Happy Halloween!

18 week appointment

We had our 18 week appointment on Wednesday. We were anticipating just going in and listening to the bean's heartbeat but we actually got to see our little kiddo on the monitor. The little one is really starting to look like a miniature human!

Everything with baby seemed good and the doctor says the heartbeat is strong <3

My blood pressure was a little high, as it has been at all of my appointments, so as the pregnancy progresses it will be something that the doctor monitors closely.

At this point my doctor says my weight gain should be between 5-10 pounds. So far I've gained 6 pounds, and although it doesn't seem like a ton, I can feel it. Beginning at 20 weeks he says weight gain of 1 pound week is normal...yikes!

First Trimester Sickness

I spent the entire first trimester sick as could be. I was either puking or sleeping. Okay just kidding. Thank. goodness.

Not to be that annoying girl, but I really didn't have it bad. No vomiting! Haha.

Erin 1 Morning Sickness 0.

I did have some nausea in the evening for a couple weeks, but it basically felt like motion sickness; not pleasant...but manageable nonetheless. My solution was to just sleep through it. Yes, fatigue was definitely present. There were some days I would get home at 600pm and be down for the night be 630pm. No joke.

Trying to keep it PG for the blog but there were definitely breast issues. Holy boobs Batman...I bow down to all you big chested ladies (says the girl who can't handle her B cup)  These suckers get in the way AND they are painful!!

Ahh and my pregnancy "glow" during the first trimester came in the form of oily skin and acne....so if that's what they mean about the glow, then yep, check off that box.

Bloating was a blast, for sure. Now here's a sexy image for you...I'd wake up looking 6 weeks pregnant and go to bed looking 6 months pregnant. The elastic band on my beloved sweatpants got a workout.

What else...my vision worsened. You've been warned...be a passenger in my vehicle at your own risk. But in all seriousness, I've heard this is fairly common and your vision should return to "normal" after the baby arrives. Thanks hormones.

Truth be told, all of those issues I just listed were few and far between for the most part. Or the fact that I'm writing this 5 weeks after the fact has blurred my memory :-p

But really, some days the lack of symptoms actually worried me. There are so many sad stories out there it's hard not to worry. Me and Tim are just so very thankful for this healthy pregnancy <3

Michigan Trip

It's always nice to go back to Michigan and enjoy family and friends. And the beautiful fall colors. And cheap breakfast. And low sales tax. And our favorite Midwest restaurants. And potholes. Okay not so much with the potholes.

Just like my mom I always forget we're back at first, and am shocked at the number of Michigan license plates I see. Yep, that's not just blonde hair dye. It's the real deal folks. 

Another favorite is walking into a store and being overwhelmed with Michigan State, UofM and other Detroit sports attire and accessories. We always come back with a new wardrobe. This time I even bought a GI shirt; I don't know what came over me. Size large...because apparently I plan on rockin' that shirt with a full on bump. Look out.

Speaking of new wardrobes, the bean has already got quite the collection thanks to our generous family and friends who already can't resist the urge to spoil the little one. Love you all and thank you thank you thank you <3

xoxo

Erin

Telling My D-Riv Ladies

Although the circumstances of our trip to Michigan were unfortunate, it truly was wonderful to have the opportunity to spend time with family and friends...we got to share the big pregnancy announcement with many of our friends IN PERSON, something we didn't think would be possible!

We decided we would tell these lovely ladies while we were sitting for our annual photo op.

So as we were getting ready to say "cheese" Tim yelled "Erin's pregnant!!!"......and no one said a thing. Seriously.

Guess that's what happens when you have a husband who constantly jokes around, LOL.

Then about 5 minutes later Ashley goes "Wait...are you REALLY pregnant?"

Needless to say, the rest of the evening was spent talking about all things baby. And Corrine apologized for sharing traumatizing c-section stories earlier in the evening, LOL.

Love you girls!

Grandpa's Memorial

Fall 2010 <3

My grandfather passed away on October 1st, so this past week we took a trip to Michigan to celebrate his life. He was the kindest, most generous man and I will forever find comfort and joy in all of the memories I have of him. He took great pride in his family (he practically wore out his "Michigan State Grandpa" t-shirt) and I just remember his face lighting up when he would introduce us all to his amazing friends at his favorite restaurant.

There was a wonderful turnout at his memorial luncheon, and it was so touching to see and hear everyone sharing memories and fun stories about him. It truly was a celebration of his life, and he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I got to spend time with family the entire week and really enjoyed our time together.

Thomas Earl Stage Jr. 1936-2012

 He was very excited about the pregnancy especially because the little bean's due date is the day before his birthday. We'd be so blessed if the bambino ends up sharing Grandpa's birthday.

Regardless, I know we have one more angel watching over us. Love you Grandpa - give Grandma a hug and kiss from me!

Cravings, Aversions and the Foods I'm taking a break from

So far I haven't had many gotta-have-it-NOW cravings. Tim will say my love for Baskin Robbins grew, but come on, who needs an excuse to love some ice cream?!


Around weeks 11-13 I did grow rather fond of oranges, and I think that was my closest run in with a "craving" yet. A perfect snack to me was a big, juicy orange and a glass of cold milk. Mmm.

More than cravings, I felt like I've had food aversions. There was a good 4 week period (I think 6-10 weeks) where even the mention of PASTA would make me want to gag. Crazy because I was definitely a pasta girl prior to the pregnancy. But lets be real, I could probably use a carb-reduction in my life. In general I just don't enjoy talking about food as much as I used to.

Another food related thing I've noticed is that this little bean seems to think snacks are a must-have about every 2 hours.....and I was not a snacker at all pre-pregnancy. In fact I really only do it now because the tum-tum says so. I literally have to pack at least 4 snacks for work everyday. My go to items are usually fruit, granola bars, and nut mixes.

As far as foods that I've cut out of my diet for the pregnancy...the first one is coffee. Although the doctor says up to 200mg of caffeine a day is fine, I've decided I want to limit it as much as possible. Although I miss my peppermint white mochas, I have saved some $$. I've also avoided lunch/deli meats. I can have them if they are heated to an internal temp of 165 or higher but that doesn't sound appetizing to me.

We'll see what the next 24 weeks have in store!

Chicago!

Our trip to Chicago, where we visited Shana and Alan was this past weekend. It was wonderful. The trip was loaded with delicious food, winter accessory shopping, incredible views from the 96th floor, honey boo boo, naps and fantastic friends. Basically we would move there tomorrow if we could.

Sunday we even got to spend time with Melanie and Dom, because Mel was so sweet to pick us up in Chicago and drive us back to Detroit. We had such a blast and can't wait to go back.

The bean loves to travel, we can just tell.

 

Telling the management team at work...

Today I announced to the rest of the management team at work that I'm pregnant. Because I'm awkward and was nervous for some reason, I had to enlist the help of others (thank you Su!).

Su had the fun idea to cut up strips of pink and blue paper and have each person pick one as part of a "team building exercise."Then she said "okay now you have to tell us if you think Erin is having a boy or girl." There was a pause and then the outburst of "You're pregnant?!!?" It was really fun and my Operations Manager brought in cupcakes from Hello Cupcake to celebrate (I had shared the news with her last week).

                                                      

It was really nice to feel so supported and to have fun with it. I'm lucky to have such wonderful coworkers.

And I have the sneaking suspicion that another one of my coworkers may be up to some shenanigans when it comes to spreading the word to the rest of the staff ;-)

xoxo

Erin