18.5 weeks

We're in Vegas baby! Today is Rob's 30th birthday and we're having a really great time! Some of the boys went out gambling last night, but I had to crash around 1am. Not before I took a soak in our huge spa tub in our room though! :) Today we walked around all over the strip and saw the Bellagio fountain show and the botanical gardens, which was really cool. Tonight we are all going out to dinner at Margaritaville and then heading over to a comedy club. I think that I've officially popped out this week, because my belly is huge! Here is some proof:


Tomorrow I think the plan is to veg at the Qua Spa at Caesar's Palace and get a prenatal massage. They also have these 4 different crazy rooms to hang out in and relax. There's a Roman tub room, a Tea Room (with tea sommelier-who knew there was such a thing?), a Snow room, and a special Steam room. Should be fun!

Here are some more Vegas pics:
http://makennahope.blogspot.com/2007/11/vegas-pics.html

17.5 weeks

I just got back from my doctors appointment and everything looks good. He said Kiwi's heartbeat is fabulous and strong. So...my next appointment is November 30th at 9:30am and I am so excited! That is when we'll find out if Kiwi is a boy or a girl!!! The only bummer is that Rob will be in Florida already for this 3 week franchise training, so I'm going to have to call him with the news. I can't wait!

17 weeks

Stats:
17 weeks
Starting weight: 155
Weight: 151
Waist @ Bellybutton: 33
Issues: Ok, I think I'm really having sciatic nerve issues with my back. My lower back was fine for about a week and now it's hurting again. It's like a sharp pain in my very lower back and almost feels like it's going through my butt too! It hurts the most after I've been sitting for awhile and then get up. This sucks.

Here is my belly at 17 weeks:


So I'm still in Chicago, and am pretty ready to go home. I just finished reading 'Ina May's Guide to Childbirth' and it was the best book ever! I wish every pregnant woman read it. It has really changed my outlook on labor and childbirth, and I'm really not scared at all (anymore). I had already decided that I was going to try for a natural birth with no drugs and I have always really wanted a water birth. My mom found the Sutter Davis hospital, which is the only hospital in the entire area that offers waterbirths, so I'm really excited. When we move up north, I'll be 6 1/2 months pregnant, so I'll probably be touring the hospital and taking a class as soon as we get up there. The majority of the babies there are delivered by midwives and they offer doulas for free, which is awesome!!

Their website is pretty cool. Check it out at http://sutterdavis.org/services/services_birthingcen.html

So here is my tentative birth plan:
http://jenellzlifeblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/my-birth-plan.html

So I pretty much sound like one of those anal, crazy moms, but I really don't care what other people think. Don't even get me started on vaccines or disposable diapers. I'll save that for another day.

16 weeks

Stats:
16 weeks
Starting weight: 155
Weight: 149
Waist @ bellybutton: 32"

Here is my picture at 16 weeks:

So I’m in Chicago this week for business and I even have to work all weekend! It’s going to be a long 8 days! So I know that I’m down 6 pounds still, but after this week, I’m sure I’ll be back to my original weight. This place is like being on a cruise. They feed us all day, every day. I can’t believe how much food it right in front of us all the time! I’m trying to stick to the veggies and healthy stuff, but it’s hard. I feel stuffed all the time and I’m sure I’ve gained all of the weight back. :(

So Rob and I are moving forward with the business, and we’ve chosen Puroclean, which is a disaster restoration company. I really can’t believe how much there is to do when you start a business. It’s pretty insane. We’ve finally got all of the money (I don’t even want to say how much!) and signed the franchise agreement, so it’s official! This week we’re setting up our meetings with the lawyer and CPA to get the Corporation set up. We’re decided on RJ Cline Corp. I think it has a nice ring to it.

Here is their corporate website:
http://www.puroclean.com/

High on the priority list is finding a new place to live, which we still haven’t done yet! We plan to move the week before Christmas, so we don’t have much time left. We are also renting out our house, so we still have a few projects left that we have to finish. Thank goodness I’ve already started packing up the house, but it’s slow going with everything else that we have to do. Don’t stress...don’t stress...

15 weeks

Stats:
15 weeks
Starting weight: 155
Weight: 152
Waist @ bellybutton: 31.5"
Issues: My lower back has started to hurt a little bit, but it's not unbearable. I just went to the chiropractor, so hopefully it will get better.

Here is my picture at 15 weeks:

I still haven’t gained any weight, which is really awesome. I’m certainly eating plenty though, so I’m sure it will catch up. It’s funny that people always say that they are eating for two, but you’re really only supposed to eat an additional 300 calories per day, and that doesn’t even start until the 2nd trimester. Who knew? So I still have no real belly, which is pretty disappointing. I want people to know that I’m pregnant darn it!

More on the working remote situation. I got approval!! I’m so excited that they are going to let me do this, especially since I’m so new to the team. My manager told me that she’s been very impressed with my work and my initiative, so that must have helped. This is so awesome! So Rob and I are moving forward full speed ahead on moving. We are going to start a franchise business and move to Cameron Park, but we still haven’t decided which business to choose. There is so much to be done, but I have to stay calm and not stress the baby out!

14 weeks

Stats:
14 weeks
Starting weight: 155
Weight: 150
Waist @ Bellybutton: 31.5

Umm...did I mention that I'm one big huge pimple. Yeah...not fun!

13 weeks

Stats:
13 weeks
Starting weight: 155
Weight: 151.5
Waist @ bellybutton: 31.5"
Adversions: I flew to Delaware this week, and as the plane took off I thought I was going to throw up! I felt sick for about an hour or so...and then I felt better.

Here is my picture at 13 weeks:

So after my last appointment, I was really bummed that I didn’t get to hear the heartbeat. I had heard that you could buy a Doppler to use at home, so I decided to order one! I just got back from a great trip to Delaware (more on that in a minute) to meet my new manager and team. The next day, the Doppler arrived! It took me a few minutes to finally find it, but I did! The heartbeat was around 163, which is good. When Rob got home from work, he got to listen to it too, which was fun! I’m so glad I bought this, and it’s really going to give me piece of mind, since I’m so paranoid.

So back to my trip. It was a great trip because 2 big things happened. I had decided to tell my manager that I was pregnant, which was scary enough since I just joined the team a few months ago. I also asked her if I could work from home on a permanent basis because Rob and I wanted to move to the Sacramento area. To my surprise, she said it was fine with her, but she would have to talk to our group director for the final say. She was very excited about my pregnancy, and then told me that she’s pregnant too! How funny is that? She’s 11 ½ weeks, so she is barely behind me at all. I guess no one else on our team can get pregnant!

12 weeks

Stats:
12 weeks
Starting weight: 155
Weight: 149.5
Waist @ bellybutton: 31"

Here is my picture at 12 weeks:


Here is the baby at 12 weeks (face down, shaped like a peanut):


So I’ve actually lost a few pounds, which is awesome. No complaints out of me! So I just had a huge scare, but everything is ok. I had my 12 week appointment so I was excited to finally get to hear the heartbeat. My doctor tried for about 5 minutes to find the heartbeat with the Doppler and couldn’t find it! I was really scared and every moment seemed like forever. He told me not to worry and that we would do any ultrasound, but then asked me if I had had any bleeding or cramping, which I hadn’t. So they took me to the ultrasound room and 5 minutes later he came back, but it felt like forever. I prayed the whole time! Then he did the ultrasound and there was the baby…and the heartbeat! The baby was moving all over the place, which is why he probably couldn’t hear the heartbeat. He called the baby a stinker because it would barely hold still for him to take measurements! Ha…it must be a boy. :) The cool thing is that now I have a 12 week souvenir.

So I know that some people name their babies, which I think is kind of cute. I told Rob about it and he thought it was a really dumb idea. :) So I proceeded to try and come up with names and we were talking about the size of the baby and he says 'Kiwi!'. I said 'Kiwi Cline'...I love it. Of course, he wasn't thinking up a name, he was just thinking of the size of the baby. He thinks I'm a total dork for calling our baby Kiwi, but that's it's new name!

10 weeks

Stats:
10 weeks
Starting weight: 155
Weight: 149.5
Waist @ bellybutton: 31"
Issues: I ate half of my raviolis with marinara sauce this week, and then all of the sudden, the smell made me very nauseous!

Nothing really new or exciting here, but I guess that’s a good thing. I’m feeling fine…hooray for no morning sickness! It’s quite annoying to have to pee every night but not too bad. My boobs are growing like crazy…my dreams are coming true! :)

8 weeks

Stats:
8 weeks
Starting Weight: 155
Weight: 151
Waist @ bellybutton: 31"

Here is my baseline picture at 8 weeks:

Here is the baby at 8 weeks:

I just found out that I'm pregnant! I had been waking up in the middle of the night for about a week on and off to use the bathroom, which I thought was a little strange. In fact, I can't remember ever getting up in the middle of the night in my entire life. Since I was extremely irregular and didn't even think I had ovulated once in the last 6 months, I didn't connect the dots. Rob and I had just started an exercise program, so I was on the treadmill a lot. One day I started jogging and actually had to stop because my sports bra just wasn't cutting it, if you know what I mean. :) I still really didn't think it was even possible for me to be pregnant, so I still didn't put it together, but there was an inkling in the back of my head. On August 20, 2007, I decided to take a pregnancy test before work, just to get it out of my head that I could be pregnant. I fully expected a negative, so when it came back positive, I was in complete shock! I really just stood there and stared and then read the directions a few times, because I was sure that I was reading it wrong. Then I called Rob into the bathroom and asked him if he was seeing what I saw. We basically both stood there saying 'Oh my God!' It was really exciting.

I then proceded to take 3 tests over 3 days, just to make sure. I still wasn't completely convinced, but on Friday the 24th when my doctor called me back with the blood test results, I finally believed that I was actually pregnant!! My due date is April 9th 2008.