IT'S A GIRL!

My name is Diamond and I live in Monterey, CA with my husband Jonathan. I'm an artist, focusing on fantasy (fairies, dragons, etc.) and child portraits. We're expecting our first little angel in September, and I'm soo very excited! I was so paranoid at first that any little ache was a warning sign, lol. But after seeing my baby twice so far, it's little heart beating away, I'm learning to fully enjoy the experience and not worry about every little thing. My husband Jon is the most wonderful spouse, very supportive and caring. : ) He's a soldier in the U.S. Army, and I'm very proud to be a military wife! We met in Germany when we were 16 (we're both army brats). And after crossing an ocean, and having a long distance relationship for 2 years we decided to get married. My life has changes so much since I've met him! And we're really looking foward to starting our family after going through so much to be together. He's hoping that this one is a lil boy, and I'm hoping it's just a healthy baby! lol But a little girl wouldn't be so bad. Hee Either way is fine with me really, I just really want to know already! But we have a while to go. I want it to be September already!!!

SO HERE IS A TIMELINE SO FAR

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January 10, 2007-After an exhausting Christmas vacation and settling down back at home again, I started to wonder where in the world aunt flow was! lol Over vacation I was hit with exhaustion, nausea, vomiting (my first morning sickness, thought i didn't know it), and weird headaches. I just thought it was a mix of traveling and a cold. We arrived at my mother in laws and after refusing to eat, she cornered me in the living room and asked me if I was pregnant. Which of course threw me off course and I replied immediately "NO!" Not that I didn't want to be pregnant, but me and her don't have the best relationship, and I just wanted her to leave me alone. In fact, me and Jon had been trying, well mostly just bding and letting nature take it's course. Pregnancy was the last thing I was expecting! So when we finally got back to Cali I was just about done! I couldn't keep myself awake for the life of me. But I was cramping around the time and I just really thought my period was on it's way. I have really painful cramps when I'm on af, so I assumed the aches where from that. Well 5 days late, I started to wonder, but tried not to get my hopes up. Because I was tired of seeing negative results every month. Jon was holding me one evening and said "I think your pregnant." And like a goofy school girl I blushed and said "No sweetheart, I'm just PMS-ing". But we left to the PX and I bought a test, just to ease his mind. And mind you I wasn't going to take the test that day, I figured I'd wait 2 days to see if af was going to show up. Then I just thought, ya' know I'm gonna do it now. So while he was studying in the other room, I grabbed the test and locked the door. Did the test and just set it on the cournter thinking, another negative I'm sure...and then as the test screen ran across...and that extra blue line appeared...my heart jumped into my throat and I fell off the toilet. "WHAT THE HECK DOES THE PLUS SIGN MEAN? NO WAY, CAN'T BE...ME PREGNANT?!" I yanked open the test instructions and there it was PREGNANT! I had to calmly get the phone from the bedroom, act like nothing was wrong, and call my mom. OMG OMG I'm gonna be a mom!!!

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January 11, 2007-So I haven't slept at all! I just keep seeing that extra line, a BFP for me! Woo hoo! I wanted to wait until the 20th to tell Jon, it's his birthday. But I just couldn't do it. I'd be so tired from trying to hold the excitement in. Not only that, he kept questioning me if I had started af yet. So I got up early and walked to the PX, bought another test, just so I would know it was real, and a gift bag and card. I wrapped up the test and when he came home I told him I wanted to give him his B-day present early. I told him I made it (which I usually give him an art piece on his birthday), and that I wanted to give it to him now. So he sat down, and I recorded it. He unwrapped the present...looked at it confused and said "What's this mean?" "I'm pregnant silly! We're going to have a baby!" He jumped up and hugged me and starting babling nonsense. "We have to go buy a crib! And bottles, and clothes, and we need to take you to the doctor! And what about college?!" I was laughing and crying, and told him we had some time before all that. That night, we BOTH didn't sleep, because we were too excited. Friday, the 12th, my pregnancy was confirmed!

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February 6, 2007-We had our first ob appointment. My doctor is awesome! And most importantly we got to see our baby for the first time! It was the most amazing experience! I was soo worried that I didn't "feel" pregnant, and really wondered if it was all real. And then the ultrasound screen popped up, and there our little angel was! Heart beating so fast, asleep all warm and cozy. My EDD is Sept. 15th, 2007. YAY! I knew that my life had not only changed so much in an instant, but that I was the happiest I'd ever been. I was pregnant, and with the man of my dreams. It was sunny outside, a beautiful day. We had a nice lunch and I relaxed at home. That was one awesome day.

OUR FIRST ULTRASOUND

MY FIRST BELLY PIC!

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03/06/07-Well after waiting for a month to see my lil chinky bean again, I was soo excited to get another ultrasound. But I was sorely dissaopionted when the nurse said they were just doing the doppler. The doc came in and started prodding me with the doppler wand. He was fidgeting and fidgeting (do they not get how much THAT HURTS?!)) pushing into me at every angle. I knew everything was o.k. and that it's common not to pick up on a heart beat this early. Sooo I was crossing my fingers he'd say "lets do an ultrasound!", and he did just that! It turns out my placenta is nearer the front of my belly so he was only picking up my own heart beat...so off to the other exam room we went. My baby was being funny and hiding from the ultrasound. The doc tried to get a full body shot, but could either get the head and hands, or the legs, but not both at the same time. Hence our pic is of our little one doing the thinking man pose...er thinking woman (hey i have to be fair! it could be either!). That made my day!

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omg omg! i'm soo excited! i've been feeling the baby flutter now on and off for the last weeks and a half but tonight i got my first THUMP! lol i was sitting down watcing a movie and there it was! In the same place as the other times but soo much that it made me gasp. : ) hubby thought i was hurt or something but no, it was our little one giving me a big hello! : D

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3/24/07-Week 15! I can't believe how time is going by, yet I still am so impatient to have my baby here already in my arms. What I'm most excited about right now is finding out whether or not it's a boy or a girl! I see all of the cute clothes and baby things but I can't pick stuff out yet. I don't like the unisex colors...Oh, and my belly finally popped out big time! I had to give in and buy maternity pants! It was so weird buying them instead of just looking and wondering when I'd have a baby of my own. Now it's real, and it's so exciting. My symptoms seem to be getting worse though! I can't sleep yet I'm always tired, and morning sickness is totally taking over, and I thought I was gonna get through easy because the 1st trimeseter was really easy. My belly muscles are stretching and moving is getting complicated, but I love it all really I do. Now I'm counting down the days to the big ultrasound!

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April 5, 2007 -Had my 17 week check-up. Took my triple screen blood test, heard the baby's heartbeat! 153-154 bpm. My belly is right below my bellybutton! Now that I think about it, my tummy has gotten pretty big since my 12 week pic. My BIG ultrasound is on May 3rd, and I CAN'T WAIT!!! Surprisingly my mother and mother-in-law now believe I'm having a girl. I think I'm having a girl too. Because that's all I dream about. It was funny because the other night I had a dream that the stork brought me the baby! I looked down and my stomach got small, and then the bird carried the baby to me. It was a beatiful baby girl, the umbilical cord was even attached! LOL I was freaking out because (as usual in my dreams) I wasn't ready for the baby yet. I was so happy to have her but I was crying and yelling at the stork that I didn't have any stuff for the baby, and the room wasn't ready yet. And that he came too early! The funny thing is the stork answered back "Sorry lady, I get the order I deliver the baby." And he flew away.

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April 8, 2007-OMG I'm having the worst cramps ever! Last night I got really worried because well even though I cramp occaisonally they are never constant. Yesterday they started off being a few every hour, uncomfortable but nothing really bad. Then as the day got later they got worse! OWIE!!! And then in the evening they went from a few an hour to every 15 minutes, 10 min., 5 min., 2 MINUTES! I was getting really worried. I thought maybe it was dehydration so I drank a lot of water and went to bed. They calmed down some but are still there. They hurt so much. I asked my mom, and she said they were braxton hicks and that it's a bunch of BS that they don't hurt, like it says here on the site. She said there is nothing I can do but wait it out and have the baby. Uh, thanks mom! LOL I am really feeling crappy now, I feel worn out and my stomach and lower back are cramping like crazy. Ouch ouch ouch. I just am not sure if I'm making it out to be something more than it really is. I know cramps and aches are to be expected as the baby grows. I don't feel like waiting in the E.R. for hours only to be told that it's nothing but the baby growing. I think if they get bad though I'll call my doc.

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April 8,2007- Well I went to my doctor's today and it turns out I tore a tummy ligament on my left side and pulled the one on my right side. How the heck I did that I just don't know! LOL The doctor said combined with normal unterine contractions and a baby pushing up against the tear I was bound to be in some pain. Well DUH! But I'm not dialated and so I just need to take it easy. I'm supposed to "move like an old lady", as he put it, to be sure I don't aggrivate the tear and let it heal a little.

April 25, 2007- Today I finally felt big kicks from the outside! I woke up and rolled to my back to stretch. That woke the baby up and he/she started to kick like crazy! The best part is when I put my hand to my belly I felt EVERYTHING! I felt both feet rolling around and twists and turns through by belly. It was soo cool! I can't wait for my hubby to get home so I can have him feel my belly! = )

May 1, 2007- IT'S A GIRL!!!! After 20 weeks and 3 days we got to see our angel, and she's gorgeous! Her head and abdomen are perfectly measured to her gestation, but her legs are measuring 21 weeks! So maybe she'll be tall like daddy. Her name will be Lily Raine! I just knew it was girl!!! I'm so happy and excited. Now I have to think PINK! I was really surprised to find out that I've lost weight since my last appointment, so in total I've only gained 3 pounds so far. Here is a pic of my little Lily giving a fist up of GIRL POWER!

May 13, 2007- Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mommas and Mommas to be! I'm having a quiet boring day because my husband has to work today! Bummer...but Lily is here to keep my company and kick me to remind me I'm not alone entirely! lol

May 27, 2007- Well I suppose it's time for an update huh? Let's see my tummy is getting bigger everyday and it's getting more difficult to move around, especially when trying to get out of bed. I feel like a beached whale pretty much the entire day. LOL I'm actually glad to be putting on some pounds. My dad came to visit us and has been cooking all of the foods that I miss from home so I've been eating well. So total I've gained 10 pounds. Not bad I think. Seven of those pounds has been put on in the last week or two, heh heh. My morning sickness doesn't hang around but I occaisonally get hit with a wave of it and it sends me running for the restroom. I feel Lily kick me all day everyday! It's soo fun to watch and feel my belly move as she sumersaults in there and kicks and punches. I've been wondering if maybe she's bigger than her gestational age, because they say at 21 weeks you should feel the baby at or a litte above your bellybutton. But at 21 weeks I felt her an inch and a half above that. And now at 24 weeks she's creeping into my rib cage! I think she's going to be super tall! Yesterday I felt her hiccups for the very first time. At first I thought that she was just stomping around bunches but then I realized that the movement were coming regularly and in a jerking manner so I think it was hiccups. And I'm soo greatful and thankful that my grandparents and mother are giving us a very generous amount of money especially for baby stuff. I'm not surprised, because my family is always giving and love to spoil grandchildren and greatgranchildren. But now that we have that large amount to work with it'll be nice to be able to really start buying pretty little things for my Lily Flower!

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June 20, 2007- So today I'm 27 weeks 5 days along. I made to the last trimester! WOOHOO! I'm kinda sad that my little girly isn't as active as she used to be, but I honestly think it's because she's getting all snug in there! My belly feels HUGE! Rolling over in bed is just one big chore but I don't have a choice because my reflux is OUT OF FRICKIN' CONTROL and I can only lay on my right side for maybe 15 minutes tops before the acid hits the hole I've opened again in my throat. But I can't take my prescription so I've been popping Zantac to try and get it to be bearable. What I'm most surprised at is that as of today I've only gained 11 pounds! I leave that to lack of fast food and walking 1 mile 3-4 times a week...and it's no flat mile. I live in Monterey, and the entire neighborhood is HILLS. But I always feel better afterward...not before, it takes a lot to get me to go, lol. I'm all set up with the baby's stuff, and I bought a Boppy pillow today. That was super expensive but everyone I've talked to said I just haaaad to get one. So now all I have to do is wait for the baby! YAY! Oh I also am getting my b-day wish! Today I scheduled my 4d ultrasound! It's a little later than my b-day, as my b-day is on the 23rd and I had to schedule for July 5th. But later is better than never. I can't wait to see her chubby face! Oh and finally decide on a name...because now I'm not sure about Lily Raine. Why? Because it seems the name is skyrocketing right now, just like "Jayden" has for boys over the last few years. And I don't want it to be that when she starts school there are a bunch of "Lily"s in her class. So it may be Serenity Jade after all...we'll see.

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July 11, 2007- So today I'm 30 weeks 5 days along, almost 31! The time is passing by so quickly and I'm really getting anxious. I received my pre-registration papers for the birthing center at my last appointment! Boy did that make this whole thing super real! I also had my 4d ultrasound! It was AWESOME! My little angel looks just like her daddy, it's not even funny. You can see she has his dimples, cheeks and his nose too. But it looks like she has my eyes and pouty mouth! ^.^ She was yawning, sucking on her fingers, smiling and petting her head,lol. It was too cute. I'm doing great really, my only problem right now is that my ribs are moving outward and they are sore. Not only that but I move like a beached whale,lol. I'm getting so big I can't even put my own shoes on anymore, or paint my toe nails. I'm definitely getting a pedicure before I get too close to my due date. I also got some new glasses! They're too cute, I'm waiting for them to be ready so I can pick em' up...

Most recently I've started to go into hyper nesting. I cleared out our extra bedroom, threw away bags and boxes of junk, swept and mopped in TWO hours. My husband just stared at me from the doorway, like I was nuts. Then the next day he had a 24hr shift...and I got it in me that I NEEDED to rearrange the living room. So I went in my hubby's study, and took apart his giant desk (he never uses it). Then I hauled it across the house and into the living room. Then I moved the couch and chair too, swept, mopped and organized. BOY WAS HE MAD!!! He came home and walked into the bedroom (after seeing what I had done) and goes "What the hell is your problem?! What were you thinking moving that heavy desk?! You could have hurt yourself and then what?! Why didn't you just wait for me?!"...I just stayed calm and looked at him and replied "Yeah, ok sure. But it looks cool right?" He just glared at me and went to bed. Heh Heh Don't mess with a nesting preggo lady!

I'm also super happy because my very generous next door neighbor gave me a BUNCH of maternity clothes, 2 baby books, baby clothes AND GET THIS....A MEDELA ADVANCED BREAST PUMP! The $300 dollar one! It's BRAND SPANKIN' NEW! She got it from Tri-care (we're military) for free, but then isn't able to give breastmilk to her baby so she passed it on to me! That's the pump I really wanted and now I'm lucky enough to have one! This weekend I'm going book shopping. I'm getting a breastfeeding one and a book I saw called "The Happiest Baby on The Block". Supposedly it's a really popular book because of the techniques it teaches, so I'm gonna try it out.

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August 12, 2007-Well it's been a good long while since I've updated my page and a lot has happened. First off I don't even know if my husband will be here for the birth of our baby! : ( I'm really upset about that, but so goes the Army life. I had convinced my doc to consider induction and he agreed to it, but that was before my husband's orders got changed AGAIN! ARG! So I'm crossing my fingers we can set a date in stone to get this lil girl outta me! Not only that, but as much as I love being pregnant, and at my wits end already! My body is falling apart, and I feel like an old lady. I have to hunch over because my lower back is killing me and to top it off Serenity is sitting on my sciatic nerve. NOT FUN. I also have a swollen nerve on my left foot that makes walking very painful and rather annoying. I'm still walking everyday, but things are definitely starting to get difficult. My belly is huge and I look like I'll pop at any minute, but there are in direct signs she's coming out any time soon, and that is such a bummer. There are days where she pushes out soo hard on my tummy that my skin breaks out in stretchmarks! Seriously, one morning I was checking out my belly for marks and had about 3. Then in the middle of the afternoon I thought my stomach was going to rip open with how much pressure there was...come evening I had stretch marks where she was pushing. What a booger! I'm doing really well on the weight gain front, I've gained only 21 pounds total so far! But I really can't wait to loose it all and get back into normal clothes because I am SICK of maternity stuff. I have everything ready for her to get here, I washed all of her little clothes and blankets today. I just have to pack my bag and her bag and we're all set to go. I have my pre-admission appointment this week too, on Wednesday morning. The fact that I'm running out of time is a bit intimidating. And I'll admit there are days where I wonder how I'll ever be a mom, how I'll be a wife AND a mom, how things will change between me and my husband...just so much stuff in my head. It's also making have a lot of nightmares lately too. Combine that with not sleeping well at all and I'm just pooped most days. I also have a move in progress. I'll have Serenity and then 2 weeks later have to be out of my apartment! On the plus side me and my husband get to move back to Germany in February/March and to a place we are both familiar with. It's so strange to remember in highschool how we used to take our little siblings out to the park platz on the weekend and I would imagine what it would be like to be married and bring our own kids...and now it'll happen. It IS happening...it's so strange! But things are gonna happen, and I'm just gonna have to learn how to roll with all of it. Stress and all, but I can't wait to see the look on my husband's face when he sees his baby for the very first time! : )

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August 21, 2007- Man this month is going by fast! It's only 23 more days until Serenity Jade is here! Woohoo! Still DONE being pregnant though! lol I've given up on walking, because seriously I can't even do the dishes without needing a nap afterward, heh heh. I've got everything I need, and this week I'm packing my bag, installing the car seat and finishing up on house work before my parents come to visit. I also have the most wonderful news! At my last appointment my doctor talked to me about labor and asked about how my husband was feeling about it all. And I told him about the order change and how he'd be leaving even earlier so I didn't know if he'd even be there for the birth. And then HE said "well I can induce you". YESSSSSSS!!!! So if I'm not progressing on my own he'll induce me from around the 12-14th. No later than the 14th though! So Jon will get to be there!!!!!!!!! We just bought a really nice camcorder to record the birth with. Well my mom is going to do the recording so that Jon can pay attention to me during labor and actually experience the birth instead of trying to record it all. But I'm soooo relieved that he'll be there. Just that alone relaxed me immensely! We have our move dates set up, and so it's all pretty much layed out for us to get going. I really hope our lil ChinkyBean decides to come out sooner though because that would mean more time together as a family. Except my husbands finals for training phase I are on the 30-31st so maybe not, I don't want to freak him out! lol

4 months gone by!

6 MONTHS!!!!

7 MONTHS!!!

7 3/4 months! LOL

ONE OF MYSELF

7 MONTHS 2 WEEKS 6 DAYS-SERENITY'S FIRST STEP!!!

A little drawing I did of Serenity. I was bored...I think she looks cute! : )

MAY 9, 2008-I'M PREGNANT AGAIN!!! New page for Baby #2 under membership name: diamondandjade!!! Go read about my next pregnancy journey there, and get updates on Serenity Jade here!!! : )