Coming back home from vacation has been hectic! Work has been crazy busy as the Verizon/Alltel merger became final Friday. Trying to catch up on the work while out of town for the holiday, fill classes for an aggresive training schedule, and the additional projects that have come because of the merger...I am pooped! Chris was traveling this week, and I was actually pretty excited about his traveling because it meant that I was able to sleep an extra hour every morning and he would be home for my birthday! Unfortunately, I found out this week that I need to travel next week, so Chris is going to be home on my birthday, and I will be in exciting Little Rock. *sigh*

On a happy note: I have been feeling GREAT! I haven't had any nausea issues for the past week and a half. My appetite has come back fast and furious (most of the time). I'm still tired at the end of the day, but I'm not exhausted during the day like I used to be. This has been such a blessing (especially with the increased activity at work).

Life is definitely back to pre-holiday bliss...except for the Christmas lights on the outside. I told Chris we need to take those down this week, or we're going to be bordering on the white-trash side... Honey is finally back to normal after her week in the kennel. She forgot her manners while in the kennel and brought her new personality home. Lucky for us...after a little love and time, she's back to her loving self! Chris has started to move things out of Peanut's room and pretty much has the new office set up. There's going to be quite a bit of work to do in Peanut's room - we removed a desk that was attached to the wall, take out some shelves, clean out all of the storage items, and paint! I know Chris is super excited about getting the room looking its best!

My next OB appointment is next Friday (day after my birthday!). I fly back into town around noon, and the appointment is at 3:00 PM. Talking to a few friends, they said we should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat during this appointment. I think this is the most exciting part. The ultrasound was not what we were expecting, and I think hearing the heartbeat will really bring the idea home that there is really a baby on the way! I should hopefully also find out whether we will be able to breastfeed or not. *fingers-crossed*

I'll update again after my next appointment! :o)

Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful visit to Nebraska for Christmas. It was not as cold as it could have been...but still plenty cold for our Arizona blood. Unfortunately, we didn't take ANY pictures during this trip!!! The best part of the vacation: a nap EVERY day. It was beautiful!

We were able to share the great news with family while back in town. It was so fun, and I think everyone was pretty excited. I got some great maternity clothes from Teresa. We had to ship the clothes back to Arizona since our luggage was so full.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. We are happy to be home and happy to pick Honey up from the kennel. All of the Christmas decorations have been packed up in our home, and things are looking back to normal!

Ultrasound and New Due Date

Well - Baby Taylor is real - we got to see him/her. I'm going to start referring to Baby Taylor as Peanut - because that's really what Baby Taylor looked like in the ultrasound. So the first thing about the ultrasound: they told me to drink 32 oz of water an hour before the appointment. Um..that's a lot of water...and you want me to hold it for how long? I thought maybe I misheard, but then I received a reminder for my appointment and the automated message said the same thing. By the time Chris and I got to the doctor's office, I had to go SO bad - I was in pain!!! When they finally called me back, they asked how I was doing, and I told them great - but I really have to go. They said, "Oh yeah....we need you to empty your bladder for this ultrasound." What? So I happily go potty and meet Chris and the technician in the office. Um...what is that rod for? In the movies - all ultrasounds are on top of the tummy.... In real life...they can also be internal ultrasounds. I'll let you figure that out if you've not been in that situation before. Anywho. Because I had drank SO much water, my poor little bladder kept filling up - which the liquid was causing the picture to be fuzzy. They sent me to the bathroom twice after that in hopes of getting a clearer picture. We got a clear glimpse once - and saw that tiny little heart beating like crazy (136 BPM). They measured the crown to rump - and by the time they went to take a picture for us to take, it was fuzzy again. *sigh* They said things were looking good though - so that's good news.

Based on the measurements they took, they updated my due date to August 12, 2009. So instead of being 8 weeks exactly, I've been pushed back to 6 weeks 2 days. Which would put our conception date as November 5th - which I believe is right before John and Melissa came to visit.... Hmmm..... I joke around with Chris if he remembers that day....he swears he does...I swear he's lying. :o)

Anyways, here's a pic of peanut...or at least what you can see of peanut:

Are you there? and Maternity Clothes

Are you there?
I've read that this is a normal fear - but on days that I don't have any "symptoms" of pregnancy, I get concerned that Baby Taylor is no longer growing or even there. I've read that early on in pregnancy, many women share this fear and unfortunately, there's no real way to know everything is ok until you go in for your next doctor's appointment. Just a fear I sometimes have when I am having a non-queasy day or haven't felt any growing or stretching pains...

Maternity Clothes
I bought my first few articles of maternity clothes. I know it's really early, but we are on a team builder in Dallas and we are staying at the Galleria. The Gap Maternity had these huge sale racks for maternity clothes - jeans for $15, shirts for $5, shorts for $3, and a skirt for $6. Couldn't pass them up. I got to wear the little strap-on baby bump to see how the clothes would fit when Baby Taylor is a little bigger. So cute. How to do the shopping....you know I can't pass up a good deal. And when I really need maternity clothes, nothing will be on sale, I'll be desperate and I will have to pay full price! So - 3 shirts, one pair of jeans, some shorts, and a skirt later....I'm pretty happy! :o)

Gender, Eating, and Sleeping

Chris and I don't plan to find out the gender of the baby prior to birth day. Crazy? Maybe - but it will be a wonderful surprise!

Obvious question: Are we hoping for a boy or girl?

Honestly....

At first we thought we wanted a girl. We thought it would be fun to have a little girl running around in cute outfits, etc. We thought it would be fun to bring the first granddaughter to Chris's side of the family. Most of our friends have had boys, and we thought it would be fun to be one of the first to have a girl. But then...I remember my teenage years and I was a BEAR my teenage years.... They always say that you're going to get a child like you... Hmm...

So, I never thought a lot about potentially having a boy until I found out I was pregnant. I was driving home from the OB when I heard Trace Adkin's song, "I've been watching you" and I realized how wonderful it would be to have a little Chris running around the house. Chris would make such a wonderful role model for a little boy.

So the generic answer that everyone gives: We would be happy with either a boy or a girl...the most important thing is the health of the baby.

Besides Beef Jerky, I've not had any cravings really. I have found that I actually eat less at each sitting, but I eat more often. I've learned to pack two healthy snacks for the work day. Instead of eating two pieces of peanut butter toast for breakfast, I'll normally only be able to get down one piece. So I don't think I'm really eating any more calories right now than before being pregnant....they're just a little more spread out. But I have found that when I do get hungry, I am FAMISHED.

I've always heard how tired people are during their first trimester. I am exhausted around 7:30 -8:00 PM every night, but I normally make myself stay up until about 9:00 PM. I do get tired in the afternoon, and I wish I could take a nap at work...but I work through it. Don't be surprised if I end up going to my car during lunch breaks in the next few weeks to take a nap. Unfortunately, I can't sleep in. You would think that because I'm so tired, that I would take advantage of the weekends to sleep in - but I can't sleep in past 5:30 AM. I don't know if it's my hunger that wakes me up at 5:30....but I'm not particularly happy about being up so early on weekends. Oh well - Honey and I will get our fair share of Dog Shows in during these early morning hours.

And so it begins...

I am starting this blog without anyone knowing the link just yet. I don't want to share the blog until we've been able to share the good news of Baby Taylor with family when we are in town for Christmas. BUT - I wanted to start the blog, so I don't forget some of my thoughts and feelings about this wonderful blessing! So...you'll be reading this post several weeks after I've typed it!

Chris and I found out we were expecting on December 1st. I honestly did not expect it. I thought I had PMS cramps (turns out to be something completely different - and a surefire sign of pregnancy); I was tired from what I thought was stress for my upcoming PHR test (again, another super symptom of pregnancy); and I was late (but I thought this was from my stress). Anyhow, I happened to have an extra home pregnancy test laying around, and I thought, "Why not?"

When that little cross came through the window, all I thought was, "Nuh-uh!" Turns out it was definitely an Uh-huh! I had a wonderful referral to an OB/GYN who was able to schedule me for a same day appointment - who of course confirmed the prenancy. I really planned to wait until Chris and I were home that evening to tell him the good news (in a really cute way, of course, like on tv), but I was TOO excited and called him while he was at work. Chris (being the wonderful father-to-be that he is) came home with a copy of "What to Expect when Expecting."

Here's the info:
-Baby Taylor is due 7/31/09
-Yes....it will be hot as all get out in late July/early August in Phoenix....I am super...excited about that...
-Baby Taylor will probably have to be born via C-Section for various reasons (and that's okay by us as long as Baby Taylor comes out nice and healthy!).
-We don't plan to find out the sex of Baby Taylor prior to birth day.

It's amazing to us how this news can quickly put a halt to all the things that you have planned and make you view life a little differently! We are so, so, so excited though! PTL for His timing! We were able to enjoy our first few years of marriage as a twosome (with some lovely pets of course), we have fairly stable careers (as stable as you can get in this economy, I guess) for some financial stability, and a great home to raise a child.

We are counting down the days until we're in Nebraska to share this news with family!

So that's it so far!