“Why” LuLaRoe? Emily’s Story (Part 2)

I received a great response to my last post that centered around my journey with body image.  Here’s the link for that post in case you missed it.  I think so many people can relate to struggling with body image, especially as women in our current society.  We face so much pressure to look a certain way, and I want to be a warrior in the body image battle.  I’m here to encourage you to embrace your beauty and find some love for yourself.  Find your confidence and take care of yourself because you love YOU, not because you hate the way you look or you flat out despise yourself.  For me, LuLaRoe has been a big part of my journey to finding my confidence again after several life changes over the past few years.  Enter Part 2 of my journey….

The past few years have been a whirlwind for me.  In 2012, I was doing my own thing, living in Northern Virginia (near DC) and working at a non-profit in volunteer & event coordination.  I loved my job and I had established a decent life for myself as a single professional woman.  Life was going pretty well and I was hoping to find someone with whom to share my life.  We’ll keep this part of the story brief, so I’ll just skip ahead to the part where I met my Hunky Hubs.  We hit it off pretty quickly and we were engaged about 8 months after we met.

Here’s the Hunky Hubs and I pretty shortly after we started dating.  We are at the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC here.

So I’ll keep moving in fast forward here- Hunky Hubs and I got married in 2013 (yay!) and we moved to Colorado at the same time.  Talk about a whirlwind.  I moved cross-country and got married in the same week.  I’m very blessed to have Hunky Hubs and our life together is more than I could have ever dreamed.  I also LOVE Colorado so it was pretty fortunate that Hunky Hubs’ job brought us out here.  Moving meant that I had to leave my beloved job and entered a saturated job market in Colorado.  I did find work but it was just a “job” and not really a passion for me.  In 2014, I became pregnant with Zane and had to leave my job due to some pregnancy complications (feel free to stalk my old blog posts if you want details).  In 2015, we had Baby Z in January and I started my new role as a stay-at-home mom.  We also moved to another city in Colorado in May 2015, which meant starting over again in finding friends and community.

Whew!  So all of that happened in the last few years, and it’s been intense.  It’s been fun and joyful, as well as stressful and trying.  I’m thankful for the opportunities we have been given and for our amazing little boy.  I’m thankful that I’ve been able to stay at home with Z and see him learn and grow every single day.  We are blessed to have found great community within our city, both at church and through mom groups and Hunky Hubs’ work.  All of those pieces have come together to lead us to a place where we have found our footing as a family.  We are learning and growing on a daily basis.

Our life is not all sunshine and rainbows.  I have definitely struggled with my identity as we have navigated so many changes in so little time.  When I first moved to Colorado and I was searching for a job, I realized just how much of my identity I previously placed in my career.  I’ve struggled in my role as wife, particularly since I had Baby Z and trying to figure out how to balance being a good mom and wife.  I’ve struggled as a mom, sometimes on a daily basis, just trying to navigate this whole MOM thing.  I’ve struggled as a Christian- how do I balance my faith and keep it as my top priority when I feel so overwhelmed?  It’s been tough, overall, to navigate this season of life.

My “why” for LuLaRoe is because it is giving me back confidence that I’ve lost in the wind and waves of life.  I find that being able to take some time for myself to pursue something “just for me” is actually giving me confidence and energy that I need to face the other parts of my life where I feel like I am giving so much all the time.  I enjoy using my business skills (I have a master’s in it, afterall!) and being able to run this business on my own terms and schedule.  The added income will be appreciated as well.  Hunky Hubs and I have really discussed this in all aspects, as we jointly decided that I would be a stay-at-home parent.  We think this is a great opportunity for our lifestyle, as it allows me to use my passions in a professional way while I can still stay home with Z.

Speaking of which, at the time of this writing, my store is not yet open for business.  However, I hope to have inventory within a few weeks, so go ahead and join up on my Facebook group for the latest updates and giveaways.  Finally, if you’re interested about the LuLaRoe opportunity, please contact me and I’m happy to answer any questions you might have as well as give you some information.  This is a serious investment and it’s basically an opportunity to own your own store- so not for the faint of heart or those not willing to work hard – but it is so worth it.

“Why” LuLaRoe? Emily’s Story (Part 1)

So some of you might be asking…what is this LuLaRoe that I keep talking about, and why am I becoming a LuLaRoe consultant?  Has she joined a cult?  Has she fallen into some scam?  Should we be worried about her?

Haha, the answer to all of the above is NO!  LuLaRoe is not a cult, scam, or reason to be concerned.  It IS a fantastic opportunity and a company that I can really support and promote.  LuLaRoe IS empowering women to work on their own terms.  LuLaRoe IS producing cute, comfortable clothing that fits and flatters women of ALL sizes.

So here’s my personal story:  I’ve loved fashion for as long as I can remember.  I remember reading through my mom and sister’s fashion magazines when I was probably 10-11, learning about the latest styles and trying to figure out how I could make them work for me.  I struggled a lot as a kid, because frankly, I was overweight and the stylish clothes didn’t come in my size.  If I was really lucky, we could find something in a catalog and order it in a larger size or I could find something that looked kind of age appropriate at Lane Bryant.  In my teen years, it was really difficult to be plus sized and fashion conscious.  You see, back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, cute plus sized clothes were few and far between.  I remember just wanting so much to dress like the other girls at school so that I could “fit in”.  I did what I could to find cute clothes, and I certainly don’t think that I was known for dressing badly, but the struggle was there.

For fun, here’s a picture of me dressed for prom in 2002.  Yes, it looks a little like a wedding dress, but I remember being so proud of that dress.  

As I “grew up” and went to college and started life as a young professional, my love for fashion continued to grow.  I’ve always enjoyed shopping and putting together outfits.  I worked in retail throughout college and even moonlighted in retail during my professional years.  I think I probably spent more than I made at those jobs, lol!  At the same time (so in my early 20’s), I began to grow in my self-confidence and realization that God made me the way that I am.  He made me tall, curvy, and strong.  I began to embrace Psalm 139, which talks about how God knows our inmost being and that he also knows the numbers of hairs on our head.  I internalized that I was a child of God and His creation.  I would not allow myself to be defined by the size of my clothes or what the world thought of me.  I would care for my body through eating healthy foods and pursuing fitness because it was God’s creation, not because I would have more value if I wore a smaller size.

Let me take a second to be transparent.  I absolutely have had moments of struggle over the years with accepting my body and moments where I wished I was smaller or had better this or that.  I’ve been jealous of other girls and the styles they could wear or the clothes that they could afford.  I’m human, y’all!  However, in my heart of hearts, God has made it clear to me where my true worth lies, and that is as His child and creation.

Here’s a picture of me just after I’d graduated from college.  I felt beautiful in this picture and I think it shows!

Over the years since then, my size has fluctuated some, and I had my adorable son, Z.  I learned a new love for my body while I was pregnant, as I realized just how amazing it was that new life could grow inside my body.  I mean, I made that cute little boy!!  After having Z, I needed some new clothes that fit my mom body.  Even after dropping the pregnancy weight, my measurements and proportions had changed, and I needed clothes to flatter my new figure and also hold up to the daily demands of mom life.  I met my friend, Danielle, at MOPS and was introduced to LuLaRoe’s clothing.  I bought a few shirts from her and fell in love with them!  I loved that they were both cute and comfortable, and they didn’t look boring or drab.  Then I got some leggings from her and fell in love with the comfortable soft leggings.  And then I bought a skirt…and a dress….

Embracing my baby bump at 24 weeks pregnant

LuLaRoe fits my lifestyle, and I am passionate about sharing it with others.  I love that LuLaRoe can meet women right where they are- from offering sizes XXS to 3XL, to offering styles that fit the stay at home mom lifestyle to a professional lifestyle.  There is truly something for every woman at every age.  (On that note, we even offer clothes for kids and teens!)  I love the confidence that LuLaRoe inspires in so many women.  I want every woman to feel comfortable in her own skin and embrace her beauty TODAY- not 10 or 50 pounds from now, or after she’s toned up this area, or after she does this or that.  We are God’s creation, and we are beautiful, just as we are now.  I want to offer women the opportunity to dress in a way that displays their beauty and inspires their confidence.  That is my “why” for LuLaRoe.

Recent family pictures with Hunky Hubs and Z.  

Spring and New Beginnings

Hello out there!  It’s been a while, but I’m back to say hi to my followers and share our latest adventures.  The birds are chirping outside, the sun is out, and the flowers are in bloom.  I love spring and the freshness it brings with it:  the new flowers, budding trees, pollen (okay, not so thankful for allergies), and sunny days.  I’m feeling like we are entering into a fresh season in our lives here too and wanted to share it with the world.

Z is firmly into the toddler phase now.  He’s walking everywhere, getting into any and everything, and really enjoying all of it.  It’s a lot of fun to watch from a parental perspective, although also very trying at times.  (Tantrums are fun!)  He is starting to talk a little more, sleep a little less during the day, and expand socially.  I had a lot of fun watching him “make friends” on the playground at the park recently.  He seems to think if he sits down by a kid and smiles, they’ll be his friend.  So far, it’s working pretty well.

Hunky Hubs is doing well.  He’s enjoying his new role at work and really learning a lot.  He’s also started volunteering with our church youth group recently, and that’s added some spark into his life.  We are excited to get into some camping this summer and enjoy this beautiful outdoor life in Colorado.

Life is also trying a lot of the time, as is kinda expected with a young family.  It’s been a process to adjust to run of the mill sickness, teething, and life’s trying moments.  I’ve gone through some growing pains in adjusting my expectations and embracing where we are at this season in our lives.  I have increased and then decreased my outside commitments, and I’m still figuring out how to make it all work.  Thankfully, God’s given me a lot of grace to get through the trying times and I’m learning to cut myself a little slack too.

Over the last several months (at least six), I’ve been itching to exercise my professional skills.  I started researching business opportunities that would offer me flexibility to work from home as well as flexible hours.  I love staying home with Z and the opportunities that affords us, but I would also like to stay active professionally.  That search lead me to LuLaRoe.  One of my friends (and now sponsor) introduced me to the clothes, and I immediately fell in love with them.  After seeing her success with the business, I decided that I would like to give this a shot and jump onboard as well.  It’s been a step of faith from the beginning (more on that in a later post) but I’m super excited to open my shop in a month or so.  You can expect to hear more from me soon on my “why” for LuLaRoe.

 

Musings About Being a Stay-at-Home Mom

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my life choices and evaluating them over and over in my head  That’s kinda just my personality- I’ve always been like this.  Right now, and for the foreseeable future, I am a stay-at-home mom (SAHM).  This life choice has been challenging in ways that I didn’t anticipate.  It has also been a huge blessing to me and to my family.

The choice in and of itself is one that Hunky Hubs and I made before we got married.  We talked extensively about our life goals and priorities before (and after) we got engaged.  We both are fairly traditional and prefer to have a parent at home with the kids.  We feel that as God blesses us with children, it is our job to raise them and shape their character, and to teach them our faith.  I’ve always viewed that as an honorable mission, and hoped it would one day be possible for me to stay home with my kids.  Once we married, we set our expectations and budget with that goal in mind. 

Now let me tell you about the reality of that decision:  it’s a real challenge for us (and for me, individually).  The decision to stay-at-home means that we make some sacrifices as a family.  For one, we live on one income, which is not really common or easy these days!  Hunky Husband works hard and earns a decent salary, but we both have to closely watch our budget to make ends meet.  That means no shopping sprees, no buying the latest electronics gadgets, and not a lot of wiggle room for taking vacations.  The second sacrifice is my career.  I really enjoyed being a professional, and I have a master’s degree in management, so not working during this season in my life has really been an adjustment.  I hope to one day either start my own small business or return to the workforce, but for this season of time, I am keeping my skills at use at home.  I’m also hoping to find some ways to keep my skills fresh as a professional volunteer. 

There are also a lot of “pro’s” to having me stay at home, such as less stress for both of us, since I’m able to care for our household during the day.  I’m able to prioritize our health and cook healthy meals, as well as shop for the best prices at local stores and online.  I can take care of most errands during the day (although I have a baby in tow which is a bit challenging sometimes).  If Z gets sick, I don’t have to worry about finding care for him or how I’m going to take time off from work.  We are able to serve others by taking meals to those who are sick or who have new babies.  Hunky Hubs and I are both able to participate with Bible studies at church.  Z and I are able to get to the park to go for a walk or to play on the playground on a regular basis.

My identity has undergone some challenges after stepping out of the workforce, but I’m finally coming around to confidently stand by my choice as mom and wife.  This role has plenty to keep me sufficiently motivated from day to day, and I get to reap the rewards of raising our son and taking care of our household.  I truly enjoy spending my days with Z, even when it comes to the most mundane chores.  I love seeing his smile and hearing his giggles.  I love seeing his “firsts” and I even love the hard times because, well, we survive, and it gets better.  We all grow together, as Z learns to navigate the world and I learn how to be a good mom to him.

I’ll be honest, too, about another challenge for me as a SAHM, and that’s the “mommy wars”.  Maybe you’ve heard of them?  I’ve got friends who are working moms, and I’ve got friends who are SAHM’s.  There are some fantastic mommies across the board.  We are all passionate about our children, but sometimes our choices are questioned by others.  Not every mom has the option to stay home, for a variety of very good reasons, including finances, career track, unsuppportive spouses, etc., or maybe they just have no desire!  I’ve come to learn that  as a parent, you need a thick skin, as everybody seems to have an opinion about every choice that you make.  My choice to be a SAHM is honored, looked down on, envied, and minimized.  I guess that’s just a hard fact of life.  I’m the type of person who seeks approval from others (not my best trait and I’m working on it) so it’s hard for me to know that others don’t like my choice, but in the end, it’s my life and my decision.  In the same regard, I have to extend respect to others who have chosen a different path. 

On Being Far From Family on Thanksgiving

This year marks our first year as a family of 3 on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I’m excited to share our traditions with Z and make new memories.  We have so much to be thankful for this year, with baby Z joining us in 2015, a new home, and a great community surrounding us.

If I’m completely honest though, there’s a bit of a cloud hanging over my head at this time too.  You see, we aren’t going to be visiting family for the holidays.  We weren’t able to visit family last year either (although we did visit Hunky Hubs’ family in October) because I was super pregnant and the closest family is about 1000 miles away.  We did recently have my mom here for a visit, which was great.  The reasons that we aren’t traveling are pretty simple:  one- our budget is pretty tight as a single-income family (a choice we made that requires some sacrifice) and two- Z screams in the car, so any trip of distance is pretty stressful.  One part of me tells me that I don’t need to justify our reasons, and that we need to make the best decisions for our family and not worry about it.  The other part of me is hearing the voices of guilt from family members and friends who “just want to see us and our baby”.  I get it, I totally do, and I’d like to see you too, but it’s just not working out right now, so I’m requesting a heaping spoonful of understanding.

We will carry on with our family traditions, just from our home in Colorado.  There will be my Grandma Estelle’s famous chicken and dressing, for which I’m so thankful to have gotten the recipe before she passed on.  There will be lots of laughs during Planes, Trains & Automobiles and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  We will hang the Christmas stockings that HH’s mom lovingly sewed for each of us.  Dan’s survived his childhood, and I got a matching one when we married.  Little Z just got his in the mail.  They are precious to us.  We will mail out our Christmas cards & gifts and ooh and ahh over yours as we receive them in the mail.  We will celebrate our Savior’s birth with a Christmas Eve service and think of you while we open our Christmas Eve gifts (a tradition from my Grandma Marie).

Family will be with us in our hearts whether we are together in person or not.  We hope some will be with us virtually via Skype.  We are looking forward to lots of love….and maybe also lots of snow for Thanksgiving (if the weather man is right).

I’m Ba-ack!

I’m not really sure where to start or how to catch up on the last year, so I guess I’ll just dive right in.  Somehow I have managed to not blog for an entire year!  It’s been a VERY eventful and crazy year, so I’m going to extend myself some grace (and I hope my readers will too). 

Here’s the short recap of this crazy year… We have a kid now!  Zane Isaiah was born on January 13 and he’s pretty awesome.  I might be a little partial, but I think that’s probably expected of the parents.  I’d love to share his birth story at some point but I’ll save that for another post.  Just as we were getting a handle on this whole parenting thing, we got another big change in our lives.  Our landlords in Fort Collins decided to put us out on the street (ok, they wanted to sell our rental).  The rental market in Colorado has gone NUTS since we moved here, as has the real estate market, so we found ourselves between a rock and a hard place when looking for a new place to live.  We decided that we would jump into buying our first home (yay!) but were priced out of anything decent (read: just about anything at all!) in Fort Collins so we ended up buying a house in Greeley.  That’s another huge story that I’ll tell later. 

Then Z had a minor surgery, Hunky Hubs had a surgery, and here we are.  We are all healthy and happy and living under a roof and that is pretty darned good considering this past year.  I definitely have SO much more to say but I really don’t want to overwhelm y’all right away, so we will take it a piece at a time.

Just like that, the little man is squeaking from his nap, so I need to retrieve him from his crib.  We are heading to the library and grocery store on this rainy afternoon.  Such is the exciting life that we lead!!  It should be interesting to add little man into our blogging adventures.

Bumpdate: Second Trimester

Happy October!   Whoa, when did that happen?  We are also at the 25 weeks pregnant mark!   As of today,  I’m 25w2d.  It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated but now seemed like a good time.

Baby and I are doing well these days.   The morning sickness subsided at about 16 weeks,  and my energy levels are pretty high again.   My baby bump is really obvious now so that is fun and makes it clear that I’m pregnant and not just gaining weight,  lol.  

I was able to travel a few weeks ago to see some family and friends as well as have my first baby shower.   Then my BFF and I roadtripped back to Colorado,  which was fun but challenging given my pregnant status.

Mommy To Bee Baby Shower

With my cousin who is also expecting and due 7 weeks after me!

With my dearest friend, Brandi, at my house in CO!

We are really enjoying this phase of pregnancy.   It is fun to watch/feel the baby kick and hiccup all day.  I’m also having fun planning the nursery and getting everything together.   Nesting has kicked in.   I spent a weekend cleaning our garage and working in nursery plans for our current guest room.  I also spent the last week canning and freezing some food including some applesauce for baby!

We are looking forward to a trip to the East Coast this month where we will visit family and friends as well as squeeze in a few days of a babymoon.  We are excited to see everyone and to relax together.   Gotta travel while we can!

Health update: I’ve been cleared from pelvic rest (yay) and the subchorionnic hemmorage was not visible on my ultrasound but I’m not 100% clear as I do have a small blood clot in my placenta.   My midwives aren’t too concerned but I will have some extra monitoring to make sure things stay okay.  Other than that,  my health and baby’s health look great!

Here’s some pics to show the bump growing:

14 weeks pregnant

Seven Months Into My 30th Year: Update and Progress

I’m a little delayed in publishing this post. The reason? Bloggers’ procrastination, maybe. I’ve been thinking about this blog for a couple of weeks but kept putting off writing it. No major reason really, and I’m happy to share today.

It’s been a pretty good month. I’m still getting used to being “knocked up” so there’s been some adjustments this month. I’ll blog more about that in a later blog though. 🙂

We have really been enjoying a beautiful Colorado summer. Hunky Hubs and I went on our first camping trip of the year and had a blast.

First camping trip of the year!

We ended up in the middle of nowhere, at a campground off the beaten path up the Poudre Canyon. We had fun seeing up camp, cooking over the fire (nachos and sausages, lol) and freezing to death at night. Warning – even if it is July, It’s still Colorado and it gets cold at night! 90ish during the day and cold enough at night that my 40 degree sleeping bag didn’t quite cut the cold. At least we didn’t get hot? We got up the next morning and Mountain Man (aka Hunky Hubs) made a yummy breakfast of bacon and eggs. Then we set out to go explore the mountains some more and to go fishing.

Hunky Hubs displays his ax skills

Nachos & sausage for dinner

The gorgeous view from our fishing spot

We are planning some more camping trips over the next month. I’m pretty excited.

Over this last few days, we’ve been blessed to see Hunky Hubs’ parents again. They are visiting on their way back across the country. We spent a couple of days at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. In case you haven’t heard of it, it is the world’s largest rodeo and a pretty big deal if you’re a cowboy type. We went to bull riding one night (but I couldn’t get any good pics) and that was awesome. The other day we enjoyed fair food and looked around the museum. We had a lot of fun. We also took a drive and saw some moose!

Lovebirds at CFD

At the CFD museum

With my stud

We saw these moose all together! Pretty rare occurrence.

As far as my goals go, I think I can check off our overnight camping trip. Okay, so it’s not backcountry, But that’s not really practical right now since I can’t carry a pack or hike. Car camping will have to do!

I also have completed a month of water aerobics and I love it! It is my social outlet with a dozen other pregnant ladies. We have a good time and get a good workout.

What kind of adventures do you think Hunky Hubs and I should try next?

Happy Retirement to Me!!

Well, this day has come much sooner than I expected. I am retiring today- at least for a while.  My job as a field interviewer for a nationwide gov’t study on health-related issues has come to an end.  This job came to me pretty randomly, while I was browsing job openings last summer after our move to Colorado.  It sounded kinda interesting, so I applied and they called me for an interview.  Next thing I know, I was off to training in Phoenix in September (can we say HOT?).  It’s been an interesting ride.  I’ve spent the last 10 months contacting random assigned households and interviewing them about their health-related behaviors.  I also collect some biological samples from them, if they’re willing.  It’s not a bad gig, honestly.  I get to meet a lot of very interesting people and get a little glimpse into their lives.  Being new to Fort Collins, I have become a pro at getting around and know the ins and outs of just about every neighborhood.  I get to set my own hours and play detective sometimes.  The job also benefits all of us.  You know those studies they quote on the news when they talk about almost anything?  Yep, this is the source.  This is the nitty gritty, where they get all of that information- from people like me, going into actual people’s houses and talking to them about their actual lives.  It’s been fun to be part of the action.

But alas, my time has come to an end for now.  Due to my subchorionic hematoma (see this update for details), I cannot continue and I’ve had to resign.  My restrictions include not lifting over 10 lbs or overexerting myself, and my equipment bag weighs an easy 20 lbs.  I can’t really do much without my equipment, and sometimes I have to climb several sets of stairs or walk a long distance to get to my respondent homes, so I really can’t do my job right now.

I have known for a couple of weeks that this might be coming, since I was initally diagnosed.  We decided I would take a couple of weeks off of work and see how things were going when I went for my next ultrasound.  Well, that ultrasound was yesterday, and my SCH is still there.  The good news is that it hasn’t grown, but the bad news is that I’m on restrictions for the indefinite future until it clears up.  I’m not eligible for FMLA at my job, since I’ve not been there a year, so my only real option was to leave on good terms and start my new job as mommy.

Here’s Baby G at 11 weeks!

Now I’m going to go pack up my home office and slowly start my new life as a stay-at-home mommy.  I was previously thinking that I wouldn’t get to this point until well into my 3rd trimester, so it’s going to take a little adjustment for me, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to stay home and prepare for the baby.  Hunky Hubs and I decided before we even got married that when we had kids, I would likely stay home with them, so this has been part of the plan all along.  I am thankful that we share the same priorities and that this works for our family.  I’m also thankful to have a hard working husband who has been carrying more than his load lately.   I even caught him doing our laundry the other day without being asked.  He’s a keeper.

I’ll leave you with my first real bump picture.  Admittedly, the maternity shirt makes it look “bumpier” than usual, but I have really noticed my torso changing shape over the last few days.

11 week bump pic

Bumpdate: First Trimester

In case you missed my update yesterday…

We knocked goal #11 out of the park.

That’s right, I am pregnant, knocked up, with child, in the family way, whatever you want to call it.  And very excited, to boot!  🙂  Hunky Hubs and I were hoping that we would be expecting some time this year, and let’s just say that it worked!

Here’s my first selfie after finding out…

I’m pregnant!

And here’s how I let Hunky Hubs know…

“Umm, by the way, go look on the bed…lol.”

We found out really early on- like less than 4 weeks pregnant, so we were really excited but also wanted to keep the lid on our news for a little while.  We did get to celebrate Mother’s Day with our little secret just between the two of us.

On Mother’s Day with my exciting news still secret!

Hunky Hubs displaying his “baby bump”

I didn’t have a ton of symptoms really until about 6 weeks.  I made sure to dial my exercise down a notch because I did find that my stamina almost immediately decreased, but I made sure to get a daily walk, especially in preparation for our 5k!  About the week that Hunky Hubs’s parents visited, my morning sickness (heh, all day sickness) kicked in, at about 6 weeks.  We still managed to complete our 5k the following weekend, although we definitely had to walk it.  My morning sickness has slightly improved in the last week or so but it has been a rough month, to be honest!

5k at almost 7 weeks pregnant

At 8 weeks, I had my first appointment with my midwives, which went really well.  I got checked out and they said everything seemed great.  I also got an order for a dating ultrasound the next day, which was a relief to me because I wanted to see the new life myself!  Hunky Hubs and I went to my ultrasound appointment and were super excited to see Baby G on the screen.  Baby’s HR was 163 and baby looked good.

Well, I got a call a day later from one of the midwives letting me know that baby looks good but that I have a small complication.  I apparently have a subchorionic hematoma (hemmorage), aka SCH, which means that there was a slight tear in my placenta and that there is blood collecting in my uterus.  That explains some of the weird cramping and pain I’ve had for a few weeks.  I was basically told to take it easy for a month:  no lifting over 10 pounds, no extreme exercise.  Well, that’s a slight issue because my job requires me to carry a 20-30 lb bag regularly.  So at the moment, I’m on an unpaid leave from my work and spending my days relaxing at home until my next ultrasound next week.  Depending on the results of that ultrasound, I may be taken off of “light activity” or I might get it extended.  Thoughts and prayers appreciated!  The good news is that the outcomes for SCH are very good for baby, so I am staying very positive.

So today, we are at 10 weeks pregnant, and excited to meet Baby G in January 2015.  I’m happily noticing that my morning sickness is not as bad as it was a few weeks ago, and I’m hoping to rise out of this first trimester fatigue soon but grateful I have the opportunity to rest as I need, especially since I can’t work right now!  Hunky Hubs has been an amazing partner, from doing our laundry to carrying heavy stuff for me to riding his bike to the grocery store to buy me pancake mix because I wanted it RIGHT THEN.  Lol.  I feel very blessed.

Weirdest craving so far?  Pickles and orange juice- together.  Mostly I’ve been craving salty flavors with an occasional sweet thrown in.  For the most part, super sweet things don’t sound good to me at all.

I’ll end with a picture of my cradling my baby bloat (way too early for a bump!).

Baby Bloat Bump, lol, probably 8 weeks here