12 Weeks + Photoshoot

Week 12

Still feeling exhausted! I am ready for some energy & motivation to come back! I am not as hungry.... well maybe I am and now I'm just used to it! :) Up 2.5 lbs. Baby is the size of a large plum! Definitely feel bigger... clothes are tighter and can't suck in anymore! Working out actually feels great - when I have the energy to push myself to the gym... I love walking! No crazy food cravings but don't love the smell of mint (like peppermint... not the herb mint!). I used to eat yogurt everyday and haven't wanted that! Not a big fan of red meat right now because I love me a good bloody steak and medium burger and everything has to cooked well done! I really want a deli sandwich... especially from Blimpie or Subway! I eat pickles a lot but don't really crave them! Too much sugar gives me a headache. This week was the first time I felt like I needed coffee (I refrained!). I have had a couple of cokes throughout the 3 months though! I get full REALLY fast but then I'm hungry 30 minutes later! Carbs are my best friend! 

The 1st Eleven...

I want to keep account of how I felt each week so I can compare it to my next pregnancies (God-willing) and so I can tell my daughter (God-willing!) when she gets pregnant! 

(photo credit)

Weeks 1-3

Had no idea! Just living life, drinking beer, and eating sushi and deli meat.

Week 4

Where it all began! Found out on a Tuesday (about 4 days before my missed period)! I was soooo excited and a little shocked! Steven was the same! We couldn't hold it in and started telling family and close friends right away! 

Week 5

Still cannot believe i'm pregnant! (especially when the doctor told me it statically would be harder for me to get pregnant because of my polycystic ovaries!... God is so good!) Pregnancy brain was in full force this week! I couldn't think about anything else!

Week 6

My first wave of nausea hit me. I was told to just keep eating... don't let your stomach get empty... done! That wasn't hard for me to do! :) I told myself I wasn't going to sick (my mom, grandma, aunt, stepmom, and Steven's mom all didn't get sick so I told myself it ran in the family!) It worked! Gummies also did the trick... whenever I felt nauseous I ate gummies (worms, bears, etc)! 

Week 7

Baby's first airplane ride! I spent this week in Denver for work. It went well! I thought I wasn't going to be able to hold up my end but we pulled off a successful event! 

Week 8

First doctor appointment! We heard the heart beat for the first time... aka best sound ever! Ahh it was soo cool! It was going 160 beats per minute! 

Week 9

Hungry!! I got to celebrate being a mom-to-be and our moms as Grandmas-to-be for Mother's Day! Overall though, constantly hungry.... couldn't get enough! I never buy mac & cheese but Velveeta was my go-to everyday... followed up by cereal. Love me some cereal. Couldn't get enough. Frosted Mini-Wheats were my jam! This is the week I gained my 1st lb... go figure! :) 

Week 10

Tired. Flat out exhausted. No motivation. Just want to sleep. It was a good week to watch ALL of The Lord of the Rings for the first time to make Daddy happy!

Week 11

Heartbeat this week was 175bpm (through a Doppler device)! Proud mama right here! We announced to the world this week! Such encouraging notes came flooding in! 


Baby Castardi at 8 Weeks: 

We're Gonna Have A Little Castardi!

On April 7, I went home early from work out of the blue... I just wasn't feeling right. I didn't feel bad but I just didn't feel myself. As I was driving home, it hit me... am I pregnant? (TMI alert) *I hadn't even missed my period but I guess it's possible! So on my way home I picked up some tests! I got home at about 3pm and took a test... it was negative... I think. There might have been a trace but it could have just been me wanting to see something. I decided to wait until the morning to take another one since thats the best time of the day. I didn't mention anything to Steven. The next morning Steven woke me up and said he was going into work early... it was the 2nd day of his new position! So I got up after he left, took a test, left it there to calculate and started getting ready for work. I went back a couple of minutes later and it was straight up positive!!!! I was FREAKING OUT! I don't even think I finished getting ready. I grabbed my stuff and headed to Steven's work! 

(side note: Steven says that I always text him bombs... like things that I should wait and talk to him about in person! Whoopsies) 

So when I got to his work, I sent him a text that said "I'm pregnant!" and was picturing him reading it right away and we would celebrate right there...but nooooo! His boss was coming in 10 minutes so he got out the windex and started cleaning and then showed me all of the new things that had taken place around the office... basically everything but checked his phone. So I finally said "Hey check out that text I sent you this morning...." and the rest is all on video! My favorite line is when he asks "what do you mean?" haha He is so cute!! 

Here is a video that I made of the reactions we captured while telling people we were pregnant! I love each and every one of them in all different ways! 

We finally posted this video to Facebook on May 27th! The encouraging comments we received were overwhelming! 

Enjoy!