A Grandson/Nephew for the Datsons!

Waiting for the Peonies

I still can't help but reflect on the events of the past year, it's hard to believe all that's happened.  In October, after our miscarriage, I wasn't sure what the future would hold.  As a couple, we held strong together and supported each other in the best way we knew how.  Personally, I was a disaster.  I'd never felt anything remotely close to that kind of pain.  Shortly after the miscarriage Jesse and I planted peony bulbs along the front walkway of our home in memory of our little one.

We were so blessed to find out we were pregnant again 6 months later.  If you've kept up with the blog you know that everything has been going exceptionally well with this pregnancy.  Our little boy is healthy and strong and we could not be more thankful.  As summer has just begun, I can't help but watch our little garden to see the peonies we hoped would play a part in healing our hearts.  I water them daily but haven't seen anything yet.  Just as we've been given a second chance with this baby, I can't wait for the blooming of the peonies.

He's a boy!

It's so hard to believe Jesse and I will be the parents of a little boy in about 5 months!  We had a ball at First View Ultrasound, it was a wonderful experience and one we highly recommend to friends who are expecting.  Our little guy was pretty shy throughout the entire experience.  He either had his hands over the goods, his legs crossed, or his knees bent up in just the right position to make it difficult for the ultrasound tech to determine his gender.  The tech had to go as far as shaking my belly to try to get him to change positions.  We're hopeful that he will be as laid back (hopefully not as stubborn!) as he is inside me as when he's born!  Below are pictures from the session:

Today's the Day!

There have already been so many exciting moments during this pregnancy but this is one we're especially siked about: finding out whether our little one is a girl or boy!  We'll be 16 weeks tomorrow which is surprisingly far enough along to check the gender.  We had the option of waiting until 20 weeks to know through our insurance but we simply can't wait that long.  Our appointment at First View Ultrasound is at 7 tonight, their website is www.firstviewultrasound.com.  We were advised not to do the 3D ultrasound at this point because the baby doesn't have enough fat yet to make it cute.  I'm pretty sure we're going to be falling in love even further no matter what we see on the screen.  A friend recommended that I drink a little juice on the way over to ensure that the baby is awake and active so that determining the gender won't be an issue due to positioning.  

We purchased 2 dozen cupcakes (2 flavors) through Bliss Cupcakes.  One flavor is filled with pink frosting and one has blue inside.  We plan to deliver the cupcakes to our families after our appointment to spread the good news, stay posted for pictures of the cupcakes!

I keep asking everyone what he/she thinks about the gender.  I even posted it on Facebook to try to get a sense.  It seems that the majority of friends think the baby is a boy.  Jesse continues to change his mind on a daily basis, today he thinks it's a boy.  I'm really not sure what I think.  Something is telling me the baby is a boy.  I'm not sure if it's because my mother always said that someday I would have boys and Annie would have girls but I think it's a possibility.  All I know is that whatever the baby is, he/she will be loved more than any baby has ever been loved.  

Sick and Pregnant...

The kiddos at school really got me this time!  I woke up Thursday morning with a scratchy throat, nothing huge.  I hoped it would go away by Friday as I had class Friday evening and Saturday all day.  I was also supposed to chaperone my kids at prom Saturday.

I think I officially experienced my most embarrassing moment last weekend in class.  The professor asked each of us in class to share our thoughts on an assignment he had us working on independently.  The combination of feeling so poorly (sore throat, cough, cold), literally not being able to speak, and raging pregnancy hormones made the tears start flowing.  It was so embarrassing!  I had to take a break and remove myself from the class to calm down.  Luckily, my professor let me leave at noon.  It was a pretty miserable hour drive home but I made it.

Prom was definitely out of the question.  I heard the kids had tons of fun.  I'm so bummed I had to miss it.  I ended up taking 3 days off of work, really unusual for me and tough on students and coworkers.  I've been back for 2 days now and am starting to get into my groove again.  Graduation is tomorrow!  As this is a pregnancy related blog I figure I had better mention that I officially have nothing to wear to the ceremony.  It's a good thing I get to hide under a big black gown!

Below are a few pics from kids at prom as well as the U2 concert they attended as special guests :o)

The kids with a student assistant who was crowned prom queen.

They got to meet Tim Tebow at the concert!

Party animals!

The News!

We let the big news out on Facebook!  After much consideration of how to do it some friends at work helped us create a plan.  We went to googletranslate.com and translated "I'm pregnant" for my status and "My wife is pregnant" for Jesse in many different languages.  We updated the status every minute on the minute until someone finally looked it up.  Below is how many tries it took:

我懷孕了!

أنا حامل!

אני בהריון!

Ես հղի եմ:

Я беременна!

나 임신 했어!

मैं गर्भवती हूँ!

Unë jam shtatzënë!

Mwen ansent!

Jsem těhotná!

Ich bin schwanger!

Ég er ólétt!

Mimi nina mimba!

Olen raskaana!

We're so glad to not have to hide it from anyone now!  We're just so excited and thankful to be able to share this experience with so many loved ones.  

Baby Jones is going global!

Last weekend Jesse and I went to the mountains with my parents.  It was so relaxing and such a treat to get away for the night.  We are especially thankful to Annie for watching the dogs for a night!  At the condo we got to sit around and make calls to relatives and close family friends to let them know about our good news.  We did it in order of age which ended up spanning in ages from the 90's to the 20's.  It was so much fun to hear the reactions.  On Wednesday we are so excited to announce the news on the almighty Facebook.  We're still not exactly sure how to make the announcement but I'm sure it will be fun any way we decide.
I was so excited to hear a great friend at work say "Stef, you popped over the weekend!" this morning.  I have been waiting patiently for the time when I wouldn't look quite so tubby but decidedly pregnant.  I think the time is fast approaching, our baby is now the size of a peach!  Jesse is faithfully taking side profile shots every Thursday to document my expanding waistline.  I'm sure I'll be glad to see them someday but I'm finding the weekly routine makes me rather self conscious.  Oh well, I'm certainly very excited to be seeing some physical changes!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is officially my first mother's day and I'm so excited about it!  The past few mother's days have been jaded with a mixture of hope and disappointment with our fertility issues.  I can't help but think about what truly constitutes a mother.  Is it the physical presence of a child you care for after birth?  Do you become a mother at conception?  Is it possible to be a mother before pregnancy?  This I know for sure: I've felt like a mother without a child for a very long time.  The only difference this year is that I have a baby inside me.  I also can't help but think of my friends and others who would like to conceive.  This day can be so difficult if you've not seen a simple line on a stick.  My love and understanding goes out to all these couples.  Don't lose patience and hope...

Plans for mother's day you ask?  I woke up to my dear husband holding a card and a gift bag.  I really wasn't anticipating anything and just the mention of me as a "mom" would have been present enough.  The card was so wonderful, Jesse is a great husband!  I wasn't expecting the tears but my hormones are still going nuts.  He generously gave me a massage gift card and a "Boppy" pillow that will help me stay comfy when I'm sleeping.  I must admit that it is so comfortable that I am using it right now, I highly recommend these gems, pregnant or not!  We enjoyed brunch with Jesse's mom at Doug's, they have incredible breakfast burritos!  My parents have been out of town for the last week in Washington, D.C.  Their flight gets in later tonight and they'll join us for a breakfast dinner at our house as soon as they can.  Annie suggested a breakfast dinner as we always used to make breakfast in bed for Mom when we were young.  The baby and I are looking forward to homemade waffles, fruit salad, scrambled eggs, and cheesecake!

To all the moms I know, baby or not, happy mother's day.  To my own mom: thank you for everything you've done for me throughout the years.  You're an incredible inspiration to me and I only hope to be able to offer my baby half the childhood you created for me.  I love you very much!

My wonderful new pillow!

My beautiful Mom

We Made It!

We've officially made it to 12 weeks!  Only a few short weeks ago I wasn't sure that we would make it this far.  I'm getting pretty confident that we're going to see this journey to the end!  We haven't had a doctor's appointment since 8 weeks and we won't be having one for about another 4 weeks.  I can totally see why "neurotic" moms-to-be buy dopplers to maintain a little sanity between appointments.  We'll be going in for a gender scan in about 4-5 weeks.  Below is a template which I stole from another pregnant friend's blog as it really captures where we are!  Enjoy the update!

• How Far Along: 12 weeks, 2 days
• Size of baby: size of a plum!
• Maternity Clothes: loving my maternity pants, they're so much more comfortable!
• Gender: We'll know in about a month!
• Movement: Nothing yet but I'm not expecting any for another 4-6 weeks
• Sleep: I am always so tired!  I seem to get a pretty restful sleep lately.
• What I miss: Diet Coke, I miss it so badly!  It used to be my "cheat food", I don't really like soda otherwise.
• Cravings: Nothing too specific this week 
• Symptoms:Exhaustion, mild night nausea, hunger, super smell ability
• Milestone: Reaching 12 weeks!  Now our risk of miscarrying is down to 3%
• Best Moment this week: Getting to tell my work friends that we're expecting.  I didn't have enough baggy shirts to keep hiding it!
• What I'm looking forward to: My belly growing more and telling everyone else on May 18th

Below is an ultrasound video of a baby who is now at the same age as ours!

My New Superpower

I officially have a new superpower: super scent.  I'm not a fan of this talent, it's killing me!  Since approximately 5 weeks I have had to plug my nose if I want to open the fridge.  Not that that's any big deal but it really hinders my desire to cook.  I hate packing our lunches for the next work day... it's getting to be a problem.  Last weekend I asked my darling husband if he would clean out the fridge and wipe everything down hoping it would help.  He spent almost 2 hours cleaning, organizing, and pitching expired condiments or any other suspect which could be stimulating my gag reflex.  He made the executive decision that everything in the fridge must be sealed in a container or ziploc.  When pondering how to wrap the Costco take and bake pizza we settled on a drawstring kitchen trashbag, resourceful.  Unfortunately, all the work was to no avail.  Alas, I'm still plugging my nose to go in the fridge.  I suppose this is just one of those fun little quirks of pregnancy!

Happy Easter!

I feel like I have a lot to say, get ready...

This weekend I finally bit the bullet.  I did quite a bit of research and finally decided that I'm not the only one who needed to be in maternity pants so early.  At just 10.5 weeks I was feeling a little ridiculous having my jeans unbuttoned and tucked in.  The following is a synopsis of my maternity pant search:

• Ross: total bust.  I am not cool enough nor do I have the right figure for skinny jeans.
• Marshall's: really disappointed.  They don't even have a maternity section!
• Old Navy: left more confused than I arrived.  The HUGE size I tried on in vain (only to make myself feel better about my expanding waistline) was so tight I couldn't even get them up.  The pants which are actually my size ended up falling off because they were soooo big.  My girlfriend tried to tell me that it was because they were different cuts... that's crap.  No two sizes should be that far apart!!!
• Kohl's: victory!  I went with my mom and sister yesterday and actually found a pair that fit well!  Unfortunately, they only had 1 pair.
• Easter Bunny: Today, the easter bunny left me a pair of maternity pants (that fit!) in my basket!  I'm lucky to have such a great family!

I'm starting to wonder if we can pull off not saying anything at work for another 4 weeks.  Originally, we wanted to announce our pregnancy on May 18th, the due date of our 1st pregnancy.  I'm a week and a half out from 12 weeks (the safe zone).  I think we may just have to announce it then (not that I'm upset, I can't wait to tell everyone!).  Also, working with kids with special needs can get pretty physical at times.  I don't want my coworkers to think I'm ditching out on helping to lift kids much longer.  I don't want them to think I'm slacking!  We'll see how it goes :o)

A friend emailed me this link.  It's an animation of pregnancy through the trimesters.  Pretty interesting!  http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/you/the-exhibit/your-beginning/make-room-for-baby/interactive/  

This morning we attended Easter service at church.  I don't consider myself to be much of a religious person but the minister (also the officiant from our wedding) has a beautiful way of speaking.  His words are so gentle, thought provoking, and not too "churchy".  Today he was talking about Easter as a symbol of fertility and new life.  His message was that wherever you are in life this day can serve as a reminder that the rest of your days hold wonderful possibilities.  He is certainly correct in our circumstances.  The Christmas Eve service was exceptionally difficult to get through last year.  The miscarriage was still pretty fresh and his message revolved around "finding a home" for the holidays.  He acknowledged that we have all endured pain in the past year, some more than others, and needed to find comfort in family, friends, and the holidays.  While sitting in the pews today I glanced up to the balcony, where we sat at the Christmas Eve service.  I am so thankful for how far we've come, for the wonderful people we have in our lives, and for my loving husband.  Thank you, each and every one of my family and friends, who have supported and loved us through this trying time in our lives.  We are so lucky to have you.  May this year be filled with wonderful possibilities for everyone.    

Here come the hormones...

I think it's now safe to say that I've officially had my first pregnancy emotional "meltdown".  What happened you ask?  Here's the story:

Duke and Layla have taken up a new hobby: eating the walls.  It's not my ideal choice for their entertainment but they really seem dedicated.  In 3 days we've incurred 2 holes, one of which is completely through the drywall.  Needless to say, we're bummed.  The dogs have been relatively well behaved for the past year or so (minus the occasional sock casualty).  We decided to start using their kennels during the day to provide a bit more support.  Sounds like a great idea, right?!  There's more...

A few weeks ago, Jesse and I decided to transition the dogs into the basement over the summer.  We can anticipate how "helpful" they'll want to be in the middle of the night once the baby comes and would like to try to avoid that all together.  When Jesse suggested that we go ahead and move them downstairs now I lost it.  Crying, inconsolable crying, can't catch your breath crying ensued.  Things like "I don't want them to think I don't want them anymore" came blubbering out.  The most ridiculous part is that I was fully conscious of how irrational and emotional I was being.  Between sobs I would apologize to Jesse for being so crazy.  Ultimately, we've compromised on having them sleep upstairs as usual and be kenneled in the basement during the day.

I think it's ironic that I work with my students on a daily basis to help them learn how to control their meltdowns.  This has been and I'm sure will continue to remain a learning process.

Have you seen the guilty dog video on YouTube?  Duke and Layla must be close and personal friends with Denver  :o)  You're sure to enjoy this if you are a dog lover.

I'm trying to get a feel for if they dogs know something is going on, that something is changing with me.  I think Duke is pretty intuitive but Layla... we'll just leave it at that!  I'm really having a hard time pinpointing anything else that has changed which would initiate such destructive behavior.  In the mean time, wish our walls good luck!

9 weeks 4 days

As we begin to approach the 12 week "safety zone" I find that my mind is a bit more at ease about everything.  I can notice a huge change in my own behavior.  I've really mellowed quite a bit.  A few weeks ago my free time was consumed by 3 things: eating, sleeping, and reading mindless pregnancy forums.  I've since cut back on the forums, they're filled with horror stories and inaccurate information.  I am really enjoying reading my books.  I feel like they probably have a bit more credibility.  Every once and a while I'll go online to look at an ultrasound video of a baby who is as far along as ours.  Below is one I found for this week.  I'm amazed with the degree of movement!  I'm really looking forward to feeling baby Jones soon but according to my books it'll be at least another 6 weeks!

Tough Night

Preface to reading this post:  I am NOT complaining, just chronicling my interesting evening :o)

I was not prepared for last night.  After attending a happy hour with work friends and my lovely husband I was feeling pretty good.  We were enjoying a relaxing evening on the sofa when the "evening sickness" hit me like a tsunami.  Morning sickness is a funny thing.  Just that morning Jesse gave me a kiss after he had eaten peanut butter.  I told him if they made peanut butter perfume I would buy stock in it!  The same evening, he repeated the peanut butter kiss and I nearly tossed my proverbial cookies.  After spending a while in the bathroom dry heaving I decided I MUST have macaroni and cheese... and I must have it now.  I've noticed that when you're pregnant "a little hungry" doesn't exist anymore.  There is only "not hungry" or "lay off me I'm starving!" (a nice nod to Chris Farley's SNL skit).  What an interesting journey pregnancy is.  I'm glad I'm just at the beginning and hope to have some more things figured out as time progresses.  I'll figure it out!

He's kind of a big deal!

In case you weren't aware: my husband is awesome!  He went out to run a few errands for us and look what he came back with for me:

Peanut Butter Perfection by Bliss Cupcakes, www.blisscupcake.com 

So as I'm updating with this entry, I'm noticing that about 1/2 of my posts involve food!  I guess that's a big part of this whole pregnancy deal!  Thanks, Jesse, for being the best husband in the world.  I love you so much!

Another Doctor's Appointment!

We survived!  Actually, it's more like I survived.  I really don't know how Jesse manages to stay so cool and collected at these appointments.  They are just plain scary!  I am constantly amazed by his strength.  I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband!  Today was our "big" appointment: physical, family history, ultrasound, bloodwork results... everything!  Here are the highlights of the appointment:

• Baby looked good, still growing, saw heartbeat again
• Due date changed: 11.17.11
• We will deliver at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree
• Blood work looked good minus the fact that I'm a Strep-B carrier (whatever that means)
• Next doctor's appointment is at the beginning of June
• Next ultrasound will be at the beginning of July (when we can find out the sex!)

Sky Ridge...not too shabby!

Chocolate Makes Happy Babies (and Moms!!!)

Perhaps it's just that my master's work has taken over my brain but I have begun to look at pregnancy research.  I came across this study which just makes me happy:

http://gsdl.sld.cu/collect/chocolat/index/assoc/HASH42f5.dir/doc.pdf

In case you'd just like to read a short synopsis:

They had 305 women that participated in the study. They grouped them into never/seldom consumers, weekly, and daily. What did they find? That the daily consumers of chocolate had happier babies at 6 months old. They rated happiness by more "positively reactive and active". They argued that it could be that the mothers who were eating chocolate everyday had a more positive sense of well-being. Thus, they passed those happy feelings onto their babies in the womb. A weakness in their study could have been that the mothers who ate chocolate daily were also more interactive with their babies during the first 6 months.

A Sense of Accomplishment!

A friend suggested Jesse and I watch a BBC special, The Great Sperm Race.  I highly recommend it to anyone who is trying to conceive, pregnant, or just in need of a good laugh in general.  Complete with thousands of actors dressed in all white in their debut role as sperm, the show chronicles the journey of sperm through the "evil" female reproductive system.  It really is amazing that any babies are born at all!  Because it is on YouTube, you'll have to watch it in segments.  Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Portion Control

I'm at the point where I feel nervous to eat.  One week ago I would eat for relief of nausea.  It seems that now I eat with a payoff of nausea instead.  Last night before we left for the auto show I had a PB&J on whole wheat, grapes, and cottage cheese (around 5:00).  By the time we left at 10pm, I felt just as full as I had when we left, uncomfortably full.  They say that your digestive system significantly slows down during pregnancy to aid in the absorption of nutrients but, jeez!  This is an interesting journey for sure!  I think I'll experiment with portions and eating times.  Hopefully I'll find the right combination for a comfortable day!

Denver Auto Show

Last night we went to the Denver Auto Show.  Jesse and I have been talking about getting a new car for a while.  We're a bit worried about how much more life the Jeep has left.  We ultimately decided to wait until I finished my Master's program before seriously looking into it.  I think this may be Jesse's way of nesting.  He wants to make sure that everything is "up to code" before the baby comes.  It seemed like the auto show would be a good place to start getting some ideas.  Overall, our favorite was the Hyundai Veracruz.  It was half way affordable and has the all important 3 rows of seats Jesse has dubbed as necessity.  While visiting the Honda section and sitting in the front seats of the Ridgeline, we were horrified to see that someone had left his undies in the back seat... gross!