13 Weeks

Here we are at 13 weeks. My how time flies! I'm feeling great. Very hungry all the time, but nothing too bad. I've made it a mission to concentrate on drinking more water. I was terrible with that my first trimester. You can see I'm wearing my Motherhood shirt. I'll continue to wear this shirt in my weekly pics as I continue to grow.

According to BabyCenter.com, here's how Baby O'Rourke is growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Doppler

In light of last night's post, my friend offered to let me use her doppler! How exciting! She and her husband are around the 15 week mark, and everything is progressing smoothly for them. It is really nice to be able to share this experience so closely with a friend.

As she told me would probably be the case, I wasn't able to find our baby's heartbeat. I'm not worried, though. I know that it is very early, and even though we will be 13 weeks tomorrow, I still have a few weeks before I'll be able to hear it at home. It was still very comforting to feel that much closer to our baby. After probing around for a while, I decided to shift the doppler up to my heart, you know. . .just to make sure it was still beating!

Tonight, Patrick and I had an impromptu date night. He baked pizza and we watched "In the Womb", a documentary from National Geographic. I am so amazed at how everything about pregnancy just knows how to work and where to go. All the cells move to the right place, the organs start pumping and functioning, the senses begin developing. It's awesome. There is nothing more reassuring of our God than the process of a child developing in its mother's womb. I am awe-struck!

I'm truly excited about hitting the 13 week mark tomorrow! Pictures to come!

12 weeks. . .and 5 days!

So, obviously I didn't get to update last week, but 12 weeks is here, and now almost gone. This picture was taken on the day I hit 12 weeks, so at least I got that right! Oh, I also didn't get to wear my new Motherhood shirt, but there will be plenty of time for that. Anyway, the baby needs to understand early on that it is a Hilltopper! GO TOPS!

This week has been good. . .almost too good. It makes me worry. Here's the thing. . .during the first trimester of pregnancy, I experienced morning sickness. It sucked, BUT, because of it I knew the baby was ok. Just a few days ago, I realized that I felt great! No nausea, no extreme fatigue, some breast tenderness, but nothing like the first trimester. Initially I was pretty excited, but then a dark cloud started to sweep in. I mean, was I feeling ok because I'd entered the second trimester, or was I feeling ok because. . .

I tried not the think the worse, but I also couldn't help thinking about the "what ifs". I mean, until I can feel the baby kick in a few months, I really don't have much to go by between doctor's appointments for reassurance.

It was at that point that I started to have an inkling of the meaning of the phrase "a Mother's prayer". I prayed so hard that our little baby was ok. Patrick has been rock solid through this. He's helped me to keep from worrying. I feel a lot better now, but I can't wait until our appointment next week.

In other news, I have some terrible congestion going on. I got no sleep last night, and although it isn't even 8 pm yet, I'm probably going to sleep as soon as I post this blog. I gave 5 presentations for work today, and am now completely exhausted from having to mouth-breathe all day. Plus, I had to take a sip of water after every slide, and still felt all dried out. Pretty annoying. I took some tylenol last night and today for the headache, and will see the pharmacist tomorrow about which decongestant is the best one to take while I'm pregnant.

Otherwise, things are going well. Oh yes, last week I gave a presentation and one of the ladies asked if I had kids. I told her I only have the one that's growing in my belly! She said that she could tell that I was pregnant, or had just given birth. I took that as a compliment. . .mainly because it means that I actually am starting to look pregnant now, and not just fat!

Motherhood is Cool!

I mean the store, of course. I'm sure real motherhood is totally cool too!

I got my first official maternity shirt today. . .and cardigan. . .and dress. . .and bra too. I initially went into Motherhood in search of those morning sickness candies, however, I came out with a lot more than I intended. (including a book for Patrick called So You're Gonna be a Daddy)

I'm glad I got the shirt though. Looking back over the pictures I've taken of my "bump", I've quickly realized that my green shirt is not going to make it too much longer. This shirt should definitely stand up to the 6 months ahead. I'll be revealing it in my 12 week picture tomorrow. . .well, at least by the end of the week. This week is really crazy with my job, so I'm not exactly sure when I'll get a chance to truly reflect.

Anyway, the BEST part about trying on maternity clothes is that they give you an actual baby "bump" that you can attach with velcro! I could tell what I will look like in a few months. All of a sudden, this whole pregnancy became very real to me. Oh my gosh, I'm gonna be a momma! Hooray!

Tonight, I leave you with a funny picture of Patrick. I was pretty happy to find this shirt online. I can't tell if he's happy to have it, or if he's just being silly. Anyway, I like it!

Birthday Spectacular!

I'm so excited that my mom finally posted pictures from my birthday party online. I have to get a new camera, but in the meantime, she supports my memory collection!

The party was on my actual birthday, December 29. We hosted at our place and had lots of family and friends help celebrate. That morning, I had leftover stomach virus with a side of morning sickness. If it weren't for my sisters and brother keeping me company, and Patrick cleaning the ENTIRE house, the party could not have happened. At the time, I hadn't told my family about the pregnancy (except for the older of my sisters), so I had to play it off like it was only the stomach virus giving me issues.

We set up a taco bar, enjoyed karaoke and danced to my kinect (which I can't wait to start playing again next week!) My sister got on to me pretty badly for dancing too hard, but I had something to prove that night! I'm a champion! Anyway, I've sworn off kinect until I'm 12 weeks (2 more days!!)

Several of Patrick's friends came over too. He and his best friend decided to be twins for the evening. . .how sweet!

The only accident of the night came to the younger of my sisters, Essence. She mysteriously tripped over. . .herself as she played the kinect. After a night in the emergency room, she came out with a thigh-high brace, crutches, and lots of pain medication. She had some fluid on the knee, but thankfully didn't break anything.

It was a blessing to have my brother in town to help celebrate! I think he had a good time. I really enjoyed having him here.

Enjoy the pictures!

11 Weeks

. . .and counting!

I don't look all that different, although I'm starting to feel better. I've been eating more often (even still) and trying to give myself breaks when I need them. I find that my energy seems to be coming back to me, which is really nice!

Here is what's going on with Baby O'Rourke (according to babycenter.com):

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to apprear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two - nor will you notice the hiccuping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

I was able to find a really neat baby tracker at babystrology.com. You'll notice it in the bar to the right.

Is is sad that I want it to be more interactive? I mean, I would love if I could click on the picture, and the baby would move its arms. I like to imagine that's a real window into my belly. Crazy, I know!

More to come!

Help!

Freinds, I've GOT to get my blog together. I'm seeing some really cute things out there, and unfortunately, mine is lacking. So, I'm asking for help. Is someone willing to give me a "crash course" on all the features? Or at least, can someone direct me to a site that gives help? I'm mostly interested in adding labels, getting that "you might also be interested in" set of buttons that I'm seeing EVERYWHERE, and other fun tips.

Thanks for any help!

Lucky girl

I love that Patrick learned to play "Don't Stop Believing" tonight just so that I could sing along! What fun!

The Usual Suspects

These are the people who are closest to me in my life. I will probably talk about them more than any others, so I thought I'd take this time to introduce you to everyone!

This is Patrick and me on our wedding day, October 11, 2008

Our doggie, Lee!

My mom, Lori. Yes, she's always like that. Probably where I get it from!

My sister, Marquisha. Fabulous!

Marquisha's daughter and my oldest niece, Aniyah!

Marquisha's other daughter, and my youngest niece, Alayah!

My sweet sister, Essence. She's so grown up!

My awesome brother, Tyrell. I still got him in height! Ha!

My mother and father-in-law, Jennifer and Richard

My sister-in-law, Christine and her husband Will.

My besties! Tina is on the left and Angela is in the middle!

So there you have it. The usual suspects!

I'm Pregnant!!

Patrick and I are so excited to announce that we will have our first little baby this year. Baby O'Rourke is expected to arrive on August 3. We are 10 weeks (and 5 days) along!

It's pretty hard to believe that we are going to be parents. This is something we've looked forward to for quite some time, so to have it finally happen is just wonderful!

We first found out on December 8 when we got a positive result from a home test. I was so shocked that I took a test on December 9th and December 10th too. . .just to be sure. I told Patrick by showing him the result on the 8th, to which he replied, "What does that mean?" Once I explained that we were pregnant, he scooped me up and couldn't stop saying how great it was. I'll never forget that moment.

We knew we wanted to use Dr. Gass right from the start, and knew it would take quite a bit of time to get in to see him. Not only that, my insurance from my new job hadn't kicked in at that point, and wouldn't for another 3 weeks. It was pretty difficult waiting around for that first appointment.

Long ago, Patrick and I decided that we'd keep the news between the two of us, but I couldn't help myself. I later confessed to Patrick that I told multiple people :/ (like 8)

Luckily, he wasn't upset!

Our first appointment with Dr. Gass was Thursday, January 6. Immediately they took us back for an ultrasound. Patrick got to see our baby first, and instantly began asking TONS of questions about what he saw on the monitor (in true O'Rourke fashion!). After some photos, the technician turned the monitor for me to see. I couldn't stop smiling. The feeling of seeing our baby for the first time was pretty indescribable. Then our baby moved its little arms, and I melted into a sea of tears. It suddenly became real!

After the appointment, Patrick and I took the ultrasound pictures to his parents house. They were very happy for us. We then went to tell my mom, who wasn't home! Ahhhhh! To add to the drama, Patrick had a rehearsal that evening. We had to wait until that was over before heading back to mom's house. Upon arrival, I barged into her home saying loudly that she needed to settle a bet that Patrick and I had going on. I then pulled out the pictures and asked her what she thought they looked like. Once it all processed, she jumped up and screamed for joy! It was priceless. Another moment I'll never forget.

Everything has gone pretty smoothly. I had most of my sickness during the first few weeks. Every now and then it comes back, although as I improve my diet and eat more often, I'm able to hold it off. The doctor says I shouldn't feel this nauseous for much longer. I can't wait until that part is over. Luckily, I haven't thrown up at all.

I have had a few strange cravings. . .tuna and oranges was pretty strong early on. Also, I LOVE the smell of dill pickles! Yum! Tonight I really wanted potato salad. I've had a pretty strong aversion to hamburgers and french fries, which was once a staple in my diet. Just the thought of them make my head spin. . .blech!

Patrick has helped satisfy my crazies! Anything I need, he takes care of it. Even over the holidays when I needed someone to make me put my "big girl panties" on, he was there kicking my butt, and telling me to pull it together. I really have a wonderful husband, and I can't wait to see him as a father!

I'm looking forward to this awesome journey! What a blessing this child is! We are thankful that God has trusted us with this little life. He is good!

This Just In

I'm probably way behind, but I learned about this tonight and thought I'd share. I remember hearing about these as I was coming up through school, but now that we're pregnant, it's becoming more important to me.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/index.cfm

Selfishly, I also wanted it on my blog because otherwise I would probably forget that it's out there.

Tonight I start The Shack

So I'm going to do the 100 book challenge this year. I'm truly going to try and make it through 100 books before December 31. That means 8.3 books per month (Dr. Seuss is not off limits!) We will see how this goes. In order to get started, I did what any normal person of this century would do. . .I polled my facebook friends for good reads! It turns out, my friends have lives outside of the internet! I got lots of great ideas.

The book I've chosen to start with is The Shack. I've had it on the shelf for 2 years now. It actually belongs to someone else. I feel kind of guilty about that, but now I'll finally get to return it.

I think the best thing about taking on this challenge is that there will be (as my friend Rachel says) no dementia for me when I get old! I'll keep you posted!

Did you see this guy?

Patrick and I just finished watching the 5th season of The Wire. If you haven't seen it, stop what you are doing right now and watch it. Right NOW! It's pretty amazing.

Anyway, with all the craziness of the series swirling in my head, I got to thinking about how hard it must be to live on the streets as one of the characters on the show does. I thought, is there even a gleam of hope for these people? Then, I came across this story. . .

I just had to share this. I mean, he is so thankful and wonderful. I sure hope there is nothing but positive left for his life!

I'm Back!

. . .for now at least! I was inspired by my friend April, who has promised herself that she would do at least one blog entry per week. It's a new year, right?! I can do that too. So, I will shoot for 52 entries. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake.

Life is good! I've got a new job working with the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). I'm an outreach counselor for the company. I work in 7 counties around the area and teach middle school students all the way up to adult learners about the admissions and financial aid processes for college. I also teach financial literacy. It's pretty amazing! The last few days I've been studying up on the FAFSA. Not only am I in schools working directly with students, but I also work creatively with community partners that serve those audiences. I love my job!

Patrick is great. I am in love with my husband. Yep, head over heels! He's been getting back into the groove of school. I'm still amazed at the fact that he takes kids from sounding like screaming banshees on their instruments to actually producing music. That man has the patience of Job!

I'm falling more and more in love with our dog Lee! He's got quite the personality. Lately, he understands that the kitchen means food, and anytime we are near it, he comes running. . .you know, just to make sure we know that we can give him treats if we feel so inlined.

So it's a new year. I didn't actually come up with a resolution this time around, although, I would like to read a LOT more this year than last. . .particularly the classics. A friend of mine did a 100 book challenge last year. She's Superwoman, though. I'm sure she finished 100 books in the first week of 2010. I'm pretty inspired by her, so I think I'll take on that challenge this year!

What resolutions do you all have? Any at all?