Hungry, Hungry, Hungry

So this must be what pregnant chicks go through?

I have been blessed to have a really easy and enjoyable pregnancy and while that hasn't changed I have hit a new phase! I am Hungry constantly. I'm not sure that sentence is entirely accurate...I am STARVING EVERY SINGLE MINUTE!! Up until now I have grazed on healthy food and been satisfied. I have been able to keep my eating in check but about a week ago that all seemed to go out the window. Don't get me wrong I know I'm not "eating for two" but being famished just an hour after you eat seems so lame to me. I didn't want to be one of those "stuff-your-face-because-you-have-an-excuse" pregnant chicks! Example: I was working on the computer the other night and after about an hour of not paying attention, the television in the background finally got to me. I was trying to tune it out but my loving and unaware husband was watching the food network!!! Is he trying to kill me?!?! I kindly (I think) asked him to choose another program and he did but I went to sleep that night dreaming of donuts and hamburgers. Here's hoping I don't gain another 25 lbs in the next 6 weeks because of this!!

Time flies when your having fun

I truly can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I am now 32 weeks and I'm having a hard time facing the fact that its almost over. Don't get me wrong I can't wait to meet my little man and I'm so very excited for the next part but I have so loved being pregnant. I just feel like it flew by. I almost feel like I'm just now getting to the good part. My husband is finally done with this semester. He was working 40 hours a week in addition to a 16 credit load at Inver Hills College so to day that I didn't see him much was an understatement. He has still been so very supportive and involved. He made it to every single doctors appointment and has pretty much waited on me hand and foot but I wish I could have had him around just a bit more during this time. I'm so excited to have him back! Spring term he is only taking 6 credits so I'm grateful for that. Between work, holidays and my ever too long to do list I feel like time is flying by right now. The good news is both Ian and I are very healthy and everything is progressing perfectly. I've been very blessed with such an easy pregnancy. Praise God! Here's hoping for an equally amazing last 8 weeks. :-)

I agree with Martina

I am 26, my husband and I are both working dead end jobs that we hate. We are making so little that we barely make ends meet each month despite living with my parents for the last year and a 1/2. By social standards I am a loser. Yet somehow I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!! I have an incredible marriage to my best friend and soul mate. We are expecting a healthy, happy baby boy and have family and friends who love and care for us unconditionally. I truly understand what Martina McBride was thinking when she sang her song Blessed.



"I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones
That love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed"
Thank you Martina for being one of the few celebs who still remembers that blessings aren't monetary! True happiness and blessings are the people around you who love you and being able to fulfill your hearts desires.

Its been a while

Ok, so I know its been awhile. I keep meaning to add another post and for one reason or another I just...don't. Sorry. Having said that its time to catch you up. I am now 25 weeks pregnant!! Baby and I are both very healthy and have you heard?? ITS A BOY!!


(20 week ultrasound photo where...yes you guessed it. My son is holding up a piece sign) :-)


Mike and I are so very excited! His name is Ian Matthew Sandgren and we are so enjoying knowing the gender. Its been great for shopping and for me, I have loved being able to bond a bit more by using "him", "he" and "Ian" instead of "it" and "baby". I'm the type of person who needs to wrap her brain around something so to know the gender is great for me! In the midst of all this shopping we have picked out the bedroom set we love!



The bummer part is that its an online only item. (at Babies R Us) We know that most people won't order something online for us. We just love this set so much that we decided if we don't get anything from it at any of the showers then we will buy it ourselves.

There's still so much to do to prepare for his arrival in 15 short weeks but I am starting to feel like my to-do list is slowly dwindling! I want to continue cleaning, organizing and preparing as much as I can now because I know that as things progress my body won't allow me to do what my mind wants. I am planning on working up until the birth so I need to do extra curriculars now so that the bigger I get I can just use my energy to work. We'll see how things progress...


There will be many more posts to come (scouts honor!)

I am 14 weeks Pregnant!

Week 14

How Big is the Baby at Fourteen Weeks Pregnant?
Your baby is 3.4 inches long by pregnancy week 14, and likely weighs close to 1.5 ounces! Every day of your pregnancy week by week your baby is growing more and more proportional.

Your Baby's Growth and Development
By pregnancy 14 weeks your baby's body is growing quite rapidly. During pregnancy week 14 his length is catching up with his slightly larger head. The ears have started their move to the sides of the head, and the eyes continue to get closer and closer together.

During pregnancy week 14 your baby's neck will elongate, and the chin will start to rise up off the chest. Your baby's reflexes will also continue to develop this week. By pregnancy 14 weeks your baby should be receiving their nutrition directly from the placenta. Remember that everything you put into your body can cross the placental wall and impact your fetus. This includes not only things you eat such as food preservatives, but also things that may come into contact your skin, such as house sprays or other cleaning agents. Remember that lotions penetrate the skin, so why wouldn't household cleaners? At this time more than any other time in your life it is important that you make safe and healthy choices with regard to your health and well being.

Anything you eat or inhale could directly or indirectly affect the health and well being of your baby. Eating a healthy diet is vital to the well being of your child. Avoiding alcohol during pregnancy as well as avoiding certain foods is important to ensure a happy, healthy environment for your unborn baby. If you are smoking during your pregnancy please stop now.

One thing that you should never do when pregnant is change a cat's litter box. Doing so could put you at risk for contracting a disease called Toxoplasmosis. This is an infection that can occur via contact with the stool of an infected cat. The risk to your baby is substantial. Cats are often infected from outside sources including rodents. Most pet owners that have had cats for a long time have likely already been exposed to the disease at some time or another in their life, and this will not necessarily result in an increased risk for your baby. However during pregnancy, you do have an excuse to have someone else change the litter pan for the time being. You should also avoid gardening to some extent, as outdoor cats sometimes prefer to leave their stools in the soil of a garden.

If you absolutely must garden or change a cat box, be sure you wear gloves and a mask, and carefully wash your hands after performing any of these higher risk activities.

YUM!!

I have now been Gluten free for a year and a 1/2! I have found an alternative to just about everything but we are always open to new recipes! I have been on the julesglutenfree.com mailing list for a long time and thats where I found the recipe for this beauty!





A homemade gluten free mushroom and black olive pizza! Oh you better believe I PIGGED OUT! It was totally worth the discomfort after eating so much!

2nd Doctor Apt

We had our 2nd doctors appointment last Wednesday! I am 13 weeks and everything is moving along just fine. I'm healthy and the baby looks good. I'm still 1lb under my pre-pregnancy weight but the Doctor said that normal and as long as the baby is growing my weight doesn't really matter. We got to meet our Doctor and she is Super nice! I'm really happy with everyone at the clinic, they are all so very sweet. We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! It was really neat. The nurse found it on the first try which for some reason impressed me. :-) We opted to do the first trimester screening for chromosomal abnormalities (basically looking for down syndrome and the like) We went back and forth on the testing because we would NEVER terminate the pregnancy so I didn't know what the benefit of the testing would be but our Doctor said it would mentally prepare us if something were wrong and we would be more careful when it came to labor and delivery because a sick baby won't have as many reserves. Made sense to me so we went for it. Part of that testing is an ultrasound. What a pleasant surprise. I got to see my baby!!! Now everyone told me that hearing the heartbeat would make it feel real and would probably make me cry. I thought it was cool but I didn't feel the earth move. The ultrasound is where it hit home for me. Not just seeing the picture but seeing it move and kick inside of me was really amazing.



I'm still feeling really great all things considered. Little symptoms here and there but overall I've been blessed with an easy pregnancy so far. Our next apt will be at 20 weeks and we will do a 3D ultrasound to find out the sex!!! Seven weeks seems like a long time to wait but I'm sure I can make it.