11 Week Update

Date: January 29, 2013

Next Doctor’s Appointment: February 20, 2013 3:45pm

Baby’s size: Baby is the size of a lime.

How far along: About 11 weeks

Total weight gain: 2 pounds.  Current weight: 112

Sleep: I am finally starting to feel like I can catch up on my sleep at night although, my stamina is still a little low.  When I have errands to run, grocery shopping to do, school work to finish and housework to keep up with, I find myself having to take a moment and relax.  It’s hard to remember not to push yourself too hard.  Kiley and I have been doing yoga every day for a few weeks now, and I think maybe the yoga has helped me find more energy.

Maternity Clothes: I am still not wearing any maternity clothes.  Everything still fits, but I always feel bloated, so sometimes I feel like my shirts look weird on me. Some of my skinny jeans need to be fastened with rubber bands after I eat (they get tight!), but my legs and butt still fit in them just fine.  I want to find a bunch of long maxi dresses for the summer.

Food cravings: I wanted carrots the other night so, Kiley took me to the grocery store to get some.  I keep seeing cotton candy on Pinterest, so I want some of that (although that may not ever happen unless I find myself in a carnival somewhere haha).  I’d also like to have some of my mama’s homemade caramels… they’re literally the best thing in the world.  I’m still jealous that I haven’t had any of uncle Bob’s famous homemade spicy beef jerky this year because that stuff is also the bee’s knees! I snack on fruits a lot.  It is a good thing strawberries have been on sale because I have been known to eat an entire package of them in one day, on more than one occasion…

Food aversions: Smells kind of bother me now.  Sometimes when food is cooking, it makes me feel weird.  I love garlic but smelling it cooking makes me feel weird as well.  I prefer things less seasoned these days as well.

Symptoms I have: My belly seems bloated all the time now.  Mild fatigue follows me everywhere but it isn’t nearly as bad as it has been in the past.  I get an occasional headache and I am visiting the bathroom more than normal as well.

Stretchmarks: No stretch marks. I want to get bio oil to prevent them as much as I can.

Movement: The baby moves and dances around all the time, I just wish I could feel it!

Belly Button: Belly button is an innie and my abs are going away… Kiley joked this week that he was jealous because I am pregnant and still have better abs than him.  I think he was trying to make me feel better about my changing body, but it was still super sweet!

Gender: Still don’t know the gender and we haven’t decided 100% on if we want to know… We have talked about the baby shower being a gender reveal!

Best moment of the week: The best moment of the week was waking up one morning and feeing the hard bump about 3 fingers below my belly button.  I was laying on my back and had to text Kiley to let him know.  The bump hadn’t ever felt that prominent before, so it was cool and it felt big (like an orange).  Later that evening, I laid on my back to have Kiley feel and couldn’t find the hard bump as well. 

What I’m looking forward to: I’m looking forward to having an actual baby bump and staying heathy throughout this pregnancy so I can be skinny again haha.  I also can’t wait to feel the baby move.

What I miss: As vain as this sounds, I miss feeling super skinny.  I realize that I'm groing a little baby inside of me, it's just the bloated feeling I could do without (it is uncomfortable!).  Even though I am bigger than normal, I have four photo shoots within the next couple of weeks and after that, I will have to take a break away from modeling for a while… that saddens me a bit.   

I saw a girl on Pinterest that did weekly updates of her belly photos with notes on a chalkboard.  I loved the idea and I'm adopting it too! From here on out, I'm hoping I get more creative with it! I should definitely not take them right when I wake up next time... haha #bedhead #nomakeup 

10 Week Update

Date: January 16, 2013

Doctor’s Appointment: The doctor’s appointment was today and it was a very special one! My mom flew into town all the way from CO to be with us for it.  Kiley wasn’t supposed to come to the appointment because he had to work and wasn’t going to be able to sneak away.  He ended up catching some sort of 24 hour bug yesterday and stayed home from work today, though! So he got to come to the appointment too! How blessed I feel. Right away, the nurse took  my weight (111lbs) and took us to the room to hear the baby’s heartbeat through the doppler! Before the nurse put the Doppler to my belly, she said, “Now, you’re still a little early so don’t be alarmed if we cant find the heartbeat.” I said, “Ok”. And began listening intently.  Right away, she found the heartbeat! I was in awe as we heard it! “Whoosh, whoosh whoosh”! She said it was at a steady 160 bpm.  Our little miracle.  They weren’t supposed to perform a sonogram at this appointment, but since my mama was in town from CO, they decided to do one anyway.  It was really special that they made that happen for us.  The three of us went across the hallway and prepared to see baby.  I laid back on the table and we all looked to the screen with anticipation.  I love seeing the baby so much. When the technician started, we saw our child right away! The little body is shaped like a human already! Little fingers and toes! For a few moments, we got to see the baby dancing around in there! I was in such awe.  Those little arms and legs flailing everywhere! What a miracle it is to see an active little baby in there.  Once the baby was finished dancing, he/she curled its feet and arms into fetal position and slowly sank down to the bottom of the uterus and relaxed.  I will never forget this precious moment. The next appointment is Feb 20, 2013.

Baby’s size: Baby is the size of a prune.

How far along: About 10 weeks! Already done with 1/4 of the pregnancy!

Total weight gain: 1 pound.  Current weight: 111

Sleep: Still very sleepy.  I sleep soundly through the night with the occasional bathroom break or two.  I’m still sleeping on my belly or flat on my back… any position, really.

Maternity Clothes: Mom and I went to Target while she was here and got some DEALS on non maternity clothes from the clearance rack.  She also bought me my first maternity dress! It’s a cute, simple, knee length black dress with rouching on the sides (room for growth).  I love it!

Food cravings: Nothing in particular.  My aversions have calmed down a bit, and more things seem appetizing to me. 

Food aversions: Like I said, the food aversions have calmed down. 

Symptoms I have: Occasional sore breasts and cramping in the abdomen.  Fatigued to the max, lately! Pressure in my abdomen and bloating is making me look less fit than normal.  I know I’m pregnant, but I don’t want my body to change! Lol I want to go from abs to sweet little belly… none of this in-between bloated business…

Stretchmarks: No stretch marks.

Movement: The baby is making sharp movements inside my body all the time and we got to see them for ourselves through the ultrasound this week!!! It kind of looked like the baby felt like it had a falling sensation because the arms and legs were flailing around like crazy!

Belly Button: Innie.  My stomach looks pretty similar, still. I look bloated. My abs are kind of going away and I get a little swollen in the belly after I eat (most likely from the digestive system slowing down to extract as much nutrients from the food as possible).  The after-eating bloat belly is very firm and round.  Occasionally, I can feel the little lime-sized bump in my belly when I lay down or lean back.  I felt it yesterday while Kiley and I were doing yoga.  He stopped to feel it too.  It is all still so surreal.

Gender: Still don’t know the gender.

Best moment of the week: The best moment was seeing the baby move and dance around with my mom and Kiley there to enjoy it with me.

What I’m looking forward to: I’m looking forward to being beyond this bloated phase and onto cute belly bump status!

What I miss: I miss Colorado and hope Kiley and I will be able to raise this baby there.  Maybe not now, but in a year or so.  Either way, as long as the three of us are together, I don’t care where we are.   

9 Week Update

Date: January 10, 2013

Doctor’s Appointment: January 16, 2013.  3pm

Baby’s size: Baby is the size of a Green Olive.

How far along: About 9 weeks

Total weight gain: Really fluctuating this week from 0-2 pounds.  Current weight: 110-112. 

Sleep: Very sleepy all the time.  So grateful for naps!!! I could literally sleep all day if I let myself…

Maternity Clothes: Nope

Food cravings: I don’t have any cravings… I have been living on smoothies though! Especially banana, peanut butter, milk, ice cubes and chocolate slim fast mix. YUM!

Food aversions: I still have food aversions to almost everything.  Nothing really ever sounds super appetizing (except macaroni and cheese). I don’t like being finicky because I’ve never been this way.  I’ve always loved all food, so the aversions do get on my nerves…

Symptoms I have: Sore breasts and lower back pain, Food aversions, Sleepiness… yawn…

Stretchmarks: I hope to avoid the whole stretch mark thing by using cocoa butter cream all over everyday.  I need to get into the habit of using it twice daily.  Although I am not visibly pregnant yet, from what I read, sometime during the second trimester, my tummy will just pop out.

Movement: The baby is making sharp movements inside my body all the time (based on my What to Expect book) however, I can’t feel a thing and probably won’t for another 7 weeks, at least.

Belly Button: Innie.  Kiley and I started a daily yoga routine.  I have also been keeping up with daily crunches as well as squats and pushups.

Gender: I still don’t really want to find out the gender of our baby but Kiley does, so we’ll see…  I was surprised when he said he is kind of hoping for a girl.  Secretly, I already think it is a boy.  Why do I think so? I haven’t had much morning sickness (which is attributed to being pregnant with girls because of the extra estrogen and progesterone) and also, the Chinese gender prediction chart says it’s a boy… haha

Best moment of the week: My best moments are when I get to spend time with Kiley.  I’m really looking forward to next week because my mom is coming to town to go to my doctor’s appointment with me!!  I couldn’t be happier!!

What I’m looking forward to: I’m starting to have those crazy pregnancy dreams you read about… It is making me wonder who the baby will look like! I’m looking forward to feeling the baby move because at least then, I will always know the baby is growing and thriving.

What I miss: Right now, I am happy with how things are going.  My doctor is great.  My family is great.  Kiley is great.  This pregnancy has been a challenge for me to really focus on myself as a person and reflect on how I can become the best version of me I can be.  My faith has developed and I am learning everyday that I have more confidence and strength than I ever saw in myself before.  For some reason, God has blessed us with this incredible gift of life.  I will NOT mess this up.

(I have almost lost my abs already... See you in 40 weeks, bikini body!)

8 Week Update

Date: December 28, 2012

Next Doctor’s Appointment: January 16, 2013 at 3pm.

Baby’s size: Our baby is the size of a raspberry this week!

How far along: About 8 weeks

Total weight gain: 2 pounds.  Current weight: 112

Sleep: I was very sleepy today.  I wasn’t feeling well so I slept all day.  Thank God I have such an amazing man by my side to help me through these nasty days.  I hope today was the worst of it!

Maternity Clothes: Nope

Food cravings: Not a single thing.  I struggled to eat anything today.

Food aversions: EVERYTHING.  Nothing sounded good.  I drank a slimfast shake in the morning and then tried to eat a chipotle burrito in the evening and threw it up. I had a handful of corn pops cereal before bed.

Symptoms I HAVE: Sore breasts and lower back pain… nausea like crazy.

Stretchmarks: none

Movement: none

Belly Button: innie

Gender: I don’t really want to find out but Kiley does, so we’ll see…

Best moment of the week: Having Kiley’s help through the rough days.  He was there with whatever I needed.  He is so loving and sweet.  What a perfect daddy he will be!!

What I’m looking forward to: Feeling 100% again.

What I miss: Feeling 100%.  I realized that my daily health is not something I have been grateful for until I no longer have it.  What a perfect test for me to add an additional gratitude prayer into my daily routine for our child, my health and the health of those around me.

(sorry no photo... I felt like poo)

7 Week Update

Date: December 26, 2012

First Official Doctor’s Appointment

Doctor’s Appointment: After all of the craziness since the day we found out we were pregnant with two home pregnancy tests on December 10, 2012, this has been a huge rollercoaster for Kiley and I.  It has only been 16 days so I hope the rest of this pregnancy goes without a hitch! Haha We went into our first official doctor’s appointment (with Dr. Stevenson) expecting the worst – a confirmation of what the ER doctors had told us two weeks earlier – that we were miscarrying.  We went into the exam room as the nurse had a “goody bag” for us and asked cheerfully if we were excited.  I began to explain that we were unsure because we had been told that we might be miscarrying, based on what two ER doctors had told us two weeks ago.  After taking down a bit more information and referring to the medical paperwork faxed from the ER, they decided to do an ultrasound right away.  They scooped up the goody bag and took Kiley and I across the hall into the ultrasound room where I  laid back onto the table.  As she performed the ultrasound, I immediately saw a MUCH larger baby than the ultrasound we had two weeks earlier at the ER.  Am I seeing things? Is our baby actually growing??? Then, we saw the heartbeat.  It was all a blur but I think she said that the heartbeat was a healthy, strong 130bpm.  Kiley and I were shocked. After that, she answered all of our questions about why the other doctors told us we were miscarrying when we clearly weren’t.  She explained that it could have been a mirayid of reasons from testing my hormone levels at different times of day to sending the two beta tests to different labs.  Doctor Stevenson then went over a bunch of pamphlets on tests, classes and information we will need throughout the coming months.  After that, we grabbed our samples of prenatal vitamins, made our next appointment for January 16, 2013 at 3pm and went on our way.  Needless to say, the rest of the day was a blur because of all of the emotions and new information.  Kiley and I are going to be parents.

Baby’s size: The baby is the size of a blueberry!


How far along: 7 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain: 1 pound.  Current weight: 111

Sleep: Very sleepy the past few weeks… now we know why!

Maternity Clothes: Nope

Food cravings: I really wanted a pizza lunchable this evening, but I don’t think it was necessarily a craving.

Food aversions: none

Symptoms I have: Very tender breasts, fatigue and lower back pain.

Stretchmarks: none

Movement: none

Belly Button: innie

Gender: I don’t really want to find out but Kiley does, so we’ll see…

Best moment of the week: Realizing that God chose me to carry and nurture a child and bring him/her into this world with such an incredible man by my side.  What an overwhelming feeling...

What I’m looking forward to: At the next doctor’s appointment, they will run all sorts of tests on me.  I’m looking forward to learning the results of these tests and that baby is healthy and growing

What I miss: Nothing

(A photo of Kiley and I from Christmas 2012 - 7 Weeks Pregnant)

(7 weeks pregnant in CO)

Also, Kiley turns 24 this week (on December 29th) so, happy birthday Daddy!

Photo update

Pre Pregnancy Body:

Although I haven't gained more than a pound or two at this point, my body is changing so much already.  I miss looking like this and I can't wait to get back into shape. These two photos are from before I got pregnant.

Weeks 5 and 6 Belly Growth:

Please excuse the fact that I look completely haggard in these photos... I promise to get ready next time I take belly photos.  Growing a baby and placenta is exhausting and I can't remember being too thrilled at this point to get out of bed and make myself look presentable.

A Shaky Start

Our story took a huge turn when we took two home pregnancy tests on Dec. 10, 2012.  Both turned positive immediately.  We were still very new in our relationship.  It was hard to come to grips with the idea of raising a child together.  But Kiley was my rock, and such an amazing support.  He made me feel like we could do anything.  He helped me realize that, despite our precautions, this was a blessing from God. 

The next day, I researched doctors and made an appointment for Dec. 26 because we were going to be out of town for Christmas before then.   After a few days had passed, we began to come around to the idea of being pregnant.  Then, something terribly scary happened.  In the middle of the night on Dec. 14, 2012, I woke up with severe abdominal cramping.  It was debilitating.  I made my way to the bathroom and just curled up on the floor.  I have always had horrible menstrual cramps, but this feeling didn’t compare.  It was much more intense… maybe the equivalent of contractions...?  After about 20 minutes, the cramping subsided.  Kiley called the emergicare for me and asked them what we should do.  They said there was no way of knowing what was wrong.  They warned him that it could be an ectopic pregnancy and gave the advice to go into the emergicare.  So, at 2am, we hopped in the car, drove down the road and checked into the emergicare.  They took a urine sample to confirm pregnancy, took blood work and ordered an ultrasound.  The waiting was intense.  The urine sample came back with a positive pregnancy test.  During the ultrasound, the tech said that we were about 5 weeks along and showed us the amniotic sac.  

(Sorry the photo is sideways... but you can still see the egg and very faint fetal pole to the right of the egg.)

 She showed us that the egg was the little white dot and that the faint gray line was the fetal pole.  No heartbeat was detected.  She assured us that the machine was older than she was used to working with and that we were so early in the pregnancy, it was normal to not discover a heartbeat just yet.  The doctor then came into the room with a different attitude.  He said that the blood work showed a lower hormone count than normal at that stage of pregnancy (it was 40,000).  He said that we should expect to miscarry and not be alarmed by heavy cramping and bleeding.  He wanted us to return two days later for more blood work to confirm miscarriage.  We went home not knowing how to feel… I was feeling a little devastated.  What an emotional week! First, we find out we are pregnant and now we have to prepare for miscarriage? My heart was heavy.  Two days later, we returned for lab work and the blood tests showed my hormone levels were dropping (20,000 this time) which “is a sure indication of miscarriage”, according to the doctor.  He said that if I didn’t start showing signs of miscarriage (cramping and bleeding) within a week or so, they wanted to schedule a D&C (dilation and curettage) to remove anything from my womb… that was terrifying to hear.  They sent me home with a bunch of huge pads and that was it.  Then, Kiley and I went on Christmas vacation to CO to see my family.  It was nice to be around family and in my favorite state because it helped take my mind off the impending dread in my heart… losing my first child. I know that there are so many women out there that experience miscarriage more than once.  I could never know the true dread in their hearts until this very moment.  When you discover that you are pregnant, your whole heart changes - just like that.  You become more aware of the beauty in every little detail and start to realize that you will be sharing this beautiful world with another life - a life that you have created.  Upon return from the CO trip, I still had no signs of miscarriage.  We went to LA for a couple of days to spend the holidays with Kiley’s family and then headed back to Dallas for our appointment on the 26^th.  Maybe they could finally tell me what was wrong with the baby... or what was wrong with me.  After going to the doctor, reviewing our medical files and filling her in on all of the details, she ordered an ultrasound.  We went into the ultrasound room right away and let the tech get to business. I laid back on the table, not knowing what to prepare myself for. To our complete and utter shock, we saw a big baby inside my womb.  The ultrasound tech said, "There’s baby! Healthy and growing! See the heartbeat flicker?”  We were STUNNED.  

Up until now, we had been prepped and prepared to miscarry this child. And what was once a little dot was now a big embryo.  Our minds were blown. The doctor told us that the original blood work could have had a million things wrong with it.  The complications varied from testing my blood at two different times of day to sending each test to a different lab.  The doctor even mentioned that the test could have been read incorrectly from the beginning.  All of which could give faulty results.  So the miscarriage diagnosis was all choked up to be a huge flub in lab work??? In reality, we had a healthy little baby growing inside of me… And that is the start of the story of our miracle Baby Grant.

Our Story

Where it all began:

It was December of 2011 when I was contacted by Hunter, owner of Three Nails Photography in Shreveport, LA, about modeling for him in his next wedding workshop.  At these workshops, Hunter has a team of models, designers, vendors and more.  It is a weekend affair.  He teaches a group of aspiring photographers the ins and outs of the wedding photography business as well as styles extremely intricate faux weddings for them to photgraph.  He teaches how to shoot bridal photos, engagement photos and wedding photos.  I had been following his work for a little while and was thrilled when he asked me to be a part of something so spectacular.  So I made arrangements to model for his March 2012 workshop in Shreveport, LA. I had such a great time staying with Hunter and his wife Brittany.  Love them both!! I ended up meeting a bunch of amazing people at this workshop and made lifelong friends in the process.  But to spare you the amazing modeling details, this story is about Kiley and I.  Kiley happened to be the groom model for the workshop.  Although he was from the Shreveport area (Bossier City), he was attending graduate school in New Orleans.  So he drove in from New Orleans and I flew in from CO.  Neither of us knew each other until the day of the wedding photo shoot.  I will never forget this... It was March 25, 2012... I had just gotten my hair and makeup finished and I slipped into the wedding gown.  As Hunter is teaching the last 20 minutes of his workshop, I see a tall handsome man walking through the doors of the Dixie Cotton Gin (the location for the shoot).  The sunlight was perfect.  It was late afternoon and as he approached us, the sun shined behind him.  I’m not kidding; I got so nervous when I saw him walking towards me.  What a beautiful man.  I couldn’t help but wonder who he was.  Immediately, I came to and realized that I would be modeling with HIM!!! This was the groom.  Flustered, I introduced myself and we chatted a little bit.  Then, he changed and we all got ready to drive down the road to shoot the bridal party photos.  The workshop attendees all carpooled and I rode with Kiley in his car.  On the way, we chatted and decided that it would be fun to hang out that night.  Modeling with him was a dream.  Everyone kept asking Hunter if we were a real couple because the chemistry was so perfect.  

We were both in denial about it at first, but ultimately, we discovered that we were a perfect match.  The rest of the story is history.  I enjoyed the rest of my trip and got to see Kiley a couple of times before I left town and headed back to CO.  After that, Kiley and I stayed in touch.  We talked a lot on the phone and we traveled together all summer.  I went to New Orleans to visit him, we road tripped to the beach in Destin, FL  and he came to CO for a while too, where we traveled all over the state from Bishop's Castle in San Isabel to Aspen.  

At the end of the summer, Kiley was ready to start pursuing a career in his degree field.  He chose Dallas, TX as a place to start and said he wanted me to move to Dallas, too.  I didn’t have anything to lose.  I had lived in CO my entire life and never ventured out to experience a new environment.  So I made arrangements and moved to Dallas.  We continued to date and fall more deeply in love.