Matt felt the baby move!

Last night when I got into bed, Baby was moving quite a bit. I usually put my hand on my belly so I would know when you could start feeling it from the outside. I felt the kick! So, I called Matt and he came and had his hand on my belly when the baby kicked again! Matt kinda freaked, he thought it was SO amazing!! It is only detectable from the outside right now when it is a big kick, so I can't wait until it is more obvious. Matt hasn't got to experience too much yet except watch me puke (well, not anymore) and hear the heartbeat when we go to the doctor. By the way, Matt has NEVER felt a baby move. When our friends were pregnant, he would tell them that the first baby he wants to feel move will be his. That's kinda cute.

Round Ligament Pain

Well, pregnancy sure has a lot of surprises for my body! I made it through the morning sickeness, and now moving on to ailment number 2, round ligament pain. It started Friday morning where it hurt to stand up and walk, and I had to hunch over while walking. Then again last night on our way out to dinner. It feels like a muscular type pain in my lower left abdomen. Supposedly it's normal and not much can be done about it but to try not to change positions too fast. Now it makes me nervous to stand up! But, I still love being pregnant :)

19 week Belly Shot

Here it is! 19 weeks and growing!! I weighed myself this morning, I am not back up to my pre-pregnancy weight! I am guessing weight will now go up and up and up since I can eat now without puking!!

Busy Busy Busy (Us and Baby)

Well, we are in the end stages of our move! I am living in a room full of boxes. I get them unpacked, then go back and fill them again! I hate moving!!! We have everything from our old house now, but our new apartment is MUCH smaller and I just can't seem to find the space for everything. We are having a BIG yard sale on Saturday, that will surely clear things out and bring in some money to buy more stuff :)

We had a Dr. appointment last week. Things are going well. Baby is very active, and the Doctor confirmed what I am feeling is most definately baby movement. I like to poke Matt when the baby pokes me. It is really an amazing feeling to know that there is another human hiding in my uterus and that it is moving all around! We find on on September 12th if it is a boy or a girl. I'm very excited for that appointment. We will have a 3-D u/s too, so hopefully we can get a good peek at our perfect little one.

I'll be updating with a new belly shot when I get my house in better order. I don't want everyone to see my mess!

Feeling Movement?

How exciting it is getting! I'm starting to feel things that **might** be the baby!! For awhile now, on occasion, I would get little quivers in my abdomen. I couldn't quite decipher if it is just muscles or baby. Tonight I was sitting at the computer with my feet up, and twice I felt a poke. Still not sure if it's baby or something else. I am anxiously awaiting the OBVIOUS movement of my little one :)

17 Week Belly Shot

17 Weeks today!! I think I finally 'popped'. Now, the growing will surely begin more rapidly! Weight is still down 2 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. Morning Sickness has really slowed down, so I imagine weight will being pouring on too!

15 Week Belly Shot

Here is 15 weeks on the nose! As of Tuesday, I was down 5lbs. from what I was at 4 weeks. All my old clothing still fits, just the same. I admit, I did get some Maternity shorts, and they are just way more comfy than regular clothes, pregnant or not! I might just keeping buying Maternity clothes from now on :)

One week free of MORNING SICNESS!

Okay, just a quick praise note here. I HAVEN'T PUKED IN A WHOLE WEEK!!

I have actually been feeling really well and my appetite is back to normal! Is it a fluke, or have we left the morning sickness with the first trimester! I am so thankful to at least be pregnant and have had the opportunity to experience all the glorius vomitting to go along with it, but, enough is enough and I'm glad that it is seemingly gone!

13 Week Belly Shot

Here it is! 13 weeks! (I apologize for the yellow undies hanging out!) I have lost 5 pounds! I didn't realize pregnancy was supposed to be a diet! I got in trouble for being dehydrated, so Matt is the water nazi now. I drink plenty, but, I also puke plenty so it cancels itself out.

We had a dr. appointment yesterday. She prescribed some meds for me to stop vomiting (Phinigrin). The problem is that I took half a pill, and was OUT cold! So, it isn't something I'll be able to take when I have to go to work. We heard the heartbeat, it's still good and strong.
I love hearing the heartbeat. It makes it really "real" that there is something in there. Other than that and vomiting, nothing is different, yet.

10 Week Belly Shot

Here it is, 10 weeks. I think things are starting to grow!

Just for statistical purposes:

Girth: 35 inches at belly button

Weight: +1 lb. (after lunch)

(I came back the next day, I think most the belly yesterday was bloat.....)

Baby's First Picture

Our first picture of the newest baby Hartke. For those of you who need help, the head is the round circle on the right :) It was SO amazing to see on the U/S machine, as it was so much more clear. Right away you could see a tiny white spot in the middle of the lower circle, just beating away! We got to hear the heartbeat, and it was so strong! I saw the arms, but you can't see them quite as well in the photo. I feel like a heavy weight has been lifted off my heart after seeing the baby. All is well, and we pray things continue to go so smoothly for us. We are so blessed.

Oh, this is 9 weeks, 4 days.

8 Week 2 Days Belly Shot

Here it is! I still think it's just my usual fat that is hanging out there. I should have been measuring my belly. Maybe I'll start doing that now.

I went up 4 pounds, morning sickness hit and I lost 4 pounds, now I am back up 4 pounds. Maybe I'll just keep losing and dropping those same four pounds!

Morning Sickness begins

Today Morning Sickness kicked in full force. I got up and ate breakfast, as usual. Went about my business of getting ready for church. Just as we were walking out the door, it hit me. I threw up in the grass.

This evening after we ate dinner and came home, hello again. I'm realizing, it comes on not too long after I eat. That's not good. A girl has to eat.

Fortunately for me, and Matt, I've never really minded puking. I just do it and get on with it. So, I won't complain too much. I've been waiting two years to feel this way, so, I'll do my best to enjoy it.

6 Week Belly Shot

Here is 6 weeks. I don't think it's baby yet, still just fat.

First UltraSound~ Viability Scan

We had our viability scan today. And all was well. The baby was measuring at 5 weeks, 3 days. Ovulation calculations put us at 6 weeks. The Dr. said as long as baby measures within a week on either side, it's okay. We didn't get to keep the picture today, but we go back June 25th. Hopefully we can keep that one!

What I learned today:

I learned that pregnant women should NOT clean out the refridgerator. Matt offered to do it, after I was gagging over the trash can.

Bloodwork is very Positive

I had my first bloodwork done on Thursday, after we got a positive HPT. The checked my progesterone levels (which I did not get results from) and quantitative HCG. The HCG level was 158. That's pregnant!

I was scheduled for another one for Saturday (about 48 hours later). Just as a precaution, they do the second one to see that your numbers are going up. They should double every 48 hours. I was VERY nervous about this. I just kept thinking they would say, "we're sorry, but your level is only 50", which would be indicitive of miscarriage. I had this overwhelming sense of dread all day. However, I got my results and it was 338! That's GREAT news! Now, if I can just relax, and trust that God will care for the tiny baby. Not an easy task sometimes, but, I'll pray about it and we'll get through.

Okay, here it is, the REFERENCE photo

Okay, so this is the very first belly photo for you. That little bump, that's fat. Not baby. This is 4 weeks, 1 day. If I remember, I'll try to post a new picture every week. Any bets on when I start showing baby, not just fat?

WE'RE PREGNANT!!

Well, here it is. After praying so hard for so long, our prayers have been answered. We are still in SHOCK! I never thought that our first IUI would work. But, as you can see, it did!

The Doctor told us we could test on May 17th, but, I was going to hold out a little longer. I cracked, and POAS (that's Peed On A Stick) and thought I saw a faint line, so I decided I better try a different test. It was DEFINATELY a nice pink line. So, of course, we just had to have MORE proof, so we took the pretty digital that you see here. And, expected it to say, "not pregnant". When we turned it over and looked, we were just in shock and awe. WE are finally pregnant.

Now, going through the infertility journey we have, I know alot can go wrong. I pray so hard that this baby (or babies) stick and grow big and strong. Thank you God for answering our prayers!

IUI #1

We had our first IUI last Thursday. It has been quite a journey for us and the day came with much anxiety and excitement. On Tuesday before the IUI, we had an ultrasound to verify that my ovaries did their job (with the help of a friendly drug called Femara) and made some eggs. We had two very nice eggs, one on each ovary. They measured 22mm and 24mm.

That night, my Grandpa gave me a shot of HCG to trigger the release of my two mature eggs. (Matt was at a meeting, Grandma and Mom were chicken, so Grandpa got the honor of giving the shot in the butt!) The shot wasn't bad at all, I barely felt it.

Thursday morning, bright and early we went in for our insemination. It was not bad. Similiar to an annual exam. I had to remain laying on the table for 30 minutes, and the nurse set a little kitchen timer. The timers dial had a sperm on it! It was somewhat humorous.

So, now we wait. And wait. And wait some more. The waiting is already very hard, and it has only been 6 days!

We are sending up much prayer that at least one egg fertilized and implanted. I'm getting very impatient as we have just crossed our 2 years mark of trying.