Baby 3 Progress

Well, haven't written much in here in a while and time's flown by. I'm now 32 weeks pregnant. So far things have gone well. Baby, who we found out is also a little girl, is growing well and is right on schedule. Her heartbeat is a little lower than Jane's or Alyss', at about 138bpm. Doctor Burnett is not worried, as it's still in the normal range. She just thought that we might be having a boy because usually boys' heartbeats are lower. My blood pressure and weight are good too and the belly measurements are on schedule as well. I'm also happy to report that I don't have gestational diabetes. The numbers were high but still in the normal range. This pregnancy's been harder on my body though. My lower back and my hips hurt really bad sometimes, to the point where I can't walk normally. The morning sickness I had for the first 15 weeks has not come back but I still get nausea sometimes and I'm also really exhausted some days. Just a week ago I felt really sick, with stomach aches, diarrhea, chills and vomiting. The doctor was worried that I might be having gallbladder problems but since I didn't have pain when she touched my sides she just told me to let her know if the stomach aches return. I haven't had stomach aches since but my skin started being really itchy. It started on my hands and feet and now it's on other parts on my body too. It gets really annoying sometimes. I read that it could be because of cholestasis, a condition where the bile pools in the liver. It could be dangerous and could cause still births so when I go for my next appointment I'll ask for a blood test just to be sure. I guess this is about it for now. I hope that everything will turn out ok and that these last few weeks will go by fast. I really hate the heat.

Well, since I last wrote I had another doctor visit, at 33 weeks. I've lost some weight but nothing to be concerned about. Dr. Burnett was concerned about my itchy skin, occasional stomach aches and diarrhea, so she ordered some blood tests for me, to check my gallbladder. They came back abnormal so she put in for more blood work and requested a gallbladder ultrasound as well. The results are to follow shortly. 

After the new blood tests and ultrasound we found out that I'm doing a bit better and that it's actually my liver who's not very happy. The following week I had another blood test to check the liver function and also had the baby monitored for a few minutes. Baby's doing great and liver function improved. So, we seem to be in good shape wich makes me really happy. :)

First Doctor's Visit for Baby 3

A couple of weeks ago I finally got to go to the doctor to check the progress of this pregnancy. The doctor was kind of weird but she did a good job making sure that I was ok. My blood pressure and urine were good and so far I haven't gained one pound (16 weeks)! I probably lost a couple with all the nausea and throwing up. Well, I haven't thrown up that much but definitely more than the first two pregnancies.
They drew a lot of blood and we even had a small ultrasound to confirm how far along I was and since the ultrasound was close to 16 weeks, we decided to keep the original due date. So, the official due date is July 11. The doctor said that as far as she could see in this quick scan, the baby looks good and healthy. She couldn't tell me the gender even though the baby kept showing its bum and legs and not much of anything else. We had a hard time putting the cursor on the heart to measure the heartbeat (it was good when we got to it) and even to measure the circumference of the head. Such a little squirmer, the doctor called so I guess this is mommy's little squirmer.
This week, on the 9 of February I really started feeling the baby move - the earliest of all (18 weeks) and I'm really happy. I missed that feeling :) So, on the 20th we'll have the full anatomy scan and hopefully we also find out if we have another girl or a boy. We love you little squirmer!

Baby 3!

Baby 3 is here!

Well, I can't believe that I've been pregnant for over two months and haven't posted any updates in here.

So, yes, we are expecting baby 3. What a joy! It's a pretty cool story how we decided to have another baby this soon. It happened in September-ish when we started talking about this baby name. One day, later that week, I just couldn't stop myself from thinking about the name. When David came home from work, I asked him what the name was, since I couldn't remember to save my life. He told me and he said that he's been thinking about it a lot that day too. We both felt like that was pretty much the call for a new baby. About the same time I was still wearing an IUD so, birth control was still in place. I went to the clinic and asked how much it would cost to remove it and I was told that it would be $165 - too much for our tight budget. While all this was happening I was also experiencing some pregnancy-like symptoms. I would get terrible motion sickness immediately after getting in the car, I was being nauseous at times and also lightheaded. On October 4th though my period came. This time didn't have spotting the couple of days before, like in the previous months after Alyss's birth, and the period was light and really short (a couple of days). Didn't pay much attention to it even though a lot of people who knew me kept saying that I acted pregnant. I couldn't be though, since I just had a period and an IUD in place. Well, at the end of the period I researched about pulling IUDs out and I decided to give it  try. Please, no judging. So, I gave it a little nudge and it came right out. After that I pretty much knew that I was going to get pregnant since it only takes us a few times usually to conceive. And I was right. Next period never showed and the pregnancy test was positive.

As of right now, I haven't consulted a doctor yet and will wait until we are about 12 weeks along (in January). The first sonogram will tell us for sure when this baby was conceived and if I was already pregnant when I had my last period. If so, the baby would probably be due in June. If not, then July will be the month. I can't wait to find out and also to see what the gender of the baby will be. I won't disclose in here the name (or gender) we think that the baby will be. We will be happy with either and actually have names for both. Of course, twins would be awesome, one of each, but I'm 99% sure that it's not going to happen.

We are very happy and excited for this new baby and even though this pregnancy so far's been a little harder (quite a bit of morning sickness, more cravings in the beginning and tiredness - which I actually experienced in the first trimester with the first two pregnancies as well) I'm enjoying it just as much and I can't wait to see that first picture of the baby. We love you baby 3!

Bebe 2 Ultrasound Pictures

Ultrasound 1 at 13 Weeks 2 Days

On her tummy, bent legs - 13 Weeks

On her tummy, straight legs 

On her back - she moved a lot :)

Lifted her head

Ultrasound 2 at 24 Weeks 

Her face and tummy 

Her arm 

Her little heart

Her leg

She turned on the other side - her head and body again

Face detail - her lips 

Her hand

Hello Second Trimester!!

First milestone - done! We're officially in the second trimester, which means less morning sickness and more good times (if you know what I mean - wink, wink)
The first trimester's been a bit tougher than when I was pregnant with Jane. I was still pretty tired and emotional but also had more morning sickness and my sense of smell is even stronger this time. When I was about 13 weeks along I had a bit of bleeding too, which never happened with Jane, and we went to the hospital to get it checked out. It turned out that everything was okay and the ultrasound confirmed that the baby is healthy and very active. It was fun to see the baby move, do somersaults, open its mouth and move its legs, body and head. I was so relieved to hear the heartbeat which was at 166 and very normal. Recently, I also started having the weird dreams that I had last time, but this time are not about babies but mostly about water. I drowned once, I saw a talking female shark in another one and I learned about a woman who ate a dog for breakfast after drowning it. Weird, I know. I haven't woken up crying or laughing out loud yet, like I did last pregnancy but these dreams are just as weird if not more. :)
We're excited for the new baby and can't wait to get to 20 weeks to find out the gender. We don't know if we want a boy or a girl so I guess either way we'll be very happy.

13 Weeks 2 Days

13 Weeks

Baby Johansen (Jane) Tummy - Progress

I'm creating a baby tummy album, so I'll keep adding pictures as the pregnancy progresses. Enjoy these pictures as they keep showing up! Thanks so much for watching!

40 Weeks

39 Weeks

38 Weeks

37 Weeks

36 Weeks

35 Weeks

33 Weeks

30 Weeks26 Weeks

22 Weeks

20 Weeks

17 Weeks

14 Weeks

13 Weeks

6 Weeks

Almost there

Well, since I don't know when Jane will decide to make her appearance in the world I thought I'd post one more time with some updates and feelings I've been having.

We're 37.5 weeks and getting bigger and more uncomfortable as we speak. I was wondering before what people mean when they say that the third trimester, and especially the last few weeks of pregnancy are uncomfortable and I think I got my answer. :) They say that you forget all about it after you have your baby so I decided to write it all down just so that I'll remember it and even have something to compare against next time I go through this. So, here it goes: if you sit too long your back starts hurting or the baby pushes down on your lower belly and that can hurt. If you walk too long you can get contractions; not necessarily painful ones but contractions nonetheless. If you lie on one side your stomach hurts and when you switch to the other side (which could take like a minute or more sometimes) your ribs hurt. You can't lie on your back or belly, of course, your hip joints get sore and painful to move and no matter how little you eat you'll still feel full and have difficulty breathing. Then there's the gas, constipation, swollen ankles sometimes and painful fingers. Yeah, don't know what's up with that one! :)

But even with all this going one, there's no greater and wonderful feeling that those kicks and rolls that the baby does constantly inside your belly. I love just watching my belly move from side to side, things sticking out or just moving under the skin. One time I had the best experience when I saw baby's body actually breathing. Her body was moving up and down very gently. If I wasn't looking I would have never felt it because it was very quiet and gentle. I loved it.

We go to the doctor every week now and every time I feel a little panic when they measure me. At 37 weeks I measured 42 cm and that's a big baby in my opinion. The doctor doesn't seem to think it's that big of a deal even though he does agree that I'm probably very uncomfortable. I'm like, "Yeah, you bet I am! Can we do something about thins?" Of course I don't say it but it would be nice if Jane came out and I could hold her in my arms rather than inside my belly. Last night in my dream I was holding her very close to my chest and it felt so good and natural. I can't wait to meet her and love her.

David is wonderful through all this. He is gone all day still but when he's home he takes care of me and helps me as much as he can. I love it when he kisses my belly before he goes to work and always tells me to take care of myself and the baby. He wants Jane to be born too and even though he's scared about it he is happy and even anxious to meet her. We know that our life will change completely once she arrives but we want her here so bad and we love her a lot.

Back to the pregnancy and how uncomfortable and unpredictable it is, I say, if you think about it too much before you get pregnant, you'll probably never do it. I've talked to and heard people saying how scared they would be to get pregnant and to have a baby; that it would be so hard and that they don't think they could ever do it. I'm not saying it'll be easy but if you just follow your heart and instincts you'll be fine. And when you do get pregnant you'll be very happy and that happiness will surpass any other fear you might experience. I remember when I found out that I was pregnant something changed inside me and from that point on the baby became the priority of my life. I still love David just the same, or even more, I love my family and I'm pretty much the same but the baby is always on my mind and all I want is for her to be happy above everything else. It's the greatest feeling you'll ever experience and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Baby and Mommy are well

Blurry picture of Jane's profile

On the 9th of September we had another dr. appointment. Everything went well until the doctor measured me and decided that I was measuring way too high for 33 weeks. The story of this pregnancy! :) He said that measuring 1 or 2 cm more would be ok but according to him I was measuring 5 cm over, which would put me at 37 weeks. So, he recommended that we have another ultrasound to make sure that everything was ok. On the 14 the we had the ultrasound. I was really nervous not knowing what they were going to say. The technician measured a few things in a hurry and gave me a blurry picture after which the doctor showed up and took almost 45 min measuring everything in great detail. It wasn't because he was concerned, but because he thought that the pictures he was able to take were really good and he could use them for his re-certification exam. So, we got the thoroughest exam we will probably ever get. The doctor said that Jane is fine, just measuring a bit bigger than other babies. She is in the 67 percentile weighting approximately 5 lbs 3 oz at 33 weeks (what she would have measured if she were a little over 34 weeks). Her body together with the placenta and the amniotic fluid make for a bigger uterus size for me but nothing of concern. So, baby's well and mom is well and possibly bringing the baby into this world a little earlier than expected.

Romanian BBQ and Baby Shower Fun

At the beginning of August a few of us got together and had a little Romanian BBQ. The Geambasu's brought delicious mici, and we also had other really good food. It was fun to see Irina, Fred and their baby Ashley, Maria, Tayler and bebe Luca who is not a bebe anymore but a cute toddler, and some of the friends who still live around in Utah but we don't get to meet too often. Ever since they found out that I was pregnant, Cristina and Eni decided to organize a baby shower for me. After weeks of preparation Cristina was able to come to Utah from DC and together with Eni they put together the shower. It took place in Pleasant Grove, at Lia's apartment and it was tons of fun. So, who came to the shower? Here's the list: Cristina Boey, Eni Hawkins with her kids Aren and Adam, my sister-in-law Charity and cousin Sara, Claudine Hatch, sora Miron Zenovia from Brasov, Lia Nielson, Eve Jaynes, Ioana Goodwin, Karina Clement, Summer Kaufman, Holly Moore and Mariana Palade. Unfortunately Irina and her sister Ioana couldn't be there but they had shown their support before the shower and I know that their hearts were there with me. We played games, had yummy treats, took pictures and of course I got to open lots of cool gifts. Thank you so much to the organizers and to everyone who came. I was really happy to have you all there.

I just don't understand

Another regular month of our lives... or how 'all we need is a better job' has become our life slogan.

Maybe there isn't anything to understand... Maybe life is just supposed to not work... Maybe we have to suffer... Maybe... Maybe...

You know what? I'm tired of maybes and of hoping. I'm just so tired... But it doesn't seem to matter because apparently there's nothing I can do to change anything. Fast! Pray! Everything is gonna be allright. Everyone's having a hard time right now. It's the stupid economy. You'll be fine. I know how you feel. Life is hard. Welcome to life! We'll pray for you. Pay your tithing. Give to fast offerings. Here's another list of jobs. It can be a lot worse than this. Now you have a story to tell your children!

True story: David finds the best work opportunity yet, about a month ago. Applies to it and realizes that he actually had met someone who worked for the company and who thought he was great and gave him her business card. We go and meet her and she seems happy to see him. She introduces him to the HR lady who tells David that the position he applied for might be already taken by an internal hire but that there is another position that opened up and he should definitely apply for that one as well. She emails David a detailed application and after a few days calls him for a phone interview that goes really well. She sends him a test after which tells him that he needs to have another interview, in person this time, with the manager of the IT department. The interview goes well and they all say that it will only be a few days and he should hear back from them. A week passes and we don't hear anything. We call to follow up. The HR lady seems impressed and says that everyone likes David very much but they are still interviewing a few people who had been referred by employees and it should take another week. On Sept. 2nd, David's birthday, we have a breakfast picnic in our bedroom, I give David a little present, we spend some time together walking around at the mall and dreaming about what we would get when we have a little more money after which David goes to work until almost midnight. I'm happy that I get to wish him happy birthday one more time before his birthday is over. We get home. He checks his email and receives the news we've been so anxious to get for three weeks. A polite message lets him know that the pool of candidates has been narrowed down to just a few and that he is not a part of them but that he can always apply for other opportunities as they arise. It was still his birthday.

Another one: We move into our new apartment and call the person who promised to help us bring our mattress from Midway. We're supposed to meet him in 10 minutes. He seems confused at first about the call and then apologizes that he won't be able to help anymore. So, we sleep on the floor for the next couple of weeks until a good friend offers to help bring the bed over.

Number three: I get a nice gift of money for the baby and am so excited that I can go out and actually get a few things that we still need for when the baby gets here. A few days later David spills soup all over his jeans and nice shoes only a few minutes before he needs to leave for work in the morning. He has no other pair of jeans and he gets to wear his broken shoes to work again, all while smelling like soup for the rest of the day. It's one of those long, 16 hour days that he will have to work today; second one this week and after not having a day of rest in about a month now. If I just didn't spend all the money and we got him another pair of cheap jeans...

Last one: Through some miracle David doesn't work the Thursday morning when I'm having my doctor's appointment. We go in. My blood pressure - good, baby's heartbeat 150 - good. After measuring me the doctor seems very concerned though that my measurement is way off. I'm 32 weeks and I measure 37. He goes and talks with someone then comes back telling us that we need an ultrasound to make sure that everything is ok. Another $400 ultrasound but it's our baby and all we care about is for me and her to be healthy. Rent and utilities due in two weeks. Another month of student loan payments that we won't be able to make; hopefully they approve us and the payments will be deferred for a while... Gas cost a lot this month again... all this commuting to Salt Lake, then driving to Riverwoods, then back to Springville seems to put quite a strain on the car. Those breaks are squeaky but hopefully won't beak down. This is the only way David can get to work.

Or maybe this is the last one... On Monday I have the first of four childbirth classes. I shouldn't have used the last bit of credit on that card to register for it but I am scared about this 'natural' yet so unpredictable event that I know I'll have to go through in only a few more weeks. David works a 16 hour day again on Monday and won't be there with me. Actually I don't know if I'll even make it as he will have the car and the class is in Provo. He tells me that he'll leave work in SLC early to come get me, I'll drop him off at Borders and then I'll have the car to go to class. He'll ask Borders to not schedule him on Monday nights for the next few weeks so he could come to the last 3 classes with me. Of course, that means he'll make less money but he loves me and knows how much I need him.

He suffers. I suffer. We encourage each other but they all seem empty words. He tries so hard to take care of us but he looks so tired all the time. He never sleeps. And then there's the trains passing constantly by only 20 feet from our apartment.

Last year at this time we were just getting settled in Ireland. A month and a half later we came back and started our life over hoping for some better times. We're still hoping as we hold each other tight. I try not to cry anymore. I don't want the baby to feel my pain. Maybe she'll be born soon and then at least she won't feel my physical pain anymore. I hope we'll be fine. I hope she's healthy. I hope David will make $2000/month soon... I hope I'll be able to work after she is born... I hope... I hope...

No Gestational Diabetes!

Short post! I had another doctor's appointment on Tuesday and the doctor told me that I don't have gestational diabetes. I'm so happy. That means that the baby should be fine and that I don't have to be on a diet! I'm still watching what I'm eating but I'm glad I don't have to make drastic changes or choices. Also the measurements were good and the heartbeat sounded ok too. The doctor didn't tell me the numbers but I'll ask next time because I like knowing how we're doing.

Funny story: I was lying down getting ready for the doctor to listen to the heartbeat. He puts the gel on my tummy and then comes with the Doppler and just as he puts the device on my skin the baby kicks it away! It was so funny to watch. She did it a couple of times in a row and the doctor was like: "it looks like she didn't like that!" I smiled but it made me proud to be her mommy. She's got personality! Hahaha! Way to go little one!

Doing well

Hello everyone! Heaven't posted much in a while and that's because even though things have happened they were kind of normal pregnancy developments or work-related. Today I decided that it's about time to post an update on how we're doing, knowing that more things will happen in the next few weeks that I will want to write about as well.

So, life's been ok for us. David switched jobs within Simply Mac once again. He was initially hired part time to teach computer programs and usage to customers. Then, after doing really good in the sales department they made him full time but also asked him if he would be a sales guy. He doesn't like selling all that much but given the opportunity to work full time he accepted the challenge. After only a month of working hard doing sales a new position opened up. It was a full time teaching position, exactly what he wanted and enjoys doing so he asked the management if he could get that and they okayed it. So, starting August he works as a full time SA guy which he enjoys much more and also fits his career goals and personality. He continues working at Borders part time and puts really long days every week. I wish I could say that all his hard work is paying off financially... Things are better for us and improving slowly but there's still a long way to financial freedom and lack of major worries. We're still trying to find one job that would be both rewarding and financially stable. All this hard work and long days away from home puts a lot of stress on David and me. We don't get to spend time together and do much other than say good morning to each other in the morning and greet each other with a warm hug and a nice home-made meal (when I have the energy to make it) at night. It's hard and I really hope that his schedule will change before our little girl arrives in November because I know how much he wants to be around to love her and see her grow.

On a more positive note, our baby girl is growing fast and seems to be happy and full of energy. At the last doctor's appointment the doctor said that all the measurements are normal, including her heartbeat, which was at 140. I get so excited every time I hear her heartbeat and I thought that this time it sounded more like a heart than it did before, one more sign that she's growing and developing. On the 29th of July I had to have a mandatory glucose test (they do it sometime between the 24th and 28th week - mine was at 26 weeks) and unfortunately my glucose level was a little high so today I went in and had a three hour test, during which they have me a whole bottle of orangey, really sweet glucose drink and took blood from my arms four!!! times. Not fun. I couldn't eat for almost 16 hours and my arms are now purple and a little painful but what I really hope is that both baby and I will be ok and healthy.

One other thing that happened a couple of weeks ago is the fact that we found a cute two-bedroom apartment in Springville (just South of Provo) that we think will be great for us and our little girl. We signed the contract already and will be able to move in anytime after the first week of August when all the paining, cleaning and other work that the manager wanted to get done should be finished.

These past few weeks had been a little more fun for me thanks to my friends Eni and Lia as well. We went to see Eclipse together and just yesterday we had a great time at the Seven Peaks water park in Provo. Eclipse was awesome. It's so far my most favorite movie in the Twilight series. As I keep telling everyone, I love the books but the movies didn't impress me at all until I saw Eclipse, which was more dynamic and interesting (except for the part where the vampires break into pieces as if they were made of glass or marble). The day at Seven Peaks was fun too. The morning was hot and perfect but the afternoon brought lots of rain and thunderstorms which lingered through the night and half of today as well. Even with the rain I did manage to get a nice sunburn on my shoulders, which I kind of missed since back in Romania we used to go to the beach for a couple of weeks every summer and burn and be happy. :) So much fun. I miss those days and the Black Sea. Speaking of which, I can't believe that last time I visited Romania and my family was in 2006, before we got married and that last time I went to the beach in Mamaia was in 2004. Time flies when you're busy and I can't believe that I've been married for a little over three years, I graduated college and I'll be having a baby in about 13 weeks. I'm content with my life and with all the experiences I've been through these past years since I left. I am in love like I've never been before and I'm so happy to become a mommy. Little girl is kicking me in my ribs :) so I guess I'll go lie down for a few minutes but I just wanted to thank each and everyone of you my dear friends and family for being here for us and for loving us unconditionally. I love you too.

We're having the cutest baby girl!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it's about time for some updates from the Johansens. Life's been stressful and good all of the same time. Stressful because David is still looking for a job that would provide for us. He still works his two jobs but as more loan payments, doctors appointments and ultrasounds keep piling up, our money keeps disappearing. I know that money tends to do that but in our case it just comes and goes and we don't even get to look at it and feel better about all the long hours David puts into earning this hard worked for money. And I don't know if it's pregnancy or what but I keep thinking that I'd love to be able to buy diapers, a crib, bedding, clothes and bottles for our little baby but there's no money for it. I've been trying to find some work online but wasn't very successful there and it just kills me to bring this baby into our family and not be able to provide for her.

Speaking of HER... Yes, we are now 99% sure that our baby is a little girl! he 20 weeks ultrasound confirmed, more or less the fact and we'd like to believe that it was right. Why aren't we 100 % sure? It seems that our little girl is pretty stubborn. Every time we tried to look at her she would keep her legs really tight. We only got a couple sneak peeks, which was apparently enough for the tech and doctor to declare that they're very positive that this is a girl. We do have a picture to prove it but what do we know? She would not show us a profile either so we got pictures of her bum, feet, legs and back of her head but no cute little face. Shy little thing! LOL Anyway, as far as we could tell she looked great and she seems to be strong and healthy... and moving a lot! She moved all the time, which made us laugh but got the ultrasound tech a bit frustrated. :) So, no reason for me to be worried that baby is not moving, even though I still can't seem to feel her a whole lot. After going to the doctor, a few days before the ultrasound I was still a little concerned. We did hear her heartbeat again but the doctor kept asking me "So, would you say you feel her move three times a day? Or how many?" And I was like "Well, can't really say that I ever felt her move..." And then she finds the heartbeat and the baby moves as we were listening and the doctor was like "Did you feel that?" and I was like "Ummm... noooo?". Anyway, it turns out that all those ticklings, like gas bubbles that I feel sometimes in my tummy are actually the baby and I swear that a couple of times she went all the way at the lowest part of my tummy and was just laying there, cause I felt this heaviness and when I touched it it was like a little bump that moved away after a second or so. So, I know that she's fine even though I only feel her every once in a while and not even every day.

So, now that we got used to the idea that it's a girl and not a boy, as almost everyone I know predicted, including ourselves, we are really excited and talk to her and about her all the time. We just love her so much! We don't have a name picked yet but hopefully that will happen soon.

Here are a few pictures of our little girl, the best that we can come up with as of right now. My most favorite is the one of her foot. :) I really hope that we'll get to see her one more time before she's born and that we'll actually get a clearer view of her gender and of her cute little face just so that there won't be any gender-related surprises. LOL Enjoy!

12 weeks? Not so sure... Let's check it out!

* Enjoy our baby's first picture!

So, everything is been going well since we found out that we were expecting. A month ago we had the first prenatal exam and the doctor said that both the baby and myself are doing great. A couple of weeks ago David's parents came to visit from Japan and we had tons of fun maternity shopping. We even looked for baby car seats and strollers but decided that it's a little too early to buy one now.
David's been working his two jobs and enjoys the Simply Mac position the best because it keeps him connected and updated on everything in the computer world. He also enjoys taking care of us which is great since I haven't really been able to be serious enough about getting another job. I just don't feel up for it right now. I was just thinking this morning how I'd have a very hard time committing to a job because I wouldn't feel strong enough to do it. Most of the days I'm either nauseous or tired and when I feel good I do too much around the house and then I get nauseous again. I know that my nausea is a lot milder than what many of my friends have experienced, especially since I haven't really thrown up once since my pregnancy started, but just the feeling of not really being myself is kind of discouraging when it comes to being serious about a job. So, anyway, David's been really supportive and I love him so much for that.
Yesterday we had our second Doctor's appointment and the doctor said once again that everything looks great and the results of the lab work we did last time were all good. We were also very excited to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday! I wanted to cry when I heard it. We were both amazed that such a tiny baby can have such a strong heartbeat. The doctor confirmed that the heartbeat was good and regular. However, when he checked my uterus he wasn't so sure that I was only 12 weeks along so he ordered an ultrasound which I had right after the appointment. Unfortunately, David couldn't stay for it because he was already late for work but we talked as soon as I was done and I told him about the experience. It was such a miracle to see our little baby moving inside my tummy. It moved its arms a few times and liked to keep them in front of the face while it kept its legs crossed. I could see its knees and little legs! I was so nervous that I was a little shaky, which was also probably because my bladder was really full and I was feeling a little cold. :) So, we don't have twins but our baby is one week older than we thought before.
Seeing the baby and hearing its heartbeat made the whole pregnancy a lot more real. I now know for a fact that there is a little baby growing steadily inside me. I'm starting to feel more like a mom and I'm already imagining what it will be like to have the baby here with us.
We are very happy and excited and can't wait for the 20 weeks ultrasound when we'll hopefully be able to find out if our little baby is a boy or a girl. No matter what it is, we already love our baby with all our hearts and can't wait for it to get here on November 3rd, one week earlier than we first expected!

Good news! Finally...

Hello dear friends! We finally have some good news to share with you. It's about time, you might say and I totally agree with you! :) It's not fun when life is hard and to tell you the truth I'm really tired of it. As some might say, "I've had it!"But back to the story. In January we decided that it was time for our family to grow a little so we started trying for a little Johansen Jr. I read books, such as "What to expect before you're expecting" which proved very interesting but didn't give me much of hope that I will become pregnant any time soon. Apparently, after being on birth control for a while, some women take between 6 months and a year to get pregnant while others conceive very soon. I didn't feel like I was the fast type, even though my mom assured me that if I inherited any of her genes it won't be long. :) Sometime at the end of February I wasn't feeling very well so I thought I'd try a pregnancy test. The result was almost positive. Why almost? Because it was negative but there was a second feint line that showed a possibility of being pregnant. I was pretty disappointed but continued to read books on what to do to be healthy and ready for a baby. Things went better than we expected and on March 9th we found out through the miracle of home-testing that we are going to have a baby! Being as skeptical as I was, David bought me a new test, as the one I had at home was about to expire. Not knowing that he will buy a new test, I myself bought one just to be sure. Well, I ended up trying 5 more different tests, all of them showing a positive result!!!! Crazy, I know. After about a week of feeling nauseous we went to a clinic in Salt Lake and their test confirmed what we already knew. We are gong to have a baby and he/she will apparently be born at the beginning of November! We are very excited and nervous at the same time.
The other good news is that David had a second interview with Simply Mac, a computers and accessories store, and they offered him a part time position! We really hope that it will become full time soon but for now David is trying to find a second job so that we could move in our own apartment and get ready for the little one that is growing and making me tired and not so fun to be around. :) You women out there surely know what I'm talking about. Even though the pregnancy's been pretty easy on me so far I'm still not my best and I can tell that something is happening in my body. I can't wait to have the first ultrasound at the beginning of April, just to be sure that everything is ok. Did any of you, moms out there ever fee; uncertain and scared that maybe the baby isn't ok? Especially when you can't see any changes in your appearance at the beginning of your pregnancy? I sometimes feel that way but David tries to calm me down and assure me that everything is fine.

Anyway, this is our news so far. We hope that all of you are happy and doing well and we love you and wish you only great things!