>Spotting Scare

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I sooooo did not want to start today the way I did. I woke up at 6:15 to get ready for work. Peed and almost flushed when I noticed something I should not be seeing: some spotting. Then I flushed, straightened my hair and sat next to B on the bed. I carefully told him I was spotting and that I needed to go to the doctor this morning. I called my boss and lost it. I knew spotting was normal in the first 6 weeks or so, but not so much at 10 weeks.

My appointment was set for 9:30 so we waited. I ate breakfast, watched Twilight, and slept a little more. We were taken right in once we arrived at our doctor, stripped, and waited again. Doc came in, did a pelvic and saw the slight blood tracings. "Nothing too serious," he says. "Lets take a look at your baby."

I did not even notice the uncomfortable wand this time. I just wanted to see that flutter and some movement and we were more appeased by our little one. The heart was beating fast and steady and it was moving around so much the doc had some trouble taking a good enough pic to measure.

Look at that difference! I can't believe how much our baby has grown in two weeks!! The head is on the left and an elbow or arm is pointing straight up. My heart warmed again and we were both so happy to see that everything was just as it should be, minus the spotting. Baby measured at 9w3d, about 6 days behind right now. That is so relative though. My cycle was never 28 days. Doc had no real explanation for the spotting. Even though it was not the cause, he asked that we refrain from the bedroom hop for a few days. Poor B.

Since this morning, the traces have gone away (PTL!!!). I am trying to lay low and try not to stress out and worry too much. Things are a little hectic around here and I am having a hard time removing myself from the mediocre situations. This is my reasoning for the spotting: too much anxiety and stress.

Prayers are always welcome. I hope you are all doing well.

Oh and PS: I have never and will never try RMOs. Never. EEwww.

>Rocky Mountain Oysters

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MMMMmmm looks tasty, huh? Kinda like breaded chicken. But the truth??

Well, the whole "oyster" part of the name is very deceiving. No part of this meal has anything even close to seafood in it. So, for those of you saying you were not really into seafood, well, no worries there.

So, what are Rocky Mountain Oysters?

A Colorado delicacy.

Comes from buffalo.

Deep fried (usually, not always).

BUFFALO TESTICLES!!!

I am so not joking. People actually eat this stuff. My brother likes it. Someone I work with said it tastes like liver and that she likes it. (who eats liver!?) Okay, so why did this little trivia question pop up in my post yesterday?

Well, it has to do with my grandmother's birthday. We had dinner at a new restaurant on a golf course near my parents house and it had really yummy food like Ruben's, Pasta dishes, wraps, salads, and big game dishes. Two people who joined us for the occasion were my grandmother's brother and sister from out of state. Her brother used to live in CO and knew all about Rocky Mountain Oysters. His older sis (from out of state) had no idea. So when she read the menu options, she exclaimed to her brother how much she loves oysters and how few restaurants serve oysters anymore (she's 81). Her lovely little brother played along all coy and encouraged her to order some Rocky Mountain Oysters. When the sever came to take her order, shock spread over her face as this frail old woman ordered bull testicles. She looked at her and asked her if she knew what RMOs were. When my great aunt found out what a true RMO was, she about had a heart attack and so did her brother, from laughing so hard he nearly tipped his chair over. I was sitting right next to my great aunt and heard the whole thing and could not stop myself from laughing. It was the meanest, yet funniest thing I had ever seen my great uncle pull on his big sis. It made me so happy to see two siblings still playing along with each other even in their 80s. My great aunt punched him in the leg and laughed it off.

So that is why I brought it up. Because that is one of the best things I have seen in a very long time.

Now, are you hungry???

>10 Weeks

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Growing right along!

People are starting to notice at work and I just can't wait until it is VERY obvious that I have not just eaten one too many burritos. This week, Baby Mac is bigger than a quarter and about the size of a kumquat (huh? what's that??). I feel that 10 weeks is a HUGE milestone for us. The first 8 weeks are so critical and I am so glad that we are only 2 weeks away from the end of our first trimester! What else is "shim" up to?? Well, it's learned to swallow fluid and kick, though I am not really feeling any of that yet. Small hairs are starting to spike up on the skin and all limbs can now bend and flex. See how big the baby is in my fake uterus to the right?? SO COOL!!

In other news, our 4th was great, aside from rain and me being super tired. We spent the day with family from out of state, took a nap, and had a really nice meal.

Quick Trivia Question ONLY for those of you who DO NOT live in or are from Colorado:

Do you know what a Rocky Mountain Oyster is? Leave your answer in the comments and I will see who the winner is tomorrow.

We missed fireworks because of the rain and I was to tired to go see them. Sunday was a super lazy day and today I started a new shift at work that seems to be going really well so far. Overall, things are going okay. Please pray for my friend Elin. She just had a baby girl on Thursday and she needs heart surgery out of state. Thank you!!

Oh and about the alias dilemma: Hi, My name is Sarah and that is all you're going to get. I am keeping B, B because that is what he wants and my husbands wishes are most important. :)

>Annoyed, yet Satisfied

>What I'm annoyed with:

1) I am very sad that MJ, pop prince, left this earth 30 years too early. I am glad everyone else is also mourning this iconic loss. What I am not happy about is how people, aka the media, will not leave him and his family alone. Let the man rest in peace! Who cares about whether or not his kids are biologically his? Who cares about the rehearsal footage? Who cares about what drugs he was on? None of that stuff will bring him back. I just wish people would leave it alone. And that he was having a peaceful, private, ceremony to celebrate his life. I do, however, realize that he is going out in style with such a massive funeral on Tuesday, something which I am sure he is doing the moon walk over. But all the other stuff is just too much. I am tired of hearing about all of it because when people die, I want to say my peace, pray, and let that person rest in peace.

2) Everyone's pregnancy advice: If I want it, which you have seen, I will ask for it. No one here is giving me unsolicited advice and I like it that way. What I don't like is someone asking me if I am going to have a natural birth or not, and when I tell them I have the worst pain tolerance of anyone I know and that most likely, an epi will be necessary, that they instantly scoff and judge. Back the eff off! This is not about you people. (again, not directed to anyone here, just venting)

What I am satisfied with:

1) Our modest lifestyle: we no longer go out to eat or shop or go to the movies. I love doing all those things, but not being able to do them has brought us closer together, showed us we have a pretty decent movie collection, and that the doggies just love it when we are home to throw the ball or snuggle. All things which are priceless.

2) My church: really, our church. B loves it. He was raised catholic and we tried out a few churches in town before settling with my church that I have been a member of for nearly 10 years. I have always loved my church and the pastors and their messages and the people. Today, we really felt like our church is a home and a place we can't live without. More people are starting to learn of our Baby Mac on the way and are beyond excited for us. Our paster knows us by name and has even mentioned our famous lightening bolt picture in a sermon. I could not ask for a better support system of people all seeking the same thing: the love and comfort of Jesus Christ.

3) All of you: I have not yet said "thank you" to those of you who have just been there from the beginning, offering all your advice when I have asked for it, who have given encouraging words and great laughs. This community has been a great outlet for me, not just as a place for me to keep a journal of our first years married, but as a place to build a support system of pen pals, if you will. Thank you, to each and every one of you who comment, make me smile, laugh and even cry sometimes. You're all lovely and I hope we meet and hug someday. :)

>This Whole Pregnancy Thing...

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So weird. Being pregnant is nothing like I imagined it would be for me. For one, I have never been so bloated in my life. This is worse that drinking three beers on an empty stomach WHILE on your period. Yesterday, I was so bloated that when I stretched, I could feel my stomach protesting. The stretching was just not going to happen. While the bloat gives me a cute little tummy, it's not really the pregnancy belly--yet. And no that note, I cannot wait to have a belly to show off. Before I was ever pregnant I could imagine myself with a belly and it made me so excited to think about.

Yesterday, at 9w3d and nearly 2 and a half months pregnant, I felt our little Baby Mac bump up into my abdomen! It was the COOLEST feeling ever and now I have been trying to lay really still to see if I will feel it again. Another thing I can't wait for. :)

Biggest shocker?? I am not sick. I know this is a blessing and I thank Jesus everyday for not kneeling to the porcelain gods multiple times a day. A week or so before we found out we were expecting, I asked my mom if she was sick when she was pregnant with me or my brother and she said no. That surprised me and in the coming weeks, I waited for that dreaded smell of something to have me dashing to the toilet. But no. I always thought I would be like one of my good girlfriends who could not drive by a fast food place without leaning out the window. And that is how pregnancy is always depicted in movies and on TV. I just assumed I would be one of those girls. And here I am, nearly 10 weeks pregnant with only a few moments of truly feeling ill and pregnant at the same time. Again, I am sooooo glad I am not sick. I am a total baby when I get sick and would probably not be able to work which would just kill us right now.

I also don't have any really distinct cravings. The last few days I have been loving cheese with mustard, but it is not necessarily a craving, just something I like.

***

In non baby news, tomorrow is my most favorite holiday of the year. I love fireworks and BBQ and family gatherings. Tomorrow also just so happens to be my grandmother's 75th birthday and my parents are having a HUGE party for her. All of our family from Denver and out of state will be visiting and we can't wait to show off the little bump I do have and see everyone. I wish you all a happy weekend and NO RAIN! :)

**Coming soon: my alias dilemma. I have kept our names under-wraps here and will want to tell you the name of our baby. So what do I do??

>Butte and Tulo 101

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In case you were wondering, and even if you weren't, here is a little T & B history lesson for you. These two fur-babies are our joy in life and before they get a new sister or brother, they deserve a proper post all about them. For example, Butte would love that this post is all about her and Tulo could care less. In fact, he would rather I just talk about Butte and leave him out of the picture. Oh but wait, that fellow is quite the kidder. While he leads us to think he does not mind that Butte is our princess, he is soooooo jealous when it is all about her. He cannot stand it for one single second.

Butte came first. My dad woke me up at 9am to say we were going down to Boulder to get a puppy. He had seen one online he really liked and wanted me to check her out so we all piled in the car and headed to the humane society. When we got there, we found out the puppy my dad had seen online had two other people waiting to adopt her. So we looked around and saw our Butte with her brother playing with a rag. She was so cute and sweet. We took her out and played with her. She was a birthday present for me after my summer on the Jersey Shore. She was the sweetest puppy and quite the handful. I fell in love the moment I held her at the humane society and she melted my parents hearts quickly.

As a puppy she:

*would scoop up food into her mouth from her bowl in the bathroom and run into the living room, all while flinging food out of her mouth onto the wood floor. Then she went back and ate the flung food one by by one as she made her way back to her bowl to repeat the cycle.

*slept in bed with me with her head resting on my neck. She hates being under the covers and no longer sleeps on the bed.

*was afraid of the cat. She would run and hide between my legs. The funny part? The cat was afraid of her. We had to use a baby gate to seclude the cat into my parents room and the laundry room where her food and cat box where for months.

*loved, and still loves, the snow. Watching her hop like a bunny through 3 feet of snow was quite possibly the cutest thing she has ever done.

*destroyed this bed within the first four months of owning it. We quickly discovered that there was no toy this puppy could not destroy. Red kongs did not have a chance. It was the black ones that stuck around and now, she does not destroy anything but baseballs.

Now Tulo, our second child. He was a miracle purchase. B had expressed to me how much he had always wanted to own a Greyhound and so I would check craigslist on and off for puppies. I also did some research on retired Greyhounds, thinking and hearing from everyone that adopting a puppy was next to impossible. Well, imagine my surprise when one October evening I came across an ad on craigslist for a Greyhound PUPPY!! I immediately called the listed number and made plans to meet with the owner the next day. My next call was to B, telling him that I had a HUGE surprise for him. The next day one our way to the house I told B what we were up to and he was thrilled. When we got there, the lady actually had 10 puppies, but could not advertise it as such. We played with each of them and met the parents. The father did not have papers so while Tulo is a purebred Greyhound, he has no papers to prove it, but we didn't care. B instantly became attached to who would be Tulo. I was leaning towards an all white puppy, a female. But this was B's choice, not mine. We paid up and took Mr. Tulo home!

He fit into our family very quickly. He is very lazy, does not play fetch, can run as fast as a Greyhound should and Butte can keep up with him. He has several nicknames: Tutu, T-Dog, T-Payne, TT, Poop-low, Puke-low. Those last two are self-explained. Tulo hates the rain. He learned how to swim on our after-wedding honeymoon. He can eat anything. He whines when Butte is gone too long. He is a great guard dog. And he is just the best male dog I have ever known.

We love both of our dogs so much and we could not ask for better dogs. I know they will both be wonderful with a baby. They love children and Tulo is so sweet and gives kisses.

Do you have pets? What do you love most about them?

>Nervous Mommy Here

>Okay ladies. This post is for all you mommies and expecting mommies. I am going through some nerves here and I need someone to help settle them or verify I should do something about it.

Oh the Pull: Since the middle of the night when it woke me up, I have had a pulling/ache/throbbing/something-pain in the lower right side of my abdomen. Comes and goes. No bleeding or cramping anywhere else. Localized, not traveling down my leg or into my back. Should I call the doc? I know that to some extent this is normal uterus growing and stretching, but is it really supposed to be uncomfortable? Pain wise on a scale of 1-10 it is barely a 2. Noticeable, but not necessarily painful. This is me just being a new, naive mommy worried. It's still early and I CAN'T WAIT to be done with my first trimester on the 27th. YAY! 26 more days!

Crazy-ass dreams: I have had more nightmares in the last 4 weeks than I have in the last 4 years. Last night? I was running through a hall dripping of bright red blood that was on fire. WTF?! I know this part is normal, but what are some crazy dreams you have had while pregnant?

Okay so there were just a few things I wanted to bring up. Any suggestions and reassurance would be so so SO appreciated!! Thanks ladies.