17 Days

...Until we find out if we have a little boy or a little girl brewing in there!  I'm curious to know what everyone thinks I'm having.  So vote on the right before January 16th!

The Skin Care Lineup

The Lineup

I start with the Belli Acne Cleansing Facial Wash.  The safest acne wash during pregnancy because it doesn't contain any salicylic acid.  It smells great and from what I can tell so far (after about 2 months of use) the lactic acid works great for preventing breakouts.

Belli Acne Cleansing Facial Wash

In the mornings, I continue with Sei Bella's Bright Eyes Soothing Gel.  This stuff is awesome and gets rid of all my morning puffiness.

Sei Bella Bright Eyes Soothing Gel

Some days, before I moisturize, I put on some Age Defying Serum.  The stuff smells AWESOME and has a lot of vitamins that are good for the skin.

Sei Bella Timeless Age Defying Serum

Then I finish with the Daytime Delivery Creme, also by Sei Bella.  

Sei Bella Daytime Delivery Creme

In the evenings, instead of the soothing eye gel, I use the eye serum.  Even though I obviously don't have any wrinkles yet, I see no reason not to start caring for my eyes now and hopefully prevent wrinkles.

Sei Bella Wrinkle Release Eye Serum

And I finish with the Night Firming Treatment.

Sei Bella Night Firming Treatment

I love how well all of these products work and how they make my skin feel, but most of all I love knowing that they're all natural and don't have harmful ingredients in them.  I feel like my skin has greatly improved since I've started using them.  I have hardly any breakouts and it even keeps my dry, flakey, pregnancy skin from feeling quite so dry.

Our Last Quiet Christmas

We had a fantastic Christmas this year.  Aside from the fact that James had overnight duty at the station, it was pretty quiet and uneventful.  Thankfully we have great friends here and one of them volunteered to cover the early morning part of his duty so that he could enjoy Christmas morning and go in a little late.  We got up and ate breakfast before diving right into opening gifts.  We got some great gifts as well as a few for the bun in the oven.  So here's my Christmas in some pictures.

Christmas Ornament hand painted by our nephew, Ty

Ultrasound frame from Danielle

Sophie lounging as usual on Christmas morning.

My Snoogle from Naomi & Katie, and it's new cover courtesy of my loving kitties.
This thing is the best thing ever invented for pregnant ladies.

Mama Mio skin care from my parents & brother.

And the best gift this Christmas...my pink Clarisonic Mia 2 from the hubby.
I can just hear my skin saying Hallelujah.

17 Weeks: Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Baby size: 5.1 inches, 5.9 ounces, about the size of an onion.  This week the baby's skeleton is hardening and fat is accumulating around it.

How far along: 17 Weeks.

Total weight gain: 7.5 lbs.

Sleep: Pretty good now, but still waking up a lot at night to pee.

Maternity Clothes: Starting to need longer shirts.  I need to go shopping with my Christmas money!

Food cravings : Still no cravings, but I have been eating a lot of salad lately.  And eggs for breakfast.

Food aversions:  None

Symptoms: Having to pee all the time.

Exercise: I was bad this week, I didn't work out at all.

Movement: Still nothing...hopefully soon though!

Belly Button: Still an innie.

Gender: 3 more weeks til we know Blue or Pink!

What I’m looking forward to:  Knowing what we're having so we can start planning the nursery!

What I miss:  Fitting into some of my clothes.  I've had to start a (somewhat large) pile of tops that no longer fit me due to my ever growing tummy and tatas.

16 Weeks

I feel like the belly is starting to protrude a little more this week.

Baby size: 4.6 inches, 3.5 ounces, about the size of an avocado.  This week the baby is starting to be able to hear me.

How far along: 16 Weeks.

Total weight gain: Starting weight: 131.5, Weight gain to date: 6.5 pounds.

Sleep: Sleep was better this week...less heartburn = easier to get to sleep.

Maternity Clothes: Still not a necessity.

Food cravings : Still no cravings.

Food aversions:  None

Symptoms: Less heartburn.

Exercise: Still working out, nothing too strenuous, but I definitely want to keep up with it as much as I can.

Movement: Still no wiggling!  I'm hoping in the next week or so I'll start to feel something!

Belly Button: Still normal.

Gender: Stay tuned for January 16!  Only 4 more weeks!

What I’m looking forward to:  My next appt, Dec 27, where we'll get to hear the heartbeat again!

What I miss:  Not having to pee every 5 mins!

Even bigger dress dilemma...

So I thought my dress problems were over when I secured my rental with Rent the Runway (see this post) over a month ago...

Unfortunately, not.  I got an email this morning (although I couldn't check it til this afternoon) reading "Dear Caitlin, We regret to inform you that due to circumstances beyond our control, the following item from your order is not available for shipment at this time."  They were referring to my dress!!!  I am 3 days away from the Christmas party and NONE of my dresses fit.  They go on to say that I have until 5pm today to tell them 5 alternative dresses, although I can only pick from the leftovers that are available, no matter what price point to switch it for.  

So, I've given them 4 choices and one of them better show up at my door on Thursday or Rent the Runway is going to have one very pissed off pregnant lady to deal with.

Here are the 4 choices in order:

Temperley London, Emerald City Gown 

Peter Soronen, Razzle Dazzle Dress

Peter Soronen, Emerald City Dress

Christian Siriano, Red Carpet Dress

15 Weeks

Baby size: 4 inches, 2.5 ounces, about the size of a naval orange.  The baby's legs are now longer than the arms and all 4 limbs have functional joints!

How far along: 15 Weeks.

Total weight gain: Starting weight: 131.5, Weight gain to date: I'm still at 137.5 this week, so 6 pounds.

Sleep: Sleep is not so great right now.  I have a pregnancy pillow, The Snoogle, but I have so much heartburn at night and the only comfortable position for me to sleep in is the one I'm not supposed to sleep in...on my back =(

Maternity Clothes: Still not really needing maternity pants, but they are definitely more comfortable on those bloated days.

Food cravings : None this week.  I've actually done better with eating this week.  I went to the produce market and got a whole bunch of healthy food for me and the baby.

Food aversions:  Still not eating marinara sauce.

Symptoms: Still lot's of heartburn, but less nausea.  Also, my nose has been really stuffed up.

Exercise: I got my prenatal workout DVDs this week and started those.  I like the workout because it feels like I'm working, but it's not as hard as what I would usually do.  So it's not sucking all of my energy away like the other workouts I was attempting to do.

Movement: Still nothing yet =(  I keep waiting to feel the flutters, but I still can't yet.

Belly Button: Still normal.

Gender: Stay tuned for January 16!  Only 5 more weeks!

What I’m looking forward to:  My next appt, Dec 27, where we'll get to hear the heartbeat again!

What I miss:  Fitting into my shirts!  I need shirts that are a good 6 inches longer than normal.

14 Weeks

And the official beginning of the 2nd trimester!  Now that we've gotten this far, I've decided to change the bump updates a little.  I'm going to start taking the picture in the doorway to the nursery so that as we start to get it ready, you'll be able to see!  Also, I'm going to add a little pregnancy update questionnaire for you guys.

Baby size: 3.4 inches, 1.5 ounces, about the size of a lemon.  The baby has started to suck its thumb, wiggle its toes, and pee!  haha.  He or she is also starting to grow peach fuzz hair all over.

How far along: 14 Weeks.

Total weight gain: My starting weight was 131.5, my weight today is 137.5.  So 6 pounds so far, not too bad.  In my opinion, it's all in my boobs, I've gone up about a cup size and a half.

Sleep: Sometimes I sleep great, sometimes I wake up 5 or 6 or 7 times a night to pee or roll over or because James is crowding me.

Maternity Clothes: I sometimes wear my maternity jeans, but not because my other ones don't fit.  Usually it's because I was too lazy to do laundry and that's all that's clean.  Maternity or longer shirts are becoming a necessity because my ever growing bosom is stretching them all into belly baring tops.

Food cravings : I don't really have any.  I have been really good about not eating junk food and really limiting my intake of sugar.

Food aversions: Mine are weird.  It's never a specific thing that turns me off.  All food in general will just sound bad some of the time.

Symptoms: Heartburn's a bitch!  At night it's SO bad.  I take a couple of tums at night, but sometimes that doesn't even touch it.  Morning sickness is pretty much gone, but every once in awhile in the evenings it makes a return.  I have the driest skin imaginable!  This baby is sucking every ounce of moisture out of my body.  I feel like I'm drinking gallons of water and slathering on lotion every chance I get and I'm still dry as the Sahara desert!

Exercise: I haven't been good lately, due to lack of energy.  But I'm hoping that with this trimester comes more energy so that I can work out more.  I've still been working my abs, which I feel like I can see in the picture still.  And I try to walk when I can.  I ordered some prenatal workout DVDs to try out as well, so we'll see how I like them.

Movement: I have yet to feel the baby move.  I'm really looking forward to that, it will be an exciting moment.

Belly Button: Still normal.  Although, I have a really deep one, so I think it will take a long time to "pop" if it ever does.

Gender: Stay tuned for January 16!

What I’m looking forward to:  Feeling the baby move, meeting him or her for the first time, seeing James hold the baby, decorating the nursery.

What I miss:  Not feeling bloated and having heartburn and nausea all the time.  Other than that, it's been smooth sailing for me!

Christmas Shopping

Just finished my shopping for the most difficult person on my list (James)!  I'm impressed that he beat me this year, my gift has been under the tree for 2 days!

The First Trimester

Since I only have 3 days left of the first trimester, here is a look back!

First cold sore of the season!

Thank you suppressed immune system.

13 Weeks: Last week of first trimester!

Sorry this is late!  I've been plagued with heartburn all day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a great day.  We're spending the day with some members of our Coast Guard family!   My goal for next Thanksgiving is to learn to cook better so that I can start deciding what recipes to pass down to my children.  Not that my family didn't, I just never really took to cooking.  So I feel like I should at least attempt to learn how to cook for the baby!

Baby Nichols 12 Weeks

We have decided not to announce the pregnancy quite yet on facebook and whatnot.  Originally, we were going to today, but since we get the results from our tests today (for Downs Syndrome & Spina Bifida) in 8-10 days, we're just going to wait until then.

12 Weeks

11 Weeks

Double Digits! 10 Weeks

Update on the dress issue.

I went ahead and rented this one for the Christmas party.  Hopefully it will look as cute on me as it looks on the model =)

Dilemma

My plan for this year's Christmas party for the Air Station, was to wear a holiday dress that I've had for a while that I haven't had a chance to wear yet.  The problem is that I remembered it being more empire waisted than it is!  It is SO not going to work, not to mention the fact that I can't even zip it past my boobs at this point.  So I tried on all of my cocktail dresses and any other dress that was remotely dressy enough....and nothing really fits my boobs.  So if anyone stumbles upon a cute, empire waisted holiday dress (preferably under $100), send me a link!

9 Weeks

8 Week Appt.

I went yesterday for my 8 week OB appt.  Got a whole bunch of goodies and information to take home and I also got counseled on genetic testing.  We'll be getting a few of them done, so I'll have that scheduled in the next few weeks.  They took 11 vials of blood from me yesterday!  I'm amazed that I remained conscious!  Next appt is scheduled for November 28!

The stroller comes tomorrow!  

8 Weeks

I know I'm terrible...I forgot to post the belly pic this week.  But here it is a little late.

Feeling pretty bloated these days...yuck.

Ginger Tea

Giving it a shot...

My dessert of choice lately...

Week 7: Day 2

Sorry this is a day late, but things have been pretty busy around here!  I got the job with Bath & Body Works!  So my last day at Motherhood is the 25th and I'll start at BBW on the 27th!

The best thing ever.

If you have ever suffered from morning sickness, car sickness, or any nausea in general, you should check out Psi Bands.  I bought a pair off of Amazon for about $15 and they are amazing.  The idea is that they apply acupressure to a point on your wrist that relieves nausea.  So far, I say they work.  I've worn them all day and haven't felt sick once, and I was actually able to eat 2 full meals today!

We purchased our first baby gear today!

And we have a stroller!  The one I've been eyeing came up on a sale at Gilt.com and I knew it was meant to be!  It was $250 cheaper than the lowest price on Amazon, so we went for it!  Now all we need is the car seat and our travel system is complete!

I've grown an inch!

But not on the bump....no, no...I've gained an inch in the tatas!  Yikes!  I'm scared about how big they're going to get in another 7 1/2 months!

1st Ultrasound

And there's only one pea in my pod!  Yay!  The ultrasound puts me at 6weeks1day, but I still think that's a day behind.  We also got to hear and see the heartbeat!  So cool!

6 Weeks

We had our first OB appt. on Friday and we've also started looking at doulas!  We have our first ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday the 11th and we can wait to see what our little sweet pea looks like!!!

5 Weeks: Day 6

I had my first OB appt today!  She didn't do much, just did a Pap and prescribed me some pre-natal vitamins, but I scheduled my first ultrasound for Tuesday!  She said that we might be able to hear the heartbeat at that appt!  We go back for our next appt on the 28th and I'll be 9, almost 10, weeks!

So I was thinking...

....while I was driving to work, listening to Lady Gaga...that if we're having a boy, I should probably cut back on the Lady Gaga while he's in the womb.  Or I just might have a Brock on my hands....

5 Weeks: Day 4

And the morning queasies have arrived.  I still haven't managed to toss my cookies yet, but I'm definitely noticing nausea in the morning.  It's getting harder to force down breakfast because no food sounds appetizing in the morning.  I see crackers and ginger ale in my future....

Doula

So I found a doula that is willing to travel to my area if I decide to have a hospital birth!  That makes me really happy because I like having options and it was starting to look like my only option was drive the hour/hour and a half to the birth center in Delaware or risk a lot of medical intervention with a hospital birth.  Now I don't feel quite as nervous at the prospect of delivering in the hospital if that's the choice we make.  Yay!

5 Weeks: Day 3

Just got my results back from my blood work on Friday, and my levels are still going up!  They are over 3000 and I should get the results from todays blood draw tomorrow!  Good news!  Can't wait until my appointment on Friday!

5 Weeks: Day 2

So the idiots at the lab did the wrong test!  Instead of checking hire much HCG I have in my blood, they only checked if I had HCG

5 Weeks

Somehow I was off on my calculations and was counting the wrong days on my calendar, but I'm actually 5 weeks today!  Here's the bump pic!

4 Weeks: Day 6

It's my 3rd level check today.  I think James is going to go with me this morning.  I swear, I'm going to be over my needle phobia after all of these blood draws!

Food Cravings

The only thing I'm craving so far is salad.  Hmmm.  It's kinda funny, but it's really all I want to eat!  I guess I shouldn't be complaining though, I could be craving junk food.  In fact, the day I found out I was pregnant, I threw out a whole bunch of junk food!

4 weeks: Day 5

Results are in!  My level was a 79 last Friday, and based on that same chart, it seems like I'm supposed to be somewhere around 1,050-2,800.  The nurse just called and told me I'm at 1,139!  Yay!!!!  I still have to go twice a week for bloodwork until my appointment, but that makes me feel SO much better!

4 weeks: Day 3

I got the results from my blood work back, and my HCG level was 79 mIU/ml.  At first the nurse had me worried that that was low, but when I looked at this chart, it shows that for 12dpo that level is just fine.  Just to be safe though, I'm going to be going in twice a week until my appt on the 7th for blood work to check my HCG levels and they're also going to put me on a progesterone supplement until then.

4 weeks: Day 2

Still no "major" pregnancy symptoms.  The only ones I've been experiencing are peeing all the time, growing cramps, and starting yesterday, the dreaded constipation!  Although it's uncomfortable, at least I don't have morning sickness!  Cross your fingers that it continues to be that way.  We are 1 week and 4 days away from our first appointment, and I'm SO excited!

Belly Pic: 3 weeks

3 weeks 6 days

Today is day 3 of knowing I'm pregnant!  I was able to go in for a blood test yesterday, but we won't get the results til Monday.  As soon as I got off work yesterday, I went to the grocery store for some pregnancy appropriate food!  I got cottage cheese, bagels and cream cheese, all of the ingredients for a really awesome salad, some pastas, some soups, and not a single bit of junk food!  I'm pretty proud of myself on that one, but honestly it's so much different shopping for food when you know you're feeding this baby.  Because everything you pick up you're thinking "do I want the baby to eat that?".  It's a really cool feeling, but kinda scary too.

Next order of business is finding a baby safe acne regimen.  I've been using Salicylic Acid up until pregnancy, but I've read that it's not safe for baby because it has the same components of aspirin.  So I'll need to find something other than Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide (I'm allergic to that stuff), which could prove difficult since those are the 2 main ingredients in almost every acne treatment.  Yikes.

Also, my first OB appt is scheduled for October 7th!  Yay!

3 weeks along!

Today I am happily announcing the end of our trying to conceive journey!  I took a pregnancy test this morning, and another this afternoon, and they were both positive!  James and I couldn't be happier and are so excited to become parents.  We're not announcing anything yet to anyone that doesn't have access to this blog, but as soon as we get a blood test and an ultrasound we will share the big news with everyone.

Right now (according to TheBump.com) our baby is the size of a poppyseed.

1 DPO

I'm 99% positive that I ovulated yesterday!  I had 2 peak days on the monitor (CD13 & CD14), full ferning, a positive OPK on CD13, and a HUGE temperature spike (8 tenths of a degree) this morning on CD15.  All of this points to ovulation occurring on CD14.  If I'm right, we timed things very well and have a very good chance of conceiving this month.  The only thing I'm a little concerned about is I didn't have a ton of EWCM on day 13 or 14, some, but not as much as I had before I was on clomid.  So, if this round doesn't work, I don't think I want to try clomid again without doing IUI.

Today is day 14 of my cycle and yesterday my fertility monitor showed a "peak" day!  I confirmed my LH surge with another OPK and I got another peak day today!  So, hopefully this is a good sign that I'm ovulating and things will work this month!

Guaifenesin: Day 1

One of the most notable side effects of Clomid, is that it can dry up your cervical mucus, or at least make it a more hostile environment for sperm and prevent you from ever getting that EWCM.  Fortunately, I didn't notice it dry up the first cycle, but I never rarely get EWCM to begin with.  Anyway, doctors recommend that if that happens while on the medication, you should take an expectorant to thin your cervical mucus to keep it a friendly environment for the sperm.

So today I start Guaifenesin (a.k.a. Mucinex).  

Also, James and I have made the decision that if this cycle does not work, we are going to ask to see a reproductive endocrinologist.  I love my OB, but OB's are not in the business of getting people pregnant, they are meant to take care of YOUR health during pregnancy.  An RE's sole purpose is to get you pregnant and keep you pregnant.  

**If you don't know what EWCM is and want to know (warning: gross), click here.

Clomid: Day 2

Today was a great day!  I had the day off and got to spend it with James, so I was a happy camper.  Then it got even better!  I have been hawking Craigslist.com for MONTHS, trying to find someone selling a fertility monitor.  I mean, come on!  It has to have worked for someone and that someone must not need it anymore!  Right?  Those things are SUPER hard to come by!  Finally, yesterday I found one!  She was selling it for $40!  Cheaper than I'd ever seen one sold.  I thought for sure someone would have contacted her already so I was hesitant to even email her.  SO GLAD I did!  I picked it up today and bought the sticks to go with it and it's all re-set and ready to go!  I'm so excited that I didn't spend a boatload on it.

Clomid: Day 1

Today I start my second round of Clomid.  If this round doesn't work, I think I'm going to ask to be referred out to a Reproductive Endocrinologist.  It's not that I don't like my OB, but I just have this feeling that if the Clomid doesn't work for us when they know it made me ovulate, and timing was good, and there are no other problems...then something else is wrong.  And I would like further testing to know what that something is, rather than continue a treatment that you're technically only supposed to do 6 cycles of in your whole life.  So wish us luck, I really hope this round is it and we don't have to do anything else.  But if not, it's going to be a long road ahead with lots of blood work in my future!

Clomid: Round One, Summary

First cycle was unsuccessful.  I didn't have too many side effects.  The most unpleasant one was definitely the VERY sore boobs before my period started!  I still haven't heard from my doctor whether I ovulated or not...hopefully tomorrow.  Then she should let me know if we're going to continue this dose or up it to 100mg.  Cross your fingers for the next round!

Another round of blood work

I went in this morning to have my Progesterone level checked to find out if I ovulated this cycle or not.  I'm feeling like if I did, it probably happened early, because I started OPKs on day 8, tested all the way to day 21, and never got a positive.  But my temperature rose around day 15.  So, I'm really confused.  Hopefully I'll get the results from the blood work tomorrow and that will shed some light on what happened this cycle.

Score of the day!

I shop on this website called Gilt.com where they have all these sample sales for designers and such, and today they had a sale for Elle Macpherson nursing bras!  $32 for this nursing bra (that does come in my size of 32ddd, and $18 for the matching panties.  Cute!

Clomid: Day 5

Sorry I missed a day 4 update, but I had a very busy day yesterday.  So far, I still haven't had any other side effects, other than being a bit extra tired.  I was warned though, by a friend, that some women don't start experiencing the side effects until they're finished taking the Clomid.  So, I supposed I'll still have to be on the lookout for the next 5-10 days after.  Today was my last pill (day 10 of my cycle), so we'll start trying in the next couple of days!

Clomid: Day 3

I'm still feeling great.  I have been a little more tired than usual, but to me that could be just a fluke and not a side effect because I really haven't been getting as much sleep as I should be.  (Because I got to go to UFC last night!  ahhhhh!)  Halfway done with my meds, then it will be time to start ovulation tests.  I see a lot of peeing on sticks in my future...

Clomid: Day 2

I'm definitely feeling a but more tired today.  But nothing that can't be fixed with a cup of coffee.  I did have a slight headache when I woke up this morning, but it went away without needing to take anything for it.

Clomid: Day 1

As far as I can tell, I haven't had any side effects yet.  Pretty awesome considering some of the more common side effects are:

• Mood Swings
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Hot Flashes 
• Bloating
• Headaches

I'm hoping tomorrow will be more of the same.  I'm thinking that I'm combating the dizziness and nausea and such with taking the medication at night, but who knows.