Get to Know Baby Goley!

Let's play a little, Get to Know the Preggers!

About You 

Name: Jean Marie Goley

Age: 25 (My Birthday is coming up 01.23.13- just sayin')

Height: 5'9"

Pre-pregnancy weight: Ha! Well that's a funny story actually! I had just lost 35-ish pounds and kept about 30 off for a while... Oh well, those days are long gone already, but let's revel in the glory days! I was fluctuating between 155 and 160...ahh flat stomach... inner thighs that don't rub together... I guess that is how people get pregnant in the first place; you just need to lose a lot of weight and throw away any clothes that aren't fitted to help flatter that fact- then you will so be pregnant!

About The Father 

Name: Dustin Scott Goley

Age: 28

Height: 6'- Maybe... 5'11"

Are you still together: Yes, our 3 year anniversary is next Wednesday and we are still best friends!

About Your Pregnancy 

Is this your first pregnancy: Yes it is! But it won't be my last! I want a boat-load of kids! (Sorry Honey...)

When did you find out you were pregnant: I won't dig you all through this again... But let's just say mid-July on a Monday afternoon.

Was it planned: Yeah right! Couldn't have been worse planning if it was! At this point I had only been given the "yellow light" (not a green light) to ask my OB at my next annual exam if there are tests to run when we do decide to start "trying", to make sure there are no problems... The YELLOW light, people. So no, it definitely came as a shock to both of us!

What was your first reaction: I dropped the test on the bathroom floor and said "No way!" (to myself and my dog Sambo Riley)

Who was with you when you found out: Oh, that would be Sambo riley Goley, our beloved 5 year old Cock-a-poo. He only follows me to the bathroom so I will sit and throw his bone for him. (He barks so loud if you don't and our toilet is in a small closet-like room of our master bath and it will deafen anyone, so I am trapped and he knows it... little turd!)

Who was the first person you told: Technically, the pharmacist at Walgreens, who was helping me find a good prenatal vitamin without sulfa... Then I told my dad- who was sworn to secrecy because I was about to explode if I didn't say it out loud. (He then told my mom "she needed to talk to me asap", and so started that stalker...)

How did your parents react: All of our parents live at least 4 hours away so we did it over the phone that night. My parents were ecstatic and my mom has called every day since, just to check on me, see how I'm doing... His Mom & stepdad were genuinely excited and happy for us. And then his dad and stepmom (who live in Washington state) and all his brothers and sisters gathered around the phone and his stepmom cried, his dad started talking about MSU football... it was hilarious! All-in-all, we couldn't have gotten a more excited, supportive response from anyone! We are lucky to have our families who love us so much! AND, this is the first grandchild all around...

How far along are you: 14 weeks.

What was your first symptom: That Saturday before we found out, we went out to Horn Island and Dusty brought us back to Margarittaville for a drink and afternoon snack before we went in for the day. I was so tired that all I wanted to do was lay my head down on our table. I hadn't drank at all that day so he pressured me into ordering a (my last) Pina Colada. This $8 sugary concoction spiraled me into the sleepiest I think I have ever been in my whole life. I told him I couldn't help clean the boat, that I absolutely had to lay down or I was going to die. Then I slept hard for about 3 hours. When I woke up, I thought to myself, "That was weird...".

What is your due date: 03.28.13

Do you know the sex of the baby: No, but we will very soon!!! at our 18 week ultrasound we will get the sealed envelope and host our gender reveal party two weeks after that!

Have you picked out names: We sure have! We have known their names for a while now!

If so, what are they: We had all kinds of scenarios playing out... but since we know it isn't twins of any kind, it stays simple. For a boy: Grierson Scott Goley (pronounced Griii er son  Scott Go lay) and for a girl: Ellington-Anne Goley. (We will call her Ellie-Anne.) When people make their face when we say them, I just turn my happy little nose up and remind them that they are family names and/or very important names to us and mean a lot so read between the lines: "We don't give a sh*t what your opinion is :)"

How much weight have you gained: 7 lbs during Issac hibernation- thanks a lot! and 1 lb this month so only 8 total!

Do you have stretch marks: Yes. Unfortunately I was blessed with the ability to stretch and shrink, but not without battle wounds. I got my first set when I was 12 and got my hips overnight; I have been getting them every growth spurt and chubby phase since. I used to be really embarrassed by them, but now I have come to realize that some people get them and some don't; I do. I also know how important it is to keep your skin moisturized- all the time!!! to help cut down on your markings.

Have you felt the baby move: I don't think so, it is supposedly too early. But then, sometimes, mostly at night, my uterus just gets this really uncomfortable feeling, I think it will be what the "flutters" feel like, eventually.

Have you heard the heartbeat: Yes, we heard it yesterday!

About the birth

Will you keep the baby: Dur

Home or hospital birth: Hospital!

Natural or medicated birth: Epidural! I'm a hippie, but I'm not stupid!

Who will be in the delivery room with you: Dusty, lots of Doctors and to me that seems like enough people witnessing my most exposed moment. Maybe my mom if Dusty turns green and passes out- he is such a wimp around blood and needles!

Will you breast-feed: YES, I want to try!

Do you think you'll need a c-section: Naw, I got birthin' hips- hence the 12 year old with stretch marks!!!

Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time: Probably, I cry when I see it on the ultrasound!

What's the first thing you might say to him/her: No clue, let's hope it is sweet and memorable. It will probably end up being something dumb like, "Hi".

Would you let someone videotape the birth: No. Hell no. What, are we going to sit around like the Kardashians and watch home movies of mommy's vagina opening up? Gross.

Are you excited about the birth, or scared?: Excited, to meet the little Skeltor, but Scared as hell to actually do it- it looks pretty terrible!

Doctor Day for Baby Goley!

Happy Thursday!

Today we went to our 14-week check-up with Dr. Vice! We got to hear the heart beat for the first time and then, as promised, I suckered him into doing an (unnecessary) ultrasound! I just need to say that I love my doctor!!! He is so easy going, he and Dusty always have good football talk and he doesn't creep me out or yell at me about my weight!!! Can't beat that! I felt like a giant goober when I asked him if we could take this picture... but I did it for y'all so you could see the man who is going to deliver Baby Goley!

So on with it! The heartbeat was cool, but I am more of a visual person. When we saw Baby Goley today, (I am going to reference Baby Goley as a HE today so don't be confused...We don't know what it is and we don't only want a boy; we would be thrilled for a girl too!) he was not the little hamster he used to be; he was a little Skeletor! Scariest thing I've seen yet! I say yet because I am sure I will see something more scary eventually in this process...

I'm going to name each ultrasound accordingly (And yes, there are a bunch. Did I mention my OB is waaaay cooler than yours!?!?) And get ready to hear names like, "The Bully Off of The Original Karate Kid..." because that is exactly what one looks like. Others resemble animals and Halloween costumes...

I call this one, "The Bulldog". (Dr. Vice and Dusty always talk about MSU football and if you look at this one sideways- turn your chin to the right so the left of the screen is on top... it looks just like a bulldog!!! Given that you see the dark eyes and then the dark section as his nose...)

This one was an immediate favorite. You should be able to tell pretty clearly, but these are his FEET! How cute, right!?! Bear in mind too that the baby is only the size of a peach and my uterus, an orange. I like to imagine Chilton County, AL peaches and big Florida oranges. But these feet are teeny-tiny!



I call this one, "The Raccoon". First off, the tiny, dark circle on his tummy is his stomach and it has water in it, proving he can swallow! Below that is his bladder (the bigger blurry circle is his bladder and it has water in it so he is successfully peeing on himself! yay!) Below that are not his legs- I said "Oh look, his little legs are curled up..." and Dr. V said, "No..." and turned the monitor and his legs were stretched straight out! So that is just an illusion. Now, on to the face... you can clearly see his arm and hand hiding his face but if you just look at it, it looks like a RACCOON looking straight at you! I'm sure I'm looking at it all wrong, but that is all I can see...


Here's the one that I named "The Bully From the Original Karate Kid". It looks like that blonde jerk's Halloween costume when they attack Daniel in the bathroom... look it up.

And lastly, the scariest one yet, "The Skeletor Profile". Seems to be exactly that! This one makes me feel like I have to be a skeleton for Halloween so we match... I'll also have to plaster on a BIG smile to match this little Skeletor! "Cheese!"

This was so fun! While catching these little snapshots of the most scary, adorable baby ever, Baby Goley did some strange moving around. At first, he wouldn't hold still for us to understand what we were seeing. We saw the eye sockets and then he flipped and we saw the spine. We saw the arms and then he held his face. He was also, like I already mentioned, stretching his legs to pull my uterus wide. He is pretty cool and Dusty and I really enjoyed seeing him all scrunched up in there flipping around like a maniac!

Next appointment is our big 18 week ultrasound, where they measure everything and make sure the spine is straight and run all the genetic blood tests.
***We will also get the sealed envelope specifying if he is a boy or girl Goley! We will then turn that envelope over to Blair M. to make cupcakes with the gender color inside for the Gender Reveal Party!!! The date for this party is TBA, but, Dusty and I decided last night, that it would be immediate family and very close friends only... Don't worry if that doesn't include you; We are having showers in Biloxi, Birmingham and Columbus as well as the "Daddy Diaper Party" here in Biloxi on Super Bowl Sunday!!! So Facebook me your address now and I will add you to the appropriate spreadsheet(s). (I know, I'm a freak, but I told you I stay home so eventually you run out of things to do- this is me acting organized!)

Tomorrow we will have a little game show of "Get to Know the Pregnancy"! Warning: Those easily grossed out or offended, go read something else!

Blessings in Disguise...

"What seems to us bitter trials are often blessings in disguise." Oscar Wilde

The expression "Blessings in Disguise" is annoying... until, that is, you are graced with understanding of this phrase. Now, if you've ever been graced with a blessing in disguise then you know it kinda sucks at first (that's the disguise part) and then, of course, eventually, you get the blessing part.

Within the month before I found out I was pregnant I had lost a finger (well, part of a finger- I exaggerate, so shoot me, it was nasty!), lost my job (that really happened...), and then I found out I would host out my uterus to someone else (Baby Goley- We are talking about you!).


So you can imagine my annoyance with this phrase, Blessings in Disguise... Yuck! Nice disguise! I guess I would rather my little blessing have come with a funny glasses/ mustache combo instead (that would be a much better disguise in opinion!)











But on to the blessing part, already!

Do you know how hard it is to get pregnant? It's pretty much a miracle! Your body really only gives you a tiny window of opportunity and a thousand things have to be just right for it to even successfully happen! I am not going to get too science-y, but it is just insane how one tiny sperm (eager to succeed) makes its journey in search of your egg (that's been waiting your whole life for its chance to "shine") and then before you know it, you are gagging on your toothbrush, staring in disbelief. You are so pregnant!

your baby at 14 weeks

• He's probably sucking his thumb and wiggling his toes in there!
• His kidneys are making urine, and his liver and spleen are doing their jobs, too.
• And he's growing lanugo, a thin, peach-fuzz-like hair, all over his body -- it will help him keep warm!

Ref- The bump.com

This will not be the first, or the last, time I start a sentence with, "My poor husband..." but maybe it helps readers sympathize with what an amazing blessing he is to me and how insane I can make him :).

But, my poor husband, the day I told him I was pregnant, he had just gotten home form working all day; running his new bank branch (pretty stressful) and attending a class in his masters program- where he took a test that night. Little did he know I took a test too... and passed, I guess :) I mean he had just walked in the door. To say I was patient would be incorrect. I stared him down from accross the counter and let him read a card, while I held up a positive pregnancy test.

I couldn't hold it in any longer!!! I needed to freak out with someone, to cry or laugh or throw up or something, anything (anything but be on the bump.com wigging out alone all day). His response was funny- he turned completely white and had to brace himself on the sink and started spitting- you know like you do before you submit to the porcelain god, Ralph... yeah, just like that. ha!

We have come a long way since that night! 

Every week during the first trimester I would eagerly check the Bump.com and EverydayFamily.com  for the latest updates on my body, my baby, and what the heck I should be doing to prepare for this blessing! The problem is, I had to, sort of, keep it to myself. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! I mean come on people, I had such a terrible time before starting this journey, I wanted to show people I had a mood other than miserable; I was genuinely happy (as long as I kept the sickness away with awful carbs and junk food). 

Now, thanks to the whole disguise fading away, the second trimester has graced me with thicker, fuller hair, new energy, and an overall better attitude! See, hair really can change your mood :). I have gone from indifference about everything to having a sense of purpose, decorating inspirations daily, and a calm decision making ability I dont think I've ever had! This is happening, ready or not. 

what grows in, must come out! 

I made that up last night- it grossed me out but I think it accuarately describes the fear that comes along with playing host to another human being.

So in the next 6 months, it is my hopes that this blog will do a number of things.

Firstly, I hope this blog will serve as an outlet for all these thoughts so I dont have to throw them all up on Dusty when he gets home from work, watching as the remaining bit of life in his eyes drains out of his ears onto our couch...nasty stuff!

I also hope this blog will help keep my ideas organized- I will be planning the nursery, nesting (looking very forward to this!), learning what all it does and doesnt take to have a baby, and keep it alive and happy successfully (hold your advice till the end please, I am sure I will ask at some point- then feel free :), and then, of course, trying to celebrate each step; each accomplishment of my body and our baby's growth, every shower, party or celebration, doctor's appointments, until the day we meet the little Goley goober.

Then after I spill my brain out onto this keyboard for the next 6 months and my ideas are crazy and everywhere and I think they are organized, then, lastly, I hope this blog will serve as a constant updater of our blessing's unveiling of its disguise to our friends and families all over the world, I suppose (shout out to Canada!). Distance can't keep Baby Goley a stranger to any of you. You will hear some gross things (if you haven't figured that out already, I am telling you bluntly- it may get gross, offensive or anything in between) and you will hear some great things!

So buckle up people because Baby Goley is shedding it's disguise and blooming into the blessing underneath, right before your eyes!

Sneak peek of tomorrow- We have a Doctor's appointment for the 14-week check-up & I'm going to try to get a picture with Dr. Vice and maybe sucker him into doing an ultrasound for Dusty! 

Drama of the Dress...

So, being pregnant has been fun, but the most interesting part so far has been all the changes in my body and the changes in clothes.

At first, back when I was still trying to interview for professional positions, my slim-fitting work dresses were hugging tightly to my freshly bloated body (pretty darn uncomfortable!). So then I decided to give up on dressing up, wearing heels and most of the time wearing make-up. (That's another plus of pregnancy- you get nice fresh, glowing skin so makeup is not nearly the parade it used to be.) 

I have one pair of shorts that are juniors stretch denim cut-offs and they are amazing (you've probably seen me in them more than once!). I simply leave the top button undone on a big day and most days I can still button it! Couple these with a looser fitting v-neck and you've got my favorite 1st trimester outfit!

Around 8 weeks most of my "I just lost 35 lbs. and want to show it off" clothes were miserable! The idea of wearing pre-pregnancy clothes that even touch my lower stomach area makes me cringe. So I headed off with my mom to Old Navy in Alabaster (suburb of B'ham, AL) in search of some "beginner" maternity clothes. What I found quickly replaced my old favorites...
Maternity Jeans, ah bliss! For one, why do women ever wear regular squeezed in right across your fat stomach jeans when you have the ability to purchase jeans that don't touch your muffin top at all!?!? And for two, I am sure I will need an intervention one day after the baby is born to get me out of maternity jeans... just sayin'

Now that I am 14 weeks, I pretty much stick to my very limited wardrobe of maternity clothes (Thanks to Old Navy, Ross, Blair McWhirter and Koreen Matthews I do have a small section devoted to mama clothes!!!). I got my little baby bump going on because, they say, my "uterus is atop my pubic bone" now. I still rub my belly in public to make sure people know I am pregnant, not just chubby:). 

But let's chat for a second about an upcoming wedding that I am in... Sheila Humphrey, long-time bestie from college, is getting married to an adorable guy on October 27th and I am one of her bridesmaids. When she picked the Bridesmaids' dresses at David's Bridal in Mobile, she took me, an average-to-medium-sized girl, and her cousin, a teeny tiny girl, so she could get an idea what the whole range of girls would look like.
The size 8 fit like a dream- I think they made it just for me! but I went ahead and ordered a 10 because I imagined how many size 10, 12, 14, etc. tried on this 8 to be able to blow out the zipper and figured better safe than sorry! The dress came in a couple days after I found out I was pregnant; I drove to Mobile and picked it up. When I was getting the dress I told the lady, "Good thing I ordered the 10, I'm pregnant!" She said I was the 4th person that day to say that! I took the dress home, hung it up and forgot about it...
UNTIL... the voice of reason, Blair M., said "Um, you are showing some (at the time we didn't know that it was a poo baby, not an actual baby bump- apparently your digestive tract stops completely around 10-12 weeks) so maybe you should try on that dress and make sure it still fits." This is a pic of my "fake poo baby bump" in a size 12 (at 12 weeks I think). Note: Sheila's dresses are actually in Peacock so they are much cuter! Well I'll be damned if that dumb dress wasn't mislabeled- it had to be a size 4... so a few tears fell and a text was sent. I told Sheila I was surely going to ruin her wedding with my big, fat, too-tight-won't-even-zip dress. She quickly did what she does and turned to Social Media for help. She Tweeted (sent a message on Twitter, mom) @ David's Bridal, "Please be nice to my preggo friend when she comes in to try to switch sizes." and she immediately got a reply asking for details. Within a few hours I received a phone call from  some big shot in the company talking about "going to the buyers to make this right..." etc. and I drove back to Mobile on my high-horse they gave me and had the Store Manager's undivided attention. It was cool! 

This pic is me in the 12 with the pillow bump on top of the "fake poo baby bump" which was what we were estimating would be what I looked like at the wedding- Yikes!I reordered a 14, at their advice, and was on my way, problem solved. BUT... when I tried on this dress yesterday afternoon (after I lost about 10 pounds of the fake baby bump and got back to a regular 14 wk bump) and realized we went way too big!!! It hangs off my boobs and shoulders, has about 3-4 inches through the hips, and just looks frumpy! So my hope for today is to show it to Sheila (watch her disgust as she sees her great choice look like total crap) and get her social media fingers going.

Let's just hope I can get the only 12 they have in the warehouse that services over 400 stores before October 27th!!!


Aaannnddd... the moment you probably haven't been waiting for...

My Current Bump, right this very minute, as I write this (thinking about my 10:30 am snack!)

Whew, all this talk about clothes I think I'm going to go hit up the OldNavy.com 50% off Maternity sale!

Happy shopping people, and be glad you don't have an ever changing gut!

Getting hip, starting a blog...

Well, Happy Monday, readers (assuming anyone is reading!). My name is Jean and my husband, Dusty,  and I are having a baby! We found out the great news back in July and have had our heads spinning ever since.

* Just a quick (the really fast version) background to our new situation: I was laid off from my awesome job at the bank, had job offer after job offer fall through, found out we were pregnant, decided to stay home and here we are with one income- fun! Now, it sounds terrible and bitter but since the second trimester started and I feel great! I have enjoyed it very much. Our house has never been cleaner and I am starting to understand the role of a stay-at-home mom- which is good because there's a baby in the tummy!!!

We were originally planning to not find out the gender of Baby Goley until we met the little hamster. It was in my mind that life has so many surprises and very few are any good. Mostly bad, if you think about it. So we were hanging on to one of the guaranteed good surprises... UNTIL... My sweet husband, who has suffered through everything from car seat options to breast pump features (already!) like a champ, finally spoke up about something he wants to do. He wanted to have a party with all our friends and family to reveal if Baby Goley is a boy or a girl. His plan was pretty generic but given that I now have all this free time I will definitely be sprucing it up and making it a real party (not just releasing a specific color balloon and posting it on FB)! 

So for now I will leave and do my daily "research"; everything from safety ratings on cool gear to party planning stuff! 

Click HERE to go to my Pinterest page (if you aren't on Pinterest, What the heck are you doing!?!?) and on it you should find all kinds of cool links and pictures but a whole pin Board dedicated to Baby Goley, entitled "Oh, Baby!" Please make sure I already follow you too, especially if you are rocking out cool baby and kid pins!!!

Baby Goley at 10 weeks (going for my 14 weeks checkup Thursday but I may not get anther ultrasound...)