Drum Roll Please . . . .

Well, today I have quite a large announcement for all you my fellow bloggers. It will explain my absence from the blogging world over the past couple of months. It is not that I have been on a secret mission for the government, or fighting the terrible fires in California.. It is much more exciting. ... Wait for it, hear it comes.... We are PREGNANT!

Yeppers, I thought I needed to join all you others - Aliesha, Leanne, Natalie, Heidi, Megan. So here we are, tomorrow we will be 13 weeks. We are so excited and looking forward to this new journey in our life.

I had been home to my parent's for a weekend to help my friend Patti pick out her wedding dress. At that point I was only a couple of days late on my period. But I felt very tired and I felt just different. Ryan and I were trying to get pregnant so it is always in your mind that maybe you are pregnant. Anyways, on the way home from my parent's I stopped and bought a home pregnancy test. As soon as I got home, I took the test and sure enough it was positive. We read, and reread the instructions. Making sure we were reading it right. We looked at each other in shock/happiness. We couldn't believe it was true. We went out to celebrate at Carraba's as all I wanted to eat was vegetables. I craved vegetables for the first couple of weeks. All I wanted was vegetables, vegetables, vegetables. Little did I know that soon I wouldn't be craving anything. At this point, I was cocky, and thought. I feel great. I am going to be one of the 20 % who doesn't get morning sickness. Boy was I wrong.

So, let me recap our last 3 months for you. I guess I could have titled this blog "Ode to the toilet" and that would pretty much sum up the first trimester. I am just reading my diary and I see that on week 5 I got my first episode of nausea. Before that point, I was feeling absolutely great. I was eating well, exercising, and feeling generally wonderful. Week 6 hit with a vengeance. I was vomiting non stop. Yeah! I was sick for 36 hours straight. I couldn't keep anything down. Not even a Popsicle, or a sip of ginger ale. So much for the vegetables. We called the Doctor and got into see him. I had lost 4 pounds since my initial visit, 2 weeks before and I couldn't even sit up in the clinic. The doctor looked worried. He was telling me about if he admitted me it would be for 3 days and such. We decided to try some anti emetic medication first and if that didn't work then he would have to admit me. Luckily the pills worked. By that night, I was eating a Popsicle without throwing it up. He did put me off work for about a week and half, and gave me the diagnosis of Hyperemesis gravidarum. Then I had an episode of spotting. Which put me in for an ultrasound at week 8 to "check viability". Talk about nervousness. But when we heard that little heart beat and saw the pack of cells, which would become our baby, Ryan and I were overjoyed.

Canadian Thanksgiving arrived and we decided we were going to tell our family. We wanted everyone to know, and I felt I needed their support through this sickness. Up to that point, only my sister Pam knew. So, I made announcement cards with a copy of the 8 week ultrasound and gave them to our immediate family. Everyone thought they were opening Thanksgiving cards, so they was really surprised. It was great to see their reaction and their excitement.

So, with my anti emetic pills, I have been getting through this pregnancy. I have still been battling periods of vomiting and of course the nausea doesn't really go away. But it is bearable, and definitely worth it in the long run. I am starting to feel more like myself. Not as tired and maybe not as nauseated. I am hoping that soon it will be gone.

Last week, we had our first part of our Sequential screen. This is a test that helps detect neurotube defects, Downs, and Trisomy 18. You get an ultrasound and blood work done sequentially. It was so cool to actually see a baby inside me this time. We could see the face so clearly. The baby was moving around. It looks like the baby is having a great time inside me, stretching and just hanging out. As well, to hear the heart rate is just unbelievable. This is definitely one of the most coolest things we have ever done. At this point, we have decided that we are not going to find out the sex of the baby. Here are the pics of our baby. The baby has its arms above their head, just lounging out inside me... so cute.