Home Sweet Home

Well, we're here!  Our little munchkin did really well helping Mama through a long day of travel.  Luckily the pilots decided on a different route home so we didn't pass through Hurricane Irene; we had a few bumps here and there, but nothing major.

Home Sweet Home.  I can't even begin to explain how happy I am to be back in South Carolina around my friends and family - I wish Rudy could be here and then everything would be PERFECT.  Costa Rica is great, but they're right when they say "home is where the heart is."

My Mom and my brother, Drew, just moved into a new house.  It's our "home base" for whenever my Dad and I get to come back home from overseas.  It's HUGE - definitely the biggest house we've ever been in.  The house has what seems like an endless number of bedrooms, a giant front and backyard, drive-way basketball court, and more.  The perfect thing about this place is that the previous owners baby-proofed the house already.

I'm super excited because Rudy and I have our own bedroom and another room to make a nursery for our baby!  I can't wait to find out the baby's sex so we can start decorating the nursery.  Hopefully by this time next year we'll be living here in South Carolina.

Well, yesterday officially marked 11 weeks.  I was so excited to get back here because I ordered one of those fetal heartbeat monitors and have been very successful finding our baby's heartbeat.  It was so awesome to call Rudy on Skype today so he could hear his little one's heart beat - he's such a proud Papi-to-be.

Anyway, before I left Costa Rica yesterday Rudy and I decided to take a few belly pictures so we can see how much bigger I get while I'm here in the States.  I don't have much of a baby bump just yet, but I can already feel it getting bigger just by being here - ha ha.  I can't wait to see the difference when I go back in a month - however, I am a little afraid that difference will be major because of all the good foods I have access to now.

Surfer Baby's First Trip

So Thursday (August 25th) is my first trip with a bun in the oven - ha ha.  Me and the little one are flying to SC for a month without Papi - this is going to be super tough.  This is the longest I have been away from Rudy since we first met.  Talk about an emotional roller coaster - I am SO excited to see my friends and family, but I hate being away from Rudy.  

I told Rudy today that I don't want to fly alone, but he reassured me I wouldn't be flying alone...I'll be flying with our little surfer baby.  I'm not the best flyer in the world so Thursday should be very interesting.  

Luckily and unfortunately I have 2 hour and 45 minute layover in Atlanta - I say luckily because it gives me enough time to get my muscle-less body through customs and immigration, and I say unfortunately because that means it's going to be an extra long day of traveling.

Anyway, I can't believe it will be 11 weeks on Thursday!  The doctor still wants me to take it easy for the next week and half, but he did clear me to fly so that's good.  Hopefully I won't have too much trouble with my bags - I'll be taking two big luggage bags home so I can bring stuff back.

Well, since I didn't upload the pictures from the ultrasound yesterday, I will upload them today.

Here's our little munchkin at 10 weeks 4 days:

(PS - For those of you who are wondering what that thing is coming out from the baby's belly, it's the umbilical cord...it's way too early to tell the sex of the baby - ha ha.)

10 - 11 Week Check-Up

We got to see our little surfer baby again today!  The good thing about going to the doctor here is they always do an ultrasound for every check-up!  This time our little one actually looks like a baby and not a peanut.  

We have a healthy baby growing in there - with a heart beat of 169 beats per minute.  I could have sworn that I had gained weight since my last check up, but I was so wrong.  I've lost another 6 pounds since my last check up.  I haven't really been sick or anything, so I am assuming it is all muscle weight.

Anyway, everything seemed to check out fine.  Luckily I talked Rudy into bringing the camera for this appointment so we have a cute little video to share with everyone!  It shows our little surfer baby break dancing in my belly - ha ha.

Well, I seem to have writer's block today because I didn't sleep at all last night so I think I will take a nap and write more later.  I am posting the video below - so ENJOY!

Fetus-Hood

I know I am a week late saying this, but our little surfer baby has officially made it to....FETUS-HOOD.  No longer an ear-looking embryo, it has graduated to an extremely small baby...as small as a green olive or grape!

The past ten days have actually been pretty nice.  I don't want to jinx myself, but I have only had a little nausea here and there (luckily no more vomiting...cross your fingers!).  I still don't have the best appetite - when I feel hungry I have to eat immediately or it's too late...then the heartburn and acid indigestion set in and I don't want to even see or hear about food!

I have started having some cravings.  I've noticed that I love cheesy junk foods! Doritos, Cheetos, and cheddar cheese goldfish have been helping me get through the past week and a half.  I hope the baby has been enjoying the cheesy goodness as much as I have - ha ha. I know. I know.  I need to be eating healthy foods - well I have the next 7.5 months to do so!

OH! And Fruity Pebbles!  I can't forget the fruity pebbles I eat everyday  for breakfast.  Just thinking about fruity pebbles makes me want to go fix a bowl - yummm.

I feel like a crazy person because I dream about food all the time - I constantly think about what I can't wait to eat when I get to the U.S.  on the 25th.  A week from tomorrow and I will be able to eat whatever I want whenever I want. (I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing...probably a bad thing)  I have a feeling I am going to be HUGE when I get back to Costa Rica in September - Rudy might disown me. LOL.

Anyway, tomorrow marks 10 weeks for my little surfer baby.  I hope he/she is super comfy down there.  We get to check on the baby next week before I leave for the States so I am really counting down the days.  Hopefully we'll have another ultrasound and get to hear the baby's heart beat again.

I'm also hoping the doctor will take me off of bed-rest so I can start exercising again!  I was just telling my brother, Jason, that I have no muscles what-so-ever in my body anymore - I'm like a noodle!  We were just joking about how I am going to be out of breath just riding the escalator trying to go through the airport next week - ha ha ha! (It's probably funnier to us, but if you all heard our conversation you'd be laughing too.)

OK - more about the baby.  Here's what TheBump.com has to say about the baby going into week 10:

Your Pregnancy: Week 10

Notice a network of tiny blue veins crisscrossing your already achy breasts and (sorry) disappearing waistline? Though you may not love the new look, these veins carry the extra blood needed to nourish your burgeoning baby. You also might see the effects of pregnancy on your face -- in the form of major breakouts, that is. (Thanks, hormones.)

My waistline hasn't started disappearing just yet, but if I keep eating Doritos, Cheetos, and Fruity Pebbles like there's no tomorrow..then yes it will disappear very soon!

As far as the tiny blue veins go, at least I have some color on my body!  I'm starting to look like a ghost and I live in Costa Rica - LAME.

The breakouts have been with me since day freakin' one of this pregnancy.  Whoever said you're glowing during pregnancy was a LIAR - ha ha.  People keep saying, "Stephanie, you look so great!  Pregnancy looks good on you" - I just have to laugh because I know they're pulling that out of their...well you know.

Oh well...it's all for a good cause!

Here's some more info on week 10:

Baby's now the size of a prune!With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)

8 Weeks and Counting

Well, the past few days have been a roller coaster ride.  I feel a lot like a hermit right now because anything and everything I do makes me feel sick so all I want to do is hide in my room until it goes away.

Wednesday was the first day and what I was hoping would be the last day of getting sick.  Being sick knocked me on my butt all day - I couldn't eat or drink, which made everything 10 times worse.

Thursday was fine - we had no power from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. which was not cool at all, but I survived.

Friday was....hell.  Not only did I have nausea and vomiting, I also had a severe migraine that made the other symptoms a million times worse.  I believe I ate a total of 8 saltine crackers the whole day.

Anyway, I am seriously thinking my 10 a.m. theory is right.  The two days that I was sick, I woke up/got up before 10 a.m.

Today, I forced myself to stay in bed until 10 a.m., which I believe was a great idea.  Although I didn't feel 100% today, I didn't get sick!  So to start off my day I flipped on the TV and started watching Saturday morning cartoons.  

Talk about feeling like a kid again...it felt like the old days when I didn't feel well and stayed home from school and got to watch cartoons in bed.  I even watched the Magic School Bus, which made my day - it took me back to my Pelham Road Elementary school days.  I believe we used to get to watch Reading Rainbow and the Magic School Bus every Friday, which was always the highlight of my week.

Anyway, as of today I am 8 weeks and 2 days pregnant.  The baby has graduated from a blueberry to a raspberry according to TheBump.com.  It's crazy to think the baby is so small but has already started forming its arms and legs and is actually starting to move a bit.

Here's the Bump's explanation of week 8 (read the description - it makes me laugh)

Baby's now the size of a raspberry!
Baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs, and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.

"Baby is growing like mad" -  Ha ha - what a funny way to say how much the baby is growing.  

Here's another description of what's going on with the baby right now:

your baby at 8 weeks

• You can't feel it yet, but she's moving those arms and legs like crazy!
• Her fingers and toes are now only slightly webbed, and her tail (yes, she had one) is gone.
• Fun fact: her taste buds are now forming.

No Throw Up Streak = O.V.E.R.

Well, my no throw up streak is officially over since this morning.  I was hoping I'd make it through this pregnancy without experiencing the one pregnancy symptom I hate more than anything...throwing up.  Just thinking the words makes me cringe.  I used to say I'd much rather break a bone than throw up, but I was extremely surprised at how well I handled it this morning.

Anyway, enough of that talk...I believe I've come to the realization that I must sleep every morning until 10 a.m. in order for me to have a good day.  Over the past week I've noticed that if I wake up/get up before 10 a.m. I feel terrible the rest of the day.  On the other hand, if I sleep/stay in bed until 10 a.m. I actually feel well throughout the day.  Unfortunately, today I woke up/got up around 8:40 a.m., which I believe caused me to have a bad day.  Tomorrow I will have to try to force myself to stay in bed until 10 a.m. because I do not want to have another day like today. (Hopefully I didn't just jinx my theory...ha ha)

Well, my day was highly uneventful after around 11 a.m. because I slept until 6 p.m. I just woke up a few hours ago to get some homework done and write a short blog post, but now I think I'm headed back to sleep before the yucky feelings start again.

M.I.A.

So....little surfer baby and I have been MIA the past few days.  Well, maybe not missing in action since I can't really do much, but just missing period. Ha ha.

Saturday was a GREAT day.  I finally felt well enough to leave the house for a few hours to go take pictures for Rudy's surf lessons.  I got to see the ocean for the first time in what seems like a month on Saturday, and that lifted my spirits for sure.  I am definitely having surfing withdrawals right now, but it's worth it.  I must say it is tough watching people surf when all I want to do is grab my surf board and take my little surfer baby to catch some waves.

I know surfing would help me relieve some stress right now, but unfortunately I am still on bed-rest.  I'm hoping that my doctor will tell me I can surf again around week 12, but it may be a long shot. Oh well...only time will tell!

Sunday was a TERRIBLE day for me and my little surfer baby.  Nothing seemed to sit well with us that day.  To get my mind off of my rumbly  tumbly I decided to have a Harry Potter marathon - the funny thing about this was instead of watching the movies starting with the first movie, I started with the last movie and went backwards.  I guess it's my way of getting a Harry Potter fix until I am able to go to the Cinema to see the newest movie.  Hopefully our local movie store will get the bootleg version soon - sometimes we get new movies before they come out in the cinemas! (Yeah I know..who says Cinema anymore? haha)

Today has been a pretty productive day.  I had quite a bit of homework due today and was able to finish it all in a couple of hours.  I must say I find it difficult to motivate myself when I don't feel well, but when I have an assignment due, somehow I can kick my butt into gear.

Now that I am finally done with all of my homework I wanted to take some time to write.

Today marks 7 weeks and 4 days pregnant.  I've been reading to try to find out when the embryo becomes a fetus and I keep getting between 8 and 9 weeks.  Either way I can't wait see our little blueberry in a few weeks to see how far he/she has developed.  I believe at our next appointment I will be around 10 weeks and a few days.  By week 10, I believe our baby will actually look like a baby except he/she will only be the size of a prune.

Anyway, I am anxious to see what the future holds for our little family.  I will continue to pray that everything will be alright and that we'll be able to hold our first baby in March 2012!