Christmas is over...

Christmas...my favorite time of year. It is sad to see it go but this year we are definitely looking ahead to even better things. We usually take our tree down around New Year's but this year we already have all of the decorations packed away for next year! Time goes by so quickly and I am sure that April will be here before we know it. Hopefully the weather will start to get better before then.

Baby Olson received many great Christmas gifts this year...lots of hawkeye stuff so everyone must know his Daddy pretty well. We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is looking good. I can't believe that I am over halfway through. I scheduled my last monthly appointment for the end of January and then we will start to see the doctor every other week. Our baby class starts in a couple of weeks, which will give us something to look forward to each week and help pass the time by!

We are busy finishing up things around the house on the to-do list before he arrives. As the saying goes..."So much to do, so little time". I feel as if everything should be updated and organized before he arrives.

It was great to spend time with our family and friends during the past few weeks. We want to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

23 Weeks Down, Only 17 Weeks to go

Time flies. As I get further in my pregnancy I hope to write on my blog more often. It feels as if overnight I started showing big time. One day I was pregnant and showing...the next day I was pregnant and really showing. We are checking things off our to-do list little by little. The nursery furniture is set up and the clothes that we have been given are sorted and in the dresser.

Baby update...he is about 1 lb. 6 oz. and is around 8 to 10 inches (crown to rump). He is moving around all of the time now. It is fun to get that feeling right now knowing he is growing on the inside. Lucy (our dog) likes to lay right next to my stomach almost as if she knows her baby brother is in there. We found a dog shirt for her that says "I'm the big sister". She has done very well around the nieces and nephews so we are hoping she will do great around her brother, too. I have read some tips online of how to prepare your pet for the big arrival so we may use a few of those as we prepare.

Jason and I love Christmas so this is going to be a fun week. We will spend Christmas Eve with Jason's family and then Christmas day with my family. My sister, Megan from New York, will be home with her husband, Ben, and her 4-month old, Jonah. We are so excited to see them. I saw Jonah when he was a week old and he has gotten so big. We are blessed to be surrounded by all of our families this holiday season.

We wish you and your family nothing but the best!

What a week...

Amazing how so much can happen in one week...we found out the great news of our baby last week...it's a boy. We celebrated our third anniversary on Wednesday. I can't believe how fast time goes but it has been a great three years. I am a pretty lucky wife. Jason got me a Honda Pilot as a gift...maybe he is setting the bar a little high :) but it was a great investment as we will have a little more to carry around in a few months. Babies have a lot of things...

Then I thought everything was perfect until we got home from dinner on Wednesday night to find our garage door was open and someone was robbing our house. Luckily, we caught him and the police were able to apprehend him after Jason chased him in the SUV through some neighbors' yards, the car lot behind our house, and to the church at the top of the hill. We were able to get back most of what he was taking although there are a few things that we haven't found which he could have dropped when he was running.

We are thankful that we are safe. Material things can be replaced so we weren't too worried about those things. It reminds us that, unfortunately, you can't let your guard down these days. It will also help us to have our house more protected before the baby arrives. Things don't always go as planned but we are so fortunate for what we have and family and friends that surround us with support.

Baby names...I never thought it would be so hard but right now that is the big topic of discussion at the Olson household. I am confident that we will find the perfect name but patience is the difficult part. We look forward to sharing it with you once we have decided as we are not very good at keeping secrets. :) I am feel pretty good right now...I have finally made it back to the gym. It is good to be moving around and not feeling sick. I've got to get this little one in shape. The baby is moving all of the time and it makes it even more real every day. A few aches and pains here and there but overall pretty good. I definitely have a lot more energy so I am able to stay busy like I always like to be. Jason is really busy at work these days...he won an award at the Annual Christmas party for the 2nd highest sales at the bank!

We wish our family and friends the best this holiday season! Enjoy every moment of it!

It's a BOY!!!

Yesterday was the big day...we went into the ultrasound expecting that it was a girl for some reason and it is a BOY!! Everything looked great on the ultrasound and he is growing as expected. It is a great blessing to see a healthy baby in the pictures.

We are very excited, especially its father :) Jason is already thinking about coaching him in sports. Last night a few of our friends hosted a "We Found Out" party which was a lot of fun with cupcakes with blue sprinkles and football wrappers.

We have thought of a few names but still need to narrow down the name for sure. Now we can quit calling it "IT" and come up with a great name. It is a lot harder to come up with a name than I thought it would be but fun at the same time! Then we can start picking out the stuff for the nursery. We already have the nursery furniture so we are off to a good start. So much to think about.

Today Jason and I are celebrating our third wedding anniversary and this is the best gift ever.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today we have so much to be thankful for. We are thankful for our family that we get to share this holiday season with. We are thankful for the home we live in and the love we are surrounded by. We are thankful for our healthy baby to join our family in April. I am thankful for second helpings (for the baby, of course). Today, take a moment to remember what you are thankful for. We have all been given so much & not everyone in this world is so lucky!

Tomorrow is the big shopping day. Jason and I will go shopping with my mom and sister Kate in the morning! We will see how the pregnant girl does walking through the crowds all day long. This is our favorite time of year! Our decorations for Christmas are up a little early this year since Thanksgiving comes about a week late. We couldn't wait any longer.

Next year Baby Olson will be 7 months old to celebrate thanksgiving with us. On Tuesday, we will find out the gender and the planning will begin. We can not wait!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving day and remember we are thankful for you!!!

Chiropractic Care & Pregnancy

After a referral from a good friend, I started with Chiropractic care early in my pregnancy. I was having back pain from the start and really wanted to use it as a preventative method for future aches and pains. Little did I know that it would help in so many other ways. After my initial visit to the OB/GYN, they discovered that I had a thyroid problem which would need to be medicated especially during my pregnancy along with blood tests every few weeks to make sure that my levels were accurate. I was pretty disappointed because I really didn't want to have to take a bunch of medication during my pregnancy.

I started going to Dr. Heather at Yost Chiropractic right around the same time and after 4 weeks of visits with her...I went to have my thyroid tested again and it was in the expected range. I then learned that every part of your spine and nervous system is connected to another part of your body and how it functions. Well after my adjustments, as my spine was more correctly in alignment, my thyroid was functioning as I needed it to. I am so thankful that I don't have to be on medication. Chiropractic care is also known for faster and easier labor and deliveries and a faster recovery. Who wouldn't want that?!?!?

It's amazing the different things that can help you if you just take the time to learn about them.

19 days in counting until our ultrasound :) YEAH!!!

Happy Halloween

We had so much fun last night Trick or Treating with some of our nieces and nephews. They were dressed up so cute in their costumes. I can't wait until next year when we will have a little Olson to take with us when we make the rounds.

Things are going good. I have been able to accomplish a lot more these days now that the fatigue is slowing down just a little. I started my 16th week and it is hard to believe that the first trimester is already over...time really does fly. It's a good thing but also kinda scary because there seems like there is so much to do and so little time.

In just four weeks we will be able to find out the gender and then I feel like we can start accomplishing a lot more!

I hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Potty Trips

So even though as a woman you are warned of frequent trips to the restroom while you are pregnant I could have never imagined that it would be quite so many. Just the simple task really drains a person (no pun intended!) when you have to complete it so many times in a given day. Just when you think "I should be able to make it for awhile now..." There comes the sudden urge again. Although I had great respect for mothers before I really appreciate all that women endure for children. I know the reward at the end is great so that's what keeps you moving, even if it is to the restroom all the time! I think I need to get one of these...pictured to the left :) It's a potty you can take anywhere!!!

I love to read where our baby is at each stage in the pregnancy...this is how little Olson is doing now at week 14..."Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb."--babycenter.com

How cool is that! Hopefully he/she thinks I am funny and smiles at my jokes!

Another Week Down...

I can't believe another week has gone by, time really does fly. I am starting week 14...can you believe it?!?!? I am beginning to feel better with a little more energy each day. I am hoping that this will continue. I would love to start walking more each day so that I can get back into a workout routine. I have been so tired lately that it has been difficult to do much of anything.

Our baby is growing and it about 3 inches tall this week. We have started to think of names but will most likely search more diligently once we find out what the gender of our baby is...that will be very exciting!

The Heartbeat

Jason and I got to hear the heartbeat today for our little baby. It was pretty quick at about 162 beats per minute. It was great to hear it for the first time. We both expected to hear it but once you actually do it makes you think even more about the little person you are creating inside.

As for my thyroid they are holding off for now on medication but once again took my blood to check my levels. I did find out last week that certain thyroid levels are not high but I have a high number of antibodies in my blood. They will continue to watch this number and put me on medication if needed.

December 2nd is the day we have scheduled for our ultrasound. We will have one other appointment in between that. In our ultrasound we hope to find out the gender of our baby.

I am feeling okay these days...still pretty tired but hoping that gets better soon. This week we start our 2nd trimester...amazing how time goes by so quickly.

Opinions...

Everyone always said you receive a lot of unsolicited advice when you are pregnant. I don't really mind advice or opinions coming from those we are close to but when random people share their opinion it is kinda annoying... Jason and I have decided that we are going to find out what we are having. We are very excited and feel that it is best for us to decide what we are having with this pregnancy. In class the other day...about six people tried to convince me that I shouldn't find out...so anyway kind of annoying but I will drop it for now :)

I suppose I should clarify as a lot of people have asked...it is my friend Sarah Willis that is pregnant right now too. I have lots of friends named Sarah(Sara)...popular name.

I went to the doctor yesterday for my thyroid and they again did more tests. I will probably be put on a low dose of thyroid medication throughout my pregnancy and then after the baby is born, they will check it again to see what I need to do from there. We go to the doctor next Monday to hear the heartbeat and we can't wait. I can't believe I am through my first trimester...time really does fly by. I am loving this fall weather!!!

tired...still tired

This week has been very tiring. I realize deep down inside that it won't necessarily get any better after our child is born but it has hit me pretty hard. The nausea is starting to subside so I am definitely thankful for that. Next week I go to the thyroid specialist to see what they can do for my thyroid. My doctor said that would add to my fatigue until I get that more in line with where it is suppose to be.

My friend Sarah found out that she is pregnant too!! She has an EDD (estimated due date) of May 11th. It will be fun to have someone to go through this with.
More details to come next week...we are patiently waiting for October 6th to arrive so that we can see/hear the heartbeat!

Have a great weekend...more news soon!

PS The other posts were from a website I was going to use to blog until I found this one which I like better. Enjoy!

More tests...

What a beautiful day out...it is about 75 degrees and sunny. We should all be outside instead of working :) I have been feeling really tired and still pretty nauseous throughout the day...I am hoping as my first trimester comes to an end in a couple of weeks that, that will subside. I found out from my doctor last week that my thyroid is having trouble keeping up so that could be another reason that I am feeling so tired all of the time. I went for more blood tests yesterday and will need to see a specialist during my pregnancy. It was pretty scary at first when you don't know what they will have you do but from what they say it is a pretty easy fix. I will have to have a blood test once a month to make sure that it stays in the normal range.

This week I also started to go to a chiropractic that specializes in prenatal care. I went to the chiropractic throughout most of my childhood as a wellness measure and I am looking forward to my care with Dr. Heather Yost. Chiropractic care is known to help with making the labor and delivery as well as the recovery time go more smoothly!
Thanks again for reading our blog...

Our First Appointment

Jason and I had our first doctor's appointment yesterday. They made my official due date April 18, 2009. It seems so far away but I know that it will be here before we know it! At our next appointment (at 12 weeks) we will get to hear the heart beat. Everyone says that is one of the best experiences so I can't wait!

I am still feeling pretty good overall...nausea at times and tired but nothing too bad. I have only got sick once so I am counting my blessings!

My new nephew and niece are doing great and it is fun to watch them grow in just a few days! As the old saying goes...they grow up fast :)

Another niece...

My sister Becca had a baby girl on Monday at 12:15 a.m. Zoe Noel Thiele. She is so precious and has soooo much dark hair...she looks just like my sister.

I am still feeling good. I am in New York visiting my sister, Megan and her family. Now the family will await our addition in April. Our first doctor's appointment is next week, that should be exciting.

Keep checking back as we add more details about our pregnancy. As always feel free to offer comments as we go along!

We're pregnant...

We are pregnant...

This week Jason and I found out that we are pregnant. We are very excited about this new adventure. Our families are very excited. Finally, I am starting to catch up with my sisters :) Our estimated due date is April 17, 2009.

My sister Megan had a baby boy on August 9th...Jonah Wrigley Engle

My sister Becca is at the hospital as I write this to have a baby girl...more on that soon!

Please feel free to check back on our journal often to keep up with our pregnancy! We love you all and are happy to have you in our lives.