Hi

I am terrible with computers and will try to set up my page here a little at a time. I don't know how to change fonts or colors yet, but I hope to figure it all out. I was so happy to find this website and read about others who are feeling the same way I am. It's been a real comfort and I wish I'd found this much earlier in my pregnancy.

I've been married to my Juan Carlos since May 2004. It's his second marriage and there was a lot to deal with during our first few years of marriage. He has a son who is now 13 and an ex wife that causes a lot of strain, but this year calmed down a lot and it seemed like the right time to try for a baby.

We were both sure we were having a girl! We had a name picked out (Ava) and there was just no doubt in our minds. Then a couple days before the ultrasound, Juan Carlos had a dream and he woke me up to tell me that he saw our kids. I said, "Did you see a girl or a boy?" He said, "Well, the first one was a boy." I said, "A boy?!" He said, "But he was really cute! You'll see. There was a little girl too, she was just younger." I'd never even considered having a boy. When I was in college, I used to want a boy first, but somewhere along the line I got caught up in my husband's family wanting a girl and that's all I'm used to anyway. But my husband's dream was good preparation for the ultrasound because clear as can be, my baby is NOT a GIRL!

My baby is a boy and his due date is March 29, 2008. We will name him JACOB SAL. Sal comes from my maiden name and is what everyone calls my dad. We'll probably call the baby Jake, but right now I like calling him Baby Jacob. Now I can't imagine not having my baby boy. My due date has been changed a few times. First they said March 30, then March 17, then March 23, and now March 29th. I know when everything happened though because I was charting and checking my temperature and I know that we tried on July 5 and I ovulated between July 6 and 7th.

We started trying to have a baby in January of 2007. I wasn't really checking temperatures or anything, we were just aiming for the "right" days. I had what later seemed to be a very very early miscarriage in February and then every month from ovulation on I would spot for almost 2 weeks. I'd never had any spotting problems in the past. This went on for a couple months and then I was at an acupuncture appointment (my acupuncturist has also been a midwife for 25 years and she's the greatest). I told her what was going on and she suggested trying some natural progesterone cream. That did the trick for me. I used it in July and could not believe I was pregnant so fast after trying that. It only took one month. I had to use the progesterone cream for the first 3 months.

I couldn't believe that I had to wait so long to see and OB. I had pretty bad cramping during the week I found out about being pregnant and then I started spotting. I had to go to urgent care in another state because I was traveling and they weren't sure what was wrong. When I got home, I went to my regular doctor's office and was put on bedrest for 5 days and that seemd to do the trick because the cramping, spotting, and contractions stopped.

I felt very depressed during the first 4 months of pregnancy. It was very hot and I just stayed in bed and read books. I did not fly very much at all. Our house became a mess and I just cried a lot. Although I never threw up, I felt nauseous most of the time and had food aversions to just about everything. I couldn't eat any sweets, bread, none of the things I like. The only thing I craved were strawberries. I had the worst heartburn and wondered how my baby would survive because I wasn't eating anything. We went to Hawaii in my 3rd month. I'll never take a vacation while pregant ever again. I don't know how some people do it.

We found out that my sister is pregnant also right around my third month. It turns out that our babies are due the same week! It was quite a shock because she and her husband did not want kids and she used to say it was "impossible" for her to get pregnant. Well, they are having a little girl and my parents are going to become grandparents for the first time to two babies in one week. It's very exciting. Two cousins of ours who are close in age also just had babies. One in October, one in December, and now my sister-in-law is going to have a baby in August. So lots of babies and potential playmates for my baby boy!

Months 5 and 6 were pretty good. I got my appetite back and gained a lot of weight which made me sad when I went to the doctor. I gained 30 pounds from the time I got married to the time I got pregnant, so I really did not want to gain too much. However, without exercising, I think that it was bound to happen. I'm trying to watch it now and I felt like I had more energy, so I tried walking, but then would get the cramps/contraction stuff again. I was on bedrest in early November for 3 days, but after that things seemed OK.

Now I am 27 weeks pregnant and it is New Year's Day 2008. I am very excited about this baby, but I also worry a lot. I worry that he will come too early, I worry that I won't know how to take care of him, I worry that I will be depressed, I worry about many things that I should not worry about. I found some helpful devotionals during my most depressed months and that helped a lot along with praying. It's terrible to worry so much when I know I should not worry.

So, right now I do not feel depressed, I think my health is OK except for heartburn and some cramping, but otherwise whenever I feel something different, I check the website to see if anyone else is feeling the same thing. Most of the time someone is and then it eases my mind that I am not alone and most likely what I am feeling is normal.

Besides having my baby in March, I'm looking forward to being off work in the next week or so, the return of "LOST," a visit from my friends from NYC for my baby shower January 26th and getting the room ready for my BABY JACOB!

Well, that's my pregnancy story so far....

January 2008:

This was a good month. Jacob flipped over and is no longer breech. We started the child birth class. My friends came for my baby shower and it was so much fun. My friends from NYC arrived on my 35th Birthday (Jan. 24th) and we had a great time. My husband and I took them sightseeing and they loved NM.

The baby shower was a lot of fun. My mom and sister baked many breads, muffins, and made good sandwiches and tea for the tea party. The games were fun too. There was a quiz to see who knows me best, a price is right game with baby products, a diaper relay to see which team could diaper and undiaper a teddy bear fastest with eyes closed, a few guessing games, and one to see how many words could be formed using my baby's full name. I received some really nice gifts, and a lot of baby clothes. Some money as well as some gift cards. My cousin took a lot of pictures during the shower and then later on she and another cousin went to Walgreens. Later that night, she presented me with a photo album of my shower. It was such a neat gift!

The shower was a lot of fun and I felt very sad after dropping off some of my friends at the airport. It's the last time we'll all be together for a very long time and the last time we'll be together before the baby arrives. Life is definitely going to change.