11 weeks

Baby's now the size of a lime!

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

How Far Along: 11 weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: now 129 (which i think is unbelievable given how much Taco Bell I've had...)
Maternity Clothes: Wore my BellaBand for the first time- i love it! makes the 'uncomfy' pants bearable!
Gender: 7 weeks till we find out :)

Movement: nothin yet

What I miss: Coffee still. I also miss my normal moods - ive been getting a little angry lately :)

Sleep: Still restless. Tossing and turning - I had one night of sleep where I don't think I moved the entire night and that was wonderful. Every other night has been bleh.
Symptoms: Ok. I don't want to jinx this...however, for the past 6 days now...I have felt pretty good! No normal sickness! The fatigue has kicked it up several notches but no nausea at all! We will see if this lasts...
Cravings: Taco Bell :) Pizza, mainly salty things. Nothing sweet really.

Best Moment this week: my sickness subsiding!!

Poison update: I went to the dermatologist. I paid my specialist copay, I filled out my HUGE stack of papers, I waited in the waiting room (where I was the youngest person by at LEAST 50 years...), I waited in the little room, and then the Dr. came in. He said "Hey Cristy. So, I really can't do anything for you". Then proceeded to tell me his wife is pregnant and wouldn't trust her to take anything, which I am glad for I suppose but still...I just paid you and waited for you to tell me nothing. UGH.

So basically I have cream I rub on it 2 times a day and a huge wrap that is around my left arm for now to hid the disgustingness and keep the kids from calling me hideous names :) It IS looking better, however now my skin is having a reaction to it getting better and turning red AROUND the actual infected part. And this part itches worse than the other ever did. Not to be a Debbie Downer every week with this but c'mon haha

Double Digits!

Baby's now the size of a prune!

(From website) With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)

(From email) This is the beginning of the fetal period when your baby's organs continue to grow and mature. The majority of his/her vital organs, kidneys, liver, brain, and lungs are functioning, but will continue to mature throughout the remainder of your pregnancy.

Your baby's head makes up half the length of the body, and there is a bulge in the forehead allowing for brain development. Fingernails, toenails, and hair will begin to become visible this week. The fingers are no longer webbed. The baby is actively swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking his/her legs.

I get weekly emails and weekly web updates - they both say about the same thing but its always exciting :)

How Far Along: 10.5 Weeks (this seems like a milestone)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: up to 128.5
Maternity Clothes: No clothing items but Mom got me a 'BellaBand' which I am so excited about! click here to see it!
Gender: 8 weeks till we find out :)
Movement: nada
What I miss: Still miss the coffee. I have had a couple sodas here and there so thats nice. Odd as it is, I miss roller coasters. When is the last time I rode one? A couple years ago...so how could I miss them? I think its the fact that I can't do them. I really want to go to six flags haha.
Sleep: Still no improvement here. I heard it was bad later on but 10 weeks? c'mon baby b, give me a break :)
Symptoms: Still nausea and fatigue. The drool has improved some BUT the acne is on the up and up. Just found out my beloved Proactiv is a no-no and so I am washing with normal very gentle soap. THIS is going to make the money maker look gooood for sure haha
Cravings: The normal taco bell naturally. Today I craved a smoothie - and got one - and it was wonderful :)
Best Moment this week: finally reaching the double digits!

So my body decided there wasn't enough going on and figured why not through something else in the mix? About a week ago I realized I had maybe 2 red bumps on my left arm. Nothing big, nothing alarming. Just 2 tiny bumps that sort-of itched. Today, I sit here with an enormous band-aid on my arm to hid the ever-growing mass of nastiness underneath - poison ivy. Now its not even the normal 'couple bumps' of poison ivy. It has turned into one clump of bumpy puss filled ...thing. There isn't even a word. Below the mass is about 6 smaller bumps who, I can already tell, are contemplating forming a blob like the one above them. THEN on the right arm, are 2 spots who have randomly poped up and started itching and growing as well. They all itch like crazy and now I have an appointment with a dermatologist tomorrow to see what to do. Normally it would be a boost of sterroids - however, baby b is very particular with what he/she is able to take and so we ran into that wall. The OB didn't know what to do and referred me to the dermatologist. That should be a fun adventure. Hopefully my arm hasn't been overtaken by then.

Update so far...

How Far Along: 9.5 Weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Well my original wt was 128 and according to our scale here i've lost a pound now.
Maternity Clothes: Nothin' yet!
Gender: 10 weeks till we find out :)
Movement: just the movement of the ongoing gas - lovely, isn't it?
What I miss: Yesterday I realized I could eat sushi- and thats where we ate dinner so thank goodness that craving is over! I do miss my coffee / sodas still.
Sleep: Getting worse. Last night was the worst so far. I moved about every hour it seemed like. Couldn't get comfortable!
Symptoms: So far the nausea and fatigue are killin me. It seems to be getting worse. However, my acne has picked up and spread like a 13 year old so thats been fun. Oh yeah, and drooling - no one told me i'd be drooling more. Now THAT is attractive.
Cravings: Taco Bell is just ongoing, cheese, mostly salty stuff is just sounding great. Craving change daily...and sometimes hourly haha
Best Moment this week: Showing people our ultrasound pictures :)

What I am looking forward to: Out appointment this afternoon!

9 weeks

Baby's now the size of a green olive!

Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like...well...a baby.
As you squeeze into your jeans and struggle to button your shirt, try enjoying the gain -- after all, when was the last time putting on the pounds was totally guilt-free? It's also probably time for some new lingerie. Your sore, bigger-by-the-minute boobs will feel so much better in a maternity bra.




And there you have it. Perfect update to what's going on. Yes my jeans are tight, thank goodness for scrubs during the week is all I have to say! My evening sickness has been a little worse the past couple days but we were in Colorado so it could have just messed with my mind/stomach a little. Headaches are coming and going randomly throughout the day too but hey, i'm just glad to know little baby b is in there doin it's thing!

8 weeks and 3 days

Today we had our first ultrasound appointment! I cannot tell you how amazing it was to sit there and hear the heartbeat! It was strong at 175 BMP and it was one of the best sounds I have ever heard. She traced out and measured baby b and he/she measured right at 8 weeks and 3 days. Almost PERFECTLY on time - our original due date was January 18th and got moved to January 16th. 2 less days we have to wait! Who knows when baby b will actually make the appearance though ha.
We also got to see the heartbeat which made MY heart beat even faster. You could just see the little thing beating away! We are just elated and cannot wait for January to get here.
Next ultrasound is 10 weeks away...which seems like FOREVER! We haven't even been growing this little bean for that long! But she said by that time baby b will be as big as our hand and we will be able to see all the hands and feet which is super exciting :)

measuring baby b!

that was when we got to listen to the heartbeat

the head and body! baby b as a blob :)

the blue and red in the middle is the heart!

I'm going to try and keep up with this week to week so here is the first one! milestones i tell ya

How far along? 8 weeks, 3 days
Weight gain/loss: up 3 pounds since FIRST finding out to 132
Maternity clothes? Not yet, still too early for that but i can tell ya I'm feelin the bloat!
Stretch marks? Too early (thank goodness)
Sleep? It's all I want to do, all the time...and then sleep some more.
Best moment this week? Seeing baby b and the heartbeat!!
Food cravings: carbs, carbs galore. random cheese cravings, and as always, taco bell. Oh and today I craved a Chick-fil-a sandwich just once.
Gender: Too early
Belly button in or out? Too early
Movement? Too early
What I miss? Coffee and sushi :(
What I'm looking forward to: I'm actually looking forward to showing like I have a baby. right now i just feel bloated and bleh.
Weekly wisdom: Eat what sounds good. Thanks to Donna for that one :)
Milestones: Heartbeat heard! 6/9/10

A SECOND new addition to the fam??

Yes that is right. Exactly ONE WEEK after getting a brand new little puppy we found out we were pregnant! Surprise! (yes, it was to us too haha)

We were leaving for Memphis on Saturday and I was just a little late on my lovely monthly gift (sorry boys) and so almost jokingly I had mentioned earlier in the week that I would take a test Friday if nothing had still happened.
Friday I was off work and we woke up, Chad went into the kitchen to make coffee and I went to the bathroom and remembered my promise earlier from the week. I took the test, laughing to myself, set it on the counter, threw something away, and turned around - there it was. 2 VERY bright pink lines. 2 lines = pregnant. I kind of just stared at it in complete shock and then proceeded to pick it up, walk in the kitchen like a zombie, shaking from head to toe. My arms were out in front of me and I went to Chad and slowly lifted up the test in front of his face. That's right, no clever sayings, no funny presents, just shocked zombie Cristy :)

We went to the doctor that day to check up on everything and they said I was about 5 weeks. They did all the fun bloodwork and check ups and then we went home. Talk about complete SHOCK.

About a year ago I had a dream on how we told our families we were pregnant, and that is just what we did. We got some coffee mugs from Wally World and wrote on the "Worlds Best ____" (Grandmother, Uncle, etc) It was so much fun!
That night we went to a wedding shower and then after that we drove to my parents house and gave them their mugs :) My mom looked at it and said "oh nice" (thinking it was for HER mom, and confused why I was giving it to her...) and then it hit. She then scream/squeeled, ran over to me, literally jumped up and down and stomped her feet while continuing the screel. HILARIOUS. I keep telling everyone if I would have recorded it we would be millionares from America's Funniest Home Videos.
The next day we went to Memphis (perfect timing!) to celebrate Brett's graduation. We did the whole mug thing with them too (parents and grandpartents) and Chelsie was the first to figure it out. She sat there, mouth wide open, staring right at us. No words, just wide mouth. Then everyone was looking and Chad's mom says "Cristy! Are you pregnant?" And the hugs and the tears and the smiles followed :)

SO there ya go. There is the news out there for the world to see. We are having a little baby - we have declared it 'baby b' for now.

A new addition to the fam

Well it's official. I have finally convinced Chad and we now have a new member of the Burris family - Winston!

Last Friday I got home from work and we were trying to figure out something to do and I mentioned going back to the humane society and just looking around...to my surprise Chad said "sure!" We headed over and looked around, and then I walked up to one of the windows. There were 3 little puppies fast asleep all cuddled together. As soon as I walk up to the window a little black one in the middle lifts its head up and looks right at me! Then he proceeds to get up, stretch, and walk to me and then he put his little paw on the glass as he stared up at me with those puppy eyes. I got Chad and was like "LOOOK HOW CUUUUUTE!" and immediately wanted that one. However, we were kind of set on getting a boy, and I was just hoping that one was. A worker went in and looked at them, and he couldn't tell which were male and female. When he said this I was thinking to myself...dude, it's not that hard, pretty sure you know what to look for in a male. But then he lifted them up to show us...and WE couldn't tell. How embarassing but really, it was tough.

SO finally a person was able to tell and guess what, it's a boy! We got to take him in a little adoption room and hold him - he was SO chill and just sat in our arms. He licked my neck a little too :)

The 'adoption counselor' came in and talked with us some, and before we knew it, we were walking away with our new little puppy! The car ride home was hilarious. He slept with his head on the middle console, his body stretched out across the space from there to my lap, and the rest of his body inbetween my legs. We discussed names on the way home. We had been thinking of several the past little while, and then Chad threw out Winston, kind of kiddingly because his name was "Churchill" at the humane society...however, the more we said Winston the funnier it was and the more we liked it. So...it stuck!

He is a lazy bum, but then he will burst out with energy and destroy your hand with his puppy teeth. He has several AFLAC ducks he tackles too.
I feel like we have a newborn in the house becauase we are having to wake up about every 2-3 hours at night to let him out. It's funny because we do the whole "its your turn" thing...however, i'm finding out I don't exactly wake up so great in the middle of the night. There have been several times where Chad nudges me, says he's crying, I respond....and then roll over. Sorry Chad :)

Ash, Ash, Everywhere...and not a plane in sight

Well we have officially made it back in the USA! We got stuck for 6 days because of the lovely volcano that decided to blow for the first time in 100+ years just for Chad's birthday. Dear Iceland : Nice gesture and all, but a simple card would have been just fine. Anyways, here is an update for what is to come:



I am going to post individual days / places that we went on our trip instead of having one HUGE glob of blog that everyone will get tired of reading after the first 20 pages. SO there will be SEVERAL updates day by day, so just be prepared! As for the pictures, I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to deal with those. We have over 2000 ... so posting them all on here might be a little overwhelming. But I'll figure it out.



After everything that happened we are SO glad to be back...but we are already talking about how much we miss it over there. The volcano sort of diminished our fond memories for a few days, but now that we are back safe I'm already day dreaming about going back :)



Keep checking back for when I start posting the trip! This weekend we have some old friends coming into town so we are hanging out with them and tonight we are headed out to celebrate Mom's birthday and then Sunday we finally get to see all our friends in our small group from church - since we left 3 babies were born so it'll be so good to see everyone and how life has gone the past 2 weeks!

A Conte Partiro! (Time to Say Goodbye)

So this is a quick post just to update everyone. We are headed off to EUROPE! We will be there for 18 days and we are sooo excited. This morning we woke up at 6:30 just because we couldn't sleep any longer. We are completely ready to go, and still have 2 1/2 hours left till we leave for the airport haha So here is our Itinerary:

Chad and Cristy Europe Itinerary

March 31, Wed. 2:00 PM Flight, Bham to ATL, ATL Overnight to Gatwick, LONDON

April 1, Thurs Arrive London 10:45 AM -> London

April 2, Fri ----London----

April 3, Sat London afternoon Chunnel to Paris

April 4, Sun (Easter)  Paris all day, overnight train to Milan, Italy

April 5, Mon Arrive Milan early AM, All day in Milan

April 6, Tues Milan AM Train to Pisa, Italy, evening train to Cinqua Terra, Italy

April 7, Wed Cinque Terre all day, last train out to Florence, Italy

April 8, Thurs ----Florence-----

April 9, Fri ----Florence-----

April 10, Sat Florence, mid-day train to Rome

April 11, Sun ----Rome-----

April 12, Mon ----Rome-----

April 13, Tues Rome all day, Overnight train to Zurich, Switzerland

April 14, Wed ----Zurich all day, last train to Bern, Switzerland

April 15, Thurs Bern all day for Chad’s BDay, Last train to Basel, Switzerland

April 16, Fri Basel flight to Amsterdam, Netherlands, PM in AMSTDM

April 17, Sat AM Flight Amsterdam-->Detroit-->BHam (arrive back around 4:45!)

So there ya have it!! Don't worry, I will keep track of EVERYTHING we do so there will be globs of blog to read when we return :) We love all of you! 

CIAO!

Our exciting weekend...

...that we had originally planned out completely fell apart. Why? Ice. Yep the one weekend we had some exciting stuff going on and actual PLANS, everyone around us got a bunch of ice and snow. Not us, but everyone we had the plans with. My cousin was suppose to come into town Friday -- they decided to wait until Saturday because the roads were so bad in AR -- Saturday morning they decided not to come at all because it was still so bad. There goes those plans. (Not that I'm upset Steven, I would have been worried sick about yall driving in it ... it just ruined our weekend is all ... ha). THEN Saturday our friends that had moved to Nashville in January had decided to come visit (YAY!) and we had pushed our 'Chuck Night' to Saturday to watch it with them -- the ice came, and they stayed home. There goes those plans. SO our whole weekend thrown off whack, and we ended up doing absolutely nothing. Very productive.

SO I cooked the other night, and decided to test out my new camera along the way...so here ya go. I made chicken alfredo and rice casserole.  The end product was one of those that wasn't bad, but I won't make it again. So soak in the pictures, you will never hear of this again :)

I cooked the rice first, took about 20 minutes

Got some Tyson chicken... thawed in the high tech microwave

Then mixed the rice and a bottle of Alfredo sauce MMM

Rice, chicken, and broccoli mixed all together and in a casserole dish. The original recipe called for peas...but who likes those things? ;)

Baked in oven

Bread crumbs and butter on the top, then baked again to brown them. Looks pretty good, but eh.

OK so now to the good stuff. If you have ever been to Edgar's Bakery, they have a dessert there called 'chocolate squares'. AKA - a bite of heaven. I absolutely love these things. I decided to try them out - i took a lemon bar recipe and just made it with chocolate cake mix instead. Turned - out - fabulous! Chad devoured them, I gained 20 pounds from them, and I even made them again in the same week to take to our small group at church (many compliments..yess a success). SO here they are!

This is our one art/ picture we have actually hung up so far. Every other wall is bare...ha

Here is more fun with my camera :)

And that is my update. This weekend is superbowl and we are headed to ttown to celebrate. I'm making some appetizers and little football treats :) GO COLTS!