{Let's Talk Ectopic}

I'll start by saying that I'm sharing this post for two reasons:

1.) I want to document every detail of this pregnancy, so that I can remember it and look back on it. I also want to refer to it during any possible future pregnancies.

2.) Just incase there is someone out there(like me) who doesn't know what and ectopic pregnancy is and maybe, hopefully it will help you be just a little less scared.

I found out I was pregnant on the morning of March 2nd. Later that night, when I got home from work, I came home and shared the exciting news with my husband. We were both in awe, we were so thrilled to be having a baby.

Six days later we were rushing to the E.R., holding hands nervously and praying that everything would be ok.

I had been having extreme abdomen pain for a couple of days, paired with intense bleeding. I tried to just deal with it and even ignore it as much as possible, but it finally got to a point where I couldn't contain my agony. I called the nurse and explained to her the symptoms I was having, she followed by asking me several questions and checked my blood work from the day before. I could hear the nervousness in her voice as she asked me questions and it became apparent that I was answering the questions the opposite of what she wanted to hear.

Eventually she told me that she thought I was having an ectopic pregnancy and that it was something to be taken very seriously. I said ok, but I really had no idea what she was talking about. I had never heard of it and I admittedly know very little about the woman's reproductive system. I know, shame on me. She told me that all ultrasound appointments had ended for the day and that I would need to go to the emergency room immediately.

At this point I started to worry a little, but I was still a little bit out of the loop. I called Kory and told him the news. He said he would meet me at home and then we would head to the E.R., as we were both coming from work. Before leaving for the E.R. he did his research to figure out what exactly we were dealing with. I remember sitting in the car and seeing the panic/fear/disappointment on Kory's face. He asked me if I knew what an ectopic pregnancy was and I said, "yes, it's a tubular pregnancy and we would lose the baby." And then he said..."and possibly you."

In an ectopic pregnancy the egg will stay in either your fallopian tube or will possibly attach to an ovary. In this case, the pregnancy is not viable and the mother is at risk of an internal hemorrhage.

I mean, you go from being the happiest you've ever, ever been in your entire life to being panic-stricken. I had no idea. I'd never heard of this, I did't know what to make of it, I didn't want to lose my baby-or my life.

I laid back in the hospital bed as they inserted the IV into my hand and the doctor explained to me what would happen over the next few hours and what all of the possible outcomes were, good and bad. Kory held my hand tight as tears poured down my face. I fought so hard to hold them back and not let the doctor see me cry, but it was just too much. Even within a week I had already grown so attached to the life inside of me.

I know for a fact that I have never prayed harder for something.

For four and a half hours I would be ran through the ringer. I was six weeks pregnant and I couldn't eat incase they had to perform emergency surgery.  Every test humanly possible was performed, to see if that babe was inside my fallopian tube or inside my uterus. It was painful and uncomfortable and down right stressful.

After all the tests were done we waited. And waited. And waited. It felt like an eternity before the doctor came in to talk to us to give us the results.

As it turned out, the praying worked. Or I like to think it did at least. The doctor said that I was having a possible miscarriage, but that the embryo had made it to my uterus and that it had for sure closed(you want the uterus to close to keep your little nugget safe). He assured me that he didn't see any true signs of a miscarriage and that I shouldn't be too worried, but to keep an eye out just incase. He leaned more towards the idea that my body was still not sure if it should be having a menstrual cycle or not and that it may have been something as minute as gas.

Either way it was terrifying and it was definitely something that I wish I had known more about going in. Pregnancy is just a roller coaster of events and emotions that can never be replaced. It's exhausting, it's exhilarating and it's painful at times, but it's the most wonderful experience.

-Melissa Loren

{Weekend Fun}

This weekend was fabulous. It was just what the doctor ordered. I had a couple days off and I was able to get caught up on a few things, spend some time with friends and even relax a little.

Our first garage sale was a success. We sold plenty, but still have a lot to donate and take to the dump. It was so hot during the garage sale, so I was sure to drink plenty of water and to stay in the shade as much as possible. Somehow I still managed to get fried like a lobster. I never burn. Did you guys know that you're actually more susceptible to the sun when you're pregnant? I had NO idea. Lots of sunscreen for me this summer!

Kory also did a little smoking and we had some friends over to join us. It was beautiful out so I thought we could eat outside. After dark we started a fire, moved the tv outside to watch the royals and made s'mores! It was perfect!

To end the weekend, we celebrated our dear friend's engagement. We had a wonderful time seeing pictures of them when they were younger and learning about how everyone knew them/had met them. Congrats Danielle & Josh!

 I wish I had more pictures, but I was lazy this weekend!

xx,

Melissa Loren

{Baby Schartz: Week 15}

How far along?: 15 weeks
Total weight gain?: 3.5lbs
Size of baby?: Baby is the size of an orange :)
Maternity clothes?: Not yet, but I feel it coming...
Stretch marks?: No. Lets keep it that way.
Sleep: Sleeping like a baby and it's not as hard to fall asleep this week.
Best moment this week: Being told I don't even look pregnant. I fully plan to own my belly, but for now(while it feels like a beer belly to me) it's nice to know that I'm not looking too large.
Miss Anything?: Deli sandwiches! Mr. Goodcents, mmmm!
Movement?: No. They say it starts happening soon though! :)
Food cravings: Peach tea! Does that count?
Anything making you queasy or sick?: Not anymore(thank goodness!).
Gender: 2 and 1/2 weeks! Eeek!
Labor signs: No.
Symptoms: Feeling great! I have all of my energy and back and it's oh so nice. Taking 20 naps a day has ceased!
Belly button in or out?: In :)
Wedding rings on or off?: On :)
Happy or moody most of the time?: I'm so happy! If I'm moody I don't notice, I can't say the same for everyone else though-haha!
Looking forward to: Finding out if we're having a baby boy or a baby girl! EEEK!!

We got a new "baby-mobile" at 15 weeks! My truck was so high that I didn't want to worry about struggling to get the baby in and out out, among other things. I LOVE it so far!

xx,
Melissa Loren

DIY Dresser Revamp!

Here's a little preview of Baby Schartz's new dresser! The decor may or may not be permanent since we don't know if baby is a he or a she yet. Lets be honest, though, I'll probably change it either way. :) I rearrange things all the time. I'm sure it'll be over the top once the nesting kicks in. Hee. 

So here's what I did...let me tell you, it was not an easy task, especially not for a pregnant woman. It took me a couple of weeks to complete from start to finish. Sanding is a real pain in the you know what. That was of course the longest part. I used 40 grit to get all THREE layers of paint off. Then I had to go over the entire dresser again with 100 grit to smooth the wood out. Next applied two coats or primer, followed by two coats of Behr's Cozumel in a semi-gloss. I wanted these beautiful glass knobs from Anthropologie, but 15 knobs at $15 each, it seemed a little ridiculous. So I ended up with these "knock-off" Home Depot glass knobs that were $3.47 a piece. I thought that was a much better price for basically the same look. I am more than happy with how this dresser for the nursery turned out. It was a lot of work and I had to keep telling myself that it was for the baby, but in the end it is totally worth it! Let me know what you think!

 xx

Melissa Loren

I've Never Changed a Diaper

I  know I said I would try not to do so many baby posts, but I can't help it. This baby is my whole life already. From all of the anticipation to what this baby will be like and how he/she will change our lives. My mind is constantly racing about all of the things that we need to get done before baby gets here, what size baby is today(a navel orange!) and how we're going to transform ourselves into parents. PARENTS. 

We know absolutely nothing about being parents. Kory was shocked to find out that I never babysat growing up. Never. I never had to or wanted to babysit when I was younger. I have zero nieces or nephews(on my side) and no younger siblings. I have zero experience with young children, specifically infants and toddlers. I've never changed a diaper. I repeat, never. I sleep like a rock. I mean literally, Kory will wake up in the middle of the night, have marching band practice, in our bedroom and I'll never know about it. How will I ever hear a baby monitor or the softest little whimpers?! They say it all comes naturally and that it's all instinctual and well frankly, I sure hope so. I want to be the best that I can be at this whole mom thing, but I have to admit, it doesn't come without fear, doubt or intimidation. This is all totally normal, right? Some of you mommas out there went into it without knowing a single thing, like me, right? Lie to me if not! Haha I'm kidding. I am nervous, but that's me-I'm a worry wart. I am undoubtedly the most excited I've ever been, though and I think(for the most part) that outweighs any of my concerns. I'm far too happy and too anxious to let intimidation get the best of me. I am enjoying every single bit of pregnancy and I cannot wait for the leaves to start changing. When they do, that means it's almost time for baby to make an appearance. Who else is excited?! Hee. Thanks for letting me ramble guys, even if it is another baby post!

xx,

Melissa Loren

Yellow!

My happy color! Yellow is officially my favorite color this Spring. It seriously makes my heart so happy lately. Maybe it's the fact that we don't know what we're having yet and yellow is a neutral color, so I'm drawn to it? Who knows, but I really appreciate it so much these days. It's bright and cheery and makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Don't worry, I'm not going to paint my kitchen bright yellow again. :) AnyWHO, here are a few of my favorite yellow pieces. All are from Kate Spade, except the shoes(piperlime) and the suit(Victoria's secret). 

xx,

Melissa Loren

{Weekend Fun: Mother's Day}

I enjoyed a wonderful Sunday off. It was much needed for this momma-to-be, Thursday, Friday and Saturday were very long days for me at work. So that made having this Sunday off extra special. We were able to celebrate my mom and enjoy some time relaxing together as a family(something we don't get to do very often). We devoured some delicious BBQ on the Plaza and afterwards we carried on our tradition of going to Tower Tavern. This is our third year spending Mother's Day at our favorite bar. It's ridiculous, I know, but we kind of love it. It was a little different for me this year, not be able to drink and all, but it was still a good time. The bar is always slow on Mother's Day so we basically get the place to ourselves, with a few of our friends trickling in, here and there. The bar has a "jukebox," it's more of an iPod/iTunes setup, but you get the point-it plays music that we pay for. It was fun because one of the bartenders decided that we could only play soundtracks from our favorite movies. So we heard songs from Top Gun, The Lion King, Caddy Shack, The Breakfast Club, Star Wars, The Bodyguard and so on. It was pretty fun and when you didn't pick the song it was fun to guess which movie it was from. My mom really enjoyed it. 

Before going meeting up with my family, Kory spoiled me rotten. Even though, I'm not technically a mom yet, Kory treated me like I was. He bought me the most beautiful card. We went to down town Lees Summit to enjoy a delicious(local) breakfast. Then he took me to my favorite nursery, Farrand Farms, to pick out some of the flowers we needed for our home. I was in heaven, I could spend hours picking out flowers to plant. We still have a lot more to fill and plant, but it was the perfect start! Thank you Kor for treating me like a queen! I love you! 

Here's just a few pics...

This is me secretly rooting for a girl. Kor keeps saying he doesn't care as long as baby and momma are healthy. I couldn't agree more, but people ask what I want, so I might as well tell them. :)

xx,

Melissa Loren