I took a break. A long break! The most obvious reason being that I got pregnant and it kicked my bottom.
We were not planning on getting pregnant, which is exactly why we got pregnant as my husband kept saying, "You know it will happen as soon as we stop 'trying.'" Shut up Tyler.
To catch up, I am going to write a monthly recap, but first write out this little pregnancy story for my own records.
OCTOBER:
We had the most amazing trip to Lake Powell after missing the entire summer season due to the repair of our houseboat that took about six months longer than planned. But had I known that October at Powell was so beautiful, I'd of opted for that anyway. The weather was perfect-PERFECT! And the Lake itself was so much less crowded and relaxed. It was a short trip, but really fun. Quinn practically boarded and surfed the whole time. She is so determined and kept going and going. And then finally broke down when she was unable to pop up and stay up for longer than 30 seconds...like her cousins. Chalk it up to another reason her life is so unfair because her parents choose to live in AZ instead of UT.
This is what we do at Lake Powell at night.
It's called, "Let's see who is most flexible and freakish." My kids won!
When we got back from the Lake, I was mildly aware that I was late. So, I took a test. The test was faintly positive, as were the other 4. But nonetheless, positive. I was a little shocked...ok, a lot shocked. I thought it was odd that at Lake Powell I had a really hard time sleeping. In fact, two nights were spent inside in a bedroom on a bed because I was so uncomfortable up top on the mats. But, I really thought nothing of it.
My plan was to wait a while to see how things went and then tell Tyler, call the OB, see the Doc and then shortly after announce the pregnancy. However, in my attempt to keep the status quo, I went running one day and showed signs of possible miscarriage. I was so nervous about it that I immediately called my OB and friend and Mother-in-Law to get some reassurance and advice. The OB wanted me to come right in and also scheduled an early ultrasound. The OB reassured me that all was well and to go get the US.
That night, I looked up early sonogram's just so I would know what to expect to see at that early stage in pregnancy. I didn't want to be surprised by something that would be too upsetting. Well, I was still surprised, not upset, but very surprised. When the tech started looking around, there were two circles. I didn't notice two circles in any of the other sonogram's I'd looked at the night before. What I did notice, is that there was nothing else on the screen. I was confused and assumed the worst right away. I asked if there was anything there...meaning a heartbeat of some kind...a bean, a dot-anything! "There's nothing there," I said. Totally afraid of the answer, her reply was much different. "There's more than just 'nothing' there, " she said. What? What did that mean? She said she saw three sacs. "OK." I was still confused. I was looking at two empty sacs for sure, but a third? She said, "Yep, right there." And she tilted the camera and there was a third funny looking oddly shaped sac. She said, the one down below, looked to already be a non-viable egg. She verified my dates and asked me if I could be off, but I knew I wasn't off. She went back and forth and then went to get the Dr. I started feeling queezy with a really big pit in my stomach and lump in my throat preparing to hear the worst. My mother-in-law June was with me. She was totally confused. She asked me if the tech really said three. I confirmed.
You can see in this pic the two identical sacs...both appearing to be empty. Then, you can see as she adjusted the camera the third smaller sac and the little tiny yolk sac of Baby A.
When our tech came back she said the Dr was with someone and she'd just do the measurements. As she waved back over there was a little, and I mean little, blip on the screen. A very little blip but enough to catch her eye. She pointed it out and explained that it was a yolk sac. At this early stage, the fetal pole wasn't able to be seen in detail, but she was able to pick up a slight heartbeat. She said the other baby could just be behind and that we "should" be able to tell more in a week. She was suspecting twins though and sent me on my merry way.
So, for one week, we wondered how crazy this all was and contemplated twins. Why not we thought. Two for the price of one. Playmates, friends and built in entertainment. And then those other thoughts. Wtf?!? So fat, so big, pregnant with twins, not to mention where would put them once they were born. How would we feed them and just how quickly would I be admitted to the looney bin after they were born? It was a long week.
The next week, we clearly saw a fetal pole in Sac A and Sac B was still growing along at the same pace as the "Baby A", but no fetal pole. The Dr. wasn't sure so he ordered another ultrasound for the following week. I was pretty sure it was just one at this point, but as a precaution we went to the ultrasound to see a healthy little sac growing but no baby. They called it vanishing twin. Although, technically it was vanishing triplet. The other sac was still there too, but fading. They explained that the body would eventually figure out that the Sac B wasn't viable and to send all support to the growing fetus and absorb the other.
We were not sad at all. Maybe a titch disappointed, the thought of twins is fun for about 5 minutes, then it's just a scary realization of so much work and weight and labor and so on. We were grateful to have one healthy baby growing.
The following week, I went to bed at 6:00-unable to stay awake longer and would sleep till 6:00 the next morning. About a week after that, the pregnancy was in full swing and sickness hit like sickness never hit me before. I was unable to keep much down and was so nauseous. It's the first time I actually went on any medication for morning sickness and all it really did was sedate me. So, there I sat from about 10:00 am everyday when I'd take my first pill to that night, I sat still on the couch, or my bed. The few trips we made out to visit family were followed by more sickness and a literal need to stay put and dread driving home.
It was enough to put Auggy, my germaphobe over the edge. He wouldn't even want me to sit by him for fear of some unsightly thing happening in front of him. I had to tell them what was happening a lot earlier than planned simply because I couldn't make it through their breakfast in the morning without losing it. And Quinn was down right offended with some of my pregnancy issues. Once, they knew though, it was a whole new ball game and love for their new sibling to be.
My recollection of otherwise, memorable things like Fall Break and any Fall Festivals were masked by the overwhelming nausea and subsequent sedation that followed. It's a blur. I was never so grateful that all three kids were in school full-time as I was at this time.
I didn't make it to our ward's trunk or treat because I was stuck in Queen Creek unable to make the drive home that night. But I did sit and answer the door for trick or treaters while my kiddos went out with their Dad.
Another testament to my sickness and general lackluster attitude towards life at this point, is the fact that no picture of our cute cat, little devil or Mario (yes again) were taken. And, Tyler felt the most important picture to be snapped that night was of his works of art, pumpkins in the Plants vs. Zombie theme that was requested by his kids. Oh well!
NOVEMBER:
Came and went much like October. Tyler was gearing up for his 2nd half marathon and I was able to run the 5K. And the kids were able to come cheer Tyler on as he ran his last lap and in to the finish line. Thanksgiving was nice. We went out to my Sister-in-law's home in Queen Creek and feasted with family and friends. It was all very nice, yummy and satisfying. All except for when I threw it all up that evening. :( Some say I got to eat everything I wanted without the calories...yes, that's also called Bulimia.
DECEMBER:
By December, my nausea let up and wasn't feeling so sick all of the time. We were all able to enjoy our Christmas Advent Activity Calendar countdown to Christmas. Woa, that's a mouthful. Roasting S'mores with cousin Josh, riding in the carriage, Bass Pro Shop with Grandpa and Grandma Judy were some of this year's highlights. Christmas was spent here in Arizona and the big Santa Surprise was a new trampoline! The kids were so excited they were all out there in PJ's and coats jumping at the crack of dawn. Christmas is always a magical time and our December tradition has been a great way to try to keep it from going too fast and slipping away amid all the hustle and bustle. We read along in the scriptures this year with a daily scripture about Christ and that will definitely be incorporated each year. Christmas at Tyler's parents is always nice. His two sisters were here for it and our darling nephew and niece always make it extra fun and special.
We headed up to Utah the day after Christmas and enjoyed a speeding ticket along the way (that I cried about for two hours in the car) as well as some good family fun and merriment. All three of our kids were very ill and caught that nasty flu that plagued the 2012 Holiday season, but we all made it out ok and the kids really enjoyed their cousins, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents while they froze their tushies off. On our way home, we didn't even hit 0 degrees until Cedar City. Holy cow it was SO cold!
NEW YEAR! We all fell asleep before midnight. Happy 2013!
JANUARY:
I finally felt like most early pregnancy symptoms has dissipated and I could move on to the nicer part of the 2nd trimester. I was ready. The kids have loved the trampoline and have spent many hours giving it some good lovin. Auggy with his bgff having a little picnic.
My baby girl turned SIX!
CC is the little observer of the bunch. She is rarely the ring leader of the band, but is eager to jump in on the fun once the party gets going. We celebrated with family and she enjoyed being spoiled for the day-even though it was a Sunday. She really loved taking treats in to her Kindergarten class.
Six things to love about our CC girl are:
1-Her big smile and funny faces. Q is able to snap quite the array of candid photos of this one
2-Her independence. She can do everything by herself, and if she can't it's very hard to finally get a request for help
3-She loves to be in the kitchen. Banking or cooking is a favorite of hers. She would peel carrots all day if I let her
4-She loves her Dad! Oh and she has him wrapped around her finger.
5-She is a meticulous color-er and usually has notebook with her everywhere we go.
6-She loves purses...all kinds and has quite a collection accrued. I should say "had" we just had a garage sale. :)
We couldn't imagine our homes without this little joker.
FEBRUARY:
Hubstar actually surprised me with a yummy Valentine Day Treat! What a guy! No really, I was amazed he even remembered with the schedule he's had.
Mmmm! Yummy!
Unfortunately this box of chocolate covered strawberries, the Sees Chocolate Gift Certificate from my Mom, the box of Oreos, and Mallowmars helped me gain 12 lbs in one month! Hey, when will I ever do it again?!? Seriously though, that is the most weight ever gained in a month for me. Why can't it be that easy to lose weight?
MARCH:
My oldest turned 10. DOUBLE DIGITS! How can that be? She is a bright little light in our family. Quinn-we love every smart, funny, silly, skillful thing about you! She is growing up so fast and is transitioning into a sweet, fun-loving young girl with big dreams and aspirations.
The flower water color on top was the one selected for the GSD Art Show
10 Things you can't help but love about Quinn
1. Her love of laughter, at anything humorous and lately that has been watching old videos of herself as a baby doing funny baby things. She can watch them over and over and laugh her head off. And she always wants to share whatever it is that she finds funny.
2. Her blooming artistry skills. She had a peice of artwork picked for the District's Art Show this year as well as a few opportunities to experiment with different mediums this year.
3. She loves, adores, gobbles up anything having to do with babies! She is so excited about this new baby brother she will meet this month.
4. She is expanding her musical base this year by taking violin and singing in the ward choir. She has enjoyed both.
5. She has advanced to intermediate level in piano and has begun to play some really beautiful and challenging pieces.
6. She continues to push herself academically and has undertaken some big challenges in writing class. It's been so neat to see her explore her imagination while seeing her personality shine through with some of her projects.
7. She loves fashion. She already has me rolling my eyes at the things she likes or wants to buy with every new Justice catalog. ;)
8. She is a good big sister and often takes the role of helper and teacher when it comes to crafts, homework and "life lessons". I love this side of her though, because she is very nurturing...when she wants to be.
9. Quinn has embraced the Lake...all things Lake Powell! She could be on the boat all day. I know this because I used to feel the same way. I couldn't badger people enough to take me back out to try to get up, stay up longer, or go again. She is the same.exact.way!
10. She still loves me. She wants to be with me and hang out. She is my pal, my girl, by friend and still needs me like a little girl needs her Mama! I'm so lucky. And this is my blog so I can put that on here as selfish as it might sound.
Tyler and I slipped away for a very quick but fun get-away to California for the main purpose of picking up baby gear from his sister...but it was also a wonderful excuse to spend the day in Santa Monica and evening driving leisurely up the Malibu coast.
A stop through Pasadena at Tyler's CA office balcony is where I took the cute little
shot of these colorful umbrellas.
 |
| It was the best! Love my Babe so much! |
APRIL:
Is this baby every going to come? We got to start NST (non-stress tests), US (ultra sounds), AFI's, and a prick in the finger 4x/day this month due to another bout with gestational diabetes. Curse you...but without those, I never would've been able to see this little picture of a beautiful, perfect little boy! It's getting closer!
MAY:
I will be meeting this little face-soon! Very soon!
