commercial...

Last night, while I was catching up on some of my Tivos, a commercial came on that I watched multiple times.  This rarely happens as I usually just fast forward through all commercials until my show is back on.  I HATE COMMERCIALS!

There was just something about this one that made me stop and watch.  It probably had to do with the cute little babies that were filling the screen.  I watched it once and was smiling from ear to ear with tears running down my face.  I watched it again and then yelled at Andy to come watch.  

I could watch this commercial over and over again and not get sick of it.  I know not all of you will like it, but I felt the need to share because it does that little thing to me that not many things can do...makes me smile, cry, and ultimately fills my heart with goodness!  

silly thought...

While avoiding my work today, I decided to look up our baby's zodiac sign.  If he/she is born on time (November 17th), they will be a Scorpio with topaz for a birthstone.  If he/she is born a few days late (November 23rd), they will be a Sagitarrius with turquoise as a birthstone.  

Facts for each of these signs: 

Scorpio
-focused
-determined
-emotional
-complex

Sagittarius
-ethical
-humorous
-generous
-dynamic
-compassionate

More importantly, here are the birthstones: 

Scorpio = Topaz

Sagittarius = Turquoise

I'm not going to lie...I am hoping for a late arrival of little Groettum if only for an amazing birthstone.  I know that I am only 12 weeks and that by week 39, I will probably be singing a different tune.  But, the little thing on this cloudy Friday that makes me smile is thinking about baby Groettum's birthstone being turquoise!

new reading...

As you all know, I am an avid reader.  So, it is probably not surprising that I have been getting my hands on everything I can get to read about pregnancy including apps for my phone, books, websites, and blogs.  I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you!


The first thing I downloaded was What to Expect When You're Expecting.  I have always looked at this book and thought that this is the bible of pregnancy.  As I have gotten further into this book, it truly has an abundance of information.  

Another book I recently downloaded is Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul.  I was getting a little tired of reading only books with facts and needed to read more about feelings that we would go through.  This book has been great so far and the waterworks have flowed multiple times as I read people's wonderful stories.  

I also found that I needed to laugh and I needed the whole truth.  So many times I feel like women hold back all of the information because it may be embarrassing or seem like it is inappropriate to tell someone.  But, I like to do my research and I would rather know everything than be surprised because someone wanted to be polite about what actually happens during pregnancy or birth.  So that is how this book came to be on my Nook.  

I absolutely love these apps.  I read them both every day and even downloaded one of them for Andy.  It gives you just enough new information each day to not be overwhelming, but to also fill the craving to know what is happening.  The Baby Center also gives you a checklist each week so that you know what the heck you are supposed to be doing!

Here are some blogs that I was introduced to from one of my bloggiest friends, Hannah.  It has been nice to read real stories of woman going  through pregnancy and having a newborn. 

Words of Williams

Cultivate

e.piph.a.ny

rockstar diaries

The Wiegand's

You should check them out too!

I have definitely needed this new reading and it has been the little thing that gets me through each hiccup or milestone and tells me that everything is normal.  But, one can't bog themselves down with too much reading on one topic, so I am shifting gears a bit to dive into this...

12 weeks...

Wowser!  There's that word again!  I have noticed myself saying or thinking it very often lately, which my students find very nerdy.  No matter how dorky the word may be, it is the perfect word to describe how our 12 week appointment went last week.  

Our appointment wasn't until the afternoon, which I was not a fan of.  I had to sit through the entire day feeling anxious, excited, and unmotivated to do anything at work because all I could think of was 3:30pm.  Even though the day seemed to drone on and on, I did make it through and raced over to the doctor's office after school to meet Andy for our appointment.  We waited in the waiting room anxiously and then we finally heard, "Lindsey?" and that was our cue that it was our turn!

At this appointment, we got to meet our doctor, who came highly recommended.  I was nervous and was hoping that we would like her and to our surprise and happiness, we both loved her instantly!  She is a younger doctor, super knowledgeable, patient, and excited.

She took time to answer all of our questions and didn't act like she had heard them a million times or that they were silly.  She made us feel at ease when she shared that she had also had multiple miscarriages and now has two daughters.  I hate that I feel this way when I hear this news, but it honestly feels like someone instantly understands what we have been through.  

Now the part that we had been waiting for, hearing our baby's heart beat!  Again, wowser!  There was a loud whirring sound and then, all of a sudden, a distinguishable 'boom, boom' of a little, tiny heartbeat.  Andy and I both lost it and cried happy tears!  I think this is and instant piece of mind for all expecting parents and it is a clear sign that things are okay.  The Doppler measured that our little Groettum's heart is at 171 beats per minute (BPM), which we were told is excellent.  The normal range is 120-180.  We thought our appointment was over after this, but were pleasantly surprised when our doctor asked us if we wanted to see our little one.  I am quite sure no parent would say no to this offer, especially when you don't usually get to see your baby at this milestone appointment.

Here, wowser isn't strong enough to describe our feeling.  It was AMAZING!  We saw the little feet, which were crossed in a relaxed position.  We saw a little hand above the head.  Most of the time as we were watching, our little one was just chilling, but all of a sudden, he/she jumped a little bit on the screen.  Also, AMAZING!  I know that most parents are biased and think that their kids are the cutest in the whole world and I am no different.  I may as well jump right on that bandwagon now.  I mean, look for yourself...little Groettum is already a looker!    

Andy and I were flying pretty high after our appointment and had planned to celebrate on a date out to dinner at a new restaurant.  We were both craving a little seafood action, so we made our way to Max Gill & Grill in Washington Park.  It was fabulous right from the start!

We ordered some appetizers, I the walnut crusted goat cheese served with apples and crackers and Andy a dozen raw oysters.  We sat in their outdoor patio and it was super cute with trees built into the decor, twinkling lights hanging above us, and the decor made you feel like you were out East gearing up to eat the fresh catch of the day.  If you closed your eyes, you could probably imagine the saltiness of the ocean in the air!    

For the main course, Andy settled on the cioppino and I went for the king crab legs, which I have been craving for months.  It was beyond our expectations and by the end we were stuffed to the gills (get it?)!  We were two  happy campers.  Not only were we enjoying a fabulous, romantic date night together, but we were also reveling in our new role as parents-to-be.  We shed a few happy tears throughout dinner and talked excitedly about the future.  

I am not going to lie, the journey of parenthood is not all sunshine and rainbows.  There are plenty of things that we are terrified of and the unknown is scary, but this night we celebrated and put our fears to rest if only for one night.  The little thing that I always come back to when I get nervous or scared is that we are on this journey together.  So, no matter how scary things get or if life gets really hard, we have the other by our side to hold a hand or give a shoulder to cry on.  On the flip side, when things are so exciting that we can't even form words, we can also feel comforted that there is only one other person in the world that knows exactly how we feel and it is okay to just say nothing.  

little bump...

Like every pregnant woman before me, I have been wondering when I would start to show and have a little baby bump.  I have not only been wondering, but kind of obsessing and claiming that I have one (even at 6 weeks).  I have also learned that those false baby bumps are just the result of extreme bloating from my uterus growing at a rapid pace and all of the hormones charging through my body.  

Despite all of that, I think that I can finally say with no doubt that I now have the precious baby bump I have been waiting for.  My clothes are becoming tight and show a bulge where there used to be none.  I am by no means ready for maternity clothes, nor does it look completely obvious that there is a baby in there, but to me, it is something!  I have been anxiously waiting for this and am happy to show it off for you.  Behold, the little thing that is my little lime inside my belly, evidence that this is actually happening!  

What do you think?

extra, extra, read all about it...

There are many books, blogs, websites, journals, and other periodicals that are out there to help you through pregnancy...but, there isn't any literature (at least that I have come across) that tells you how hard it will be to keep a secret THIS big. 


That's right, the Groettum's are having a baby!  After what this past year has brought, it is a serious blessing and we are over the moon with excitement.  Actually, that doesn't even begin to explain how happy we are!  


Here's the scoop...


You all read my previous post about our frustrations and troubles over the past year.  We had gotten to the point where if we weren't pregnant in March, we were ready to stop trying (because that's when it seems to happen for everyone).  I started to get anxious to take a test, but kept talking myself out of it because I didn't want to be disappointed.  Finally, when Andy was at the gym, I decided to go for it.  I had to talk to myself about each scenario to prepare myself for whatever was about to happen.  I decided that if it was negative, we could call our doctor to start the arduous process of  testing to get some answers and help to start a family.  If it was positive, well, obviously I would be excited.  But there was something else I had to think about, what if it was positive and we had another miscarriage?  Well, I decided that if that happened, we would be able to be referred to a Reproductive Endocrinologist, so we would at least be moving forward to have our dream of starting a family.  I cried when I read the little stick when I saw what it said...

Meanwhile, I paced around the house holding the stick until Andy got home and was able to show it to him (this made Chewy very nervous).  When he saw the stick, an instant smile broke on his face and then a look of worry shortly followed.  I told him the mental process I had gone through in my head and he agreed with me.  We hugged and braced ourselves for the road ahead.  


Since that night, a lot has happened.  We told a few close friends and most family, I found my favorite non-alcoholic drink (Shirley Temple), we had visitors, and we had our first doctor's appointment.

We were ecstatic to make it to our first appointment.  This was a huge milestone for us and yet, we were still nervous.  What if we didn't see a heartbeat?  What if something was wrong?  


Our worries were quickly swept away as the appointment went on.  The nurse practitioner took us through family history and said we didn't have any risks to worry about, she said all of my symptoms were a great sign, and finally, we got into the exam room.  


There is nothing better than having your first ultrasound and seeing the little person inside of your stomach.  Andy and I were both speechless (except to continuously ask if everything was okay).  
As we held hands, we watched the little baby show up on the screen exactly where it was supposed to be.  I felt a little squeeze from Andy as the nurse pointed out the heartbeat, which was a little white flicker on the screen.  Wow, is all I have to say!


I, probably like many others, had an idea of what the first ultrasound would be like from the many romantic comedies I have watched.  It completely beat my expectations.  In the movies, the woman always acts like she can't see anything and then gets really sad.  I had prepared myself for this, but what we saw was very distinguishable.  There was a head, a spine, some arm buds, and it was very clear what was in the picture.  See for yourself...

Ultrasound from our 8 week appointment

We have now had our second appointment and are 12 weeks along in the pregnancy.  We are ready to share it with the anyone who will listen to our news.  We want to shout it from the mountaintops and come out from our little bubble that we have created for ourselves as we play the waiting came of the first trimester.  We are very ready (although a little nervous) to be parents and welcome everything that is ahead for us on this journey.  No matter what, we will tackle the obstacles and the celebrations together and there is no little thing in that.  


There is nothing small about this miracle, besides its actual size right now, which is a lime!  We are embarking on the journey of parenthood, which is HUGE.  I am growing a tiny human being in my stomach, which is also HUGE.  We are extremely grateful for everyone's positive energy and prayers that were sent in our direction.  I am a strong believer that they helped our little Gizmo stick around this time.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and souls for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers as it truly demonstrates the power of what the human mind can do and what the universe is capable of.  

Shirts that my my dad and Kelley had made for us (Chewy is not sure how to feel about this yet)!

Stay tuned for more about the transformation that is happening in our life...








  

family walks...

We have started a tradition that I have been thoroughly enjoying lately...family walks!  

We have always walked Chewy daily, but only one of us would do it and it would usually be whoever came home first.  These were great walks where I would catch up on the phone with friends or family or listen to some music.  But I have to say that family walks have been SO MUCH BETTER!  Here's why...

When Andy gets home from coaching soccer, we take off with our furry friend by our side (I am not the only one that is a huge fan of this new tradition)!  One of the first things I noticed was how differently Andy and I walk Chewy.  I keep him very close and don't give him much roaming room.  Andy let's Chewy smell, pee on everything, and have a loose leash.  Poor guy, must be a little confused...but, he seems to be handling it ok and enjoying the family time and the fresh air.  Another thing that is soothing about our walks are that we get quality time to talk.  Andy and I are good communicators, but this time allows us to slow down and discuss our days at school, what plans are coming up, and just whatever is on our  minds.  

We have mostly been walking around our neighborhood park, which has been extremely busy lately.  There are kids, families, dogs, people exercising, and the older generation has joined in the fun as well (the other day we saw two older ladies playing boccie ball together in the boccie ball court...so cute)! 


The other night, we ventured down the green way by our house that follows Cherry Creek from downtown all the way out to Aurora.  We made our way down to Four Mile Historic Park.  This is a super cute little park that has animals and teaches kids and adults about the pioneer days of Denver.  From the outskirts, you can see little houses, tee-pees, barns, and tons of animals.  

The whole reason we walked down this direction was because Andy wanted to show me the horses.  We made our way around the park and found them!  There were quite a few in the corral and they were beautiful.  It made me instantly happy and made me feel like I had a part of the country right in the city.  A bonus that it is right in our neighborhood.  Side note: Chewy also LOVES horses and became rather whiny and excited to meet the big animals.  So, of course, we walked up to the fence and started talking to them.  After a few minutes, one of them came over and decided to check us out.  He was a beautiful horse who was spotted with black and white spots.  He sniffed Chewy and looked us up and down.  We talked to him for awhile and then decided to make our way home.  


To our surprise, he followed us!  I was convinced that he could tell that we were horse people.  He followed us all the way around the fence until he couldn't follow anymore and we had to say our goodbyes.  We definitely bonded with our new friend and decided to give him a name...so, we call him Rex (I like to say Rex Effex)! 

I am super excited that Andy showed me this little gem in our city and I can't wait to go inside the park and check out all of its history.  I also can't wait to go back and visit Rex and his other friends.  I am sure that our new tradition will continue and become our daily routine.  It is and will be a fabulous time for our family to bond with each other and slow down from our fast-paced lives.  We also get to connect in a way that is special in my heart.  All of these things, make our family walks a little thing that I look forward to every day.