Our newest additions...

Thank you Lola for my new clothes. We especially love the little duckies on the feet!

Thank you Grandma for my first piggy bank. Mommy and Daddy are working to fill it up!

Thank you Angie for my first Bears outfits. Can't wait to let everyone know which one I'll be wearing!

Thank you Gerry for the silver elephants. They go perfect with my bedroom!

And Sweet Pea, too...

We had our 24 week visit to Dr. Heimburger yesterday. We both like him a lot. He's patient with us and answers all our questions without ever making us feel uncomfortable, stupid, or like we're wasting his time. He has a nice sense of humor and has been very supportive of us and our needs. We've seen him for most of our visits and keep our fingers crossed that he'll be able to deliver Baby T.

Baby continues to grow as expected, and then some. My belly should measure about 1cm for every week of pregnancy. I'm 26 cm and just 24 weeks pregnant. Doctor says we're normal though- it's just an estimate. I'd rather be a little big than too small. Baby's heart rate was 158 and moving lots as usual. We've started a new movement pattern this week. Baby wakes up with me when my alarm goes off and moves around until I decide to get out of bed. I usually have more movement after breakfast while I'm on my way to work, then again after lunch. Baby sleeps until around 9pm, when it's pretty active for about an hour. Baby settles down again when I go to bed, and then... WAKES ME UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! I found that I was waking up in the middle of the night for no reason this week- it was weird; I didn't need to use the bathroom, but I found myself awake and with Baby kicking. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but then I realized Baby is waking me up with it's kicks. That's fine with me though; that's a great thing to wake up to!

Our next appointment is in four weeks and then they increase frequency to every two weeks after that. We'll start to have weekly appointments at about week 35 until Baby is born!

We had our annual Halloween party at Vince's today. It was great, as always. He started a haunted house last year and decided to have an even bigger one this year. He actually builds it next to his house and it is amazing. I thought I weaseled my way out of it this year (I get really scared), but at the end of the night he brought me in with the lights on and after the hired help had gone home. It really deserves recognition, it's excellent.

Mom was a witch, Dad ended up a "college student", Mark was a gynecologist, Marla was Baby Valentino the Filipino Tolentino, Vince was Chuckie, Sandy was the bride of Chuckie, Shane and Branden were scary dudes, and Andrew was... a banana or a yellow blob or... well he really wasn't sure either; but he was big and yellow. We celebrated Shane's birthday too, so he had a bunch of friends over and family was there as well.

Just "eatin' me spinach!"

So, are you excited??

Hi there everyone!

Today is Monday, October 20, 2008 and we are officially into our 23rd week of this journey. I wake up each morning feeling so happy! And I am so thankful to God for blessing me with good health, a good job, the most wonderful family, best friends, two great and crazy dogs, the most beautiful wife, and of course, the little baby that is growing inside of her. We are quickly approaching the end of the 2nd trimester and I have to keep reminding myself to embrace this experience. It is going by way too fast. But then again, the quicker it does go, the sooner Baby will be here!

Baby started to move and kick several weeks ago. But it wasn’t necessarily that easy for me to be part of it. It seemed like every time Baby started to move, Baby knew I was coming and would start the little game of cat and mouse. By the time I was able to place my hand on her belly, the baby would say, ‘haha! Made you get off your butt!’ I would wait for a while and then grow increasingly impatient within a few minutes, only the have Joelle say, “Christian, you have to wait. You can’t just expect to have the baby start kicking as soon as you come over.” Well, um, okay. But isn’t that why you summoned me over in the first place? I get it though!

During those times that I have felt Baby kick, it makes my eyes get really big and makes my heart beat a little bit faster. It is so ridiculously amazing to know that there is a little person that Joelle is carrying around in her belly. We went to see Dirty Dancing for our 3rd Wedding Anniversary and the Baby was dancing to the music. Hopefully we get out to a Bears football game to see if it shows the same (hopefully more) enthusiasm as it did for the play. You can almost bet that each night, at around 9:00pm, Baby will know it is close to bed time for Joelle and find that comfortable spot for the rest of the evening. I can’t wait to hold the Baby for the first time.

The second, most popular question that I get is “do you think it is going to be a boy or a girl?” I do not typically give the standard, “I don’t know. All I hope for is a healthy baby,” answer. Obviously, that goes without saying, but in all honesty, I can say that I have felt from the beginning that it will be a boy. Don’t ask me why, who my resource is, or where I get my information from because I do not know. The overwhelming majority of family and friends continue to support the ‘It’s going to be a girl campaign.’ Which again, is fine by me. And in case you were wondering what the post popular question I get is, please see the title of this Entry!

In conclusion and the spirit (no pun intended) of Halloween, I thought it would be fun to share some Halloween pictures with you. It is definitely one of our favorite days of the year! The first time I met her family was Halloween! I was invited to the house in Itasca and was told that I would not be allowed in without a costume. Can you imagine a Filipino cowboy walking into the house with a 10 gallon hat? It was definitely a day that I will never forget. It was on that day, my father-in-law (F.I.L), being the bright and intuitive person he is, was Right On when he started planning our wedding date. This is Halloween '03 (just meeting the family).

Take good care everyone! Thanks for sharing in our experience. Thank you Mom, Dad, Mama G, and F.I.L. for all of your love, support, and prayers. We love you!

-Christian

Halloween '02 (just friends)

Halloween '05 (just married)

Halloween '06 (just flying)

Halloween '07 (just catching ghosts)

Halloween '08... JUST HAVE TO WAIT 'TILL NEXT WEEK!

The Story of the Three Bears

For the record, I should mention that although this looks like I am wearing a strapless bra on the outside of my shirt, it is nothing more than an optical illusion! (The tank top I have under the shirt I am wearing is folded over my top for the picture...)
It's our last week of month five! I am still feeling well and full of energy! Baby continues to move more than ever. Its weight is one pound now and is developing senses of touch, sight, hearing, and taste. They say if I shine a flashlight to my belly, baby will move away from the light. I'm just not sure I'm willing to try this, it seems cruel.
Knowing baby can hear now, Christian read us The Story of the Three Bears this morning. We pulled it out of one of the story books I have saved since I was probably six years old. It was good practice for him to manipulate his voice into the characters of the story... in this particular story, Papa Bear had the voice of Chris Rock. We'll continue to work on that.
We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary this week by going to see Dirty Dancing at the Cadillac Palace, downtown. It was a really good time; that's my favorite movie!
We made our way back to Geneva today for breakfast and walked through a few shops again. It's a good thing we don't know the sex of our baby- we'd be broke! The clothes they sell are beautiful and so unique. So, we left without making a dent in our pocketbooks, but certainly anticipating the reveal of the sex of Baby T!

Some new pictures...

Riley and Pacey... (Pacey looks like she wishes she could be on the couch instead of this hard floor, right?!)

Dad and Christian displaying their strong arms and fabulous teamwork!

Mom and Christian getting the crib to just the right height.


Our latest addition... the changing table and dresser.

I can't wait to start decorating and pulling the pieces together to turn this all into a beautiful nursery!

Shopping for Baby T.

Baby's been moving around like crazy. There's a pretty predictable schedule going on... Around 7am the fun begins- baby settles around 9am. I notice a lot of movement when I get home from work too, and then more around 8:30pm when I lay down on the couch. Baby's about 3/4 of a pound and is around 10.5 inches in length. It can hear us when we talk or sing, so we do quite a bit of that. Baby was jamming to "Chocolate Factory" today on the way to Home Goods. (Not so sure how I feel about that in retrospect.) It is funny though how many hip hop songs are written for "baby"... Typically not appropriate for a true BABY, but some do convert quite well.

(I've gained 23 lbs; let's move on to the next subject.)

It's been a busy two weeks... we've started to pick out items we'd like to register for and have been furniture shopping like crazy. We're trying to get as much done as possible since studying is the priority from now through November and then the holidays will be creeping up on us.

Although it's been fun, it certainly has been a lot more work than we had anticipated. It's not just about picking out cute things... they first have to be safe, then we have to see how other parents rated them. So I have had my heart set on a few items; they are rated well for safety, and cute too, and then I get home and read parent ratings and find out the items are just not practical or don't quite do all the manufacturer had intended. So then back to square one.

And then bottles- forget it! I could read about bottles for the next four months and still not know which brand to purchase. All this controversy and new information about the need for BPA free bottles, then the hype about the glass bottles (not sure how I feel about this yet), and then the question "to vent or not to vent", oh- and the nipples... gotta be good nipples too. Just when you think you've got it figured out, somebody starts talking about the benefits of disposable liners in the bottles. And how many do you need of each size? Really, I could go on and on.

The baby's room is starting to get some more attention too. My dad and Christian are going to pick up a crib and armoire tomorrow; we also found a dresser that we love. It's not part of the set, but it's a beauty. If it's not the look we like once they're in the room together, we've got some back up plans. In the end we may just get a piece that is a match to the armiore and crib. We'll see- our minds are open. Christian has been looking for decorating ideas and found a nice color scheme he's excited to show me at a Geneva shop, hopefully during the week.

We have reached our goal of keeping the pups off the couch- we still really want to pick them up and cuddle them while we watch TV, but we know it's best for all of us that we don't. I'm pretty proud of them and of us too! (I know they still probably jump on when we're not home, but as long as they aren't jumping on when we're there, we've had success!) Yeah, Pacey and Riley!

My mom had this shirt made for me... I love it! I've been waiting for the weather to cool off so I could wear it. Thank you! (Christian wants to know when his will be arriving.)

Our 20 week appointment was today!

What a day! I was looking forward to 3:20 ALL DAY LONG!! Of course, I got out of work later than I had hoped for. Then I drove all the way south to Diehl Rd before realizing the office I was scheduled at today was back north where I started… When I finally got to my appointment, we had to put off the ultrasound until after I saw the Nurse Practitioner. My bladder was full and my mind was racing. Christian was in the midst of an asthma attack with nothing but the brand new inhaler he just received from his physician at his previous appointment. Unfortunately, it was his first time using this medication, and it did not work!! So while the nurse was listening for the heart tones, Christian was wheezing and I was focused on him and worried he wasn’t going to make it through to the ultrasound.
Again, we heard all about how active our baby is! We couldn’t hear a steady heart rate because just when we got to hear a few beats, Baby moved. Then she’d have to move the Doppler around to relocate Baby’s heart. Finally, Baby sat still long enough to listen and we measured the heart rate around 155.
Next we moved over to the ultrasound room where Tom did our first abdominal ultrasound! Really, I could try to explain how I felt seeing this beautiful baby… but I won’t bother. No words could do the job. I loved seeing Baby move its arms all around- amazing! We told Tom right away that we didn’t want to find out Baby’s sex today, so he made sure we turned our heads when he was checking the legs. Baby’s legs were positioned like a frog, so the view would have been ideal. He took about 20 pictures from all different views; we had six printed for us to take home. Baby's size is equal to that of a baby due about a week earlier than our due date. Today is 19 weeks and 5 days and Baby is measuring at 20 weeks and 3 days. One might think our due date is off, but we know exactly the moment this baby began its journey so it's calucated quite accurately!
The first picture is the profile… seeing this little nose just warms my heart! Next is another side view of Baby; if you look closely you’ll be able to see that itty bitty spine. The third picture shows Baby’s face. He adjusted the contrast to show the eye sockets clearly. The nose and lips are visible too. We got to see some pictures of the ears, heart, chest, and belly too, but we didn’t get to bring those home. The last picture is of the front of Baby again. This time we are looking upward from the belly. So the belly is the big circle toward the right. To the upper left is the head (only half of the face is showing) and that straight line in front of Baby’s face is a little arm and hand waving at us again!

We are so happy to see that Baby is doing well. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we work our way through the rest of the second trimester. Time is starting to fly by! I love every movement I feel, and each time it brings me happiness. I find myself smiling even when I'm alone at each little bounce I feel in my belly.

First movements and kicks!

What a week!! No more champagne bubbles, I am really feeling Baby T. move! I'll start to feel an area of my abdomen harden, and then sure enough, if I put my hand there I can feel movement... I didn't expect to be able to feel anything from the outside, but what a pleasant surprise. Christian was able to feel baby move too; we look forward to more of these exciting times! On Saturday night, I was sitting in a chair with my hand on my belly and I said, "Oh my God! Oh my God!!" My mom was looking at me wondering what my problem was. I told her I felt real kicks. Amazingly, even after I stood, she was able to feel three strong kicks too. It was really incredible.

Thoughts from Daddy...

Hi there everyone! I thought it would be about that time to make my cameo appearance on this wonderful blog that Joelle has been maintaining. At this point in our journey, I am so incredibly happy that nothing I say on this blog will come even remotely close to how I truly feel inside.

It is indeed, a very special time for Joelle and me. We are so grateful to have family and friends who have been there for us. The cards, e-mails, text messages, hugs, kisses, prayers, support, advice, and well wishes have meant the world to us. Every single day, we talk about how lucky we are to be surrounded by such loving, caring, and thoughtful people.

The In Vitro process, in itself, is pretty amazing. Of course, there are times that I have said, ‘why are we going through this?’ or ‘why can’t we just have a baby already?’ But just like anything else in our lives, Everything Happens for a Reason. I know this is the path that God had intended for us to travel and so we continue to focus on the experience and the journey. I know deep down inside that we will have a beautiful baby soon and that is all that matters.

Joelle has been unbelievable. From the difficult ordeal that we went through during round one of the process to all of the preparations, medication regimes, and sacrifices she has made has really gave me a whole new perspective on things. It took a while for us to get back on our feet from round one. Again, the whole idea of In Vitro is so overwhelming in itself, that it was hard to be given more bad news. But because she had so much faith and was able to say, ‘Let’s do it again,’ was when I was able to gain so much from all this experience.

We are only 18 weeks pregnant, but life changes for us every day! I understand that we still have a long, long way to go, but we have also come a very long way too. Thank you again to all of you! I can not tell you enough how appreciative I am every time people ask me how things are going. Nobody is oblivious to life’s trials and tribulations. I have learned that each and every one of us have difficult times to go through. But it is the people around us, the attitude we take, and of course God, that will ultimately guide us through it all.

Joelle has the cutest bump on her belly and I can’t stop touching it! It is awesome. We have also tried to implement some new ground rules for Pacey and Riley to adhere to with the baby coming in February. Take good care everyone and hope to hear from you soon!
-Christian

Baby and I are feeling great... I feel completely back to normal with the exception of feeling like I have a small watermelon tucked in my belly. Sometimes it gets so tight, I find it hard to breathe. That's usually after I'm done eating though. I'm feeling a lot more movement lately. It still feels like champagne bubbles but it's more frequent now. I'm still full of energy but I can't remember the last time I slept through the night. Surprisingly, I make it through the day without feeling exhausted. I'm getting excited to start considering what we will register for. Every now and then I read through "Baby Bargains", a book from Elissa, but I try not to read too much because I don't want to get too ahead of ourselves. I'm excited- I'm hearing that 20 weeks is a good time to make it out to the stores and play with the car seats and strollers, and see what feels right. All this before that third trimester comes and I'm tired all over again. I can't believe we're 5 months pregnant! Wow!! It is music to my ears; still hard to believe. Sometimes I look in the mirror as I'm walking by and it brings a smile to my face, literally, when I see this belly! I got to see a lot of family this weekend at Julia's wedding, and feel so blessed when I think of all the support and prayers we have. Thank you all so much. We love you.

(I'd like to mention that the pants I have on in these pictures are the first gift I ever got from Christian... they are from the first time we dated in 2001! They're so comfy, I've worn holes through the seams in the legs. Awww... so special.)

Thank you Daddy.

Daddy's home!!! Yeah!! Christian just got home from visiting his sister Chelsea in Virginia. (Congratulations on becoming an RN, and on receiving an "excellence in leadership" award, Chelsea!) I caught a bug while he was gone- the cleaning bug!!! I was really full of energy today, and have been all about organizing this week. Earlier in the week, I attacked my office at work, and today I attacked our lower level of the house. So nice and clean!

So Christian bought Baby T. a new outfit while he was in Virginia. He also got some white onesies. (Is that really a word? Carter's calls them wiggle-in-bodysuits.) Anyway, it's all very cute. He even got baby his/her first bath towel with a little froggie hood. The cutest thing about it all is that Daddy picked it out! OK, I should say that we did splurge and buy Baby T. its first Cubs cap too when we were at the Cubs game last week. I know, I know... don't buy any more clothes. But, we really haven't done much before now, so it's ok. Oh, and there's the little outfit I bought for my friends baby but I had to get him something else cause I didn't see him till he was 3 months old. So, I kept the newborn outfit for us... you wouldn't really expect me to RETURN it, would you?!

OK... this special section of "Glamour Shots" is for all you Baby T. supporters who are so kind to say to me, "Oh, Joelle, you don't even look pregnant yet!". Well I certainly know better than that, but I'm taking this opportunity to share with you what Christian discovered when he took our old camera out to Virginia. When I picked him up, he said, "Oh, wait till you see the pictures I found from when you were really early in the pregnancy." So here it is folks... and no, I have no shame. If you didn't know me well before now, you're certainly getting to know me now. A la na-tur-al... (I'm not passing up an opportunity to take my weekly picture just because I have no makeup on and am in my PJs... and I'm certainly not going to get all dressed up for a two second photo op). So, what do you think, any difference?!

Ellie Fawn T.

In the next few weeks baby will double (his) weight and add inches to (his) length. Baby is about 5 inches long and 3.5 to 4 ounces. Toenails have even started to grow. There's a lot happening inside as well. For example, the heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as baby continues to develop. "Soooo Big!"

This is baby's first collection of stuffed animals. Alice gave us the yellow elephant. After seeing our blog, she put some thought into it and decided that if it's a girl we should name her "Ellie Fawn T." No, of course we wouldn't, but quite an original thought! The brown puppy is from Gwen (Mommy was cuddling with it this morning). Thank you both.

The chenille teal throw is my mom's from her bed as a teenager. I was looking in the closet for a blanket to throw over the rocker when I came across this. It's the perfect color to go with the baby's room and is really beautiful. We discussed the possibility of incorporating this fabric into a blanket for Baby T.; that would be quite a special piece to hand down to our child. The rocker was my Grandma Martha's. I'm not sure if it will stay in our room or the baby's, but it's sure nice to have.

MOOOO

We had our 16 week appointment today. It was pretty uneventful. We listened to fetal heart tones; baby's heart rate is about 150. I'm growing at the expected rate, and we will schedule our next appointment for four weeks from now at which time we will also schedule an ultrasound. (Yeah!!)

I continue to feel well, although I wish I was sleeping through the nights. I sleep so lightly and there's really nothing I can do about it. Plus the trips to the bathroom don't help; I thought that was supposed to stop by now... I'm getting up at least once to the bathroom and my internal alarm wakes me at 4am with a full bladder. I try to ignore it and sneak it that extra hour of sleep before I have to get up for work, but it's frustrating. Oh well, it's all for a great reason!

I'm really excited. Sandy and Vince gave us their pump- it's a HUGE cost savings, and it's a great model. The dual pump should have these puppies emptied out in about 20 minutes- perfect for when I return to work. The greatest part of the exchange was when my nephews, Shane and Branden, asked me "What's this thing for?". I answered, "it milks the cow" (thinking that would be way over their heads). And with that, Shane replied with a smirk on his face, "And you're the cow, right?!" We were cracking up.

Movement!

I'm really excited! I felt the baby move yesterday for the first time! Christian and I were waiting to be seated at our favorite breakfast place- Egg Harbor Cafe, in Geneva, when I felt two short pulses similar to what it would feel like if I got a vibrate alert from my phone for a text message. I felt them on the lower right side of my abdomen. I got really excited, but to be sure, I checked my phone to see if it was a text. No new messages, no missed calls. I didn't feel anything for the rest of the day; even though I was sure it was the baby I still had my doubts. But then I felt it again today while I was at Jewel! Yeah!! Hooray for baby T!!

I checked on baby's heartbeat this morning. The rate was 144, and very clear. I was midway through the heart rate when the baby moved and I lost it. But I moved the doppler over about an inch and a half and was able to hear it again.

It's hard to believe baby is four inches from crown to rump... Baby's scalp hair pattern has been determined by now and can turn (his) head, open its mouth, and press its lips together. This month we expect to see the most rapid growth yet! I'm not sure if we'll have another ultrasound at our visit on the 28th, but it sure would be nice!!

We went browsing in Geneva yesterday after breakfast and found some really adorable paintings for the nursery. So I believe we have determined the theme of the room, but we can 't purchase any paintings until we know if it's a boy or a girl... there weren't any gender neutral items for what we like so I'm going to call over there today to find out if the paintings I found can be ordered in say... 25 weeks or so!

Oh!... I had another baby dream last night. Despite the fact that Christian and I came to the realization this week that this very well could be a girl, it was still a boy in my dream. He had such a round little head and beautiful face!! (He was probably about 9 months old in my dream). He even looked like a Polpino!! I should mention that we are certainly not hoping for one sex over another, its just that all along we've both said we think it's a boy while most everyone else thinks it's a girl... 'Till this weekend when we talked about how our certainty of it being a boy is diminishing... We'll see, won't we!

Thank you to our friend Dawn for lending me some maternity clothes. The capris are especially helpful to get me through the next few warm months without spending too much money!

Go USA!

We just can't get enough of the Olympics! As I was cleaning yesterday, Christian presented me with my gold medal and requested I put on my swimming gear for a photo shoot. (Come on, I know you all do this stuff, I'm the only one willing to admit it!) Our gym has a lap pool in it and over the winter I decided I would start to use it... I also decided I didn't want my hair to be destroyed by the chlorine, so I bought a swimming cap. Christian can't let it go. So here is the 2008 Pregnant Women's Swimming Champion... (Baby's gonna be so proud of mommy and daddy some day).

Introducing... the full front panel!

I did it! I jumped over to the other side and purchased some maternity clothes... Christian came with and helped me pick out some cute stuff. I got a pair of jeans and a bunch of casual shirts, nothing too dressy since I really don't need dress clothes for work. The jeans are the best things since sliced bread. They have the full front panel that is so light and comfy over my belly; I can turn it down or leave it up. I LOVE them!! I wore street clothes to work today instead of scrubs. I thought I could get away with wearing my regular grey cords with one of the longer tops I purchased over the weekend... I should take a picture and post it. Ridiculous. I couldn't even zip them. So I think I'm going to pack up my skinny pants and just forget about them for at least the next 9 months instead of wasting my time trying to find a way to make them work. Anyway, I look forward to picking up a few more items to get me through the next couple of months; especially pants!

Last weekend Christian, my mom, and I went shopping for a friends baby shower gift and decided to pretend we were the three bears in the glider section of the store... We all agreed that this glider was "juusst right". The pillow on the back is soo soft and it is upholstered in chenille. It is a glider and even has a gliding ottoman. It is amazing. I told Christian we may want to have it upholstered in a color to match our family room; I'm not sure I can leave it up in the baby's room! We also found a crib set we liked, but we'll keep looking around for the perfect one.

Christian came to visit me at work today. We listened to baby's heartbeat together. Last week when I listened, I found the heartbeat all the way over toward the right side. Today when we listened it was all the way over to the left side. Sounds nice and strong! We look forward to our next appointment on the 28th so we can see how big baby is getting.

Thank you Kim and Logan for baby's first stuffed animal-so soft and cuddly!

At last... we are on to the second trimester!

Hooray!!! We have made it through the first trimester. Yesterday was a big day for us. I have been looking forward to August 2nd for a long time; I only have to take my shot once a day now. I've been giving myself shots in the bootie twice a day for about four months now. In addition, I was able to stop taking my oral prescription yesterday. Ahhhhh... now the next big day is August 16th when I have NO shots at all!! What a relief.

So the questions I'm being asked are "Do you feel any better?" and "Have you gotten some energy back?". Well, I certainly have been feeling better. The only times I get nauseated are if I wait too long to eat (which is back to a near normal schedule, not every 90 minutes!) or after I take my multivitamins. I can't change that. I take them at night, and I try to have something in my stomach before I take them, but they still get me every time. As far as more energy- yes I am less tired than a few weeks ago, but I still need a nap after work. And I've finally got it in me to study for my CNRN exam (to become certified in neuroscience nursing) so that's a great sign. I should have been studying for months now but these first few months left me feeling anything but interested in studying. My test is in October, so that will have me very busy 'till then.

Baby is about the size of a peach now. The intestines which have been growing inside the umbilical cord are now moving into their permanent position in the baby's abdomen. The muscles in the walls of the digestive tract are now functional so baby can begin "practicing" the movements required to push food from one portion of the tract to another. The baby's vocal cords are developing this week and the hard palate that divides the mouth from the nose is formed.

Active Baby!

This weekend we went camping with my Mom, Vince, Sandy, Shane, Branden, and our dogs. It was such a great time. Food was excellent, and the company was even better! We played games around the campfire, relaxed and played in Lake Michigan, and did a whole lot of laughing. Pacey and Riley even got to go swimming for the first time. Great memories!

We are just over 11 weeks pregnant. Today we got to hear baby's heartbeat for the first time via doppler, then we had another ultrasound and were again amazed at what we saw. Baby was kicking and waving its arms all over, and moving up and down and side to side in the amniotic fluid. It was so cute. The doctor was having a hard time getting baby's measurements; she kept saying "Oh my gosh, this is such an active baby! Slow down baby!". I'm sure at this rate baby will be exhausted by the time (he's) born, and just want to sleep all through the nights! (Haaah!) The heart rate was 162. The length matches up to a due date about 5 days earlier, so he's doing very well. Along with our doctor, we have decided to skip our next two week appointment and go back in four weeks for our next visit.

"Worth the Wait"

Wow- today was rough! I was SOOO tired at work and nauseated too. The best way I've heard this feeling explained is that it's like taking a sleeping pill when I wake up and then having to stay awake and work. I felt good all last week, with some nausea here and there and periods of sleepiness, but I was not taking naps after work. This week, I'm back to napping. The good news is that my cravings for junk food are not as strong. I've been craving fresh fruit and healthy sandwiches. Although, around lunch I'm still wanting veggie pizza. Today I had the most amazing grilled cheese ever! It had fresh tomato, mushroom, and bacon! YUM!

When I got home, I had such great surprises waiting! I got an adorable card from The Maryanski Family congratulating us. And then Christian went to the door and found two packages addressed to us also. The first was from Pam, a great pregnancy journal that details each days progress for mom and baby. It also gives some helpful hints and cute quotes. I love it! The other book I'm reading gives weekly updates and I always want to peek ahead, but this one will give me something to read every day- Thank you Pam!

The second gift is from Jessica and Kevin- the picture speaks for itself. When Christian pulled this out of the gift box, I struggled to hold back the tears; it just hit me! It says, "I was worth the wait". Oh, I cannot wait to see our baby in this adorable outfit! Thank you... I couldn't imagine any phrase more perfect!

Last week, Sue K. came back from Italy and brought baby a beautiful teal colored Rosary from Vatican City and a pendant. It is very special to us, and comes from a very special place. Thank you Sue and Ray for thinking of us while on vacation.

Tracy and Joe Volkmar were here this weekend to celebrate Dad's retirement. It was great to see them after so long and their adorable son Chase. Tracy's card said it best... "The best days of your lives are still to come". I have to believe she's right!

Knees and Elbows

So we met one of our new OB docs yesterday. He was great. He walked us through what to expect over the next months, explained tests, and was very reassuring. I have my next 3 appointments scheduled, each two weeks apart. During that time we will meet a few other doctors as well. By the end of the pregnancy, the hope is to have met each of them so when it comes time to deliver, we are familiar with each doctor. He gave very thorough explanations, and really took his time with us.

Baby has grown in two weeks from 1.4cm to 3.2cm, just under an inch and a half. That's what they call the CRL, crown-rump length. It is the measurement of babies head to butt, so we aren't counting the length of those itty-bitty legs. Actually, baby's length is a few days ahead of what was expected, so when it comes to growth we're doing really well. (Me and baby!!) The heart beat was just as beautiful as the first time we saw it. We're 10 weeks pregnant on Saturday. At ten weeks, baby is about the size of a prune. Bones and cartilage are forming and small indentations on the the legs are developing into knees and ankles. Unbelievably, the elbows on baby's arms are already working! Tiny buds of baby teeth are forming under the gums. The stomach is producing digestive juices, the kidneys are producing larger quantities of urine, and if it's a boy... the testes are producing testosterone.

We are thrilled to see baby is doing well, I'm feeling really good, and I look forward to getting some energy back. I'm still very tired, but the nausea has subsided greatly. Christian is so amazed that there is TWO heartbeats within one foot of each other- all within one body!

Thank you to Eric & Angela, Ron & Susan, Melissa, and Mom for your adorable cards. And thank you to each of you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Everyone at work has been SO supportive- keeping an eye on me, and being so willing to help me with whatever I need. Thank you Julia for the "Got Milk" bib, and thank you mom for the baby sheet set too.

Baked goods and muffin-tops!

We've made it through two whole weeks without a doctor appointment! It's just a taste of what's to come. It was difficult at times since we're already used to checking in on baby at least once a week. Every time I start to feel good I get a little nervous, but then I get nauseated and exhausted, and I'm kindly reminded that baby is doing just fine. Tomorrow's a big day; it's our first appointment with our OB. I called yesterday to verify the time and address of my appointment, and learned that my OB-gyne who did all my preliminary tests, fertility drugs, intra-uterine inseminations, and my surgery back in November is no longer delivering at CDH. Everything happens for a reason though; I was just commenting to my mom that I was considering switching to another doctor within the same practice but felt Dr. Weeks knew me so well I should stick with him... Well, I don't have a choice anymore. The doctor I've chosen was one who during one of my intra-uterine inseminations last year insisted on giving me a shot of lidocaine into the cervix- his theory is "why should my patients be in any unnecessary pain?". Well, isn't that who I want to deliver my baby?! Yes! So I'm excited to see him again tomorrow. I'm more excited/anxious to check in on the baby and see that (he's) doing well.

So, I have a belly on me. I'm sure I can attribute a bit to the routine of eating every 90 minutes. This is the only thing I've found to keep the nausea controlled. The last 4 days or so have been much better for me. I've gained about 4.5 pounds so far with just over 2 weeks to go in the first trimester. We've taken pictures every week since week 5; it's funny to see the change- slight but definite. The old 'hair rubber band through the button hole and around the button' trick is keeping me in my regular clothes. Otherwise, I've got serious muffin-top going on with a hard time breathing in those tight pants, and sooo uncomfortable. Christian took me to Target, (big spenders we are) and we picked up some casual loose fitting tops. I got brave yesterday and threw on a long tank top with one of my not so old tops over it. OOOHHHHH NOOOOO she didn't!! Ripped that puppy right off and put on my new Target top! It was a sight. I know people are noticing my habits... today a patient brought in a huge assortment of fresh baked goods from their family bakery. Why did TWO co-workers march right over to let me know about "all the baked goods in the back room"?! (Love those cherry turn-overs).

I already have all my parts!

We had our last ultrasound at the fertility clinic today... My first appointment with our OB doc is on Wednesday July 16th. Baby's grown to just over 14mm, about 3/4ths of an inch. However, don't let that small size fool you! Baby has all the organs and body parts we do; they just need to develop more! The hands and feet are still slightly webbed, but in a few days they'll have developed into tiny fingers and toes.

In this picture, you can see the back view of the baby. The head is at the top, the spinal cord can be seen, and those round spots on the sides are the arms and legs!!! There's still a little tail but that will be gone by next week! The black area around the baby is the amniotic sac. All this in just under EIGHT WEEKS!

This last shot is a side view that shows where the umbilical cord attaches to the placenta. I think baby is waving hello to us! At first I thought my amazement came from this being OUR BABY, but this is just plain amazing no matter how I look at it. At less than an inch, my baby has arms and legs, hands and feet, a beating heart, eyes, lungs, kidneys... and so smart (he) already knows how to wave! WOW! Oh, and I should mention, we are not going to find out the sex of our baby until birth. I've been asked that a lot.

We sure love our rice!!!

This is Christian at six weeks! On Saturday we took the first picture of my belly- just a bit bloated for now. Baby Tolentino also had another photo shoot today. Now baby's crown to rump length is 8.2mm; that's 6mm bigger than last week. Yes, about the size of a piece of rice!!! The growth rate is about 1mm per day for now and (his) heart rate is 118 beats per minute. Still so absolutely amazing. On Sunday, I started to have some nausea which I thought was just anxiety. We were at Ashley and Andrew's graduation party, and it was so difficult to keep such an exciting secret! But when I woke up on Monday, I struggled to get ready for work and stuck a big ziplock in my pocket just in case I couldn't make it through the car ride. Bring on the saltines... the nausea has begun! I still felt the same ALL DAY on Tuesday, but today I feel great. No nausea, but I managed to sneak in a 3 hour nap after meeting Grandma Liz for lunch. We went browsing for clothes and I had more fun looking through the baby section than looking for clothes for myself. Ohhhh, how exciting! Now Lola Rosie is here visiting us. We've gotten our first few baby gifts already from a few of my co-workers. Chris got us an adorable soft little angel rattle, and Linda gave us our first baby healthcare kit- the perfect gift from one nurse to another. Thank you!

Truly a Miracle

On Wednesday, June 18th, we had our first appointment to confirm a healthy pregnancy. We were so nervous! All that excitement had suddenly escaped us and we were just plain nervous! We would find out today how many babies and make sure the pregnancy was in the uterus. Every thought was racing through our heads! When the picture showed up on the ultrasound screen, she confirmed we had one baby in the uterus. Relief came over us again as we filled with a whole new set of emotions. Christian and I were holding on to each others hand as she explained what we were looking at; the gestational sac, the yolk, and the fetus! Then I saw the most beautiful thing in my whole world... she zoomed in on the fetus, and there it was. My baby has a beating heart!!! Words again escaped us, but Christian said his happiest moment was looking at me watching the screen as a big smile came upon my face. This is the ultrasound picture from that day at 5.5 wks pregnant. The arrow is pointing to the fetus. What a cutie patootie!

Can you play that message again?

Well, the short story goes...
We started preparing for our second embryo transfer back in late March. On Wednesday May 28th, we went to our clinic, where they had already thawed two embryos for transfer. At 9:30am with a full bladder... no- a bursting bladder... the transfer took place. The next 12 days would be some of the longest yet. The first few days were manageable, I was on bed rest, and filled with hope. By day 8, I was DONE. I was angry, sad, frustrated, and anxious. By Friday, I had been rejuvenated by my mom who reminded me to take it one day at a time instead of focusing on how the heck I was gonna make it to Monday morning for our test results.(This picture was taken on Friday, June 6th at Ryan Inlow's wedding). Monday morning came, Christian and I went for my blood work, and then came home and took a nap. I found great happiness in sleep during this 12 day period- anything to make time pass. He went to work and came home at 1:15pm with lunch. We have a voicemail set up at our doctors office where we can check in for updates on medication dosages, lab results, etc. He asked me to check the messages, but there were no new ones. We ate. Then checked again. Nothing. Then again. And again. I told him I wouldn't check any more, cause I was going CRAZY!! We had to wait at least a half hour before I'd check again. At 2:34pm we called again and this time heard, "One New Voicemail"!!!!!!!! We sat on the couch together with our insides flipped inside out and upside down in anticipation. When I heard the nurses voice, I was sure the news wasn't good. Her voice was soft and gentle; like she was about to give us difficult news. And then she said the words we'll never forget..."Congratulations!! You're pregnant!!" The rest of a message was a blur- something about a future appointment, meds to continue, and considering an OB doc... blah blah blah. Our mouths hung open with no words coming out. Just tears in our eyes as we stared at each other. Christian said, "Uhhhh... Can you play that message again, so I can here the part where she says you're pregnant?!" Once we heard it the second time, we just cried and cried, and hugged, and cried. Ahhhhh. No words can explain the pressure relieved from my body. I just began to giggle.