15 Weeks

 

Baby is the size of an orange.

It's hard to believe my baby is the size of an orange!  Of course by the time it's the size of a cantelope, I might be wishing it was back to this size.

This week we did not end up going to the doctor yet due to a conflict in Matt's work schedule, but we are set to go in on Monday morning.  I am looking forward to it.

As far as symptoms go, I am sad to report that my morning sickness came back - but mostly in the evenings.  Not sure if this is just due to a growth spurt or what, but I liked the couple weeks where the nausea went away.

I have also been having nose bleeds.  Not really a full on bleed, but there is a large amount of blood in the tissue when I blow my nose.  I have been a little congested, as well.

I'm still having hunger pangs and have a hard time determining whether I need food or need to throw up.  So my remedy is to just be eating constantly so I don't feel anything.  Haha!  Speaking of getting fat, I have gained a total of 4 pounds so far.  Not bad!

A coworker of mine is due with her first baby a month before me, and she just found out the gender this week.  That was very exciting and made me feel like this is a bit more real.

No real cravings or aversions to food this week besides a dire need for carbonated beverages.  I can't tell you how good a fountain Pepsi or Coke tastes sometimes.  Mmm...

I haven't felt any movement or flutters yet, but when I lay down at night I try really hard to see if I feel anything.  I can't wait til that happens!

14 Weeks

Baby is the size of a lemon and can suck it's thumb and wiggle it's toes!

I'm just feeling fat now.  I no longer enjoy wearing my old jeans and am starting to wonder if it's time to buy some maternity jeans.  This could also be a side-effect from the pigging out we did on the cruise last week, but I'm happy to see that I only gained 2 pounds from that week.

 

I am entering into my second trimester!  The end of week 13 is the official start.

I managed to go an entire week without throwing up while we were on vacation.  The night we got back home, though, it was as though my body said thank you for that, but now I really need to throw up.

It was nice while it lasted.  This week, I haven't felt horrible.  Just nauseus in the morning and a bit tired throughout the day.  I also had a massive acne breakout on my cheeks/neck.

I am excited to go to a new doctor on Tuesday.  Hopefully we will get to hear the heartbeat and go over whatever they think I need to be aware of at this point in the pregnancy.

No other changes other than I've started browsing online so I can make a list of all the supplies we will need to start purchasing. There is so much stuff!  I've also started pricing day cares and determining what my work schedule might look like after the baby arrives.

12 Weeks

Baby is the size of a plum!

• Most of her critical systems are fully formed!
• She's about to enter the growth and maturation stage, in which her organs and tissues will grow and develop rapidly.
• She's now developing her reflexes -- if you poke her body, she'll likely move.
• She's opening and closing her fingers and curling her toes, too.
• Her brain is developing fast!

Twelve weeks pregnant today and I am finally feeling a lot better!  I don't want to jinx it, but I have not been feeling nauseous in the mornings as often, maybe two times this past week.  However, I won't say that the vomiting has vanished completely.  I decided to fill my prescription the doctor gave me called Zofran, which is supposed to suppress nausea.  I took one about a week ago, and I would almost rather throw up in the morning than deal with a bloated/gassy stomach the entire day (a side effect from the medicine.)  I think I would have benefited more from the Zofran weeks 6-10 when I was really feeling sick.  Now I know for next time.

As far as other things go, I had my first ob appointment on January 16th and I did not feel comfortable there.  Everything was very rushed and my doctor only talked to me for about a minute.  I honestly wouldn't even know if I was pregnant or not if I hadn't seen an ultrasound previously.  I am going to try a new doctor that I have heard good reports about and see how that goes about mid February.

Not much news to report lately.  I do feel like my stomach is beginning to stick out more than normal, but as you can see by the pictures, I wouldn't really think of it as a baby bump just yet.  Maybe in a few more weeks!

By the time I'm back from vacation, I will officially be entering into the second trimester!  This is exciting to me because it means the risky part of the pregnancy is mostly over, I will hopefully get more energy back, and the babe will be a third of the way cooked!  I'm getting excited to know the gender, but I don't think that's going to happen until March sometime.  I'm pulling for team pink!

10 Weeks

 Baby is the size of a prune

How far along? 10 (11 by Friday...) Weeks

Total weight gain: Negative 2 due to morning sickness

Maternity clothes? No, but immediately upon getting home at night, I put my sweats on.

 
Stretch marks? Nope

 
Sleep:  Just getting up once a night to go potty, otherwise I'm sleeping quite peacefully.

Best moment this week:  Feeling good for a couple days (no morning sickness!)

Miss Anything? Sitting on the couch without falling asleep.

Movement: Nope

 
Food cravings: Chocolate milk, juice, fruit

 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Oh yes! The smell of my hairspray, smoke, dog food, vanilla candles, and certain cleaning agents make me nauseous.  Also finding it difficult to drink plenty of water.  Also interesting fact: I am no longer into sweets.  I know, it's weird!!

 
Gender: Won't find this out for at least 5 more weeks.

 
Labor Signs: Heck no!

Symptoms: Tired all the time, throwing up about every morning, so cold all the time, just not feeling like myself.  Not to mention the teenager-like acne outbreaks on my face!

 Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Excited and happy! 

Looking forward to:  Going on vacation the first week of February.  Really hoping I am feeling a lot better, especially because there will be so much delicious food!

Ok so most of these questions are irrelevant being this early in the pregnancy, but I wanted to remember the early days.

 

Announcing...Baby Focht!

WE'RE PREGNANT!!

I just love saying that.  If you want to hear the story of how we found out, read on.

On December 8th, I was feeling extremely grouchy.  Matt insisted that we go out in the cold, wet weather and trudge around in the mud to get a Christmas tree.  I was not in the Christmas spirit, to say the least.  That was the first moment that I thought hmmm...I could possibly maybe be pregnant!  I don't usually get that crabby around my time of the month.  Not to this extent anyway.  I felt plain ole depressed.  But anyway, we spent the day decorating for Christmas and that was that. 

The next morning was Sunday and I just felt the urge to take a home pregnancy test.  And what did I find?  A very very faint pink line.  I couldn't help myself and ran to show Matt what I had done.  I asked him what he thought and he stared at it for a while.  He then pointed to where he saw where a line "should probably be" and that was it.  I knew it was positive!  So I took a First Response test the next morning and the lines were very dark.  I told Matt he would find out the result by the time he got done getting dressed for work (I had put it in his shoe!) And of course he did not even put his shoes on until five minutes before leaving.  But when he found it, he was so happy!  We both spent the day feeling so many different emotions!  Happy, excited, overwhelmed, nervous, anxious, and surprised.  It was a great day.  We found out we were going to be parents!!!!

We kept the secret to ourselves until my first ultrasound to verify if there was really life growing inside of me.  That week was the longest week of my life, it seemed.  We finally had it verified and I was 5 weeks, 4 days along.  All we could see was a gestational sack and yolk sack.  No baby yet!  But it was a start and we told my sister the early news.  Her reaction?  No, you're not pregnant!  I need to see proof.  Typical....

The next few weeks were kind of a blur with the holidays, traveling, and my first days of morning sickness.  I truly felt like I was dying at first, but now the whole puking thing is becoming easier.   We told Matt's family on Christmas day and they were thrilled.  We told my Mom and Dad the following weekend.  They were speechless as they opened a box that had a helium balloon popped out that was attached to a pair of baby shoes.  They had no clue this Christmas would be so memorable.

I am now 10 weeks along and feeling like I'm finally used to the idea that there is, in fact, a baby inside of me.  I still can't imagine being a mommy, but I am so looking forward to becoming one in August.  I plan to update the blog throughout my pregnancy with belly bump pictures and some type of monthly survey on how things are progressing so that I can remember everything about my first time being pregnant!

2012 In Review

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

2012 was a good year in the Focht household.  It had its highs and lows, and by the end of the year, we look back and realize how truly blessed we are.  Here are our top stories of the year.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY-

We started the year off with a trip to Effingham for New Years with Krista and Dan.  The months of January and February were frigid, but we didn't get much snow compared to a typical Ohio winter.   Amy got her nose pierced (but it fell out in a couple months and she just said forget it!) Matt continued to work for Elizabeth New Life Center as the communication coordinator and Amy continued at ABC Dental as the receptionist and translator after several of her coworkers were laid off the year before.

MARCH-APRIL-

We saw a very early spring and decided to plant a new flower bed in the front yard.  Matt was busy with banquets for work and Amy kept busy with planning the summer vacations!

MAY-

We started off the month in Cincinnati as Dad Price ran the Flying Pig Marathon.  This also marked the last time visiting with Krista and Dan before they moved to Okinawa, Japan with the Air Force.  At the end of the month, we took our first vacation to Mexico!  We spent 5 days in Cancun at an all-inclusive beach resort...and never wanted to leave! 

JUNE-

We went to see Wicked in Dayton with our friends, Jon and Holly.  We also ate lots of ice cream and took lots of walks to burn it off.  Amy started the Insanity workout series and completed one month of intense workouts.  We also continued hosting a small group at our house with friends from church.

JULY- 

We traveled to Georgia with Mom and Dad Price.  We enjoyed staying at a secluded resort.  We spent most of our time visiting water falls, hiking, and relaxing by the pool.  This also marked the month our best friends moved away to South Dakota after finishing their military duties in Dayton.  No more Friday nights out to eat for four.  Amy also enjoyed following the Olympics as the US took gold in gymnastics.  We also got to meet our very first NIECE!

AUGUST-

Matt took a new job at Markey's Rental and Staging.  He was no longer happy at ENLC as there just wasn't much to motivate him there, and he was looking for something to expand his skill set.  He became a rental technician, and Amy saw very little of him for the next couple months as he started during the busiest time of year.  We purchased a new car- a 2009 Pontiac Vibe.

SEPTEMBER-

We took a trip to Effingham for Labor Day.  We loved looking at all the changing trees and just enjoying cooler weather.  Our friends from small group had their first baby! We also met some new friends at church that we really enjoy hanging out with.

OCTOBER-

We went to Effingham (again!) for a dear friend's Cambodian-American wedding.  Amy also enjoyed recreating Pinterest projects for Halloween. 

NOVEMBER-

Matt and Amy had a quiet Thanksgiving together at home because Matt's work schedule did not really allow for traveling too far.  Amy baked a lot of new recipes!

DECEMBER- 

The holidays brought a month full of treats in our bellies and trips to Elyria and Effingham for Christmas time.  We enjoyed spending time with our baby niece and nephews in Elyria and Face-timing with Krista and Dan while we were in Effingham.  And we only had to drive through one blizzard!

We had a great year!  We are thankful for all the memories we made and for all the blessings God gave us.  We look forward to a happy, healthy year in 2013.

New Camera

Black Friday was good to us this year.  Matt felt the urge to participate by buying a new tablet for himself.  (I totally approved, as I know how much I enjoy my iPad!)  But little did I know he had something else up his sleeve.  When he come home from work the day after Thanksgiving, he had more than a tablet.  He bought me a new CAMERA!!!

Now he knew that I had been wanting one for quite a while now.  My old one was a birthday present that I got about my second year in college.  I even tried to get a new camera on sale last year for Black Friday, but I ended up returning it because it did not have all the features I wanted.  I was thrilled!! He even did RESEARCH before purchasing it! (I know, I can't believe it either! That has always been my job when it comes to buying anything!)

So here it is!  My early Christmas present.  A Nikon J1!  You can read about it by clicking the link here. 

I have been experimenting with the settings, and I just can't seem to get away from the "single focus" setting which blurs the background and focuses in on the subject right in front.

Here are some sample pieces.  Hopefully there will be many more to come!

What do you think of the pictures with my Nikon?  I am pretty much in LOVE because I have always wanted to take macro shots and as long as I have a steady surface, they turn out perfect!  I'm a real blogger now!  

 PS- don't those cookies look delish?  I hope to make a post on them soon!