To cut or not to cut...

I've been trying to figure out whether I should cut Ethan's hair before or after his 1st birthday. I asked friends on facebook and most people said to cut it or to make his hair into a mohawk. He sported the mohawk at around 6 months old ;) I've decided that I'm going to get his hair trimmed when I get my haircut in 2 weeks. I'm excited to see how it turns out. I'm also sad that his baby hair will be gone.

Here's pictures of his long hair and mohawk:

His look after a nap.


I still can't believe he's going to be 1 in a month. It went by way too quickly. I feel like he just was born yesterday. I always felt like the 1st birthday was more of a celebration for parents than for the kid. We made it through a year of parenting! Go us! When he turns 1 I think I'll cry, but mostly those tears will be tears of happiness looking forward to the next year. He won't always be a baby and that's hard to imagine, but he'll always be mine.

Cold & Flu Season

Not that anyone ever looks forward to Cold & Flu season, but we especially don't. We made it through the last one just barely with Ethan in the hospital twice, once with Brochialitis and once for a bad cold. We spent a total of 13 days in the hospital between March and May ending our stay on Mother's Day.
This year Ethan will have to get monthly Synagis shots between October and April to reduce his chances of getting RSV. I hate giving him shots so much mostly because I think it's so much for such a little body. In fact, that's why I space out his vaccination shots over a few weeks each time we go in. That's another story.
Anyways, the Synagis shots only reduces his chances by 55% so we still need to be careful. This summer we were less worried about germs because it seemed like more people were well. But, now that we're headed into the fall all the sickness is coming back.
We worry a lot about being back into the hospital and our biggest worry is the damage that can be done to Ethan's lungs if he gets a bacterial infection. Luckily, he has not had any bacterial infections. His lungs are perfect!
We went to have a weigh in on Friday and he weighed in at 18 lbs 11.5 oz. He's a big boy! He has more than doubled his birth weight which was 8 lbs 9 oz. We are still giving him enzymes to help him digest his food. He will always need the enzymes because he is pancreas insufficient meaning he can't digest his food on his own because his pancreas lacks digestive enzymes that should help him properly digest his food. Ethan's pulmonology team says that we're doing everything the right way and that we are a great example of how successful families can be if they stick to the program. We are very lucky that we found out about his Cystic Fibrosis so early so that we can help prevent damage on his lungs. Of course, we still worry about the future, but I think what gets us through the day is living day by day and moment by moment. I think this has forced me to live in the moment and enjoy Ethan for where he is and who he is.
We are doing very well. Ethan is healthy and a very happy baby. He smiles almost all the time and is very low key, just like his daddy. He loves to squeal and yell like a girl. It's funny sometimes and not so funny other times, like when we're in a restaurant.
Despite being worried about Cold and Flu season, all we can do is hope and pray that he will stay as healthy as he can, try to help prevent him from getting sick and continue doing his treatments.

He's finally here!

Ethan Alan Dean was born on February 18th at 1159PM weighing 8 lbs, 9 oz and measuring 20 3/4 inches long. We are both doing fine. He is 12 days old today! I can't believe how fast time as flown by already. He looks different every day. Sometimes I just stare at him sleeping and start crying because I just can't believe that he's finally here and I'm lucky enough to be his mom. I'm sure that's part hormones out of whack and part real emotion. People told me that I would fall in love with my baby the moment he was born. I felt attached to him when he was born but I don't think I truly fell in love with him until he was a couple days old. I love being a mom! It's especially been more enjoyable now that we have gotten to know each other better and gotten into somewhat of a routine.
We had an interesting 48 hours before Ethan came. Here's the short story (sort of) because it's really easy to make it into a really really long one. I started seeing signs that labor was going to start soon about 72 hours before I gave me birth. 48 hours before my contractions were 8-10 minutes apart, but I could sleep through them for the most part. By about 36 hours before, they were 6-7 minutes apart and we walked every few hours to keep them going. We were both getting excited and anxious to get to the hospital, but knew we had to wait until they were 3-5 minutes apart for 2 hours. After having dinner with my parents on Wednesday night (a little more than 24 hours before his arrival), we headed home and the contractions became more painful and 5-6 minutes apart. I wanted to stay up and keep walking around the house to get them closer together so we could go to the hospital. At 11pm we gave up and tried to go to sleep. Even while lying down the contractions were 7 minutes apart and so painful I couldn't sleep. After an hour, crying and freaking myself out, I got home and they immediately went to 4 minutes apart. We waited the two hours to make sure they were consistent and headed to the hospital.
When we arrived at Labor & Delivery they said I was 3cm dilated, but that the contractions had begun to space out. They decided to admit me and have me walk. At this point, I had not slept in 24 hours and while walking was falling asleep. The nurse told me to get into bed and sleep. 2 hours later they had started the Pitocin and gradually we made more and more progress. Then it was time for the epidural at 5cm.
The first epidural didn't completely take. I could still move my toes and legs, but had some numbness. They pushed it over and it worked a little better, but finally they had to replace it. The first one was very uncomfortable and painful to have put in, so I was afraid of the second one. Thank God, after praying with my mom I felt nothing. This epidural finally took and I passed out and slept for a couple hours. When I woke up I was 8 1/2 to 9cm dilated, but Ethan was still high up, so we waited. At 10pm the midwife came in and they said it was time to push.
After 2 hours of pushing and only getting his little cone out, I guess I turned to my sister and said, "I'm done!" and gave a huge push and all of him came out just in time to be born on the 18th. Unfortunately, I tore really badly (3rd degree). I was completely out of it and scared to hold him on my own, for fear of dropping him. My eyes were rolling into the back of my head because I was so tired.
Thankfully, he was perfect and healthy and even scored a 9/10 on his APGAR test. I'll post more about the last week later.
My recovery has been difficult. I couldn't get out of bed for 24 hours after he was born and had a hard time walking for 2-3 days and it started getting easier after that. Ken has been so wonderful! He took such good care of Ethan and me. We joke that I was probably more work than Ethan those first few days. I'm still on pain meds and hopefully will be off of them soon. Life is good!

We're getting close!

I'm about 37 1/2 weeks pregnant now and ready to go! Time is standing still and now that I'm off work it's even slower. I'm bored. It's nice to be able to make my own schedule, but when the schedule involves television and a nap it gets boring really quickly. I'm told that I should enjoy this boredom because I will never be bored again. Lately, I've been trying to make some plans for each day and to hopefully get out of the house. One day I went to Starbucks & Kohl's and today I met up with my dad for lunch.

The baby is still moving a lot! His movements are not as jerky as they were before since he's getting wedged more and more. He's still headdown and still enjoys spending half of the day with his butt under my right rib, which is really uncomfortable. I've been having a harder time sleeping at night, but it's nice that I can take a nap in the afternoons.

We finally finished Ethan's room this last weekend. My sister, mom and I finished getting the house ready on Saturday by putting receiving blankets, diapers, wipes, etc in Ethan's room, my bedroom, and downstairs. My sister also put together a diaper bag & nursing baskets for upstairs and downstairs. We cleaned all the infant toys and put them in toy baskets and then got started on finishing his room.

We got his bedding from Goore's and its been on his bed for the last week or two. We're still waiting for his matching nightlight and lamp & shade. Other than that the last thing to be done in his room is to put up the poem about little boys above his changing table, another picture frame and a sports shelf to the right of his changing table. Here are the pictures of his room. Ethan's daddy is very proud of the room.

Ken's Forty-Niner Way sign is now Ethan's

His bed with a little monkey.

The co-sleeper is set up next to our bed. Just needs a baby ;)

Ethan's take home from the hospital outfit. Courtesy of his dad.

Ella has been very into baby Ethan (Eaton as she says). We ask her where he is and she will pull up my shirt, lower my bellybands and give him kisses on my bellybutton. I think she actually thinks he is my bellybutton. She looked at me confused last week when I told her he was going to come out soon to play. I'm pretty sure she is going to be all over him when he comes out.

Hopefully, I'll get one more post in before he comes, but if not you'll see pictures of Ethan soon! Only 19 days to go!

26 days and counting...

We're getting closer to E-Day as Ken's been calling it. We've been really busy the last few weeks. A week and a half ago, my sister, mom, and mother-in-law gave me a wonderful baby shower! I couldn't believe how generous people were. The only problem Little Man will have is helping Mommy pick out an outfit in the morning. He has, no joke, forty to fifty 0-3 month short sleeved onesies and about 50 blankets. Many of the things we have were hand-me-downs, but he still managed to get more really cute clothes.

I can't believe how much bigger I've gotten. My belly continues to grow out and not side to side. I look like I have a basketball or a watermelon under my shirt. I've officially gained 33 lbs.

Ken and I went to the Dr. today for my 36 week appointment. Ethan is headdown, with his butt just under my right ribs, and his back downward to my left. The only position I can guess is that he's hanging with his head down and his back all along my front. Whatever floats your boat, son!Dr. says that it looks like he is about 6 1/2 lbs right now, and if I make it to 40 weeks he will most likely be between 8 and 8 1/2 lbs at birth. It is quite uncomfortable when I sleep because he seems to like that position during the night. It's getting harder to sleep on my side and I have to get up 4-5 times a night to go to bathroom now. I'm already feeling really tired, but thank goodness, I am now off of work.

My last day of work was Friday. It was very sad to leave. Surprisingly, I didn't cry all the way home like I originally thought I would. I've got plans to go pick up a kid or two at the Weaver's over the next week or two.

Ethan's room is almost done. We put his bedding on his bed a couple days ago. It is so stinking cute! I'll take a picture of his room once my sister, mom and I get the last few things done this coming weekend. I'm getting really excited as the days get closer and closer. I can't wait to see my beautiful baby boy's face.

49 days to go!

49 days to go! Everyday I feel a variety of emotions about the birth of Ethan. For the most part, I'm really excited and it feels like it'll never come. Because we are so close I also feel a lot of anxiety over getting everything ready and I think I'm in shock that he'll actually be here in 7 weeks. Despite all the excitement, I also worry that something will happen to him between now and then. I know my fears are out there and the chances are very very slim that he will wrap himself up in his umbilical cord or that his heart will just stop. I think part of these fears comes from losing a baby before. The dream of finally becoming a mom is so close and I can't wait to see Ethan's little face. It makes my eyes well up with tears just to imagine those first few moments with my son.
He still seems to be growing normally. At my 32 week appointment, I measured a week behind, which was irritating since I measured a week ahead just 3 weeks before. It's all still within what's normal, but, of course, I freaked out and worried that he'd stopped growing. I have a feeling this worrying will never stop even when he is here. There will be another set of worries. He was head down as of my last appointment and I think he's stayed that way. My doctor said that the chances of him turning around again are slim since it's getting packed in there. He should be about 4 1/2 lbs by now and 16 or 17 inches long. Supposedly, he will gain 1/2 lb a week from now until delivery.

Almost 33 weeks (Christmas Day!)

My belly is huge! I didn't think my belly button could come out anymore, but it has. I have had a vertical line above and below my belly button for about a month. It's really cool to see the things that they talk about in books happening to me.


In the next couple weeks I'll post pictures of his room. It's still a work in progress. His clothes are washed and put away. His crib & dresser are up and ready to go. We still have a few things to do, but I'll post pictures when we're finished.

10 more weeks!

10 more weeks until baby Ethan will finally be here! Sometimes it feels like it's coming really fast and other times it's really slow.

We went to an all day childbirth class yesterday and learned some really good relaxing techniques. I really like the birthing ball, which is basically just an exercise ball. I'm hoping to use it at home when labor begins and hopefully take it to the hospital with me. After taking the class I am more excited about the process and although I don't think anyone really looks forward to labor, I'm excited to meet my son. I'm so curious to see who he looks like and I really want to hold him.

I have 6 more weeks of work before I go on maternity leave. I'm happy that I will have some time off before the baby comes. It's also a little bittersweet because I'll be leaving 5 little kids behind. I have been watching the Weaver's 3 kids for almost 3 years and I've been with the Jones' for almost a year. I'm really going to miss my kids! This is the beginning of a new chapter of my life where I will no longer will I be taking care of other people's kids. I'm looking forward to having a normal, steady work schedule at an office in May or June and being home with Ethan 2 days a week. The plan is for me to stay off work until the end of May/ early June and after that Ken's mom is going to take the baby 3 days a week so I can go back to work.

At my last doctor's appointment I had officially gained 24 lbs. At a pound a week it looks like I will most likely be at around 35 lbs when he's born. I took the glucose test on Tuesday and I don't have gestational diabetes, but I am anemic so now I'm taking iron supplements. Oh, and I'm measuring a week ahead, but that could just be because he's bigger than normal.

Lately, Ethan has been moving more and more. I can feel every twist and turn. He likes to move the most between 7pm and 11pm and every time I move from side to side at night he kicks around to get situated for a few minutes. I'm mesmerized by the fact that he is going to be 3 1/2 lbs by the end of the week and 18 inches long and he somehow fits inside my belly. We are both doing great! I feel more tired now than I did last trimester. I can get up at 8am and by 10am I'm ready for a nap. 6 more weeks until I can actually take that nap. I can't wait!

It's a...Boy!!!

Ken with the biggest grin on his face after finding out (above)
My 20 week belly (below)

We found out that our baby is a boy on Friday!!! I was a little shocked to hear that I'm having a boy. I was convinced that it was a girl. It's taken a couple days but I'm really loving the idea of having a little boy running around especially because I can't wait to see Ken with his son. Ken was such a proud papa after finding out the baby was a boy. In the ultrasound, we saw his ribs, spine, heart, abdomin, and brain. The technician showed us how he had his feet crossed at the ankles. At one point, he started scooting his feet up along my uterus to move back upside down. It was the funniest thing to watch especially because he didn't move his arms to help him up. It was like watching a kid try to climb up a door frame. He's a monkey.

It was really fun to watch Ethan, that's his name, bouncing all over the screen. As soon as the technician started the ultrasound his arms and legs started kicking all over the place. I've noticed that he is a very active baby. He kicks me all day I have grown to love and look forward to each kick. In fact, I think I'm addicted to the kicks. There is nothing in the world as great as feeling your own baby kick you from inside you. I love that he and I are connected in a way that no one else ever will be to him. I've been trying really hard to just enjoy the time that he is still inside of me. I know this time will pass quickly and soon enough I'll be chasing after him. I don't want to look back and wish I'd enjoyed every moment of pregnancy.

I've really enjoyed giving the baby a little personality. When I get kicks, I tend to put words in his mouth. Like when he poked my bladder during church a couple Sunday ago as if to say, "Hey, Mom, can you move this thing it's in the way?" or when I waited to long to eat lunch and as soon as I took my first bite he kicked me as if to say, "It's about time!" He's tends to kick me whenever I move to my other side during the night but go right back to sleep and if I'm trying to sleep in he'll usually leave me be until about 8 or 830AM when he starts kicking. I figure he's telling me, "Hey, Mom can we have some breakfast?"

Here are the ultrasound pictures:

If you turn your head to the left you can see his eye sockets, mouth, chin and nose, which looks a bit squished. You can also see his heart in his chest.

Ken added a little something to the same photo below. You may have to click on it to see what it is. It did look like Ethan was trying to catch something. Ken's little superstar. We're going to frame this picture and put it up in his room.

I'm now 21 weeks and feeling pretty good. My back aches and it's getting harder to get up and down, but I think I have it pretty good. I do have more energy than I did in the 1st trimester, but I'm still very tired toward the end of the day. All the up and down I do working with kids all day makes me even more tired and achy, but I hope I can work until January.

Nothing fits

I knew this day was coming...I just didn't think it would be such an emotional moment. In the last couple weeks my belly has become noticeable enough for people who don't know I'm pregnant to ask me how far along I am. It's been kinda fun. People now come up and rub my belly. Which I don't seem to really mind too much.

However, today when I went to put on my shorts and they no longer fit. I realized last week that none of my maternity pants fit anymore either. I guess it's time to do a little more shopping. Shirts don't seem to be a problem since I've been buying in the clearance bin at the 2nd hand maternity shop and I've had friends giving me their shirts now that they are done having kids. I lost it today right after I weighed myself and realized that I now had gained 9.5 lbs. I know logically that I'm gaining exactly how much weight the books recommend, but I happened to gain 2 lbs this week instead of my normal 1 lb so I freaked out. My hormones got the best of me. I came downstairs to tell Ken and was almost in tears. He tried to calm me down, but I just panicked.

After calling one of my best friends who just had a baby a few weeks ago and begging for a couple pairs of shorts to borrow until the end of September, I called my sister and completely lost it on the phone. She did her best to calm me down and reassure me that everything is alright. One really good piece of advice was that I just need to surrender to my body. I have no control. Which completely makes sense, since the baby's been controlling when I go to the bathroom, eat, sleep, etc for awhile now. If I wake up at 1am to pee, I am starving. The thought has crossed my mind to install a mini fridge upstairs. This baby is evidently a voracious eater.

After my hormone surge, I felt much better. I've settled into a stretchy, non-elastic, skirt that one of the women I work for gave me. It's so comfortable. Ahhhh!!!

At 17 weeks, the baby now weighs about 5 oz and is about 5 inches long from head to rump. The big ultrasound is in 3 1/2 weeks. I'm a little anxious to see that everything is okay and to possibly find out whether this baby is a boy or a girl. Ken still hasn't decided if he wants to find out. I really want to know now. If we're having a boy I want to fully be excited about it when he comes out. I really think the baby is a girl, so if we don't find out and it's a boy, I'm going to be completely shocked.

I go in tomorrow for my 17 week check up. I'll get to hear the heartbeat again and be measured for the first time. I keep thinking that the doctor will probably tell me I'm farther along than I thought or that they missed an additional heartbeat. I may look 5 or 6 months pregnant, but I'm still only 4 months.

The rumors are true

Some of you may have heard that I'm pregnant again!!!! We have been really excited and also very cautious this time around. I am finally into the 2nd trimester so I'm feeling less anxious, but I still have my moments of freaking out. The baby is due February 15th, but I'm aiming for February 8th, Super Bowl Sunday. Ken really doesn't want to miss the game so it's our little joke.
It's been really fun having a room to put all the baby's things into and organized. I have 5 bins of clothes from newborn to 1 year and a bin of blankets. We're in the process of researching cribs and dressers. Some of these stores take 6-10 weeks to deliver and I've heard sometimes they come cracked and have to be reordered. I think to be safe we're going to order in September. I'm hoping to have the nursery put together by January.

We went in at 8 weeks and saw the baby for the first time. Here is the picture:

If you look carefully, the baby looks like he or she is looking to the right and the legs are pointing to the right. It was so nice to finally see what looks like a real baby especially so small.

A week ago I went in for my 12 week appointment and we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. I was in shock when we actually heard it. I went into the appointment expecting not to hear it. At first I heard the fluid swishing around, then my own heartbeat, and finally the baby's heartbeat. My doctor said that the baby was really low in my pelvis. I think the baby is on my bladder. I joke with the kids at work that the baby dances on my bladder.

This time around I was surprised to start showing so early. I noticed it at 8 weeks, and other people noticed at 10 weeks. I started wearing maternity clothes for the most part at 9 or 10 weeks. Everything else felt really uncomfortable. Here are some pictures of the growing belly:

11 weeks trying on maternity clothes.

Messing around with the bump at the store.

One of my best friends, Pam is due in a week and half. I don't even look pregnant next to her. Here's proof that we were pregnant at the same time.

13 weeks!!!

Ken's reaction to my belly that day was, "Oh my gosh!" He says he loves having a pregnant wife.

Ken has been pretty laid back when it comes to this pregnancy. He doesn't seem too worried and I'm sure I drive him nuts most of the time with my paranoia. He's been really supportive and helpful. He's been telling me to go sit down and rest when I start running around like a mad woman trying to do too much. I felt useless during the move since I couldn't really lift anything. We got it all done though.

Ken is certain that the baby is a boy and I am certain that the baby is a girl. The plan all along has been not to find out, but we are discussing whether we should find out anyways. I'll keep you updated as we have more doctor's appointments.

Waiting...

Good things take time and waiting, to put it bluntly, sucks! I've been trying very hard to look at where we've come and remind myself that we have survived 3 weeks and 3 days. I long for the day when I won't keep track anymore. When a Sunday won't go by and I won't think, "oh I would have been 13 weeks". It's hard to get my mind to slow down and rest.
I met with my therapist on Monday and we talked about some ways to get my mind to rest. She told me to start envisioning my future. To envision what life will be like when we do bring a baby home and the joy we will feel. I want to believe so badly that that will actually happen for us, but I'm so scared it won't. I'm terrified that the biggest thing I have wanted my whole life won't ever happen. I've talked to so many women who have had this happen and they have gone on to have healthy babies soon after losing a baby, which gives me hope. I was feeling so optimistic when I was pregnant and now I feel so pessimistic and drained.
Life has somewhat gone back to normal. I finally made it back to work 2 weeks ago. I cried during my checkup appointment with the OB and didn't stop for an hour after, but I made it to work. I loved seeing my kids at work. It's strange some people think it must be hard to go to work and be with kids after losing a baby, but it makes me feel better. It makes me feel whole again. Unfortunately, once I leave work and life stops moving quickly around me I am back in my funk again. I'm not depressed all the time. I have good days and bad days. As time passes it gets better. I don't like to be alone though.
Ken is gone this weekend in L.A. on business and I've planned my whole weekend so I'm with friends and family. The worst times during the day are when I first wake up in the morning and when I'm going to bed. My brain just starts going a mile a minute with all the what if scenarios. I'm very ready to be pregnant again and for that part of my life to begin, but I do realize that it's not healthy to be living life 5 steps ahead of myself. I've struggled with this my whole life and never gotten ahold of it. Life always seems to go too slow for me and I find myself living 5 years in the future.
Please pray for God to help me live in the moment, for His peace to cover me and for me to trust that God has a plan. I may appear to be doing good on the outside, but on the inside I'm broken.
Thank you for your prayers!

Saying goodbye

I really want to make sure that everyone knows how thankful we are for your prayers and support during this time. We have felt all your prayers!
For those you who may not have heard, I had a miscarriage on Tuesday. I went back in for a second ultrasound because I didn't believe that they had calculated my due date correctly last week. I figured I would go back in and they would remeasure the baby and either change the due date or I'd just have to live with the new due date.
As soon as they started the ultrasound and I saw the baby, I knew something was wrong. I remembered from our last appointment watching the heart beating. My doctor also didn't say anything for a few minutes. The longer she took the more I kept thinking, "Miscarriage, no it can't be". She finally said, "Unfortunately, I don't see a heartbeat and the baby hasn't grown since your last appointment." The baby was measuring 7 weeks and 2 days, and it should have been 10 weeks and 2 days. Ken had stayed home for this appointment because we figured it would be the same appointment as the week before. Luckily, we live across the street from Kaiser so I had my doctor call Ken. I was still in shock once Ken arrived ten minutes later. Another doctor came in to confirm that there had been a miscarriage and the doctor talked to us about where to go from here. Evidently, miscarriage is very common (20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage). I have talked to quite a few of our friends and family who have miscarriaged once and most of them have been first pregnancies. Although, we never imagined this would happen to us we will be okay.
By early Wednesday morning the baby was gone and I could feel the difference. I felt empty and alone. For those of you who have had a miscarriage you know how I felt. Wednesday was very hard. I was still in physical pain, but emotionally was even worse. I am comforted that our baby is resting in God's arms, but I'm also jealous that I don't have our baby in my arms. I know that God has a plan and that there was a reason that this is happening to us. I don't feel like I could have done things any differently or that I caused this to happen. There just obviously was something not right with the baby. Both doctors that we met with were very optimistic that we will be able to get pregnant again very soon.
The next time we do get pregnant, we will be very cautious and probably not tell everyone right away. Unlike this pregnancy, I'm going to try hard not to talk about getting pregnant again with our friends. When the time comes again, we will share with you all.
I am determined not to let one horrible event in my life take me over. This one event does change my life for the time being, but it will not break me. Ken and I are already stronger.
I'm going to be leaving the videos from the 1st ultrasound up on my blog because I want to remember that we had those few minutes to see our baby alive. I think that we were lucky to have that and to have it on video. We thank God for those few minutes with our baby and trust that He will bless us with children in the future.

Ella Turns One!

My niece, Gabriella, turned 1 last week! I can't believe how fast time has past. It seems like I just held her for the first time yesterday. I remember when she was born within minutes feeling like she was mine. I had this instinct automatically that made me want to protect her. Here it's been a year and she has totally changed our family. It's hard to imagine life without baby Ella. It's even more hard to imagine life with two babies in the Schwiesow family by her 2nd birthday. I look forward to seeing Ella, who will be 20 months old when our baby comes, with her new baby cousin. She is so much like my sister. She's a nurturer, independent, stubborn, loving, and she never meets a stranger. She also wants what she wants and she'll make it happen. This is really a Schwiesow attribute :) I've added pictures from her birthday party. She had a ton of fun and even threw up 3 times. I guess all the sugar and excitement got to her.

As far as pregnancy goes, there's nothing much going on. The books and websites say that the baby is going to be the size of a blueberry by the end of the week. The baby's heart is beating. His or her arms and legs are little buds at this point. I'm looking forward to week 9 when the baby stops looking so much like a seahorse and more like an actual human being. In the next few weeks, the baby's facial features are going to be visable and the baby should grow to the size of cherry. We are really moving up...!

I am feeling great! I've had a little bit of lightheadness, but that is mostly when I need to eat. Other than that, I haven't had any morning sickness. I've also been experiencing headaches. Tylenol may work, but I think it'll take more than I'm supposed to take to make it work. For now, I just have to get in bed and collapse to make it go away. I'm mostly just tired, busy peeing every 30 minutes, and really looking forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat in 3 weeks. They said they will take a picture too, so I'll try to find a friend's house to scan in the picture once we have our sonogram.

Enjoying her 1st cake

Ella enjoying her "Five Little Monkeys" book from Ken's parents.

Ella loved the Little People Farm House we got her so much that she pushed it around the house!

Good things come in 3's!

I've always heard that good things come in 3's, but in the last two weeks it has effected me directly. 2 weeks ago tonight, my best friend, Pam Perry told me that she was 13 weeks pregnant. Two days later another really good friend Elizabeth Reinking, told me she had just gotten engaged. At that point, I kept thinking "Good things come in 3's" so what's the 3rd one going to be. Well, a week or so passed and #3 finally came.

I'M PREGNANT!!!! I took a test at Kaiser on Thursday and it came back inconclusive. I was frustrated, especially when my doctor told me that she wanted me to wait until Wednesday to take another one. I figured that I would go in on Monday and not tell Ken I was going earlier. As every day passed, it was driving me nuts not knowing if I was pregnant. I came up to Ken after church on Sunday and told Ken I wanted to go to the store and he said that he was going to surprise me and say we should go to the store. We headed off to Bel-Air to buy the test and since my sister and nieces were at my parents this weekend, I figured we'd head over to my parents house after we took the test. The test turned positive immediately. I didn't even have a chance to finish taking the test. I was in a fog, almost forgetting my jacket in the bathroom. I ran out of the bathroom to Ken who was waiting in the deli and said "We're pregnant!" We were really excited! So, excited that I managed to give myself a paper cut on the E.P.T. box.

By the time we reached my parents 5 minutes later, I decided to bring the stick in with me, which hadn't been the plan originally. I thought I'd want to throw it away. I walked in to my parents house and said, "Uh, I'm pregnant!" Everyone starting screaming and hugging Ken & me.

The baby should be here at the end of October. We're even more excited because Pam is just 10 weeks ahead of us. Unfortunately, Elizabeth's wedding is October 24th in San Diego so I'm going to miss the wedding :( Rachel says that she will hold the phone up so I can hear everything.