strong as I did. I'm very tired today- of course that could be b/c I've been awake since 5:00 am. And I've been craving broccoli casserole, so I made one for supper and while I haven't eaten ALL of it, I have eaten quite a bit of that. And actually preferred that over cubed steak (which is very ick to me right now). OH and I've gone from not being able to eat carrots, broccoli, and nuts to eating apples, pineapple, carrots, broccoli, and toffee nuts. And trying to cut back on caffeine, but as we all know-- Amanda needs her coffee. And my digestive system is all screwed up.. which makes me nauseous ever so slightly.

So that's the story and why I had to stop doing the hCG diet..

What I'm Doing...

I've started doing a new diet that has gotten a LOT of people asking "What are you doing?" So I thought I would blog about the diet- what it is, how it works, what you can eat and what you can't eat, etc.

But first off, I've gotten asked (not just from friends but people at work), "Why do YOU need to lose weight?" The fact of the matter is, ever since I've been down here.. I have slowly put on weight that I'm not proud of. I know the reason partly being is my previous jobs, I'm not used to 1)getting a lunch, and 2) running around a BIG building. Now I get a lunch- sometimes with a nap squeezed in- (which is another bad thing), and my walking is minimal around the building. Add the fact that I was starting to drink Coke (b/c the water tasted weird to me), and not really watching what I was eating.. and you get.. a girl that wore her lab jacket all the time b/c her scrubs were too tight and not being able to get into jeans that she could originally wear 1-2 years ago.

So when New Year's came around, I stopped drinking Coke, vowed to eat better, and not eat out so often. The not drinking Coke is still going on, but the eating better didn't last all that long. Thankfully my husband working a compounding pharmacy brings out more than just "happy drugs," and hormone creams... it also brings out a natural metabolism booster called hCG.

hCG???? What is that?? The long hand-written name is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, and it's a hormone that's developed during pregnancy so if a woman is not eating enough, this hormone kicks in and gets fat from other sources of her body to feed the baby (Tip #1, if you want to get pregnant-- then take it to increase your chances. If not, then take your birth control).

You can get it online, but honestly I don't know about the potency of it and you also have to worry about the source and if you're actually getting what you paid for. Therefore, you need a prescription for it. A lot of people will do shots through the stomach, but if you can't muster the thought of a shot in your stomach-- then you can also do a nasal spray or sub,lingual (under the tongue) (sub,lingual is what I'm doing b/c I can't muster the thought of a nasal spray). You do it once a day, and you MUST KEEP IT REFRIGERATED OR IT WON'T BE ANY GOOD.

What to Eat, and What Not to Eat-- That is the question. Okay now this is the difficulty of the diet and a LOT of people can't handle the phases which is why I've been saying: ****Do Your Research before you do this diet!!!**** The first day you start the hCG, do your hCG and eat fattening stuff and as much as your body will allow you to eat-- this means pizza, soda, fatty Italian food, candy, sweets, EVERYTHING you can get into your body that is FATTENING. Day 2, do the same thing-- hCG and eat fattening things (Tip 2 Enjoy it while you can b/c it's all going to change from here). This is considered to be Phase 1.

Phase 2 starts your "diet" and your diet goes from eating what you want to eating restricted foods-- foods that have little to no sugar content and lean meats- chicken, pork, LEAN beef, shrimp, and white fish. No tuna, salmon, or herring is allowed. As far as your fruits and veggies go, every source is different. To find out what fruits and veggies are allowed, check out the website: www.poundsandinches.com. Your meats have to be weighed 100gm at lunch and dinner (to equal 200gm), and you have to have 1 fruit and veggie at lunch and dinner. Your daily intake of calories can NOT exceed 500 calories. I know what you're saying- 500 calories, are you kidding me? Nope, sorry, wish I was. And you have to do this for 3 weeks (3 weeks of the 500 calorie diet and the hCG solution). And again, you're saying, How can I survive on 500 calories? You can, trust me. The hCG is meant to curb your appetite and b/c it's "starving" itself, it'll use the stored fat you already have to feed itself.. hence the fast and rapid weight loss. The first week, you generally, lose the most weight (why I've already lost 7lbs since Saturday), and the next 3 weeks it's gradual.. but don't fret... it'll be okay. Just don't cave and don't cheat. It'll either slow your weight loss down or stall it all together if you cheat.

Phase 3: The maintenance phase.. this is the phase where you can increase your calorie intake, but you still have to stay away from sugar and starches. Although you don't really have to worry about it now. BUT you still need to maintain your weight and watch what you eat so you don't exceed your calorie intake and start to gain it back. This phase is 3 more additional weeks, BUT it's easier this time b/c you're just maintaining weight and calorie intake.. you're not restricted to 500 calories anymore.

So that's what we're doing-- the hCG diet. And of course when you "Google" it, you're going to get some negatives and positives, but I promise it's well worth it and it works (trust me, I know from personal experience).

A couple more things before signing off-- only black coffee, unsweetened tea, or water for breakfast. You can't skip out on meat, fruits, or veggies-- your body really does need this stuff to "survive." Again no foods with sugar- nothing processed-- no milk products, starches (potatoes, rice, pasta, etc), oils, or butters (we do use a smidgen of butter but nothing that will hurt us and we only use it if we're sauteing veggies. Because there's no oil-- ladies this means no makeup or lotion for a month b/c the oils absorb in your body. You're only allowed to use seasonings and fresh herbs when cooking.

If I have left anything out or you have questions, then again check out: www.poundsandinches.com