On my way to Asia and thinking little IT doesnt like to fly...

Sometimes I used to wonder why only women could get pregnant – I thought if this were a truly fair world than we could at least alternate but after going through the first trimester and talking to a few other women I figured out the reason – God realized men would not be able to handle it and the world would be without children..

Anyways I am now on my way to Asia.. I must say I had some doubts if I would actually make it on this flight.. On my flight last night to California I managed to throw up a record 6 times on the flight, another 3 in the airport and another 3 at the hotel. I can truly say when I went to bed I had nothing left in my system.. and I actually thought I was over the sickness. People had been asking how I had been feeling and I really thought I was over the fun of the first trimester. So it looks like this could be quite a test.. (Quick update - made it to Shanghai - only got sick 3 more times

I did want to mention that the 12 week sonogram was truly an experience that I hope all of you one day get to experience. Just seeing this little thing moving around and knowing that you created it is amazing and instantly bring tears to my eyes just thinking about (0h yes pregnancy does make you more hormonal than you thought possible)...

-Steph

Week 12 - First Trimester Check Up

We have successfully made it through the first trimester!

Actually, we are now at currently week 14 and while Steph is still feeling terrible most of the time, we are relieved to be starting on the second trimester. We still have a long way to go but the progress so far has been great.

Our first trimester screening went extremely well. The heart beat and other readings were all well within normal ranges. 'it' has begun to grow a face, feet, and hands and is about 3 inches tall. If Steph's symptoms are any indication, this is going to be one active kid :).

We are anxiously looking forward to our sonogram scheuled at the end of May (week 17) when we may be able to find out the sex, assuming our baby cooperates and sits the right way. The moment of truth will soon be upon us... stay tuned and check back for the results in a couple weeks!!!

Week 11 - Trip to Europe

So during my 11th week I had the joy of traveling over to Turkey, Italy and France for work. Let’s just say it was not one of my best trips. To start it all off, when I landed there was supposed to be a driver to meet me but he never showed. Luckily I had printed out the hotel information and was able to get a cab. So after traveling 14 hours and then an hour cab ride, I arrived at the hotel. Then I find out the 85 degrees is not hot enough to turn on the AC at this hotel.. So needless to say I could not sleep all night (I did check out the next morning and go next door to the Sheraton).. The next day I made the mistake of eating some Turkish dessert at the office.. let’s just say I then redefined what a bidet is used for.. hey could not get the toilet seat up quick enough..
I then had the fun of getting sick on the plane from Turkey to Italy.. luckily I did have one good day in Italy and got to enjoy a little of the great food in Milan.. In France, I went back to feeling dizzy and nauseus.. On my flight home they actually offered a free ticket to stay an extra day as well as other perks.. At that point, I don’t think you could have paid me enough money to stay..

Oh I did fail to mention the other fun part of traveling.. due to a family history of blood clots.. the doctor recommended I go on Lovenox (a blood thinner) when I travel.. Initially I thought this was not a big deal until I learned I had to give myself injections twice a day in the stomach.. I did learn ice would help to numb the burning (but getting ice cubes in Europe is not always easy).. plus the great big bruise I ended up with on my stomach was oh so pretty..

Next up - Week 12 - Next Sonogram :)

How do I feel (week 1 to Week 10)

The easiest way to explain this is probably to break down by weeks and just to clarify for those who were like me and did not know how the “week” pregnancy calendar works - the day after your last period is actually considered week one.. so you can actually think every month you could be considered almost 2 weeks pregnant – a great excuse for moodiness by the way -

Week 1 to Week 5 – feel great… no problems with the only change being the beginning of a significant growth in the chest area and a few mood swings which only Danny had to deal with
Week 6- This is the point when things started to go downhill only I did not know it…. I started having cravings for fruit smoothies and lots of them!! Luckily I was on travel in CA where there is fruit smoothie store on each corner. In addition, I started getting tired earlier and wanting to sleep longer….
Week 7 to 10 – The best way to explain how I felt during this time was I was always hungry and there was almost nothing that I wanted to eat. I wasn’t able to keep much down except some fruit and some cereal in the morning… the worst part was truly you are starving but nothing sounds appetizing

next up trip to Europe during week 11…

Telling People (or trying not to)

The next two weeks were a blur after finding out. The hardest part was figuring out who to tell or really how to not tell. First off, I was so excited I wanted to tell the world….but then I began to do a little research on miscarriages. I had no idea the likelihood of miscarriage in the first trimester is estimated by some to be a high as 15% to 20%. So with that figure in mind, we tried to keep it a secret as long as we could. We did tell my parents and my sister right away as I knew either way I would want them to know.. But let me tell you the creation of reasons for "not drinking" is hard and I am not really good at the lying part.. so most of our friends in the area figured it out pretty quickly. To me, it was almost more of a relief to have people know. I would be curious how many people actually wait to tell everyone for the full 12 weeks..

Finding out!

So to do this blog right I think it is important to go a little farther back in the story…

For the past year or so, Danny and I always seemed to be able to find a good reason to wait a little bit longer to start a family whether it was switching jobs (which I did quite a bit of in 2007) or an upcoming vacation. However, I think it finally hit me that we weren’t getting any younger and 30 was right around the corner. Of course, in my mind I always thought it would take a while based on stories of other friends.. So with a personal new year resolution of starting a family, the “fun” began – although surprising to me it lasted less than 2 months (Danny, of course, was convinced from the beginning once we made the decision it would happen right away)..

So on Feb 29th.. with plans to go out to the bar that night, I took one of those two line tests. I actually did not even tell Danny I was taking it and was a little shocked when I looked at it after 3 minutes and saw two lines.. With more than a little surprise in my voice, I yelled to Danny.. as he was sleeping and had no idea what exactly was going on so I ran in with the test and his first reaction was “don’t you think the one line is a little faint, couldn’t you have spent the extra money to get the tests that say pregnant – not pregnant?” so needless to stay stopped on my way to work and picked up another test and sure enough another POSITIVE TEST!!! Let the Spahr family begin..

Next up.. how the first trimester went..

NEW ADDITION ANNOUNCEMENT

April 8, 2008 - On March 31, 2008, we were provided the first glimpse of what we hope will be the first new addition to our family!

Stephany and I are proud to announce that we are pregnant with our first child (although with the way Steph has been feeling, I'm sure she will emphasis that SHE is pregnant with our first child). As of April 8th, we are just over 9 weeks. We still have a few weeks to go to make it through the first-trimester, so we are trying to temper our enthusiasm until we are on more solid footing, but we are never-the-less over joyed and can not wait to begin a family. More to follow in the weeks ahead...stay tuned!