Week 25

I know I have not been on here much so I figured that I should get on and update. Since the last time I wrote there have been little changes. The baby is for sure 100% a girl. We are very happy and excited to know for sure. Daddy is very excited and I think I maybe in trouble int he future because she is already a daddy's girl. She is a wiggler, most days I feel her LOTS around noon and then when I am sleeping she is having a party! We have decided that we will be naming her Ellouise Kay Ryan and calling her Weezie for short.

I switched my Ob to Alliance group in Lansing and I love it. I feel much more at peace there and know that they are really keeping track of me. They have found that my white blood cell count was high so they were thinking infection, however after more testing they just figure that that is one of my bodies reaction to having the baby there. They are going to continue to take my blood every visit to be sure that the count is not increasing and if not then everything should be fine. Also they found out I was Anemic. this is the reason that I have been so tired lately. I have a percription for iron pills that I keep forgetting to get filled, but will be doing that soon to hopefully help me get motivated.

I also have only gained 4 pounds! I am super excited about this because I was very afraid to be that woman that gained 60 and with me being over weight already I was worried about being miserable. I have not really started eating more then what I usually did in the past and I have completely cut out caffeine and most of my sugar intake. I will admit that some time the sugar craving gets the best of me but not as much as it used to.

Here are the most recient pictures we have to share:








We are very excited for Ellouise's arrival. Three or so more moths to go but boy has time gone fast. I am so excited to hold her and love on her and I know her daddy is too because the waiting is driving him crazy.

Week 18

Went to the Dr on the 19th for our week 18 visit! Can you believe how fast this is going? We got to take Sophia along with us so that she could hear the heart beat. She was so funny, out in the waiting room she was talking to the baby in my belly saying, "baby I get to hear your heart beat today"! Then as they were taking my blood pressure and weight she announced, "I know how they tell if it is a boy or a girl, by their front privacy's!" the nurse thought that was pretty funny. She was so good as we were waiting for the Dr. and as soon as the Dr. came in she was ready. it took a while to find the beat (I was hoping to get another ultra sound) but when she could hear it she started bobbing her head to the beat. She actually does a really great impression of it if you see her ask her to hear it.

I only gained 4 pounds this month, so two pounds for where I started. I am allowed 15 and am not nervous about it at all. This month so far however I feel like I cannot get enough! So I am trying to eat little bits through out the day hoping that will make it better. Still no major cravings, although it is funny how much I want a Margareta (and have never been a big drinker)LOL. I have been getting high temps more this month so I worry about that the Dr did not seemed to worried . She does not want to put me on anything unless my throat starts to hurt.

Joel is getting more and More excited now, every now and then he will talk to my belly, but not very often I think he feels silly. I have started every night singing the lullaby that I plan on singing to the baby. I want to see if it will really make a difference.

Dear baby,
Two more weeks and we get to see what God has made you to be. Mommy and daddy are so excited to meet you! God has truly blessed us with your life and we love you so much already! Keep cooking and we will see you in about five months!

Love you with all our hearts!
Mommy and daddy!

Week 14 Update

We had another Dr. appointment September 21st. We got to see our little one again because they could not hear the heart beat from the outside so they did an ultra sound to check everything. I was very nervous when they could not find it of course all the bad thoughts come to mind but as soon as we saw "it" jumping around in there I was much more relaxed. I was funny because it had a HUGE belly and I teased Joel that it was taking after him, and every time I laughed the baby spazzed out! I hate not being able to see it everyday, I wish I had an ultrasound every week!

We did find out that we get to find out what we are having on November 2nd. We are so excited it will make things seem so much more real. My belly continues to grow at a rapid rate however I have lost two pound and my blood pressure is better then it has been in a long time. I joked to Joel that this pregnancy is going so well that I should be pregnant as much as possible! LOL he =just said "yeah right".

Right now the baby from head to rump is about the size of a navel orange. It amazes me to think that not to long ago it started out as a little poppy seed and has grown so big in such a short time.

Week 12!

This is it the fist big milestone in our life as parents! This week is our 12th week and our last week in our first trimester. I am so excited to make it this far. It is getting harder and harder to sleep and Tums have become my best friend, but other then that still no puking and my symptoms have been very easy to deal with (now lets hope that carries on to the kid).

We had our second doctors appointment two weeks ago so I am a little behind on the up dating. It was very easy really just a question and answer session. I LOVE my Doctor. She is very funny and makes me feel very hopeful that everything will be fine. We did not get to hear the heart beat at that appointment which we were really bummed about, but we did get an ultrasound that next day which was really special. We got to see that baby, it was moving like crazy, which made a good picture really hard to get, what a miracle to see. I had been scared that this was all going to turn out to be, "oops just kidding you are not pregnant" since it had been so easy, but this really made things real. We also got to hear the heart beat which took our breath away, Joel was the funniest because he was so happy and just kept laughing. The beat was at 195 but they said that at this point it was so little and that is why it was so fast.

We are dying to find out what we are having.. (surprises are for the birds LOL) I have had 3 girl dreams but last night was my first boy dream so I don't know! Joel thinks is it a boy, but we really don't mind either way. We are just ready to meet them, ready for parenthood I don't know.. but really ready to meet this baby.

First Dr. Appointment.

Today was my first doctor check up for the baby. Boy is there LOTS to learn. I am so scared that I am going to miss something and mess it up. This is a great reminder I have to fully relay in God to lead me the right way in all my decisions. I have never prayed more in my whole life then I do know. When ever I get a pain or a cramp I stop and pray to have a healthy baby. My word what a feeling it is to be a mother, it is such an amazing love and emotion that it is hard for me not to cry for Joy just thinking about it. I am sure I will be a mess when "it" arrives.

There are a few things that I am going to really keep an eye on. First, I am at high risk for gestational diabetes because of my weight so walking it is, I vow to this baby that I will go on a walk when every I can, and I really have to watch my sweet intake and need to eat lots of protein (which is what I do anyway)so hopefully it will be an easy thing for me to keep an eye on. Second I am only aloud to gain 15 pounds. My doctor said that she would not be surprised if I lost weight through this which is fine as long as it is not too much.

I am not feeling "really" pregnant, but I can definitely tell that I am. I am so tired all the time, and my lower belly feels really tight and ache. I have other symptoms too but you don't need to read about those LOL!

This week the babies heart is a size of a poppy seed and starts beating, "its" body is the size of an orange seed. What a miracle it is that something so small has a heart beat! By the end of this month my uterus will be the size of a grape fruit (this is why I am feeling ache and get sharp shooting pains) my ligaments and stretching to make room . I don't not know about you but that seems awful big to me.

My next Dr appointment is in August she is going to try and hear the heart beat but it is still pretty soon so we might have to wait until the next one. She will also be checking the size of my uterus to see if it seems larger then normal, and if she thinks it needs to be done there will be an early ultra sound so that we can see if there is more then one in there! I will keep everyone posted. Please keep praying for a safe and healthy pregnancy and baby!

A Very Exciting Day!

Today was a very special day for us. This is the day that we found out that we will soon become parents. I cannot explain the flood of emotion that goes through me every time I think of that. This is such a dream come true for me, and something I have wanted for so long.

I am thinking a lot about those families that have had to go through miscarriages and my heart breaks because I love this baby already... it does not even have a heart beat yet and I love it. How is that possible? Another group of people that I am thinking about a lot today are non-believers. I do not understand how someone can see a pregnant woman and not believe in God, what a miracle! I am so grateful to God that I can view this pregnancy from the view of a believer and enjoy His wonderful miracle inside me everyday!

I am still in a bit of shock when I tell people. Me being the planner I am wants to go home today and start clearing out the room upstairs and get things ready. But this is one of those good things come to those that wait moments right?

I am not worried about being a parent I know that God will lead us in the correct directions with that. And after 15 years of working with children I think I will be ok! But I am sure that if "it" is anything like either of us when we were little "it" will come up with some new things I have never seen before!

My most exciting thing to think about is, boy or girl? What color/kind of hair? who eyes? all that kind of stuff... Please continue praying for us. We are asking for a safe and healthy pregancy that will end wiht a happy healthy baby!

We cannot wait to meet you little one, but for now you just cook in there peacefully and we will see you in March!

Starting all over again!

I am so sorry that it has been so long that I have updated my post. I feel like now is a good time to start again and update you on what is new in our life.

First of all we purchased our fist home together. We bought a old Victorian home that was built we were told in 1900. (I am going to research some time and find an exact date)It has all the original thick dark brown wood work and all the cool character. I really love this house. It will not be our "forever" house because there is not enough living space for too many people but for now it is perfect and I love it.



There were a few things that we had to do right away, like a new roof, but for the most part it is all stuff that we can do eventually and save money up for.

Secondly, both Joel and I made the decision to get baptized at our new church. I feel so blessed to be able to watch Joel change and become such a strong believer. The growth he has made has been tremendous and I am so proud of him.

Finally we are trying for a baby. It always seems so easy for all those young teenagers to have babies, but we are finding out the baby making can be tricky. And that we will not get pregnant until God wants us to be. We have both been tested and have found that Joel is fine and we do not have to worry about him but of course I have a problem and so not ovulate. So this month I started on a Clomid regimen, luckily it only has to be taken for 5 days because I feel like a monster on it. Thank the Lord for a understanding husband that just shakes his head and walks away! In May my ultrasound showed that I had one follicle on my left ovary and it was very small and my progesterone level was only a .58. In June I have four Follicles two on each side that are about three times the size of the last one and my progesterone level was a 6.7! So if we did not get pregnant this month she is not going to increase the the amount of Clomid I take. Which is something I did not want to happen anyway so I am so thankful.

Hopefully we have gotten pregnant and soon I will be able to keep everyone posted on how the baby is doing! But don't expect any belly shots because it ain't happening!