11 Weeks

How far along? 11 Weeks and 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: One pound this week

Maternity clothes? Nope, but I sure hope I can find something to wear for my last two weeks of working. My clothes are getting pretty snug!!

Stretch marks? Adam kindly pointed out that I have developed stretch marks on my rear end. Time for the stretch mark cream :/ 

Sleep: I was doing great until Thursday this week. Thursday I felt like I was going to die if I didn't sleep. Unfortunately, I was at work so I had to put my "In Session" sign on my door and sleep for 30 minutes. You have no idea how much those 30 minutes changed my day! 

Best moment this week: HEARING my baby's heartbeat on the Doppler and seeing the baby on the ultrasound! Heartbeat was 162-164 :) Baby has been consistent with that heartbeat.

Have you told family and friends: Parents, siblings, and a few co-workers know. We'll probably make a more public announcement in about 2 weeks when I am through the first trimester. 

Miss Anything? Hot Dogs! Adam has been making bratwursts the last couple days and they smell so GOOD! 

Movement: I haven't felt movement yet, but we certainly saw our little wiggle worm "running" :)

Food cravings: A cornbeef sandwich from Jack's Deli in Cleveland. Too bad we live 5.5 hours away.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I made lasagna this week and it did not sit pretty. Last week the nausea and sickness had subsided but it was back this week. Totally worth it!

Have you started to show yet: Not sure that showing is the right word yet, it looks like I need to lay off the cookies.

Gender prediction: Adam only refers to the baby as "her". I have no intuition on the gender. I am so excited to be surprised!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In, but it is looking strange

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Elated to be pregnant, but MAN have the mood swings been crazy. 

Looking forward to: Adam's birthday and going back for our ultrasound May 11th. Got pushed back a week since we got to see the baby this week and they changed the guidelines for the NT scan at my doctors office. 

Adventure

Thursday evening was quite interesting in the Vodicka house! I was sleeping on the couch when Penelope got spooked and decided to use my belly as traction to get up and check out what was going on.  Needless to day, it was a little painful and VERY scary! After crying and freaking out for a little bit, Adam decided I needed to call the doctor. I was SO embarrassed to call and say that my dog had stepped on the baby and I didn't know what to do. I was mad at Penny, upset with Adam, but I decided to call the doctor at 10:50 p.m. to figure out what I should do. Fortunately, my doctor was on call and she was very calm and super nice about the whole situation. She assured me that I was fine and that if I was really worried about it I could always try and get squeezed in for an ultrasound the next day. I went to bed, rattled, but feeling a tad bit better. When I was getting ready for work on Friday, I decided that the ultrasound wasn't necessary and that I would let it go.

Fast forward to Friday morning when I was at work, the doctor called back and decided that they should probably see me and send for an ultrasound just to double check. The primary concern was any bleeding that could occur since I am on the Lovenox and aspirin. Our ultrasound was at 1:00 and we were going to see the midwife afterward. I was so nervous about what the ultrasound would show.

I picked up Adam and we went to the appointment and they got us in for our ultrasound right away. When she started looking for the baby, there was the wiggliest, happiest little baby in there!! It was literally "running" on the screening. The ultrasound tech, Carol, and Adam and I were cracking up! She had trouble getting the heartbeat to focus because the baby was moving so much!! Total peace of mind! It was so fun (and kind of surreal) to see the baby moving so much but not be able to feel it. I loved it so much! Here's our silly wiggle worm:

Check out those little legs!!

Little Baby V- 10 weeks 7 days! :) 

The mid-wife was awesome and she checked to see if we could hear the heartbeat on the Doppler. Well right when she put it on my belly WE HEARD THE HEARTBEAT!! The sweetest music to my ears :) She said that once we can hear the heartbeat the risk of miscarriage becomes less than 2%. Yay! God is so GOOD!!! :) What a blessing that our baby is growing and wiggling in my womb!

Week 10

How far along? 10 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: I am back to my pregnancy starting weight of 107. It could be due to the fact that I was quite sick on Monday!
Maternity clothes? No, but I had an extremely humbling moment this week when my button shot off my pants at work! The pants are getting a little snug!
Stretch marks? No, but the veins in my body look crazy!
Sleep: I haven't felt as tired this week. I have gone to bed every night by 9:00
Best moment this week: Making it past the 9 week 4 day mark!
Have you told family and friends: Just my parents, Adam's parents, and my two co-workers. Of course Karen knows too!! Seven people asked me if I was pregnant this week. Adam confirmed it to two of the people that asked. Pretty soon we'll be ready to tell everyone :)
Miss Anything? Caffeine! I know they say it's safe in moderation, but I am too scared to drink it. I really want a gallon size Pepsi.
Movement: No movement yet!
Food cravings: Frosted Flakes and Smashburger. (Thanks for taking me this week Adam!)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really, besides Monday, I have felt really good this week!
Have you started to show yet: I guess so, since so many people are asking if I am pregnant!
Gender prediction: Still going with girl
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Adam's birthday and our ultrasound on May 3rd. 

Adam takes the goofiest pictures every week when we do this! I figured I'd throw one in today!

9 weeks 4 days

I made it to today. I have been so nervous because this was when we found out we were having a missed miscarriage during our last pregnancy. This time I have felt so completely different that I was becoming more and more confident that this little one may actually be in this with me for the long haul. I woke up yesterday extremely sick and spent all of last night flat on my back on the couch. This morning my headache is still going strong and I have the most delightful "growing" feeling in my lower abdomen. Crampy, but not terrible. I am thankful that my body has reminded me the last 24 hours that my sweet baby V is growing inside me. I can't wait till we get to see him/her again on May 3rd! Hooray!

Week 9

How far along? 9 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I have not checked this week. The battery on our scale died. This could be a good thing and a bad thing :)
Maternity clothes? Not yet...though I have started to look and I am excited about the choices that are out there.
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: I am so tired still! I am the biggest get up and go type person, but lately I want to do nothing other than go to work and sleep.
Best moment this week: I had an overwhelming sense of joy sitting at my desk this week where it seem to finally hit me that it is okay to start to bond with this little one. I can't explain it other than it was a wonderful feeling.
Have you told family and friends: Just my parents, Adam's parents, and my two co-workers. Of course Karen knows too!!
Miss Anything? Surprisingly, lunch meat. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are getting really old.
Movement: No movement yet. I am longing for those days!
Food cravings: Still have to have at least two glasses of milk a day. The last two days it has been Cool Ranch Doritos
Anything making you queasy or sick: Meat and the smell of coffee
Have you started to show yet: I noticed quite a bit more roundness. My administrative assistant at work noticed the bump on Friday! Yay!
Gender prediction: I was so certain with our last pregnancy that it was a boy. This pregnancy has been so different I kind of wonder if it is a girl
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Getting through this week. This will be a significant pregnancy week for me. 

Well, we have made it to week nine. I meet this week with a lot of joy and trepidation. It is taking all my will power not to call and ask for a viability ultrasound. I have to trust that we'll make it past that nine week and four day mark with the baby being just fine. I know the more I worry about it that it is not good for Jellybean. I keep searching for someone or something to give me the perfect words to reassure me. It reminds me that pregnancy is a total God thing and that He is in ultimate control. It is all very humbling. I love that this has been such a formative part of my spiritual journey. 

In the mean time I will meditate on one of my favorite scriptures, Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT):

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Side note, I am really enjoying my chalkboard. Such a great way to celebrate and have fun with the baby's growth and development!

Easter Sunday

Christ the Lord is Risen Today! Hallelujah! My favorite thing we sang at church was from the Matt Redman song You Alone Can Rescue: We lift up our eyes, We lift up our eyes, You're the giver of life! That has multiple meanings to me this morning!

I am excited that my life is in and for Christ. I am also thankful for the life that is growing in my womb today!

Adam preached a great easter sermon about the victory of Christ and our involvement in the Christian narrative. Although, the best part of the morning was when the goats from the children's petting zoo got loose and ran through our service. (I forgot to mention, we had an outdoor service) The goats were fabulous. Enjoy some pictures from Easter!!!

Adam, Chris, and Zach in their purple shirts

 Husby

 Kate and bambino :)

 Our dear sweet friends the Bagleys

 Kate and Adam

Hi Baby, We're your parents!!!

8 Weeks

Please bear with Adam's photography skills! :) We'll get the hang of it as we go!

How far along? 8 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 2 lbs. (107-109)
Maternity clothes? Not yet...haven't even started shopping until we make it past the magical 12 weeks.
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: I cannot get enough sleep
Best moment this week: Seeing my sweet baby's heartbeat on the ultrasound! Ahhh :)
Have you told family and friends: Just my parents, Adam's parents, and my two co-workers. Of course Karen knows too!!
Miss Anything? Chicken Wings! It's not that I am not allowed to have them, it's what happens when I do eat them!! YIKES!
Movement: Not yet, little bean is way too small still. Sometimes I wish all the bloating I felt was movement. Haha!
Food cravings: Dairy products. I cannot stop drinking milk!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Meat! Ecccck! I try to eat it :/
Have you started to show yet: I feel like it's going to get harder and harder to hide my little pooch.
Gender prediction: I have no sense about this baby. My mom, sister, and mother in law say boy. Adam says girl. I am not sure.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: To making it past that 9 week mark. Baby steps....


In other news, today was Easter. The ultrasound tech called our baby Jellbean and it has stuck. Well Jellybean has had a big Easter Sunday. We are going to post some pictures from today! Hope baby is ready for our Cracker Barrel tradition. If he/she makes me sick, IT'S OKAY. It lets me know my little blessing is growing and still okay!!

Baby Vodicka Numero Uno

Penelope has to get a little blog love! She is going to be a big sister after all. I feel like she knows something is going on. She will not leave my side. It's pretty funny!

Penny Girl!

1st Appointment

We had our first prenatal visit this week. We have not had many positive experiences with ultrasounds or initial prenatal appointments, so we were fearful. I can say that our God is wonderful and that we were in His hands as we went in.

We got there 30 minutes early so I could fill out all the paper work. We were scheduled for our ultrasound first and then we were meeting with the midwife, Amelia. The best part was they took us back right away for our ultrasound and we got to see the baby! AND he/she had a strong heartbeat 162. As soon as I saw the little flicker of the heartbeat, I was overwhelmed and filled with gratitude. What a blessing it is to know that my body has a little life growing inside of it. It truly is love at first sight. Thought you might like to fall in love too:

 Baby V! Measuring 7 weeks 6 days

 Our little "Jellybean" 

Hi There! :) Look at those developing arm stumps! I am a proud Mama!

MTHFR

When we had our miscarriage in the fall our doctor was amazingly thorough and ran a slew of blood work in addition to testing our little one. Through the blood work she did genetic testing and found that I am positive for two copies of C677T mutation or in more simple terms I have MTHFR. It's obviously an alphabet soup and if you are wondering what all this means it means two things

1) My body clots blood easily and we found that our miscarriage was the result of the baby not getting the blood it needed through the placenta.

2) SHOTS. Like injections, EVERY night!!

Now, my pet peeve is whiny pregnant ladies, so I am not going to say that it is TERRIBLE to get a shot every night but it certainly is not cupcakes and sunshine every night.

I am on 40 mL of Lovenox (a blood thinning injection) and a baby aspirin so that this bambino gets all the blood it needs.

I am a total wuss when it comes to the shots. I thought, "no biggie...I want this baby SO bad that I can do these shots every night." I can handle the injections when someone gives them to me. I absolutely cannot inject myself without shaking uncontrollably. ENTER- AMAZING HUSBAND! Adam (my injection buddy) is a champ and gives the shot to me every night. I am so thankful!! He is wonderful!

I am not thrilled that they go in my belly, and I wonder what's going to happen when I start to grow. The midwife told me not to worry, I'll be able to inject my belly all 10 months....and after. :)

Look at that needle!! SCARY!! hahaha

UPDATE: Adam was gone for the weekend and I was able to do the shots!! I cried (I have NO ability to self-harm) BUT, I rewarded myself with candy! Haha!

Chalkboard

So I am a Pinterest fanatic and I found this super cute idea HERE to document your pregnancy with a chalkboard. I love being crafty and I figured this would be a fun way to document the baby bump, while relieving some of the anxiety I am feeling around this pregnancy. If any of you out there have had a loss before, you know that no matter how bad you want that baby the first trimester is SCARY and full of nerves. Enjoy our fun chalk board announcement:

Yay! Precious!

SURPRISE!!

This might be a long post...

Our journey to where we are at today is nothing short of a miracle. Many of you know that Adam and I were pregnant in the fall and we lost our sweet little one at 9 weeks and 4 days to a missed miscarriage. We were surprised and saddened when we found ourselves struggling to get pregnant again right away. The doctor gave us the all clear and a 3 month time frame and needless to say it did not happen. Adam and I were devastated and confused, we went back to the doctor and she was certain that endometriosis could be a contributing factor to why we were not able to conceive after several months of trying. She recommended a laparoscopy and Adam and I prayed about what we were supposed to do. The idea of having another surgery 6 months after the D&C we had in September was a little daunting. We prayed and discussed it with each other and in February went ahead and scheduled the laparoscopy for Tuesday, March 27th. The surgery was scheduled and I was mentally trying to prepare. The anxiety about what the doctor would find was almost overwhelming.

THEN, my sister came to visit my on the weekend of March 9th to pick up her gorgeous wedding dress (which she bought down here in Lexington with me). That Saturday, Adam was doing tornado relief in East Bernstadt, Kentucky while sissy and I went all over town picking up her dress and looking at items for the new home she is going to have! After lunch we stopped at Target to get laundry detergent and I told Karen that I wanted to pick up a pregnancy test because I was suppose to get my period that day and it hadn't shown up. Karen was super sweet about it, and we made our purchases and left.

Fast forward to when we went to David's Bridal to order my bridesmaid's dress. Karen and I were sitting in the car outside of D.B.s and I told her that I might as well check and make sure that I wasn't pregnant before I ordered my dress. I had to go to the bathroom, so I shoved the pregnancy test in my purse and marched straight to the bathroom inside the store. I made Karen wait right outside of the door because I needed moral support for when I got the dreaded "NOT PREGNANT" result and she happily agreed to be the overly supportive sister. Any who, I took the test and set it on the sink and I looked and HOLY CRAP it was a plus sign!!! I flung the door open and showed Karen and we screamed and cried and jumped in circles in the bathroom of David's Bridal.

Yes, I found I was pregnant in the bathroom of David's Bridal. Classy, I know.

We were too giddy to focus so we promptly left the store and went to Target to buy a digital test with the fancy words that say 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant'. Then we went home and I took the digital test. Sure enough, I was pregnant!! Yay!

Then, Sissy and I went to Bella Notte to have dinner and celebrate our big day. I mean a wedding dress and a baby. Could life get any better? Well it could. The guy two tables down proposed to his girlfriend. SIGH. Best. Day. Ever. Karen and I topped off our big day by 1) Telling Adam I was pregnant 2) Buying Snickers ice cream bars and 3) Watching Father of the Bride I and II and bawling our eyes out.

Everyone needs to have a day like I did with my sister. I truly will never forget it as long as I live! :)

Pictures!!!

Preggo!!!

It's for real (Pinch, Pinch, Pinch) hahaha!