4 Weeks

May 11, 2014May 11, 2014 nk3301 Comment

Well, according to my non-medical estimate, I hit 4 weeks on March 10.
Sorry, one more of my tests. 🙂 I was very excited that my third test turned “pregnant” so quickly.

That little speck there is a poppy seed, the approximate size of the embryo.

I spent the week feeling fairly good. Some lower back pain, some nausea, and then I got sick. I got home from work on Thursday feeling okay, but then I made dinner and couldn’t eat it. I was in the bathroom throwing up not long after. At first I was worried it was morning sickness, but then I was in the bathroom later throwing up and having diarrhea. Ugh, I felt awful. But I tried going to work the next day (not a good idea) only to go home early and take a 4-hour nap.

I decided it was definitely just a stomach virus on Saturday when Andrew ended up throwing up too. I felt so bad for getting him sick, but a little relieved that I wouldn’t be throwing up like that for the next few weeks (hopefully)!

It’s crazy to think that Baby Kiel is currently only the size of a poppy seed. So teeny tiny!

Baby Update

Surprise!

May 11, 2014 nk3302 Comments

First of all, yes, we were trying to get pregnant. I had been buying pregnancy tests regularly since I got home from the States in October. And I was very used to seeing the negative result in the window. Yes, it was disappointing, but I tried not to be too down about it. I mean, I was basing my cycle on a free app, so I really was guessing about the whole process!

But it was that time of the month: I was about 3 days shy of my period, so I thought, “What the heck? These tests aren’t that expensive!” My sister had already told me to call her after I took the test. My response was, “You want me to call to tell you it’s negative?” Off to the bathroom I went. It was immediately negative, but I set it on the radiator (like I always do) while I went to brush my teeth and tame my hair. I picked it up, brought it to the bedroom to throw it away, and glanced at it one more time.

What the…. There was a second very faint pink line. I was still staring at it when Andrew walked in to get dressed. I looked at him. He looked at me. He looked at the pee stick, and said, “What.” I said, “Look at this.” He took a look, then said, “It doesn’t look very sure of itself.” I shook my head at him, and said, “Well, I think any line there means positive.” But I kept telling myself it had to be wrong. So I called both my sister and my mom for some more opinions. My poor family: it was only 6am at my sister’s house and 7am at my mom’s house. Amanda said it was positive; my mom said take another test the next day.

Sunday, the 9th of March: I was anxious to take another test! This time that second light pink line showed up a little more quickly. I told Andrew I was pretty sure this was a sure thing. But I was out of tests, so I planned to take another one the next day before I went to work. And then I sent pictures to my mom and sister for more opinions. 🙂

Monday: I scurried over to the Shoppette before work to pick up a pregnancy test, then hurried to the bathroom. Definitely positive! I was happy, excited…and nervous.

And I couldn’t tell anyone! I went to the doctor on my lunch (being told I could just walk in for a pregnancy test)…to make an appointment. The front desk staff were pretty firm about their “walk-in” hours, which did not work with my work schedule. Of course. I was quite disgruntled. So I went back the next day. The doctor told me it was so early, that a urine test at their office might not even show up positive yet Yet this was the email I got later from the doctor:

Congratulations. Your test was positive.

So, surprise! Baby Kiel is on his/her way and due November 2014!

Travel

A Taste of Cornwall

May 4, 2014May 4, 2014 nk3302 Comments

I am SO behind! We went to Cornwall the first week of April, and here it is, May already, and I haven’t finished editing all of our photos. Yes, I definitely took too many photos, but my motivation to sit and edit photos hasn’t been there either.

Cornwall in a nutshell: Very beautiful but very rough driving! All those coastal roads are very narrow, very curvy, and very steep. My nausea level was pretty high when we were traveling, but that may have made the destinations even more appealing, haha. We stayed in a nice little farm B&B near the coast. It was nice to be away from cities, although it was a change of pace to be woken up each morning by a rooster. 🙂

Day 1: Minack Theatre and St. Michael’s Mount Minack Theatre was gorgeous! It was at the top of my list of things to see, so we did this first. I loved all the stonework and details and the beautiful backdrop of the ocean.

St. Michael’s Mount is unique in that it’s a castle on an island…sometimes. 🙂 We walked to the castle in the early afternoon, but when we left later that afternoon, the tide had come in, so we had to take a boat back to shore.

Day 2: Pendennis Castle & Trebah Gardens Pendennis Castle is a small defensive fort built by King Henry VIII in Falmouth. While we were here, we got to see a cannon be fired off!

Looking down on Trebah Gardens, a beautiful sub-tropical paradise with a coastal background. We saw some gorgeous rhododendrons in bloom while we were there!

Day 3: Land’s End & St. Ives At Land’s End, the most westerly point of mainland England. The coastal area here was so pretty! I loved our time spent here.

On the beach at St. Ives, one of the best seaside towns in England. It used to be primarily dependent on fishing, but now it’s known for its number of artists.

At the beach just a walk down from our B&B. The walk was really pretty, and it was so peaceful sitting on the rocks by the beach.

Day 4: Healy Cornish Cyder Farm & The Eden Project

A brief stop at Healy’s Cornish Cyder Farm. One of their most popular ciders is the Cornish Rattler. Andrew and I sampled a variety of of ciders and juices — yum!

Arriving at the Eden Project, a large greenhouse project in Cornwall.

Inside the Tropical Biome… it was so hot & humid in there, but the plants were beautiful! The Mediterranean Biome was much more comfortable. 🙂

Andrew in front of the cathedral in Truro, which is where his grandpa spent some time when he was overseas with the US Army during WWII.

Day 5: Bedruthan Steps & Tintagel Castle

At the Bedruthan Steps, a spectacular cliff-top view of sea stacks on the northern coast of Cornwall.

Exploring the remains of Tintagel Castle, which has a long association with the legend of King Arthur.

Looking down at the cove from where the remains of Tintagel Castle is. I just love all the gorgeous coastline in Cornwall!

So that was a taste of our busy trip to Cornwall! We saw so many beautiful areas, and I would definitely like to go back someday. The beaches in the summer are probably amazing, and I’d love to see Trebah Gardens when all the hydrangeas are in bloom. This is probably one of my favorite trips we’ve taken, and I would highly recommend Cornwall to anyone!