Baby is Kicking!! Very first time on Christmas Day!!

That's right!! I felt our baby move today!! So exciting! It felt more like baby stretched than really kicked. It was wonderful and very reassuring that everything is moving along on course!

Baby's First Blessing

I wanted to be sure and document a very special moment for mommy and baby.

Last week I went to Church in DC during my lunch break and enjoyed a wonderful service at St. Francis' Catholic Church. Following the mass the Father stood outside and greeted each of the people as they left the church. I introduced myself and asked that the Father and I share a prayer for my baby. He enthusiastically agreed and we bowed our heads... he thanked God for his blessings and placed his hands on my belly then said, "Lord, please wrap your arms around Kristi's unborn child to protect him or her and bring the baby in to the world with your grace."

It was wonderful and the mommy-to-be gave the priest a tearful thank you. I was so moved by the prayer it took me a few moments to collect myself :)

Going on 18 weeks... and a babybump to show for it!!

The morning sickness is a thing of the past! At about week 15 the morning sickness (that lasted ALL DAY) ended and now it's smooth sailing. It's getting a little harder to find a cozy spot in bed as my tummy is getting bigger and bigger each day. But I'm still able to wear most my tops and rotate the three or four pairs of pants that still fit for work :)





Here's the baby bump at 4 months -

Bean's First Christmas Tree... 15 weeks and counting!

Hello all!

Mike and I are excited for the holiday season and busted out all the Christmas decor this weekend! We even got our tree (and took the dogs, who both loved it!)... the house smells amazing and it's making me homesick for Cali, but it's nice to have such a happy, warm home for for Bean's first (sort of) Christmas. :)

We have a doctor's appointment next week and look forward to hearing baby's heartbeat - we didn't get a chance to last visit because baby was being stubborn.

At the visit we're going to get the slip to go to the 3-D Ultrasound to find out... drum roll.... if we're having a boy or girl!!!!!!!!!! How exciting!! Hurry and vote for your guess - to the right of this post!

Love you all!

We have pictures to share!!

Here is my tummy at 10 weeks... no sign of Bean... Below is my belly at 13 weeks... Bean is starting to make an appearance!!

And here is Bean inside mommy at 12 weeks... head, arm and body! AWE!!!

Bean's the size of a LIME!!!!

Hello all! Just an update... we're at week 11 and according to the books, Bean is the size of a lime! And is already growing fingernails!! So amazing... Mike and I are already in awe :)

First Road Trip and USC Football Game for Bean

Marking our one year wedding anniversary Mike and I (and Bean) packed up the car and headed out to South Bend, IN for the USC v. Notre Dame college football game. Bean had us stopping every hour or so to go potty or get something else to eat (mind you we also had a back seat FULL of snacks). It was a wonderful way to spend a long weekend and Mike and I had a blast. Bean must have been good luck - because USC finished the game with the first shut out of the season!

We had a great time and were happy to get home... after the USC tailgate party and the bench stadium seating we were all pooped! :)

Our First Doctor's Visit!

AMAZING! It the best way to describe it! Mike and I saw Bean's little heart beating - it was SO fast, but the doctor says that's healthy and normal at this stage.

Bean is officially 9 weeks today!! The doctor gave baby and momma a clean bill of health. Next visit we review some of the screening and then... drum roll... we find out if Bean is a girl or boy! We're open to baby name suggestions, but we will not be revealing our baby's name until the birth day.

Our due date is May 21st - which is right around my dad's and Mike's mom's birthdays, so that's fun!

We also started telling people - friends, coworkers, etc - so feel free to spread the news as well!!

10/5... bb pellet to pinto bean

Ugh... not feeling well this morning. I had to start nibbling on breakfast before I even reached the car... felt a little seasick on the way to work too. I can just imagine upchucking while I'm carpooling to work! Eek!!

You can see how Bean looks now at the end of week 7... guess we'd be raisin' cain if we were doubling in size over 7 days too!!!

Doctor Visit Scheduled.... week 7 on 10/2

Our first doctor visit is scheduled for October 13th! We're very excited and have pages of questions... We'll be sure to post a full account after the visit.

Feel free to post questions for us to remember to ask below... we're open for helpful reminders!

Also, we're at the 7 week mark (by Doctor's clock, age of the egg or 5 weeks by date of conception). Bean is about the size of a BB pellet right now... by next Tuesday he/she will have doubled in size and will be about the size of a pinto bean!

9/28... feeling queasy...

First day of morning sickness... well good morning "Bean"! Baby made it known that she/he is in there growing and changing... and making me seasick. September 28th was the first day I felt sick - dizzy, lightheaded, and headachie - but it passed after a few crackers and about 20 minutes.

The baby has been nicknamed "Bean" because I refuse to call him/her "it" and we don't know the sex yet. You may see me refer to the baby as "Bean" in future posts - don't worry we're not naming her/him that (...maybe a middle name...) it's just for now - we're already bonding. Mike rubs my belly at night and says "good night Bean".... he also returns my daily "uh, I don't feel so good" emails with "Bean settle down".... very cute.

The secret snack stashes have been a life saver! I go through them faster than I can restock sometimes!!

Announcing the News!

Since we're already a few weeks in to the pregnancy I'd like to fill you in on everything that's happened thus far.

September 19th at about 10 PM - We decided to take another home pregnancy test (the first one we took a month prior when I was a week late was negative). Mike wanted to wait a few more days because he was afraid it'd be negative and I'd be upset/disappointed for the rest of the night. I assured him I wouldn't (who me? emotional?) and then I drank two glasses of water so I'd have to go... I completed the test and laid the stick on the counter, quickly covering it with the instructions so I couldn't see the lines. I joined Mike in the bedroom and watched the clock... few minutes passed and we got up to look at the results. I was between tears and smiles and Mike (being my solid rock) was calm, but anxious. He looked first and flashed a HUGE smile - that's when I knew! Mike said, "We're pregnant!" and we hugged and kissed (and cried a little). It was all very perfect and we were both excited and relieved.

We wanted to call everyone and share but decided to keep it to close family for the first three months to be safe... We called my parents in California and asked "Okay, you're going to have to decide what you want to be called... Grandma and Grandpa, Gammy and Pop.... because we're pregnant!" There was screaming and more smiles with congratulations all around. We used the same "Okay, you're going to have to decide what you want to be called..." line with Mike's parents received more smiles and congratulations.

Then it was time to call my sister in California who *luckily* skipped class that night to study for a test, so we were able to reach her. She swore up and down that she knew this time was different and had a strong feeling we were pregnant. Mandy said the same thing when we called - she said there was just something about Mike's message, she knew we were calling to tell her we're pregnant. Sisters just have a way of knowing I suppose....

We called Lee in Manhattan Beach but reached the machine - no doubt because Randy was over seas and Lee was home with the beautiful baby boys, Ben and Wilson. We caught up the next night and swapped stories and she gave me a list of to do's: start taking a prenatal vitamin every day, create an emergency snack stash for morning sickness and get a pregnancy book. I spoke to Randy the night we found out (at about 3AM London time) and received the warmest congratulations you can ask for at 3AM.

So that's it... that's everyone that knows so far... please do not share the news with extended family and friends just yet. We'd like to wait for the start of the second trimester.

Purpose of this Web Site....

Welcome to all our new readers... which right now includes only our immediately family because you guys are the only ones we've shared our happy news with.

The purpose of this blog is to create an online community where Mike and I can share all the exciting moments over the next nine months... we don't want you guys to miss a thing (even if you are miles away)!

At the end of the pregnancy Mike and I will print out all the postings you add to this web page and include them in the baby book. Time to time, you'll see messages from the mommy- and daddy-to-be for the baby... you're welcome to do the same! Address your messages to me, Mike, the baby or others on this web page.

Our baby is very lucky to have family in California, Virginia and Georgia that already love him/her so much!

Thank you all for your love, encouragement and words of advice! We are excited to embark on this journey with each other and extend our new family to welcome a baby - we're so thankful that you all will be involved in this process!

Love and Kisses!!!