Week 15!

This one will probably be another short one, but not because I'm feeling any less blessed, I'm just wondering where that so-called "second trimester burst of energy" is! I haven't seen it!! I suppose it doesn't help that we've been working hard cleaning up and packing up all day today. I won't bore you with details, but I will give you some week 15 news!

I took 2 pictures this week because I wanted one with regular clothes on instead of just a camisole. I refuse to take bare belly photos to publish, but I did expose my beloved belly band which better highlights my growing bump. We had been riding with the windows down, so try to ignore my messy head.

How far along: 15 weeks, 4 days

Gender: Mama can't get away from masculine pronouns 

Weight gain: +2lbs as far as I know

Maternity clothes: Scrubs, scrubs, and scrubs. Flowy shirts and belly bands...I think I've stretched the belly band use as far as I can though

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: I've been sleeping well, aside from waking up due to little bitty on my bladder

Best moment this week: My sweet Clinkscale moved this week! He/she provided me a beautiful moment in the midst of sadness (work-related), and I will always be grateful. A wonderful moment that brought to light the sanctity of both new life and death and how blessed I am to experience both. Thanks, Clinkscale, you're steady teaching your mama already. You just nudged me again, does that mean you're acknowledging my thanks? I love you.

Miss anything: I would say Tyler, but I'm looking at him now. I'll be missing him again tomorrow though, of that I am sure.  

Movement: YES!! What a thrilling feeling, however fleeting it may be

Cravings: Breakfast: biscuits, hashbrowns, waffles, you name it.  

Queasy or sick: No! I am blessed!

Looking forward to: Anatomy screen on May 13th and Disney with the marching band this weekend!

It feels good to be in Thomasville, but it will feel even better to have my family back together again in Dalton.

XOXO,
Hannah

14 Weeks Blessed...a little late

Hello blog world! This blog SHOULD have been written at least a week ago, but internet is splotchy at best at my dad's house, so here it is.

A lot of things happened in week 14, which is another reason I should've been blogging at the time, but it's too late for that now. On the first day of week 14 I was on my 2nd day of a new job, and at 14wks and 2days I got to hear my sweet Clinkscale's heartbeat at my doctor's visit. I also found that we'll learn Clinkscale's sex on May 13th--a date that can't get here soon enough. That's all I've got for now, here are the week 14 basics:

How far along: 14 weeks and 6 days when this photo was taken

Gender: Mama had a few doubts this week, but still thinking Clinkscale is a boy! 

Weight gain: +2lbs according to the scales at the doctors office

Maternity clothes: Scrubs almost all the time, with loose fitting dresses and pants with a belly band when I'm not working

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Sleeping well aside from waking up about once per night for a bathroom break

Best moment this week: Seeing my sweet husband on the weekend! Staying 5 1/2 hours away from my husband during the week is not as difficult as I had anticipated, but it sure does make the weekends sweeter. I was also excited to hear that we'll be having our anatomy & sex determination scan May 13th. I can't leave out the fact that I started a brand new job that I'm loving!

Miss anything: Just the love of my life during the week  

Movement: I had one questionable feeling, but I thought it was gas...still not certain

Cravings: Breakfast foods 

Queasy or sick: No! I am blessed!

Looking forward to: Weekends with my husband and our anatomy scan May 13th!

That's all I've got!

XOXO,
Hannah

Hey oh! 13 weeks!

Hello beautiful friends! We've officially reached week 13! I can't believe it on one hand, and on the other it feels like it has taken a million years. Right now we're watching Gravity which is way too intense for me to focus too intently on this blog...but watching movies "in space" gives me vertigo and totally freaks me out, so having this distraction is probably best.

In non-baby-related news I am moving home this week! I'm super excited and scared to death and worried about missing the crap out of my husband while we're apart. We've set up a schedule though, and we should easily be able to see each other every weekend...it's not enough, but we do what we have to. Please keep us in your prayers!

And now...the miracle:

 

 

How far along: 13 weeks, 0 days

Gender: Mama still thinks Clinkscale is a boy!  

Weight gain: +0.8lbs according to last week's appointment, and I haven't weighed since 

Maternity clothes: The shirt in the picture is maternity, but it's the first I've worn. Otherwise I'm all about a bellyband and some flowy shirts

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Sleeping like a rock these days, thanks to my magnificent pregnancy pillow

Best moment this week: Announcing the pregnancy on facebook...most fun I've had in awhile! People are so positive and uplifting, and it just increased my blessing. We also got word yesterday that our first trimester scan was 100% normal, and our risk for genetic abnormalities that we were tested for is 1 in 10,000 which is the best result you can get it. Praise the Lord again!

Miss anything: Lunch meat, I only want it because I can't have it

Movement: Baby is moving like a wild child, but I can't feel it yet

Cravings: Pizza. I really, really love pizza.  

Queasy or sick: No! I am blessed! 

Looking forward to: Moving home and a doctor's appointment next week, I love hearing little Clinkscale's heartbeat!


That's it for today! Thanks for praying with us and loving on us, you guys are truly the best!

XOXO,
Hannah

The Rest of the Story

Hey yall!

So in case you missed it yesterday, we're pregnant!! I doubt you did, I posted it everywhere, but I just really like saying it. Aside from congratulations, the question/comment I've gotten most was, "How did you finally get pregnant? What worked for you?" so I figured I owe you an answer. And by that I mean I WANT to give you the answer, because it's such vivid proof of our God's power and love that I just can't keep quiet.

Let's begin with the basics in case you haven't been following our journey...I don't ovulate. Like ever. I was on contraceptives for the first 2 years of our marriage, but after that all things in the baby making department ceased to exist. I figured out I wasn't ovulating on my own, and after 3 different MDs in 2 different cities it was finally confirmed. My sweet little demon ovaries were rebelling against my heart and soul and saying no.

We did 3 rounds of Provera in hopes that it would "jump start" my menstual cycle naturally, and when that failed we tried Progesterone + Femara to make me ovulate...which also failed. In January I finally started seeing my current doctor (who is fabulous and wonderful and I wish she'd be my primary MD, my OB, my dentist, etc all at once. I love her!) and she gave me the ultrasound I had been begging for. My suspicions were confirmed at that time: I have PCOS. There was one beautiful thing on that ultrasound though...one teeny tiny microscopic almost-mature follicle: AN EGG!! One beautiful egg! We knew it was likely that we wouldn't "catch" it, but at least it was there...and with it came hope.

We left the doctor's office that day with the plan to return in a few weeks to start Provera and Clomid in order to stimulate ovulation. Here's something you should know: Provera is toxic to a zygote/embryo (tiny baby who isn't big enough to be a fetus yet) and if pregnant it would kill the baby. I was SO excited to be handed this hope! I just knew Clomid would be my ticket to motherhood.

Approximately 4 days later that microscopic egg matured and was fertilized. A beautiful, perfect life was formed, we just didn't know it yet, and our pregnancy was so young it would never register on a test before our doctor's appointment. We proceeded with our plans to travel to the doctor and start our new medication regimen.

Remember the snow storm that shut down Atlanta? That snow storm saved our baby's life. Though I'm sure it's not the only reason God shut down Atlanta, I just know He shut it down to keep us from getting to our appointment. If we would've made it to Calhoun we would've started Provera and potentially terminated the pregnancy we prayed for so long. I've said it before and I'll say it again: God is SOVEREIGN! He shut down a city for my baby when it was but a mass of cells!

So that's how we got pregnant. Through prayer and not medicine. Through God and not science, because GOD IS ABLE. If you take nothing else from my story, please take that. God loves you enough to shut down a city and force people to sleep in schools and grocery stores. All for you. You're that important and that loved. You have been since before you were born.

How blessed we are!

XOXO,
Hannah

12 Weeks Blessed

Today is the day that I wish we were announcing our pregnancy. We are 12 weeks today, but given that it's April Fool's and I have a HUGE problem with pregnancy announcement jokes, I have refrained. But it's been SO HARD. Oh. So. Hard. Because this is literally the best secret ever.

I posted a status on fb today & I've gotten so many beautiful, supportive messages from people I've NEVER met saying they're praying for me. If you're reading this, you have no idea how much you've blessed me today. I hope you're not offended by my pregnancy announcement today after posting such yesterday. Though pregnant, I still remember the heartache of April Fools past, and I still long to raise awareness for infertility and the men and women still in the middle of their battle. I have not given up on you, and I will NOT stop talking about it.

Onto little baby perfection. I got to see my little precious today!! It was our first trimester screen which consists of an ultrasound and a blood test. The ultrasound looked great, but little baby Lipsey (Clinkscale, if you'll remember) is an acrobat!!! Clinkscale was moving SO MUCH we had a hard time getting pictures of him/her. He/she was literally JUMPING. He/she put his/her little feet on my uterine wall and took off! JUMPING!! I'm also pretty certain there was some twerking happening at some point. Because of this act I will ask that everyone try not to buy my baby teddybears because I do not want a little Miley Cyrus on my hands. Please and thank you. Clinkscale is his/her mother's child and was very agitated with being disturbed by the US wand. There was kicking, smacking, and head butting at the wand when Clinkscale was prodded. Our US tech was cracking up and said it was the most entertaining ultrasound she had seen in a long time! That's Mommy's baby!! I'm so very blessed, but sad I didn't get my little gymnast/swimmer extraordinaire on video!

 

How far along: 12 weeks, 0 days (measuring 12w1d, little overachiever)

Gender: Mama is sticking with boy in spite of the elevated heart rate (161) 

Weight gain: +0.8lbs...apparently we are fluctuating

Maternity clothes: My mama bought me some, but I'm still in regular clothes + belly band 

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Knock on wood it's been better this week!

Best moment this week: Seeing my precious miracle via US!! 

Miss anything: Not that I can think of

Movement: Baby is moving like a wild child, but I can't feel it yet 

Cravings: Whatever you're having still.  

Queasy or sick: No! I am blessed!

Looking forward to: Announcing my miracle!!! AHHH!! Roughly 12 more hours!

Thanks for praying with me and blessing my heart, friends. I love you!
Hannah


11 weeks bumpdate!

Hello all! Mama & Clinkscale here, reporting in at 11 weeks, 2 days! Nothing major going on this week aside from the fact that I'm down to 5 more shifts at the hospital and Clinkscale is doing some serious development in utero. From what I read Clinkscale is growing fingernails and tooth buds...here's hoping he/she isn't born with teeth because Mama really wants to breastfeed without getting bit! He/she is the size of a lime!

This week I peed in a little cup that supposedly told me Clinkscale's gender! I'm not sure it's accurate, but Aunt Tab gave it to us, so we used it! It said to wait 5 minutes to read the test, but mine immediately turned the color of fresh stomach bile from a patient with a small bowel obstruction, so I knew the answer was boy.

In other news, I got a belly band! This morning I couldn't comfortably button my jeans and breathe simultaneously, so I knew it was time. Oddly I have lost weight instead of gained, but I can still tell a difference in my abdomen...I'll let you be the judge based on photos.

I also tried on bathing suits today, which made me painfully aware of the changes Clinkscale has made on my body. My breasts no longer fit in anything you could call "cute," and I certainly can't wear anything that doesn't have an XL in the tag. I took a picture, but I really don't think it's appropriate to share with the world at large, so I'll keep it to myself. My darling Meghan had a good time laughing at/with me, it was surely a reality slap! And we're only getting bigger from here!!! I'll take it though, any day of the week. What a blessing my swollen body is! I am thankful!

Without further rambling, I give you week 11:

 



How far along: 11 weeks, 2 days

Gender: Mama and Intelligender (thanks Aunt Tab) say boy!

Weight gain: -1.5lbs but I don't know how

Maternity clothes: Won't be long, Mama's got a belly band!  

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Maybe a little better this week. I woke up last night from 0315-0430, but I didn't work today so I was able to catch up.
 

Best moment this week: Bathing suit shopping, it was nice to be able to see the changes Clinkscale is making in my body...a reminder that he/she is really there! Also I took the Intelligender test which confirmed my suspicion that Clinkscale is a boy...if it's accurate:)

Miss anything: Copious amounts of caffeine, mostly

Movement: From what I read baby is moving, but I can't feel it.

Cravings: Everything. Sometimes Zaxbys, sometimes Chinese. It varies.

Queasy or sick: No! I am blessed!

Looking forward to: First trimester screen and ultrasound next Tuesday, 4/1/14, I can't wait to see my little bitty miracle again!

Can't wait to share our big news with yall, it's almost time!!!

XOXO,
Hannah

Mom & Clinkscale reach week 10!

Hello all!

Today is 10 weeks into our official journey as parents!! And, coincidentally, I have 10 more shifts left as a med-surg nurse!! After the day I had yesterday, the latter seems more immediately exciting. Not sure I should admit that, but yesterday was truly horrendous...this may be why mama looks SO tired in this week's picture.

I read somewhere that at 10 weeks gestation the miscarriage risk decreases to 3%. Because of this I can breathe a sigh of relief, and I also find it remarkably more difficult to keep this secret. We will overcome the silence though, and hopefully be able to tell you in about 2 weeks!

How far along: exactly 10 weeks

Gender: Mom is still sticking with boy, Dad still doesn't know

Weight gain: 0, I think? I haven't weighed myself. I feel fatter, so I'll just stick with that

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I'm almost exclusively in scrubs, so who knows 

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: What is this sleep you speak of? Between the million bathroom breaks and the wild, vivid, sometimes inappropriate dreams, I don't sleep anymore. Couple that with the anxiety I have toward my job, I've been awakening between 0345 & 0400 every morning I have work. This morning (my ONE day off) I woke super early, but I was able to go back to sleep and rest a little. You know you're pregnant when you dream about BOGO bakery treats and double fisting them, your 2 year old niece singing wrecking ball, and simultaneously punching someone while putting gum in their hair. Thanks, little Clinkscale, Mommy thinks your imagination is as vivid and crazy as her's.

Best moment this week: I've been working a lot this week, so my best moment is that I'm still pregnant in spite of the insane stress. Also coming home Saturday evening to find my precious husband cooking both dinner and breakfast and having laundered my scrubs...he sure knows how to make me feel special and cherished.

Miss anything: SLEEP.

Movement: From what I read baby is moving, but I can't feel it.

Cravings: Whatever you're having. Seriously. And by you I mean in real life (even cafeteria food at work?), on TV, and in pictures. I want all the food.

Queasy or sick: No! I am blessed!
 

Looking forward to: Going home for the weekend for a 5K and a pregnancy announcement photo session! You'll get to see those as soon as we hit 12 weeks!

XOXO,
Hannah

Week by Week

Now that the big secret is out, I want to share the photos I've taken in the meantime. I wish I had done a blog post for each week, but I'll catch up now and do them every week from now on.

Here's a picture from the day we found out (February 14, 2014), we thought we were closer to 6 weeks, but it turns out we were only 5 so the board isn't 100% accurate!

That day we were shocked and ecstatic and not even sure what to do!! So we had some dinner, bought What to Expect When You're Expecting, and bought a marker board to document the occasion!

 

7 Weeks

February 27 we FINALLY got to go to the doctor and get a little peek at our little miracle. Little bit was confirmed to be 7 weeks and 2 days old that day. I don't have a picture of my belly (it hadn't changed much), but I DO have some pictures of this precious baby of mine:



Heart beat going strong at 141 beats per minute!! I cried like a baby and couldn't believe this uterus was mine!!! What a bountiful blessing for our family!!

8 Weeks

Week 8 brought no real changes in my body aside from some constipation, which is what accounts for the belly you see in these pictures. That's not the miracle of life, folks, that's the miracle of poop all backed up in your colon where it isn't supposed to be. Thank God for Colace, I say!

9 Weeks

And now, I bring you to today. March 13, 2013, at 9 weeks and 2 days:

How far along: 9 weeks 2 days

Gender: Mama's guess has always been boy

Weight gain: 0

Maternity clothes: No maternity clothes yet...I can still wear my old ones, plus I live in scrubs which are elastic waisted & don't require me to stay one size.

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In. No change yet

Sleep: Nothing like it used to be. I stay up later and wake up earlier, and I wake up at least once per night to go to the restroom. When I wake up in the middle of the night I also have a very difficult time falling back to sleep.

Best moment this week: The colace is working and the constipation is resolving...at least for now!

Miss anything: Regular sleep and regular poops.

Movement: Too small to feel yet

Cravings: Chickfila chicken sandwiches, hashbrowns, and Taro froyo...the more condiments the better. Also Mexican food is creeping into my thoughts very often this week.

Queasy or sick: Not really. I've been blessed with no morning sickness, just a tiny bit of queasiness when I take too long to fill up my empty belly--this baby wants me to eat all the time!

Looking forward to: Sharing our good news with the world! I am DYING over here trying to keep this most wonderful secret!!

 

XOXO,

Hannah



Love Like No Other

Dear Sweet Baby Lipsey,

Welcome to fetushood! 9 weeks and 1 day ago, the Lord spoke you into existence and blessed us with the most precious gift of your life. I'm crying just thinking about it. About you. About the abundant grace of our Savior and how He loves US. Your daddy and I are just so happy. Overjoyed. I've heard that term so many times and never thought I'd feel it myself, but here we are. You're a tiny, precious ball of perfection with eye-lids, teeth, and fingernails, and though I can't see you or literally feel you, I carry you right in my heart. You, little one, are always on my mind. Everything that happens in my life requires careful consideration of how it will affect you first. My heart is so full it feels like it just may burst, and I know that the love I feel for you will only be magnified as we move closer to your birth and your life outside of me. I simultaneously look forward to and dread that day...I can't wait to hold you in my arms and share you with the world, but I also want to keep you right with me so I can keep you safe.

I have often wondered what I would want to tell you first when you're here. I'm sure that on the day of your birth neither of us will be up for one of my classic lectures, so I'll just have it all here for you when the time comes and you want to know how things were before you were born.

I want you to know how much you're loved, sweet baby, because you are oh so loved. I love you so much that it hurts. And I've loved you as long as I can remember--long before your 9 weeks of existence began, even before I met your daddy. I have always, always wanted to be your mommy, and I can't believe that time has finally come! How blessed we are, little one!! Your daddy loves you too. Though he's more subtle and less wordy than I am, I know you will always know that he loves you. You'll see it in the way he looks at you and in that smile he reserves for those of us he loves the most. You'll know because your daddy shows his love by performing acts of service...he will do things for you that you may not even deserve. He will be such a good daddy to you, my darling. I'll try not to be jealous when he becomes wrapped around your finger instead of my own. We are so very lucky to have him. He wasn't an easy catch, but he was worth the wait, just as you will be. My greatest prayer is that you are more like him than you are like me because he is a beautiful, wonderful person. We are blessed to share a life with this man, just wait and you'll see.

I need you to know how much God loves you, baby. He created you from nothing, my little miracle. When the doctors said no, God said yes! He surprised us all by breathing life where there was none and placing you in an empty space to prepare you for this world. He has a purpose for you, precious, and for me. You, weighing in at less than an ounce, are my most powerful testimony, and I cannot wait to share our story with the world! One day when you're older and want to know where babies come from I will go into more detail, but for now I just want you to know how truly special you are. When my body wouldn't do the ONE thing I needed to get you here, God brought you here to me anyway. I know that is difficult to process, because it is for me, but all I need you to learn from that right now is that you are LOVED. So loved that you exist when science said you shouldn't. God is sovereign, precious one, and He loves you. Once again I say we are blessed! My prayer is that you will come to know Him and to love Him as well, and that I will be able to honor Him while parenting you the way I should.

I can't end this letter without noting that we are not the only people who love you. You've got a ton of grandparents and great-grandparents, a few aunts and uncles, and some very special friends who love you, too. You have been loved on and prayed for so long already! I can't wait for you to come into this world and experience all the love and cuddles we've set aside for you. Stay in there long enough to be healthy, though, mommy doesn't want you out to soon! I can't wait to meet you!

All my love for all my life,
Mommy

PS: Your daddy's daddy (who thinks you're going to call him Mr. Lipsey Sir, but you're totally not) has requested we name you Clinkscale after his most favorite cat. As a compromise we will be calling you Clinkscale on this blog until we know your name for real. I hope you don't hate me for this when you're a teenager. If so, please direct all complaints to Sharpsburg at your "Mr. Lipsey Sir."

This Valentine's Day

I used to hate Valentine's Day. I thought it was over-commercialized and stupid, and I love my husband 24/7/365, so I didn't need a holiday to show it. No cards, roses, or expensive chocolate at my house. We save the chocolate for the day after when it's 50% off at Wal-Mart. We're quite romantic.

But this Valentine's Day everything changed.

This Valentine's Day I realized that I had been especially moody and hateful.

This Valentine's Day I noticed that the menstrual symptoms I had been experiencing had been present far longer than a week...and more like 4 weeks.

This Valentine's Day I gathered all the strength I had and went to Wal-Mart to pick up a test before my courage gave out.

This Valentine's Day I prayed....and prayed...and prayed.

This Valentine's Day I rallied the troops of my closest friend to pray with me and give me encouragement.

This Valentine's Day, I peed on 2 sticks, which offered me a new outlook on Valentine's Day altogether.

This Valentine's Day, against all odds, I became a mother.

This Valentine's Day changed our lives, and brought with it the promise of tomorrow and the proof the our Lord is still doing miracles. What a blessing we have received and Baby Lipsey isn't even here yet!!

Please join us in praying, friends, for this precious miracle on the way. See you October 14, little one, you know your Mama (and Daddy too!) loves you!

27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. 1 Samuel 1:27-28 NIV

THANK YOU, sweet Lord, for your blessings on me!!