Second Trimester!! And ITaly!

So we heard the babies heartbeat for the first time. I am also officially past my first trimester. :-)

I've starting getting a little morning sick. I just can't eat breakfast until 10:00-11:00 otherwise breakfast was a waste of money. Coffee makes me want to gag. I hate even the smell of it now.

I've been pretty emotional lately. I feel like if I watch a sad commercial it makes me wanna cry. As a matter of fact, i miss my old car- my Mazda3- and starting crying over that. I'm forgetting everything lately. I sometimes forget where I'm going, forget to turn in a customers order and I've even forgot appointments i set.

We're finally going on our honeymoon March 19th-March 29th.. .I'm so excited to see where Nathaniel grew up and where he played ball. More importantly i just cant wait to spend time with my hubby and not have to worry about anything except for what we're dong next.
Fetal Development:

As our baby continues to develop, the vocal cords begin to form. The face is looking more and more human each day as the eyes begin to move closer together instead of being on the sides of the head and the ears move to a normal position. It would be possible now to determine the baby's sex by looking at the genitals if we could only get close enough. (We usually can't "guess" via ultrasound until around the 16th week.) The intestines move farther into the baby's body; the liver begins to secrete bile and the pancreas begins to produce insulin. A very busy week indeed!

Maternal Changes:

Welcome to the second trimester! This is the most comfortable and enjoyable stage of pregnancy. Most of the difficult early symptoms are over (or soon will be), and your tummy isn't getting in the way yet. If you're still feeling tired, listen to your body and REST. It's working hard right now! As your uterus stretches, you may feel some abdominal achiness. The ligaments that hold up your uterus stretch to accommodate your growing uterus. This is called "round ligament pain".

Busy Busy!

The past few weekends have been pretty hectic. We've gone to Arkansas over Easter weekend to see Shantel's brother, Shane. Shane has recently just had his second child, Sady. We went canoeing up in the mountains and had a wonderful time enjoying the scenery. The canoe ride was about 3 hours with a fast current and some good dips to overcome. We also did a little shopping and bought little Sady a Build-A-Bear lamb. Kaelyn, Shane first daughter has an imaginary friend "Maydell". The ironic thing is there is no one that they know named Maydell. Quite a name to make up for a 18month old! While we were playing a good game of Cranium, Kaylen was very helpful in cleaning up around the house. She had decided that some of the game pieces were trash. Shane spent about 20 minutes trying to find one of the game peices that got thrown away.

...Of course Nathaniel and I won the Cranium game!! What a pair we are!

This past weekend Nathaniel and Shantel enjoyed their 8 hour drive to Pensacola. Katie Ronan-Fox, who works with Nat had her wedding right near the coast, it was stunning. Wonderful food and appetizers. While driving Shantel got car sick :-( BLAH

We're looking forward to a weekend of nothing this upcoming week.

Week 9

Last week :
Shantel had her first visit to the OBGYN. He confirmed again that she's very pregnant. He suggested a exercise plan that consists of no more than 20 minutes, no sweating, and no rapid heart beats. She can start to horseback ride again after our next sonogram if everything checks out well. Dr. Sporn was very thorough in all his recommendations and and explained everything step by step. Shanny will be delivering at St. Joseph's Womens Hospital.

The fun stuff:
Shanny has been experiencing an increase in migraines, which was discussed with the doctor. He suggested waiting another week or two, to see if they go away as my hormones levels start to balance back out. If they persist, then she can take a prescription medication that is safe during the pregnancy. Shantel also is getting acne and is very irritable. YAY!!! PLUS acid reflux (she's loving life right now but appreciative of no morning sickness)


Sleeping is pretty much Shanny's best friend.

This week
Shantel will be going to their third ultrasound/sonogram. This will also be Nathaniels first real visit to doctor to see the sonogram in person. We should be able to see a little more than just an embryo and the baby should start looking more like a fetus. Once we hit the 12th week we are in a "green zone" which means we're in the clear of a possible miscarriage.

Nathaniel is very excited about the next doctors visit and seeing the sonogram. He is more anxious to see the sex of the baby- crossing his fingers for a boy. He's been juggling home improvement projects, baby planning, vacation planning, and putting up with Shanny's migraines. He soon will be taking on some judo classes as well.

We're also planning a two week trip to Italy . Tickets are really cheap at the moment- only $600 a person. Finally we get to take our honeymoon!!!

Names: Girl-Gabrielle Boy-Ebin
Fetal Development:

Cartilage and bones begin to form. The basic structure of the eye is well underway and the tongue begins to develop. The intestines start to move out of the umbilical cord and into the abdomen as the body grows and makes room. The fingers and thumb have appeared but are short and webbed.

Maternal Changes:

You're missing your second period this week. Your breasts may be fuller now than ever before and may feel very sensitive. Wearing a supportive bra can ease some of the tenderness. Your waistline may be growing and you may experience some heartburn and indigestion as your body adjusts to pregnancy hormones.

Thump Thump, Thump Thump

Week 7

This week has been quite an adventure. Nathaniel and I had a little scare on Wednesday evening so I went to the doctor immediately on Thursday. Everything turned out allright, the little linden sea urchin has a heart beat. On the sonogram the biggest part of the little Linden was it's heart beating. I immediately said, "aww our baby has a big ole' heart" :).

I'm so excited to meet the little one. I've been looking on-line for different themes we could use for when we decorate the baby room. We've decided to change the computer room into the baby room. This would allow me to work from home and be a mommy. Nathaniel & I like Jungle Book- which incorporates a bunch of wild animals. We have a long ways to go. I would like to find out othe sex of the baby before we did any shopping.

Work has been going well for Nat and I. We've been very thankful to have steady jobs. My job has been very supportive and told me that as soon as I break even I can work from home all the time. :) Which is be an awesome opportunity. So I need to jump on the bandwagon and make sure I hit those numbers.

Female Name: Sophia (i've changed my mind)
Male Name: Adrian

Nothing unusual

This weekend we worked on the house. We put in a new front door, new lighting fixture, and a pineapple doorbell. All of it ties together pretty well. We worked together, which was nice to see the finished project. It's times like these when a marriage couple can feel like a team. We ran into a few bumps and overcame them quickly.

Shantel was pretty tired most of the weekend. She took a nap, and when she woke up she felt like she could fall right back asleep. No morning sickness yet.

Shalon, Shantel's cousin came over this Sunday for dinner. She just had a baby boy, Keelan. It's nice to know some family is close by that can relate to our situation.