First Blog

So I'm new to this Blogging world. I figured that it would be a nice way of getting thoughts out and also keeping everyone in the loop, especially once our little guy arrives. I normally use Facebook for this kind of thing but many people...like my in-laws....don't use Facebook, so at least now those that don't can come here and get updates, pictures, etc. For those of you that are on Facebook, don't worry, I'm not abandoning you there, but you do have to admit that I can get more information out here then there.

For those that don't know me let’s start with the basics:
My name is Hope and I live in Minnesota with my husband and soon to be baby boy (yet to be named). Dustin and I got married in August 2009 and it was such a great, wonderful, peaceful wedding, and a fun night afterwards. Dustin and I met on Myspace in early 2007 and finally went on a date the end of March 2007...it was just meant to be from the beginning, we were pretty much inseparable after meeting.
We have 3 kitties, Gizmo, Lynx, and our Princess Renny (she believes she's a real Princess). We love going up north with the kitties and letting them run loose in the woods or follow us around like dogs...though they run from the actual dogs up there that family brings. That brings me to one of my favorite things...being up north with family.
We have our camper on Deb and Todd's land so we get to see Dustin's parents (and Lady...oh can't forget Jeremy either) a lot and then Aunt Doe and Uncle Mike (and Romy and "UGH" Habit too) and then Grandma Mona and Grandpa Bob too. It's great when the rest of the family comes up so we can see everyone else, not just at Holidays. There are the regulars that come up more often, like Scott and Tonya, Grandma Bonnie, and Lisa and the kids. It’s a great time and it really is mine and Dustin's favorite place to be.
This winter is all about preparing for BABY! We have his crib and dress set up, walls painted, and some stuff bought...but we still have time. Now all I really want is to CLEAN and get food in the freezer!! It's hard to do this though because I'm getting so tired again, and the Hyperemesis Gravadrum is starting to come back...YUCK!! (See Explanation of Hyperemesis Gravadrum at bottom of Post) But Dustin is a sweety and understands and helps out SO MUCH, it just makes me love him even more.

Well, if there is anything I forgot just let me know. I'll try to post often so you can know how we are, how the pregnancy is going, how the birth went, and how our little guy is going forward. There will probably even just be some ranting posts of stuff or just my opinions on other things; it’s a blog that's what it's for right.

(For those of you that don't know I was diagnosed with a rare condition that less then 3% of pregnant women get called Hyperemesis Gravadrum, or HG. You've heard of morning sickness right....well this is WORSE! I had to go to the hospital a few times to get 3 bags of IV fluids each time because I couldn't keep anything in. The Midwife actually wanted me to postpone my wedding because of it, though I didn't do that. I admit the wedding was hard for me and I kept putting on a brave face before and during the wedding and reception, but I was so weak it wasn't even funny. Anyway, I lost over 30lbs before the wedding because of this HG, and I'm still not back to even my pre-pregnancy weight. HG can last the whole pregnancy or just during the 1st and 3rd trimesters...well it's starting to come back, but hopefully not as bad as before, I'm being optimistic!! At least I know that if I need it I have medication for it that did help a bit during the bad parts, Dissolvable Zofran was my savior. Don't worry though; our little guy seems to be doing great, even with this HG in the mix.)