15 Weeks

The big news for this week is that I finally told my supervisors about the pregnancy- I was really anxious to tell them. Since I’m technically an “independent contractor” to the hospital, and therefore not a permanent employee, I was really worried about how this would affect my job. I’m so thankful that Eric has his new job lined up at this point, but if my job were to become jeopardized, we would really be in a tight spot.

So, that morning, I outlined a few things that I wanted to say- like our excitement but my dedication to the position and my anticipation to return to work after the baby is born. I spoke with Mindy first (who is head of Asthma Clinic) and she was very happy for me and for us. She asked a few questions about our plans, but it was overall a very positive meeting. She praised me for my work and reassured me that my position here was needed. Then later in the afternoon, I met with Denise (Clinic Administrator, head of my clerical duties). She didn’t seem to be too surprised, and mentioned that I looked a little different lately and had a suspicion about it. We chatted for just a few minutes and that was that. To my surprise, she wasn’t really as positive about it as compared to Mindy’s response, but it wasn’t a negative response either. I felt so relieved to finally inform them! Now I feel like I don’t have to hide it anymore (not that I’m really showing much at this point), but nonetheless, it’s one less thing to stress about. I know for a fact that one of my coworkers here has her own suspicions- she’s been asking me when I’m going to have a baby for quite a while now! So now it’s only a matter of time before everyone else here in clinic catches on. Should be interesting!

Since Eric and I both had Friday off, I figured it was a good time to start our baby research. So, we took a drive out to Lafayette to visit this all-natural baby store that came highly recommended. Our main objective was to look at their cloth diaper and carrier options, but we were pleasantly surprised to find many more things that we had wanted to look at. The store is a small, family owned type shop and the lady that was there to help us was fantastic at explaining each product and answering all of our questions. We didn’t buy anything, but the trip definitely helped us decide what products could possibly work for us. And as soon as we got home, I started a registry through her website for some of the things that we liked. Overall, I felt like our first attempt at baby research was a great success!

Earlier this week, we learned that Eric’s cousin Jason and his wife Christina are expecting. So that’s exciting! She’s due in mid December, so our kids will be very close in age. It’s fun to think that there will be quite a few babies in the family very soon!

According to our baby book, the baby is currently the size of an avocado (last week we were an orange, which doesn’t make any sense because one would think that any orange is larger than an avocado!). Anyway, it’s been fun to think about how big the baby is getting. We’re so excited to go to our next ultrasound in June to see how big he/she is getting and to finally find out if it’s a boy or a girl! So many people have been a little disappointed when we tell them that we want to find out what we’re having, but I think it will be so much easier to plan (physically, mentally and otherwise) once we know. Luckily Eric and I feel the same way. We really just need to know either way!

Luckily I’m able to eat a little more regularly now and taste things once again, which has been nice! I still tend to avoid foods that know will bother me, like fried or rich foods, but I’m able to keep most everything down. Food still doesn’t sound good most of the time and oddly enough, I still don’t want anything sweet or chocolate (which is completely out of character for me). But I know that I need to eat. So now I’m starting to focus on eating the right foods and including lots of fruits and veggies into my daily diet. Hopefully I’ll be able to put on some weight, as my doctor wants me to do, or at least gain back what I’ve lost over the past few months. I just hope baby is getting all the nutrients that he or she needs to grow nice and big and healthy!

14 Weeks

This past week has been quite good! We went to see my doctor for a check-up, it was Elaine’s birthday on the 14th, we had some nice time to ourselves over the weekend to relax for once, and Eric is soon to be gainfully employed once again! Plus, I’m still feeling decent!

Our 14-week check-up was on Thursday, the 13th. It was a basic appointment- they took my blood pressure and weight (I’ve lost almost 10 pounds!) and checked us into an exam room to wait for my doctor. Unfortunately we didn’t get to have an ultrasound this time around, but we did get to hear the baby’s heartbeat. My doctor told us it was a healthy 160 beats per minute. At one point, she had the doppler device positioned perfectly so we could hear my heartbeat slowly thumping in the background and baby’s fast, loud heartbeat at the same time. That was really neat to hear- it made the process seem a little more real.

For Elaine’s birthday this year, I planned our spa day trip for just the two of us at this lovely resort in Napa. Then when we got back, we had dinner with Andrew, Eric, and our Dad and Sally at her favorite Japanese restaurant.

On Saturday, JoEllen, Patrick, and Britty drove out to us and we had breakfast together in the morning, which was really nice. We sat and chatted for a while, discussed baby names, and later decided to visit a family friend who owns a jewelry shop downtown. Afterward, we went shopping for some work clothes for Eric. He was offered a job at the county hospital working as an “experienced clerk.” He expects to do some basic registration-type paperwork in addition to some dispatch work and whatever else needs to be done. The most important detail is that the position is full-time and benefitted- thank goodness! He’ll be learning more about the benefits package and whether his vacation time with the fire department will transfer over to his new position once he passes the medical clearance. We’re very thankful for some serious prayers answered- now I’m just hoping that this position will be a good fit for him and a good fit for our little family.

I also had some time to add a few things to our baby registry and order some more maternity clothes- I’m feeling like my wardrobe of flowy-type tops and loose bottoms is starting to ware thin! So I ordered a few pairs of pants to wear to work, a pair of bermuda shorts to wear during the hot weather, and a few shirts. Our baby registry now includes a stroller and car seat, which I’ve been researching for the past few weeks. Next up for researching- cloth diapers! There are so many to choose from… but we’ve decided that they make so much more sense, in terms of health and cost, as opposed to traditional disposable diapers. Should be fun!

Spa Day!

I planned a surprise trip to the spa for Elaine for her birthday this year- it took a little planning on my part, and coordinating with Andrew to get everything in order, but it turned out fantastic! I think we were both in need of some time away, just to relax and let go. We’ve both had a lot of stress to deal with lately.

I started planning a few months ago, when I started thinking that Elaine never takes the time to treat herself. Plus, I’m realizing that experiences with those I love become the fondest of memories. So I decided to skip the trip to the mall to pick out a new something that she’ll soon forget about and booked a spa day for two at this lovely spa called Spa Terra at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa. I hadn’t been there before, but based on reviews, it seemed to be a good pick. The spa itself is set in an underground cave, alongside a huge wine cellar and tasting room.


Once we arrived, we quickly changed into our robes and were whisked off to our first treatment: full body salt scrubs. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was really nice. Our masseuses were kind and professional and our skin was left so smooth and soft! Then we took a quick break in the relaxation room before we had our full body massages, which were just divine! Afterwards, we enjoyed some cheese and fruit before we lounged spa side for an hour or two and relaxed in the waterfall showers.




Overall, I was very impressed! I would definitely go again and I think Elaine had a fantastic time.

13 Weeks

I’m feeling like the worst may be behind me now- I’ve only been sick once this past week and my energy level has continued to increase, which has been a welcome change.

It was quite a busy week! I’ve been working on Fridays since I have more projects to keep me busy here at work now. So unfortunately my one day a week to myself is now pretty much a rarity. But the fact that my job keeps me busy is a good sign, and we do need the extra money, so I can’t complain. Nonetheless, it is tiring to work a 5-day week again…

We had our first prenatal class at Kaiser this past Wednesday evening. Kaiser has about 6 or 7 classes to take that are part of the "prenatal care program"- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimester classes, a labor info class, newborn care, postpartum care... so this was the 1st trimester class. There were probably about 8 couples there, and 2 single girls (very young single girls, might I add). Everybody seemed to be about our ages (except for this one couple that looked like they were pushing 40). And everyone was expecting their first kid. One of the single girls was having twins. The class just went over the basics- diet, exercise, things to avoid, bodily changes, common problems and how to handle them, and elective prenatal testing. I opted out of all the tests at my last doctor's appt, because I feel it was unnecessary unless you have a predisposition in your family for a specific condition. Plus, the tests have really high rates of false negatives and I don’t want to bother with the added stress. We would never consider terminating a pregnancy if the baby had some sort of deformity or developmental issue. Then we had to watch this movie about these women who wanted the testing done and what decisions they made because of the results. We both thought the film was a little odd; we could have done without that.

Elaine and Andrew came over for dinner on Saturday. We decided the other day that we’re going to boycott Mother’s Day from now on- since our mother isn’t really in the picture anymore. So I’ve decided to call it Sister’s Day! I bought a nice card for Elaine and altered it a little since it was originally a Mother’s Day card. I got a little gift for Elaine, but she decided to buy me a ton of stuff!! Way too generous. She picked out a bunch of things from the maternity store- two nice blouses that I can wear to work, a pair of capri pants, a pair of jeans, and a really cute dress. She also got me a boppy wedge pillow (for tummy/back/leg support when sleeping and things) and some prenatal nutrition bars. She went all out!! It was so nice of her to do that- we joked that once I’m done with the clothes and things, they’re going to get wrapped back up and sent her way! So I guess the gifts were actually for a dual purpose!

For Mother’s Day, we went over to Grandma & Grandpa Fleming’s house for brunch and then later went over to Eric’s mom’s house for dinner. It was a nice day overall- everyone wished me a happy Mother’s Day since I’m a mom-to-be. Eric also picked out two nice cards for me- one for a mommy-to-be and my usual card from the kids. That was really nice of him to remember, I was just thrilled!

I’ve been asking Eric to take a few profile pictures of me every couple weeks to keep record of our pregnancy. When I look back at the pictures, I think I almost look like a woman who may actually be pregnant, which is exciting! I’m starting to feel more plump around my tummy this week, even though my clothes still fit alright. I’m a little embarrassed that I just look like I’ve gained some weight, but hopefully that will change soon. I’m excited to start looking the part! But, along with starting to look the part, it seems I get to enjoy some new and exciting side effects- like constipation! I’ll spare the details, but it really is as bad as people say!

Eric has a job interview this afternoon- the HR lady at the fire department notified him that there was an opening for a clerical job within the county and even put in a good word for him. It doesn’t pay as nicely as his previous job with the fire department, but it may be benefitted, which would be wonderful. Hopefully he’ll be able to find a position soon… we know we’ll end up where the Lord wants us, when the Lord wants us to be there. But it is a little hard right now to see through all the uncertainty. We’re just trying to focus on one thing at a time right now and remain hopeful that all will be well.

12 Weeks

May already! Hard to believe. Weekdays aside, this past weekend went really well- I can honestly say that I’ve felt most like myself, just slightly more tired. During the week, I had to drive myself to work early in the morning (Eric and I were used to carpooling together) so I didn’t get my usual half hour or 45 minutes of rest while Eric drives. The early mornings have not been treating me well. But luckily I start to feel better come noon time on most days.

Over the weekend, I actually had the energy to wash both of our cars (with Eric’s help), take a nice walk around town, and do a little bit of grocery shopping and such without feeling exhausted five minutes into the store. I also made it to Old Navy, since they were having a sale and we had some leftover gift cards from Christmas. I bought myself a new outfit that can grow with me- a white linen skirt and a few comfortable, loose tops. Although my clothes still fit fine, I’m feeling rather pudgy these days. So, I’ve been steering clear of my many form fitting tops and opting for more comfortable “flowy” type shirts that don’t extenuate my plumper than usual tummy.

According to the book Eric and I read every week or so, baby is now the size of a peach. I’ve been referring to him/her as the fruit or item that the book says it resembles in size for the week, so right now, our peach is about 3 inches long and doing quite well!

Eric’s last day at his current job is this Thursday. He’s been applying to quite a few jobs this past week, two of which are with the county, just in different departments. It would be wonderful if he could transfer his benefits and retirement to another department within the county- it would make for a really nice transition. But I’m certainly not counting on it. I hope he’s able to find something relatively quickly, so that we’re not spread too thin on just my income. And not that we can be too picky, but I’m really hoping that Eric doesn’t have to go back to working retail- the weekend work and the late nights are just no fun. I’ve really been spoiled with our weekends and weeknights together- I’d sure miss them if our schedules changed!

Many people have asked us the following question- If Eric found a good job soon, would we still proceed with our plans to sell the house? Our answer is a definite yes, for many reasons. First, even if Eric has a stable job that pays decently, I still have to take a few months off for maternity leave, which will be unpaid. Second, if we’re able to downsize our lifestyle, we may be able to avoid childcare altogether, which is a huge priority for us and was our original plan before our job situation changed. We believe that family and our time is most important, over all else like having a nice house and whatnot, so we want to be sure that we can be at home as much as possible once baby arrives. Plus, we’ve realized that we’re just too far from our friends and family. So, taken together, we’re still going to put the place on the market in about a month. I’ve even been trying to stage the house already, so hopefully it will show well and sell quickly- we’re going to feel so relieved once this burden is behind us.