29 Weeks... It's official-It's a GIRL!

We just got home from our ultrasound/doctors appointment and we're now officially making it public-

IT'S A GIRL!!!


...and we couldn't be happier :) Even more happy about the fact that the tiny cysts they found on her brain in the last ultrasound are completely gone! Our doctor assured us last time that they are somewhat common and they should go away soon, and it was very reassuring to see today that they are in fact gone. They estimated her around 3 lbs 6 oz which is in the 64th percentile for size right now. The doctor told us that everything is perfect with our baby, and we couldn't have been happier with the good news! :)

Ultrasound Pics-

Week 28... Hello Third Trimester!

It's hard to believe that today is the first day of our third trimester! 12 weeks til I'm due, and 9 weeks til I'm full term... crazy! Our baby is now close to 15 inches long and weighs about 2.25 lbs. She can now blink and possibly sense light that filters through... how cool :)

I've been feeling really great. I sleep a lot, but that's expected... I hear the question, "How are you feeling?" about 10 times a day :) It doesn't bother me though, just shows that people care! No crazy food cravings or aversions. I could eat junk food all day, but hey who couldn't? I've been pretty good about limiting myself.

Another question I've been getting is, "what about work?" Well... My plan is to work up until I go into labor. Once I have her, I'll go on leave and be off until fall when sports start back up. I'll get paid leave for about 10 weeks of that time which is really nice. I do plan on returning to my position in mid-August. I of course think about how nice it would be to just stay at home and let Ben work (he makes good money and we'd be fine with just him working)... but right now, we could use the extra income as we try to save up to start an addition in a year or 2. And I hear that babies aren't cheap.... getting gifts from showers is going to help a TON, but expenses will surely be there. Plus, if I stopped working, then he would have to start working more often which means he is away from home more. I think it's important for both of us to contribute to family income, especially if it's do-able. I have been working and providing since I was 16, and I have been in my current position for 5 years now. Ben usually takes his lay-off sometime in September when work slows down for them, so there won't be much of an overlap when we are both working. Maybe once kid #2 comes around, then I'll think differently... but as of now, those are my thoughts.

Fun story from this morning (actually not so fun)... Ben went back to work really early this morning just for this week, and sure enough, my car won't start. I called my Mom and she came over with this giant batter charger... we had a wonderful time trying to figure out how to hook everything up. She was on the phone with my Dad, and said, "just clip it and it will ark??" She must have mis-heard him and meant spark... because she touched the black one to a piece of metal and huge sparks flew everywhere... I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. We finally got my car started and both of us got to work about 30 minutes late. I'm so thankful for her :)

28 Weeks

27 Weeks

27 weeks... really?! Today is December 12th, and I am due in exactly 3 months from today. Wowza. Still feeling pretty great. A little bit of back pain once in awhile, but it's not that bad. I've been sleeping pretty well too (except Friday night when we stayed in Ben's old room in Harrison and it was 90 degrees... had to relocate to the couch).

Set a couple of shower dates. Saturday Jan 21st for Ben's side and Sunday Feb 5th for our side. My friends want to throw me one too :) So excited. We got our crib after quite the ordeal with Walmart (they gave us someone else's changing table instead of our crib, and no one there could figure it out) and Ben started setting it up... and there was a wrong part, so the manufacturer is sending us a new one. Glad we got that early! We also got our high-chair from Ben's aunt off our registry... so cute!

Christmas is in less than 2 weeks!!! Thankfully we have most of our shopping done. We went to Jay's on Saturday and got a lot of it. The 40% family discount is wonderful . Sunday at Church was the kid's Christmas program... amazing. Those kids are so talented and did a fantastic job singing and sharing the Word of God.
I look forward to our little ones being up there some day :)

26 Weeks

Baby Yost is now about 14 inches long and almost 2 pounds. Kind of hard to believe that fits inside me! I mean, I'm growing for sure, but I'm definitely not huge yet. I guess she has a good 5 or 6-ish lbs yet to put on before the big day comes. Still feeling pretty great- nothing much has changed. I've had some back pain, but nothing too bad. I just have to re-position myself several times at night to get comfortable.

It's hard to believe it is December already. 3 months away from a big change in our lives! We have the crib on the way soon and we can start putting the nursery together :) So very exciting!

My goal this week: eat healthy!

Me @ 26 Weeks

25 weeks

25 weeks plus a day... and time is flying, as always! Tons and tons of movement lately. It isn't disrupting my sleep too much yet, but I've noticed myself trying to fall asleep and getting kicked like crazy. Not that I'm complaining... I really enjoy feeling her movements :) Feeling pretty stretched out already, and I know I have a LOT more growing to do.

Spent the Thanksgiving weekend traveling back and forth between home and Harrison. We went down there Wednesday when I got home from work so Ben could hunt. Visited with his family and his mom taught me how to make lemon fluff (YUM) while he was out in the woods. Thursday morning we went to see his Grandparents and then headed up to my parent's for dinner at 1. After that, the guys all went to the U.P. for deer camp. I stayed at my Mom's and watched the Twilight movies (I know.... but they ended up being more entertaining than I thought!). Friday I did a ton of cleaning and went to work the TCW Thanksgiving Hockey Tourney. Worked that Saturday as well, then met up with my Mom at the mall to watch the new Twilight in the theater. It was pretty good! Chuck and Cassie were at the mall too with Lilly, so I got to visit with them for awhile. Went to church on Sunday, and Ben got back that evening from deer camp (still no deer!) and we headed right back down to Harrison. We babysat the nephews which was great fun. Ben left to go hunting so I had them all, and of course that's when the poopcapades began. First started with the youngest who nicely filled his diaper... I got poop on my finger cleaning him up (Ben thought that was pretty funny) but when I was done, he sat up and kissed my nose :) Totally worth the poop on my finger. 10 minutes later the 3 year old went to the bathroom and shouted I'M DONEEEE so I said through the door... ok... does that mean you need help? He says, yes, come wipe my butt!!! Lovely :) I guess it was good practice!

Got a lot of Christmas shopping done online... gotta love Cyber Monday. I still have a ways to go yet. I never know what to get for siblings. Oh well, I have a little while yet. I can't believe there still isn't any snow on the ground!!! We've had a couple dustings... but I'm ready for it :)

24 Weeks

Wow, the weeks are flying by. 24... I've read that at this point, babies can survive with a lot of medical help. Pretty incredible to think about. Not that I would ever want our baby born this early, but its nice to reach that point in pregnancy. I've gained 15 lbs so far. The past few weeks I feel like I've been gaining like crazy and I mentioned it to my doctor at the last appointment. She said I was still in the normal range, but if I was concerned then I should just cut back on the sweets and try to exercise a little more. I've been trying to do that... although very difficult at times-I want icecream! :)

The baby is over a pound now and about a foot long, according to BabyCenter. A FOOT LONG! I just pulled out a ruler... and its amazing to think our baby is that big already. Big, yet tiny at the same time. Big compared to the tiny seed she was just 5 months ago. It's also weird to think about how that can fit inside of me! I'm showing for sure, but I'm not huge yet. She must be a pretty curled up 12 inches.

She has been kicking like crazy lately, and I love it! Ben can feel her pretty much every time I tell him to feel for it. So cool. I was sitting in church yesterday and she was giving me some pretty strong jabs. I looked down and saw my stomach popping from inside my shirt :)

I've had the weirdest pregnancy dreams lately... one was that my sister in law Cassie (who had her baby girl 2.5 months ago) suddenly gave birth again and somehow there was a mix-up... I think they had to give Lilly back (I have no idea to who?) and she had a boy and they named him Hammock. WHAT?!

Christmas is just over a month away! I've started some shopping already. I'll probably do a lot of it on Cyber Monday... and then at Jay's when Ben's 40% discount kicks in. We're doing Thanksgiving at my parents this year, and after we're done eating, all of the guys are heading to the U.P. again for another weekend of hunting. I'll probably stay home again, and work the hockey tournament to make some extra $. I do love going to the cabin... but there's not much to do when I'm pregnant and the guys are out hunting most of the time.

Feeling super blessed lately and definitely in the Christmas spirit :)

24 Weeks

23 weeks

Only 5 weeks away from the final trimester! Time is definitely flying. I'm feeling bigger every day, and I sure am learning what round-ligament pain is. She must be having a little growth-spurt right now, because I feel that a lot and I'm definitely popping out more. I can still wear a couple of pairs of my pants that button, but they're getting pretty tight. I wear my black stretchy pants all the time. I ordered a pair of maternity khakis online, and they fit really well. Just not sure if I'm quite ready to transition to the high-panel pants yet! I probably will soon... they are very comfortable. Ben's mom bought me a pair of the high-panel jeans that are super cute... plus a maternity shirt that I am actually wearing right now :)

Ben finally felt her kick!!! Made me so happy! He felt a couple kicks in a row a few nights ago, and I know they'll only be getting stronger. He's going to be gone starting tomorrow for deer season... I'll be a hunter's widow for sure! He's going to Harrison to hunt on his Grandpa's property for a few days, then he is heading to the U.P. to hunt with my Dad, brother, and whoever else decides to go. I was debating about going to the U.P. with them, but I think I'm going to sit this year out. Not sure I can handle sitting in a little blind for a long period of time... I get feeling claustrophobic and cooped up pretty fast if I can't move around much. Plus it will be some good bonding time for the guys :) Ben's mom might come up Wednesday to take me shopping, and I know my Mom is also home alone... so we might do some shopping and maybe catch a movie. I'll definitely be putting up Christmas decorations while he's gone, since he can't stop me :)

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week already. We haven't had much snow at all yet... a light dusting last week, but that's been it. I'm not going to lie, I'm ready for some big snowstorms!

22 Weeks

Almost 5 months pregnant now, and feeling great!! I still go to bed pretty early, but that's expected. She is flipping and kicking like crazy lately :) Ben still hasn't felt it, but I think it's coming soon. Some friends of ours told us that the brain cyst thing showing up on the ultrasound happened with them too, and with one of their family members... so it was nice to hear of someone I know having that. Of course everything turned out just fine and they have a beautiful little girl. We have our ultrasound to make sure they disappear on Dec 27th. I'm excited to get to see her in there again!

We left for Kentucky on Thursday and got back late Sunday. The trip went really well.... the car ride wasn't so great for me being cooped up like that for so long, but I survived. It was nice for the families to get together and visit Ben's Grandpa. We ate TONS of food (including frog legs... a Kentucky specialty I guess!) and I probably gained 10 lbs! Well, not that much, but I put on a few for sure.

That's about it for now... keeping this one short and sweet :)

22 weeks

21 weeks... plus a day

Feeling TONS of movement lately!!! Totally exciting. Ben hasn't been able to feel her move yet, but I think it will happen soon. I love feeling the little flips and stuff going on in there... actually feeling some pretty big kicks at the moment! Almost to the 5-month mark. With the Holidays right around the corner, I know the remainder of the pregnancy is just going to FLY by. March will be here before we know it.

Ben's Grandma got us this adorable gift set for our baby with a couple of outfits, blankets, bottles, a med dispenser, and a little bear :) SO cute... and receiving gifts for her are making it more and more real!

This past weekend Ben and I went to our cabin in the U.P. with my parents and some friends from church, Gene and Sue. The guys were outside working on blinds and getting ready for hunting most of the time. Honestly, I stayed inside and sat on the coach most of the time :) It was nice to have a weekend with absolutely nothing to do. We watched a couple of movies and took some naps. Much needed. Before we left, my parent's dog Pudge decided to devour a bunch of chocolate syrup that was left over from bear bait. There were also 9 dead mice in the bucket, but he left those thankfully. He was running around for quite awhile before we left, so we had hoped that he puked it all out before we started the truck ride home. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Ben and I were sitting in the back seat (crammed in) with the two dogs. I was feeling slightly light-headed and just wanted to get home and out of that truck... right around when we were in Mancelona, Pudge unleashed about a gallon of chocolate syrup right next to me in the seat. I just about lost it. I grabbed a coat and buried my face in it. I kept gagging pretty bad and I was pretty much laying on Ben trying to get away from it. My Dad pulled over and came to clean it up and he started gagging too, which made me laugh... and Ben was laughing pretty much this entire time. So we got to ride home the rest of the way with a truck smelling like yaked up chocolate syrup. Kind of nasty... kind of funny. I hope I'm able to clean up kid puke without puking myself!

This weekend, we are heading to Kentucky to visit Ben's Grandparents. His Grandpa hasn't been doing well and has been asking to see everyone. It should be a nice trip for us. His whole family plus some aunts, uncles and cousins are coming as well. It will definitely be a full-house! Some warmer weather for a few days will also be much welcomed :)

I am SO excited for Christmas already. I would probably put up decorations today if Ben would let me :) I think we're going to get a fake tree this year... We had a real one last year and had pine needles in our carpet for EVER and the tree was already getting brown by Christmas. I've always had real ones... but I guess I can go for awhile using a fake one. Less work too I suppose. I'm thinking I should probably start shopping too... I'm going to try to do most of it online this year so I don't have to fight the crowds. Love amazon.com!

Thankful for our wonderful family and so much more...

20 Weeks- Halfway There!!!

I can't believe we're halfway through the pregnancy already! I'm starting to feel a little more pregnant lately... and I felt her first kick on Friday :) I decided to soak in the bathtub for awhile (haven't done that in years) and I saw and felt the kick! Pretty amazing. I haven't felt any since then, but feeling movements for sure. The baby is now the size of a banana :)

I've slowly been working on the registry. I decided to go with Walmart because everything there seems to be less expensive (same quality and brands) and the registry is easy to work with. I've done everything online so far which as been convenient. I'll probably continue to add things and make changes for awhile.The registry is located here- https://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registryId=86162521244

We had a good weekend- Set up a tree-stand close by on some state land for Ben to go hunting. On Saturday, we went to our friends Tom and Jenny's Pumpkin Carving Party. I brought a Halloween Brownie Pizza which was a hit! I'll definitely have to make that one again. It was great to catch up with our friends. Went to church yesterday and then got some cleaning and stuff done.... all in all a productive weekend :) Looks like we'll be heading to the U.P. next weekend.

So blessed with everything in life right now! Couldn't be happier :)

Me at 20 Weeks

It's A......

GIRL!!! Well, the ultrasound tech was pretty sure anyway :)

I was slightly expecting to get a boy, but any small feelings of disappointment quickly faded when I started thinking about our little girl :) This will be the first girl on Ben's side of the family that already has 5 little boys. They are definitely excited to finally be getting a girl- and I'm pretty sure there are stock piles of clothes waiting for her!

We had to schedule another ultrasound in 10 weeks because they found 2 cysts in our baby's brain (YIKES), but the doctor reassured us that this wasn't anything to be worried about. They are called bilateral choroid plexus cysts, and they show up on the ultrasound usually in second trimester and are fairly common. They develop when a tiny bit of fluid gets trapped when the brain is forming. They are not harmful, but if coupled with another problem or defect they see, they can be associated with Trisomy 18. Fortunately, our baby is perfect so the doctor assured us that the cysts would be gone or at least shrunk down by 30 weeks. So... we have another ultrasound scheduled for Dec. 27th to make sure they go away. This scared me at first when she started talking about it, but I felt much better when she told us that in her 25 years of practice, she has seen this many times and only 1 baby was born with the cysts, and they disappeared after a month and the baby ended up perfectly healthy. So- I'm not going to worry!

Plus side-it will give us another chance to verify the gender (since she wasn't 100% sure)!

So excited about this blessing from God :) We can't wait to meet our little girl! Now, to decide on a name...

Ultrasound Photos-
It's a girl!!!

These 3D Images are pretty amazing!

19 Weeks

Today marks 19 weeks!
We have an ultrasound tomorrow, and we decided to find out what we are having :) We went back and forth on this many times... Ben's Grandpa down in Kentucky isn't doing very well and he doesn't think he will make it to Christmas. He has been buying guns for all of his great-grandkids, and would like to know if he should buy a black or pink gun for our baby! We felt this made the decision for us.

I have been feeling more movement lately-very exciting! Haven't felt anything major, but I've definitely been feeling more flutters and they seem to be getting stronger. I'm looking forward to feeling more obvious kicks, but I'll take what I can get :)

Still hungry all the time. I've been eating more for sure, and I'm trying my best to eat healthy. Sometimes I just can't turn down the brownies or icecream... but I try to limit myself! The one thing I crave a lot is french fries. I don't really have any food aversions, which is good. One thing that's been rough is the increased gum/tooth sensitivity. On one side, my gums are pretty swollen and are very sensitive. I thought I had something stuck up there, so I flossed right away and it HURT! I have been dealing with this pain the past 3 or 4 days. Before that, they were sensitive, but not like this. If it last much longer, I might try to have my November dentist appointment moved up!

We had a good weekend. Went to watch "Courageous" with my parents and some friends. Sad movie, but it had a great message. Good timing for Ben and I before we become parents :) We got up (too) early Saturday and headed down to Harrison. We went to a wedding and spent time with his family. Came back up yesterday. Despite The Tigers, Michigan, and The Lions losing, we had a pretty good weekend!

Can't wait to find out if we are having a little boy or a little girl!!! 1 more day :)

18 Weeks

I seriously can't believe I'm already 18 weeks pregnant. Seems like just yesterday I took that test that showed me 2 little lines. Since this is my first post about my pregnancy, let me go back....
On July 6th, I was a little late so decided to pick up a test. I called Ben and asked him if I should wait until he got home from work on Friday to take it... he wanted to know right then. So I said ok, I'll call you back in 5 minutes or so. Took the test, and sure enough, pregnant! I called him back right away. He was as surprised as I was (this wasn't exactly planned), but I could tell he was thrilled too :)
I called my Mom and asked her if she could stop over so I could show her something. She had no idea (of course!) and my Dad just happened to call when she was over, so I told him too. I asked them to keep it quiet for awhile until we had our first doctor's appointment. We also told a few close friends and family members, but that was it.
I purchased a Doppler online for about $50 so I could hear the heartbeat whenever I wanted. It took me awhile to find it, but at about 8 weeks, we heard the heartbeat! Truly a miracle.
At 10 weeks, we had our first appointment at the GT Women's Health Clinic. Dr. Kurtz is our main doctor, but they switch you around to different doctors so you can try to meet them all (any of the might be on call when it is delivery time). They did an ultrasound where we got to see our tiny baby jumping around and we heard the heartbeat again. They took our baby's first picture. This whole thing was AMAZING to see. They said everything looked great and that we should go out and tell the world :)

First trimester went fairly well for me. I was sick on and off, but it wasn't horrible. Usually when I felt sick, it would be in the evenings around 8:00. I actually got sick I think 2 or 3 times, and it was usually a nasty smell that would set me off (like when I had to clean up dog puke!)... but other than that it was usually just nausea. Didn't have many food aversions or cravings out of the norm. I did have several pretty bad headaches... Tylenol always helped. I was tired often too, but nothing I couldn't manage. After some of the first trimester horror stories I've heard, I think I had it pretty good!
Once second tri came, the nausea went away quickly. I do still get tired, and I usually go to bed about 9:00! I love getting 10 hours of sleep, and I feel like I need it. Some nights I'll feel like going to bed at 7:30.
Today, I am at the 18 week mark. My belly is finally starting to pop out some, but it isn't very noticeable unless I'm wearing a fitted shirt. I'm sure that's going to change soon. I'm hungry a LOT. I've gained 7 lbs so far, which is in the low to normal range. Pretty close to being on track. I'm still mostly wearing my normal clothes, but my jeans are definitely feeling tight. I usually wear loose fitting shirts and zip-ups... and the black stretchy pants have been a popular choice lately :)
I have felt some flutterings, but no real kicks or anything yet. I hope to start felling our baby move soon!

Next Tuesday, we have our ultrasound. This is the one where we can find out the gender if we want. STILL undecided. I thought we were going to wait, but Ben has been telling me lately that he kind of wants to find out. We'll keep talking about it this week and try to come to a decision.

Baby's First Picture- 10 Weeks

Me at 18 Weeks

Intro Post

Well I decided to start a blog. Seems like an easy way to keep everyone updated on what is going on in our lives (for whoever is interested) and a great way to document these milestones!
Ben and I got married this summer on June 18th, 2011. We met in December of 2009, got engaged on July 11, 2010, and married a few months ago. Our wedding was absolutely perfect. We got married at Central United Methodist Church in Traverse City and had the reception at The Williamsburg Creekside. The weather was beautiful and I honestly couldn't have asked for anything better. Here is a link to the pictures-
http://benjenswedding61811.shutterfly.com/
The Honeymoon went great as well and we ended up.... pregnant!!! We didn't exactly plan on that happening, but God did :) I am due on March 12, 2012 and we couldn't be more excited to start our family.
I'll do my best to keep this updated and share what is going on!