Haven't written in my blog lately. I've been so tired and trying to spend time with Chris as much as I can. Our days together are very precious to me and nothing is more satisfying than sitting on the couch together after a long days work and holding hands, and talking about our new little miracle coming soon! I've noticed such a big change in Chris. He walks different, he is very proud and he even holds me that much closer to him emotionally! After 21 yrs of being together and almost 18 yrs of marriage I've never seen him so excited and full of pride. Knowing that we both are going to have a child together after all the long runs with doctors, fertility specialists and disappointments it's so surreal to us both. I never thought that Chris and I could share anymore love than we already have together but it amazes me how much conceiving this baby has changed us both.
On October 31st I officially made it to my 1/2 way mark of pregnancy at 20wks. On this day we had an ultrasound scheduled to find out the gender of the baby. Everyone had their predictions and hopes, but I've always known that it was a girl. Every since Chris and I were in our teenager years we've always talked about kids and having a girl. We even named her Carissa Michelle when we were in our early twenties. Carissa to be after Chris......Then later our niece was born, who is our pride and joy and her name is Marissa. So how fitting to have a name that stands for Chris and Marissa all together. And Michelle is my middle name so that way I get some recognition in there somewhere as well. So when the Ultrasound technician told us "ITS A GIRL" I literally lost it!! Full blown tears and Kleenex was definitely needed! I felt like everything that Chris and I had hoped for had come together. For the past 21 years it has literally been "Chris and Amy"... where one was the other was sure to follow. Chris and I are more than just married, we are best friends and we don't do well when we aren't with one another!! It was a very emotional moment for Chris and I that brought tears to both of us. We didn't want to leave that moment, we sat in the parking lot with my Mom just calling our family and letting them know our happy news. I didn't want the moment to end.
Soooo now we have this miracle, our dream of being parents has come true! We are going to have a daughter.....and for the past 21 years of memories... now we have the next 21 years of memories to look forward to with our new baby girl. All the pictures on the wall will change to add Carissa into our lives. How will we show our new daughter how much she has changed our lives, and how important her conception and life on this earth will forever change her parents?????? How will we show her how much we longed to be her parents to show her a good life and what love means??? I hope and pray that we can live up to all the expectations of being parents. I never was a "Daddy's Girl" but I know for sure that this little girl will be so loved by her Dad and she will be so proud of him and adore him just like her mother. This little girl will be an extension of our love and will be adored by so many. For those of you that have known us since high school or just know our love know how special this is for us. To have a piece of me and Chris all together in one is the best gift that GOD could ever give to us! This is truly a blessing and I can't wait to meet Carissa in 4 short months. When people see us with a new baby they will have no idea the struggle it took for her to get here but we will always know and we will forever be blessed everyday she is with us here on this earth!!!
We have so much to do before Carissa gets here... we haven't even put the crib up yet, but shortly after her arrival Chris will be deploying for 6 months so please keep him in your prayers because this will be extremely hard on him.
I'll try to update more on the blog!! Thank u all for your concern and love and support. I feel like I have a fan base for the baby!!! :) :) Love To All!!!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
14 weeks.... and Done with my 1st Trimester
I know a few of you have been getting onto me for not blogging lately. I appreciate that you are interested in our baby's life and how its doing. Makes me feel good that so many people are wishing us well.
Well my first trimester is officially over, and YES I'm still in shock. To even say the words "I'm pregnant" is beyond any blessing that I could have ever hoped for. My last ultrasound was at 12 wks 6 days and this was a 60 minute ultrasound which measured all of our baby's measurements including the brain, stomach, heart etc etc. Baby Lewis passed with flying colors and got a very good report and was reported as growing well. They also measured the fluid pocket on the back of the neck to look for signs of any issues, and the fluid pocket was perfect..... :) :) I was beyond elated, and felt beyond happy. Chris was not able to make it to the appointment with me because of training, but he was very happy and so excited to hear that our baby was doing so wonderful and he is beyond excited. He talks to my belly and kisses it when he comes home and leaves for work.
Well my first trimester is officially over, and YES I'm still in shock. To even say the words "I'm pregnant" is beyond any blessing that I could have ever hoped for. My last ultrasound was at 12 wks 6 days and this was a 60 minute ultrasound which measured all of our baby's measurements including the brain, stomach, heart etc etc. Baby Lewis passed with flying colors and got a very good report and was reported as growing well. They also measured the fluid pocket on the back of the neck to look for signs of any issues, and the fluid pocket was perfect..... :) :) I was beyond elated, and felt beyond happy. Chris was not able to make it to the appointment with me because of training, but he was very happy and so excited to hear that our baby was doing so wonderful and he is beyond excited. He talks to my belly and kisses it when he comes home and leaves for work.
So here is a pic of me while we were crib shopping at 13 wks!!
And here is Another Pic of me at 14 wks
(This is my work shirt, so disregard the attire, its not a very flattering pregnancy shirt)
And so we have decided to also to upgrade our beloved Jeep.... Chris has loved this thing since I surprised him with it back when he came home off deployment back in 2006. We only had one car at the time and when he came home he had a new Jeep that he was so excited about.... But with our new little one coming and our two little rug rat dogs we decided we better upgrade and get something bigger for road trips, strollers, pack n plays, baby strollers... etc etc. It was hard letting the Jeep go, but our new Chevy Tahoe is awesome and we both love it very much. It's nice to feel like the King of the Road and people move out of your way when your coming up behind them.... :) :) This is our first full sized SUV, and I'll have to get used to the parking, but I think we are going to love it.
Our new Ride for Baby Lewis
Annnddddd.... we finally picked out the baby's first crib. After looking around several different stores and pricing items we decided to go to the Navy Exchange and utilize their sale they had on baby furniture. I'm not going to buy the bedding until we know for sure what the sex is of the baby... but we are hoping to know that in the next 2 to 4 weeks. Here is a pic of the ad of what we picked out... minus the decor!!! Got the crib, the changing table/dresser and the mattress. We are still looking for a rocking chair or glider.
So my next appointment is on Friday Sept 28th. I don't know if we will get a peak of what the baby's sex is or not. But we are hoping that we will, we are all on pins and needles waiting. Thank you everyone so much for all your sweet wishes and kind words. Chris and I continue to feel blessed and feel like this was all meant to be and GOD is in control. I knew he had it in his plans for Chris and I to become parents one day, and we feel like we can do this. It's not easy being pregnant, and I'm tired and cranky but I feel like the end result is worth it. And I CANNOT wait.....
I'll write again after my appointment.... LOVE TO YOU ALL!!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Baby Lewis is 9 weeks
Today was my 9 weeks appointment to check on Baby Lewis and make sure he/she was growing okay and that I was okay as well after our little scare. Chris was supposed to go with me to my appointment this morning but at the last minute he couldn't come because of some exercises that were going on with his ship. He was super bummed out because he doesn't want to miss out on anything but we both know that him being in the Navy that some things just can't be avoided.
So this is a snapshot of Baby Lewis at the last minute that Dr McCoy was able to move around the baby around and get a good shot of the head, feet, and legs. Chris says the baby looks like a little gummy bear.
This moment was so surreal to me..... I didn't realize that all this could happen so early but the babies hands and feet were moving back and forth. Of course I was a big baby and started crying because I never thought this moment was ever going to be possible for Chris and I. I still don't think sometimes it has set in for Chris and I that we have plans to make.... decisions to agree on.... things to start buying.....it just seems like this is all a dream. Sooooo I went out on a limb and bought my first pack of diapers..... it felt so awesome to walk through the baby aisle at the grocery store and know that I will soon be needing this stuff, and that I'm not just going to be "Aunt Amy" and pick this stuff up for friends.
My belly is starting to grow so much already. I cannot fit into most all my pants already and we are just at 9wks. So I had some friends tell me about a Maternity Belly Band that helps you stay in your regular clothes as long as possible without having to buy a lot of new clothes. It's very comfortable and Chris loves rubbing my belly while I have it on because it makes everything so smooth. Plus it keeps my pants from falling down. Chris and I will start doing belly shots soon. I've just been so tired that I haven't felt like having my picture taken. So stay tuned for those........
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I want to thank all my family and friends for being there for us, and listening to all of my different emotions. I wouldn't know what to do without you all. Everyone that knows me and Chris knows what being parents means to us. We often think what if we would have been able to conceive in our early twenties..... What IF????? Well I'm here to say that I don't think I would change anything. Chris will be 40 by the time the baby is born, and I will be 36 almost 37. Yes we will be older parents, but I feel that we are wiser, more settled down and we have been able to make our marriage solid as a ever. We have gone and done so many things together and made so many memories. Adding a child to our life is only going to make our dream BIGGER! I already love Chris so much but seeing this side of him, the side of being a father and what joy it brings to him is absolutely stunning. Being parents is what we've been missing, the piece that hasn't been there. And to see my husband's excitement only makes my love for him even stronger and I don't even know how that's possible.
Our baby's due date is March 21, 2013..... Nobody has a March birthday in our family, so it will be a nice change for once. The only bad thing is Chris deploys in April of 2013 and we pick orders to a new duty station in May of 2013. So we have big things coming up!!!! Please keep us in your prayers!!! Until next time.... Love you all!!!!
So this is a snapshot of Baby Lewis at the last minute that Dr McCoy was able to move around the baby around and get a good shot of the head, feet, and legs. Chris says the baby looks like a little gummy bear.
Baby Lewis Pic #1
Baby Lewis Pic #2
Heartbeat at 175 bpm, which is a big improvement from the 134 bpm it was 2 weeks ago, it was music to my ears! I felt so proud and so much emotion!
This moment was so surreal to me..... I didn't realize that all this could happen so early but the babies hands and feet were moving back and forth. Of course I was a big baby and started crying because I never thought this moment was ever going to be possible for Chris and I. I still don't think sometimes it has set in for Chris and I that we have plans to make.... decisions to agree on.... things to start buying.....it just seems like this is all a dream. Sooooo I went out on a limb and bought my first pack of diapers..... it felt so awesome to walk through the baby aisle at the grocery store and know that I will soon be needing this stuff, and that I'm not just going to be "Aunt Amy" and pick this stuff up for friends.
My belly is starting to grow so much already. I cannot fit into most all my pants already and we are just at 9wks. So I had some friends tell me about a Maternity Belly Band that helps you stay in your regular clothes as long as possible without having to buy a lot of new clothes. It's very comfortable and Chris loves rubbing my belly while I have it on because it makes everything so smooth. Plus it keeps my pants from falling down. Chris and I will start doing belly shots soon. I've just been so tired that I haven't felt like having my picture taken. So stay tuned for those........
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I want to thank all my family and friends for being there for us, and listening to all of my different emotions. I wouldn't know what to do without you all. Everyone that knows me and Chris knows what being parents means to us. We often think what if we would have been able to conceive in our early twenties..... What IF????? Well I'm here to say that I don't think I would change anything. Chris will be 40 by the time the baby is born, and I will be 36 almost 37. Yes we will be older parents, but I feel that we are wiser, more settled down and we have been able to make our marriage solid as a ever. We have gone and done so many things together and made so many memories. Adding a child to our life is only going to make our dream BIGGER! I already love Chris so much but seeing this side of him, the side of being a father and what joy it brings to him is absolutely stunning. Being parents is what we've been missing, the piece that hasn't been there. And to see my husband's excitement only makes my love for him even stronger and I don't even know how that's possible.
Our baby's due date is March 21, 2013..... Nobody has a March birthday in our family, so it will be a nice change for once. The only bad thing is Chris deploys in April of 2013 and we pick orders to a new duty station in May of 2013. So we have big things coming up!!!! Please keep us in your prayers!!! Until next time.... Love you all!!!!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
We are Pregnant
Well I'm new to this blogging thing but I feel that it's very important to document my new life as a parent. I don't want to forget anything, and I want to document everything to show my new little bundle of joy one day!
So let me start out by saying that Chris and I have never been able to conceive naturally! It has devastated us so much NOT to be able to be parents as easily as most happily married couples. We have tried several times to become pregnant with several different fertility specialists over the United States as we have moved around with Chris's schedule and the US Navy! Little did we know by moving back to our hometown of the Jacksonville FL area (the area we originally started treatment) that we would find a Doctor that specifically works with the issues that I've had all of these years. After only 2 treatments I became pregnant the first time, but then later miscarried early because the eggs weren't' strong enough to keep the pregnancy going. Chris and I were DEVASTATED!!! Chris was wonderful during this time and kept me strong through everything. So we tried again the following month with a few different tweaks to the treatments we had originally tried the previous times. Low and behold we had another positive pregnancy test.
I did not get my hopes up at first because I was scared to death. My first blood pregnancy test was Positive at the Dr's office on June 10th and my HCG levels were at about a 37 which was better than what we had before. The nurse told me that we were on the right track but we needed another test to confirm they were rising to confirm the pregnancy. So I had to wait from Tuesday until the next Monday to get the next appointment. So on June 16th I went in for my next HCG level testing. This day was grueling....... I never thought the time was gonna get here for the nurse to call me. At 2pm on June 16th my nurse called me and told me that my levels had went from a 37 to a 436!!! I instantly started crying on the phone, and was in total shock and awe. She explained to me that we needed to get an early ultrasound scheduled. At this point I went from trying to conceive for 15yrs to the expectant mother world. On June 24th we had our early ultrasound appointment and Chris and I were so nervous.... As soon as we got settled and was able to see the sack and the fetal pole we were ecstatic. It was the best sight I could have ever hoped for. Doctor McCoy told us that I was about 51/2 wks and that everything looked great!! Of course we are programmed to not expect the total best right off the bat... but seeing the sack and the start of our baby was amazing!!
After our early ultrasound appointment knew it would be a waiting game until the next appointment. Dr McCoy wanted to schedule me again at 8wks to make sure we were still on track.... BUTTTT..... low and behold we had a scare!! On Aug 1st I woke up that morning with lots of blood! I instantly started crying and was absolutely in complete shock! I called Chris who was already on the ship for work that day. He rushed home while I called Dr McCoy. He got me in really quick so we could do another ultrasound to see what the problem was. This was the worst and most painful time for me because I just knew that something had gone wrong and our dream was in the wind of being parents. After we got the ultrasound set up you could hear a pin drop. Chris and I both had tears in our eyes as we waited for the Dr to say something. Then out of nowhere.... I heard music to my ears.... A HEARTBEAT!!!!! Dr McCoy seemed relieved as well because he knows our struggle.
Apparently the issue was that some women have pockets of blood around their cervix that sometimes pass through. Which is why some women think they are still on their period even though they are really in fact pregnant. We were not expecting to hear the heartbeat but low and behold there is was strong as ever. Chris and I instantly started crying even more and a feeling of ease and being blessed devoured us immediately. Even the nurse had tears..... it was a great moment. I went from being distraught.... to being happy in a matter of seconds.
I'm now entering my 8th week of pregnancy and now that we have a heartbeat my miscarriage rate has decreased a lot and we just need to get through the 1st trimester with no more incidents. My next appointment is on Aug. 15th and we are praying for another good report so my fertility doctors can release me to a regular OBGYN. Please keep us in your prayers....
So let me start out by saying that Chris and I have never been able to conceive naturally! It has devastated us so much NOT to be able to be parents as easily as most happily married couples. We have tried several times to become pregnant with several different fertility specialists over the United States as we have moved around with Chris's schedule and the US Navy! Little did we know by moving back to our hometown of the Jacksonville FL area (the area we originally started treatment) that we would find a Doctor that specifically works with the issues that I've had all of these years. After only 2 treatments I became pregnant the first time, but then later miscarried early because the eggs weren't' strong enough to keep the pregnancy going. Chris and I were DEVASTATED!!! Chris was wonderful during this time and kept me strong through everything. So we tried again the following month with a few different tweaks to the treatments we had originally tried the previous times. Low and behold we had another positive pregnancy test.
We are Pregnant
I did not get my hopes up at first because I was scared to death. My first blood pregnancy test was Positive at the Dr's office on June 10th and my HCG levels were at about a 37 which was better than what we had before. The nurse told me that we were on the right track but we needed another test to confirm they were rising to confirm the pregnancy. So I had to wait from Tuesday until the next Monday to get the next appointment. So on June 16th I went in for my next HCG level testing. This day was grueling....... I never thought the time was gonna get here for the nurse to call me. At 2pm on June 16th my nurse called me and told me that my levels had went from a 37 to a 436!!! I instantly started crying on the phone, and was in total shock and awe. She explained to me that we needed to get an early ultrasound scheduled. At this point I went from trying to conceive for 15yrs to the expectant mother world. On June 24th we had our early ultrasound appointment and Chris and I were so nervous.... As soon as we got settled and was able to see the sack and the fetal pole we were ecstatic. It was the best sight I could have ever hoped for. Doctor McCoy told us that I was about 51/2 wks and that everything looked great!! Of course we are programmed to not expect the total best right off the bat... but seeing the sack and the start of our baby was amazing!!
5 1/2 Weeks Pregnant
After our early ultrasound appointment knew it would be a waiting game until the next appointment. Dr McCoy wanted to schedule me again at 8wks to make sure we were still on track.... BUTTTT..... low and behold we had a scare!! On Aug 1st I woke up that morning with lots of blood! I instantly started crying and was absolutely in complete shock! I called Chris who was already on the ship for work that day. He rushed home while I called Dr McCoy. He got me in really quick so we could do another ultrasound to see what the problem was. This was the worst and most painful time for me because I just knew that something had gone wrong and our dream was in the wind of being parents. After we got the ultrasound set up you could hear a pin drop. Chris and I both had tears in our eyes as we waited for the Dr to say something. Then out of nowhere.... I heard music to my ears.... A HEARTBEAT!!!!! Dr McCoy seemed relieved as well because he knows our struggle.
Almost 7 weeks here
Apparently the issue was that some women have pockets of blood around their cervix that sometimes pass through. Which is why some women think they are still on their period even though they are really in fact pregnant. We were not expecting to hear the heartbeat but low and behold there is was strong as ever. Chris and I instantly started crying even more and a feeling of ease and being blessed devoured us immediately. Even the nurse had tears..... it was a great moment. I went from being distraught.... to being happy in a matter of seconds.
I'm now entering my 8th week of pregnancy and now that we have a heartbeat my miscarriage rate has decreased a lot and we just need to get through the 1st trimester with no more incidents. My next appointment is on Aug. 15th and we are praying for another good report so my fertility doctors can release me to a regular OBGYN. Please keep us in your prayers....
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