CARE PACKAGE GOODIES FROM MY MOTHER IN LAW...

Here are some of the things that were sent in the care packages I received in the mail at different times from Jake's mom during my first trimester as mentioned in my last blog post. A cute little outfit for little man, a froggie rattle, a blanket she made, bath goodies in a travel bag, a book and a teddy bear. She also sent a Parent magazine, some pretzels to help my tummy, and a chocolate bar for "Daddy to be" which are not pictured.

GOODIES FROM MY MOM...

Here are some of the goodies that I was talking about in my last blog post that my Mom had my Dad drop off to me to cheer me up when I was so sick. Some cupcake kitchen towels, some yummy cuppycakes and some picture frames :).

PREGGIE POPS AND PREGGIE DROPS...

Here is a picture of the Preggie Pops and Preggie Drops that I was talking about in my last blog post that Jake bought for me online to help with the morning sickness. They are made from all natural ingredients.

MY FIRST TRIMESTER

I found this cute cartoon online and had to share.

First Clip: I was warned about morning sickness
Second Clip: But I haven't got it...
Third Clip: Instead I've got 24/7 sickness.

My apologies for not updating my blog in the past couple months, but as most of my friends and family already know I had what felt like the worst flu of my life for the whole first trimester of my pregnancy. There were days that I felt so awful that I could not even get out of bed or off the sofa. I could not keep anything down! Getting on the computer only made me feel even more sick and dizzy than I already did! I would read when I could here and there and watched a lot of T.V. which became very old after a while! Foods and smells repulsed me! It seemed as though the only time I was happy was when I was sleeping which I did a lot of during the day because I was so exhausted. Some days I would just be nauseous all day and others I would find myself running to the bathroom to get sick several times a day. There was no particular time of the day that I would feel worse than others...I just felt sick 24/7. I spent many days drinking ginger ale and eating saltines. I even wore Sea Bands on my wrists to help my nausea.

Jake was so helpful and amazing in so many ways. He would try and bring me food and get me to eat, did laundry, cleaned the house, did the dishes, payed bills for me, let the dogs out when they needed to go potty, fed all the animals, brought me flowers and magazines, ran errands for me (including the grocery shopping), held my hair for me while I was getting sick, brought me fresh warm wash cloths to wipe my face, and gave me much needed mental support. I give him so much credit for pulling this all off while working overtime during the busiest season of the year at his work... and he did it all with such love and no complaints! One day he even stopped by Babies R Us to bring me home some goodies such as a cute Elephant baby toy, veggie chips, a strawberry milkshake powder packet, some pregnancy granola bars, and some special pregnancy waters! He even went online and ordered me these all natural ingredient candies and suckers made especially for morning sickness called "Preggie Pops" and "Preggie Drops"! When I would wake up throughout the night because I would sleep so lightly and had trouble getting comfy he would wake up and ask me if I was alright and rub my back to help me fall to sleep. Some nights I would feel so badly from being restless that I would sneak away into the guest room to try and avoid waking him. Sometimes I would wake in the middle of the night to eat some crackers and just the sound of the wrappers would wake him!

Even going to the doctors felt like the hugest chore to me! During one of my Doctors appointments Jake and I discussed with Dr. Stone how I was having trouble keeping the prenatal vitamins down. I told her how I felt that the vitamins were making me sick to my stomach and that it may be contributing to the nausea and lack of appetite and asked for her advice. She advised me to stop taking them for a couple of weeks and to take only 800mg of Folic Acid assuring us that this would be OK.
She said she would rather see me keep foods down than not keep anything including the vitamins down and be getting zero nutrients. She advised us that in a couple of weeks when I was feeling better and approaching my second trimester that I should get back on another brand of prenatal vitamins that may sit better. So, after leaving the appointment Jake and I headed over to Vitamin World to pick up some Folic Acid and to check out their selection of vitamins since the GNC brand was making me gag from the smell and the fact they were "Horse Sized" pills! I even had Jake cut the pills or smash them to sprinkle in what food I could eat but I would still gag! Jake was worried a little even after the Doctor said it would be OK to stop taking the prenatals for a couple of weeks so he grabbed a bottle of gummy bear watermelon flavored children's vitamins to see if maybe I could keep those down and at least get some vitamins! Cute Hubby! We also chose another brand of prenatals for when the time came to start taking them again by the name of "Rainbow Lite" that were petite in size and easier to swallow per the sales girl working there. Some days I was able to take the gummy bear children's vitamins and some days they made my tummy hurt, but I was always able to keep the Folic Acid down without it upsetting my stomach so that was a good thing!

Another person I owe much credit to during this trying time was my Mom. She was so helpful with advice and so caring about everything. Everyday she would call to check on me and see how I was feeling and even offered to come over and help clean the house or help with whatever she could. Many days she would just talk to me on the telephone to keep me company or listen to me cry and try to calm me down reassuring me that it would all pass and to keep my mind on the prize in the end. She was so supportive and I cannot thank her enough for being there for me. She would even send me cute little cards to cheer me up or have my Dad stop by on his way to work to drop off little goodies to make me smile.

Jake's mom also sent a few care packages with things to cheer me up. I will post some pictures of what she sent.

TELLING JAKE'S FAMILY...

Jake's parents picked us up early the morning of January 2nd to head out to Lake Isabella for a day filled with lots of family. As Jake and I got into the car we handed them their little gifts to open. I told them that we had gotten them a little New Year's gift and that they had to open them at the same time. It was really fun to watch their reactions as they pulled the gift out of the box. My mother in law Lucy said "Yes!...I knew it"! Guess she caught on to our little secret as soon as she saw the present. She shared with us that just a few days prior she had a dream I was pregnant- Weird, I know! She gave us kisses and was just glowing with excitement. My father in law Russ said "Al-right"!!! with much excitement also as he exchanged kisses with us! As we drove up to the lake which takes a couple of hours we chatted about when Jake and I found out and about baby stuff. It was so cute because his parents kept calling each other "Granny" and "Crappa"(what Jake used to call his Grandpa as a little guy). We arrived at Grandpa and Grandma Andrews house first (Lucy's parents) where Dad helped us break the news to them by saying "Are you ready for a little one"? as we watched Jake's cousins little boy play in the center of the room. Grandpa and Grandma did not hear Dad as there was much going on but it helped me break the news as I was feeling a little shy about the announcement. I am not sure why I was being shy as I broke the news but as soon as they heard me Grandpa jumped up out of his chair and gave me a big hug and kiss and held me for a minute. He was so excited! Grandma then got up and gave both Jake and I a kiss and said congratulations to both of us. Grandma was excited and had many questions for me like when the baby was due to arrive and how many weeks along was I and did I have any ideas for how I would like to decorate the room. She shared stories of her pregnancies and deliveries with me. Grandma also shared with us that she too had a dream a few days prior that I was pregnant! We enjoyed our visit with them and they are very excited to have another great grandchild coming into their lives.

After we left their house we headed over to visit Russ's side of the family. We met them at Jake's cousin Michelle's house. It was really nice because there was a lot of family there and family members I had not met yet such as cousins and an Aunt of Jake's. I was in such aw as I looked around at all the Blued-eyed people there! I am hoping that our child gets those blue eyes that Russ and his siblings all have! Both of Russ's parents had blue eyes also! Jake and I have hazel eyes but you just never know how the genes will work?!?! Russ broke the news to the family before lunch that we are expecting by saying "I'm going to be a Grandpa". Everyone was so excited! It also made me really happy to hear him say that he needs to take good care of himself so that he can be here to enjoy his new grand baby. After lunch we decide to head out as we had a long drive home. I was so exhausted from the days excitement that I fell asleep for most of the car ride home. Jake's sister Krisde did not go with us so I sent home her surprise gift with Dad and Mom. She texted both Jake and I later congratulating us. UPDATE: Jan. 6th...Today we received a card in the mail from Krisde that was so sweet that it made me emotional. I was very touched by what she wrote to us.

Being good parents starts at conception not at birth!

Today Jake and I decided to go over to Barnes & Noble to spend our gift certificates we received for Christmas. Of course I ended up in the Pregnancy/Baby isle where there was a large selection of books to choose from. Being first time parents - we both are a little nervous and have tons of little worries about the Do's and Don'ts. I am sure every first time parent feels this way. After all being good parents starts when your child is in your belly and not just when they are born. I purchased "Pregnancy Do's & Don'ts" by Elisabeth Aron, M.D., "The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy" by Erika Lenkert and a Baby Book to start recording my pregnancy. My Mom made a baby book for me and I still to this day love to look back at it and want our child to be able to do the same. Also, over the years I acquired two books that were passed down to me from my Mom and a friend which are "Pregnancy & Childbirth" and "What to expect when you are Expecting". So I think we are pretty set and have more than enough literature at this moment to help get us started :). While I was there I also made my way into the children's book center. It is amazing and I can hardly wait to take our little one there!

After Barnes & Noble we went to Sports Chalet and while we were there hunger crept on up me and I began to feel nauseous. It's funny how you can be fine one minute and feel terrible the next! This has taught me to carry around a snack in my purse at all times! Jake got what he wanted quickly so we could go and get some lunch. Unfortunately, Baby Thome could not wait for lunch! At the register they had different snacks so I chose raw almonds. I could not wait while we were waiting in line to pay so I ripped open the package like an animal! This cute little girl about the age of six in front of us in line said "You have to pay for those". Kids say the funniest things! Normally I would never do a thing like this but the sickness made me do it! So I told the little girl that she was a very honest person and that I was of course going to pay for them. I told her that I had a baby in my belly and I was feeling sick. Her mom giggled and explained to her daughter that when a woman is pregnant she can get really sick and vomit if she does not eat something right away. The little girl glared at my belly in such confusion. She said "It does not look like a baby is in there...when is it coming out"? I told her when and she just said "oh" with a confused look on her face again. I left that up to her mom to explain as I think she was still learning how many months were in a year and how many days were in a year and so on. Kids crack me up! Well at least her mom taught her to be honest and that is important!

SHARING OUR NEWS

I could hardly wait to get out of the Doctors office before I was on the phone calling my Dad, Mom and Sister. My parents are so excited to be Grandparents and my sister cannot wait to be an Aunt. My parents are already helping me with ideas for baby names and talking about baby clothes, bottles, etc. ;). Jake and I called my Grammy (my Mom's Mom) and my Aunt Corkie (my Mom's sister) on the car speaker phone. Grammy was so overwhelmed with joy that she was crying and laughing at the same time. Grammy has already decided that she would like to be called Gi-Gi for Great Grandma. This will be her first great grandchild. My Aunt Corkie was elated and cannot wait to be a Great Aunt. We also called my Grandpa and Grandma Reed (Dad's parents) in Missouri. They too were very excited and have decided their names that they would like Baby Thome to call them which is Papa and Grammie. My Dad wants to be called Ranpa (for my Dads name "Randy" and Grandpa put together) and my Mom is going to wait to see what comes out of Baby Thome's mouth. I also posted it on my Facebook page where many of our friends and other family members such as cousins discovered our news. I was very touched by the many comments we received and feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people in our lives.

As for Jakes family we have decided to wait to tell them until this next weekend which will be New Year's weekend. We are going to Lake Isabella where a lot of his family resides for a visit. Both Jake's parents have family there so we will be visiting both sides. Jake felt like this would be the best time to share it with everyone as he would like to do it in person. In light of recent circumstances with his father's heart attack this news should bring so much joy to his family. I decided I wanted to wrap up a gift for his Mom, Dad and sister to open for the big surprise. Jake helped me pick out a bib for his Dad that reads "Trail Blazing" because he loves to go off-roading in his jeep and two little outfits for his Mom and sister which say "I love Grandma" & "I love Autie". I took pictures so you can see what we bought for each of them. I will keep you posted on their reactions :).

She wants a Girl...He wants a Boy...but either way they will be filled with Joy!

We're Pregnant!!! On December 26th after being about a week late I decided to take a home pregnancy (lower picture) test first thing in the morning. As I sat watching the test develop I saw two lines coming in. I was in a state of shock. Was I still asleep?! Was I dreaming?! Was this real...pinch me! So, I called to make an appointment at the Doctors office for a blood test. After all a blood test is 100% accurate and I felt I needed this confirmation. On December 28th Jake and I set out to the Doctors where I was given both a Urine (top picture) and Blood test. The urine test was positive and I had to wait for the blood test results. The next day on December 29th I opened my email to a message from our provider with my blood test results. Again it was positive and my hcg levels were at 2,267 which verified I am between 5 and 6 weeks along! I just sat and cried as I was so overwhelmed with joy.