9 months

Two faint pink lines appeared on September 11, 2010. Interesting day to celebrate to say the least. After confirming the pregnancy with our doctor, our 9 month rollercoaster began. If I had blogged through the whole thing, I'm sure I'd have remembered all sorts of small details. As it was, I was too busy finding new and exciting places to throw up than blog. :)

13 Weeks

I do have things I don't want to forget though, good and not-so-good. I always imagined being pregnant would be a blissfully happy time - unfortunately for me, I spent the majority of it extremely sick, uncomfortable and plagued with anxiety. Needless to say, it wasn't the experience I imagined it would be. But, it was my experience being pregnant with Ellie, and for that, I will always cherish our 9 months together.

16 Weeks

Some of the great times:

*After what felt like a long time trying to get pregnant and several doctor's appointments, finally seeing a positive pregnancy test, followed by properly increasing hormone numbers
*Telling our families about the pregnancy
*Seeing our baby "sproing around" at our 12 week ultrasound
*Feeling what felt like a small ant crawling around inside my belly one monday morning at work. This was the same day Peter's beloved grandmother passed away. I do not believe it was a coincidence that our baby made her presence known that day in that way, and thanked Gran for the gesture.
*The squirms, kicks, rolls and punches Ellie would give me on a daily basis. I'd drink a small cup of coffee in the morning and like clockwork she'd respond about a half hour later. When I got home from work and put my feet up, she'd dance and dance for hours.
*Baby hiccups. Too cute

24 Weeks

*Lack of emotional and hormonal breakdowns
*An excuse to go to sleep at 8pm (or earlier!) whenever I wanted.
*Nightly foot massages from my darling
*Braxton Hicks contractions - not painful and pretty cool!
*A lovely surprise shower my family threw for me
*My big sister spending the last week of pregnancy with me, helping out, cooking, cleaning, etc...
*Labor. To be discussed in another post. The best day of my life, pain included
*Finding out after delivery that my little Scooter was in fact our darling girl Eleanor Carolyn. Best moment of my life, no question.

26 Weeks

And, to not sugarcoat, some of the not-so-great:

26 1/2 Weeks

*57lb weight gain (at least! I stopped weighing myself the last week and ballooned up)
*Ongoing morning sickness from 6 weeks to 25 weeks, tapering off to once a week or every other week
*Throwing up EVERYWHERE - on the freeway with my head out the window in stop and go traffic in the rain, in the parking lot of many grocery stores, at work (auto flush toilets splashing my face when I wasn't done yet, thank you very much), etc....
*Total, mind-numbing exhaustion
*Digestive issues
*Crippling anxiety and constant fear of the worst
*Hunger that would not subside no matter what. Not eating equaled throwing up, every time. Hence the massive weight gain

32 Weeks

*Stretch marks! AND - the very worst ones popping up about two weeks before delivery, thank you very much
*PUPPP, also known as Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy. In English, the most intense rash (think Chicken Pox) all over my belly and thighs, popping up the last week of pregnancy.
*Ligaments so stretched out that I managed to sprain my ankle doing nothing. I may have been the only pregnant woman ever prescribed bed rest for a sprained ankle
*Daily migraines throughout the second trimester
*Back pain. Oh the back pain

34 Weeks

*Heartburn
*Insomnia

36 Weeks

Like I said though, this was my pregnancy with Eleanor and as we got to share this experience together, I will always be grateful for it all. The good and the bad. After all, I walked away only slightly chubbier and stretched out, but with the cutest little victory prize ever. :)

2 hours old