Boy or Girl? What's our little Sprout gonna be?

The past two days have turned out to be really quite exciting! Today held one of the most wonderful, happiest moments of my life!
But before I get ahead of myself, lets back track to what brought us here in the first place! On Wednesday night I was trying to make dinner and I got EXTREMELY dizzy. Way more dizzy than usual. Eating didn't help, and sitting down didn't help, so I tried to sleep it off. The next morning I was still so dizzy. I couldn't even get ready for work. I called in sick and called my midwife to ask her for advise. She told me to come in since she had an opening and we would have my 16 week appointment a little early.
Have I mentioned how awesome my birth center is? Every time I walk in there they offer me tea and I get to sit by the fireplace while I wait. It smelled like bacon so I asked if a momma had her baby, and sure enough a baby was delivered the day before and they were making the new family breakfast (I'm SO looking forward to that.)
I talked with my midwife for awhile about all these crazy symptoms I've been having and what has been going on in the last few weeks. I expressed my curiosity about the possibility of twins, and asked her to check out the growth of my uterus. I laid down on the bed and my midwife felt around and said that it was kind of high for 16 weeks, so an ultrasound would be a good idea to rule it out. I was like, "WHAAAAAT" I couldn't believe I could get an ultrasound so early to see my little baby. I was prepared to not see our little one until 20 weeks, so I nearly peed my pants with excitement knowing it would be sooner. MUCH sooner. We called up the ultrasound place and scheduled the ultrasound for the next day.
I couldn't wait to tell Zach! Anytime anything remotely interesting happens in my day, I can't wait to tell my husband, so this was almost unbearable. I was so happy to tell him the good news even though I was still so so dizzy.
Our appointment was at 1:30 today and Zach's new job let him leave work for awhile so he could come. I got about 3 hours of sleep last night because I was so excited to see my baby! I had Mollie meet me in the morning because I knew I would go nuts waiting around all day for it to happen, and she is great at reading ultrasounds so I wanted her there with us. Spending time with her two little rascals makes the time go by as quickly as possible. I chugged water and we all went to the center to see my perfect little Sprout.
I should note that I was curious about twins, I mean, my belly feels HUGE, but mostly I just knew we would be able to tell what our little one was packing... or not packing. And I felt like I was cheating the system by finding out so soon.
Anyways, we went into the "dark room" and I laid down on the bed and my ultrasound tech lubed me up and got the show on the road .Our ultrasound tech was the sweetest thing ever! I've never met a nicer one, and I'm really excited to see her again for our 20 week scan! We told her we were checking for twins, but this was my very first ultrasound and asked her if we can look at our baby for awhile, and she said, "Of course!" She was legitimately excited for us. She was so nice! She started the scan, and sure enough, only ONE little Sprout was there on the screen. My heart was so happy to see my little one. I was dying for Zach to come in, because he was a little late (naturally.) My sweet little baby was all curled up in a ball, snuggled so close to me. We had to wiggle my belly to get Sprout to open up the legs so we could sneak a peak. It seemed like eternity for us to get a good view, and then, sure enough... My little Sprout is a precious baby boy! Zach came in and I urgently told him, "There's only one!" He said "Oh good" and I told him our little Sprout was a baby boy and he was so surprised! We both were convinced we had a little lady on our hands! Zach came around and watched the screen with us. It was such a magical moment. I couldn't believe that seeing our little baby squirm around on the screen like that would bring up the most intense feelings of love and gratitude for this little life inside me. This is the best gift that has been given to us. I realize how special it is because not everyone gets to experience this. We are so so lucky to have our little guy, and I will never take that gift for granted. My heart is so full of love, not just for my little handsome guy in my belly, but also for my incredible husband who has been so supportive, and for our family who have helped us on this journey. Little guy is gonna wish he had a twin cause his little cheeks are going to get worn out from all the kisses.
I always imagined how it would feel to have our first ultrasound, and I underestimated it so much! Watching my husband's eyes look at our little baby just melted me. I held his hand and it's like there was absolutely nothing else in the world that mattered except for our precious little baby. We were completely in awe of the miracle we were seeing. I've never felt anything like it, and I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to see our baby boy. My husband was still so worried about me, he kept asking if I was feeling better, and why my uterus was so big, and if my thyroid was ok.
My theory is that this little guy inside me is brilliant and he knew just how to play his cards right so that we could see him early. Thank you little mister for making my uterus huge, I don't even care, you are my whole world!
My niece was so excited about seeing the baby up on the screen, it was so cute. Mollie was jumping up and down with excitement. We had so much fun looking at our little man from every angle. Our ultrasound tech was so awesome, and laughed right along with us. It was really hard for me to not laugh and cry, but I was trying not to make my belly shake... Although it was funny to see little guy wiggle when I laughed. It's funny because I've always thought that every baby looks the same on an ultrasound, but no, when you see your own baby up there I guarantee that your heart will just burst like you've never felt before. My little man was so tucked up and snuggling me and I wanted to cry. I never thought I would feel that way staring at a black and white picture. I was so excited to see all of his little bones and his little arms flailing around. He is my little baby. I am so thankful for every moment I have with him and that God chose me to be his mommy.
Zach had to go back to work after the scan and Mollie and the kids drove back up to Portland and here I am writing this blog trying to get everything out and trying not to ball my eyes out! You moms and future mommies know the struggle I'm sure.
Zach and I have had boy and girl names picked out since before we were even pregnant. Our little guy will be named, Uriah Blaine Gilbert. Uriah meaning God is my light, and Blaine being passed down so little Uriah will be at least the 4th Gilbert man to have the name. I really liked Uri as a nick name, but then Ella put it so perfectly as she calls him "Riah" I swear that little girl has the best ideas. Before Mollie left today Ella said, "I can't wait to see my friend again!" Mollie asked her what friend, and she said "My friend in Aunty Carol's belly"
Me either Ella Kay, me either. Uriah is giving me some nice little kicks right now and telling me I should take a freakin nap!

16 weeks! Movement!

I felt my little one MOVE! I've been waiting for this for about 12 weeks, so as soon as I got that positive test I've been waiting. Sometimes I would just sit there and focus really really hard on my uterus just waiting for something, and nothing would happen.
Sunday I was feeling super mopey and pathetic because it was Easter and we didn't have any plans and I was sad about it. Zach had to do homework so I had to entertain myself. I was being a real stick-in-the-mud so I was laying on the floor under the table like the way I used to do when I was a kid. I have no idea what inspired me to do so, but it just felt right I guess. As I was laying there I felt like someone was gently prodding me. It was in the right place that the baby would be so I just laid there for a little longer. Sure enough I felt Sprout poking me in the same spot. It wasn't one of those jump up and down moments because I was afraid that it wasn't Sprout. It was so subtle, but I felt it later on in the day too, and now I am sure that Sprout was definitely poking me.
It is delightful to feel my little one rolling around. It makes me really excited for Zach to be able to feel Sprout move too. I am really starting to enjoy pregnancy instead of always wishing I was further along than I am. People who know I am pregnant are starting to notice my bump. I feel HUGE for only being 16 weeks. I'm starting to get paranoid that there are two in there. We haven't had an ultrasound yet, so there is no way of knowing for sure. I'm pretty sure every pregnant woman wonders this before they find out for sure, but man, I feel HUGE. And I'm only going to get bigger... much bigger. Sprout is going to be a big baby. I'm ok with that, the more rolls the merrier. Just as long as he/she's got that butt chin!
I've had a lot of indigestion this week. It hurts and it makes me uncomfortable, but I realize it's all apart of the process. It seems like most of my symptoms only last a few weeks (except for my boobs, those will hurt for forever I've realized.) My tummy is itchy, and thanks to you great fb friends, I started using Virgin Coconut Oil on the bump, and it helps a lot. It isn't oily and sticky like I thought it would be either! I have had terrible shortness of breath from Sprout's need for more oxygen, and my nose is still stuffy so I feel like day one of biggest loser pretty much every day. Like I've said before, isn't pregnancy so cute?
Is it too early to say I can't wait for this baby to come? I feel so much love for this little one and I can't even hold it yet. I just want to smother my little Sprout in kisses and tell him/her how much I love it. I can feel myself turning into a mommy, and I love it. October seems so far away right now!

15 weeks with my little Sprout

Where did this nausea come from? I really thought I dodged that bullet for the most part, but week 15 has been a touchy one. I keep getting nauseous, and it's really annoying, go figure. My appetite is really non-existent and I'm full after a small amount of food, which makes me sad because I used to be able to go to TOWN on food. Those days are over. LONG GONE. Some times I dream about eating a huge burrito and finishing the whole thing. Especially because I'm supposed to be eating more calories now that I'm in my second trimester, oh the irony.
The husband started his new job at Garmin this week! Have I mentioned how cool I think he is? It's awesome seeing him turn into Daddy, instead of just Husband. It's crazy enough believing that I will be a mommy, let alone believing that Zach will be a daddy in just a few months. Garmin is great so far. We get a great product discount on all things Garmin. Did you know they have a high def video camera similar to the Go-Pro, except theirs is way more awesome? It's called the Virb. I was saving all of my tips and all of our extra cash for a Go-Pro and now that Zach works for Garmin we can get the Virb for almost half the price. I'm really excited to start using it to watch our family grow in a new, fun, and creative way. Zach also got to rent an e trex from work so we can go geo-cashing. Do people still do that?
We also got a grill this week which may not seem very important, but I feel like a real family now in a cheesy American dream sorta way. BBQ's bring family together and encourage people to spend more time outside, which are two of my favorite things.
Today I went to the tulip festival with Mollie, and the two kids, and we also met our friend since we were little, Susie, and her perfect little baby girl. It was so fun! The tulips were beautiful and there were tons of other fun things for the kids to do

. I can't wait to take my little sprout there next year! It was a beautiful day and it was so nice to talk with Mollie and Susie about all things baby!
I'm really looking forward to feeling my little Sprout kick and wiggle. I guess Sprout's bones are starting to calcify, so that means I should be feeling little one moving soon. I can't wait!!!

14 weeks, I feel... PREGNANT, FINALLY

I didn't think I would have to deal with this this early.... but this bump is making me feel awkward when it's time to get dressed for the day. I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I guess it's time to bust out the maternity clothes! My sister gave me a bunch that I need to go through, and I also want to try to figure out how to wear the clothes I do have and make them look not so awkward. We will see how it goes. So far the way I've been handling it is just by telling everyone I'm pregnant to explain why I look awkward, it usually goes something along these lines:
Me: "Hey how are you doing? What can I get for you today?"
Customer: "Oh I'm great, I'll have an iced Americano"
Me: "Sounds great!"
Customer: "How about this great weather today?"
Me: "I'm pregnant..."
I'm just kidding, I'm not that bad, but close! I am looking forward to getting better at dressing this little bump as Sprout gets bigger. I do work part time at a clothing store, so I have an advantage there. I have been feeling a LOT of pressure down in that region. Sometimes I just poke myself in the pelvic region because I know I'm bound to poke the baby with enough prodding, and that makes me happy. Sprout is the size of a pear... or a nectarine... or a baseball depending on who you ask. What that means to me is that the pressure I feel must be because my organs are like, "Whoa Sprout, scoot over" and Sprout is like, "No way! I'm movin' and grovin'!" Sometimes when I sneeze it hurts, or when I stand up funny. Uh, don't ask me why or how I stand up funny, because it just happens. But it makes me happy to think of my little one getting so big!
I've recently discovered that lactose is definitely not settling well with me, so I have been cutting that out. I mostly have just stopped drinking milk, and switched to almond milk. I LOVE me some cheese, but when I do have cheese it is in small amounts, and the small amounts don't seem to bother me (thank you Jesus!) I would be a sad lady if I had to give up ALL cheese.
The really awesome, super, incredible news this week is that Zach got a job at Garmin! He has been trying really hard to get a job there for a couple weeks, and all the hard work finally paid off! We are so happy, and I am SO proud of my husband for working so hard to take care of Sprout and I, and the dog too. He is really inspiring to me, and I am very grateful for him. He starts on the 14th and he will be a Product Specialist. Garmin reimburses for school so Zach is looking forward to growing with the company. Did I mention their product discount?! Hello fun toys. I have been saving all of my tips from Crema because I want to buy a Go-Pro, but Garmin has a super awesome version of the same thing, so we are going to get that instead.
This is just another sign that though we may be crazy indeed by wanting to have a baby though our lives weren't sorted out at the time, God has provided in every way. Time and time again I learn that I can't plan everything, and it's ok because the bigger plan usually is way better than mine. Although I felt stupid at the time for wanting a baby, I'm glad I listened and had faith that everything would be ok. Lucky? Not a chance, not even a little. This was the plan from the beginning, God just didn't tell me yet.

2nd Trimester!

So here we are in my second trimester. This past week has been dramatic.
Have I mentioned the pain that has plagued my poor lady bits? IT IS AWFUL!! I wake up with the pain, go to work with it, and go to bed with it. There is no relief. My ears have been popping because I am all congested and this adds to my already prominent hearing problem. Then, if my ears stay popped long enough, it makes my head hurt ridiculously bad. Luckily for me, this doesn't happen that often and for that I am grateful.

Anyhow, enough of the complaining. Last Wednesday I had my first prenatal appointment with my midwife. It was great. We were able to spend about two hours with her talking about everything we wanted to know. We mostly talked about some tests we did or did not have to take(totally OUR decision) and what the tests meant. Our midwife is just a very sweet lady and I'm looking forward to getting to know her throughout our pregnancy. I'm not sure if I mentioned this last week, but one of the reasons we picked Bella Vie is because we will have only two midwives for the entire length of our pregnancy. Only one of the two midwives will be there during the birth however. This means we actually get to develop a relationship with the person who will be helping me bring my child into the world. This is really important to me and I'm so excited about being able to establish some trust, which is something I may have not been able to do at a hospital.

 At the same appointment, our midwife tried to find Little Sprout's heartbeat and all she kept finding was mine because I have an anterior placenta and Sprout was hiding. I wasn't too worried about it at first because I have my angel sounds monitor at home and I knew I could find it with that later.Well for a couple days after that I tried and tried and I couldn't find Sprout's heartbeat and I began to panic. I started to feel disconnected and I was afraid. I called the on-call number for the birthing center(they are closed on Saturdays) and they told me to come in so they could try to listen again. My midwife was there and told me they could schedule an ultrasound  if she was unable to find a heartbeat. However, just a few seconds after she placed the Doppler on me, there was Little Sprout's heartbeat. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief and took a recording with my phone so I can listen to it whenever. My midwife was so nice to do that for me. I feel MUCH MUCH better now. That Little Sprout sure knows how to give me a little scare.

We have another appointment on the 28th and I'm looking forward to it. Maybe by then I won't want to rip my "girls" off because of the pain. Here's to hoping. I'm also really looking forward to showing. Right now I can push my tummy out and you can tell, but pretty much everyone can do that. I also just really want to feel Sprout move. Come on little one, wiggle a bit!

Ode To My Boobies

They're big and they're round
They just look great!
Some pay money for these
But this rack ain't fake!
It's everything a woman desires,
But it's not cute
When they make me perspire.
I try to love them and be grateful
But these damn boobies,
Well they make me so hateful
They hurt and they ache and I want to cry
If I didn't need them to breastfeed
They BOTH would die!
If you've ever been pregnant you might agree,
It's not worth the pain
To have triple D's!

12 WEEKS!

The end of my first trimester started triumphantly this morning when I almost puked after trying to eat my egg.  Then I tried to finish my toast.... NOPE not gonna happen, breakfast was short lived this morning, much to my husband's dismay since he woke up early just to make me breakfast.
I had an interview at Willamette Valley Vineyards this morning. At first I was nervous, I felt like I didn't deserve a job because I'm pregnant and nobody wants an employee that's pregnant,  but then I stopped feeling that way because I'm a great employee, and although I'm not drinking wine right now,  I definitely know my stuff about wine,  more than your average Joe... or eh Joesephine. Let me tell you,  I walked in there with the confidence of a war hero, and I walked right back out after a 5 minute interview wondering what the heck was I thinking. First of all, I already work for a family owned vineyard,  and they are awesome!  Although I don't get many hours,  they teach me a lot about the wine processes. Second of all, the way the woman said "pinot noir" made me want to slap her. That coupled with the fact that she was wearing a Tiffany's necklace makes me believe this woman is HIGH MAINTENENCE. But who knows,  maybe I shouldn't judge. The final straw was that I would be working ten hour days Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I just need at least one day off. Sundays I really need to put aside for church,  I've got a lot to learn, and that place always helps,  simple as that. Also,  I just can't work for that vineyard,  I've heard terrible things about working for them,  and I don't even like their wine.
ANYWAYS! Zach and I had a consultation with Bella Vie Gentle Birthing Center.  That place is so awesome! We loved the house and the midwives,  and all the staff. But wait,  let me back track to why we went there in the first place...
I was looking forward to getting pregnant for awhile before it happened and I had a lot of time to research and explore the many many options that go along with having a baby. I didn't want to make an uninformed choice about the prenatal care for myself and my Sprout, so I looked it up and looked it up,  with a lot of support and encouragement from my sisters and I found that,  wouldn't you know it,  my body was literally CREATED to push a baby out into this world,  and it is one of the most normal and natural things I can do. I'm very excited to feel my body work to achieve the delivery of my baby! Call me crazy,  say,  "just wait to you feel it,  then you'll take it back" but I won't.  Delivery isn't supposed to be easy,  but it's (no pun intended)a labor of love. I've come to believe that my body is fully capable of doing what God created it to do, without the intervention of meds. However! I do believe there are many cases where meds help and doctors are awesome to assist women with complications where a natural birth is risky. I also think this is my own decision,  solely my own and I support any woman who chooses to have her baby any way she chooses, because it's her bundle of joy, and she knows best for her body and baby! Another reason why we chose a birthing center is because we will have continuity of care. We will only see two midwives for our all of our prenatal care, and when it is time for the delivery it will be one of the two. I won't be hopping around from doctor to doctor and whatever doctor happens to be on call will deliver the baby. No thank you. I will get to have a relationship with my midwives and get to know them and establish trust with them which is really important to me, because I have never done this before!

The midwife we meet with at Bella Vie informed us of all the precautions they take to make sure our delivery is safe, and the  environment in the room is calm and nurturing. The best part?
I DON'T HAVE TO WEAR A BUTT UGLY HOSPITAL GOWN! That's right, you heard me! I get excited over the little things!

Our first prenatal appointment is tomorrow, and I can't wait to meet our midwives. We are excited to be apart of the Bella Vie family!

Is it Week 13 yet?

Cause I am still very very tired. I will do my chalkboard tomorrow! I promise!