Ah the joy!

So far this pregnancy has been fairly uneventful. Well except the spotting early on and not seeing the baby and it measuring small etc. But ALL that stopped. And the baby is good and well. Today I am exactly 2 months preggo. My baby is like a gummy bear, and all its fingers and toes are formed! It has tripled in size in 2 weeks. amazing! I haven't had morning sickness, nor have I thrown up, BUT I have all day nausea. If I'm hungry, I can't eat because meat, chicken, hamburgers...EVERYTHING makes me feel like I'm gonna be sick. We went and got fish today because I didn't feel like I was gonna hurl when I thought about it. I ate two bites and I couldn't eat anymore, because I thought I was gonna be sick thinking about it! All I really feel like I can handle is green beans, mac and cheese and potatoes. At least that is semi-healthy. But I eat small snacks throughout the day and it helps. I can't drink water in the morning because it makes me sick, so I have to drink milk or O.J.

This whole week up here at my mom and dads has been fun. we celebrated Christmas and we got a Wii (yay!!)

and the baby got toys and clothes...and toys. LOL. already spoiled. We've gone shopping everyday and we always end up getting clothes and toys for the baby. We made a baby registry at Babies R Us and I finally chose a nursery theme for a boy and girl. Sweet peas and bunnies. love it.

I'm constantly tired, but can't sleep all night. Thats REALLY annoying. I think it is from my progesterone pills.

I think its a boy. I'm nearly positive about it. I'd be shocked if they say its a Girl!! :) But we'd be happy with either.

But all in all, everything is great and I feel great about this pregnancy. I passed the point where I lost Ella, and that gives me hope that this one will make it. Thanks you everyone who has been so supportive and caring during this process. I know its hard to talk to someone or find things to say when someone is going through all of this these past few months, but you all have been wonderful.

Mom and dad- thank you SO much for everything. If it wasn't for ya'll helping us, I think I would have lost this baby in that 5th week. You are truly a blessing as parents. thank you for the medications that we couldn't afford to save our baby and all the wonderful gifts for him. I know he will be truly blessed as well when he is born. Or is that spoiled? hmm. :-) Either way, he will know he is loved!! I love you!

(Auntie) Amy- thank you for ALWAYS being there for me, and for being my support system at the ultrasound when James couldn't make it. You are a wonderful friend and I love you!

April- Thank you for all the advise! I've already gotten some of the things you recommended!! :-) Love you!

All my family- Ya'll are amazing and I love you all!

Lovelove.

And then there were 3...

I went in for my ultrasound today to check up on the baby. Last week we only saw the gestational sac and it was measuring a week behind. This week I was expecting the worst because I had been spotting off and on...well...we saw the baby!! Its little heart was beating so fast and I just had a huge grin on my face! It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!! To boot, our baby had caught up in size!! He measured 6 weeks and I am 6weeks and 3 days today. The doctor said its perfectly normal and everything looks great! So in a week he grew a week and 6 days!! He just had to take a breather last week! Anyway, he is absolutely perfect. I go in again at 10 weeks to check up on him. We will be able to hear the heart then and see his little profile! :-) I'll know the gender at 15-18 weeks. Anyway! Much love!!

Babies and cuddly things

I'm really starting to get excited about this baby. I mean, I was scared at first because of what happened the first time, but I just feel really good about this pregnancy!! I was at work last night and a lady had her 2 year old son in the basket. Cute as a button. I kept smiling and talking to him, and next thing you know he looks at me and says "You're gonna hold me now!!" I just looked at his mom like "haha" and kept talking about granite. The boy then started screaming and reaching for me, telling his mom that he wanted me to hold him and play with him, push the cart, etc. In that moment, I couldn't wait for my baby to get here. I will relish in my baby screaming for me to hold them, because I struggled to get them in my arms. I can't wait to hear my baby cry for me. Amazing.

I'm almost positive it is a boy.
My mom is almost positive its a boy.
honestly, I dont think we care either way!! :)

I have my first ultrasound on the 26th. A real thanksgiving blessing!!

I'm craving hotdogs with mac and cheese ON them.
And fried green beans. Oh man, now I want some.
AND Jalepeno poppers. yum. double yum.

anyway.
I'm gonna post a random thought today.
Trust. I mean, who can you trust, really? Family? Friends? Lawyers? Doctors? Yourself? Definately not yourself...even -I- lie to myself. So thats one off the list. Doctors and lawyers say what they think you want to hear. Friends try their best, I'm sure, but there is inevitably a backstab here or there, possibly minor. Family? maybe. maybe not. Depends who you put your trust in. I mean, everyone has alliances. Doctors, family, friends etc...they always have someone to protect. Maybe it isn't you. I usually don't trust people farther than I can throw them. I can count on one hand who I completely trust. Sad, huh? You'd think in life that you can trust more people, but I guess times have changed. I guess you just have to learn to live with it, and you get hurt....but life goes on....and if your trust is broken, at least you can make sure it wont happen again....

We're pregnant!

Ok, so I took my last digital pregnancy test last night and got a POSITIVE!! I'm so excited!! We've wanted this baby so badly! We can't wait to be parents!! God is SOOO good! He really gives you the desires of your heart. Pray often.

I just wanted to share our joy!!

Much love.

Blessed

I am so very blessed. If I don't get my BFP (big fat positive) this month, at least I know I will be on this journey with some great women on my message board who never cease to amaze me. I pray every day that they receive their little blessings, and I know I will be as excited when they get pregnant as I will when I get pregnant. We had one lady get pregnant last cycle (yay TaShena!) And the rest of us are not far behind.

This is the hardest thing I have ever done. It stinks to wake up every morning knowing that my own body betrayed me. Not a day goes by that I don't think of our baby we lost. I even bought a pair of angel wings for our Christmas tree that will be on there every year to remember her by. Its so weird to explain. I want this baby so bad not only for myself and my hubby, but for my lost baby as well. I want to show our baby enough love for the both of them. I know I will be a great mother because I have tried, cried, prayed, suffered, and persevered for this child. Not a day will go by that my baby will not know how much we wanted it and love it.

Some days I'm scared I will never be a mom. I can't see myself with children. I try, and I desperately want them, but it always seems like a dream that is constantly out of reach. I hope I can prove myself wrong in a few days.

Much love and hugs.

Trip and yay's!

Ok, I think I will start with my trip this past weekend. We went to see Kat and Reya with my mom and dad this past weekend (Saturday) It was a good trip, and Reya is just way too cute! We had a great time with her. James has really taken to her, and just watching him play with her, I know he will be a great daddy.

On a second note, I found out today I only have 4 more classes to graduate then I'm off to University of Memphis to get my Ph.D! I'm not sure if I want to get my M.S first, they have two programs. I may just go get my M.S to get into my job field then do my Ph.D at night afterwards. We are really excited about moving to tennessee next year! Hopefully we get pregnant this month or next so we can stay here with my Fertility specialist when the baby is born. He is great, and has really been pro-active in helping us with our infertility issues when no one else would listen to me when I said there was something wrong with my "stuff"! :-) So he is very optomistic about getting us pregnant before Christmas.

Ok, a rant and peeve time:
I really really really (I can't really stress this enough) hate when people SAY they are Christians then are snobby, stuck up, and completely RUDE to people!!! They think they are better than everyone else, and they are so immature....they don't even know that the people that WILL talk to them, can't really tolerate them! ugh! So in a nutshell: If you SAY you are a Christian and even tell people how you think THEY should be a Christian then start acting it yourself. Don't play little petty games, running and hiding so you don't have to speak, or completely ignoring someone just because you think you are better than them....GROW UP!!!

ok. Done. lovelove

Thank you God!

Ok, so I went to get my ultrasound today to make sure I did not have any Cysts from the Clomid. And thank GOD, I Didn't!! None, nada, zilch. Which also brings me to other surprising findings. I didn't ovulate at ALL! Which means those ovulation tests are BAD and my body plays tricks on me. (I used the answer dip sticks from walmart. I got two surges on those dang things, but I didn't ovulate!) Therefore, however, I got my Clomid DOUBLED! yay!! So instead of 50mg I'm now on 100mg starting today. I have another ultrasound on Halloween, to see if I am responding, and if I have enough follicles mature, I may get a HCG shot to make sure I ovulate! Thanksgiving blessing, here I come!
My RE had no idea why I got AF so soon, he was shocked because I have +/- 60 day cycles. He said that at least I got it, and I can start earlier on this next round. I've heard of alot of successes with 100mg, so I hope it works for me! I also asked about baby asprin and he said that it doesn't hurt to take it, but it is usually taken by women that have had multiple miscarriages, he said its great for your heart if nothing else. I also asked about progesterone suppliments and he said he has had no difference between women taking them and not taking them, so he doesn't usually prescribe it. He said we'll wait to see what my levels are when I'm pregnant.
On top of that, I don't have to worry about paying for the ultrasounds, because they list them as preventative as they are finding out why I don't have periods, so major kudos to them for helping all the ladies who have fertility issues in that office. Saves me big bucks. Anyway, I'm on CD3 today and I will be taking my pills at 3:30pm just like last cycle! Pray I get some MAJOR follies in there and ovulate!! Much love and baby dust!

Oh for the joy of needles....

So today is my doctor visit. I'm over my fear of needles now, probably because I have been poked so many times. I am getting an ultrasound today and finding out if I can start my new round of clomid. PRAY I have no cysts and can start it! That is my one fear!! I just know I'd go crazy if I can't try this cycle and have to wait until december. Not fun! I just wish I could wiggle my nose and be pregnant, then I wouldn't have to go through all this. Sometimes, life seems so unfair. I never imagined I'd be one of the ladies with fertility issues. ugh. Why can't life ever be easy? All I know is when my child asks me if he/she was a mistake or planned, I can honestly say planned because I wanted him/her so very much! Love will be abundant in this house.

So we start again...Hoping for a Thanksgiving Blessing.

As many of you know, I was taking Clomid 50mg this month in hopes to have a baby. Well, this morning, a whole week early, my cycle started. The Clomid worked to make me ovulate, but I didn't get pregnant. So, I go in on Thursday for an ultrasound to see if I have any cysts that need to go away before I start another round. If no cysts are present, I start another round of Clomid and will be monitored to ensure I have ripe follicles and I will get a trigger shot to make me ovulate which ensures perfect...um.....fertilization timing. lol. In the meantime, I still plan for this baby we will have one way or the other. I WILL be pregnant before the end of 2008. I have complete faith in God and my Fertility doctor to get me there.

But of course, if we have a Karaline Mae or a Jonathan David, the Nursery theme is as follows:

Jonathan David's Nursery:

Karaline Mae's Nursery:
Love it. I'm tempted to have a lady my mom knows to make the bedding set with KMR monogrammed in every piece.

I was going to do the jungle theme for a girl and a boy, but then I saw the pink set and loved it. So much for that idea! Of course, I'm having their names on wood letters hanging from a ribbon above their cribs. These babies are definately going to be loved and very much wanted when we do get them.
Anyway. Thats all I have for now. Much love.

Wow, Been a while. Update

Ok, so it has been a while, so I think I need to update a little bit. James and I found out on August 13th we were pregnant with our first. On August 22nd, we lost the baby. We are now on Clomid (a fertility drug) and hoping it works. We found out I hardly ever ovulate and we just happened to get lucky the first time. We will know more at the end of the month if it works or not. We really want this baby.

James and I are trying to sell the house and recently got a realestate agent to sell it for us (pray we sell it!). We plan to move to Saraland and into a 3 bedroom apartment for a year then move to Tennessee. We are only staying the extra year because we don't want to move while I am on a program with our fertility specialist. We want to be able to have our baby down here and with him.

Anyway, that was a very short version of whats been going on with us. Many blessings and love to all of you!

Mrs. Kristen Me'Chelle Richardson

So today I got my name officially changed! I sat in the social security office for about an hour and was asked by the lady what I wanted my name to be. I of course responded "Isn't it just gonna be Kristen Me'Chelle Richardson?" she then proceeded to tell me I had choices. oh man. never give me choices. Kristen McGuffin Richardson. Kristen Me'Chelle McGuffin-Richardson. Kristen Me'Chelle Richardson. After debating these with her for a good 5-10 mins, I decided to keep it simple and old school :-) Besides, people had enough trouble pronouncing McGuffin, so I decided maybe it was time to make it easy on people :)
We went up to my parents house for the fourth of July! It was alot of fun and I absolutely love Tennessee. So much in fact, that James and I have decided that when I graduate and have our first kid, we are gonna sale our house and move up near Middleton Tennessee or North-west Alabama. We want to build our own home, so we will probably live at my parents while its being built. (FREE BABYSITTING!!) :-)
We can't wait. I'm designing our home and kitchen (of course) already. Unless we can find one we like pre-built!
But anyway, it was fun to spend time with my parents and JJ, Kat and Reya. James and I will probably fly to Cali next summer for a week or two.
Anyway, I'm baking a cake (I love doing that!) and hoping to have it done for James when he gets home. Love ya all!

Our honeymoon!

Ok, so I forgot the honeymoon pics! We stayed our first night at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel in a Corner King suite overlooking the water! We also got the Romance Package and loved it! This was our room:

We had the romance package which included Chocolate covered strawberries and Champagne, with breakfast in bed. Pics!

We then got up and headed to Wind Creek State park. It was beautiful!!. We were able to visit Auburn University and visit family.

So! Thats our honeymoon in a nutshell! I'll update again soon! Love!

wow, its been a while!

Wow! So its been a few months. I can say that we've been pretty busy!! I'll try to keep up a bit more! So James and I got married 11 days ago and we're so happy! It was a long process but it ended up being exactly what we were hoping for! We are currently trying to get back on schedule and its slowly coming together. I start back at college in August, so we are trying to find a way that I can go full time and get done sooner. James is still at Speak's and Assocates and he loves it, but he is so tired!
We are planning on expanding our little family, so we are excited about that as well.
OK, I know you're waiting on pics, so here they are!!

More are to follow after my photographer gets them done. I'll be sure to update!

Are we there yet?

Wow, been a while since I posted, but I thought it was time for an update! James and I are now getting married June 14th of 2008. Time is flying and we just hit our "100 days til the wedding" mark!! We close on our house next week, so we are excited about that! oh! I have pics of the house!!

Cute huh?!

Its 2 stories and 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms.

Anyway!

The bridesmaids dresses are being made at the moment by my future mother in law. one down, 3 to go! lol

Theyre cute though.

Anyway, just thought I'd update everyone! Much love!

Tonight I shall have buttercream dreams!

So today I went to find out how much my cake would cost me. I'm so excited!! I'm having a green wedding cake (I know, I know, scary at first, but absolutely beautiful! Two main layers then the top for us on our 1 year. Bottom layer is Yellow cake and second is chocolate. (James loves chocolate!) His grooms cake is as southern as it gets! Its a square one layer red velvet cake with cream cheese icing with chocolate edging and a chocolate R on top. Very nice, very yummy!! Here is a pic of my cake. Now keep in mind that bottom layer will not be on my cake. Too big for a small wedding!
So yea, that was yummy cause I got to bring home two cupcakes for James and I so he could see what her cake and icing tasted like. YUM! We then walked down to "gator Alley" where there is a pier and wooden walkway under the highway bridges. (this was 7pm or so) So it was dark, James then proceeded to get on one knee to ask me to marry him since he was unable to kneel when he originally asked me :-D He then danced with me and talked about our future together. It was really sweet :)

On another note, Bella got her shots today and had a BAD reaction to them when I got her home. She swelled up with Hives and I had to rush her back to the vet. The vets kept her for a couple hours on an IV and meds to reduce the swelling. All is good, she's just really sensitive to the meds for dogs I guess. Shes sleeping now cause shes drugged up on benadryl! lol Poor baby.

On ANOTHER note. I will not be entering the coast guard any time soon. James and I have decided it would be too hard on our marriage if I left for bootcamp for 2 months after being married a month. We'll discuss it more after the new year '09. Either way, I'm happy with my life as long as James is in it! We are looking at buying or renting a home at the moment, so we're excited!

Much love and sleep tight!

Dum dum de dum (Thats the wedding march tune if you failed to hear my humming along) ;-)

SO! Today is my birthday. 25 years. scary.

And today James got me the gift I've waited so patiently for! My engagement ring!!its perfect and EXACTLY what I was looking for. He has great taste!!
So there it is! 3 oval aquamarines (Genuine of course, none of that lab created stuff) ;-) and 4 diamonds set in white gold with a yellow gold band. And if you'd like a different view. Voila!
And for an even BETTER surprise he took me back to Kay's and let me pick out the wedding band to go with it and his wedding band (his is out for engraving with a secret message) ;-)
But here is my engagement and wedding band paired together! The wedding band is yellow gold with I THINK a 1/2 carat of diamonds. Stunning in person!!
So yea, great day! And he got me the cutest birthday card with our picture in it. He's so sweet :)

Here are some pics of my bday party thing. The girl I'm in the pic with is Amy, shes my maid of honor and is already planning the bachelorette party! lol! scary! Then of course James and I, then Charlie and his GF Elizabeth, then Greg and another Charlie! (Amy's Hubby)

All in all my bday was great!!We had a great dinner and movie, and now I'm home about to hit the sack!I'll post a pic of James' ring when I get it back! Much love!