13 Weeks: How Peachy!

We've made it to 13 weeks! All I can say is life has been peachy - which is fitting considering our tiny Thurner is the size of a peach this week. I am feeling 100x better, and it never even got THAT bad (or maybe I've just forgotten already). Really, since about 10 weeks it has been getting better and better. In summary, my first trimester consisted of mega fatigue, mega sweating, really hormonal, very significant nausea from weeks 7-9 (with only about 12 pukes - which is really NOT bad!), and being quite impatient with dumb people. NOW, at 13 weeks, I'm still more fatigued than non-pregnant me, but an 8-9 hour night of sleep is now sufficient enough to not require a nap. I have very little -if any- nausea, and only a few aversions (my beloved Polar Ice Gum being one of them - but I'm not complaining because I used to chew 1/2 to 1 pack per day. That can't be healthy. I also still have an aversion to dumb people who make dumb comments.). I'm still working out 5 days a week (running, weight lifting, same ol') and feeling very well overall! I know with pregnancy it can turn a corner at any point, so I'm just really thankful that I've had it so great so far. Oh, also new these days are horrible, scary nightmares. Last night I woke up TERRIFIED from a dream where I was at my cabin and people were coming at me so I was CHOPPING THEM UP WITH AN AX. Blood was flying everywhere and I kept chopping. WHAT?! Ooffta. Glad that one wasn't real.

So, all in all, very good news all around! PLUS we had an appointment with the midwife today and heard our little one's heartbeat! It was the most precious sound I've ever heard. Quite literally. I knew it would be really cool to hear - that was expected, I just really had no idea how amazing it would be to hear that little life in me. I cried hearing it and then I cried talking about it. Tears are no stranger to this girl these days; thankfully this time they were of joy. Oh, and a side note regarding our dumb maternity counselor from last appointment - even my midwife was not impressed by her skills. Going through the family history in chart, the counselor had keyed in a bunch of codes for past illnesses and diseases of our family and got 90% of it very wrong. The midwife went through and to C.J.: "So you and your father have diabetes?" Uh, no. To me: "So both your parents have had strokes?" Uh, no. To me: "Your grandma died of cancer?" NO. Thankfully I will never have to deal with her again - and my charts are now accurate.

And, finally, here's our ultrasound picture! Okay, okay - It's not OUR baby - we aren't allowed an ultrasound until 20 weeks. It is a 13 week old fetus, though - I just don't know who's - someone by the name of Google Image or something.

As a last little note before I sign off - here's a picture of the birthing suites currently being built at my hospital. God sure had this whole thing planned perfectly - they're due to arrive this winter, just in time for our little bundle.

Little Treasures

I just got back from a few days in Rochester for school, doing anything but being productive. I decided to go through one dusty box from my childhood that's been gracing our garage for the past months. WHAT a treat, folks. I felt it was worth sharing.

First, the above picture is a license plate that I bought as a kid from Mall of America. I remember thinking "I'm totally gonna put this on the front of my car instead of a license plate when I turn 16." Good thing I forgot about that little aspiration.

Next, the picture above is of my "wall hanging box of treasures". These were like, the cream of the crop - my most special things. First - take a look at the whole - truly a treasure in itself. Next, I'll break it up for you.

The above includes my homemade whale tail, broken, yet still worthy of the treasure box. Then a few clay dogs and a skunk (I guess I used to like animals - I'm over that now). Clay cookies, a random crib, a Canadian 50 cent piece, a toy car.

Next, a wooden bunny that I colored, a girl made out of a clothes pin, a "1" girl that I probably got for my 1st Birthday & never got any other age in subsequent years, another large coin, a small troll, fake gold, a plastic donkey with a hat, a tiny plastic ornament, and a necklace charm of a girl kissing a boy my mom brought back from Mexico.

And finally, the last two items: a tiny dice next to a tiny dice that I made, and a bear that says "God is Love" - which is also a functioning pencil sharpener. Ah - the joys of childhood.

All I know is that if our child turns out kind of weird, s/he definitely got it from me.

Growing

Welp - things are growing around here! First our lil' garden is below. Impressed? I am. Our little bunny (whom I guess Ceej did not kill that night on the way home from Rolly's) has continued to eat the lilies. Oh well - we're so over it.

The SECOND thing that we're growing is our very own little embryo! That's right - we are expecting the tiniest Thurner on March 24, 2011 - making me 10 weeks impregnated (which sounds way more cool than "pregnant"). Warning: this is a long post! I've got a lot to tell you, dear blogging friends. Both for your random knowledge and my own memories.

So, first off, how we found out: I was suspecting the ordeal and took a test one day from the Dollar Tree - I'd bought 5 for 5 bucks at my last trip - can't be too careful. So I took it and saw the tiniest, faintest line that I literally thought it was an evaporation line. So, just to be safe, I took another one. Same thing - didn't think it counted. It was LIGHT, folks. So went on my merry way. I know you always hear "any line counts", but the whole thought of pregnancy is not a new concept for us - I've literally taken at least 20 pregnancy tests in the past 14 months. I'm irregular, don't judge. So then a week later I took another one from my Dollar Tree stash:

Ceej was in the next room and I told him it was negative again and brought it downstairs to cook dinner. It was sitting on the counter and I was cooking away. Ceej came down and glanced at it and said he saw a light line and asked if that counted. Well, that threw me for a loop. I told him I didn't think it counted, so naturally finished making and eating dinner, going on our merry way. As the night went on, though, we kept giving one another weird looks - WHAT IF it counted? We broke down and he ran out to Walgreens to splurge on the digital test. I practically ran to the bathroom when he came in the door and ...

No denying that! We're parents! We were quite shell-shocked that first night - who wouldn't be? We're so pumped though! It's scary and exciting and nerve-wracking and thrilling - a whirlwind of emotions! I'm so excited to meet my son or daughter, and I think about him or her most moments of everyday. I've been feeling okay - which is slightly optimistic - but it IS improving, so I'm not gonna jinx myself. Here are some of my major symptoms from the last 2 1/2 months:

Month 1


Sweating: All. The. Time. I had to put ice packs on my neck while cooking. No joke. Thank the good Lord that I will not be pregnant over summer. He knows me too well.
Forgetfulness: I think of something to look up (almost always pregnancy related), click the browser, and -whoop!- the thought is vanished. This happened many times a day.
Fatigue: Before we found out we're expecting, I went out to mow the lawn and thought I was going to pass out pushing it up the huge hill (okay - moderate slope) in our back yard. It was extreme. This symptom goes hand-in-hand with the sweating. I've gone to some Body Pump classes & continued to workout because I am feeling well overall, but let me tell you - this child of mine is making me rain from the inside out. People stare. At least now I know to stop before the pass-out phase dawns in.
Month 2
Oh, hello ALL DAY sickness! Starting in week 7, we're talking ick ick ick upon waking (even before getting out of bed) until bedtime. No bueno! Thank the good Lord that this did not last more than 2 weeks! I'm still feeling fatigued (which is a humble word for exhausted beyond belief every waking moment), and I am loving my sleep. I'm on break still, so I feel zero guilt about sleeping 10 hours a night and let's just be honest - an occasional afternoon nap. I'm growing a person here! I'm still able to run and workout, although it feels kind of like a jiggle fest already. I have gained a few pounds already, even though they say you don't have to. Sorry folks - when you feel like death, anything that sounds good is going to go down. I hate when I tell people and they say, "oh, yeah, I lost a million pounds the first trimester!" Well to that I say, eff off - we are not the same! K so what - I'm obviously just jealous. I've already grown an entire cup size. Woohooo! Optimistic me went out and bought 2 brand new bras from Victoria's Secret, all excited to feel pretty. THEN I read online that they CONTINUE GROWING throughout pregnancy and EVEN MORE after. WHAT?! WHEN WILL THEY STOP?!?! My next bras will likely be from Saver's. Seriously.

So that's that for symptoms so far! Pretty mild, I know. I forgot to take a picture at 8 weeks, so you'll have to wait until 12 I suppose!

Okay, so I must tell this story, because 1. it is classic and 2. I do not want to forget. If you're bored, go ahead and skip it. I had my first "doctor's" appointment - which - surprise, surprise - turned out to be with a "maternity counselor" RN. First off, I was PUMPED for this appointment. We found out we were impregnated at about 5 weeks, and my appointment was at 9 3/4 weeks (yes, they were that specific). I had a bag packed full of my vitamins, extra supplements I was taking, tea boxes to confirm ingredients (I've read that some ingredients aren't safe for my embryo). So anyway, I go in and the first thing the lady asks is what I do. I proudly explain that I'm in school for OT and will graduate in December, then I have 6 months of fieldwork before taking the Boards. I explained that my professors are being super great and working with me about my placements to work around the birth and recovery time, and that the baby should really only postpone me being an OT by a few months. Her response? Was it "oh, good for you!" or "good luck - you'll be busy but you can do it if you want it badly enough."? Nope - it was a sassy "hope you finish." WHAT? Are you serious lady? So I explained a little more about my story, and her second statement? "well, I just see that a lot - people come in with a year left of school and then they just never go back. But I hope you finish." LISTEN LADY. NOT A CHOICE. I was pretty much fuming at her at this point. I further explained that, while some new moms may have a year left of school and not finish, I will have just 6 months of fieldwork and will finish. End of story. Needless to say, this peach was on my bad side real quick. NEXT - the crazy lady says, "don't mind my RASH - I have poison ivy all over my body. I think it's even spreading to the back of my head (ITCHES head)". WHHHAAAAATTTT? Who does this girl think she is? THEN I see in HORROR at what she is talking about - the girl has RED BUMPS and SCABS all over her arms and neck and face - she is covered. Literally. I laugh nervously and say, "oh, did you go camping or soemthing?" her non-comforting, casual response? "nope, I actually have no idea how I got it." My response, "OH - how do you know it's poison ivy?" The joker's response, "oh, I don't actually have any idea, but I know it's not contagious." REALLY!? HOW?! YOU CRAZY LADY GET THE BEEEEEEP OUTTA HERE!!!! I didn't actually say that, and instead just went on with the appointment. Later, when I got out all my supplies (obviously a first time mom here), I asked her about the tea and she's like, "Oh, I haven't heard of that - I have no idea." Sweet - thanks for your help. And as for my question about the quality of fish oil supplements vs. their mercury content (I've been doing lots of research about this, folks) - "oh, well, I'm not sure - you can ask your pharmacist that." LISTEN LADY - I'm here to ask YOU. So I left that appointment more dumb and confused than when I entered. Whatever - the next one (at 12 weeks) will entail an actual midwife NOT covered in a scabby rash and lacking all possible knowledge AND we'll get to hear the heartbeat. I may sound bitter - but that lady was about THE most unprofessional individual on this planet. If I get her again, I will ask for someone else. Seriously.

Anyway, on a happier note - Ceej and I are thrilled and feel blessed beyond belief to be parents! It's such a uniting and intimate experience to know that we've created a person - our own little buddy to drastically change our life and rock our world. We're going to wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl because a wise friend recently said that knowing the sex and name has made the last few months unbearably boring. No dissing anyone who found out - it's definitely an individual decision - but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to need that extra oomph at the end to get me through. So here's to parenthood! OH, and one more thing - since I'm on break and all I read "Belly Laughs" by Jenny McCarthy and it was a hoooot! I was laughing out loud throughout. She's very blunt and talks about her pregnancy in a very honest way (which I appreciate). I also bought "Sippy Cups are not for Chardonnay" and plan on completing that before school starts next week :).

Second Week of Heaven

So just finished my second week of break - ahh the wonderfulness. I continued the relaxing, working, walking, over all thoroughly enjoying myself. Also, went golfing with Jess Hong, shampooed all of our carpets, and washed both of our cars (all this in one day. I woke up the next feeling like I'd been hit by a bus.). We went to the last live music in Phoenix Park for the summer with Mandrew (Mandy + Andrew), and I'm slightly devastated that it'll be gone until next summer. It's my favorite thing.

We also spent a weekend in Stillwater and a weekend in Hartford. First, Stillwater to visit my family! I love them. We had our classic family breakfast and then Ceej left for Brock's Bachelor party in the cities. Dad and I walked downtown, watched my sister Jenni's impressive building of a mini-version of her house for my niece, Elliana (a custom playhouse), and went to a car show in Hastings with Jamie & Tyler + 4 :). Oh my how those beautiful nieces & nephews of mine are growing! On Sunday dad and I walked downtown again, I went for a run, and then my ex-roomies came to Stillwater to visit (and, by the way, it still breaks my heart to include the "ex-", even though it's been a year and a half). Ceej came through as well, and Dana's boyfriend, Matt joined us for a big ol' family fun-filled time! The 5 of us went to lunch on the water, walked around downtown (obviously a trend), and got whopping ice cream cones at Nelson's. It was greeeaatt to see my family and then my psuedo-family closest girlfriends. WHY I have zero pictures from this experience is beyond me - as soon as someone else posts some on Facebook I'll steal them and put them here.

The following weekend Ceej and I went to Hartford, Wisconsin to visit my grandparents & aunts & uncles & cousins - it was quite fabulous as well. We woke up and Saturday and Gram took Ceej and I out for breakfast at Perc Place. Yummo! Came back and had visitors - my mom came from Eau Claire, my auntie Krista, my cousin Lindsay & her 16 month old son, Emmitt, and my cousin Katie and her 6 month old daughter, Ella. A fun, full house! We relaxed and talked and then had a scrumptious feast, as per Gram's usual. Ceej fished a ton (I don't blame him - there was a whole lot of estrogen going on). It was wonderful to see everyone - we hadn't even met Ella yet because we hadn't been to Hartford since Thanksgiving! Dang school makes the 4 hour drive an unrealistic destination for a typical weekend. Anyway, it was so great to see them. I love that my entire family - on all sides - has such a close relationship, but it makes me so sad that I can't be with all of them all the time. Just have to do the best we can in terms of visiting, and most importantly be thankful for the relationships and wonderful people that we have in our lives - both near and far!

3 Weeks of Bliss

I'm finally on my between-semesters break, a 3-week-long glimpse of Heaven. So far, in the past week I've been working, relaxing, walking, running, napping, catching up on paper work/book ordering/class registering, working on my research, embracing the good ol' Oakwood Mall with 99% of Eau Claire's middle school population, and took a little weekend trip to Duluth with my mom, brother, and Ceej-meister. It was my first weekend of freedom after finals, so the relaxation and excuse to not do anything productive was excellent. We walked around a lot and hiked and ate. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, right on the water in Canal Park.


How did finals go, you ask? Well, I had 4 and did excellent on one and horrible on 3. The one I did excellent on was - no lie - a surprise group test. Kind of like a dream come true to go into an exam and have the professor say to pick your group. Apparently I wasn't the only one who did awful (and by awful, I mean failed - we're not being modest here.), because there was plenty of bonus questions to allow me to pass my classes. On to the last semester of school - I can't even believe how fast it's gone. I will actually graduate this December, have 6 months of fieldwork, take the boards, and be an occupational therapist. Wootwoot! Until then, I'm stuffing my face with highly buttered popcorn and watching the Bad Girls Club - professional, right?

Be Careful how you Lift!

Just a word of the wise - if you want to remain back-injury-free, please lift carefully. Back injuries are long-lasting and no fun (not to mention expensive - chiropractor bills are crazy). Anyway, this is random but helpful. The picture shows the stress you put on your back with the different motions. Take note!

5 Year Reunion

I've kind of jumped off the blogging wagon - sorry folks. So lately we've actually been doing more things despite school being more hectic for me. Burnt out lately? Yep. It only took almost 3 semesters, but I've finally figured out the secret to doing things + studying. This is the change: I have changed my schedule to match Ceej's work schedule, so I wake up at 5 with him, we eat breakfast together and have a little time in the morning, then I do homework all day, work out at some point when I feel like my eyes are going to pop out of my skull, then at 5 or 6 we eat dinner and then I'm usually so sick of homework we can do something - whether it be watch Bachelorette, play a game, or our latest joy: Music in Phoenix Park. Then of course, by 9:30 or 10, we're both so tired it's easy to go to bed early! It really is quite wonderful. The picture above is at Phoenix Park with my ex-step-sister Alex, whom we ran into (among a million of other people!) watching the music.

It's been a while since my last post, so I kind of had to browse through my albums to see what I missed. It was my Birthday - the big 2-3. On my actual Birthday I had a practical exam on Manual Muscle Testing (as horrid as it sounds). I came home from Rochester exhausted, so we went to Subway and picked out some new running shoes at Scheeles. You may not be impressed - but we had fun so there. We celebrated a little more formally with his parents & my ma at Tokyo for dinner, ending the night with drinks at his parents' house. Good times :).

Finally, Ceej and I went to my 5 year class reunion on Saturday. Oh what a night! We all went to the Fan Deck of the Eau Claire express game. It was fun to see everyone, but I will never go to the fan deck again. Seriously - $60 for the two of us to have 5 beers total, 2 hot dogs, a burger, and a hot beef. WHAT?! The all-you-can-eat-and-drink may be more worthwhile if you are a huge eater or drinker or are rich. BUT it was fun anyway! Everyone had a great time catching up. After the game we went to the Livery (my new favorite bar) and then ended the night at Happy Hollow. I was pretty much BUBBLING with excitement all day, and it did not disappoint!


Another joy - the Farmer's Market is open! My ma and brother and I have been going Saturdays, so fresh vegetables are not a rarity in this house. YUMMO!

Weekend Wonders

My ex-step-sister has graduated, and I'm so proud of her! We didn't make it to the graduation (I stole this picture from Facebook), but Alex had her grad party Sunday and it was great - the sun was shining, the food was yummy, and she was lovely. It was a very nice afternoon!

The night before I had major cabin fever and decided to stop by a free concert at Acoustic with my mom. The band was from Australia (so of course I automatically loved them), and they were excellent & quite witty (all biases aside). It reminded me so much of the ol' aussie humor - AKA sweetly sarcastic. After the concert (Ceej had been fishing), we decided to have a few friends over for some wine/beer (because when I take a night off, I like to enjoy it!). It was a quickly planned, last-minute activity but ended up being a nice night with good friends.

Ceej was an absolute gem this weekend - helping my mom move and my brother move on Friday & Saturday, two very hot days. What a nice little steward.

That's our weekend in a nutshell! Sorry for the lack of pictures - although it's probably a good thing that I didn't take any because I wore the same outfit Saturday night and to Alex's graduation party. Ah - the good life :).

A Naughty Bunny, Special Date & Baptized Boy

Friday night Ceej and I decided we needed a date. It had been a while, so we got the stuffed animals a sitter and headed out on the town (kidding). We started our evening with a drink in our backyard. This turned into an event in itself, as we got entranced by a fight going on between two fat ants. Ceej tried to separate them, but it was not happening. I don't know quite why I think you will find that interesting, but it was to us. Then we headed to Tokyo (the restaurant - we're not Brangelina here) for some scrumptious dinner and were in taste-bud heaven. Then we dead over to the Aqua Lounge @ Metropolis Resort and enjoyed a glass of wine before meeting up with Brock & Stacy for some mini-golf. It was a gorgeous night & we enjoyed the time together thoroughly.

On a less happy note, we have a garden-invasion. Our little flower garden was blooming beautifully UNTIL one day I saw a little stinker bunny in there. I chased him away, but that just obviously made him mad because the next day he ate the flowers AND leaves off of two of our flowers. The next day? Two more! Jerkface! I've been doing some research and sprinkled cayenne pepper and garlic powder around it and inside (I'm sure it's convincing our neighbor that I'm an excellent chef)... but the rain washed it away so the results are inconclusive. Next step: Human urine (not saying whose - I'll leave that for your imagination). Anyway, I'll let you know what works... until then, I'll hope for his death.

Our godson, Lucas Xavier has been baptized! After the baptism we went to my in-laws for lunch. There was a ton of family there, and it was wonderful to see everyone! Lucas is a very healthy lil' guy & growing bigger by the day. He's a very special boy, and it was a very special day!

Snug as a Bug

Last night Ceej tucked me in "snug as a bug in a rug," and the HE grabbed the camera (a rare occurrence in this house) because of how cute (?) I looked. Note our still-separate blankets - as said a year ago, it's the secret to marital bliss. Also, don't mind the stuffed animals (from left: Noname, Ceej, and Ducky Doo). You have kids - I have them.