Tuesday, September 27, 2011

12 weeks




How far along: 12 weeks

Size of baby: According to thebump.com baby is the size of a plum! S/he is about 2 inches long and weighing in at half an ounce! Grow baby, grow.

Total weight gain: We don't even own a scale, so I won't know this until I go to the doctor in 2 weeks. I have started to "pop" in the last few days though...weird how quickly that happened! I'm mostly feeling really pudgy in the middle (okay, all over) and I'm pretty sure I'm in that stage where people can't tell if I just have a beer belly or the beginnings of a baby belly.

Gender: Won't know until November! Our families/friends are starting to weigh in on what they think though...so far girl is winning! We shall see...

Movement: Not that I feel yet, but baby is developing his/her reflexes this week, so I'm sure s/he's busy!

Sleep: Sleep is still good. I'm ready to not feel like I need 9+ hours of sleep just to get through the day ;)

What I miss: Nothing! Except my energy of course. But it's worth it.

Cravings: Mostly just things that aren't that great for me...plain chips, potatoes, etc. Foods without a lot of crazy flavors! My only aversion so far is cilantro. Strange.

Symptoms: Exhaustion, stretching pains, nausea, shortness of breath, headaches, and bloody noses. I never knew that pregnancy did such crazy things to your body.

Maternity clothes: Not yet. I have my belly band ready to go for the day I can't button my pants :)

Best moment this week: The last couple of weeks have just been great because we've been able to be open with everything. No more secrets! I'm so thankful for all the excitement everyone has shown us...it just means so much to us to know how happy people are for us :) Also, I'm thankful for one friend in particular, Cassi, who has done this 3 times. She checks in on me ALL the time, and I can always talk to her about whatever crazy thing is going on with me that day. She's been right by my side through this whole ride, and I'm just blessed to call her one of my best friends. Love you, girl!!

Close-up of the growing belly...


Monday, September 26, 2011

How it all began...

Warning: long, LONG post filled with TMI. This is your chance to turn away!


Up to this point I've been pretty open and honest about our infertility woes. Sometimes I wonder if it's the right thing to do, but it feels right to me...so I guess that means it is. I don't share these details to have people feel sorry for us or anything like that, but to hopefully have prayers said on our behalf and maybe even help others feel like they're not so alone. We're never alone, even when we feel that way, after all. Our God is always with us.

I've been wavering back and forth as to whether or not I should share (on the blog) how Baby G came to be, and I've decided to just do it. Once again, maybe we can provide a little glimmer of hope for someone else out there, and if not, then I'll, at the very least, have a record of how I'm feeling at this very time in our lives. So here we go...

If you've read this blog or know me, you know that I was diagnosed with PCOS August of last year. We got this news after about 7 months of trying to get pregnant. It was devastating. I knew it could have been so much worse, but that knowledge still didn't make the pain go away. At the time, we (mostly me) weren't ready to go forward with treatment. We did the "not try but not prevent" thing for awhile until the timing felt right again. After all, we did have football season to avoid! ;-) 

In March of this year we decided it was time. I started seeing my doctor monthly, and in April I started taking a drug called Clomid. I was a little nervous about it because of all the horror stories I'd heard of the awful side-effects, but I'm happy to report I didn't really have any. In fact, I was more relieved than anything to be "regular." My doctor said she'd allow me to be on this drug for 6 months, but after that I'd have to see a specialist as it's not really safe to take this drug for longer than that. 
We had our prayer warriors behind us, and we all pleaded with God to make this happen in less than those 6 months.

-I took Clomid in April with no results. "Okay, it's only the first month, no biggie!"
-We skipped May because Rob was here in Temple the whole time and I was still in Abilene...you see where that's going...
-Later that month we moved, but I didn't want to change doctors in the middle of all of that, so I went back to Abilene for my June check-up and was given another round of Clomid...once again, NADA. "Well that sucks...at least I won't be preggers on our cruise?"
-By July I was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen that month either. My doctor planned to do an HSG or "dye test" to see if there was any blockage in my tubes if things didn't work out this round, so I was really just looking ahead to that.

Well wouldn't you know it...

I was supposed to be seeing "AF" on a Sunday in August...well she no-showed me. Not unusual, she's sorta known for that around here. I didn't get my hopes up because I knew better than that. I'd done that one too many times and it always ended in disappointment. So I waited...and waited...and I was crampy...and I KNEW she was coming. But by Friday she still hadn't made it, so I finally decided to take a test. I woke up that morning at like 5:15...WAY before my alarm. I figured I better go ahead and pee, and since you're supposed to use "first morning urine" I took the test and was just going to go back to bed instead of cry about it. Imagine my SHOCK when I saw a dark pink SECOND line pop up in seconds! I was stunned and in a complete state of disbelief. I jumped up and down and screamed and cried and yelled "THANK YOU JESUS" over and over for about 15 minutes. I just could not believe it. I finally came back to reality and decided I better shower and go to Wal-Mart for a "real" test because my first one was just a dollar store one. But first, I called Rob with my best sick voice (2-a-days had started, he was already gone) and asked if he could come home because I felt "soooo baaaaddd." Yeah right! Next to the day I married him, this was one of my happiest days EVER. And I wasn't about to tell him we were having a baby on the phone...I wanted to SEE his face and his excitement! Well, he was about to go on the field, so he couldn't come back home unless I was like dying or something, so I was on my own.

I took the quickest shower of my life and sped to Wal-Mart. I got a digital test and a "Happy Birthday Grandma" card for my mom. Well, of course the digital test was positive as well, and I was elated. Now to keep this to myself for 5 more hours until I saw Rob at lunch...
I went to work that morning, and all of my co-workers probably thought they had never seen someone as happy as this girl for Friday! I was practically skipping through the halls.

Lunchtime finally rolled around, and Rob picked me up to go eat. I jumped in his truck and told him I had something for him...then I handed him the test. Yes, the one I peed on...we're married, it's okay. I can't remember exactly what he said but I know his whole face lit up and he said something along the lines of "WE DID IT!!???!! YES!!!" and gave me a big hug. Of course, that was the topic of the lunch hour...duh! We talked mostly about who to tell and how/when. My family was coming in that night for my mom's birthday, and there was no way we could keep it from them, so we decided to tell immediate family and everyone else after I had been to the doctor. Neither of us could believe we finally got to share this exciting news with all the people who had been praying for us along the way.

That night my parents and brother and SIL came in, and I was trying my hardest to play it cool. Rob wasn't going to be home from 2-a-days until about 8, then we were going to do dinner, THEN gifts...sheesh, practically an eternity. I appointed myself gift-hander so I could be in charge of when "Grammie B" got our baby news card. Mom was already so emotional with the book that KB & Nicole made her; she was really feeling the love. After a couple other gifts, I handed her "one last card...."

She opened it, and the outside said "Happy birthday Grandma!"
It was her 50th, so I think she was a little confused at first as to whether we were just poking fun at that, but then she opened the inside which was signed...
"Love, Baby Galusha"
My SIL glanced over and put it all together first, my dad just had this look of shock and happiness on his face, KB was on the other end of the couch and didn't know what was going on, and all my mom could say through her tears of JOY was,
"Did you LIE to me??!"
Hahaha! We all still laught about this. You see I had text her that morning to say I'd be going to the doctor again...she assumed that meant my Abilene doctor, but really, I meant a new baby doctor here in Temple. So, no, I did not lie to my mother! Never, ever!

Oh my goodness, telling our families was just priceless. I'll never forget their excitement. Rob's mom cried, and had to sit down so she wouldn't fall over, his brother, Will, was equally excited (but without the tears) to be an Uncle and all of our Grandparents screamed and/or cried with elation as well! Couldn't have been any sweeter.

So, our journey to baby turned out to be short in the grand scheme of things even if it didn't feel that way. That year and a half felt like an eternity, but I know it really wasn't, and we're very thankful. 


I know there are so many couples out there struggling to conceive, and I just want you to know that I am praying. Some of you that I've e-mailed or facebooked with I name one by one, but even if I don't know your name, I am still praying. I know what it's like to feel hopeless, to hurt every single month (and day), and to feel jealous of others who are expecting. I know what it's like to cry yourself to sleep and to BEG God to take the desire away if it's not meant to be. Nothing about it is easy. I know. But even more importantly, OUR GOD knows. He knows our hearts better than we ever could, He knows our desires, and He has a plan for each of us. Patience is hard to come by in this process, but it's so important to remember that in the end, God's timing is perfect. And He knows what He's doing.
YOU ARE LOVED.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

workin' for the weekend

Ever feel like that's all you're doing during the week? I know I do. I hate that feeling, really, because I don't want to wish my life away, but the weekends are just so much more fun than the weekdays! Especially when we have fun plans to look forward to like visiting these two:
It was our bi-week last week, and we took FULL advantage of the fact that Rob had Friday evening and all day Saturday off. After all, a day off only happens once during the months of August-November/December. We decided to head south to San Antonio to visit Kenneth and Nicole, shop a little and eat our favorite foods.
When we got there Friday night we headed straight for Jason's Deli (we've missed it) then to the house where my awesome SIL had freshly baked GF cookies waiting for me us.
We just hung out that night and went to bed pretty early. Saturday, the boys floated the river while the girls shopped. I had one successful morning of shopping...got the barstools I've been wanting, maid shoes for Lexi's wedding, and some seriously yummy smelling fall candles from Bath & Body Works.
That night we ate at my FAV restaurant...P.F. Chang's, of course! If you know me, you know how much I love that place. Safe to say baby G agrees with his/her mama on this one!
Unfortunately, we had to come back to reality Sunday morning. But it was alright because I had Sunday plans to keep me busy! After a yummy lunch with friends, I came home and got to work. Usually I'm SO lazy on Sundays, but this one was different.
I was bit by the productivity bug and didn't sit down until that night.
Got the house picked up/cleaned and worked on a few different crafts.
Here are the new barstools:
Love them! And really love having 5 additional places for guests to sit.
The picture on the right is a collage frame I've had sitting empty since we got married. I saw this idea on Pinterest and knew I had to copy it, so I cut out some scrapbook paper in the colors of our laundry room, hung it up and voila! Weekly calendar on the way out the door! Perfect! 
And the easiest thing ever to do.

Hopefully this weekend will be lots of fun too! 
Hint, Hint....MOM :)


Thanks KB & Nicole for everything! Our "welcome" gift was the sweetest, and we loved getting to spend some time with y'all...it's ALWAYS fun with you! Love you both!!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

10 weeks!

 I know everyone and their mom (ok, maybe not their mom) does the weekly/monthly pregnancy update thing, but guess what? So am I! It's more for my records and for my family members that want to keep up (Hi Nana!) than anything. That said, it won't hurt my feelings if you don't want to read them ;-)

Here I am at 9w4d:

Here we go, my first BumpDate! YAY!


How far along: 10 weeks

Size of baby: According to thebump.com baby is the size of a prune! My friend Leslie & I decided that that wasn't a very cute for precious babe though.

Total weight gain: Somehow I've managed to lose a pound? Strange. I've definitely got a little somethin-somethin going on in the belly though (see it?)...jury's still out on whether it's actually a baby bump or just the result of the excess sleeping & eating I've been doing ;-) Either way, I'm just glad I don't have to suck in anymore!

Gender: We have about 8 weeks until we find out! I don't have a feeling one way or the other right now...I've had plenty of dreams about both.

Movement: Not that I feel, but he/she was doing all kinds of tricks for us during our ultra-sound yesterday :)

Sleep: Sleep is GOOD. And there's a lot of it going on right now. Like 9-11 hours per night. I haven't slept like that since I was a baby myself. Or maybe a teenager. 

What I miss: Nothing!

Cravings: No cravings really. I usually have no problem finding something that sounds good.

Symptoms: Exhaustion, some cramping, some queasiness. I've only had a few days that I've thrown up, so I'm very thankful for that...hopefully it stays that way.

Maternity clothes: Not yet.

Best moment this week: Oh my goodness...seeing our baby yesterday! Hearing the little heartbeat (in the 160s) was just amazing and such a relief, to be honest. Also, FINALLY getting to spill the beans! We told our immediate families when we found out a month ago, but we've been dying to tell our extended family and friends! Keeping secrets from besties is just not easy. I know most people say to wait until the first trimester is over to tell, but we figured that the more people that know, the more people that could be praying for a healthy baby. 



Thank you ladies for your sweet comments and well wishes...I'm so grateful!!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Answered Prayers!

"Delight yourself in the LORD, 
and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4
"But I trust in your unfailing LOVE; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me!"
Psalm 13:5-6
"Before I formed you in your mother's womb I chose you.
Before you were born I set you apart."
Jeremiah 1:5

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Wildcat Update!

I cannot believe I haven't written about a single game this season. BAD c-wife!
Our season-opener was against Pflugerville Connally. We started out awesome, but got bogged down in the second half and did not pull out the win. It was still a good night, and the fans were happy to see that their kids had improved leaps & bounds from last season.
The next week was our first HOME game. Many of us got to experience the 'majesty' of Wildcat Stadium for the very first time. The fans were excited, the c-wives were sick to their stomachs, and the players were READY! Once again, we came out and played an outstanding first half against Georgetown. The second half did not go quite as well, and we ended up losing in an absolute track meet...62-51. The people of Temple were still extremely positive and SO HAPPY to see their team putting points on the board! 
So encouraging for those of us whose entire lives are affected by football.
You see, this is not "just a game" for those of whose husbands coach.
For {hopefully} 5ish months out of the year, we live, eat, and breathe football.
Most of the time it's fun, but sometimes it's really tough...especially when your husbands are stressed by a loss and trying to figure out what to do to change it by the next week.
They work extremely hard, and we wives could not be any prouder of our men.
 So, once again, our guys buckled down this week and got to work! 
And let me tell you, this week it paid off in a BIG, BIG way!!
We played the toughest team we've seen this season: San Antonio Churchill. It was an all-out BATTLE for FOUR quarters. We trailed by 2 points for much of the game, but our kids kept the faith and kept playing their rears off, and we finally went up 31-27 in the 4th.
And we stayed there. Our defense did AWESOME under pressure this week. We did not crumble, but rather, crumbled THE OTHER team. They were flawless for the last 3 minutes of the game, and we were impressed, proud, and emotional!
OUR FIRST WILDCAT WIN!!!
I forgot my camera this week, so all I have are after-game iPhone pictures...
I love this picture of some of the guys...how overjoyed are they??!

 And just because...here's the 2011 Galusha program pic:

We have an open week next week and will begin district play the following week, 
so I'll try to be better about updating when that starts! 

Have a great weekend! I know we will! :)

Thursday, September 1, 2011

old soul

 I think it's safe to say that I've always been an "old soul." 
As a little girl, I always thought I was so grown up, and I suppose I kind of was...
My parents let me cook on my own somewhere around 3rd grade (seems crazy to me now?!), I penny-pinched every birthday check I ever received, and I had a full time babysitting job by age 12. What can I say, I loved (still do;)) to be in charge! This all makes me laugh looking back now, but I'm definitely still an old soul. On any given day spent at home, you could find me watching all sorts of game shows. I love them. I think I got this trait from my grandma. She's a game show fanatic...she just giggles the whole time she watches them :) Among my favorites are...

Deal or No Deal
I used to watch this with my family when it first came out, and now I find myself watching reruns on GSN. It amazes me how far people take it, though! I'd probably go home with not as much as I could because I'm no risk taker! But hey, it'd be more than I came with, right?!
 Lingo
I've just started watching this words game show! It's so entertaining. I don't really know why; it just is. I had never even heard of it until a few weeks ago. I probably wouldn't be very good at this game, and you can't win much, but still fun to watch.
 The Newlywed Game
I have ALWAYS loved this show. I can remember watching this and The Dating Game back-to-back before The Price Is Right as a little girl. Of course, back then I had no idea what Bob Eubanks was referring to when he said "whoopie." Oy. Nevertheless, the show has always made me laugh! I wonder how good Rob and I would be at it??
 The Price is Right
Another oldy-but-goody. I liked it better with Bob, but whatevs. My grandma always says she loves the show because the contestants are SO happy, and it's true! They are. Maybe even sometimes overly excitable...new luggage??!! Best day EVER!!! Not.
Who am I kidding, I need new luggage in the worst way...I'd be thrilled too.
Wheel of Fortune
My favorite game show! If I could be on any show, this would be it! 
I'm definitely one of those people yelling at the TV when I watch this. Once again, the risk-takers...they stress me ;-) Not only is this my "dream" game show, but also my dream job. I want to be Vanna when I grow up. Hello...a new gown EVERY day, traveling all over, getting your hair done every day?! No brainer. Sounds ideal to me.

Do you love game shows too?? What's your favorite?
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