10 pictures = Frustrated Husband

I have been taking weekly pictures of my baby bump, and promised not to show another one til it looked more like baby and less like bloat.  Well, to any unsuspecting person this bump may just look like I've got a little extra in the middle.  But after looking at myself in the mirror more times than I probably ever have in my life, comparing my bump to others' online, and resorting to a rubber band on my favorite pair of jeans, I decided that this is definitely a baby bump and not a bloated bump anymore.

Only problem?  Getting a good picture of said baby bump.  I learned something... 10 pictures = a frustrated husband.  Of course he thinks I look great, don't look fat, thinks every picture is good.  But I don't.  I kept repositioning my arms, my head, the direction I was facing, etc.  Then I thought it would be good to hold up a little sign that said "14 weeks" for easier tracking of the pictures we've been taking.  Well that caused even more problems with my t-shirt not showing off the bump very well, etc.   So finally after 10 tries, Russell gave up with a "surely you can pick one of these."  I almost didn't post b/c I hate these pictures so much.  But like I've said before, document I must.  So here's what I'm apprehensive to show you...

And just think... there are 9 others that are even worse than this one!  Russell had the idea to face forward with the 14 weeks sign and then do one from the side to use my hands to show off the bump.  So those are the ones I ended up liking more than me awkwardly holding the sign and flattening out my t-shirt.  So here's the one from the front...

Prison photo much?  I felt like I was posing in the line-up at the county jail for this one.  At least my laughter at myself brought my hubby's spirits up a little bit.  So there you have it folks, 14 weeks.  I'm definitely looking forward to future belly photo shoots... hoping they won't take as long since the belly will be easier to detect as we go along.  But I'm not really looking forward to getting bigger everywhere else.  I didn't gain any weight between the 8 & 12 week doctor appointments, but we'll see what happens at our 16 week appointment.  Not that I'm keeping an eye on it at all... hence the brownie I'm about to devour.  Christmas food, bring it on! 

Heartbeat at Home

So... I know the doctor told us to wait a few weeks before using the at-home doppler to listen to the heartbeat so that we wouldn't get frustrated if we couldn't find it, BUT I was just too anxious.  So on Tuesday of last week we decided to give it a shot and SUCCESS!  We both were so excited to listen to our baby's little (fast) ticker.  We've listened to it every day since!  My sister got to listen to it on Wednesday night and she loved it too!  It's just the neatest thing ever.  Since I can't feel the baby yet, it's fun to listen to its heartbeat and feel a connection that way.  I'm so excited to bring the doppler with me next week when we go visit my parents so they can hear their little grand-baby!  So fun!  In case you were wondering, the doppler looks like this:

It's so easy to use and so fun!  I recommend any future mommy's to get one!  We love it!

On another note, we just wrapped up a great semester of Tippi Toes dance classes!  Our dancers were cute little "peppermint candy canes" dancing for their parents this past week.  I am looking forward to a week of working from home in my pj's and recital planning!  I love looking at all the cute costumes like this one...

If this baby is a boy, I sure hope I have a girl at some point so they can wear fun costumes like this and dance with me!!  Heck, I'll make a boy dance too... at least when he's little.  :)

Russell's sister and her family are in town today!  We will get to meet our little one month old niece for the first time today!  And see our adorable 2 1/2 year old nephew too!  They will be here for a week or so so we'll get to do the Christmas Train at Dry Gulch and other fun things!  I hope to take lots of pictures of these cuties!  Here's a pic of our adorable nephew Grayson...

If he's that cute, I'm sure his little sister is a doll!  Can't wait to meet her and get some good baby time this week!!!

12 Weeks Dr Appt

We had our 2nd Dr appt yesterday!  It was really quick... check in at desk, sit down, open magazine, "Brittany", pee in a cup, blood pressure, "how are you feeling?", and then the coolest part... hearing the heartbeat for the first time!!  It was SO cool.  It sounded like I thought it would, but just listening to it and thinking about the little life growing inside me... so awesome!!  With not much to show on the outside of a baby being in there, it was so fun to listen to the proof!  :)  Our friends Beth & Oz that are having a baby girl in January are letting us borrow their doppler so we will be able to listen to the heartbeat at home too!  The doctor said the at-home kind is much less powerful than what they use at the doctor's office so we probably should wait a couple more weeks before trying at home.  But I am definitely looking forward to that!  I have a feeling I will want to listen to it everyday!  

Hormonal Hannah over here

Hormones... I know they can take a toll on you during pregnancy so what have they done to me?  I am now a cry-baby.  Not all the time, but lots more the past few weeks than normal.  If the alternative is being a psycho, I think I'm glad I've got the tears instead.  (For Russell's sake, let's hope the psycho part doesn't ever come out lol).  I am personally amused by the different things that have prompted my crying, so I thought I'd share with you here.

I'm in the car on my way to a Tippi Toes dance class a couple weeks ago and "Don't Take the Girl" by Tim McGraw came on the radio.  I love that song, but it's never caused me to cry before.  It gets to the part when they are at the hospital having a baby, but the momma is "fading fast."  Oh. my. goodness... I just started crying!  Had to pull it together fast and teach a dance class!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-TXBniRz1g
You can see the really old school video and much less attractive Tim McGraw here.

Not too long after we found out we were pregnant, we dropped my car off to get an oil change, leaving Copper by himself for maybe 20 minutes.  We came back home to find Russell's brand new Bible, completely shred in to a million pieces in the living room.  Russell was LIVID.  He picked Copper up by the scruff of his neck and put him on the couch.  No abusive behavior or anything but he was mad and letting Copper have it with his words.  I burst into tears and couldn't stop saying, "he's just a dog, don't worry about it, we'll get you a new Bible, stop yelling at him."  Lol!!  I think it's funnier if you could have witnessed it.  Russell actually looked at me like "what is going on?" and stopped yelling.  I win.

It looked like this... oh wait.  This is one of my old Bibles he shredded months prior.  You would think we would learn our lesson.  Our dog loves to tear into God's Word.

Worship at church... It is not uncommon for me to be overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit while I am singing to Him at church, but it is pretty much guaranteed that I will cry EVERY Sunday now.

One day last week Russell came home for lunch unexpectedly.  He had a conference call and took Copper back in the guest bedroom (what will be the nursery) for the call so I could have some uninterrupted work time.  When I heard him get off the phone, I went back there and laid on the bed with him.  We talked for almost an hour... how to arrange the nursery furniture, our jobs, Christmas stuff, etc.  Then out of nowhere I burst into tears again!  "We don't do this enough... lay in bed and talk.  Can we do this more?  Please?  In 7 months we're really not going to do this because we'll be worried about a baby... please tell me we can do this more often in the next several months?"  Again, tears streaming throughout.  My sweet husband contained his laughter to just a smile, consoled me, and promised we would do this more often.  He is good to me. :)

I'm sure there will be more crying episodes to come!  And if there are any psycho episodes, I'll let you know of those too.

Baby Bump? Naaah.

Hello all!  I've been sitting on this post for a week now... finally getting the pictures on my computer.  I'm also kinda embarrassed to even post this... but the baby bump has got to start somewhere right?  I figure if I don't start taking pictures of the bump, then all the sudden I'm gonna have a bump and not know when it started!  So... here's a pic of me at 10 weeks.

How tired-looking am I?!  Geez.  Regretting post?  Probably.  Oh well... document I must.  So what you see there is probably not actually a baby bump, but more than likely a pre-pregnancy pooch.  Wondering about my little bump, I took to reading my books, the internet, etc. to see when most women start showing.  Everything I've read suggests that most women don't start showing until at least 12 weeks, but everyone is different.  So here are some lovely likely causes of my little bump...

1.  Bloating/water retention/constipation... fabulous right?  And definitely happening.  Everything that is going in, is NOT coming out... to put it as not-disgusting as possible.

2.  Weak abdominal muscles... definitely a possibility considering my lack of strenuous exercise the past few months, but it's not like I've had a baby before so I can't really use this excuse.

3.  Weight gain... ummm, probably.  Considering eating is what helps the nausea every few hours, I'm definitely taking in more than usual!

4.  Twins?  Nope.  We do have twins on Russell's side of the family, but the ultrasound lady said "there's just one in there!"

So basically what can we determine from this research?  I'm fat.  No, I don't really think that... but I am looking forward to actually having a baby bump and not just a bloated bump.  Maybe the next time I post a bump picture, it'll be more convincing that there's a baby in there.   

Early Riser + Thanksgiving Happenings

Well, one thing is for sure.  My body does not let me sleep past 7am anymore.  It doesn't care if it's Thanksgiving, the weekend, vacation, or a lazy work day.  Bummer.  Sometimes it's even earlier!  But at 7am, it's like a signal is transmitted from my stomach to my brain, "EAT NOW."  I'm currently at my grandma's house in Bossier City, LA and she was thoughtful enough to buy me some delicious powder sugar donuts... my favorite.  So every morning at 7am I've been raiding her pantry for these scrumptious, not so healthy, goodies.  Russell laughed at me this morning... bringing the bag of donuts back to bed at 7am because no one else was awake.

We have enjoyed a great trip to my great home state of Louisiana, filled with good food, (too much) football, laughter, and some always welcomed family time.  I also got to see my friend Keri who I've known since I was 3 years old.  I hope the little baby in my belly makes a friend like that that he or she can stay connected to for so many years.  It is such a blessing. :) 


Keri & I about 5 years ago :)  We need an updated pic!

Yesterday, we went to my aunt and uncle's house for the afternoon.  We had Johnny's pizza... something I probably haven't had since I was 14 (when we moved to OK) and OMG I had forgotten how incredible this pizza was.  My sister and cousins went shopping, and I opted for a pedicure.  My nail color is called "I Don't Do Dishes."  I just couldn't pass that up.

A recent picture of my cousins and sister and I eating pizza... but not Johnny's pizza.  I guess we like eating pizza together.

We are leaving this morning to head back to OK!  Bedlam is tonight!!  And we're going!!  That's OSU vs. OU for those of you that don't know.  It's a big deal.  And really big this year b/c OSU is having such a great season!!  If we beat OU, we will go to the Big 12 Championship... I'm not a football expert, but I don't think that's ever happened.  Go Pokes!!!  We haven't been able to go to a game all season, so we are so excited to be in Stillwater in Boone Pickens Stadium tonight!  We'll be watching the game with this cute newly engaged couple...

AAAHHH people are awake!  Yay!  Gotta go... more to come later.

Cravings and Close Calls

A trip to the grocery store now-a-days is much more eventful than before.  Some things make me instantly nauseated and some things take a life of their own and ask me to rip them open and eat them right that second.  Thankfully I still have enough self-control to speed past the gross foods and not tear open the yummy ones.  A few things I've eaten lately that I don't normally buy... cottage cheese & peaches, pistachios, chocolate pudding, I could go on.  The most impulsive buy was this...

I LOVE this key lime pie.  My family knows this and my grandma usually has one waiting for me when I come visit.  I walked past this pie in Target the other day and practically drooled on the floor.  I looked for the individual servings, but had no luck... so I bought the whole pie!!!  I gave in to the impulse and am SO glad I did.  I'm still working on finishing it, but it's delicious every step of the way!

Close Calls... I'll try to write about this delicately... I'm in Walmart yesterday, eating a sucker I just got from the post office, and all the sudden intense nausea.  Like, WHOA I need to find a bathroom.  I looked like the old women in our neighborhood, speed-walking to the bathroom.  Thankfully I was able to calm myself and not toss the cookies, but I really thought I was going to for a second. 

Another close call happened with my good friend Emily.  Here is a pic of us and Katherine at Emily's wedding a couple years ago.  We've known each other for almost 10 years now and she knows me really well!  So I just couldn't keep a secret from her a few weeks ago...

We were on our way back to Tulsa from watching Freshman Follies in Stillwater and I was feeling so nauseated riding in her car.  Where were my crackers when I needed them?!  I was taking deep breaths, trying to distract myself with conversation, but it just got really bad.  This was the weekend before our doctor's appt when we were going to start telling everyone.  I complained of car sickness (which has NEVER happened in our long friendship) and I got her to turn the heat down and put some air on my face.  But it just wasn't getting better... so I made her pull over.  I don't think I have ever pulled over on the side of the road to get sick.  And I really didn't want to right then!  So we pull over and I just couldn't handle it anymore, "I'm not carsick, I'm PREGNANT!!" She screamed and hugged me and it was a really exciting moment.  Thankfully the excitement and all her questions got my mind off it and I was able to keep it down.  I made it home and scarfed some crackers immediately.  Problem solved.  I think this will remain my favorite (or most comical) way the pregnancy news was spread.  Ha! 

FAQs

I get a lot of the same questions right now, so if you were wondering - I'll answer them here!

When are you due?  June 22nd!

How are you feeling?  Really, really tired.  I'm an early to bed person anyway, but this has just gotten ridiculous.  If I sit on the couch for more than 30 minutes at a time, I just melt into it.  There have been a couple nights Russell and I have been watching tv and I'm out at like 7:30pm.  It's crazy!  Someone told me that forming a baby inside you is the equivalent of running a marathon everyday.  I sure do agree.

Have you been sick at all?  No throwing up yet so that's good... but I get queasy every few hours.  I just never feel 100%.  But that's ok, b/c there's a baby in there!!  I've found that if I always have something on my stomach, I feel better.  So basically I'm eating all the time and will probably get HUGE over the next few months.

Are you going to find out the sex?  I am waaaay too much of a planner not to.

Do you have a preference?  I will of course be happy either way, but I'd like to have a girl at some point so if the first one could be a girl I'd be thrilled.  Russell wants a boy, but will be happy either way.

Do you have any names picked out?  Yes!  Before I met Russell, he had already decided on his first boy's name.  Gabriel William.  We'll call him Gabe (or Gabey-baby early on...my idea! ha!).  William is Russell's middle name so we'll carry it down.  A girl's name is much harder... we like SO many.  It's a little tough to pair something with Friske, so I tend to not like anything that ends in a "long e" sound.  Like my name for instance.  Ha.

How was the first doctor's appointment?  Great!  I was so anxious/nervous/excited to see the sonogram, find out the due date, and start telling people!  My doctor is great and I'm very comfortable with her.  She actually went to school in Shreveport, LA where I'm originally from!  She was listening to me breathe and she said, "are you nervous?" and I said "Yes!  Anxious!"  She said my heart was going crazy and to take some deep breaths.

What has been the coolest part so far?  Telling Russell, my family, and everyone close to me was incredible.  But seeing the sonogram for the first time was just the neatest thing in the world.  It definitely made it more real for both of us.  Russell teared up and I was just giddy with excitement.  Pretty much exactly like when we got married!  We could see the little tiny heartbeat going crazy in there.  The human body amazes me and God is so good!!  It's a cute little peanut... or jelly belly as Russell has been saying.  He or she was not quite an inch long here.  Here's a pic...

Spreading the News...

I took a test (well...4 to be exact) before church one Sunday in mid-October.  I had to hold back the excitement and act normal at church so Russell wouldn't suspect anything.  Inside I was going nuts!  It was a LONG day waiting for him to get home from work... I bought some pink and blue balloons and tied them to a bib that said "If you think I'm cute, you should see my Dad."  I put them in what will be the nursery, set up the video camera, and led him there when he got home.  His reaction is priceless... shock, excitement, tears, fulfillment.  Maybe we'll show the video at a baby shower or something. :)  One really cool thing he revealed to me was that while he's been fasting (a voluntary thing he felt God was calling him to for 40 days) he had been praying that God would fulfill the desire of his heart...to be a Dad.  I had no idea he was specifically praying for this to happen and when he told me, my heart melted.  God truly answers prayers!  We are so blessed!

 

How cute is he?!

So then we had to tell the parents.  I happened to be going to visit my parents the following weekend, but Russell wasn't going with me and he wanted to see their reaction.  I made this t-shirt and had him start talking to them on Skype.  I came into the computer screen with my "Baby" shirt and the conversation stopped, then there was a short pause, then a loud, long SCREAM from my mom and an adorable smile and big eyes from my Dad.  Then my mom screamed, "Spencer (my 16 year old bro), your sister's pregnant!!!"  They were completely overjoyed and a little shocked too I think.  The next night we told my sister, Marissa, the same way.  She absolutely cried her eyes out and had really sweet things to say about what great parents we would be.  A couple days later we took Russell's parents out to dinner under the premise that we were thanking them for hosting our LifeGroup a couple weeks prior.  They bought it and believed us when we said we got them a gift.  The gifts were little bibs that said "I Love Grandma" and "I Love Grandpa."  They opened them and showed as much excitement as you can in a public place.  They are thrilled to add a 4th grandchild to the mix.  That weekend I went to New Orleans to visit my family and my mom's parents were there too.  I put the "Baby" shirt on and told them I wanted to show them my new t-shirt.  I recorded this one too.  My grandpa literally shouted "WHAAAAAT?!?!" and my grandma was still trying to figure it out.  It was so cute.  Then the thought of adding a "great" to their name was kinda scary but they just couldn't be happier.  We told the rest of the grandparents over the phone and made them keep a secret for like 3 weeks.  It was torture on everyone...us too.  Here's a pic of me in my baby shirt...

As most of you know, we waited until after our first doctor appointment at 8 weeks (more on that later) to tell everyone else.  It has been such a blast telling everyone and seeing people share in our excitement!  This baby has a whole lot of people awaiting its arrival and will be SO loved!!

P.s.  anyone know how to rotate pictures?  Or do they need to already be rotated when I upload them?  Blogging beginner... bare with me.

Why Brussell Sprouts?

Hello all!  I am new to blogging, but hoping it will become something I love to do.  I love reading my friends' blogs, and now that we are having a BABY...I thought it would be a fun thing to do to document the pregnancy and help out-of-towners feel closer.  Why call it Brussell Sprouts you ask?  In college my dear friend Heidi nicknamed Russell and I "Brussell."  I was racking my brain trying to come up with a fun way to use our last name, Friske, in the blog name but couldn't settle on anything.  "We Got Friske," "Friske Adventures," "It's Good to be a Friske,"... just weren't quite cutting it.  My mom remembered the Brussells nickname and I mentioned it to Heidi who came up with Brussell Sprouts!  Get it?  Sprouts b/c it's like a baby!  Ok, maybe you are quicker than I give you credit for.  Anyway, that's the origin!  Thanks Mom & Heidi!  Successful first post?