Beginning the 2nd Trimester - 14-16 Weeks

Our Baby Story - First Trimester

Finding Out - Week 9

The Day We Found Out: 

Disclaimer: This story is less than glamorous. It all started in December. I woke up at 3am on a Thursday and had to run to the bathroom. I was so nauseous, to say I felt like complete garbage would be an understatement. I was dry heaving on and off for hours. Trying to lay in bed only made it worse, so I stayed on the bathroom floor until 7am when I finally started throwing up. My body ached worse than it ever has in my 26 years of life. Poor Chris got up with me on and off throughout the night until he had to go to work around 7. In the morning I called my mom feeling miserable. I had been struck with the flu that ran rampant this winter and pretty much struck everyone. I was one of the first in the flu season that I don't even think has ended yet and it's March! 

Around the time we found out.- 5-6 Weeks

My mom suggested I go to Urgent Care but asked me first if there was any chance that I was pregnant. She didn't want me to take medicine if I was pregnant and she knew with Chris and I being newly married we planned on trying pretty much right away. I told her if I was pregnant it probably wouldn't show yet anyways on a test, however, I had two in the cabinet and some strips from my fertility kit. She told me to take one anyways and to call her back. I got out the Clearblue and gave it a go. And to my complete surprise (even though we were trying) within seconds a faint pink plus sign showed up. I called my mom back half crying half yelling and told her I think I'm pregnant! She was confused how I wasn't sure, it is either a plus or minus right?! So she said she would be over right after work. 

My nausea had temporarily subsided as it was replaced with excitement. I made my way back to the couch and texted Chris, asking him to come home during his lunch to help get me something to eat and take my temperature. I didn't know how else to get him home, ok?! Haha..but God love him, he didn't even hesitate and in he strolled around 10:30 for an early lunch and looking like hell, I pulled the test out from under the blanket and informed him that we would be having a baby! I was too excited and sick to try to make it any better than that.

Telling People:

In the meantime, I texted my sister and my two best friends. (Did I mention they are all THREE currently pregnant with me?!- There goes God again being awesome). That day, I called and told my dad. In the days to follow, my sister and I went to my brother and sister-in-laws house to share the news that she and I were both pregnant. A few weeks after, I told my cousins and grandparents at a family Christmas party. I am not one to keep secrets, that whole 12 week deal? Not a chance.  I took about 4 more tests, all which were positive. 

First Ultrasound:

Little Gummy Bear sized babe!

About 4 or 5 weeks later on a Saturday, about a week after my confirmation appointment with my OB, I decided to look up the Ultrasound Business they recommended My Peekaboo Baby. Turns out you can choose a same day appointment online. I asked Chris and he thought it sounded like a good idea. So that day we went and saw our little gummy bear for the first time. Baby's heartrate was 172 and he could see it flickering away, already squirming around. An active little babe! We were in love and on cloud nine the rest of the day.

At 9 Weeks- Day of our first ultrasound

10 Weeks - 13 Weeks

First trimester overall treated me pretty well. Different sources say different things about when the 1st Trimester ends, but I considered Week 13 the end of mine. I answered a first trimester questionnaire to sum up my experience through week thirteen below:

QUESTIONNAIRE:

Did you spot when you got pregnant?

-Literally one tiny dot that I probably wouldn't have even noticed had I not been looking for it.

Did you take Basal Temps?

-Yes but I may have already been pregnant or got pregnant right when I started tracking, so I had nothing to compare it to. However, my temps were elevated throughout the month that I was tracking. If my calculations are right, my temp spiked to 99 degrees when I conceived. Could be wrong! 

Symptoms?

Cramps?  Yes. Period-like cramps that were moderate in pain and accompanied by lower back aches.

Morning Sickness? Not per-say, rather, I had waves of nausea.

Food Aversions? YES. To literally everything. I would have to think long and hard until I could come up with a food that didn't make me nauseous and have to eat that. Anything pasta related sounded especially awful.

Cravings? No- just Gatorade, lemon ice, and sour candy to curb the waves of nausea.

Tired?  EXHAUSTED. Throughout the entire day for a few weeks, Luckily I was on Christmas Break for the most of it but there were a few days I could have fallen asleep at my desk. Luckily my all day exhaustion went away and turned into just having a very early crash and bed time.

Immune System Changes?

-Absolutely. The by far worst part of my pregnancy so far.  I have been very lucky to not have most of the negative side effects that come with being pregnant. My immune system on the other hand has been basically non existent. Which is fine knowing that it is instead protecting my bundle of joy. Early on I had the stomach flu which I believe was the culprit for the raging bronchitis I had for over TWO MONTHS. You read that right, over two months. And it wasn't just a runny nose and wet cough, it was bronchitis that came at me with a vengeance. I couldn't lay down flat, so I slept at a 90 degree angle for the first two weeks. The cough was horrible and violent which eventually caused me to put a rib out and to tear cartilage, followed shortly by three more ribs out of place. After a trip to urgent care, a trip to the ER a month later, chest x-ray, trip to the OB, visit to the chiropractor twice, and medicine and a z pack that eventually made me better, I was over it. I was borderline depressed and couldn't even get off my couch to do anything most days. I don't wish that on anybody, it was awful and dealing with medicating was a scary front to face for a new pregnant woman. Since then, I've had a few colds and a pretty nasty sinus infection. YIKES. Here's to better days!

Any strange symptoms that aren't usually listed?

I have had a runny nose since the day I got pregnant. So strange. 

Breathlessness and having to sit down frequently. I'[ve heard of that symptom but didn't expect to experience it so early.

Having to eat every 3 hours at the max.

Diet?

I have basically eaten whatever sounds good. Usually clean-eating type food doesn't sound the best to me now, especially not my usual ground turkey, so I try to eat hearty foods that sound good. For example, chicken pot pie, lasagna, a LOT of steak and potatoes, and strange enough hot dogs at least once a week. I used to eat mostly ground turkey  and grilled chicken but now I crave more ground beef, steak, and darker meat. 

Sleeping?

-In the first trimester I was up in the middle of the night anywhere between 1 and 3 times a night to use the restroom. It didn't keep me up, it became normal to me. As time went on it became more difficult to sleep on my stomach because my boobs would hurt and eventually my stomach became more sensitive to lay on.



First Trimester Must-Haves.

That about sums up the first trimester! 

I'm excited to share more of this journey as time goes on, and even more importantly, have these entries to look back on. Whether that be in my next pregnancy, or when this baby is grown so I can remember the experience. It's such a blessing to create life!

Until Next Time,

-Bethany

If you want to make God laugh...

So much has happened since I blogged last! 

First- I switched grade levels from teaching 5th Grade to teaching 1st Grade. I absolutely love it and I feel as though I have found my place in this career! I LOVE my kiddos. I graduated college and felt like I would take a job ANYWHERE and use it as a stepping stone to get to the school I want. From there, I landed my job in Fremont, where I am at today. From the day I started until now, it has proved to be everything I needed. This school and staff has taught me so much about teaching, collaboration, friendship, and what it means to have a work family. God laughed when I called it my stepping stone I am sure. I have been there three years now and would be happy to stay as long as they will have me or until God shows me he has new plans for my life. 

Second- I bought a HOUSE! Say what?! I feel like there is no way I am real enough of an adult to own my own house and have a mortgage but alas...here I am. It's everything I hoped for in a first home. It fits our needs perfectly and my brother was our realtor- perfect! We have some great visions for our home and so far- new windows and curtains have been a wonderful first step in the right direction. Next up: pouring concrete out back for some patio furniture and a firepit to host our family and friends this summer. 

Third- I got married! I feel like I am blessed beyond words. Marrying your best friend is the greatest feeling. Knowing you have a partner for life and in my case one who makes me laugh and feel loved every single day. Our wedding day was amazing. The weather was perfect, we were surrounded by friends and family we love most, all of the details were just as I imagined, and nearly everything went without a hitch- but that's another blog! 

Last- WE'RE PREGNANT! Every time I take a moment to truly acknowledge this, I get flutters in my stomach and can't even handle the amount of happiness I feel! I am so looking forward to August when we get to introduce our sweet baby girl to the world. 

So here I am today, your every day old lady! Haha Just kidding! 

I find myself driving to or from work some days thinking to myself how I can't believe where this life has led me so far. Everything I have wished for in this life has far exceeded my expectations. I had an idea of where I wanted my life to be before getting pregnant, and it's been amazing how God has hand-crafted my life into exactly what it needed to be in order to be ready for this stage of life. I'm awestruck by His faithfulness and goodness. They say if you want to hear God laugh, tell him about your plans...

ROAD TRIP! - Tips & Tricks. 17 Hours, 2 Adults, and 1 Five Year Old!

Destination: Davenport, Florida.

Miles: 1,105.4

Time: 17 hours, 10 minutes.

Every year around this time, Chris goes to Florida to visit his family. A few of them work for Disney so vacation is usually filled with tons of awesome Disney destination trips, pools, beaches, lots of food and family fun! I have joined Chris on his Florida vacation road trips the past two years and am so excited for our third trip together! Even more so because we are toting along little man! YAY!

In this post I will be talking about how I prepared for the trip- from what I packed to tips and tricks I used in the car to keep a 5 year old comfortable and entertained! I will also be talking about all of the places we visited and just documenting our trip! :) Hope my information can help or at the very least entertain you!

So lets get started..

What to pack?

I am going to break this section down into a couple categories.

1.Emergency Kit

2. Car Entertainment

             a. Chris & Myself  

     b. Little Man

3. Car Comfort

4. Snacks, Drinks, etc.

5. Pool & Beach Bag

6. Toiletries

7. 5 Year Old Suitcase

8. Adult Suitcases

1. Emergency Kit

Any time you are going on a trip, especially one that is like ours- very long, in drive and stay, you have to be prepared! It is especially important in this case as we will have a little person with us! Of course you can always stop to grab something you may need but that is wasteful in gas, time, and money. SO BE PREPARED! 

I just used a little OPI bag I had sitting around. Any small bag will work just fine!

This is what the inside of my Emergency Kit looks like. And if you remove the towel roll that is sitting on the top it looks like this....

Below, I have all of the items of my Emergency Kit laid out. 

The items include:

• Kitchen Towel
• 2 Garbage Bags
• Hair tie
• Tooth Pickers
• Little Man's Sunglasses
• Bandaids
• Wet Ones
• Tissues
• Paper Towels
• Tums
• Children's Motrin
• Iburpofren
• Allergy Relief
• Vitamins
• Cough Drops
• Mucinex

That should about cover any emergency items that may be needed while in the car. I have other items as well such as Aloe Vera, Kids Avengers Vitamins, etc.- but those can be located in the Beach and Toiletry Bags. Hopefully nobody will be getting sun burnt in the car! 

I have the baggies of pills labeled. (In case I ask Chris to grab something for me ;) I of course know what they are based on looks.)

You may be wondering why I have a towel with garbage bags tied up in it? Well...Sometimes, spills can be a bit too hefty for paper towels- so in the case of a larger spill, we will be prepared. I have garbage bags in case I need them for trash, dirty clothes, etc. I have them rolled up because I needed an extra hair tie anyway and it was helpful for saving space in the kit! :)

See..just some bags wrapped up in a towel! 

This little Emergency Kit fits nicely in my Books/DVD tote that I will have with me in the car!

2. Car Entertainment

Being that we will be in the car for about 17 hours, we are making sure that we have plenty to keep us entertained. I know a lot of people have trouble reading in the car. However, I don't have that problem and reading makes my time in the car FLY! So I am packing tons of reading material! 

Road trips seem to require lots of bags. So I picked this one up at Old Navy for $1.50! This is the bag I am using to hold reading material and DVD's. 

The Emergency Kit will sit right on top as well :)

This bag holds more than it looks like it would!

This is the reading material that I am bringing and I am sure Chris will add a few more books to the selection! I have a good range in case I get bored. Everything from Cos magazine, a memoir, self help books- to educational teaching books. (Can you believe I fit all these in that bag?!)

These are only a few of the DVDs we are taking. We also have The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and more! The DVD player will mostly be for Little Man, but we may take advantage of it as well while he's sleeping.

Make sure your Portable DVD Player is FULLY Charged before leaving! 

TOY BAG!

We will be taking a bag of toys, not only for in the car but also for the entire week we will be there. While we will be busy and on the go most of the time, I wanted to be sure I had toys for any down time in the morning or before bed. :) He is only 5 and any unstructured time to him is play time! Keeping him busy and having fun is always a priority.

• I bought a couple clearance toys to bust out on the ride any time he might get sick of the car. Its just something he has never seen before that will hopefully grab his attention for even a short period of time. 
• Leap Frog
• BOOKS!
• Angry Birds

My mom is AWESOME and also pulled through with tons of awesome stuff for him to play with in the car. She's been there, done that and her items are all pretty ingenious. THANKS MOM! :) Love you!

3. Car Comfort

There is nothing worse than being uncomfortable when you are in the car for hours on end. While it obviously won't be luxurious, the goal is to make the car as comfy as possible while being safe. 

We are not willing to compromise our safety and especially not little man's. So the best we can do is bring lots of blankets and pillows!

The driver is the driver and they don't get to ride on the comfy train.

However, the passenger seat is a different story!

When I travel in the front seat I like to make sure I have plenty of leg room, a nicely reclined seat, a pillow for my back, a pillow for my head and my awesome fur blanket! Aahhh.

For Little Man, we covered his seating area with his Angry Birds sheet. For some reason laying a sheet down just seems to ALWAYS make things comfier. If nothing else it surrounds him with his favorite, angriest little birds! We have a pillow for his back, a pillow for his head, and of course all of his buds- his stuffed Angry Birds. :)

We have a good stock of cold drinks and snacks to keep our tummies comfy on our trip as well.

Accepting Defeat

Have you ever wanted something so badly and have it just not work out for you?

Sometimes you may even get your hopes up and the feeling of the fall isn't the best. But you can look at it one of two ways. As always. With a positive or negative mindset.

This is a post about something I have been dealing with lately and I am surprised with how quickly it came to me and how strongly I truly feel about this.

Looking defeat in the face can be discouraging.

That is our immediate feeling. But it only lasts as long as we let it.

I have been applying, studying, reviewing, and gathering ideas for the past year in my search for a full time job doing what I love. I have had several bites but none have worked out for me. I have had momentary thoughts that I must be doing something wrong, even that I may not be good enough. But those thoughts didn't last. Partially because I have the greatest people around me reminding me of my worth and assuring me that it just wasn't the right job. And the other reason is because I know in my heart that's simply not true. I know that when the time comes I will be great at my job because I am passionate about it and I will be successful at all costs. 

But in my defeat I have also felt liberated. I have felt thankful. I know that there is a plan and I know that every turnout is part of the plan. In each interview I have learned something new. What I don't know enough about, what schools are focusing on, and what they are looking for in their future employees. I have got to meet a lot of people and practice my interviewing skills. Perhaps the most valuable lesson I have learned is to be myself. I am not trying to fit the vision of what somebody wants. I am showing up, answering questions honestly and to the best of my ability and waiting for the employer who wants what I have to offer. 

At the end of the day I know that there is a specific place for me to teach at and there is a specific time for that to begin. While I do not know when or where, I do know that it will happen in it's own time. And until then, I will prepare myself as best as I know how.

Everything is happening according to plan and I am learning and growing with every obstacle along the way. 

xoxo, Bethany

My Purpose For Being Here..

"You laugh, you cry, and you work harder than you ever thought you could. Some days you're trying to change the world, and other days you're just trying to make it through the day. Your wallet is empty, your heart is full and your mind is packed with memories of kids who have changed your life. Just another day in the classroom."

When I was a little girl, I was intrigued by the art of teaching. I don't know what it was at the time that interested me but I would play "teacher" for hours in my grandma's basement. She had a little chalkboard with the Alphabet across the top of it and workbooks from the 70's that previously belonged to my aunt and my mom. That chalkboard was my throne in my pretend classroom in that cellar. 

I also turned the basement at my parents house into my classroom. In fact, I wrote all 30 names of my imaginary students, the 10 classroom rules, and our classroom schedule on the basement wall...in pen. Sorry mom and dad! :)

Whatever it was, that's what I wanted to do. Teach. 

I argue that it could be that I loved school. I always have. I love learning, I love classroom activities, I love recess, school lunches, the uncomfortable desks that I organized my stuff in just so, pencil boxes, routines, new folders, a fresh notebook, and ballpoint pens. I love it all.

But I also think it's credited a great deal to the adults in my life that instilled a love for the classroom. My parents being the first people. They made school a positive experience for me. When I succeeded in school they were proud of me. And second, the teachers I was lucky enough to have. The ones in particular that provided me with a-ha moments and a caring enriched environment. I will always remember those teachers.

Starting Early

Having realized early in life what my end goal was going to be, I started surrounding myself with any experiences that I thought would help me grow in that field.

At 14, I got a job at The Rec working with children. I did anything from teach gymnastics, youth yoga, youth softball to working parents night out, youth summer craft events, and more. I loved my job and that is where I stayed for many years.

After High School I moved onto BGSU Firelands where I got my Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education. To broaded my grade span I continued my education and received my Education Generalist Endorsement for grades 4 & 5. This program provided me with some of the most important lessons, experiences, and blessings in my life thus far.

This is where I : Student taught, spent countless hours in the education room, built relationships with colleagues, built rapport with students, bonded with classmates with the same heartfelt goals as myself, failed, succeeded, worked with professionals who bent over backwards to prepare us for the classroom, and soaked every last bit of knowledge as I could from my peers, students, university mentor, classroom mentor, and professors so that one day when it was my responsibility to teach children I would do so successfully.

My Graduating class of BGSU Firelands will always hold a special spot in my heart!

Also, after High School I was hired as the Assistant Cheerleading Coach at NHS. This job prepared me in many unexpected ways as well. To be able to teach, support, and keep control of 20+ high school girls toughened me up for a classroom of younger children. 

I student taught in a 3rd grade classroom in an Intermediate School about 30 seconds down the road from where I live.

                           

My collaborating teachers were all so different in their teaching styles, yet all so effective. It really showed me that despite the methods you go about teaching you can be successful in many different ways. It helped me realize what my style is and what I want to be like as a teacher. My mentor was understanding, supportive, and just overall a kind-hearted woman in her last year of teaching. She is such a strong person who is tough as nails with a heart of gold. She gave me an example to strive for.

                               

My first year out of college I was hired as the Head Preschool Teacher at Playland Daycare Ltd. The experience I had as a Preschool teacher was awesome. It taught me that chaos is okay, flexibility is key, and that sometimes you just need to stop and shake your sillies out. I had two classes. A 3 year old class and a 4 year old class. However, having a PreK in a daycare is different than a school in that you can have any kids in your classroom on any day. This helped me improve my skills as far as keeping children challenged regardless of who your focus is on at the time. My experience was rich and fun and I wouldn't change it for the world! I will never forget my kiddos from this past year!

Where do I go from here?...

 I have decided that it is my goal to teach in a public school setting. Hiring season is in full swing and things are still up in the air. But I have decided that next year I would like to be a Substitute Teacher in full force so I can get acquainted with the schools and staff in the area. 

I have been beyond blessed with every opportunity and experience that has been handed to me so far in my stride to being a classroom teacher and I am so thankful.

xoxo, Bethany