Paparazzi pic!!! By popular demand!

OK - for those requesting a belly pic of Nicole . . . here it is!

My baby has a bump . . . with our baby. : )

We are in our 13th week almost 14th.

*Nicole Parker has not (yet) approved this image, although the image has been endorsed by her primary campaign advisor.

My In-Laws....What Can I Say?

Bet you thought I was going to write something bad based on the title right? TRICKED YOU!

Can I just say that I love Sanjay's parents so very much. They are so caring, helpful and empathetic. They are always willing to help Sanjay and I, and have several times. They are always feeding us, making us relax (which we both need sometimes), and bringing us things we need.

I feel honored to be welcomed into their family and I absolutely love hearing their stories. Did you know Sanjay's Grandmother (his mom's mom) owned an orphanage in India? and Sanjay's Grandfather was a sumo wrestler? Did you know Sanjay's dad used to hunt tigers? These are just some examples of what an amazing life they have lived thus far.

I can't believe how at home I feel when I go to their house. Just the other day I sat and the couch and before I knew it I woke up to them whispering in the dark. They didn't want turn on the lights or make any noise because they were scared they would wake me because they knew I wasn't feeling good. They are so sweet!

Turn for the worse turned good

Unfortunately after a day and a half of feeling a little bit better, I had a turn for the worse and ended up in the hospital. I was in so much pain that I couldn't even walk and could barely talk. I was so concerned for the baby. My friend Gretchan came to take me to the hospital and Sanjay met us there. I thought Gretchan would just leave after dropping me off to go back to work. But she didn't; she stayed there with us the entire time. Thank you so much Gretchan and Sanjay. My mom also came and spent the night with us. She helped with things we needed around the house. Thank mom.

The great news is that all of my vitals were fine and I was just dehydrated. One doctor told me it was pregnancy related and the other told me it wasn't, so who knows. The best part of the entire event was that we got to hear Peanut's heartbeat. It was beating kind of slower than I thought it would be, but I thought it was so cool that I cried happy tears. We later found out that it was my heartbeat and not Peanut's. DUH! Luckily a different nurse came and wanted to check for herself because there were no notes from the midwife who checked it the first time. We got to hear it for real this time. It was much faster, beating around 165. I cried again and Sanjay just kinda stared at my belly in a happy shock.

A tag from Denise...
Seems the idea here is to answer all the questions and then add one yourself at the bottom, then tag some people. :)
1. Name your 2 favorite scrapbooking topics: I have been wanting to scrapbook for years now. I want to make a wedding one, a college one, and now a baby one.
2 What are the 2 best places you've been to? Africa (Kenya & Zambia) and in Sanjay's arms in India at the place he grew up.
3. Name 2 things you do every day: pray and brush my teeth :)
4. Tell us 2 things that pretty much everyone knows about you: I have a naural fro and I love learning about new cultures.
5. 2 places you wish to visit: I would love to visit more places in Africa and Australia.
6. 2 things you may not know about me are: I love French Fries (at least I did before I became preggers) and I would love to learn to play drums.
7. 2 nicknames you've had at some time in your life: hmmmm. My sister used to call me a "Praying Mantis", but now she calls me "Sissy". In college my friends called me "Happy Chappy"
8. Name 2 of your favorite drinks: Orange Juice and Fair Lemonade.
9. Janet's question: What are 2 interesting (in a good or bad way) jobs you’ve had in your life? I would have to say one of my part time jobs currently is the most interesting. I am an international adoption assessor. I interview, assess, and train families about international adoption. My worst job was selling T-shirts door to door, or maybe selling jewlry over the phone.
10. Cheri's question: Name 2 resolutions you've either already broken or 2 that you've kept so far: Well my resolution this year was to lose weight. Obviously that is not going to happen Hee-Hee.
11. Jen's question: If you could be any age, what would it be? I like my current age. I am established in my career and education and I don't have to worry about my date calling me back the next day. But most of all I am so excited to meet little Peanut and watch our family grow.
12. Erin's question: What was the last song you downloaded (or song that you would love to have)? Feliz Navidad for my ring tone. Speaking of I should probably change that.
13. Denise's question: What is the yummiest food that you've made lately? Well let's see I've been sick for two months and could barely open the fridge. Lately, mac and cheese has been the top choice. I can't wait to cook again.
14. Kelly's question: What is your most favorite thing to do to relax? Sleep

Prego Surprise - Volume 1

We've finally gotten around to editing and encoding the videos of how we announced to our families the onset of the Peanut era . . . hope you enjoy, and more to come!

Peanut Will Have Fingernails Soon!

We just finished our 11th week (at least I think, I am still confused about how that all works), and Peanut is slightly more than two inches long now weighing about a third of an ounce. Peanut's head is equal in length to the rest of the body and is forming hair follicles. Fingernail and toenail beds are begining to develop this week and by next week, the nails themselves will start to grow. Peanut's body is straightening and his or her torso is lengthening. Some poses Peanut can assume now are stretches, somersaults, and forward rolls.

It is truly amazing to think of how miraculous having a baby really is. I can't believe I have our baby's heartbeat and hair growing IN MY BELLY. That is so weird and so cool.

Sorry God

I was just thinking about how I haven't given God enough credit on this blog. He has given me the strength when I am weak, the optimism when I am down, the courage when I am scared, wisdom when I am confused, and comfort when I am lonely. He has given Sanjay and I the most wonderful blessing in the world...becoming parents. I can not wait to meet our little Peanut. I believe there are no coincidences in this world and everything is part of God's master plan.

Now God, thank you for the blessing of becoming preggers, now please make me feel better!

Update

Sanjay and I celebrate our friends and family in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and support. I experienced what felt like a miralce. For almost three days I was partially relieved of the constant terrible sickness to my stomach. It was so incredibly wonderful to be able to function with minimal discomfort. It makes me think of how blessed we have been with our health. I am still optimistic that this pain will subside soon as we just completed our 10th week yesterday. Thanks again for your support and prayers.

We have our next appointment Feb. 20th. I can't wait to see little Peanut. We should be able to hear his/her heartbeat this time. :)

Sweet Rylie Laughing

This is a video of our sweet little niece Rylie Rae laughing her head off. To me, there is no better sound in the world than a baby laughing.

MEN!

Last night Sanjay and I were playing WAR (card game) in bed. I reached over to the night stand to grab something and Sanjay proceeded to grab my butt and said "Hunny, I think you're finally beginning to gain some weight!" I looked at him with what must have been a death stare and said "Excuse me." It must have registered in his mind that it probably was not a good idea to tell a pregnant woman her butt feels bigger (or any woman for that matter). Digging himself in a bigger hole, he then went on to try to make things better by saying "I thought you wanted to gain weight." In his defense, I have lost about 10 pounds and did say I wanted to eat more for the baby. Believe it or not Sanjay is really good with words so I have to give him a hard time when he says something stupid. After my initial shock, we laughed about it and I ended up kicking his butt in WAR. YAY! I needed some sort of victory.