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Hey guys,
For some reason blogger isn't uploading my photos, so if you want to see the pics, you just might have to get a facebook account! Sorry, I've tried several times.
Love you!

3 Months

I am three months pregnant today! One more week and I am done with the first trimester. The first twelve weeks are the scariest: 80% of miscarriages happen before 12 weeks. That's a relief. We had a few scary weeks in there. Thanks for all your prayers! :)

This morning I weighed in at 132.2. I usually weigh anywhere between 132 and 134 these days. When I first got pregnant I was between 130-131, so I am right on track where I need to be. The doctor said a lot of people make the mistake of eating way too much during their first trimester. The baby is tiny and only requires a few calories at this point. I know people say eat, eat, eat, but eating too much and eating too unhealthy is almost as bad as not eating enough, according to my doctor. He has me eating about 2,500 -3,000 calories a day since I exercise as well.

We go in 2 weeks from today and may be able to tell the sex!

That is all for now. Back to homework!

11 Weeks

I'm just over 11 weeks now. Feeling pretty good, but I am still pretty tired. I am very excited to hopefully be getting some energy back in the next few weeks. No real changes yet. This weekend I will be running a 5K, which I am pretty excited about. It is a bit more of a struggle, though, with the fatigue!

Everyone is eager for me to get that belly. I should start showing maybe in a month, or so. Probably in time for Halloween, haha. I wonder how I might incorporate that in a costume.

Next weekend Sean and I are going to the DMB concert in Austin. I'm excited to take baby Deffendall to his/her first show! :) It will be good for us to get away from work and school for awhile.

That is all for now. I will post pics when I get the bump! :)

Surprise!

Well, be jealous; I have the best husband in the world. Yesterday, he woke me up with a breakfast sandwich in bed complete with chocolate soy milk and a lovely flower. Today, he woke me up with french toast (my recent favorite), sliced potatoes, and soy chocolate milk in bed. He had to get up extra early, 5:30 a.m., just to make it for me. Man was I shocked! What a sweetheart. Got to think of a way to pay him back. We are all doing well! :)

We saw the baby, and he/she looks like a human!

Today I am 10 weeks! Sean and I got to go to the doctor today and see the baby! The baby actually looked like a human. He/she was dancing and wiggling around already. I think he/she is preparing for the Dave Matthews Band concert we are going to in a few weeks! :) It was so amazing to see the baby look like a baby. How he/she grew! We also got to hear the heart beat instead of just see it, which was also amazing. 180 beats per minute. The little guy/girl is going! The doctor said that the baby has a very strong heart beat and appears happy and healthy. We also got to see the blood flow through the baby and the umbilical cord, which was pretty crazy.

The doctor is going to "sneak" us in on October 14 to see if he can tell whether it is a boy or girl. He said if it is a boy, and he is positioned right, he will probably be able to tell. If it is a girl, it will take a little longer for him to know. We should know for sure by 18-20 weeks. :) Most people, including me, already think they know. For some reason, everyone thinks it is a boy. We'll see. Today Sean and I got Subway after our appointment, and he said it was certain it was boy. "That wasn't the umbilical cord" was his response, I think, haha. Of course. Sounds like Sean, right?

I'm going to try and scan the pics from the doctor's office. If I can't find a scanner, I would be happy to make copies and send them for those of you who want them. Just let me know! :) I got them to copy pretty well, actually.

No pictures of the belly yet, which is a good thing. I'm not supposed to have one yet with it being my first pregnancy. I've gained about 1.5 pounds, I think. It depends on the day. I'm eating plenty of food. Still haven't lost my appetite! I think I'm avoiding morning sickness for the most part! :) Got enough other symptoms to keep me busy, haha. It's all worth it, of course.

Sean is doing well. He's so cute. He asked me if I would make a copy of the sonogram so he could hang it up for everyone to see at the office. He's a proud papa! :) He's busy working on the nursery, making it perfect, and reading up on being a daddy. He's really into it, and it is so cute. The other day I really needed some fresh air and a walk, but it was dark, so Sean was a trooper, put on his shoes, grabbed a flashlight, and took me for a stroll around the neighborhood. I also got a craving for french toast, and I decided to give in on this one, so he cooked me up some. It was very sweet, and the french toast was delicious!

I have a really good friend who is an excellent photographer. He has his own gallery and everything. I think I am going to ask him to do baby pictures, and maybe some pictures of the belly.

School and work are going well. They are def. keeping me busy. Sean is very busy at work, too. Someone told him he was on fire yesterday. Be proud of him! He's an awesome engineer. Superman, I think.

Love you guys!

Gifts

Mom and Dad have showered us with gifts. What's new? Here are some of the hightlights:
-A travel system stroller complete with a car seat (very nice!)
-Baby Einstein Crib Aquarium
-Winnie-the-Pooh bouncer
-Winnie-the-Pooh crib
-Lots of clothes, bibs, blankets
-Tons of stuffed animals
-A play pen
-Activity mat
-Rattles, binkies, sheets
-Bathtub and bath supplies
-Maternity clothes
-Decorations
-A jogging stroller
-Oh, and did I mention, a car!

Life Outside My Belly

I am in graduate school at Texas A&M-Commerce. I'm getting my M.A. in English with a focus on Creative Writing and Film. My goal is to teach at a college. My favorite class right now is Creative Writing Bootcamp. I am writing a collection of short stories, 50,000 words, in other words a book length manuscript, for this class. I hope to turn this in as my thesis, pending LOTS of revision, of course. This keeps me busy. It's hard to be creative when you're tired!

I work 20 hours, well probably more, but officially 20 hours, as graduate assistant at TAMU-C. What do do I do?
-I spend 12 hours tutoring in our writing center
-I spend 5 hours being the Outreach Coordinator for the writing center. Basically, I prepare seminars and workshops and teach them on campus. I also opened the writing center an hour specifically for creative writers.
-I teach English 100 lab.
-I teach English 110.
-I am assistant editor, and future editor of our literary journal, The Mayo Review. This, of course, keeps me busy with events!
-I'm also working on presenting some of my papers at academic conferences.

Did I mention, it is an hour drive to school? This, too, keeps me busy. 2 hours of driving a day is no bueno! It gives me time to develop my ideas for writing, though.

The 411

Due Date:
April 14, 2010

The Nursery:
Sean painted the crib, changing table, and cradle all white. He also painted white and silver leaves all over the nursery walls, which are forest green, and stenciled part of Psalm 139 on the wall. He has done an amazing job! We have Winnie-the-Pooh crib bedding, stuffed animals, a mobile, and rattles. Everything is green and yellow for now. We want to keep things pretty gender-neutral even though we plan on finding out the sex.

The Bookshelves:
Being an English major, of course I am busy stacking my baby's bookshelves. We've gone to Goodwill and bought out their selection. Mom and Dad have also bought us some beautiful books, including a collection of fairy-tales.

What We're Reading:
What to Expect When You're Expecting, Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Belly Laughs, Bun in the Oven, The Everything Father-to-Be Book, She's Having a Baby, and I'm Having a Breakdown, The Pregnancy Journals, and more to come, I am sure.

Names:
Gabriel Michael
Summer Grace

First Signs of Pregnancy:
-Extreme HUNGER (But, I've been eating healthily!)
-Fatigue (Didn't know it was possible to be this tired!)
-Whoa, I have boobs, and they hurt
-Stomach issues (We won't get into details)
-Acne (Yay!)
-Bloated
-Cramping

Diet:
I've been eating lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, peanut butter, beans (for protein), yogurt, kashi bars, carnation instant breakfast.

Cravings:
-Burrito (Didn't give in!)
-Granny Smith Apples (Of course I gave into this one!)
-Pumpkin Donuts, Apple cider, and Chocolate milk (I resisted this one, too!)

Exercise:
I've been staying active, though not as active as I was as my pre-pregnant self. Before pregnancy I was running 3-5 miles a day, but I just physically do not have the energy anymore. I still run 2 miles most days. Days I don't run, I go for very long walks, do light toning, or swim. I generally get 1-1.5 hours of exercise a day, which is tough with school and work.

The beginnings

Sean and I found out we were pregnant early in August. We were unsure for a few days because I tested too early, and the line was too light. I was just too excited. Sean told me to wait, but I snuck off to Wal-Mart early one morning and bought a digital pregnancy test. When it came back positive, I called Sean right away. Of course he was excited. Next, I tried to call my parents, but my mom was in the shower, so I told dad. He was very excited, and he told mom, who called back ecstatic. I then called Mom Deffendall, and she was with Rachel, and they both flipped with excitement. Of course I had to tell Mimi next, and I don't think she could have been any more pleased. Grandma and Grandpa Kratky, too. Grandma got busy making a baby quilt!

We got pregnant our first month of trying. We were expecting it to take longer, but we should have known. I don't like to procrastinate. I get things done in a timely fashion! :)

We had some rough patches in the beginning. I had bad cramps and heavy bleeding. I spent a lot of time in the ER, hospital, and doctor's office. I was on bed rest for awhile. In fact, they told me that I miscarried, but called back, praise God, and told me I didn't. They were shocked. We weren't. We had lots of people praying for us!

Of course this was hectic, but what made it even more hectic was that I was in the middle of my very first graduate class, and, oh, did I mention it was a summer class, so it was only 5 weeks long! Dr. Duchovnay taught a film course on Clint Eastwood. Sounds fun, right? Well, yeah it was, but if you ever heard me talk about Duchovnay, you'd also know it is a lot of work. Good work, I mean, he is the best teacher I have ever had, but still, lots of work, none the less. The man was a saint and took a lot of stress off me. Thank God for that. I managed to pass the class with an "A," and I now know more about Clint Eastwood than any one person should.