Goodbye to my FIRST "TRI"

On Thanksgiving Day, I was excited to say that I officially entered my II Trimester! Whoooo weeeee...it has been a long and exciting last 13 weeks, but I am fortunate to announce that WE MADE IT!!! The II Trimester is a huge mile mark for baby, and David and I are so happy to have been experiencing a healthy pregnancy to date.

Some random thoughts as to why I am SOOO EXCITED to leave my I Trimester and onto #II

1)Saltine crackers will not be on my daily menu.
2) I will not have to go "tee tee" every 10 minutes, at least until I near the end.

3) I can actually get up and go to the gym without feeling like I need to jump back into bed.

4) I will be able to cook dinner without feeling the need to regurgitate my lunch.

5) I hope to be able to brush my teeth in the morning without nearly choking and gagging to death.

6) I will actually start looking "Pregnant" rather than the girl with a spare tire around her waste.

7) A dear friend told me that in the II Tri, I will actually feel "sexy"...That's a shot in the dark, but I am hopeful.

8) If my friend is right, my husband might actually get some "action" now.

9) I can eat ice cream and pickles and not feel guilty.

10) My crankiness should ease up a bit, for the benefit of my hubby.

WE ARE THANKFUL

On another note, we had a great Thanksgiving with Family and Friends. We began the day with a meal at Grandginnys house, partaking in mom's delicious turkey and all the fixings. I decided I would bake a 3 layer-chocolate pudding cake for the occasion...and yah--didn't turn out so hot. As I was making it, I KNEW it was going to turn out awful...I asked God, "PLEASE LORD, Let me just bake 1 thing that people can eat and ENJOY." O Well, It's Christmas time--I will keep trying! I told David I am going to take a baking class this spring...and I mean it!

After dinner at Gram's, David and I went to join his family in Chandler at his Aunt Jennie's house. Now, I've been a part of this family for almost 9 years--so I know they like to EAT. However, this Thanksgiving was one of the BEST days I have had when it comes to delicious food! They cooked everything from Ham-to-Turkey-to-Jambalaya-to-3 kinds of Mac-in-cheese-to-Dressing-to Yams-to-Collard Greens-to Biscuits-to-BBQ Chicken-to-Red Velvet cake...I could go on...and...on. J'me (David's cousin) blamed all the food on her watching "Way to much food network". Everything was amazing and we liked to call our food display "Hometown Buffet"...Literally, that is how much food there was. After struggling to finish my few last bites, I laced up my kicks, grabbed my nephews, and we took off for a mile walk around the neighborhood. We were so full, but so grateful of the amazing food and family we have been blessed with.

B*L*A*C*K* F*R*I*D*A*Y

Mom and I have made it tradition for many many years to hit the stores on Black Friday. In the years past we would get out at about 8am, and hit the mall along with the thousand of other shoppers. However, this year WAL-MART was the Place to Be! Mom and I braved the crowds and were at Wal-mart by 3:45am. It was insane! I had been to Wal-mart in the past on this day but have NEVER experienced what we did on Friday. Anyhoo, there were several electronic items that were on our list, so we split up, made friends, and were able to conquer 95% of the items on our list. 8 hours and 5 stores later, we arrived back home without incident. Wow...WHAT A DAY!!!

(((This is right before 5am, when employees brought out 9 Playstation 3's...for the 50+ people that were waiting for one. Madness I tell ya...pure madness. I grabbed my GPS's, and got the heck outta there)))

Exciting 12 Week Appointment!

Today was a great day!

David and I met our new OB, Dr. Shannon. WE LOVE HER! She greeted us with this ball of energy, and is sooooo sweet! She started out with the "Doppler reading" to hear our baby's heartbeat. It was "music to her ears" she said. It was a wonderful sound to us as well. A few moments later I asked Dr. Shannon her opinion on the "early screening" for down syndrome. She thinks it's a great idea for mom's over 35 as well as couples that would terminate the pregnancy if the outcome came out positive for downs. Since David and I didn't fall in either one of those categories, Dr. Shannon advised us that it really isn't necessary and would just cause worry for me throughout the pregnancy. I then told her the truth as to why I wanted the test, that is was only because I wanted to "see" my baby again. She chuckled and said, "Well in that case, I will get you another ultrasound TODAY". I was ecstatic and thanked her for this. She told me to keep it "on the hush" with the techs as they really aren't supposed to do additional u/s unless there were some concerns with the baby. Dr. Shannon went on to tell me that she had 2 miscarriages previously, so she understands where I'm coming from. She even offered to check me again in 2 weeks just so we could hear the heartbeat again. Can you see WHY I LOVE OUR DOCTOR! She's the greatest!

David and I were then escorted into the tech room for our ultrasound. As soon as she put the "thingy" on my tummy, our baby was a dancing a-way...arms and legs were-a flaring, and he or she was-a bouncin. It was amazing! The funny thing was that as soon as the tech was moving the "thingy" around over my belly, the baby curled up in a ball and became camera shy. It was so cute! The baby has grown TREMENDOUSLY from the ultrasound just 4 weeks ago. The picture below you will see the baby's head (you can even see the eyes, nose, and mouth) one arm, and the baby's abdomen. The legs and rump were curled up by the time she was able to snap the picture.

Aside from the Doppler reading we will have in 2 weeks, our next ultrasound appointment will be on December 23rd. It is at this time we will find out if Baby Kingcannon will be wearing pink or blue =) What an amazing Christmas present this will be...Both Grandmas are already anxious to find out so they can start shoppin!

Thanks again for your continued prayers. We are truly blessed to have such great family and friends as well as an amazing God to look after us during this pregnancy.

A "Not So" Interesting Update

A few have asked for an update, so I shall deliver.

Nothing really new to report. I have officially entered into my 11 week, 1 more week to go until I cross into my 2nd Trimester! So excited to hit this mark, as it's been a very long couple of months.

The last week has actually been quite pleasant. Nausea is slowly going away and I finally have my appetite back! This is a good thing as David was getting quite annoyed with my "not-so-wanting to eat" habits, BUT it can also be a bad thing as I must have ice cream every night and peanut butter and jelly at least every other day. Yah, this can not be good for me. However, on the bright side--I saw online today the "Top Ten Foods To Eat While Pregnant" and I was proud to find that I have been constantly eating at least 8 of those items. So, I guess all-in-all I've been doing okay!

My baby bump is growing EVERY DAY which continues to be my motivation to stay fit. No need to gain 100 lbs during my pregnancy--right? I asked my doctor why I had a bump so early and she said a lot of it had to do with my previous mis-carriage, as the uterus was already stretched making my 2nd pregnancy move faster than my first.

I reluctantly decided to add a "10 week" photo since some of you didn't believe me when I said "I have a bump".

I will post again next week after we have our 12 week ultrasound and meet our new doctor!