10 Weeks!!

 

Pretty sure the rounding "pooch" in this picture is sadly just me fat, and not baby yet :(

How far along? 10 weeks 2 days
 

Maternity clothes? Living in my 2 pairs of maternity work pants; so, doing a lot of laundry!  I think shirts are going to be good for a while, but I've always struggled with having comfy pants.
 

Exercising: Zumba is over :( which is sad and happy.  Sad that I don't have that extra hour of sweatin and dancin, but happy to have another night free during the week.  Hopefully my friend and I will pick Zumba back up in the fall.  Other than that, hubby and I have been pretty good with our walking and trying to go on longer ones too.  Still in yoga and plan to continue throughout. 

Stretch marks? Not yet.
 

Sleep: Sleeping much better than I was at first, but average pees per night is about 3.  I hate HATE HATE going pee in the middle of the night!  Before I would always make sure to pee right before I was about to go to sleep and I'd usually be good, if I did wake up and have to pee, I would be SO MAD!  So this has definitely sucked!
 

Best moment this week: I'm currently writing this about 2 weeks later, so I don't recall :(
 

Have you told family and friends: Told some more family this week; Dan's grandparents, so then we also had to tell his Uncle.  It slowly seems to be spreading, but we are SO close to the 12 week mark and our 12 week scan, that I'm trying to stick it out until then to really let loose.
 

Miss Anything? I took some sniffs of my brother's beer at my younger brother's graduation party this weekend, haha.  I also am realizing I really really miss working out, I mean REALLY working out, going for a long sweaty run, doing tons of squats and arm lifting, doing bootcamps.  I really did used to bust my butt and it always makes me feel so much better.  I think part of why I'm feeling crappy a lot is because I can't REALLY workout.  Funny how you hate it when you can and have to do, and when you shouldn't really be doing it, you really do miss it.  It will be a long time before I can do any of that again :(
 

Movement: Not yet.
 

Food cravings: Still sweet stuff a lot.  I've been wanting a muffin for a long time, yes a muffin, but haven't gotten it yet.  And someone mentioned Taco Bell recently, so I've been dreaming about that.
 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still tuna, coffee, cold cuts/subs...don't think there's anything new to add to that, which is good.  And I've been feeling less sick lately, so I'm hoping that's on it's way out!
 

Have you started to show yet: I just don't know!  I can still suck most of it in, but the part just below my belly button is starting to round ever so slightly and I cannot suck it all way the way in, so hopefully that's the beginning of my bump!
 

Gender prediction: Starting to lean more towards girl, but I don't want to get my hopes up TOO much, cuz I might POSSIBLY want a girl just a little bit more than a boy.  Obviously I'll be happy either way, but growing up with 3 younger brothers, I NEED someone to put in pink!!!  I do however always call "him", "he" and "him" when I talk about "him", so take that for what it's worth.
 

Labor Signs: Nope
 

Belly Button in or out? In and it better stay that way!  I HATE belly buttons!!
 

Wedding rings on or off? On
 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Think I've been a BIT more moody lately :/  Hubby would definitely say I have.  I just get annoyed very easily and Dano knows the EXACT buttons to push to make me mad, he does it purposely cuz he thinks it's funny, and most of the time I do too, because I probably do overreact and then we both laugh.  BUT when I'm not in control of my hormones or emotions or what I say or do...not so funny anymore, I've been trying to get him to understand this and tell him that since he knows my buttons and CAN control how he acts maybe HE should because II can't!
 

Looking forward to: Next weeks 12 week ultrasound!!!  I can't wait to see the little bugger again and hopefully moving and flipping around!  We decided to do the 12 week NT scan which tests for Down's syndrome and another type of syndrome I can't remember.  A lot of people opt against this, but I mainly just want to see "him" again and make sure "he's" growing and everything.  Plus if "he" does have something, or a chance of having something, I'd want to be better prepared by knowing.

Not loving: Really bad headaches and this just in; HORRIBLE backache!  All of a sudden it just HIT me at work one day!  I sit at a desk mostly and don't remember straining or anything, so it was very random, but really bad, by the time I went to bed that night I was in tears from the pain.

9 Weeks

How far along? 9 weeks
 

Maternity clothes? I caved in this week and bought 2 pairs of dress pants and then a few days later a pair of jeans.  My works pants were getting pretty tight even pre-preggers, so as soon as the bloating hit, my pants were unbuttoned non-stop!  So enough of that madness.  Maternity dress pants are the best thing that has ever happened to me!  They are seriously like sweatpants.  I will probably never go back to normal pants!!
 

Exercising: Still in Zumba for one more week.  Still doing yoga once a week.  Trying to take lots of walks with hubby especially after eating when the dreaded bloat sets in.  And TRYING to get to the gym for some elliptical time and light weight lifting.

Stretch marks? Not yet.
 

Sleep: Sporadic.  Some nights I'm out cold all night, other nights I'm up a million times.  Of course the 2-5 trips to the potty most nights doesn't help.
 

Best moment this week: I'm currently writing this about 2 weeks later, so I don't recall :(
 

Have you told family and friends: Most family and a few friends.
 

Miss Anything? Sadly, it's been harder to give up drinking than I thought it would be.  It must be because summer is coming and all everyone is doing is drinking beers on patios!  And oddly the smell or thought of it is not making me sick yet, so that makes it harder.  But I will survive!  Baby is way more important than a glass of wine, and once summer is over I probably won't even notice.
 

Movement: Not yet.
 

Food cravings: Gummy Bears and anything sweet!!  Which is very out of the ordinary for this "salt-tooth" girl.  I would take a bag of chips over candy any day before.  In fact I never bought candy before, and only ate it if it was put in front of me.  Now I actually went out on a special trip to the grocery store for gummy bears!!
 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Tuna, coffee, cold cuts/subs...pretty much 3 of my favorite things! :(
 

Have you started to show yet: I'm not sure...I definitely already had a bit of a pooch before, so by the end of the day and eating all my gummy bears, I can easily make my tummy look like I'm about 6 months!!  But I decided if I can still suck it all in, it's not baby yet...which I still can right now.
 

Gender prediction: Back and forth...I was for sure boy for the past few weeks, but now I started some of the old wives tale things and Chinese gender predictor; which have all said girl so far!
 

Labor Signs: Nope
 

Belly Button in or out? In and it better stay that way!  I HATE belly buttons!!
 

Wedding rings on or off? On
 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, I personally think all these hormones have leveled me out somewhat...hubby will disagree, but I feel more sane than I usually do with the ups and downs of PMS.  I do have my moments, and have really been laying into the hubby lately for small things :/  Whoops!
 

Looking forward to: Having a more definite BUMP and not just bloat/fat pooch!

Not loving: Still feeling pretty nauseous a lot, major nasal congestion especially when I first wake up, and lots of headaches.

First Doctor Appointment

So I'm backtracking a little to let you know what's been going on.  Baby P and I had our first doctor appointment at what we thought was 7 weeks 1 day along.

We went through all the do's and don't, urine sample, exam (ICK!), and then came the fun part!  First ultrasound!!  Since we thought I was over 7 weeks, we figured we'd be able to see something and maybe even a heartbeat.  Well the doc did an internal ultrasound and at first was finding only an empty pregnancy sac.  All I could hear was her saying "something might be wrong" over and over.

Finally after searching forever, she finally found what she THOUGHT was a TINY tadpole of baby, definitely not 7 weeks along.  You can see the little guy below; way up in the top left corner, inside the big black circle, that TINY tadpole.

She told us she felt better about that but that she "wasn't doing her happy dance yet".  She told us that we could come back in 2 weeks to see if baby was developing or not.  I left feeling completely depressed.  What started out so fun and exciting suddenly turned into what could be a tragedy.

Needless to say, the next 2 weeks were probably the longest 2 weeks of my life!!  All I was doing was researching, crying, freaking out, reading about miscarriages, driving hubby crazy!  The good news (if you want to call it that) was that I was starting to feel A LOT sicker, morning/all day nausea and just feeling downright crappy.

Finally the 2 week wait was over!  We went to the doctor again, she used the internal ultrasound again and within seconds, saw a much larger baby, a yolk sac, AND....a HEARTBEAT!!!!  I burst into tears immediately!  That was, so far, the happiest, most relieving moment of my life!  Below is this ultrasound, what the doctor determined was 8 weeks along.  It's just the big blob inside the big black circle; so technical I know!

So I went from a Christmas Day due date, all the way back to a January 2nd due date!  I was behind almost 2 weeks!!  But that's ok!  We're back on track now, baby is growing, mommy is sick and all is well!!

Chalkboard Creation

You'll have to forgive my horrendous picture taking skills...which I partially blame on my junky camera...but ANYWHO, I thought this turned out pretty cute.

Just some store bought chalkboard paint from Menards (not ambitious enough to make my own yet).

An old cabinet door I got for free from work...and attempted to sand the inside, which really didn't work out and I had to just use primer anyway.

A cute little home sign I picked up at Michael's.

And voila!!  A chalkboard sign for next to our side door in the kitchen!  Oh yeah I also made some fabric flowers with some scraps I had laying around because I thought it needed something.  And which I am now obsessed with and want to put on EVERYTHING!  Headbands, belts, shirts, frames...the possibilities are endless!  I used this lovely lady's tutorial that I found on Pinterest; Flower Tutorial.  It will look even better once that wall behind it is RED!

Oh and P.S., not-so-handy-hubby is putting pulls and knobs on our kitchen cabinets (finally, and with the help of Clyde of COURSE)!  So stay tuned how that one turns out, yikes!

Guns n Grub

A few weekends ago, hubby and I got to have a little date night...shooting guns!!!  

  It was the first handgun I've ever shot, and no, I have no idea what it was, but it was more powerful than I thought and my hand definitely hurt for the next 2 days!  I was also a better shot than I expected, and we saved the target to prove it ;)  The whole thing was part of an event with a group of police wives that I'm involved in.  We all got to shoot a bunch of guns and then go eat Italian food! 

Help!!

Hey all, I'm asking for your help - I know, I've been blogging for less than a week and I already need a favor, but this is a good one!

On March 17th, myself, my hubby, and a group of friends and coworkers, along with hundreds of others, will be climbing the stairs of the US Bank building downtown Milwaukee.  In case you don't know, that's 47 flights, 1034 steps to the top!  Why, you ask?  To raise money and awareness of lung disease, here's why:

• Lung disease is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and is responsible for one in seven deaths.
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
• Asthma is the number one chronic disease of children.
• COPD currently affects 10.2 million Americans.
• Air Pollution poisons the lungs of over 60% of Americans each day.

I am asking for your help.  By making a contribution on my behalf, you will be helping the American Lung Association provide community based education programs, fight for cleaner air standards and fund life-saving research.  My goal is to raise $100 individually, and $1000 as a team for our cause.  Please go to my personal web page and make a $5, $10, $20, or more gift; 

Support Michelle! 

All gifts are fully tax deductible and you will receive a notice in the mail from me thanking you for your gift which you can then use for your tax filing next year.  You may also make checks payable to The American Lung Association (Team Callen or Michelle Priewe) and mail them to our local office or give them to me.

Please take a deep breath....and be thankful that you can.  Millions of others suffer from lung disease daily and your support makes the everyday act of breathing that much easier for many people.

Together we can fight lung disease successfully.  Thank you for your generosity and support!

Here is our team after the climb last year; sweaty and tired, but worth it!!  Our team is twice the size this year!  So we hope to raise at least twice the money!

Hello

Well folks...here's the deal, I've been feeling crafty, creative, and really just downright bored lately, so I felt it was time to create a blog.  I want to start documenting and sharing more of my "exciting" life and what we do and the exciting times ahead!  This will probably be a work in progress for awhile, so bear with me, I promise it will get fun :)

Dan-o is my hubby, we got married in September of 2011.  We were "high school sweethearts" who took a long time to figure it out...9.5 years to be exact.  We are slowly working on remodeling/redecorating our house and have a lot of fun things planned this year!

Oh, and Clyde is our crazy crazy kitten...pictures to come.