18 weeks

March 27th, 2011

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along: 18-19 weeks

Total weight gain: 4-5 lbs (finally eating but using different scales each time is difficult to calculate)

Maternity clothes: dresses & yoga pants (haven't bought any yet but need a bigger bra for SURE)

Gender: Have a good idea now since the last doctor almost blurted it out

Movement: felt flutters before but nothing now

Sleep: I wish I could sleep longer

What I miss this week: Everything! Exercising, traveling, energy, drinking alcoholic beverages, caffeine, not peeing every 5 minutes... what a lifestyle change.

Cravings: Anything healthy, salads, fruit, veggies

Symptoms: STILL gas & exhaustion, otherwise I wouldn't even know I was pregnant (besides my boobs, they get bigger by the day!)

Best moment this week: Nothing too positive about pregnancy other than people let you sit down more (it has been a rough couple of weeks)

I am back in Texas staying with my parents. The flight was fine, the jetlag and eating time change were really hard. I would wake up in the middle of the night starving which totally messed my stomach up again.

Plus my doctor visit didn't go so well, apparently Febe the fibroid caused some major complications when it comes to having a baby. So... to make a long story short the U.S. doctor is sending me to a Maternal Fetal Specialist for my 20 week scan and to measure my cervix for incompetent cervix or shortening from the fibroid surgery. Not sure what they will do if it is a problem, since one, I am determined to deliver in Singapore and two, I am really past the point for a cerclage.

I also had to deny some mandatory state regulated tests that they were insisting I have. I am sure I am "that" patient now. But I really don't see the point in having a Pap while pregnant, and I am positive I don't have an STD which doesn't really matter anyway because I am having a c-section.

So hopefully April 8th will go better with the specialist. Dirk will be by my side and since my family knows what gender we are having and we don't... we might just have to find out what it is. Plus I will have a specialist doing my anatomy scan instead of a ultrasound tech... last tech told me that my fibroid was still there 2 weeks after my surgery. Ugh, I hate medical drama!

Taken this past weekend, the dress fit perfectly! Just a small bump still.

Congrats to my Kappa Delta Little Sister! So happy for Shelley & John Hancock!

16 weeks

March 8th, 2011

I am copying this from a friend. But instead of belly pictures, you will have to settle for fun pictures of other babies :)

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along: 16 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 0 (finally back to what I weighed before pregnancy)

Maternity Clothes: Haven't bought any yet

Gender: ?? (Not sure we are finding out)

Movement: flutters, here & there especially after sugar

Sleep: dear Friends, I am not a nice person

What I miss this week: Being able to eat food without consequences (i.e. GAS! Killer GAS)

Cravings: sushi & dim sum (go figure)

Symptoms: Exhausted. Did I mention GAS??

Best moment this week: Watching Gulianna & Bill and being so Thankful that we were able to conceive naturally and with surprise. It truly is a Blessing.


Check out this monster... we might have one of these on our hands!

The Yellow Brick Road

OR... the Road to Conception

So... this road is a little bumpy and it took 2.5 years after ridding my body of contraceptives.

The first hurdle was Febe the fibroid. Weighing in at just under 2 lbs and 4 tag along friends, we are free of fibroids since February 2009.

Let. the. fun. begin.

Actually we really never "tried" to conceive. We both knew if we planned something like this, it either wouldn't happen or would happen right away. So we just kind of went with it. So in November 2010. It happened! And let me tell you... we were both shocked! I still loved to be surprised and with situations that are really out of your control, they are the best!

Dirk and I had been traveling a lot, first to the U.S. for a home leave and then I went with work to Cambodia. It wasn't until after our company Christmas party that I had a suspicion that something was up. Even in Cambodia I was exhausted and not feeling my usual self. My boss even asked me if I could have been pregnant....

So somewhere in between Cambodia and preparing for our trip to the Maldives... a little pink lined showed up on one of those famous pee sticks. At first it was so faint that I literally called my friend (who was another nurse, like I didn't know the answer) and asked how positive is a positive test?? Then I totally freaked out because I had about one million travel vaccines before going to Cambodia, including all three rabies injections. Thankfully they were all killed vaccines. So after the initial freak out Dirk and I settled into the idea of parenthood.

The first 3 months were rough, really rough. Dirk even said, maybe this will be an only child?? He was actually hoping for twins. HA! I lost 8 lbs and eating really has been a chore, even now. It is a total lifestyle change. But maybe this is just getting you used to all the changes coming ahead.

Let. the. fun. really. begin!!!

Mobiles Galore!

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

15 weeks

I have started to nest, well, at least clean out the nest. Last night Dirk and I went through all our closets and made room for baby. Mostly getting rid of old clothes for a garage sale my mom is having when I get back to the states. How to pack for cross world travel lesson. Pack very little and buy EVERYTHING there. Suitcases inside suitcases work well. But this time I am just going to load up on garage sale items and then baby items on the way back.

So as the cleaning begins, I realized it is sort of saying goodbye to our twenties and hello to the thirties. All the lacy, lingerie looking shirts are out and the "will this cover my growing stomach" shirts are in. All the while Dirk is in a weight loss competition and losing weight like crazy, fitting into all his old college stuff. We are still getting rid of it though! But thank the Lord he can still fit in his suit for an upcoming wedding we are going to.

As far as weight, I haven't gained much, maybe 2lbs. My appetite is coming back but my stomach is still not tolerating anything, especially at night. I do want to keep a record of this.

Anyhow, so I have been searching on etsy.com for the perfect gender neutral mobile. Here are a couple. What do you think? I hope I didn't scare anyone with the last mobile, "the black sheep". I want something that I will be able to hang in the room for a long time, not so babyish, and more modern.

Gray & White Pom Poms

Sheep & Stars

I am all about sleep, so maybe this is a good omen?

Modern Colors

Stars Forever

Which one do you like?

14 Weeks

14 weeks

The last couple of months have been rough, really rough! The nausea, heartburn, restless nights, exhaustion, back pain, joint aches.... I could go on and on... I sat down with a colleague at work to discuss all these symptoms. Currently there are 3 of us at work pregnant at the same time. Although these women are on their 3rd and 4th babies... Anyhow, I found out I am not alone. I know, so many of you probably said the same thing, but I didn't realize all this would happen so soon in a pregnancy. More the breathlessness, backaches, and trouble eating. It really helped to know that my friend was having the same issues, which she had never experienced before in her other pregnancies and she is only 8 weeks along.

So my misconceived notions of a pregnancy where all you did was gorge yourself on food, well, that is out the window. I eat every 2 hours, really small portions and don't eat anything after 6PM. My stomach just doesn't tolerate much these days and it seems later into the evenings it gets worse. So... pregnancy, great diet?? who knew?

I did get to see the little stinker at the 13 week exam. In Singapore, where health care is AMAZING and supportive of the patient's needs... we get an ultrasound EVERY TIME we go to the doctor, and guess what, the DOCTOR does all the scans AND measurements right there in the exam room. PLUS! They talk to you about ALL your concerns! Off soap box. Anyway, back to the stinker. It was awesome and amazing and every other word in the dictionary to see it moving around, waving its arms and legs... WOW! I have been feeling "flutter" in my stomach most nights, everyone at the clinic seems to think that is the baby, I on the other hand, think its gas. BUT how COOL if it is the baby? I think I have been feeling it for awhile now. My colleagues seem to think it will be a big baby. Dirk was over 10lbs. and I was just above 5lbs. If it takes after Dirk, THANK THE LORD for a c-section.

I will get to give the U.S. system another try. I will be back for my 20 week scan, AND since I fired my last OB/GYN, I will be looking for another one in the medical center.
So as life gets easier and I can finally eat more... I might be relaxing into this so called pre-motherhood state. We aren't sure if we will find out the gender, life doesn't give you many surprises these days, and we aren't too worried about what the gender is anyway. Healthy is what we are all about!

Ok, belly pictures?? First of all I really don't have a belly yet and second, am I really that kind of girl?? Time will only tell...

But isn't this mobile cute, gender neutral and all?? I think this may be the first purchase???

Dirk says the black sheep is very fitting for the Dunlap family. Hey, isn't different interesting??

Life Changing...

December 20th, 2010

The day before we left for our all inclusive CHRISTINAmas trip to the Maldives, yes I said Christinamas, not Christmas. We got some life changing news! For those who don't know Christinamas is Dirk's term for the time period from my birthday to our wedding anniversary. December 22-January 5th is considered Christinamas.

Not only was this Christinamas my thirty birthday, it was also our third wedding anniversary PLUS.... the celebration of starting a family of THREE! A big surprise to us, but as I see it, you really can't plan these things... if you do it might not ever happen. AND after going through these thirteen weeks.... we might stay a family of three.

YES! I could complain on here FOREVER, and I am sure Dirk has WAY more to complain about. But I will save you all that. You are the privileged, the chosen ones, who actually check my blog ever so often. As of now I don't wish to announce this news anywhere else.

Our due date is August 25th but will be moved up two weeks in order to combat any damage from Febe the fibroid. As Dirk calls it, coming out the sunroof...



I will get around to blogging about our travels, in between feeling like death, I mean the happiest time of our lives :)