A Decision is Made

40 weeks!

Dear Baby Girl,
 We had our 40 week check up today! You're heartbeat is good and healthy and you are very comfortable in there. Even with all of the cramping and back pain and uncomfortableness you've been presenting mommy is STILL at only 1/2 cm!!!
  Dr. Beller says it's safe to induce you and since he doesn't do inductions on the weekend and doesn't like to do them on Fridays because you might still not be here until that weekend, we are going to start the process tomorrow or Thursday! We could wait until Monday too, however, that's Mommy's bday! I'd love to have you for my birthday present, but looking into the future I think you'd like you're own Birthday!
  I'm getting nervous because we will more than likely be going to Riverbend. We love McKenzie Willamette, but since they will be on strike Dr. Beller really really wants us going to Riverbend. So all of our plans are changing with you little girl!! I'm also nervous because of the induction process its self. I don't like pushing you along, I'd like you to come when you're ready, but mommy is at that point that her body is having a very hard time with you staying put!
 I love you lots and can't wait to meet you!

Love,
 Mommy

It's coming to an end...and yet a new beginning!

Wow, today I am 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Tomorrow is Abby's due date!!  I've been trying to figure out WHERE the last nine months had gone?!?! It went so fast and what scares me is how fast it will continue to go once she gets here! Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, and then Christmas will follow shortly after..crazy!

I got maternity pics done (37 weeks) with my sis Jen from Classy Capture Photography that I've added to here! Thanks again sis, I love them!

Last week at my 38 week appointment, Dr. Beller checked me and I was still only at 1/2 cm (if theres even such a thing lol) BUT I was really close to being completely effaced, so that made me feel a little better, ok some progress, I'll take it!

This week on Tuesday (11/9), I had another Doc appointment and I thought I was going to be checked again, but Dr. Beller was like, "well I will if you want me to, but it's really unnecessary since you've had no changes or contractions" So I was like ..ok... a little disappointed, but at the same time I agree with him, if it's not necessary, please don't do it lol! We have another appointment next Tuesday the 16 and if she isn't here by then we'll talk about inducing....! I told her it would be a lot easier if she would just come on her own before then lol, we'll see what she decides!

This whole week I've been going crazy thinking every little pain is the start of contractions. I was really crampy all week in the evenings so I kept getting excited thinking this is it, this is the night! But the crampiness would either go away, or not get any stronger.

Wednesday (11/10) we ended up going into the hospital because I was feeling kind of funny! About 7:00 that evening, I just got done eating dinner and my head just exploded with a pounding headache. It was so sudden and strong that it kind of freaked me out! I took two extra strength Tylenol and laid down on the coach. About 45 min later, my head became even worse and I started getting nauseous! My friends and family suggested I call my doc to make sure I was ok. I called my mom and asked her if this was really necessary, I'm like it's just a headache, she agreed with me, but said it wouldn't hurt to get checked out. So I called the on call doc and she said she also thought it was a headache because I didn't have any more symptoms related to preeclampsia, but she said she'd recommend me coming in anyways and get my blood pressure checked out just to be safe.

So I go and tell Justin the news and he got all worried and jumped up to help me get ready. The drive was torture, and you all who experience migraines KNOW what I'm talking about! Every bump in the road, every headlight, street light, noise etc just kept torturing me...and my nausea got worse, I was so scared of throwing up in the Miata lol! I'm sure Justin would forgive me, but man I'd feel horrible!! We got to the Hospital, McKenzie Willamette, and they took us up nto labor and delivery, I was very thankful because the ER was not very busy, but stressful, and we got to go hang out in the birthing suite and relax! :-) They turned all the lights off for me, had me lay on the bed and hooked me up to all their monitors. I loved hearing her heartbeat and the nurses were so fabulous, I was really relaxed and started feeling better. The nurse even brought me ice right away as if she's known me my whole life! :-) My blood pressure was normally low as usual, so she said we get to go home! I was like..well we're already here, can you just keep us?? I love McKenzie Willamette, I know a few of the nurses there, I've always had a good experiences with my sis' labors and now that I was a patient for a little bit it felt even better! I hope we can have Abby there...

Wait what? Why wouldn't we? WELL, according to our Doc, some tech staff at McKenzie Willamette are going on strike the 15,16, and 17 for better pay/benefits etc. SO if Abby comes on the 14 or later, we will probably be going to River Bend. Our Doc recommends us to go there otherwise we might not get the best of care at McKenzie. So we'll see what happens!

Yesterday, Thursday the 12, I finally told Mike and Shawn I was done working... the previous week I cut my hours and stopped working the afternoon shift and just came in in the AM. But that morning I was like..I should really be done.. I'm 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant, and I need to go home and get ready for Abby lol! I'm already missing work..weird huh? Well, I love my job..not ALL parts of it, but I really am happy there! I like seeing all the horses and some of the boarders daily and I love walking in the barn in the morning to have all the horses nicker and neigh at you. They all LOVE you at feeding time lol! However, I REALLY REALLY enjoyed sleeping in this morning...! I usually only have Mondays off and therefore only slept in once a week..if I could, so this morning was nice! I was even able to make my hubby lunch this morning which I haven't done in a while.

I've tried a few things to get Abby to come out lol! I took my dog Izzy for a walk and we played ball at the park, nothing, I cleaned the entire house and did laundry, nothing and then decided to try the "eating spicy foods" myth to help move her along. So last night,  Justin and I got four tacos from Jack In The Box, those are really spicy for me, so I was like ok this will either help to get things going, OR give me extreme heartburn lol! I decided chance it! Well four tacos later..nothing but a little bit of heartburn. :-) Other things have been tried too, but she just can't be rushed. She will come on her own time and I will have to accept this lol!

I've decided that God is teaching me patience through this! :-) Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him." Ok, I understand! I got it! Can she come now?!?! haha!

Here are just some things I've thought of that I'm looking forward to and not!

Things I'm looking forward to:
-Holding and kissing my baby girl!
-Seeing Justin be a Daddy!
-RIDING!!! I'm dyeing to get back in the saddle...!!!!
-Starting my horse TrisKit under saddle..she will be 3 years old soon and she needs to be worked!!
-Celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas with our little girl!
-Picking out a Christmas tree with Abby!! (I don't know why I'm sooo excited about this, but I really really am!)

Things I'll miss:
-Her moving inside of me in general!
-Her hiccups! :-)
-Her stretching from top to bottom, lol, weirdest feeling ever..!
-Her being shy about moving for others lol!! Grandma Porter felt you once! :-)
-Her responding to me pushing on her, we once played for about 10 min of me pushing her foot in and then her pushing it back out! She really didn't like it when I scratched my belly and responded by pulling her foot in fast and then slowly trying to stick it back out!! LOL! Loved it!!
-Hearing her heartbeat each week at our doc visits!
-I will miss sleep!

36 Weeks

Wow, I can't believe it has taken me THIS long to post! I had my 36 week appointment today! Man I don't like having myself checked out..ugghh! painful! Anyways, I'm about 1/2 a centimeter, woo hoo, lol!! Doesn't seem like much, but hey it's better than zero! Dr says Abby's head is down and in position! I'm so happy she has turned, that's once less reason to have a c-section!

Abby's room is near completion..! It is painted and the floor is refinished and it is gorgeous! Most of the furniture is arranged how it needs to be. The only thing left is to add decorations like pictures and curtains, etc. All I have to say is that Abby better be a girl lol, otherwise baby boy will have a pink room!


I've been feeling great. About week 32, I finally went off "stall duty" at work. Now I'm just in charge of doing whatever I can, feeding and watering horses, turning horses out bringing them in, scrubbing buckets (yay) etc. I'm really glad to not be cleaning stalls anymore! I had really horrible back pain that I thought was just because of the pregnancy not realizing how much the work was effecting me. As soon as I stopped cleaning stalls, my back was instantly better! Wow! I'm pretty tired all the time and I am having the hardest time getting a good nights rest. I am just really uncomfortable in our bed, even with a bazillion pillows around me! :-)

Abby kicks me a million times a day and sticks arms, hands, legs and feet out to make a nice bulge! It's kind of fun to sit there and play with her by pushing her around and having her respond by pushing back or moving away. Her kicks and movements have now become more painful than they were. There just isn't much room left in there and she is stretching my insides to the limit! sometimes I feel like she's trying to find the way out down below, not cool Abby, not cool! I haven't had any contractions at all yet, I'm sure I know when I do!

Some belly shots..!

 24 weeks

26 weeks

29 weeks

34 weeks 

(haha, I love how I am wearing the same shirt!)

Birth Classes

Justin and I signed up for a 5 week course of birth classes! It was really fun and we definitely learned a lot of helpful information! My nurse, Suzanne, taught the class and she is just so fabulous and we had a lot of fun!

Funniest memory from the classes:
Suzanne wanted us to try a breathing technique, so we all got down on the ground and Justin leaned up against the wall and then I sat in front of him between his legs. Suzanne had us all close our eyes, dimmed the lights and turned on some relaxing music and helped coach us through the breathing. She told the hubby's to match their wives breathing. The first round went well, then when the second round came on, I was doing my part, but Justin wasn't matching my breathing. His were nice and deep and slow. I thought, well my goodness, hello?? Match my breathing silly!! Then I kind of felt Justin's weight shift to the side and then his body shook and he WOKE UP! He had fallen asleep lol!!! Only when he started to topple over did he wake up and realize what had happened. WE both started busting up laughing.. we were unable to finish the breathing class lol!! :-) I love you honey, you're so hilarious!!

Week 22

So things have been going great! Abby has been moving and moving and moving! She is usually really active when I come home from work about 11:00am and then in the evening about 6:00 and then 9:00pm when it's my bed time lol! It is so much fun and every time she starts moving I  can't help but smile and just enjoy it so much!


The weather has been HOT upper 90's!! I don't think I've ever been hotter now that I have a belly and all lol! I've been doing fine at work, just taking things as I need to and drinking tons and tons of water!


I forgot to mention that week 20 was maybe my worst weeks of pregnancy. Seeing as I hadn't had any morning sickness I was wondering if I'd have any other problems or if I'd just glide through pregnancy. In the first few days of week 20, I could've sworn Abby had permanently settled on my bladder! I was like ok, I know there is still a lot of room in there so move!!! So then the next day she decided to move back towards my spine and I had the most extreme back pain ever! Everyone was telling me it was my sciatic nerve that was getting pinched. The pain was sooo horrible and was shooting down through one of my legs. I was using a heating pad and icing it on and off all day, but there was no relief at all. No position sitting, laying down or standing brought no relief! I was soooo miserable and never felt anything like it before! THANKFULLY the next morning my back was only sore and not as painful as the day before! BUT then I experienced heart burn for two days straight! I have never ever had heartburn and was completely taken away at how painful it was lol!! Everything I ate sent my heartburn into full force, even drinking water or milk was just excruciating! Finally the week ended and so did all of the crazy symptoms!


I am now almost completely into maternity clothes. There are a few shirts and one pair of normal jeans that fit, but maternity clothes are so comfy too, so I don't dread them as much as I did! :-)

At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.  Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. 

21 weeks!

Well it's been a few weeks since I've updated!!

Since week 18 we had our ultrasound...its a GIRL!! :-) and we decided to name her Abigail Marie Porter.

Our ultrasound was sooo much fun!! They said it was going to take about 45 min and I couldn't believe how fast that went! I was like, what? Were done already?? It was so cool to see her and how big she was! She was squirming around like crazy again and the technician was having problems getting good enough pictures. She wasn't shy at all about showing her girl parts though lol! She was like "ha, there mom I'm a GIRL!" :-)  When the technician told us it was a girl we both started crying... it was just so overwhelming and started to feel really real! Dr. Beller also told us that she is weighing in at about 11 ounces and is about a week ahead of what we thought, but we're sticking with the due date because a week won't make much of a difference, seeing as I'll probably be carrying her a week later anyways lol!

We were just dieing to tell everyone what it was! We had to tell the grandparents in person so we didn't put it on Facebook until like 8:00 that night! I found a "It's aGirl" balloon for my Mom and brought it to her work. She was so excited! She knew it was a girl even before I was pregnant!! Haha!!

I wanted to do something special for Justin's family too, but Justin thought it'd be fun to give them a puzzle to figure out! I went along with it lol! Every year the Porters put a "code" on all of the gifts for Christmas and the kiddos have to figure out who's gift is who's. It's a lot of  fun and Justin thought it'd be a good "payback" haha! Sorry Dan and Brenda! It was a pretty hard code too.. But the answer ended up being Abigail Porter so they'd obviously get that it was a girl!

Since we found out we're having a girl its been so much fun to call her by name and use words like she and her!

We been so blessed by family and friends and good sales that Abby is pretty much set as far as clothes and accessories go lol! I was able to find a really neat Graco Pack N' Play on craiglist for $20! It comes with a bassinet and a changing table! I've had many people suggest this because you can roll it right next to your bed and have your baby sleep right next to you during the first few months. It's also handy because it can later be used as a play pen! We've got a very nice car seat and stroller combo that Justin found at a garage sale. My sisters have given me tons of clothes for me and Abby and also toys, swings, bouncers, play mats, etc etc!! Grandma Porter has been very excited since we found out we're having a girl and has bought Abby many little outfits including her first pair of shoes, which are fabulous!! We decided to just put a crib on our registry list instead of buy one at a sale or on craigslist. I've seen way too many on there that are recalled or are not name brand so you can't check to see if they're safe or not! So we'll see! :-) So besides a crib and diapers, Abby is set and spoiled already!  ;-)

Here are some belly pics! :-)

19 weeks

20 Weeks

And here is about Abby this week:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well. Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch. 

Week 18

Wow, haven't updated in awhile! I'm now at 18 weeks pregnant and feeling great! :-)

On June 5th we had a regular doctors appointment. We got to hear baby's heart beat again and this time it was even better! :-) We would hear the heartbeat and then a whoosh and then the heartbeat and whoosh again lol! Over and over! Dr. Beller was like.. do you feel that? I said no.. he said that we have a very active baby and that was it moving around! How fun! I can't wait to feel our baby!!

All of my clothes are getting tighter and tighter.. ! All of my shirts reveal my belly, which I promise I will get a pic up soon. And all of my pants are very tight. When I'm at home I just leave them unbuttoned lol! I have maternity pants, but they are all too big, so I'm in that in between stage and it's not cool! I wore my first maternity shirt today lol! :-) It looked more like a larger shirt than a maternity shirt, but hey it was comfortable!

We have our next appointment on Friday the 18!!! We get an ultrasound and get to know if Baby Porter is a boy or a girl!!! I'm pretty much hoping for a little boy, but will be so happy regardless! I just want a mini Justin running around how fun is that?

One weird thing that has been happening is if I'm laying a particular way I can feel my heart beat in my stomach so my stomach feels like it's moving and you can actually see it move lol!! It is so hilarious but weird! It was confusing me because I though maybe I was finally feeling baby move, but nope, just a weird place to feel my pulse!

Here are a few pics of the last few weeks of how big baby is growing and then info about baby this week at the bottom.

  

I can't believe baby is 5 in now! WOW!! Now how in the heck can't I feel something thats five inches long floating around inside of me??

About baby this week:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. Please don't do this Baby Porter!! Remember.. I have threatened to poke you and get up and dance around to make you move! :-)




Other than baby, things are going pretty good for Justin and I! Justin has been recording his piano music and came out with his second CD which BTW is published and you can buy it on iTunes or Amazon.com here is a link to it if you're interested... 
\http://www.amazon.com/Keys-Life-Justin-B-Porter/dp/B0039NNID6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1276555984&sr=1-1

Justin also competed in an AutoX event with his Miata! He did awesome and got second place in the novice division. He had great times and loved it so I have a feeling this will be his new thing and it will be fun to go along with him and watch him race!! He's still trying to convince me to do it lol! I can just see me in my little hatch back going 5 mph around the cones lol!!

Work is going great and I'm still performing all of my normal jobs. I have had back aches, but I'm just taking it a little bit easier and watching myself to make sure I don't do too much! I miss riding...ALOT! But someday I'll be back in the saddle.

We sold our bird Kiwi a few days ago. He went to a GREAT family who is sooo sweet and just love him to pieces! He was becoming a handful for us and without the proper time to devote to him I felt it was unfair for him to be in a home that doesn't well, really care for him. So we found him a great family to be with. They have sent me updates and pictures and our now one of my friends on facebook so it's nice to see how much they care for him! They said we're more than welcome to come visit so I think we'll have to stop by soon!

So I guess that's whats new in our life at the moment!! :-)

14 weeks! 2nd Trimester!!! :-)

14 weeks..already? Wow!! I feel like things are going fast fast fast!!!

We have one more normal doctors appointment on June 5th and then our next appointment after that we get our next ultrasound and get to find out if baby is a boy or a girl!!!

Not much changes in me since week 13 so heres the news on our baby!

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

13 weeks

I'm a little behind my updates..! Time has seriously been flying by!!!

Good news! Actually..GREAT news! We got the OHP insurance woo hoo! So now I can stop worrying about insurance and just focus on keeping our baby healthy! We will also be able to get on the WIC program and get lots of groceries for free! I had an appointment with them last Friday..but my pregnancy brain completely forgot!!

I'm definitely not sick at all anymore, not that I really was lol and I feel like I'm gaining more energy! I'm not extremely exhausted every time I sit down so that feels nice! My only new symptom has been my forgetfulness! Many people have already told me that pregnancy does have a role in affecting my memory lol, so I will use that excuse! I've been forgetting to do things at work, forgetting stuff around the house, I'll walk into a room to go do something and forget what I was suppose to be doing.. arrgghh!! It's kind of funny, but when you mess up big and miss your WIC appointment..not so funny! Thankfully I have another appointment THIS Friday and I have already put two reminders on my phone lol!! :-)

Our last doctors appointment was pretty simple, but FUN! :-) We got to hear our baby's heartbeat! How fantastic is that?! It was just so remarkable.. I really really wanted to take his little machine home with me!!

So at 13 weeks..heres some info about baby:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce. Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. 

12 weeks!

Woo Hoo 12 weeks! :-) Time is flying!

Tomorrow at 1:15pm is my OHP appointment! All prayers are appreciated!

About Baby this week:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long!

Week 11

Not much has changes symptom wise. I'm definitely getting rounder! I have three pairs of jeans that still fit, one nice pair and two barn jeans. So I'm going to need some new pants soon! ;-)

About Baby:


Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Week 10

OOPS! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile.. life's been busy here's the info on week 10 and I will also post about week 11 which is what it really is!

Not much has changes symptom wise. I'm not sick at all! I can eat almost anything, but I've had really weird cravings for hot dogs.. either plain, or pigs in a blanket style or corn dogs.. I've had cravings for hot dogs. It bothers my mind and soul completely but my tummy loves them..yuck yuck yuck...!! I have been getting really tired..like exhausted tired even if I'm doing everything I normally do. If I can keep myself moving I'm good, but the moment I sit down I am exhausted..my eyes get droopy I can't stop yawning and I could easily fall asleep where ever I am.

So far at work everything is still normal. My only difference is that I'm trying to move smaller wheelbarrow loads of horse poop. (Shawn if you're reading this I made the word "poop" bold and underlined so that you can point it out to Mike-haha :-p). Everyone else, just ignore the bold and underlined word poop. :-)

Baby Names-
Justin and I have one girl name we like and tons of boy names we like!

Girl- Abigail/Abby- might be difficult when around the cousins because my nieces name is Gabby. lol Gabby and Abby!
Boy-Josiah, Jeremiah, Caleb, and Isaac

We will probably have a bigger girls section later, but none come to mind to wither of us at the moment! :-)

About Baby:


Though he's barely the size of a prune — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy. 


In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long.

Nine weeks

Woo Hoo! We are finally caught up to where we thought we were two weeks ago lol! So now it's time to experience new things!

Morning sickness or the little nausea that I had has been completely eliminated! I started taking my prenatal vitamins at night and as soon as I did that my morning nausea passed! HOORAY!!!

Not much has changed since I last wrote, my jeans are definitely getting tighter and I feel bigger, but I really don't look much bigger. My pre-pregnancy weight was 123 lbs and I am now at 127 lbs. S I've only gained 4 lbs, but I FEEL bigger. lol! Speaking of getting bigger around the tummy...My sister in law Mandie is getting married June 5th 2010. I am one of her bridesmaids and we finally got our dresses yesterday! They are so gorgeous and thankfully there seems to be plenty of room around the tummy area for me to grow...BUT up top is another story! Lol! Ok I'm going to get personal you can stay or you can leave... My chest has already taken a few leaps and bounds and so I'm not currently able to get the dress zipped up!!! :-( I know I'm just going to get bigger too as time goes on! My wonderful mother is the Queen of alterations so I will be going over to her house Wednesday to let her look it over and see what she can do. I've got this intense corset I wore for my wedding dress so hopefully that'll help stuff myself in there! :-)

Ok so heres what's new for Baby Porter:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape or an olive — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.


Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby! 

Doctors Visit

Phew! First Doctors visit over! :-) It was sooo great to meet with Dr. Beller! I am even more confident now knowing he's my doctor. His nurse Suzanne is absolutely amazing! Her and Dr. Beller both said I sound like my sisters and that I'm giggly like my sister Kim lol! :-) I just think it's so much fun to have the same doctor they had for their pregnancies! He made me feel so comfortable and I think he made Justin feel a whole lot better too!

So Everything looks good! He said baby is healthy, I am healthy and everything looks normal!

Crazy thing though.....I'm only at 7 WEEKS!! What?!?! I thought I was at 9 this week! So I'm a little disappointed I'm not as far along as I am, but oh well! I just hope re-living weeks 7 and 8 go well lol! I'm so scared I'm going to end up getting sick..I though the worst was nearly over lol!!

Baby's new due date is Saturday, November 13, 2010!!! :-) My birthday is the 22..what a GREAT gift!!!!

We got to get an ultrasound (it was scary though because it was an internal ultrasound :-o!!). I was scared at first but the ultrasound ended up being way more comfortable than the exam lol! It was so cool to see our baby(and to know for sure there is only one!) We got to see it's heart beat too..aww! How amazing! God is amazing!!

So I guess this means we're back down to a...blueberry... :-)

Week 8? or 9? I have no idea!!

Ok, so some of my sources say I'm at 8 weeks and some say I'm at 9 weeks...so until my first doctors visit, I'll keep it at 8 weeks just to be safe!

Well not much has changed..I've been randomly queasy here and there and sometimes all day. It's nothing extreme, but it's just a wave a nausea that kind of follows me around..yuck! Still haven't thrown up yet! :-) I'm pretty proud!

I'm having cravings like crazy!! TCBY, any icecream, my favorite teriyaki chicken burger at Red Robin, steak, and any sort of potato! I'm very into potatoes right now..mashed, baked, french fries, hash browns! Mmm mmm good!

Justin and I have called various places that are suppose to help with prenatal care and be low cost. All the centers we've called only give you a pregnancy test and tell you your options, umm no option here! :-) OR they help with some prenatal care and can give you a list of places that take OHP...well..what if you can't get on the OHP?? No help! Most people who can't afford healthcare can apparently get on the OHP, but not us lol! So I scheduled an appointment with my doctor and will get to see him this Friday at 2:45!!

HIM?!?!?! Did you say HIM??? Yep! :-) Dr. Byrke Beller is an amazing doctor!! He has taken great care of my family already by delivering 5 of my nieces and nephews!! I've met with him before while in the delivery room with my sis' and thought he was amazing and I wanted him to be my doctor someday! Then..when I got pregnant I thought no way I don't want a man down there lol! But after I thought about it and remembering all the great care he gave my sisters I know I'm in great hands and I'm comfortable with it now! I know Justin's still adjusting, but I'm sure as soon as he meets Dr. Beller he will understand why I like him so much. I originally wanted Dr. Stenshoel who one is a female and two one of the most sought after doctors! She and all the other female doctors at this practice were not accepting new clients! They are very very busy!!

I'm so excited for my first appointment! Please pray that all goes well! :-)

So for week 8, heres the news on baby!!

Baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs, and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy. His eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

7 weeks

Today marks week 7!! Woo hoo!

Sickness is starting to kick in...yesterday we hung out at Grandma and Grandpa Porter's house. Brenda cooked up some yummy soup and I was excited to eat it until it was in front of me..! I gulped it down anyways knowing I need to fill my belly, but man it was hard!! I felt pretty sickish for the rest of the day. I was feeling really sick a moment ago until I started snacking on white cheddar popcorn and honey roasted peanuts..yea weird combination, but hey, whatever works!! :-)

Brenda let me borrow a book called, "A Child is Born" Its written in the 70's , so its really outdated but the pictures are amazing!! It includes pic of real life babies in the womb at each week. Its just amazing how amazing our God is!! How could anyway dispute creation and the existence of God when looking at these? Only a wonderful, amazing, and powerful God could create these little babies!!

This week our baby is now the size of a Blueberry!Heres a little bit aobut whats going on with baby...Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about one hundred new cells every minute. (WOW) Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place. Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

Tomorrow is my appointment with a lady who is going to get us signed up on the Oregon Health Plan! Woo hoo Insurance!! :-) Please pray that everything goes well and that we get the insurance!

Tomorrow is also the court trial for who will get custody of my niece Adrianna. We're hoping the court rules custody to my sister Jen. They might award it to a lady named Niki who was dating Adrianna's father, but she has absolutely no family ties to Adrianna and has known to be a little crazy.. she's been Adrianna's primary caretaker for the last 5 years because Adrianna was in her dads custody. Now Adrianna's dad is in jail for tons of charges with a $2 million dollar bail. So Niki is fighting for full custody...! My whole family will be there to show the judge we, together as a family, will support my sister Jen in taking in Adrianna. Also Adrianna's younger sister Gabby currently lives with Jen so it makes sense to put the two girls together! Hopefully all goes well. God's hand is in it and he'll take care of Adriana either way! Please pray that the right decision will be made! If Adrianna has to move in with Jen she will have ALOT of adjusting to do so please pray for her adjustment. Here is a pic of my sweet Adrianna.

Ok, I'm feeling sick again so I'm getting off...!

Baby Song

My wonderfully talented husband wrote a song for our baby! :-)

Pregnancy Day 6

Food aversions have started...NOTHING sounds good at all and then if it does and I try to eat it, I don't feel good..! I've been hooked on wheat bread toast and sandwiches, but everything else sounds yucky! Justin keeps reminding me to eat and to eat even if I don't want to lol! My biggest craving so far? Caffeine!! I miss my Dutch Bros, coffee so bad...and my Pepsi too lol! Thankfully, baby is going to make me a healthier person! :-)

Last night I drove up to Albany to hang out with my sis and her family! It was a nice getaway!

:-) Also before I left Justin shoved a bag of carrot sticks in my hand and said, "Eat 'em!" Lol he's so cute, reminding me to eat good foods for our baby!

So far I haven't been really sick, at night I start to feel nauseas right before bed, but it's not bad! I sure hope it stays that way!

I've been reading so much about our baby, it's been so much fun!! Here's a little thing about where we are at at 6 weeks...

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long.

I think the baby picture is so interesting.. and kind of creepy! :-)

Pregnancy Day 3 - My sweet pea!

3-10-'10

This morning I woke up earlier than normal and full of energy! I got up, made breakfast and headed off to work. I pull in and notice the barn lights are on and the horses are fed. Hmm.. Mike must have fed all the horses, how nice! Then..it hit me!! Jeniffer and I switched shifts awhile back and I had the whole day off!! Haha! Is this the pregnancy hormones already?? Sheesh!

Today is the day when we get to tell Mandie and Kris and Great Grandparents Ray and Mary about our little "sweet pea" (as my pregnancy guide tells me)! Currently our baby is about the size of a sweet pea, so that's what Justin and I are calling it! :-) Our little sweet pea! :-) Justin has been so cute about our baby always asking how its doing and touches my belly. :-)

Pregnancy Day 2

3-9-'10

Last night, I couldn't sleep a wink! I woke up ever 30-45min, just excited! :-)

Day number two started out pretty normal. I had to get up and go to work and tell my boss about the news! All morning there were people at the barn and it was hard holding back my news until I told Mike and Shawn.

When I got my morning chores done I went up to the house and told them the big news! I'm pregnant!! :-) Shawn gave me a hug and they both got really excited!! First of all, let me tell you that my boss' Mike and Shawn, are more like family. They are so supportive, fun, loving and have been so amazing to have in my life. Shawn is super excited to have a baby friend for her son Clyde who now is 6 months old!! They are already talking about the two of them being cowboys and roping and riding together.. how sweet!! The best part, I get to keep my job! :-) They are going to let me work as long as I need/can, which we decided would probably be when I'm about 7 months pregnant. And then go home have my baby and then when I'm ready I can start getting some hours and work back up to as many hours as I can. So thankfully we will have some more income once baby is here! Also, I can bring our baby with us and they can hang out with Clyde inside while I work and Shawn and I can trade off babysitting days!! How awesome is that??? Just to have my baby with me will be so amazing!! ALSO part of the hours I currently work go to free board for TrisKit. So the months I can't work they're going to just kind of make me a tab lol and put those months of board on there and I can just work it all off. So I'm excited to not have to worry about her, she'll be where I know she's taken care of and I don't have to worry about paying for her. Mike and Shawn, you are a blessing! Thank you..for everything you've already done, and what you will do in the future! Here is a pic of Mike, Shawn, their son Cylde and their dog Bone. Cute family huh?

I did have a horrible headache today..might be my lack of caffeine(I'm already missing my Dutch Bros)...I had no idea what was ok and not ok to take for headaches so Justin went to the pharmacy and talked to the pharmacist and brought me home some Tylenol! :-) He's already showing what a great Daddy he'll be!

As far as pregnancy symptoms, not much difference except I'm feeling sick at night right before I go to bed and get pretty nauseous..! But mornings have been great!

Ready or Not...here comes Baby!!

That's right I'm pregnant!! :-) Justin and I are so excited about our little baby!

I had been a little suspicious..well ok..I had been worried something was "wrong" with me. I have been on the pill for all 3 years of our married life and have always been completely regular. Then February hit and no period..! I was a little freaked out... so I took a pregnancy test...NEGATIVE.. Ok Phew! Well..then why did I miss one? Isn't that not right when you're on the pill? Could something else be wrong? One week went by and I took pregnancy test number two! Still NEGATIVE! Ok PHEW again!

A few more days go by and I'm now sick with a head cold, but also a little nausea. I also just assume the nausea is part of my cold! Then I decided to take ONE MORE test..just to be sure and then if it's negative go to the doctor to make sure everything is still ok! So on Monday, March 8 test number three came back.. POSITIVE!! :-)

Ok so now, I'm freaking out! Pregnant?! Justin and I hadn't planned this to happen this soon, but God's timing is not ours lol, so this must be the perfect timing! After I took a few moments, prayed and thanked God for this little baby, I had to call someone! This thankfully was my day off work and Justin already left for work. So I called my sister Jen! Jen answered and the first thing she said was, "Are you pregnant?" lol! Then I started balling and laughing and she was screaming!! :-) Jen congratulated me and gave me tons of advice! Thanks Jen for you help at that currently scary time lol!

Ok now...what to do? Well in less then an hour I had a reining riding lesson already scheduled..now it took me ALOT to get this lesson and I've been waiting to start riding the reining horses again and get focused on competing. Then after today's news I wasn't sure if I'll be riding during my pregnancy so I decided to go on one last ride..or at least hardcore reining lesson lol! So I went with a BIG smile on my face!! I had an amazing lesson, which left me yearning for more..! I didn't mention anything to Angela..not ready to tell anyone else until my hubby knows!

Then I left my lesson and with an hour before Justin was going to be home for lunch, I rushed off to Target to find a baby item I could wrap up for him as a gift. I got lost walking up and down the aisles of the baby center and just got engulfed in all that will be needed in the coming months..diapers, clothes, bottles, binkies, toys, etc etc... I also got extremely emotional and started crying in the middle of the aisle way!! Haha! I had to get a grip and pull myself together, but those tiny socks and onesizes that will one day hold a baby just sent me over the edge!

I found an adorable set of three onesizes that were jungle themed that I thought would be perfect for Justin. I wrapped them up and stood by the window waiting for him to get home!!

When he pulled up, I went back to stirring a pot of noodles and acted like everything was normal. As he was serving up lunch, I walked in with a green gift bag and said, "Honey? I got a gift for you!" He kind of looked at me weird and said "Why?" and I said, "Because I Love you!" :-)

Then we sat down on the sofa and he opened up the gift and saw the tiny clothes and said. "Really? Are you pregnant?" with extreme excitement I said yes and we both started hugging and crying. Justin was shaking so hard lol, the adrenaline just took over and he couldn't control himself!! Justin is so happy about our baby..he's going to be an amazing daddy! :-)

Justin called in work and asked for the rest of the day off so he could spend it with his newly pregnant wife! We went to First Way Pregnancy Center to get another test..just to be safe.. and they gave us tons of information and were so helpful about pointing us in the right direction as far as getting insurance, finding a doctor.. and they even gave me a "proof of our pregnancy" certificate lol!! :-) They even signed us up for a free ultrasound on 3/30. They estimated that I'm at 6 weeks and my due date is October 31st! I'm hoping for a November baby personally! The ladies there were amazing, and they are an all volunteer center which is so amazing to me! Thank you First Way! :-)

We drove over to my Mom's work and asked her to come outside! We told her the news and she got all excited!! Her baby is having a baby! She started crying and is so happy to have another grand baby this year! My nephew baby Julian was just born on March 1st. My mom thought that he'd be the last for awhile, but nope, here comes another one!! She also mentioned that Julian made it even, 5 boys and 5 girls, so now we are going to break the tie OR have twins!! lol! I'll settle with just one! :-)

The rest of the day was filled with calling friends and family and spreading the news! We had to figure out something special to do for Grandma and Grandpa Porter because it will be their first grand baby! So we thought it would be neat to get them a wooden toybox, and paint it and add "Grandma and Grandpa's Toy Box" on it, wrap it up and surprise them!!

We took it over to their house that evening and when Brenda opened it up she said, "are you serious? Are you serious?" Over and over lol!! She was in SHOCK!! :-) Tears were flowing between me, Brenda and Beth(who will now soon be an Aunt!!) Dan was also in shock! They are so excited to be Grandparents(finally!) :-)

Mandie and Kris don't know yet..we are waiting to tell them Wednesday night when they come down here for a visit. We are also having the great grandparents over too! I'm so excited to tell them, it's killing me !! :-)