OMG!

WHERE DO I START?!  First of all, they called me yesterday to change my appointment to 9:30 this morning!!!  So Adam had to take me back to work and I had to finish the day not knowing!

It was SO cool to see the baby inside!!  I really can't believe it's in there.  You won't either when you see the pictures.  Here is the ultrasound girl:

She was so nice and explained it all to us!  She started with the head and the brain, then went down to the face and the heart.  We could even see all four chambers of the heart!  She told us when to look away so she could get a glimpse of if it was a he or a she!  It was really funny because the head, heart, etc. were all measuring 19 weeks, then it gets to the stomach, and it measured 20 weeks 5 days!  I said it looks like its mother, but Adam said, "No, it's taking after me!"  She wrote the sex down and sealed it, along with the pictures in the envelope.  They actually said a lot of people have been doing this lately because they are going to open it up on Christmas!

And THIS is my WONDERFUL doctor, Dr. Sellers, whom I love and trust so much.  I even got Adam to admit he loves him too!  He is a wonderful Christian man, so laid back and patient and he really takes time to answer any and all our questions (and you all know I have LOTS of those!  I bring my little list in to every appointment!)  He also realizes the benefits of birthing naturally, important to me and Adam.

So here are some pictures of Baby Acklin.  Yes, the girl only saw one baby, but there might be one hiding behind it that we couldn't see.

Believe it or not, this was the hardest picture to get!  Everytime she would get a good shot, s/he would turn and look at us!!  Like this:

Can you believe it?!

See that big ol' belly?  Just like me!

Don't worry.  S/he was NOT sucking their thumb!

Looking down at head/shoulders/arms

Then we had to look away so she could get some pictures to show us the sex of the baby later!!!  I asked her if I could see the feet, if they looked like runner's feet or not.

One foot; can't tell if it has my long toes or not?!

Other foot; am I the only one they look BIG to?

Okay, so after I got off work, Adam and I went to a store called Pickles and Ice Cream to pick out our outfits!  Here is the sales clerk with our two outfits!

And here is me and Adam about to leave Pickles and Ice Cream!

We went to eat at YaYa's, our FAVORITE restaurant for dates or special occasions!  And tonight was BOTH!  Here is Adam opening the gift:

Yes, I am dragging this out on purpose!!!!

We made it through our appetizers, and we opened the present before our meals came.  It was perfect!!

Are you really ready for this???

YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who know Adam, you KNOW this smile!  SO proud!!

One of the first things he said after we opened up the gift was, "Let me see his sausage!"

It was so fun looking at the pictures because they were sealed up with the card all day!  Here are the shots we weren't allowed to see earlier:

                                          

                                         

Okay, so then the what seems like EIGHTH round of fun began!  We went over to our friends Cristina and Stephen's house.  We were going to tell them, then Cristina was going to text my mom the picture from her phone!  (Our phones can't send pictures, and my mother is in Kentucky visiting a friend right now!)  We ended up talking to my mom on her friend, Lisa's phone, while Cristina sent the pictures to my mom's phone.  For some reason, whether it be my mother's technological incapabilities, or the phone service, it took a REALLY long time for her to receive them!

Then us trying to help my mom get the text message/picture of the outfit!!

Poor Bella, Cristina's dog, was so excited and confused, she didn't know what to do!

Okay, so like an HOUR later, my mom finally figures it all out, and we leave to go meet Larry and Leota at our house! They've been dying to find out and came by after church.

Leota had thought it was a boy, and so did Adam's dad, Kenny.  Most of my family and friends thought it would be a girl.  I forgot to mention that today after we left the ultrasound, Adam said, "I know it's a boy, 100 percent."  When I asked him why, he just said, "When we saw his face, I just felt like it was a boy."

So there it is!  My life will be full of dirt and sports for a very long time!!!  I had been thinking I will never see this kid because Adam plans on taking it everywhere he goes, even to the fieldhouse on Saturday mornings!  I asked him if he planned on doing that even if it was a girl, and he replied, "Of course.  They'll be my little buddy!"  He is so loved already!!!

The wait.

Not much else has happened since my last post, but I thought I'd write one more time because I want everyone to let us know what gender you think the baby or babies is going to be!  Just go down to the bottom and leave a comment.  If you don't make an account, just click "Anonymous" and type your name in.  I want to see what everyone else thinks it might be!  Adam feels like it is a girl. He said when he is writing in the journal, he feels like he is writing it to a girl. So we'll see!

Also, if you haven't done so already, become a follower by clicking "Follow" on the left side of the page, and enter your email address.  That way, you get an email when the blog's been updated, and you don't have to remember to check back every so often!

This week seems like it is DRAGGING by!  I keep dreaming and dreaming about finding out if it's a boy/girl/twins/triplets, but we never find out!  The closest my dreams have come to us finding out (and please remember my bizarre, crazy dreams are continuing!) was two nights ago, I dreamed we gave Dr. Sellers two cookies.  They were the sugar kind with icing on top.  One had blue icing on it and the other had pink icing on it.  He was supposed to eat whichever one matched the gender of our baby, and we were going to see what color his teeth were afterwards, and that is how we were going to find out!!!  So he had just eaten the cookie after the ulrasound, and he was licking his teeth, about to open his mouth and show us...AND MY ALARM WENT OFF!   I was so mad!  I keep thinking I'll dream one way or the other, but even in my dreams I can't even find out!!  I have also dreamed that when we went in to get the ultrasound, the person told me my baby wasn't big enough to find out the sex yet, and for us to come back again in 2-3 weeks!  So who knows if we'll ever find out!

Also, here is what Adam wrote in one of our Bradley childbirth class assignments:

Dear Baby Acklin,
May 16 seems like it is ten years away.  I am so very excited to hold you in my arms and look into your eyes.  Out of all of the things that I have done in this life, you are my number one accomplishment.  I hope that I am the dad for you that you need.  Jen and I have done everything we know to do in preparation for your arrival.  I hope that I am able to give you a life of safety, security, and stability so that you will grow into a successful adult.  I love you!  Dad

Here is a picture Adam took of me before my work Christmas party Friday night:

19 weeks

The bump is definitely growing, and you can tell I am not wearing a form fitting shirt anymore!  Before I got dressed, I tried on 3 pairs of pants that didn't fit!  Ugh...not sure if I'm ready for maternity, but regular clothes are DEFINITELY not comfortable anymore.  It makes me even more uncomfortable knowing everyone is looking for a "bump" all the time, when right now I feel disgusting!

Oh well, I got a cute sweater dress and a couple other things to get me through the holidays that I DO feel comfortable in, and we're about to find out if it's a he, she, or they!!!  Post your votes below!!  See you Wednesday!  (sometime after 3:00)

Here is a picture of the kindergarten cheerleading squad I'm coaching at Immanuel this year.  They're a handful!  I can't imagine what they'll say when they find out I'm pregnant!

 

And Bubba says, "Merry Christmas!"

Feeling lots; seeing a little

Adam and I can't believe this time next week the doctor will be able to tell the sex of our baby!  It seems way too soon, and so surreal!  I can't imagine what it will be like to see the ulstrasound of it/them!  The eight week ultrasound showed only a little bitty blob with a flashing light that was supposedly the heart.  I think it will make it much more real for Adam, and even for me, to see the form and features of the baby!

My weekly email says it is now the size of a sweet potato.  My belly is sticking out a little bit, but more like a bumpette right now than any sort of baby bump.  I did have to let my belt out a notch last week!  One of my patients thinks it is because my clothes are too tight, even though I show her the waistband of my pants and how it is not binding at all!  She says, "Girl, you gonna suffocate yo' baby!"  Now, this is just my opinion, and I know the Lord knew what He was doing with all this, but:  my thinking is that if I had enough room in before I was pregnant for there to be a sweet potato in there, and I can barely tell anything, I think my body could have compressed itself a little more to make me a little smaller around the middle!

I always said I wasn't tired during the first trimester, but I feel like a have a huge surge of energy now!  Either I really WAS tired and didn't realize it, or I just got a burst of energy lately, because I've been waking up every morning, no problem, to go work out.  I've discovered John 3:16 workouts, where you run 3 laps around the catwalk at church, then do 16 pushups, run 3 laps, do 16 squats, etc. and I love them because I am able to run fast if I want to, and that distance doesn't cause the "apple rolling around" feeling, plus I get strengthening/weights.  I've also been able to decorate, shop, do everything I need to for Christmas.  It's been great!  Maybe it is because I've been able to eat more?  Maybe it's motivation since I can now tell my waist is getting bigger?  Who knows, but I'm taking advantage of this!  For anyone that knows me, I heart energy!!!

I am now sure the feelings I've been having is the baby/are the babies!  It feels like a goldfish swimming around in my stomach!  It was really cool at church Sunday, because every time we sang, it moved around!  I think they already love Christmas carols as much as Adam and I do!  Christmas is such a meaningful and magical time of year, and we are so excited to experience it with a child.  Today, it felt like my muscles were twitching; it was so cool!  Adam is DYING to feel it himself!  For right now, all he can do is continue to fix me my eggs every morning and remind me to do my exercises. :)

He is so excited, and he is already taking his role as Daddy so seriously.  He went out and bought a nice leather bound journal that he has been writing in to give to the baby when s/he/they leave for college.  He won't let me read it, but for our Bradley class we had to write a letter to the baby.  If I can get permission, I want to put it on here!  It's the sweetest thing!

Okay, next post:  hopefully sex and number of babies...even though my mother and my friend, Cristina think I will still believe there are twins in there even if the ultrasound only shows one!

We've made it to onion size!

Well, our baby/babies are now the size of an onion, according to babycenter.com!  Or, Adam read somewhere it's the size of a chicken breast (which means a lot more to him!)  I was peeling an apple the other day and a seed fell out and I showed Adam that's what size it used to be!!!  It seems like it's been going by so slow, but now that I think about it, we're moving right along!  We find out if s/he/they are going to be a boy or girl on December 23rd! 

We are so excited because that is right before Christmas!  Now, some of you may know that I do NOT want to find out what we are having, however, Adam does (along with every other member of our families!).  So with the suggestion of a friend (Cristina), this is how we're going to do it:  We are going to have the doctor/sonographer/whoever NOT tell us in the office if it's a boy or girl, but have them write it down on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope.  Then Adam and I are going to go to a cute little specialty store and pick out a cute (of course!) boy outfit and girl outfit.  We're going to give both outfits to the person at the register, along with the envelope, and tell her to take them to the back and gift wrap whichever one goes with what is written down!  We will then go out to eat and open the package at dinner.  So I get my little surprise that way!

So, still no baby bump, but still no complaints.  See below

16 weeks

Since Thanksgiving, I have been feeling great!  I was really worried about not being able to enjoy Thanksgiving food!  I still get nauseated sometimes, but it passes a lot more quickly.  I have also been trying to eat more protein, so I don't know if that is part of the reason it's improved or not.  The class Adam and I are taking is a Bradley Childbirth class http://www.bradleybirth.com/ and they really emphasize a healthy pregnancy to stay low risk, in order to avoid the need for medical intervention!  Along with specific exercises and aerobic activity, they recommend pregnant women eat 80-100 grams of protein a day.  Now I've never kept track of my protein intake, but I thought I ate a lot more than I do!  After about 5 days, I finally hit 80 grams!  Adam is so sweet.  He has been getting up and making me eggs every morning, so that really helps!  I've been trying to add more meat to what I eat (all extra lean, of course!), and Adam is loving it!  Drinking lots of milk too!  One day, I ate so much protein, I felt so full all day long.  I really understand why it's so important when you're trying to watch your weight, because it definitely fills you up! 

I've been feeling things lately, but not sure how to describe them!  Sometimes when I lay on my stomach, I feel like I'm laying on an apple.  I have felt movement probably 4 or 5 times this week, but I will know for sure that's what it is as I feel it more often!  It always happens when I am being real still, which isn't often anyway!  Adam is so excited, he wishes he could feel it, but it will probably be a while for that!

In addition to the absentmindedness (which continues), my dreams are getting crazier and crazier!  The latest one involved Adam fighting off a 6 foot tall lizard in the backyard with his bare hands!  It was so vivid, and one of those dreams like you felt were real even after you wake up!  I have dreamed some about the baby, like me and Adam could hear it making noises like hiccups, but mostly, they are just weird, random dreams, like me and coworkers riding down a hill on therapy equipment...

Also, Adam and I ran the Jingle Bell Run 5k yesterday!  His time was 32:15, and it was the first race he's beaten me at!  But he doesn't have another person or two growing inside of him!  It was the first time it felt weird when I ran, like even though nothing is sticking out, I felt something like an apple bouncing around inside of me, so even though I could have kept running, I walked some to calm the apple feeling down.  I really want to keep running throughout the pregnancy, so I hope I get used to it.  Here are a couple pictures from the run:

Jennifer's Magical Christmas Team!

Adam, Leota, me, my mom, Julie, her dad Mike, and her daugher Rachel Kate!

Me, Adam, and the twins!

That's all for now!  Hope everyone is doing well, and maybe my next post there will be a bump?

15 weeks and the baby bump that isn't

I never thought I would do a "blog!" I figured it might be a good way to keep close friends and family updated instead of-imagine this- me forgetting that I hadn't told everyone some things!

Adam and I had so much fun telling our families the big news!  Especially Adam, considering he wanted to tell people right when we found out.  I had to bribe him not to tell people by giving him his birthday present 6 weeks early!  This is the shirt I got for Bubba and how I told Adam.  Then we used it to tell everyone else.

Here are the priceless reactions from the parents:

My mother's first reaction:  "When did you do it?!"

Andrew, after he just read Bubba's shirt (Adam told him to go let Bubba out of the truck!)

Leota's reaction says it all.

Pat's first reaction:  "Well, how would Bubba be a big brother?"

Adam's dad, Kenny, was in North Carolina for business, so we told him via WebCam. We put Bubba in his office seat, and had Pat hook it up. Here are his priceless reactions:

I have been able to pretty much continue everything I normally do (much to the chagrin of others!), so I've been lucky I think.  That includes running; I ran the Bass Pro Half Marathon in Springfield just a few weeks ago!  Don't worry, my doctor said it was fine since I've been running for a while and my body is more efficient at distributing oxygen to all my organs (like my uterus).  I just listen to my body a little- or actually, a lot more than I usually do and take walk breaks.

I have bouts of nausea where nothing sounds good to eat, and if it does, by the time I get it fixed, I don't want it anymore!  I've been on a baked potato kick, and lots of orange juice.  I keep thinking the nausea is about to resolve, but it's been stronger than ever in these past few weeks!

One other thing that pregnancy is definitely affecting is my BRAIN!  I am usually on top of every detail and event...well, let's just say that Adam told me yesterday we couldn't have TWO absentminded people in the house!  Here are just a few of the things I've done that indicate I'm losing my mind:

1.  Put face wash on my body and wondered why it wasn't lathering up.

2.  I went to get a piece of gum at work, and I thought I had gotten one out but didn't see it.  I reached down to get another piece out, then I saw TWO pieces just sitting there on top of my desk (that I had already gotten out!).

3.  I bawled when I told Adam about it later that night.

4.  I went home to get Holiday House tickets for girls at work, returned from lunch promptly with no tickets.

5.  My mom specifically asked me to get her two items from Holiday House.  I returned and called her, inviting her to come see what all I got when she asked about her items that I never got.  (Luckily a friend was going later that day and got them for me)

6.  Last week, I was having a conversation with my friend, Sarah, from church who just got married, about if she and her husband had gotten a Christmas tree yet.  She said no, that they were thinking about getting a real one.  She asked me if we had an artificial one.  I told her yes, we did, but agreed with her how great real trees are, how good they smell, etc. and how I wish we had a real tree.  Adam overhears the conversation and says, "Jennifer, we DO get real trees.  Every year, because that's what you want to do."

7.  As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, this past Saturday, we were getting all our Christmas stuff out of the attic to see what all we had.  We had gotten all the boxes out, and I said, "Well, now where's our tree at?"  Adam so kindly replied, "It's at Home Depot, Jennifer."

So anyway, other than THAT, I don't really feel like I'm pregnant, and I really don't think Adam feels like I am either!  They say you're supposed to take a picture every week starting at 8 or 10 weeks to show your "baby bump," but I'm feeling ridiculous when Adam is just taking a picture of me and I look the same as ever in every one of them!  There isn't a THING, besides a fat roll or two that has always been there.  I mean, if there was something the size of an apple inside of me, I would hope I would feel it or something!  Oh well, I'm not complaining at all!!  I have gained 3 pounds so far, but the doctor's office told me that I should gain a pound a week from here on out, and that is hard for me to do!  I know it is best for the baby/babies, but it will be hard mentally to allow myself to do that.  Anyhow, I will attempt to post the pictures we have taken below.

Okay, I think that covers everything for now!  I don't know how I like this just talking about myself!  I feel like I'm typing an email, and I should be asking questions about you or something!

I'll tell you all about childbirth class next time (yes, I feel silly going, like I'm the girl who's not pregnant, because everyone else is all having a big belly!).  Adam and I are really learning a lot, and realizing how much we DON'T know!  Please pray for me and Adam as we prepare to bring this life/lives into the world, and please pray for health and strength for us and the baby/babies!!!

       10 weeks                                                

13 weeks