December 2009 is for the Movers and Shakers!

The baby began to move this month. I could feel some very distinct movements and kicks during the second week of December. I can tell that he is getting bigger because I am able to feel more and to feel it all more often. Dennis was actually able to feel the baby more for the first time on December 17th, which was right before he left for a 10-day trip to Denmark. I was glad that he was able to feel what I had been feeling for a while. I think it made things more real for him. I can understand how hard it is to believe that we are going to have a baby because all I can see is my big belly. When we go to the doctors it is almost too surreal for me to actually believe that what I see is a baby, and that he is ours. Maybe it is because this is our first child, but I can imagine how hard it is for Dennis to wrap his mind around the idea of a baby when he can't feel him move all the time. I think this made the whole experience much more exciting for him, as it did for me.

Dennis and I had a very nice dinner at a very fancy Italian restaurant on the 18th, because he was leaving on the 19th for Denmark. I wouldn't be able to see him until the 30th, when he would hopefully get his passport renewed and be able to return. In the meantime, I was on vacation from school, so I used this time to get some reading done. I also spent three days at my parents house when the weather really got bad. It was just better to be around other people for the holidays, so I didn't have to drive in the bad weather, nor did I have to eat or spend time alone. I read two books from the Twilight series, did some scrapbooking, and slept. It was a nice relaxing time, but it would have been nice to spend more time with Dennis. This year, Denmark got lots of snow for the winter, which is very uncommon. It would have been fun to see it, but I wasn't allowed to travel this far along in my pregnancy. It may have also been too tiring for me to make the trip, since Dennis mentioned that he was stuck in the Amsterdam airport for 13 hours due to delays. It is funny how the Dutch and the Danes are not very used to snow, that it could cause so many problems. I guess we are more used to it here in the Midwest, but it doesn't make things slow and problematic at times.

I had quite a few doctor's appointments this month just to make sure that the baby wasn't about to fall out, but these were minor appointments where I didn't really learn anything new, nor was I able to see the baby on ultrasounds. I did; however, have two appointments this month that were more interesting. One was on the 14th at the hospital, which Dennis was able to go to. I was glad for that, because during this visit, they checked the baby's heart. He is a pretty healthy little guy, which was great news. The tech let us look him over again. He looks different from the pictures that were taken in November. He seems to be getting more fat on his face, and it is easy to see that he is growing all over. Though we weren't expecting it, the tech printed us some new pictures of the baby, which were very cute. He was active for a time, but then he seemed to take a nap. There is a really funny picture of him sleeping with his mouth open. :) Dennis and I agreed that he resembled his brother Kenneth, which was kind of funny, too. My brother's oldest daughter looks very much like me, so I think it woulnd't be odd to have my first son look like my husband's brother. :) We'll have to see how much he changes when he is born.

My other appointment was at my regular doctor's office. Dennis was in Denmark by this time, and so he wasn't able to see the baby. The ultrasound pictures that they take here are not as detailed as the ones at the hospital, but I will take whatever pictures they want to give me. The baby seemed to be looking directly at the camera when the tech took the picture. His face is so sweet, and he almost looked as if he were smiling. I took a picture of the ultrasound screen with my phone and sent it to Dennis. It was the closest thing he could have to going to the appointment with me. Everything seemed in order and normal for this check-up.

This week marked the end of my second trimester. It is so hard to believe that I made it through two trimesters, and things have been relatively good with the pregnancy. I feel very lucky. I just wished that I could have been more active. I would have loved to cross country ski at this point or even to exercise, but those things will have to wait for now. Being calm and relaxed is my new mindset, and to be honest, it is actually kind of nice to think about myself for a change.

My Inny is now an Outty and a Bad November! (November 19 - December 2, 2009)

Just before Thanksgiving, which of course is the last Thursday of the month of November, I noticed that my belly button had popped out. I thought that it was very fitting for it to happen around Thanksgiving time, since that is a time to eat turkey, and the best way to know when a turkey is down cooking is when the thermometer button pops out. I felt just like a turkey, though I knew that I would be getting much bigger before the end. At this point, I am only 5 months pregnant, and it is still a long time until I reach the 9 month mark. I'm feeling very worn out at this point, which is more emotional than physical. November is an extremely busy time for me at work, and I haven't managed to find a way to slow down. I went on a field trip this past week on November 21st, and after finding out that some students left the building for a short period of time, which was forbidden, I completely lost it. I flew off my handle and really let them have it. Being emotional isn't any fun. I need to learn how to be less attached to the kids at school, and I really need to focus more on relaxing and taking care of myself.

To go with that idea, I ended up getting one of the worse colds on Thanksgiving. It lasted almost two weeks, and I was so drained. I was worried that it would have a negative affect on the baby, but my doctor assured me that it was worse for me than for him. He was taking all of my nutrients and goodness out of me, which made it more difficult to get better. I took a few days off of work that first week of December to recooperate, and the first change I got, I went to get a flu shot. Better late then never.

My belly is really big by now, but I know that it will only get bigger!

My Second Ultrasound at the Hospital (Nov. 16, 2009)

Dennis and I had been waiting a while for this appointment.
This ultrasound was at the hospital and was during my 19th week of pregnancy. This was the time when I would be reassured of the sex of the baby as well as find out how he was doing. The technician confirmed that we were having a boy, and she also went over all other organs with us. We were able to see his little brain, body, and heart. We could not only hear the heart, but we could also see it beat, which was wonderful. It was an emotional time to see him move around. His little arms and legs were pretty active, and I could not only feel but see him move.


The technician printed us plenty of pictures, and some of them were in 4-D. It was crazy how much they looked like a little boy. You could tell where the eyes were though I knew that they wouldn't open for a while. You could even tell that he was smiling at one point. He had the sweetest little face of any baby I had ever seen. He looked like his daddy with his squishy lips! :) He had a little elfish face with this little pouty nose and mouth. He also had some long skinny legs that I could tell I would be feeling very soon with some kicks. I haven't really felt any big kicks, but after seeing his little arms and legs, I knew that it was in the near future. Everything was where it was supposed to be, and he was healthy. I just hoped that the rest of the pregnancy would be as possitive.

Finding out that we have an Andrew (Oct. 26, 2009)

At my next doctor's appointment, I had an ultrasound. I thought that it might be a bit of a long shot to ask the technician for the sex of the baby, but I felt that the worst thing that could happen would be for her to tell me "no." In fact, it was quite the opposite response, because she said that the baby was being very cooperative in that department. She said that it was a boy!! I was so excited just to know, and I was completely fine with the idea of having a son. I thought Dennis might need some time to get used to the idea, since he had thought we were having a girl from the first day I told him that I was pregnant. The tech proved my suspicions of the sex of the baby by printing me off a picture of the baby showing his maleness. It was the cutest picture ever, because he could almost read my mind by showing me that he was a boy, so I didn't have to wonder anymore.


I called Dennis shortly after the ultrasound to introduce the news to him as calmly as possible. He is the type of person who needs to get used an idea in order to be okay with things. He had to get used to being engaged, and then he had to get used to me being pregnant. I knew he would get used to this as well, because he loves my nephews, and I knew that he would love having a son! This doctor's visit was also days before Dennis was about to turn 30, so I knew that he had other things on his mind besides my pregnancy, which was ALWAYS on my mind. Also, Dennis normally went on my doctor's visits with me, but today was the exception, which also seemed to be a good thing. It was good that I was the one to tell him the news. From the way he explains it, he was more worried about having a teenage boy than having a baby boy. It is funny how his mind works, and that he would be concerned about that so early. Being a high-school teacher, that was the least of my worries. In fact, I had no worries about having a son. Having any baby who is healthy is all I cared about. I just couldn't wait until my next ultrasound at the hospital to see pictures of my son!

Visit from Bedstefar and Bedstemor

During the beginning of the second trimester, Dennis' parents came to visit us in our new house. We were excited for them to see the house and to be here for part of my pregnancy. This was a difficult time for me emotionally and physically because I was still feeling sick to my stomach and feeling mood swings. Physically, I still couldn't eat all of the things that I was able to eat before, and I also was very sensitive to smells. Emotionally, I was very fragile because of all the hormones that were going through my body. I was eager for their visit, but I was also a bit worried about having to entertain guests since I felt so badly. Though my body was going through so many changes, I was still very excited to share my pregnancy with Dennis' parents. It was very important to the both of us that they could experience all parts of this grandchild, since it was their very first grandchild.

The first thing that we did with them was go to a pumpkin patch in a nearby small town. Though it was extremely busy, it was really nice to share this place with them, because I really wanted them to experience what our lives are like in the US. I wanted this to be the most American experience for them, because I really wanted them to understand what life would be like for their grandchild. They seemed very interested in the place, and it was a nice day overall.

We also took a day and went into Wisconsin to a town on a lake. It was Oktoberfest in this town, and so there were sidewalk markets and food. The view of the lake was nice, and though I was a bit tired from the walking. It was a nice day.

The day before they returned home, Dennis' parents went to Chicago for the day with their son. I had planned long ago to do a walk to raise funds for breast cancer research, so I was not on the trip. I also thought it would be best for them to have some alone time with Dennis.

Unfortunately, I wasn't showing much by this time. I was hoping to have more of a belly so that they could see the baby growing. Dennis' mom brought some knitting patterns with her. Since we didn't know what sex the baby was at that time, I had to be open with the patterns. Dennis was sure that we were having a girl, but I wanted the doctors to tell me for sure. I was very excited that Anni wanted to make some clothes, but I just wished I could have told her what we were having to help her decide what to make. That news wouldn't come for a couple more weeks.

During the visit, we had a nice dinner at a local Italian restaurant with Dennis' parents and my parents, as well as a birthday lunch for my mom at my parent's house. The two couples really enjoy spending time together, which makes sharing a grandchild seem like a very exciting thing for us all. It was also nice that Dennis' parents went with us to visit my grandma while she was in the hospital battling complications to diabetes and cancer. I didn't know yet at the time, but I wouldn't be able to travel to Denmark for the winter holidays. This would be the only time that they would get to spend with us during the pregnancy, so it was very special for them to have come when they did.

My First Ultrasound at the Hospital (Oct. 05, 2009)

This time at the doctor's office was different because we were not at our regular office but at S.A. Hospital instead. Here, we had to meet with a specialist to check the baby's progress with ultrasound. Dennis had met me at the hospital since we both had to leave work early for the appointment, and being our first time at this new place, we weren't really sure what to expect. The ultrasound technician took us back to a room where I got ready for the scan.

I was about 13 1/2 weeks into my pregnancy at this point, and the pictures during this ultrasound showed more of a baby than a bump. I was very excited to see
our baby on the screen. I loved seeing the litte face the most. The tech was able to take some cute pictures of the profile of the baby, and the little nose and mouth were easily visible. As we watch the screen, the baby waved to Dennis and seemed very active by moving around every so often. Then it seemed that the baby went to sleep because the technician was having a hard time trying to get the baby to position itself for more pictures. Dennis called the baby stubborn, which was funny. The tech started to take the instrument she was using on belly to see the baby on the screen and pushing it on my belly to get the baby to move. If this little baby is anything like his/her dad, then there is no way that the tech was going to wake him/her up. :) She seemed to take enough pictures and get the information she needed, so it was okay in the end. There is still no way of knowing if we were having a boy or a girl because it was just too early to tell. That would come at a later appointment.

The First Trimester (Mid July to End of September)

During the first trimester, I had many different changes to my body. The first had to be the bloating, which occurred early in my pregnancy within the first few days. This was due to the implantation process, so I have been told by my doctor. The bloating wasn't constant, but it came and went throughout the first trimester. I also started to feel tired more often. I would feel the need to nap more, but since I was going back to work, I wasn't able to lie down when I wanted. I definitely was not up late at night, and I felt tired more often when doing regular things around the house or for fun.

I also could tell a temperature change in my body. Though I didn't have a fever or anything serious like that, my skin was often very hot to the touch. I didn't feel the need to dress in less items of clothing, but my skin was just very warm. This was also another early sign that I might be pregnant before I actually found out. I had read somewhere that a rise in body temperature was a good indicator that a person could be pregnant. Another uncommon occurrence for me was chest discomfort. I was very sore all the time, which my doctor explained as being a normal sign that I was going to become a mother and hopefully breastfeed someday. That was an idea I just couldn't image, but I was very interested to see if it would actually work one day. The last of my physical changes in the first trimester would have to be the morning sickness, which started in the middle of August. I never actually threw up, which was a blessing, but I did feel sick all the time. I don't know why it is called morning sickness if I felt sick in the afternoon and evening as well. From what my mother and sister had told me, I should have been physically sick all the time just as they were, but I wasn't. I guess I take after my paternal grandmother more when it comes to pregnancy. Thank goodness for that. I couldn't imagine being sick all the time. Feeling sick was bad enough.

One change that I didn't expect was the stress that came with being pregnant. As soon as my excitement subsided a bit the first two weeks of knowing that I was actually pregnant, the fear and stress set in. I am a worry wort by nature, and being pregnant made that part of me worse. Because I have a history of surgery and illness, I was very much afraid of what might happen in the pregnancy. I really wanted to do the right thing and to protect my baby in any way I could. Since I had never been pregnant before, I really didn't know what I should and shouldn't do. I was worried all the time, which didn't help anything. After talking with a few people and after getting about five pregnancy books from the library, I started to feel better about everything. My biggest fear would be to miscarry the baby and lose it before it had time to grow. After reading about miscarriage and getting more of an understanding of how and why it happened, I felt better about being pregnant. I just wanted to try and see what would happen, and I started to understand that if I did have a miscarriage, it was because my little round clump never turned into a baby. These things sometimes happen to good women who want healthy babies, so I tried to think positively and do what I could to have a healthy pregnancy and baby.

That leads me to cravings. The first trimester was a strange time with regards to food. Because I was feeling sick quite often, I also didn't have as much interest in some of the same foods. For the longest time, I would eat a peanut butter sandwich and yogurt for lunch at school. That changed during my first trimester, since I couldn't stand the smell of either of them. That made things a bit difficult. The two main constants in my mind for the perfect food had to be McDonald's Fish and ice cream. Though not very healthy, I might add, I had to give the belly what it wanted for that time, because it was so hard to even be interested in food. I was told that I should be gaining weight during the first trimester, but I just didn't eat as much to make that possible. That would come in the second trimester! :)

Activities during the first trimester were not exactly the same. I really wanted to be an active pregnant lady, but I knew that I was "at risk," so I really didn't want to push anything and risk miscarrying. In early September, Dennis and I took my niece Mady to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the Harry Potter exhibit, which was well worth all my discomfort and fatigue. I discovered at that time that I just couldn't move as much as I used to. Dennis and I managed to take some walks around the neighborhood and at the park, and we even went camping during my last weekend of the first trimester with our good friends Dennis and Kristin. Everything, though, was on a much lesser scale than what I normally would be able to do. I was once very active, but the pregnancy had made me too tired to do more. Also with the stress of miscarriage in that first month, I really didn't exercise as I should have, and my body was losing stamina. I felt that it was a small price to pay for a save and healthy baby. At this point in the pregnancy, family, close friends and some colleagues knew about the baby, but that was it. I was too afraid to jinx anything by letting too many people know, but at the same time, I was too excited to keep it all to myself! :)

My Second Doctor's Appointment (Aug. 25, 2009)

Today, Dennis met me at the doctor's office for my second appointment. Since my first ultrasound was a bit early in my pregnancy, I was able to have another one, and I was very happy to have Dennis there. Though he is a bit shy in situations like this, Dennis was very good during the ultrasound. At this point in time, we actually got to hear the baby's heartbeat. I couldn't believe that it had a heartbeat since it was just a little round clump, but it did. It was an emotional time, and I could tell that it was very real for Dennis at that point. He knew for certain that I was pregnant. At one point, the ultrasound technician had to find my ovaries to look at them on the screen, which was a bit uncomfortable. Dennis was a true champ by rubbing my arm and being my support. He's going to make a great labor partner! :)

My First Doctor's Appointment (Aug. 13, 2009)

Today, I went to the doctor for the first time. I had made a call on the 3rd to tell the doctor that I thought I was pregnant and to make an appointment. The nurse I spoke to on the phone told me that if the test I took was positive, then it would be positive when I came in to their office. I still wanted to hear from them that I was pregnant. It just felt too hard to believe. We planned it, and it happened. Could it be so simple?


When I got to the doctor's office that afternoon on the 13th, I met with the nurse. I didn't actually see the doctor at all. The nurse and I discussed family history as she filled out some papers. It seemed like she asked me a million questions for my file, but I was happy to answer. I was just so excited. I then went to another room where I had my first ultrasound. The tech helped to explain what I was looking at since all I could see where two round shapes in a larger white circle. The larger of the two shapes was the baby and the smaller was called the "yolk sack." I wasn't quite sure what the yolk sack was or is, but it was funny to see the baby. It didn't look anything like a baby, but I was happy that it was there. It was my proof that Dennis and I were going to have a baby. It was the cutest, sweetest and most wonderful little round clump that I had ever seen! :)

I'm pregnant!

During the spring of 2009, Dennis and I discussed starting a family. We thought that we would try in either June or July to get pregnant with our first baby. A friend of mine told me about a Website that would help me track my fertility schedule, and it helped us know when the right time was. It is unbelievable how easy it was for us to get pregnant, and I could tell within a few days that it had worked. We had our friends Dennis and Kristin over for a game night, and during our game, I had to change into sweat pants because my stomach was extremely bloated. I had an idea then that I was pregnant, but I couldn't tell for sure. This was the second week of July, so it was much too early to take a test. It had only been a couple of days, but I knew that something was different. It was a few days later that my friend Jil told me that she was pregnant and due in January. I was extremely excited. It would be great if I were pregnant too, and our babies would be very close in age.

It took until the 31st of July for me to have enough time after conception to take a test. Dennis and I went to see my parents, and I asked him to stop at Walgreens so that I could get something. I didn't tell him what I was there for, and he had no idea. That night when we got home, I took my first pregnancy test, and it was possitive. I thought that it was too good to be true, so I thought I would try it again in the morning. I was very excited, but I didn't say anything to Dennis.

The next morning, I woke early because I was having a garage sale with my friend Karin at my house, and I had to put a few signs out. I took my bike out to put up the signs at about 6:30am. I was really excited to get home and take another test to know for sure if I was pregnant or not. When I got home, I took the test, and it was also positive. I was so excited. Dennis was still sleeping, so I decided to wake him with the surprise. I was very quiet when I crawled next to him and gave him a kiss. I said, "Love you...daddy!" He woke up right away with really big eyes staring at me as if he didn't know what was going on. He responding by saying "what?" I just smiled back at him so big that I almost started laughing, and I said "I'm pregnant". I kissed him and gave him a huge hug. At that point, he said, "thank you...mommy." It was such a wonderful morning!