First survey!

How far along? 9 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss? 5lb, pretty sure most of it is in my boobs

Sleep? 10pm to usually 4-6am when I have to pee, then back asleep until 7ish

Best moment this week? Seeing our little bear for the first time! AND seeing him/her move!

Symptoms? Nausea every evening, frequent urination, fatigue, irritability, bloating

Food cravings? Right now seems to be smoothies. But really whatever doesn't sound gross, which changes minute to minute

Food aversions? Not really feeling beef at the moment, oh and do my prenatal vitamins count as a food??

Gender? Hopefully in about 3 weeks!

Labor signs? I'm going to say not applicable for first trimester

Belly button in or out? Innie!

What I miss? My appetite

What I'm looking forward to? Our NT scan when they can hopefully tell us the sex, and being able to come out to the world.

Weekly wisdom? Enjoy every minute, even the tough ones, because the whole thing will fly by if you keep looking forward

Milestones? A strong heartbeat and a moving baby (even if I can't feel it yet).

I love you Teddy Bear

Here we are at 9 weeks... which means today was our first ultrasound!

We were so nervous going in, wanting so badly for the little one to be doing well. It was great that Theo finally got to meet my amazing doctor. We were called back after some jittery minutes in the waiting room. Just seconds after starting the ultrasound, there it was, the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. Baby was there, and it was perfect, with a flickering little heart beat. Theo stood by filming the whole ultrasound. We both took turns gasping as my doctor found different views of the cutie. Then it started moving. Little arms and legs flapping away! Our doctor said he/she was putting on a show for us. Doc also commented on the baby's big head. She asked which one of us has a big head... that would be me! Not sure if she was joking on the big head thing though.

We left there feeling so fulfilled, and joyful. All our wishes in the past weeks came true.

And here is our Teddy Bear (nicknamed by Theo after seeing the ultrasound, he's right!)

The past few weeks...

I haven't updated in a few weeks so I thought with 9 weeks hitting tomorrow, I better get a move on it. Let's see...

Week 5: Lots and lots of bloating and a bigger bra size! Eating everything in site until 5 weeks and 5 days when all of a sudden I had no appetite. Then 1 day before 6 weeks after wolfing down a Jack in the Box strawberry shake, I felt my first bout of queeziness.

Week 6: On and off nausea. I describe it to Theo as the feeling after taking that last shot when you say to yourself, "Ohh I shouldn't have done that one."

Week 7-8: Nausea every single night starting around 5pm and getting to it's worst around 8pm. I ended up going to bed early most nights so I didn't have to feel it anymore. On the plus side, it is a constant reminder that baby is growing strong! Oh and the boobs are officially out of control. I am definitely not used to this!

The fatigue has been getting me since before we found out. But recently I've really needed a nap every afternoon, if work doesn't get in the way. I've been lucky to have a slow couple weeks at work.

Our name list is also growing. My grandma swears we're having a girl because she loves our girl name so much.

We are so unbelievably excited for our first ultrasound this Friday at 9 weeks and 2 days!

Stay tuned for a pic of the little bean!

And here's a belly progression!

The first one is also 5 weeks

Betas!

Our Beta numbers or HCG level came back beautiful!
#1 33 at 3 weeks 5 days
#2 222 at 4 weeks 1 day
#3 5,181! at 5 weeks 2 days
The third one was done as a courtesy of my Ob/Gyn because I had a few days of spotting about a week after we found out, and I was very concerned.

Hearing each number was one huge sigh of relief after another. Small reassurances until we get to have an ultrasound. We also got to schedule our first ultrasound for September 9th at 9 weeks!

Is this real life?

We were two months away from starting Clomid (a medication which stimulates ovulation) when a miracle happened.

I woke up Sunday morning on June 31 to a skyrocketed temperature, and after 3 days of spotting, all of a sudden no spotting. Both very good signs that I may have been jumping the gun the day before in thinking we were out this month. I promptly snuck out of bed and did a cheap internet test. At first there was nothing there, but my eyes were still groggy, so I set the test down and went in the other room. Way after the designated time period, about 20 min, I held it in different angles and thought I could see a shadow of a line. I even took a picture of it and inverted the colors on my computer to see if it was there... just barely. I showed Theo and my mom to confirm that I wasn't crazy... both thought I was crazy. They and my message board agreed that even though it looked like a line was there, and 'a line is a line', I read it after the recommended time period. I decided to pick up another couple tests at Walmart during our grocery shopping trip. When we got home I ran to the bathroom and tested away. Within seconds the First Response test showed 2 lines! Pregnant! I reached for the digital test and ended up ripping the package with my teeth because I was so excited. This test seem to take ages to pop up, but after a few minutes it read, PREGNANT. Theo was yelling for me, asking why I wasn't helping with the groceries. I told him to come to our room. When he walked in, I was holding his fishing pole with a onesie I had bought months prior for this occasion attached to it. The onsie read, "Daddy's Fishin Buddy". Theo looked at me with wide eyes and said, "We got it?" He grabbed me, and we kissed, and we cried, and we smiled from ear to ear. We kept exclaiming, "I can't believe it!" and "I'm so happy!" We told both our parents and siblings promptly. It was amazing seeing everyone's reactions, and see how excited they were. That day was the start of yet another adventure in our lives together.

It's crazy, but we loved our little bean from the minute we knew it existed. All our fears of having difficulty conceiving due to PCOS just washed away. A whole new set of fears and worries set in because of our love for that teeny tiny bean (which was the size of a poppy seed). As scared as we would be for the next few weeks, we were so happy for what we created.

Here is my first belly picture, on the day we found out, at 3 weeks and 5 days pregnant. It sadly isn't a very good before picture because I was already super bloated!

Oh baby bird!

Today, I stumbled upon this cute, quivering little ball of feathers. He was sitting on our sidewalk beneath a giant pine tree in our front yard. His little mouth gaping, just asking for love and food. After popping him in a box and doing some online research, I figured out what was best for the fallen angel. Supposedly, his age makes him a 'fledgling', which means he's too old to return him to the nest. The best thing to do is put him back near the site I found him, but try to get him out of harms way. The idea is that the mom will continue to feed him for the next 1-2 weeks until he can fly.

My mom had the brilliant idea to nail the shoe box to the tree he fell out of. It was pretty hilarious trying to nail up the box while my mom held a very unsteady ladder.

I hope he's doing okay tonight. It makes me sad that he's all by himself up there.

This reminds me of the time I tried to nurse a baby 'squirrel' back to health. After 2 days of trying to help he passed. That same day, an expert online got back to me and said based on my description the so called 'squirrel' was actually a rat. Ha!

One, two, skip a few... months

Ahh there I go again, abandoning my blog. I don't know that I can actually call it a blog when I only have a few posts.

Anywho, here's what we missed...

I got in a stupid car accident, slamming into the car in front of me. I have scarred any trust I had in my driving skills. My car took over a month to get fixed and is now on the market. When it came back, it just didn't feel like mine anymore. Plus, Theo and I decided I could use something newer with better gas mileage since I drive so much for my job, and we're approaching that "let's get a family car" stage. So voila! A family car is what we got, and I'm in love!

Then came my birthday. Oh how old 25 feels! Theo was amazing in planning my birthday. It was one surprise after another. First was an Ipad that we both have been dying for. My favorite function right now is iBooks. Then he took me to surprise dinner in West Lake Village. We ate a gourmet meal right on the water. Despite a cloudy windy morning, the weather at dinner was the best you can ask for. In fact I remember getting a nasty burn on my shoulders. Then we finished the night by coming home to my close friends yelling, "Surprise!" as they popped around the corner in my backyard. I've never had a surprise party before, about time! My parents worked so hard to get everything ready while Theo and I were at dinner. I have a beautiful family.

Oh and that pretty blue dress was a surprise from Theo that he picked out on his Hawaii trip. My man has great taste.

Here's a couple pics from a random Jeep adventure Theo and I took around Chatsworth.

Then came Theo's birthday. I was really feeling old for those 16 days that I spent at 25, and him 23. His birthday didn't go quite as planned since the weather did not cooperate with my surprise fishing day trip. The wind could not have gotten any worse. But we made the best of it, stopping in Ojai to find some beer tasting. Oh and how could I forget? I took Theo to pick out a new golf club set on his birthday. They seemed like a fortune, but he's already getting so much out of them. He proudly told his friends that it was my birthday gift for him, and they all ooohhed and ahhhed in jealousy. I love playing that role of the awesome wife.

Toward the end of May, I headed to Vegas with 12 other girls to celebrate the last days of my good friend Mo as a single lady. I had never been to Vegas with all girls before, and it was such an adventure! We trampled through the casino checking off tasks in flirty scavenger hunt. I happily played the role of amused by-stander. Then danced at our own private table that night for the cost of ZERO! What luxury it is to be in Vegas with all girls and have things handed to you because, well they want more girls in the club and go to surprising lengths to get them in. Another first? I rode a bull! And like a pro I might add. I got a nice little scrape on my arm and got to check off a task on my own unofficial bucket list. Mo is going to be such a gorgeous bride, and I'm so lucky to have her as a friend.

A few weekends ago, Theo and I jumped at the opportunity to spend the weekend at my aunt's house on Balboa Island while they were away. I spent countless summer days there with my family when I was younger and still make an effort to get out there at least once or twice each summer now. Theo fishing in the early morning, walks to main street for coffee, a large house all to ourselves, sunbathing on the dock, a trip to the fun zone (not as fun 15 years later), and champagne with frozen Bananas for our last night. One of the best times of the trip was when one of my Aunt's neighbors, a 7 year old girl, stumbled upon us fishing off my Aunt's dock. Her and her friend were absolutely giddy as Theo taught them to fish for the first time. I was just as giddy on the inside, watching my husband in "daddy" mode. What an amazing father he'll be one day.

Really? Cait?

And last but not least, a new summer 'do.