96 Days Until We Meet You

 

This is my last week before entering the 3rd and Final Trimester of my pregnancy. I was looking back at all of the events that occurred beginning in the 1st Trimester and thought I would list some of those to have written down in case my memory slips someday.

1st Trimester:

• Seeing our first positive on the pregnancy test before even hitting 4 weeks. Then taking a gazillion (yes... a gazillion) more just to make sure that positive did not change to a negative. 
• At 5 weeks when we felt confident of the pregnancy, Charlie and I took a day trip together to celebrate as we walked around Gillette Castle and grabbed lunch. It went in the book as one of the happiest days of our lives.
• Sharing the news with our parents and siblings. It was so hard keeping that from everyone as we wanted everyone together to announce at once. The excitement, tears and hugs were priceless.
• Going up to Boston to spend a weekend with 2 of our Best Friends. 
• Finding out that one of my best friends & cousin's are also due with their first babies.
• The first Doctor's Appointment which was very upsetting.
• The second Doctor's Appointment which followed 5 days later in which everything turned out to be better than we expected. 
• Being handed our first ultrasound photo.
• Ordering a Fetal Doppler Monitor  to hear the heartbeat at home. 
• Receiving the Monitor in the mail only after 3 days and after 20 minutes of listening to what ended up being my heartbeat.. we heard our baby.
• Two of my very best friends giving birth to their second babies! 
• Planning and prepping for my sister's Bridal Shower.
• Our official Announcement at 10 Weeks that we are expecting our Little Miracle in November. You Can watch our video "Here". 
• Dinner & Lunch Dates with all my wonderful friends, catching up and enjoying each other's company.

2nd Trimester:

• Finally feeling safe enough to get my hair done and hide all the dark roots that were taking over my head.
• Celebrating my Sister's Bridal Shower on a day with perfect weather!
• Finding out the Gender of the baby.
• Uncertain of the gender of the baby.
• Going back to confirm the gender of the baby and it was different than the first time.
• Confirmation that we are having a GIRL as the umbilical cord decided to move out of the way.
• Going away for a long weekend with Charlie to Lake Winnipesaukee where I finally was getting my appetite back and ate everything in site. We took a train ride and then drove ourselves around the entire lake. 
• Celebrating Charlie's 34th Birthday at a Max Burger. 
• Bought Charlie some gifts for Father's Day from myself and little Autumn. One being a book that had a list of all the amazing Kid Friendly places to hike in CT. Right up his alley!
• My sister's BIG DAY arrived. A wedding that was truly beautiful, memorable and perfect!
• Being a part of my nephew Parker's "Blessing Ceremony".
• Completing the Anatomy Screening of our little girl to find out she had a small Choroid Plexus Cyst in her brain. We were told it was nothing to worry about and would go away in the early 30 weeks of pregnancy. Of course.. we worried.
• A jam packed 4th of July Weekend where I discovered the pain I was constantly having was from my Gall Bladder.
• A follow up screening to confirm little Autumn had no heart defects (which she doesn't) and a surprise to find out that the cyst had went away prior to 30 weeks. 
• Another hair appointment to banish the roots as those amazing Prenatal Vitamins sure made my hair grow!
• Off to vacation we went to celebrate our last time as a couple. 

#96: A favorite past time as a family will be going to the store to buy a loaf of bread 

and sit at Mill Pond Park while we break away little pieces to feed the ducks.

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97 Days Until We Meet You

It's amazing how quickly life changes from being a "couple" to "soon to be parents". I feel that since the moment we saw our positives on the many pregnancy tests we have been in full speed to planning and preparing for her arrival. Our weeknights have not entirely changed except for the occasional drinks we would have with friends which I truly miss. Oh and I sure do miss wine as well. Our weekends seemed to be much more busier than ever before. We occasionally would attempt to sleep in late on a Saturday and Sunday but I blame my early wake ups to start fresh at the task that's on my mind that day.

I look back at the photos of Charlie and I throughout our 13 years together and they have always been so complete in my eyes. The photos were of only us and that's all there was for those years. 

Here begins our new chapter. I know besides the bump protruding from my unbuttoned, unzipped, tight pants the last 6 months.. our little girl isn't seen in the photos. I don't consider her missing as I know she's there, but what I've been doing is keeping photos of Charlie and I so that someday we will retake them in the exact location. She will be filling in that empty space beside us with that huge smile, pig tails and cute polka dotted dress which I picture all of the time when I close my eyes. Our family of 3 + our little fur babies of course!

#97: Making hand prints in stone together as a family. 

Flowers, Monkeys and Etsy!

Left: PoshLittleTots.com ~ Etsy Shop

Top Right: Little Pretties Boutique ~ Etsy Shop

Bottom Right: HartsandRosesBoutique.com ~ Etsy Shop

I just can't help myself.. honestly.. I can't. Browsing Etsy or I should say stalking the Etsy website is more like it. I'm always searching for adorable items for Autumn's nursery along with things for her. I came across some really cute stores that I just could not pass up. 

I was looking for the separators for the closet to make finding the sizes much easier as the clothes I currently have do not look to different from one another as the months change. There is an enormous amount of awesome shops on Etsy that have these and though I had trouble making up my mind the little monkeys caught my eye at Little Pretties Boutique!

Then of course I've been on a mission in search for hair accessories that can be used throughout the year and not only when Autumn is a newborn. There is another little baby girl in our family that will be arriving soon and I wanted to get her some hair accessories too. These two shops have such sweet, delicate and elegant hair pieces for little girls: PoshLittleTots and HartsandRosesBoutique. I recommend if you have a little girl or know someone who is to visit their shops. 

All of these beautiful surprises that I thought I would not receive for another week were shipped so quickly and packaged very well. I'm so impressed and there was no way I could not share this with all of you!

98 Days Until We Meet You

Today is the celebration of 26 weeks in which Autumn has been growing in there. That's 14 weeks out of 40 weeks (give or take) that we have left until she greets all of us with her beautiful little smile. 

I have to say that this journey has been quite unpredictable no matter what everyone who has been through this experience has told us and prepared us for. I've learned that though the "process" is similar, everyone has a different experience in pregnancy. 

For starters this little Peanut of ours couldn't make up her mind when it came to food for the first 16 weeks and I spent the majority of my day with my head in the toilet... so so very attractive. 

She even gave us quite the scare at 7 weeks in the very beginning that left Charlie and I very distraught for 5 days. They were by far the longest and heartbreaking 5 days of our lives in which we distanced ourselves from everyone around us. It was very emotional when we had learned that everything was going to be okay. 

It's been smooth sailing since then!

I can't wait to tell her someday about the times she was sleeping inside and I didn't feel movement for hours so of course I would shake my tummy a little to wake her up. If life was like the movie "Look Who's Talking" I'm sure she would be yelling at me in that Bruce Willis accent.   

I want to share with her the videos I've taken of my stomach along with the earlier videos of her heartbeat on the fetal doppler monitor. The mornings I lay in bed beside Charlie while we watch my stomach move from side to side like a seesaw. The day we watched her kicking exactly where my tattoo is and then we saw what was a foot, hand or elbow completely glide all the way up the side of my stomach like a groundhog on the hunt.  Her consistently tiny hiccup bumps. When my stomach stays in a lopsided form for hours at a time. 

It's all pretty incredible and I miss it already thinking about this experience.

#98: The first time you write your name in the sand.   

99 Days Until We Meet You

 

One year ago we were exactly where we are today. On vacation and completely relaxing as we were 10 days away from our Wedding Day. I remember the excitement as I had no stress and knew everything would work out. I honestly can say that in this moment I feel the same way as we will be going from just "Charlie and I" to our little family. 

August 29th marks 13 years of Charlie and I being together. 13 years of pretty incredible, fun, challenging, sad, happy and unpredictable memories. It has been just the two of us that we have shared all of our love with. I love him even more everyday, as each second passes and now as Autumn continues to grow inside of me.. I can feel myself creating even more love that we will share with her. 

I've been "people watching" on the beach each day and of course I immediately am drawn to the little babies wobbling around as they are trying to keep their balance walking in the sand. The little bonnets protecting their hairless heads from the sun and the adorable floaties they are tipping over in as their parents make sure they're ready to go into the water. The sunglasses falling down on their faces and the bulge from the diapers underneath their bathing suits. It doesn't get any cuter than that. 

#99: Your first beach photo rocking some sweet sunglasses. 

100 Days Until We Meet You

Dress: Pink Blush Maternity

It has been a very long year for my husband and I. When I say long I mean that in the most positive way. Last November I went in for surgery which you can read about 'here'. From that day forward ours lives have changed in such an incredible way that for almost 10 years we never imagined it could have.

In 100 days we will meet our daughter, Autumn Lily. I'll be starting my 3rd trimester a week from Friday and I still cannot believe how blessed we are. Being able to welcome her into our lives is a true miracle for us. Without my surgery last November I was unable to conceive. She will be born exactly a year (her choosing of the exact day of course) from when I had the surgery to make this all possible. 

We are so in love already, head over heels.. in love! With every little kick, her endless dance moves as the noise outside of my stomach gets louder and louder. When she decides that transverse position is way more comfortable (for her). The times you like to bounce on my bladder. She's already apart of us and has my heart along with her father's. 

This week is our yearly family vacation at Old Orchard Beach, ME. I've spent each day not thinking about what we can no longer do on vacation anymore as we will have a child in 3 months, but instead, all of the wonderful adventures we can share with Autumn next time we come back to Maine. 

#100: Next Summer we will dip your feet into the chilly ocean unless you step into it yourself. 

Quick & Easy Hair Tutorial: Curling your Hair with The Wand

Hello everyone and I hope you're all enjoying the last few days of 2013 and getting ready for 2014!!

I've been slacking on making one of these and tonight seemed like a perfect night to sit down and video tape myself curling my hair. This is pretty quick as my hair is super thick and it would be a much longer video if I did my whole head of hair. Enjoy and if you have any questions feel free to leave me a comment below or shoot me an email: lovewithkatie@gmail.com.

Big Heating Pads, Soft Floppy Ears and Whiskers on Kittens.

These photos look as if the animals posed, and maybe they did pose for me in their own little way.. but to me I catch them completely off guard and sometimes in their awkward moments...as I just made a few kissing noises, clicks, whispers, used the word "Food" and "Cookie" and everything in a high pitch tone. 

I love these 3 little babies. They're the only babies I have right now and over the last 10 days they have been by my side while I've healed and recovered from my surgery. They put their whiskers and wet little noses against my face and push their ears against my hand to pet them and show them how much I love them in return. They all managed to take turns laying beside me being sure not to put any pressure against the wounds. I forgot to mention that I've had a heating pad on me constantly, so I know that's the real reason they lay beside me.. but let's pretend it's not. 

I think everyday I don't know where I'd be without their love. 

And I want to thank all of you for the e-mails I received in response to my post about my surgery. It meant the world to me and to know that so many others have gone through the same thing. It's nice to not feel alone. 

A Tuesday, a Doctor, a Surgery and one happy Patient!

I've been waiting until I was truly ready and sit down to write this post. There were so many times during the last few months that I was excited to get back into blogging but with so much going on I didn't feel the timing was right where I could dedicate myself and honesty to my blog. Tonight I'm ready. 

While sitting upright on the couch which has truly been my goal for the last 7 days without too much pain I have so many thoughts being held captive that I need to just let them go!

I've always been honest and open here and for those that have followed from the beginning remember my talk of the struggle with Endometriosis. I had a laparoscopic procedure over 6 years ago which is when I was officially diagnosed with it and was advised that I did not have functioning fallopian tubes. From then I finally understood the constant pain I had everyday but there's not many options aside from surgery that are promising and permanent relief. From doctor to doctor the discussion of children was brought up and finally last January one physician sat down to explain that I would not be able to conceive a child. It was the most disheartening moment that I can possibly remember. Upsetting and of course when I put my trust in others, I believe whatever I'm told. 

I decided this past summer to start fresh. To put all my trust in a new doctor that did not know my history and begin from A-Z without the doctor picking up in the middle of my chaotic story with my lady parts. From the OBGYN he directed me immediately to an amazing Reproductive Specialist. Sitting in the room at my first visit with my new doctor I felt so safe. I had only felt that way with one other doctor in my life and it was the doctor who removed my first breast tumor. This new doctor with only seeing all my previous clinical notes and surgery results 6 years prior looked straight in my eyes and said "If you want to have a baby someday Katie, you will have a baby". I actually left that day feeling more of a woman than I had felt in almost 10 years dating back to my first surgery ever. I felt that there was hope and at the same time I felt ill to my stomach that for so many years I've been living my life based on what other doctors were telling me. 

My first procedure with this new Doctor was an HSG (Hysterosalpingography). Just a little warning for those with Endometriosis it can be extremely uncomfortable but as they always say it varies for everyone. From there they put a dye to be able to see the fallopian tubes and this test only confirms whether or not a fallopian tube is blocked or opened. This test does not tell if they are damaged. After going through this procedure I learned a lot about the difference in a damaged and blocked fallopian tube. This procedure told the doctor that my right fallopian tube was blocked. He then said we needed to plan for surgery.

The one thing about going into having yet another laparoscopic surgery was how many possible scenarios there were when they're done. My doctor sat me down 1 week prior to my surgery and explained the worst case scenario which was there was a possibility they could go in and both two would be damaged in that case they would be removed. However, if that was the case the chance of having a child is still possible because there is the option of IVF (in vitro fertilization). He had a positive answer for everything but he wanted me to prepare myself for the worst. The bright side was that his top goal was removing all the endometriosis he saw so that my day to day life would be so much more comfortable and I would be free from pain. He then would remove whichever or both tubes that were damaged.

Last Tuesday was the day of my surgery. What was on the menu? A Laparoscopy & Hysteroscopy with the side of a possible Salpingectomy. I remember feeling so nervous the night before of course which is normal as most do, that something could go wrong, something could be worse, or it will all be for nothing. It was all negative thoughts but a part of me was excited to where there is a chance I could wake up everyday and not have abdominal pain. I now laugh at myself for thinking all of those what if's.

The outcome of my surgery was phenomenal. Though I'm in pain, uncomfortable and just began getting up off the couch and out of bed by myself it's all worth it. Every little ache, sharp pain, dull pain, awkward walking, baby step walking.. it's all worth it! They did the laparoscopy where he then surgically removed all of the endometriosis he located which was on the right and left sides. They do this by either burning away the endo if it's mild and or cutting it away if it's deep. I had some mild spots but unfortunately the majority was deep endometriosis. After thoroughly looking at both fallopian tubes he found that the right tube was severely damaged and had to be removed (Salpingectomy), but the left tube was very healthy which is my saving grace to conceiving naturally someday! Also, while they had planned for the hysteroscopy the doctor had found several uterine polyps inside my uterus which he removed. I'm grateful for the timing and him being so thorough because sooner I found out that those had the chance to lead to uterine cancer. He then saw that I had a Bicornuate Uterus which means my Uterus was an irregular shape which can caused miscarriage and also prevent pregnancy. He continued to do surgery (Metroplasty) in my uterus to bring it to a healthy shape.  Everything that was found inside my uterus was not planned prior to the surgery but more so unexpected. Either way, my doctor really made sure to cover all the bases when he performed my surgery and I'm forever thankful for that. For now I am working on healing and spending the next 6 months getting myself healthy and just working on taking care of myself which I truly never did before.. or at least was never very consistent with that. Then we'll see what happens after that! :)

Fashion Rule #1: No White After Labor Day??

When I woke up this morning I went through my closet and decided it's definitely a pants sort of day. The hardest decision I had was whether I'd wear dark blue jeans, light blue jeans or the strange black/grey jeans. Aside from jeans I have a bunch of white pairs of pants. Why didn't I even nominate those pants? Well, because once Labor Day comes and goes "White Pants" is immediately out of site.. out of mind. I am not sure who actually even told me that. It's just so repetitive and I've heard many people say that since I was a child. Once that thought became clearly visible in my mind this morning, I decided... I call BS on that Fashion Rule and White Pants is what I'll wear and continue to wear throughout the Fall and Winter... If you'd like to see the story behind "No White After Labor Day" here is the Wikipedia Link. 

Wear whatever you are comfortable in & love it! :)

No Labor Here Please. Just Play, Laugh and Snuggle!

A beautiful weekend so far.

We saw friends, cooked out under the moon.

Listened to music surrounded by twinkling white lights.

We and spent time with family.

Tomorrow we will see even more of our family.

I was still able to sneak in some cuddling time with our two kitties.

As busy as life gets don't forget to breathe, relax and embrace the love around you.

Has It Really Been 4 Months?

This is the part where I would place a really cute sad face. When I think of what makes me happy my blog was always my first thought; however, so much time went by, and with so much time that went by I felt so guilty. I can't believe how much I have neglected "Love is Everywhere". Life has been extremely crazy this past year and I have to put my excuse in that the last 4 months were extraordinarily crazy as those months lead up to our Wedding. 

Charlie & I got married on August 17th and it was the most beautiful, memorable, so filled with love day. A day we could never make again because it's a once in a lifetime experience for us and those we love and care for were there to celebrate. It was so amazing. So let me start off what I hope is a new beginning for "Love is Everywhere". There sure was Love Everywhere on August 17th! 

    

The Energy that I Found!

The strangest thing happened less than a month ago. I was sick. Okay, so that wasn't strange because I always get sick, but I had such a severe virus that is has left me without smell or taste. that's the strange part. I'm slowly but surely working my way at trying to get my smell and taste back as I'm 100% healthy. It's the most bizarre thing. Instead of complaining about no taste or smell I've embraced this new experience. I have eaten foods I always hated and I also have been eating better. I might as well eat those gross, healthy foods when I can't taste them, right? 

What also happened after I was health again, I have this amazing burst of energy. I mean "Crazy, where the HECK did you come from energy?" I've been so much more motivated with Wedding Planning and our house! I cleaned out my entire closet and reorganized it all (see below). I went through boxes that were packed away from our first apartment that I have not touched in over 6 years. I threw away things I thought were necessary to save, but were not. I eliminated a lot of clothes and gave them away. It feels so great to simplify my life. 

After my closet was finished and I came across boxes filled with frames and random home accessories I completed my Wall of Frames in the Living Room. Of course, I need to add more photos and rotate some old ones out, but it's beautiful in my eyes!

Then last Sunday night at 7:00pm after running around all day, I decided to tear up the carpet in our spare room not sure what was underneath, but I took the chance. To our surprise there were finished, beautiful, hardwood floors below that crappy carpet! This week I spent cleaning and organizing the room, using furniture we already owned to give the room it's final touches. Our Black & White spare room, I love it!

Little by little.. we've been in our home for over 3 years and it took me this long to get here.. but I'm here and ready to continue improving this home to officially make it our home with our special love & touches!

Loving my smile!

If you remember my post back in October [here] you'll see that one of my lists of life changes was my teeth. It's something that I always wanted corrected, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would ever happen.... well it did. Last July at the office I work at (visit: Dr. Elena-Lee Ritoli, Orthodontics) I got braces on. Just a little over 8 months they are now off and my teeth have never looked so beautiful. I'm in awe and can't stop looking at my teeth in the mirror. Will this infatuation with my teeth end? I don't think it ever will, haha. I always loved smiling but now it's a different smile. There's more confidence behind my smile and I feel amazing. She does amazing work at the office in West Hartford. If you need an orthodontic, that's the place to go. I will now enjoy my first weekend without braces to eat all the foods I was good about and never ate, I'll enjoy some red wine, chips and something really, really chewy. Oh.. I am in love with my smile. Love YOUR smile!

Cleaning out a closet one box at a time.

This evening I began cleaning out my closet. When I say cleaning out my closet, I really mean removing every thing from it. Since we moved in which was over 3 years ago, I have so many boxes on shelves in my closet. They torment me every day that I reach into the closet for an article of clothing. The boxes stress me out. Do you know that feeling? Since they stress me out and they reside in my closet with clothes and my closet resides in our spare room, I feel a weight on my shoulders each day that I get changed. It's been over 3 years and I continue to feel this way, because I've been too lazy to go through those boxes. I finally began the plunge this evening and even though I'm not even halfway finished I already feel relieved in a way.

What I loved about going through some of the boxes was all the interesting things that I found packed away from our apartment which we lived prior to buying our house. One of the things that I found was a notebook. Okay, realistically I found over 10 notebooks because I'm a nut when it comes to notebooks. I have created tons of poetry books, to do list's, random thought notebooks and also password books. It's unbelievable the amount of notebooks that were packed away in the boxes and also those hidden throughout our house. 

In one of the notebooks it lists all these things I wanted to change about myself & life in general. I can't even imagine how many other notebooks are similar to this one. I smiled though looking at the list. Why? Well, because the first few things on the list was "stop biting my nails... clear up acne..".. 

Have I mentioned that nail biting has been a habit I literally was born with, haha. I've struggled with biting my nails forever. I was never a girl that could paint her nails, because the nail polish was gone the following day. I never liked anyone seeing my hands, because I lived with so many people making negative comments about my nails. I've tried so many techniques & tips to quit biting my nails and nothing lasted. Go figure, that I get braces last July and without techniques & tips I stopped biting my nails. All because, well, I couldn't bite my nails with the braces.  It's a great feeling to paint my nails and make them look all pretty & girly. 

The second thing on my list was to clear up my face. Another thing I've been dealing for a long time. A little over 10 years now. I've tried everything under the sun (I'm sure you've heard that before). I really have.. except I had never gone to a doctor. Maybe it was my own pride and being too stubborn. I finally did in October and after a few months it's finally life changing for me. My face is not close to perfect, but it's a far way from where it began. I'm happy.

So you can see why I smiled tonight opening a box and looking through the old notebooks. Two things are checked off a list that has been rewritten over and over for what has been more than a decade of my life. I have so many other things on that list and slowly things are being checked off. 

Clean out your closet... you will feel accomplished.. maybe take some of that weight off your shoulders... perhaps you'll simplify your life a little (even if it's just your closet)... you'll learn about yourself too. :)