The Story of Two!

That's right folks, we're having twins. See below this post for pictures of the ultrasounds and a hilarious video Nathan put together last night. We're super excited...and not just a little overwhelmed! But wow, what a blessing! And now for the story that led up to us finding out about this kiddos. Night before last (Monday night) around 11:45 I started bleeding, so Nathan picked me up from work and took me to the ER. We were there for about 3 hours while I got poked and prodded, which was just a ton of fun. When the ER doc was examining me, she felt my uterus and said, "Dear Lord, your uterus is HUGE! Are you sure you're only 9 weeks along?" I assured her I was and none of us really thought about it again.

All of the tests were inconclusive, my pelvic exam looked good, and the bleeding had stopped so the doctor sent us home (at around 3 am) with orders to get an early ultrasound and see my OB in the morning. So off to the radiology department we went at 9 am (I had only slept about 2 hours by this time) and as soon as the tech started doing the ultrasound, he stopped, chuckled, pointed to the screen and asked, "What do you see?". I looked up and saw a couple of round circles that looked like two fried eggs next to each other, but didn't have a clue what that meant. He said, "Those are the crowns of two heads." TWO?!?!? Yep, twins. You can see exactly what we saw in the first ultrasound picture Nathan posted.

After that the xray tech examined my belly from every angle, and we got to see each baby moving its arms and legs and got to hear each of their heartbeats. Which, by the way, had to have been one of the most profound and moving moments of my entire life...actually, two of the most profound moments, one for each heartbeat. I just remember how terrified I was that something was going to be wrong and that I wouldn't hear my baby's heartbeat. Then to hear two heartbeats, both going strong, and to see my children's arms and legs moving. If your heart can break from happiness, that's surely what happened. I never thought I could fall so in love with something on a computer screen.

This would explain, however, why the heck I am already starting to show right below my belly button, why I've been so hungry non-stop, and why the ER doc exclaimed over my HUGE uterus. When our OB walked in the room after seeing the ultrasound pics, all he could do was grin and all we could do was grin back! Too much fun! He said that some slight bleeding is normal between 8-10 weeks, just as long as I don't start again. There's going to be a lot of planning to be done in terms of getting ready to have a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery of these two kiddos and we're going to start meeting with a doctor at St. Luke's in Boise because the chances are pretty high that we will have to be life flighted there if I go into preterm labor.

We won't be able to find out the genders until around 20 weeks, but Nathan and I are hoping for either a boy and a girl or two boys. I mean, can you imagine having two girls going through puberty at the exact same time?! (shudder) But of course we will be wildly excited about whatever they turn out to be, as long as they stay healthy.

So yeah, I have twins...the girl who never even considered the possibility that I might someday have twins. Evidently Mom and Dad warned me that this was a possibility because of our family's history, but I think they told me that on the day I found out that I was pregnant and it just didn't sink in. According to my dad's mom, there are three sets of twins on her side and a set of twins on my grandpa's side. And evidently Nathan's grandma (dad's mom) has a brother who had twins. So we were "doomed" from the start!

As you look at the ultrasound picture of the top of both of their heads together, Baby B is sitting right below my belly button and Baby A is sitting right below Baby B. No, that's not what we're naming them, that's how the medical community refers to them. When we got to see each of them from the side, Baby A was the mover and shaker, constantly waving its hands and feet around. Meanwhile, Baby B was just hanging out, relaxing, only moving a little bit. I wonder if that is just a hint of things to come.

Wow...twins. Nathan and I just say that we like to do things differently, that's all.

TWINS!

Stress is EEEEVIL!

I honestly try to keep my posts on here as positive as possible, if for no other reason than to remind myself how good I have it. But the next two weeks are literally going to resemble Hell on Earth. Between now and May 25th, I am literally going to have 3 days which don't have anything scheduled in terms of work, rehearsal, performances, or Young Life.

This week's schedule consists of: Rehearsal & work Monday night; map training for work, rehearsal & work Tuesday night; rehearsal Wednesday night; work first day shift Thursday night and then rehearsal; fitting for my costume on Friday; yard sale fundraiser for Young Life on Saturday; church and a chance to breath on Sunday.

Next week: work Monday, rehearsal here in Baker; on Tuesday work, drive to Elgin (70 min away) for rehearsal, then drive back; on Wednesday is a dental appointment in the morning, then drive to and from Elgin for another rehearsal; Thursday, same as Wednesday without the dental appointment; Friday work until 4 pm, drive to Elgin, perform, drive back; Saturday same as Friday; Sunday I just work 6 am to 6 pm.

After that, it gets a little better because we only have two rehearsals and everything is here in Baker. Problem is, now I feel like the gal who does our scheduling at work is a little miffed with me, because I've had to request a couple of hours off here and there in order to go to these rehearsals/performances. And on top of that, I have my husband breathing down my neck, asking me why I need to go to these rehearsals, and no matter how I try to explain it, he doesn't get that I NEED these rehearsals. Otherwise I am not going to know my lines, my cues, my blocking, or my songs. You can't just stare at music or a script and have it all translate smoothly to the stage.

A big part of my stress is the fact that I feel like I am going to get up on the stage and draw a complete blank because I've missed so many rehearsals. We are 11 days (7 rehearsals) away from the play opening and there are still parts of the play that I haven't been been told the blocking on and songs that I have yet to hear! That may not seem like a big deal, but it's a HUGE deal.

The funny thing is that today started out as a wonderful day, even though I only got about 3 hours of sleep. I got laundry done, I did dishes, the sky was blue, it was about 70 degrees out, and I had a chance to finish the movie we started last night which I feel asleep 20 minutes into. But then my traitorous mind wouldn't let me stop thinking about my songs, my lines, work, and whether my husband is going to completely give up on me by the end of this whole extravaganza. All I can do is pray that we both get out of this with our wits intact. Afterall, after May 25th, life is (hopefully) going to be smooth sailing for another 6 months. And then our lives will change dramatically again when the kid shows up.

Maybe we should just think of this as training for the stress of having an infant in the house. Somehow I think I'll enjoy the infant more.

Woohoo!

So today I am exactly 9 weeks along. Which means that our baby has officially graduated from 'embryo' to a full fledged fetus!!!

Yes, when you're pregnant it doesn't take very much to get you completely giddy. Oh, and now the baby in my ticker on the right is looking decidedly more human like and less...alien. Excellent! According to "What to Expect When You're Expecting", the baby is about 1 inch long and is starting to develop its muscles this week.

This month holds a lot of anticipation...as if the entire pregnancy doesn't! Anyway, at the end of this month, we will get to see our first ultrasound, hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time, and I will finish my first trimester. Very exciting!

Sometimes it's incredibly overwhelming to think about all the things we need/want to get done before the baby comes in 7 months. But I try not to dwell on it too much, we'll get as much as we can done.

Anyway, Nathan should be up soon, at which point I get to go to bed. Have a great day everyone!

First OB Appointment

Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait between post but I've been waiting for something momentous to happen with the pregnancy and so far everything has been smooth sailing. I've only had two or three really small bouts of nausea, all right after waking up and none sticking around for very long. Usually it just takes a couple of saltine crackers to make it go away. Other than that, I'm still just knocked out by my constant fatigue. Seems like the only time I'm not exhausted is when I wake up at 2 am on my nights off, wide awake and unable to go back to sleep until about 8 am. Ah well, I guess that's for the best since I'm still on graveyard for another week and a half.

Yesterday I had my first OB appointment with Dr. Dan Smithson. Nathan took some time off and came with me, which was great. It was nice to have him there, although I sent him back to work before the oh-so-fun exam. This was the first time either of us met Dan (that's so much faster to type than Smithson) and I know I liked him right away! He's very relaxed and funny, which helped me relax. I got to ask him all of the questions that had occurred to me in the last 4 weeks, and he answered all of them. One of the questions was whether it would be safe for me to go on a small rafting trip with Nathan and my young life co-leaders when I'm at about 15 weeks, and it turns out that he is a big rafting fan too. Excellent.

The best part was when I asked him about the Bradley Method, which is a different approach to natural birth. Carly had mentioned it to me and when I did some research on it, I liked what I read. It's very focused on keep the birth as natural as possible and aimed towards avoiding c sections unless it's absolutely necessary. Don't worry, it's not so against drugs and c sections that it puts mom and baby in harms way if those things are necessary. But the method really focuses on keeping mom relaxed throughout the labor and listening to what your body needs. It also teaches the fathers to be coaches during the whole process, helping keeping mom as relaxed as possible. When I mentioned this to Dan, he first asked me what I knew and then told me that he has been involved in a lot of births using the Bradley Method and that he thinks it hits the nail on the head in almost every way.

He then went on to say that he is incredibly liberal when it comes to letting the mother decide what she wants to be doing during labor. The OB wing of our hospital is only 3 years old (brand new for Baker) and has things like birthing balls (basically just those big air-filled exercise balls), squatting bars, and even jetted bathtubs. Which is great since water relaxes me so much and has been proven to relieve a lot of labor pains. Dan said that they only hook the mother up to the monitors once an hour or so, and the rest of the time mom can be walking around, in the tub, pretty much wherever she wants to be. Evidently he is all about mom listening to her body and has even allowed moms to give birth squatting or on the birthing ball, with all his equipment laying on a sterile cloth on the floor.

I know this may all sound pretty strange and abnormal to some of you, but it very strongly resonates with the things I want and feel for my pregnancy and birth. I want to be in control of my labor and birth process as much as possible, and it sounds like Dan is going to let me do that. I want to be able to listen and work with my body, not fight against it. I want Nathan to be my partner and helper during this process. I don't want to be stuck on my back in a hospital bed attached to monitors for my entire labor. I realize that I have a pretty high probably of needing a c section, but if there's any way to avoid that, I believe this is it. And the fact that, in Baker, there's a doctor who is willing to let me do these this is nothing short of miraculous. So needless to say, I am extremely happy. If Nathan and I decide to do the Bradley Method, it will require us to travel to Ontario once a week for twelve weeks towards the end of my pregnancy, since that's where the closest classes are, but I think it will be so worth it.

The rest of the appointment was just as good. After getting the history questions out of the way (yay for having a clean medical history!) and finding out that all my labs came back normal, Nathan went back to work and I got to be examined. It was blessedly short, if incredibly uncomfortable and fairly painful. My next appointment is on May 21st, which will be when we get to hear the heartbeat of our little one for the first time! I'll definitely be counting down the days!

New Art

Hello Everyone this is Nathan. Thought I would share some new Photoshop art I am exploring. Enjoy! I think it has a printmaking kind of feel.

Just Have to Say...

My husband rocks! Would you look at that backyard?!?!?! He did it all by himself!

You're awesome, baby!

New Yard

Hello everybody this is Nathan. Thought I would specify because 99% of the time Lindy posts here. Last night I finished (except for planting grass and the garden) landscaping our backyard. I am exhausted but decided to take some pictures to show you all how it is coming. As you look at the first image, the plot on the left side of the walkway will be a vegetable/ herb garden and everything to the right will be a new lawn.

Crib!

So my Nanna (my dad's mom) called me last night and told me that she and Grandpa would like to buy our baby's crib for us and that they would be putting a check in the mail tomorrow. How exciting! The crib was going to be the big ticket item for the nursery. Now the only piece of furniture we need/want to buy is a gliding rocker with an ottoman. Here's the crib I found at BabiesRUs that both Nathan and I really like. It converts to a toddler bed with railings, a day bed, and a full size bed headboard, and includes the rolling drawer underneath.

I just wish they still carried the bedding in that picture, I love it! Other than the crib, I already have a wonderful dresser and bedside table with shelves and drawers in it that have been passed down on my dad's side for generations. I think they were originally my great grandmother's. The dresser will double as a changing table since it has a nice big, square top. The bedside table can go next to the rocker. Eventually I'd like to find a smallish, white bookshelf to put baby books and the like on.

And of course, we'll have to get bedding, window treatments, etc. But I'm just super excited that the only thing we're faced with buying in terms of nursery furniture is the rocker. Here is the bedding set Nathan picked out from Target, it matches the paint in the room perfectly.

There's a really cute valance to go at the top of the window that looks almost exactly like the dust ruffle in this picture. Plus there's a really cute hamper, diaper bag, and crib mobile that you can buy with this set. LOVE! Here's the funny thing. About the time I started really feeling my biological clock ticking, I took a trip to Portland to visit friends and, on a whim, bought this blanket.

Without realizing, I then picked out paint for that room that perfectly matches the green in this blanket. Which was cool enough on it's own. But then, as I was browsing items from the bedding collection we picked out, I discovered that this blanket was actually a part of that collection! What are the odds?!?! And I love that I now know this entire collection will go PERFECTLY with the paint in the room since the blanket matches so well. It was meant to be, I tell you! ;)

Anyway, just had to share the cuteness!

Stinkin' Cravings

I want a hamburger, SO BAD! RIGHT NOW!

And yet it's 11:48 pm, in Baker. The only place open is the 24 hour truck corral...which would be fine and dandy, I could probably get one of my officers to go pick up a burger for me, except I know that every single one of the cooks there have been arrested at one point or another. So sending an officer in there for food means taking your life into your own hands.

Dang.

Letter To My Young Life Kids

To my Young Life kids,

There's so much I wish I could say to you, so many things I've learned since I sat where you're sitting that I wish I could share with you. Here's a few quick ones. Don't sell yourself short, you have so much potential you can't even begin to imagine it at this point. You are bright, amazing and beautiful people and I can't wait to see where your lives take you.

Family is the most important thing in the world, whether it be your blood family or the family you have built for yourself. You know those teachers that you spend so much time with every week...give them a break. Most of them really care about you and want only the best for you. The love of a friend, the kind of friend who will always be there no matter what, is worth 10 boyfriends or girlfriends...I know you might not believe me, but it's true.

Yes, high school is a fun four years with a lot of learning and growing going on. But your life doesn't end at graduation, it is only beginning...there is so much more beyond those doors. Some of you have already seen more pain than you ever dreamed of. It won't be the last. But you also haven't seen the best days of your life yet. Just wait until you graduate from college, walk down the aisle towards the love of your life, find out you're pregnant with your first child. Yes, there will be many more breathless moments in your life. So don't for a second think that these are the very best days of your life.

Be careful with each other. I wish I could go back and undo all the hurt that I caused while I was in high school. Your words have the ability to hurt or heal, and not just the other students around you but also the teachers and adults as well. Your actions are not without consequences, and you probably can't even imagine how what you say or do effects other people.

Your parents probably wouldn't appreciate me saying this, but not everyone is going to know exactly what they want to do with their lives at age 17. And guess what, that's ok. At age 24, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. But you want to know the cool thing? Between here and "when I grow up", life still happens and for the most part, it's really good.

Sometimes you have to make the mistakes for yourself, but when it comes time to pick yourself and dust yourself off, don't be afraid to ask for a hand up.

And now the not-so-quick one:

On the topic of boyfriends and girlfriends...I know you don't want to hear this, but the one you're with probably isn't the one you're going to end up marrying. Of my entire high school class, I think there were maybe two couples who ended up getting married. Ok, I know there were actually more than that, but the rest of them got married because they got pregnant first. And I don't know of many in that group who are still together today. That being said, be careful with your heart and body. I'm speaking from experience here guys. In high school, I fell in love hard, thought I had found the man I was going to marry, and gave him everything...at age 15. But the last person who knew what I wanted or needed was me at age 15. My parents tried so hard to help me see that he was abusing me, but I thought I was in love. I stayed with him for three years and it took me another 6 years or so to gather up and mend the pieces of my heart that I had given away. As cliche as that sounds, guys, it's so true. The more you give away your heart, the harder it is to put it back together each time it's broken. And the sad part is that, when you do finally meet "the one", all that breaking and mending adds up to a very fractured heart to give to the love of your life. It makes it very hard to trust and be trusted in return. Thankfully, I have a husband who is very loving, forgiving and patient. I wish I could to back to the person I was at age 14...the person found joy in everything, who loved freely, who hadn't yet had her heart and trust broken, who respected herself. I miss that girl and I'm just now starting to get bits and pieces of her back.

There's so much more I wish I could say. I know that high school, besides being a ton of fun, can also be some of the hardest years of your life. I want you to know that I would love to talk to you about your life, about your frustrations, about the cool thing that happened today. I would love to answer any questions that you have, about life, about how much of an uncool theatre geek I was in high school, about the world beyond high school. Ask me anything, I will answer you truthfully to the best of my ability. And I want you to know that I care about you and that God loves you more than anyone on this wide Earth could ever even imagine loving you. That love can get you through the hardest, darkest moments and lead you to a life you couldn't even begin to imagine for yourself.

Umm, Didn't You Get The Memo?

Seriously, I think Mother Nature needs to catch up with the fact that it's suppose to be SPRING! And yet what have we had for the past 3 days?

SNOW!

The heck?!?!?!

No really, I am incredibly ready for the warm weather to show up. It just doesn't seem right to have snow falling from the skies and robins singing at the same time. Yes, I know, we need any and all snow accumulation that we can get after last summer's drought. But it's April people! I want to walk out of the house and breathe in the spring wind that carries the promise of summer on its back. I want to see the daffodils in front of my house actually bloom, rather than hiding in their buds like their doing now, afraid to show themselves lest there be another surprise dump of snow. So Mother Nature...let's make up and be friends, shall we? How about bringing on a little more spring and a little less Winter Wonderland.

On a completely different note, I'm sitting watching Country Music TV because it's 1:30 am and there's absolutely nothing on tv. Brad Paisley's new song, "Letter To Me", just came on and as I listened to the words and watched the music video, I was struck by how I wish I could say all these things to the kids I work with. Remembering myself in high school, I'm sure they wouldn't hear or remember most it, but I wish someone had pulled me aside and told me to not try to grow up to fast. To not sweat the small things, that it wasn't the end of the world and that life is so much bigger than our tiny lives in high school. Then again, maybe someone did try to tell me and I just didn't want to hear it.


"Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley

If I could write a letter to me and send it back in time to myself at 17
First I'd prove it's me by saying look under your bed
There's a Skoal can and a Playboy no one else would know you hid
And then I'd say I know it's tough when you break up after seven months
And yeah, I know you really liked her, and it just don't seem fair
All I can say is pain like that is fast, and it's rare.

Chorus:
And oh, you got so much going for you, going right
But I know at 17, it's hard to see past Friday night
She wasn't right for you
And still you feel like there's a knife sticking out of your back
And you're wondering if you'll survive*but*
You'll make it through this and you'll see
You're still around to write this letter to me.

At the stop sign at Tomlinson and Eighth
Always stop completely
Don't just tap your brakes
And when you get a date with Bridget
Make sure the tank is full
On second thought forget it
That one turns out kinda cool
Each and every time you have a fight
Just assume you're wrong and dad is right
And you should really thank Mrs. Brinkman
She spent so much extra time
It's like *she sees* the diamond underneath
And she's polishing you 'til you shine.

Chorus:
And oh, you got so much going for you, going right
But I know at 17 it's hard to see past Friday night
Tonight's the bonfire rally but you're staying home instead
Because if you fail algebra, mom and dad will kill you dead *but*
Trust me you'll squeak by and get a C
And you're still around to write this letter to me.

You've got so much *up* ahead
You'll make new friends, you should see your kids and wife
And I'd end by saying have no fear
These are nowhere near the best years of your life.

I guess I'll see you in the mirror
When you're a grown man
P.S. go hug Aunt Rita every chance you can.

Chorus:
And oh, you got so much going for you, going right
But I know at 17, it's hard to see past Friday night
I wish you'd study Spanish
I wish you'd take a typing class
I wish you wouldn't worry, let it be
I'd say have a little faith, and you'll see.

If I could write a letter to me, to me...

Kickin' Butt & Takin' Names

Yesterday I finally figured out how to get around my "I don't do anything besides work and sleep" woes. These days, I feel like that's all I do. Work. Sleep. Lather rinse repeat. Gotta love being pregnant. My major problem is that I go to sleep and then I don't want to wake up until the last possible minute. And that doesn't lend itself to getting anything done. The thing is, I usually don't go to bed until around 7 am, when Nathan gets up for work and I am so much more motivated/energetic right after I get off work.

So yesterday after getting of work at 6, I immediately went to the grocery store and got a bunch of pregnancy friendly foods. Afterwards I went home and threw the ingredients for a kick-butt split pea soup in the crock pot, did two loads of laundry, renewed my parent's flood insurance, made a dental appointment for myself, did the dishes, and cleaned the kitchen. All before 8:30. It was awesome. By the time I went to bed, the only thing I needed to get done was put away one load of laundry and get my parent's mail. It was awesome. And the best part was that I could sleep as long as I wanted without feeling guilty because I had already gotten so much done. So now that's going to be my strategy when I'm on graveyard...get as much done as possible before going to bed and then sleep as long as possible.

It was so great to go to Young Life club last night. I've really missed my co-leaders and the kids. Granted, it wasn't a regular club, we just kind of hung out and watched the basketball championship game, but it was a ton of fun! Before club, we had our monthly leader dinner, where Nathan and I spilled the beans about there being a little Labunski on the way. The reactions were great, lots of overjoyed screaming and clapping. After that, it was fun to just be able to hang out with the kids without having to worry about getting songs or a skit ready. I think the only person really paying attention to the game was Joe, one of my co-leaders.

I got home in time to join Nathan downstairs and watch the game go into overtime, and then watch Kansas win...that was literally the only game of the entire thing that I watched. By the end of the overtime, I was practically falling asleep on the couch. I hadn't gotten much sleep in the two days prior, so I decided it was time to head to bed by around 8:30. By 9, I was asleep and I barely woke up when Nathan came to bed at 11:30. Thing is, it's become pretty normal for me to fall asleep early on my nights off, and then wake up at around 2:30 am wide awake. I usually go back to bed when Nathan wakes up at 7 or so, but this really does freaky things to my sleep schedule.

So here I am, 5:14 am, watching Far & Away and waiting for 7:00 to get here. My life is so riveting.

Keeping Busy

Ah, spring time. Kind of.

Nathan's been keeping himself really busy with the backyard. Last night, he worked until 12:30 am getting the entire top of the back yard turned over with a shovel (saving us about $200 on renting a tiller). This morning he got up early, finished shoveling up the yard, and then drove to Ontario for a Home Depot trip. He got some nice 12"x12" red brick squares to make a pathway between the patio and the dog kennel, fertilizer, soil, bark dust, and a Quaking Aspen. Once Mike moves out of the Pine Creek house, Nathan is going to go up to the creek behind the barn and get enough rocks to line both sides of the path. Between the path and the garage, we're going to make a vegetable garden complete with lettuce, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and snap peas (mmmm). I can't wait to have some fresh veggies. Then somewhere on the other side of the path, Nathan is going to plant the little quaking aspen, which he is going to put some weather treated wood and bark dust around so it has a border. After all the major landscaping is done, we'll go ahead and plant the grass. Nathan is on such a roll, I wouldn't be surprised if we were ready for me to put out the seed by Monday. But who knows, it kind of depends on the weather, which has been fluctuating between a balmy 50 degrees and SNOW. I'm so excited to have a nice backyard that will be level, devoid of holes, and devoid of dog poo since Bandit has taken to his new kennel so well.

In other news, Nathan and I had a long talk and we decided that it would best for us to find a different home for Heidi. We feel horrible about this, so not giving us crap about it would be appreciated. We've just found that it's next to impossible to get Bandit and Heidi calmed down when they're together, Bandit has become a crazed maniac when Heidi is around, and our attempts to train Heidi to be less clingy/more calm aren't going very well and just plain don't stick when both of the dogs are together. So we put a "free to a good home" ad in the newspaper, got a couple of kinda wacky calls about her, and ended up taking her back to the Animal Clinic, where the gals are sure they'll be able to find a good place for her. We feel horrible about this, but if we don't have enough time to devote to her training now, what is it going to be like once the baby is here. Plus, it really had me worried thinking about having a baby around the house with two dogs who tear through the house like bats outta hell. Our house is so much calmer now that we just have Bandit again, Bandit is remembering his training, and it's MUCH easier to keep my house clean! I have to admit, it's a huge relief to not have two puppies anymore and I think we're going to stick to one dog from now on.

Other than that, my life consists of sleeping, work, eating, rehearsal, lather rinse repeat. Right now I feel like ALL I'm doing is sleeping. It's kind of frustrating, actually, but my body is just so incredibly tired! Thankfully I have next weekend off and we have NO plans. None! So I'm hoping I can at least get my floors cleaned and just relax with Nathan for a few days. Tomorrow I'm going to be a little short on sleep because we're planning on going to church, then for the rest of the week I have Young Life, rehearsal, work, and work. And then...the weekend. The light at the end of the tunnel.

And Baby Makes Three!

I just realized that almost everyone who is subscribed to this blog already knows this news, so I might as well start posting here about it.

We're pregnant!

6 weeks 1 day pregnant, to be exact. And we couldn't be happier!

Because I was so focused on Weight Watchers in February, I completely forgot to keep track of my cycle. It wasn't until Monday March 24th, when I was already 5-8 days late, that I realized...umm...something is wrong here. At first I thought that maybe my weight loss had caused me to be late. Of course, I realized all of this at 4:00 am while I was at work, so I couldn't take a test, couldn't call Nathan, couldn't do anything about it except stew for three more hours. As soon as I got home, I warned Nathan that I was about a week late and that I would be taking a test that afternoon after sleeping for a few hours.

I woke up around noon and immediately took the first test. The result...

Yes, I'm sharing these. Get over it, ha ha ha. I couldn't believe it when I saw the vertical line. Later that afternoon, I went to the store and bought another, slightly fancier test to take later that night. Lord, I hate buying stuff like this in Baker, where EVERYONE knows you! Here was the result on that test:

That pretty much clinched it. I took one day to kinda get use to the idea and then made an appointment to have it verified at the dr's office. I was incredibly nervous until I found out who my nurse was going to be. Her name is Jacque and we grew up together. She was practically the big sister I never had. So it was absolutely great to have her be the one verify that yes, I am indeed pregnant! EEEE!

My dad's favorite quote has to be, "God has a plan...and if you want to make Him laugh, just tell him YOUR plan." I'd have to say this applies pretty well to this pregnancy. Back in August we started playing with the idea of trying to get pregnant, but it kept not happening. At the beginning of Feb, I started Weight Watchers, and we decided to wait until I got down to my goal weight. A few weeks later, I got pregnant. HA! Gotta love it.

So far, I haven't had any morning sickness, just fatigue, soreness, and some strange moods. I'm really hoping that I can avoid any major morning sickness, since my mom and one of my grandma's managed to completely avoid it when they were pregnant. So here's hoping they passed that on to me! Unfortunately, this means that I won't be captaining a Relay for Life team or running the 5k. Maybe next year though! Keeping myself and this baby healthy and as stress free as possible is the most important thing at this point.

So yeah, baby Labunski is on his/her way. For now, we will affectionately this baby "Bean", because that is what I have been telling people it will look like in our first ultrasound.
Hee hee. My first OB appointment is on April 21. We won't get our first ultrasound until about a month after that, at around 12-13 weeks. So we'll keep you posted!

Wait...What?!

To kill a few minutes before the end of my shift, I went onto msn.com (our homepage on our computers at work) and was browsing the main stories. One of the headlines was "Figure Flattering Dresses for Spring". Always one to check out cute dresses, I clicked on it. It was a slideshow of 5 photos which were suppose to show dresses that cover or enhance a multitude of things. Subtract pounds, minimize a problem midsection, enhance your curves, etc. All fine and dandy.

But here's the thing...every single one of the models were tall and skinny. No pounds to subtract, no problem midsection to hide, no chest to enhance. So here they are, supposedly showing you dresses to flatter any figure, but they're only showing ONE type of figure. Lord I hate the fashion industry.

New Hair Cut!

I just couldn't handle how unmanagable my hair was anymore, so I called up April at A'Diva and got a hair cut. And here it is!

April is my HERO! This is the best hair cut I've had in years! Unfortunately the photo doesn't really do it justice. The lighting in the bathroom makes my hair look more yellow than blonde and it's hard to get the overall effect in one photo. But it's such a relief to have all healthy hair! After dying my hair so many times, the bottom 2-3 inches where absolutely ruined. Which meant that I literally could not do ANYTHING with it and it just looked horrible. So I went to April, begged her to make things better, and she did! The entire haircut took an hour, but it was so worth it. The plan now is to just let all the dyed hair grow out, while maintaining this haircut. It shouldn't take long to grow out, I'll just have to deal with some dark roots until then.

If any of you are in Baker and need a haircut, get an appointment with April at A'Diva. She went to school with me and is just starting out. She's part time right now, and needs some consistant customers...and I have yet to be disappointed with anything she does with my hair, whether it's just a trim, or something more extreme like she did today.