Monday, February 5, 2018

Pregnancy: Week 14 and Week 17

Week 14


How far along?  
14 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  
Lost 12 pounds -- 125
Gained back 3 pounds - 128

Maternity clothes?  
Purchased some maternity pants but have not worn them yet.

Sleep: 
Majority of nights I toss & turn due to being uncomfortable & having a racing mind. 

Best moment this week:  
Hearing baby's heart beat at our doctor appointment. 

Have you told family and friends: 
We have only told family & a few friends. Waiting a few more weeks to tell everyone else. I am having such a hard time letting this secret go. I feel this sense of feeling protective & keeping it close. 

Miss Anything?  
Coffee.
Sleep. 
Feeling normal. 

Movement:
Felt flutters randomly but it truly could have been gas. 
 
Food cravings:  
Green olives. 
Van's blueberry waffles. 
Grapes. 
Apples. 
Sprite. 
Vegan Mac & Cheese 

Anything making you queasy or sick: 
Raw & Cooked Meat. 
Veggies. 

Have you started to show yet:  
Yes a little bump is starting to form. 

Gender prediction: 
Me - Boy
Kevin & both sides of Family - Girl 

Labor Signs: 
No 

Belly Button in or out? 
In

Wedding rings on or off? 
On

Happy or Moody most of the time: 
My moods are all over the places. One minute I am so happy & the next I am crying. I am so grateful for the baby but tend to get overwhelmed with everything the baby will need & how our life is going to change. 

Looking forward to:
Finding out the gender of our baby !! 

 Week 16 & Week 17: 



How far along?  
16 weeks & 17 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss:  
Lost 12 pounds -- 125
Gained back 4 pounds - 129

Maternity clothes?  
I've been wearing all maternity pants now. I'll need to get some maternity shirts and dresses soon but they are super hard to find.

Sleep: 
More sleepless nights then not. 

Best moment this week:  
Telling our entire family the gender of our baby Boy !! 

Have you told family and friends: 
Everyone knows now !! So secret is out to the entire world. 

Miss Anything?  
Coffee.
Sleep. 
Feeling normal. 

Movement:
Felt flutters randomly but it truly could have been gas. Praying the movements will come soon. 
 
Food cravings:  
Green olives. 
Van's blueberry waffles. 
Grapes. 
Apples. 
Sprite. 
Vegan Mac & Cheese 
Vegan Grilled Cheese 

Anything making you queasy or sick: 
Raw & Cooked Meat. 
Veggies. 

Have you started to show yet:  
At 15 weeks my tummy popped out of nowhere. It is no longer just bloating. It is a full on little baby bump. It is exciting but a little scary.. ha!  

Gender prediction: 
It's a baby BOY!! We chose Brantley Emory Raulerson as his name. 

Labor Signs: 
No 

Belly Button in or out? 
In

Wedding rings on or off? 
On

Happy or Moody most of the time: 
I've been super emotional this week - happy, sad, overwhelmed, anxious. It is just part of this journey.

Looking forward to:
Hearing the baby's heartbeat at our 18 weeks appointment. 
Shopping for Baby Boy -- clothing & decorating his room. 

Oh Baby Boy

On January 26 - Kevin & I went for an early ultrasound to figure out the gender of our baby. I was almost 16 weeks so there was a good chance that we would be able to see the baby's little privates. Kevin was back & forth for weeks on whether or not we should find out during our appointment or wait until the family gender reveal that we were hosting the following weekend. In the end we decided to find out just the two of us at our appointment. 

The ultrasound tech was able to determine it right away -- it is a BOY !! I knew deep down that it was a boy the entire time. Kevin seemed to be a bit shocked & kept asking the tech if the baby's parts could just be swollen. She insisted that she got the money shot & it was indeed a little boy. I've always dreamt of myself having a girl. So having a boy is going to be a different experience then what I've imagined but I cannot wait for this sweet boy. Part of me feels that this was God's way of giving me back something I lost in my life the last few years - my Dad & Grandpa passed away & they were the two men who meant most to me. So a boy is just what my heart needs. Next time around it'll be a girl ! 

After our appointment we went to Buy Buy Baby to look at some stuff we registered for & to pick up a few gender specific outfits for this little baby boy. And I told a few of my closest friends. The week leading up to the gender reveal was so hard. I've never kept a secret from my mom this long before - it was torture & I almost slipped a bunch of times. 

February 3 was the special day - I've planned this day in my head long before I was even pregnant. This pregnancy journey, even through the difficult parts, is a total dream/answered prayers. 
So for the decorations, I pretty much kept it simple. Tons of pink & blue balloons, gorgeous flowers, a banner, white oreos with pink & blue, Panera brunch foods & Krispy Kreme donuts filled with BLUE. 

Let's let the pictures explain the rest... 
So incredibly excited to meet our baby boy, Brantley Emory. 






Brantley Emory Raulerson
July 2018

Excited Grandma !! 


Count down... 3

Count down... 2

Count down 1... It's a BOY !! 






Krispy Kreme Donuts - Blue for Baby Boy 





Barkley - Poor little guys life is about to be flipped upside down.

Kevin & I sending off wishes to above with our balloons... 

We cannot wait to meet you our sweet baby boy, Brantley Emory

I love my baby but... First Trimester Was Hard.

First Trimester: Week 1 - Weeks 12 



Kevin & I started trying for a baby in August & in October we got pregnant!! Truly I had no clue that I was pregnant because I was so caught up on feeling like crap. I was having severe pressure in my butthole (TMI -- I know!) & was in the bathroom all day everyday. And was throwing up quite a bit at night time while trying to eat dinner - this wasn't a shock to me because I have food issues. After being miserable long enough, I made an appointment with a gastro doctor. 
[4 weeks pregnant] I had decided to take a pregnancy test because I was several days late for my period. I had five minutes before a meeting started & decided to take a test. Well... to my surprise it was POSITIVE. I waited my entire life for this!! I walked in & out of the bathroom a million times, just looking at the test because it seemed unreal. 

I called Kevin & told him that I needed him to come home as soon as he got off because I had something to tell him. In the meantime, I setup a little onesie & a book with the positive pregnancy tests on the bathroom counter... and got back to work. 
In a matter of thirty minutes, Kevin was running into the house. I sent him on his way to the bathroom & he saw the wonderful news!! He said he knew because I had been so sick. Glad he did because I had no clue!!  We were both so emotional & incredibly happy. 




So back to the butt issues - I had 8 stool samples (yup, you read that right), blood work & 24 hours of urine monitoring. And it turns out it is just all part of this pregnancy journey. Add nausea, vomiting, complete exhaustion (like I was drugged with benadryl), breaking out on my entire body, hair growth (everywhere), food aversions & major mood swings. 

Two major things happened to me during the first trimester: a cyst on my ovaries & a subchorionic hemorrhage. [6 weeks pregnant] One weekend I started to have a tiny bit of blood on my panties & when I wiped. At the time I thought it was a lot but looking back it was nothing. [7 weeks pregnant] During our pregnancy confirmation appointment. I told the doctor about the spotting but baby seemed to be perfectly fine with a strong heartbeat (163 bpm). This is where the doctor noticed my large cyst on my ovaries which was causing my a lot of discomfort. She said we would keep an eye on it throughout my pregnancy. 
A few days after my appointment - I felt a pop in my vagina while I was standing in the kitchen. I ran to the bathroom & started gushing blood. It was coming out of my so fast that it sounded like I was peeing but I wasn't. I started freaking out crying wondering if I lost the baby I had prayed so hard for. I called my mom & Kevin - they both rushed out of work & headed my way. I spoke with the nurse at the doctor's office & she told me to go to the ER since my bleeding was so heavy & with large blood clots. On the way to the ER I was numb. When we got to the ER - they did an ultrasound & my baby was still there & with a strong heartbeat. After all that my baby was okay; with no explanation at all as to why that happened to me. 
Exactly a week later, it happened again. This time it was all followed with severe cramping. Again, I thought that I lost my sweet baby. I was completely devastated. This time rather than going to the ER, I went to my doctor. I trusted her most & knew she was the one that I needed to see. The baby was fine again with a stronger heat beat then the week before. Turns out, I have a subchorionic hemorrhage that was not spotted the week before during my ER visit. The separation showed blood still so it was likely that my body would absorb it or the bleed would happen again. Only time would tell - I spotted brown  for about 3 weeks after this episode. 
I prayed so hard for God to wrap his arms around my sweet baby & protect it from everything and keep it healthy and growing. God answered my prayers thus far. This experience has set a fear in me like no other - I didn't leave the house for the majority of the first trimester; due to fears of it happening again. 
They will continue to monitor my pregnancy & praying to God everyday that my body absorbs the cyst and the hemorrhage. 

First Trimester Weight Gain/Loss
Lost 12 pounds -- 125
Gained back 3 pounds - 128

Maternity Clothes: 
I went shopping for maternity jeans with my mom at Kohl's. All my clothes fit still except for the waist of my jeans; this bloating is no joke! 

Sleep
What is sleep? I am super uncomfortable, my mind never shuts off & I toss and turn all night long. 

Best moments of First Trimester: 
Seeing our baby via ultrasound, hearing its fast heartbeat & telling our family about the wonderful news.

Have  you told family & Friends: 
I told my mom super early on with a onesie & a book with a letter from baby. My secret videoing capabilities are horrible. Ha!  


My sister I told with a onesie. And our family we told on Christmas Day with little Christmas tree bulbs that said Baby Raulerson July 2018. 
Kevin told him mom before Thanksgiving but he kept it a secret from me & on Christmas we gave her a mug that said 'Nana'. His Dad we gave him a fishing lure that said 'Fishing Buddy Coming Soon' & a onesie. 

Miss Anything: 
Coffee. 
Feeling decent about myself. 
Not being uncomfortable & sick. 
Sleep.

Movement: 
I thought that I had a little flutter but it only happened a few times & they were not consistent. The baby is always super active at our appointments. On one of our visits the doctor was trying to get a picture for us & every single time she snapped the picture the baby would flip -- stubborn already. Ha! 

Food Cravings: 
Pickles, Olives, Chips, Van's Blueberry waffles, Vegan Mac & Cheese, Sprite, Grapes, Gala/Honeycrisp Apples. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: 
Meat & Veggies. 
Coffee.
Raw meat. 
All nasty smells. 

Have you started to show yet: 
Super bloated. 

Gender Prediction: 
Deep down I feel like it is a boy but when people ask me... I have no clue why. Kevin & both sides of our entire family think it is a girl. 

Labor Signs: 
n/a

Belly Button in or out: 
Still in. 

Weddings rings on or off: 
On 

Happy or Moody most of the time: 
All the above + overwhelmed, tired, anxious, depressed, etc... You name it, I've felt it. 

Looking forward to:
More ultrasounds, to find out the baby's gender, for the weeks to pass (baby to grow big & healthy) & my belly to grow. 


So far pregnancy has been a trillion times harder then I could have ever imagine but I am forever grateful. We're super thankful for this amazing gift God has given us. We've prayed long & hard for this. My prayer is for a healthy & beautiful baby. And for my health to stay healthy throughout this pregnancy journey.