First day of training

Alex & I officially started work today. It was only training/orientation, but it's the first step to re-joining the work force! There will be 13 other people working with us...we didn't really have time to interact but hopefully we'll all get along. We also got to see our work stations. Fun stuff. We have training next Thursday & Friday, and then start on the case the following Monday. I can't wait! The commute downtown kind of stinks, but oh well.

Tomorrow the whole fam is going over to my aunt & uncle's house to see the new baby and to say "goodbye" to my cousin, Brad. He's moving to Denver for work. I'm really excited to see everyone. I'm sure I'll post again about it with pictures.

Friday Alex & I are going to see "Semi Pro"! We are so looking forward to that movie...can't wait!!!

I've been feeling really nauseous lately, and the heartburn and indigestion is pretty much lasting all day instead of just the evenings like it used to. Otherwise I'm feeling pretty good. I am definitely showing a little baby bump. I was told that since I'm short, I'll show fairly early since the baby doesn't have a lot of room to stretch out. Oh, the joys of being short! : )

7w6d...or whatever

I had a bit of a scare Tuesday night and Wednesday day.

Tuesday night I spotted a little after my shower. It was brown and looked like snot (sorry, TMI). It was the first time I'd spotted since I was pregnant. As if that wasn't enough to freak me out, then the cramps started. Right side, left side, lower back. Yep, I was officially worried. Alex was great about it and suggested we call the doctor in the morning. I tried to relax and sleep until I could actually do something about it.

Wednesday morning I was still cramping, but had only spotted the one time. I called the doctor and explained what happened. I honestly thought she would tell me it was totally normal and to just take it easy. Nope. I was told it was probably nothing but that they wanted to see me just to be sure, and to get there as soon as I could.

Now I was really freaked out. Alex and I got there and waited until they called my name. Peed in the cup, BP actually normal, gained .25 pounds. Fine. Wait some more.

Finally the doctor takes me in to get an ultrasound. I couldn't even look at the screen until she said "there's definitely a little guy in there." I looked and not only was Baby P's heart beating away, the baby had gotten bigger! The doctor told me that everything looked wonderful and the baby's heartbeat was really strong. I was supposed to be 7w5d, but the baby was measuring between 1-3 days ahead!

Basically everything was fine. The cramps are normal...just making room for the little baby! Brown blood is ok, pink/red blood is not. I felt a lot better being able to see the baby again, and to find out immediately that everything was fine instead of having to wait. I'm definitely going to relax more and not be so worried all the time. We go back in 3 weeks for our 10 week check up.

I'm doing alright. I'm constantly hungry, but nothing sounds good. I have heartburn from 6-ish to when I fall asleep, sometimes mixed in with indigestion and nausea. My boobs hurt (no, that's really not a strong enough word to describe how they feel) and I'm tired. But this is all normal, and I embrace these symptoms because I know it means everything is going the way it should. I'm bloated and my pants don't fit. I'm rocking either maternity pants or my regular pants with this amazing invention called the Tummy Sleeve. It's this band that covers your pants so you can wear them unbuttoned and/or unzipped. It's pretty much amazing!

Once again, keep the prayers coming!

Surprise!

I'm pregnant!!!

I took a HPT (home pregnancy test) on January 19 and it was positive...way positive. After an initial freak-out with Alex (we weren't even trying), I made an appointment with my doctor on Monday for a blood test. Of course, the blood test was positive!

We had our first appointment with the OB on Valentine's Day. We got to see the baby and its heartbeat! It was so incredible!!! The baby is doing well, and we're due October 3, 2008!

I started another blog all about the pregnancy...http://pontusfamily.blogspot.com/. I'm sure I'll post about it on this blog as well, but be sure to check out that site for updates!

We've only told our families and our closest friends at this point. We're not going to tell other people until after our next appointment on March 12. Most of the people who read this blog already knew I was pregnant, but for any of you who is finding out for the first time...PLEASE KEEP THIS TO YOURSELF!!! Do NOT out me on MySpace or Facebook. We will make it widely public when we are ready.

Also, if you're the praying kind, please add Baby P to your prayers.

Ramblings

I had a pretty good birthday, considering the near blizzard we had here! We didn't go out or anything because of the weather. Alex had rented a few movies so we spent a lot of time in bed, snuggling and watching them. It was nice! He bought me flowers--red roses & dark red callas like my wedding bouquet. My BFF Vivian sent me flowers too! A girl can't have too many flowers! And we had my favorite kind of cake--chocolate chip cookie cake!!! Mmmmmmm!!!

Saturday afternoon we went with my parents to see the new baby (and my cousin and her husband, of course). It was my parents first time seeing Brendan, and of course they're in love with him too! If it's possible, he's gotten even cuter since the last time I saw him. My mom was a baby hog and we had to make her hand Brendan over to the rest of us. She's like that with every baby. Alex FINALLY decided he would hold him...this was only the 2nd time he's ever held a baby. He did fine. I'm glad we have one to practice on before we have our own baby. I'm thinking I might go over again sometime this week to get my fix.

Alex & I found out that our jobs will probably start in 2 weeks. We've been waiting for so long to start, we're just really anxious to work!!!

After last week's snow, it was about 70 degrees today. It was nice. I can't wait for this kind of weather to be here for good. We took a walk around the subdivision and I was sweating! And we BBQ'd hamburgers for dinner. Come on, Spring!!!

New Changes

You may notice that I've changed my blog a bit. I also added pics. I figured 1) new year, new layout; and 2) things in my life are changing so why shouldn't my blog? : )

I'm an autie again!!! My cousin had a beautiful baby boy on January 11th. His name is Brendan Avery and I'm so in love with him! Mother and baby are doing excellent. Alex & I visited them in the hospital two times and will visit them again this weekend at home. I can't wait to see him...I'm, like, addicted!!! He makes Zoolander-like faces, and when I told him I would take him shopping when he gets a little older his eyes got wider! He's freaking awesome.

The day after we saw Brendan the first time, Alex and I got calls for an interview. The interview went well and we got the jobs! We're working on another temporary project for a big firm downtown and we're very excited. We should start sometime in February...they're waiting for the software to be uploaded and the workstations to be set up. We are definitely getting anxious, but trying to enjoy the last of our free time.

My 31st birthday is tomorrow. I feel alright about it. I'm not freaking out about getting older. I don't really think we're doing anything to celebrate. Alex & I were going to go out to dinner, but St. Louis is supposed to be getting at least 6 inches of snow tomorrow, so I'm not holding my breath. My parents already gave me a bunch of new clothes for my birthday...I really needed them for the new job!

So the next time I blog, I'll be a 31-year old!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

The holidays are almost over. Where did the time go?

We had a really nice Christmas. My sister, Kim, was in from NYC for 9 days and we got to spend a lot of time together. Actually, it was the most time we've spent together in years. It was awesome. The Saturday before Christmas, we did the Washburn Family Tradition of doing our shopping. It wasn't as busy and hectic as we expected and we all got the shopping done that day. We spent a few days wrapping and decking the halls, so to speak. Not only were we hosting Christmas Eve at my parents house, we were throwing my cousin a family baby shower. Her little boy will be here by January 15th (her scheduled C-section, but she's already contracting so she'll probably have him earlier).

The shower was a success! They got just about everything else (the big stuff) that they needed. Christmas Eve was really fun. I made a Candy Cane martini which was really yummy. Strong, but delicious! After the family left, we had our Christmas and opened presents. There were so many gifts, and everyone pretty much got more than what they wanted. Among my "favorites" are my jewelry armoire, Trivial Pursuit, books, and DVDs. I now have more books than I know what to do with...I will be reading all year!

Since then, we've just been hanging out. My sister and I saw "Enchanted" while Alex saw "I Am Legend" and then we met up with our cousins at the Mills. We had a good time with them. By the way, "Enchanted" was way better than I expected! Kim flew back to NYC on the 29th and we were all sad to see her go.

So now it's New Year's Eve and we're resting up to have energy for tonight. We're planning to go out to dinner, then head to Ozzie's @ Westport to see my friend's band (Colonel Angus), and then home for drinks and games with the folks. Good times!

Alex & I wish everyone a safe and happy 2008!

New Cycle

73 days. That's how long my last cycle was. Blech. I never thought I'd be this happy to start my period, but 73 days is a flipping long time! I kind of thought that either 1) my body had forgotten how to have a period, or 2) I was going through menopause. Well, I did have night-sweats so I think it's perfectly logical to think I was entering menopause. But, yippee, here I am! It was finally time to break out the maxi pads and tampons I bought 3 months ago. Man, if this keeps up, think of all the money I'll save not having to buy them every month.

I really thought I was pregnant. Our BD-timing ("baby dancing"... a tactful and somewhat barf-inducing way of saying we got it on) was optimal, I had 3 days of really fertile fluid (TMI, I know), and I had all these "symptoms". Most of all, my temps were doing things they'd never done before. My chart was looking too good. And it really didn't look like my period was going to show.

Maybe that's why I had such a calm TWW ("two week wait"--the time between when you ovulate to when you either get your period of find out you're pregnant)...I was pretty darn convinced I was pregnant. Despite all the good "signs" that I could be pregnant, I wasn't really obsessing about them. I just felt at peace with everything. If I was pregnant, awesome. If not, at least the excruciatingly long cycle would be over and I could look forward to trying new things to make my cycle shorter.

So, at least my excruciatingly long cycle is over and I'm looking forward to trying new things to make my cycle shorter. And now I can drink over the holidays!!! Hey, I'm trying to be positive.

I am trying to roll with my calmness and would like it to carry through this cycle. Not just because everyone says if you just relax, you'll get pregnant. God, I hate when people say that! I'm trying to calm down because I'm driving myself (and possibly Alex) crazy. I don't like obsessing about every little symptom and temperature fluctuation. Life right now is stressful enough without making myself feel like I'm less of a woman because I can't get pregnant. And who knows? Maybe I might "relax" and get pregnant.

For now, I'm focusing on other things. Like finding a job. And the holidays. Oh, and my sister comes in from New York on Thursday! We haven't seen each other since August. I can't wait!

As I lay in bed with a heating pad to cut the cramps, I remind myself that I got exactly what I wanted...my long cycle is finally over.