Quick update

21 weeks

Well I'm actually 22 weeks today but I haven't taken a picture yet so here is last weeks for everyone to see! This week I went back to the perinatologist to get blood drawn so they can run some tests which we'll find out the results from at the beginning of April.
2 good news things! Eric got a job!!!! We're so excited and I am so proud of him! And my friend Kristin gave birth to a beautiful baby boy today!!
That's all for now! Have a great weekend!!
xoxo Paula

20 weeks - half way there!

Today Eric and I went in for our third ultrasound and we were so excited because today we were going to get to find out if it's a boy or a girl!

20 week belly picture

will it be a boy or a girl??

I'm guessing boy!

all ready for the ultrasound!

When we got to our appointment we told the doctor that we didn't want to know if it was a boy or a girl. We said we wanted him to write it on a piece of paper and put it in a sealed envelope because later we were going out to dinner and we were going to have the gender revealed to us through our dessert! My friend Erica suggested going to get cheesecake and having the server put blueberries on it for a boy or strawberries for a girl and since cheesecake sounded really, really good to me I thought it was a great idea! So after the appointment I went home and packed (cause we're moving at the end of the month) and Eric went to my parent's house to help with a construction project. I was so anxious all day sitting next to that envelope - I just wanted to tear it open and find out!!

getting ready to leave for dinner - here's our envelope!

if you're going for cheesecake you must go to the best!

We tried to eat our dinner at a normal pace but I'm pretty sure I was eating super fast cause I just wanted to get to dessert! We decided that we just wanted a piece of the raspberry lemon cheesecake so we told our server about the envelope and asked if she could write on the plate "It's a boy" or "It's a girl" - she was really sweet and super excited to be able to share in our big moment! We were sitting on pins and needles waiting for her to come back with the cheesecake...

IT'S A BOY!!!

we are so excited!!

yay for a boy!!!

we couldn't be happier!

So we're having a baby boy in July!! We are super excited!
xoxo Paula

18 weeks 4 days!

hello!
since I wrote last eric and I found a 2 bedroom apartment to move into next month and I am both excited (for the new place with a special room designated for our baby) and not excited (to pack all our junk and move).  we have already had several people offer to help us though which is great because I won't be much help carrying bed frames and dressers.
at 17 weeks and 2 days I felt the baby move for the first time! it was so exciting because before then I had thought I felt some movement but that day there was a significant amount of movement! I really wanted eric to be able to feel it too so he sat with his hand on my tummy for about ten minutes and then decided he wasn't going to be able to feel anything. but at 18 weeks 2 days (while we were watching the oscars) the baby was doing lots of somersaults so I told him to put his hand on my tummy again and within about 30 seconds he felt what must've been a giant somersault and his eyes just got huge! he was so shocked/surprised/excited! I teared up a bit because I know in that moment it got a lot more real for him. so we've just been enjoying that and gearing up for our move next month!
also eric had an interview on monday that went really well! so everyone cross your fingers and pray that he gets it!

18 weeks!

someone mistakenly added liquid dish soap to the dishwasher instead of detergent so I came around the corner to a kitchen full of bubbles last night lol - at least he was trying to help clean up!
that's about all for now!
xo, Paula

the search is over!

enjoying some time at home tonight watching the grammy's and eating breakfast for dinner - yum! I visited two more doctors offices last week and we have finally decided on a clinic! super exciting cause now we know for sure where we will be going and we get to have a midwife!! when I went to the appointment it just felt like everything fell into place - we also visited fairview which is where both eric and I were born. we chose to go with generations women's health center though and we're excited and relieved to be done searching.
the job search also continues this week. I'm hoping to hear back from a place I interviewed at a week ago and I'm also going to talk with a long time family friend and owner of a hair salon in white bear lake to maybe do some reception work part time which would be amazing. eric is continuing to look too but in the meantime he's been painting houses with my uncle danny which has been an amazing blessing since his unemployment payments won't start til this week even though he's been laid off since january.
besides that my pregnancy book collection has been growing and I'm trying to read a bit of all of them cause I want to know as much as possible about what's going on and especially about birth!

here is my baby book collection!

me and hunter at anna's birthday celebration! 

16 weeks! finally a little bump to show for it!

that's all for now! xoxo paula

quick update

today I went in for my 15 week check up and everything looks great! I ended up going back to my GP because I haven't found an OB that I like or a midwife that will take us on as patients. there is still hope though! I have one more midwife group to call and see if we can get in with them. other than that I have been to the chiropractor twice for some serious low back pain but all in all things are going well.
I also had 3 job interviews this week so hopefully one of those turns out and I can quit cleaning since that seems to be what causes the back pain. we'll keep our fingers crossed and see!
eric is doing well too - he's been interviewing up a storm so hopefully he gets some call backs soon.
i promise to write more next time!
xo paula

facebook baby

last night we made our baby news public by putting it on facebook! it was really fun to see all the congratulations and happy comments from people who support us and love us. it's also nice now that everyone knows the big news AND that my morning sickness is pretty much gone! yay!
now we just have to work on finding the right person to be in the delivery room with us. I have been reading a lot about different birth stories and I think that we have decided to go with a midwife for the birth of our baby. we saw a general doctor, a perinatologist and an OB/Gyn and I haven't met with the midwife yet but I did get to talk to one on the phone and I think that my idea of how I want the birth to be closely matches what they do. I'm excited to meet with them!
we're still working on finding jobs and saving money so hopefully things keep looking up!
xo, Paula
P.S. 14 weeks on friday!

i live in a nest of blankets this week

okay so today marks day 3 of feeling gross and not leaving the apartment. well I guess it's day 2.5 because on tuesday I did get up early and drive to maple grove to clean one house (where I felt awful and had to sit down on a bed upstairs while I was supposed to be dusting) but then I went home and napped until it was time to go to family fun night at my aunt's house. I admit I was feeling a bit better at family fun night but I just can't get rid of this awful cough.
yesterday I didn't even bother to change out of my jammies - it was bad. I was in bed all day until I moved to the living room for a change of scenery and to watch a movie and then it was back to bed for this girl. this morning I woke up still feeling gross and not having slept well from coughing all night plus a headache convinced me that I better stay home and try to shake this awful, energy-sucking cold vs. bundling up on the coldest day of the winter season so far and trying to clean two houses.
it has been really hard cause we really need the money but I can hardly stand the thought of having to "get ready" much less get on my hands and knees and start scrubbing floors.
pretty sure if I wasn't pregnant my bosses would've let me go by now. I've missed a fair amount of work but I honestly don't know what to do when I feel awful like this. it's not like I'm at the mall shopping or out having lunch with friends. it's frustrating cause I feel like I need to justify myself for staying home sick and not pulling it together somehow and going to work - especially right now with Eric being laid off too. I think the anxiety is getting to me while I sit here stewing in my nest of blankets. I've been trying to keep it away but as I'm writing this I can sense it creeping in.
SIDE NOTE: if anyone reading this is a billionaire would you mind donating money to us so that we can pay off all our debts and I can stay home and not have to worry? thanks! that'd be great!
anyway, Eric has had several interviews which is encouraging but we have also decided that we are going to move to a 2 bedroom apartment in a different complex. it will be cheaper which is good but we have to move in april so I'll be 6 months pregnant and we were really, really hoping that the next time we moved it would be into a house but since Eric got laid off that's no longer an option. we've been at our current place for 2 years now and I really love it here so it's going to suck to have to move to another temporary living situation.
(exhausted face) isn't it crazy when you're sick you can do nothing and still feel exhausted? well I guess that's enough sharing for now. baby is doing well! we have our first appointment with the obstetrician on monday! send up some prayers if you think of us! xo Paula