Hark! A Heartbeat!!

So at our last two appointments, one with the doctor and one with the ultrasound tech, we were able to see "Baby OO1" bouncing around, and see the pulsating heart beat. We had our 13.5 wk appointment yesterday, and it was great! Not only did I get a z-pack for my sinus infection (hah) but we got to HEAR the heartbeat. I didn't realize we were doing that this week, and have to admit I was nervous when Dr.Autry announced what he was about to do, and there was no noise for the first few seconds. I'm pretty sure I was holding my breathe and looked panicked, as he told me after a second, "Sometimes we just have to search a minute is all." All of a sudden, there it was. That strong, loud wooshing noise. Bizarre and completely beautiful. Friends, I think I may be in love... :) There was a lot of static, as if someone was blowing into a microphone and the doctor simply said, "Well that's good, static means baby is moving around...and yours is dancing about it seems."

Quite the Pair

Adam and I laid in bed this morning aching, whining and popping medication in our mouths.

Today is the second day in a row I have felt like complete BLECK. I woke up yesterday with severe congestion, cough, and sore throat. By last night it had added a lovely ear ache as well as body aches. I drank tea all day, took the few medications I thought I could, and went to bed early after a hot bath. Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning I was worse, not better. I'm hoping at tomorrow's appointment Dr. Autry can fix me, as well as update me on how the babe and I are doing.

Adam, who has had an unusually uncomfortable back for the last week, got out of the shower and suddenly couldn't move. His back, with no apparent rhyme or reason, just....gave out. He couldn't even sit up on the bed without supporting himself using his arms. My poor husband, who never takes tylenol (except this week) and never has a 'reason' to go to the doctor, laid perfectly still on a heating pad, and told me we needed to find a doctor right then because his pain level was 8/9.

So, we lay there, each unable to truly care for the other. I'm sure we would have been a sight to anyone who could have peeked in to our tiny house. In the end, I made some peppermint tea and on to work I went. Adam ventured on to the BSA Clinic. Oh, this poor baby doesn't know what babies its parents are!

Picture Perfect Babe

Today was our 'measuring' ultrasound appointment, and an eaaaaarly day for us! Not wanting to have to wait "forever", I agreed to a 7:20am appointment. (Before this, I didn't even know doctor's offices were open that early!) Our ultrasound tech was impressed with baby, telling us that our kiddo was incredibly active for its developmental stage, and quite "bouncy". It was amazing to see little "O" karate chop, kick, twirl and bound around in its tiny home. When I told my mother she simply said, "well of course, it's your baby" as if it would be abnormal for me to have a calm and serene child. Haha. All is well so far, double O's heart rate was 166, and all of its measurements were on track for our due date! I am definitely feeling the luck of the Irish with us today, and feel myself smiling and thinking of baby, wondering how I'll make it 6-8 more weeks until we find out a little more about this little babe! Torture!

The Big "Cleanout"

In our cozy little house, we didn't quite have enough furniture to fill the space when we moved in. Not only that, but we had lost our chairs (cheap ones we bought when we first moved in together) to the "great iron maiden incident of 2008" as Adam jokes. I had decided to recover our chairs, but in my excitement did not wait to make sure I had short enough nails. Thus, while the recovered versions were cute, they also doubled as iron maidens, torturing any person who had to sit. Luckily, we had friends that let us borrow both chairs for the table as well as a desk, love seat, and wing back chair for Adam's home office.

In recent weeks, things around the house have been slowly changing. Adam's office merged with mine, and the front room became the home for the Owens' crib they gave us, our matching garage sale find changing table, and various baby things that we've been given or discovered at sales. So, Monday, our friends came to collect the borrowed furniture we no longer needed. Unfortunately, they also needed their chairs back!

So, we are chair-less again, and on the hunt (did I mention I don't care and have no 'hunt' motivation? lol) and we emptied the drawers and took the decorations down off the desk. The old Kaitlin would have turned on some music and gone non-stop until everything looked 'perfect'. Instead, pregnant Kaitlin looked at the mess, sat on the couch, thought about the mess, drank some grape juice, talked about the mess, folded some pants that had been sitting on the wing back chair, and then laid down on the couch for a nap. I have lost my oomph! Poor Adam. I am just too tired and too nauseous to care. Since we're at 11.5wks, I'm hoping that in a few more weeks, super Kaitlin will emerge again, eager to clean, organize and abuse her label maker. Until then...let's all pull a 4th grader and shove the mess in the closet....No one will know...

Little Big Brother

Most days in the O'Connell-Owens household are pretty same old same old these days. I can't remember the last time we ate out (in our launch for savings), the last trip was at Christmas, there's church on sundays, glee on tuesdays and we go grocery shopping every two weeks. Talk about a routine! Now a days I feel like we've aged 40 years and embraced a homebody lifestyle we've teased others in the past about! But these next two weeks, we'll be getting a little injection of out of the ordinary--my "baby" brother, 3.5yrs younger then me, is coming to Texas on his spring break from Hawaii. (I know, backwards, right?)

He gets in Saturday at noon, and for about the first week he'll be in Austin with his closest friends, as a belated 21st birthday celebration! Originally, Adam and I were supposed to lead the team, but as life would have it we were unable to take the necessary time of somewhat last minute. We know he's in good hands and will have a wonderful time, but I have to admit it makes me feel like a heel to no longer be going along on the trip/party I put together for him. Hopefully we'll be able to make it up to him with a celebratory St Patricks day party for all of us, including his 'old' Amarillo friends that are home for the break.

As he flys this way on the red eye I plan to dust, mop, scrub and vaccuum to prepare; after all, we know how much cleanliness means to college boys, right? ;)

A Glimpse at Baby "O"

Today we had an appointment with Dr.Autry, and were able to get our first glimpse of baby "O" with a sonogram! Our first ultrasound is next Thursday, when we'll get a picture print out and actually hear the heartbeat as opposed to just seeing it (which was also amazing!). I had been feeling kind of down lately, and honestly wasn't even that excited about today's appointment until we saw the baby moving on the screen & the pulsating heartbeat. It was completely unreal, and still doesn't feel possible that we're pregnant. Maybe when I start to show it will start to feel more real! Until next time...here is our sonogram video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iShKNQdnus8

Me? A Grownup?

So, we've hit the part of our road where being adults isn't as fun and easy as I dreamed it would be when I was playing dress up in my mother's old clothes and pasting my lips with a bit too much watermelon pink lipstick. Adam and I are trying to figure out where we want to go next with our lives, talking about goals, and how to save money and best prepare for our future as a family of three. One of the ideas has been to step out of our cute rental house and down into an apartment since they've raised rent, which would give us a little more savings on both rent and utilities. We're both less then thrilled at the idea, but are trying to think long term as much as possible. Adam has also recently decided he knows what he'd like to go back to school for, and that is Economics. His new found love through his work with RDA and the openess of that job market, is something he'd love to pursue on top of his philosophy degree. I am more then ecstatic that he's found something he loves so much, and feels passionate about going back to school, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it scares the bejeezes out of me! The idea of him juggling school & work, while we raise a baby is almost more then I can take! I wonder if we're strong enough to ride that for two years, if I'm strong enough to be the main parent for the two hardest years with our first child, if we can really make it all work on what seems to be a nearly invisible tightrope. I'm just worried. It all seems silly as I read what I write, but I wonder more and more "how the HECK are we going to make everything work?!?!" Adam, on the other hand, seems completely at peace. He keeps saying "We make a plan, and stick to the plan, that's all." Can it really be that simple? Part of me wishes I could climb into my mother's lap, curl my fingers through her hair and ask her what to do like I did growing up. I know that at this stage of the game her advice is invaluable, but the decision has to come from us whether I want to be a part of it or not. So, if we come into your thoughts, ask that I might get some peace and feel confident about our choices, because right now I feel like a confused little kid.

Cowtown 10k 9wks Pregnant

Last weekend we sped up to Fort Worth to spend the weekend with some of our dear friends and to make it to my second 10k, the Cowtown. Being 9wks pregnant, I was a little less then thrilled at the idea of running, but have really wanted to stick to my pre-pregnancy goals. Adam has been awesome, offering to go running with me, and cheering me on at the races. After this last race, he even flattered me, telling me how much he enjoyed going to my races and seeing me so focused. (his words, not mine!) Well, if I was looking for extra motivation this last race (I have been feeling less then stellar) I got it through my good friends who made matching race shirts & hats. My nickname back in DFW is PK (for Princess Kaitlin), there are people who don't even know my real name I'm introduced that way so often! (again, they gave me the nickname, I didn't create it!) The shirts and hats had a tiara and ivy surrounding PK and on the back of the shirts it read "Cowtown 2011" with the longhorn. :) It made my weekend and I was so so so excited to race in it! My time wasn't stellar, but not too bad either, 80min to go 6.4mi. My time was better in January, but given how little I ran since then due to snow and general yuck, and being pregnant I gave myself a gold star! The pictures aren't too flattering, and my weight gain is very apparent, but I'll share them anyhow! Happy Running!!