My Child is Taking Over My Body

Not even joking... look at this!

And this is from a few weeks ago, I can promise you I am even bigger now. I had gotten used to noticing my growth every month, then every few weeks, but I honestly feel like I grow daily now. The baby is AMAZING! I can honestly say there has never been a more amazing feeling in this world than to feel my Viking moving around in my belly.

We have an OB appointment next week, then an ultrasound (I think the final one) a week and a half afterwards. I will post more once we have new pictures and information about our little one.

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Catch up on preggo pictures and the Viking

The last few months have gone by VERY quickly! I can't believe I start my 26th week of pregnancy tomorrow. I was told that these nine months would drag and appear never-ending. That has not been the case for me at all. In fact, these may have been the fastest six months of my life. At this time I am about half way through my sixth month and just starting to get to the point that I am feeling a bit uncomfortable physically. Around week 16 my headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, and dizziness ended for the most part. I have only had a couple headaches since then and on rare occasion feel dizzy if I move too quickly.

Nik and I decided to take a little time off and head over to Cabo San Lucas for a long four-day weekend. The weather was beautiful, the food delicious, and the chance to be together... priceless. Here is a picture of me at that time...





Surprisingly, I am much bigger now than I was here. The trip occurred three weeks ago and I definitely see a myself growing weekly now. I will post a more recent picture once I take one.


Right before we went to Cabo, we had our 20 week appointment, which included the big ultrasound where such things such as gender determination, fetal growth development, organ issues, down syndrome, cleft lip, and other various issues can all be assessed. We are still holding to our decision not to know the gender, the baby was a week ahead of schedule in size, the organs were all perfect (heart rate of 140) and there were no signs of Down's or any other physical disabilities. Such a relief! Here is an adorable picture of our miracle child...




Otherwise, all is well and busy with the Beer's. School and work are both great for me, Nik is still happy with his job, and we are enjoying the process of preparing our home for our bundle of joy. We have gone through every room and cleaned out items we don't need, re-organized what we have, and deep cleaned nooks and cranny's.

Life is very good.

The belly continues to grow!

Maybe this isn't shocking for most of you, but for me it's almost unbelievable. Most of the women I know who have a similar build to me and have had children, don't start showing this much until closer to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Considering I am in the 16th week, I appear to be a little ahead of most of them. Like, 8 weeks ahead.

I still haven't gained any weight, not sure how that one is possible, but am not fitting into the vast majority of my clothes. Thankfully, I asked for some maternity clothes for Christmas, so I should have some better options in a few weeks.

Baby continues to be amazing! We go in for our 16 week 4 day appointment next Tuesday and look forward to seeing our little Viking again. I started to feel those beautiful little flutters that remind me a popcorn popping in my tummy last week. Already, this week they are feeling much stronger. I am amazed at how strong our baby is so early on, I have no doubt this will be a bit more uncomfortable in another 10-12 weeks :)

Life continues to go well, work and school are keeping me so busy I don't have much time for anything else. I look forward to a three week break from classes starting the week after next. Nik and I are also thrilled to be taking a trip to Arizona for Christmas and getting some much needed time at my childhood home! Thank you for all the wonderful emails, texts, and phone calls received. We appreciate the incredible support!

Pregnancy weeks 1-12

The first 12 weeks of my pregnancy have been both the best and some of most difficult weeks of my life. When Nik and I made the decision to start in-vitro fertilization, we knew that the only way we would feel comfortable spending so much money and time investing in our future as parents was if we went to the best. In our case, that meant driving the three hours up north to San Francisco on a frequent basis.

Our decision to go to Pacific Fertility Center was well researched and probably deserves a post of its own, but it finally came down to the fact that we fell in love with our fertility specialist, PFC had some of the best statistics in the country, and they had every single certificate/license/specialized whatever that a fertility center could possibly have. The most important part of IVF is the lab in which the embryos are created. If the lab is not reputable, the chances of success decrease.

Weeks 1-4

For two weeks, Nik and I spent approximately 4 days a week in SF. We would commute up for a day, come back to Fresno so I could go to work, attend grad school, then turn around and drive back up to SF and spend the night with our dear friends to make an early morning appointment with our doctor. The process of IVF was rigorous and challenging, but at the time we were so caught up in the excitement of our adventure that it never really dawned on us how difficult this time actually was. On day 14, I had surgery and all my viable follicles were extracted from my ovaries. By day 19, we had 2 embryos transferred and I received my positive pregnancy test on day 28, September 17th.

Weeks 5-8


Until around week 6 I felt amazing! I was walking on air due to my elation, I felt certain that this had worked and we were finally going to get the baby we so desperately wanted. I had tons of cravings, never felt sick, and the only "complaint" I had was being extremely tired. By week 7, I got what my arrogance deserved. I felt miserable. Immediately I started feeling sick constantly, no morning sickness for this Mama, it was sun-up to sun-down nausea. I felt exhausted, even on a couple of occasions I fell asleep at my desk, and never wanted to eat. When I went it my for 8 week appointment, I had lost weight and had key tones in my urine indicating my body muscle was breaking down. My doctor put me on high-risk and I had to come in every two weeks to be monitored. By week 8 it was all I could do to make myself eat. I was put on bed rest after I started having dizzy spells and even came close to passing out at Costco. Thankfully, after having my blood tested it was determined that the baby was great and I was doing well with all my levels. My doctor assumed that with my blood level increasing and being such a tall woman that my system was very confused.

Weeks 9-12

This continued to be a very difficult time physically for me. I started getting some new symptoms including headaches and migraines. I continued to feel nauseous and dizzy, but the fatigue did wear off. Still no cravings and all strong food aversions. But the most incredible things happened, I got to see the baby move for the first time, hear its perfect little heartbeat, and feel a connection that I hadn't felt before. The rate that the baby was growing and having appointments every two weeks really gave me an opportunity to see the little Viking's progression. Nik and I are so grateful to have had that experience. The doctor was always very impressed with the activity and heartbeat of Baby Beer, which put us at ease and gave us a sense of pride. By the end of 12 weeks I hadn't gained any weight, but I definitely have a bump :)

Here is a picture of the belly bump at week 12. I kept asking my doctor if he was missing another baby, but he assured me this was normal given how thin I am naturally.

And... we're back!

I have been waiting to write this post for two long years. To be honest, the reason I started a blog when I did was because I intended on being pregnant shortly afterwards and I wanted to keep all my loved ones up-to-date along the way. Well, that obviously did not happen and I may or may not go into more details on that later. But, the most important thing, I can now finally make this grand announcement. WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

A lot has happened in the last year and a half, but A LOT has happened in the last six months. Just since June here is what we have been doing:

*I attended 6 weddings, 3 bridal showers, and 2 bachelorette parties (Nik was able to make 3 of the weddings despite his weekend schedule!)

*I traveled as far south as San Diego and as far north as Petaluma

*I received a promotion at work

*I was accepted into grad school for School Psychology

*We successfully completed in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and are now pregnant

*Nik survived the grueling summer requirements at his job

*I lost a grandmother and a great-grandmother less than two weeks apart

For the most part, these are all wonderful events. It was busy, but especially now that we are expecting, I am so grateful that I took the time to travel and see friends that I haven't seen in years in some cases.

Now that Nik and I have been blessed with our dream, I am hoping to be much better about keeping up on life's events. I will definitely not be taking another 18 month break! I look forward to documenting this incredible journey and welcome you to join me!

How do you make a smart dog go dumb?

I have a problem right now. My problem revolves around this...

My angel. I literally wept buckets when I gave her to someone else shortly after she came into my life. Thankfully, the other family wasn't able to keep her and my husband gave me one of his greatest gifts; the opportunity to take care of this precious animal. I love Athena to the point of distraction. I am willing to bend rules for her that I never bend for Mya. I let her lay on the couch with me, put her in my lap and cradle her like a baby, and am absolutely responsible for the spoiled brat that she is. That however, is not my problem.

Somehow, my 27-pound darling has figured out how to jump over the six foot fence in the backyard. I do not know if this is a result of the fact that she spends way too much time in the backyard, a fact that I freely (and shamefully) admit, or if she requires greater social stimulation than she is receiving, or maybe she has decided that she doesn't love me anymore and would rather belong to another family. All these possibilities sadden me.

The problem started when Nik and I first moved into our home. We put in a dog run due to the fact that our mutants are ridiculously strong and have the capability to destroy the backyard without breaking a sweat. The only issue at the time was Athena is so skinny she was able to slide in between the wrought iron posts. She started by squeezing out everyday after we left for work. Then she graduated to trying to escape the backyard completely. She figured out how to open our latch gate. Yes, you read correctly. My dog can open gates. This is a problem on many levels. First, she can get out of our backyard and into the neighborhood. Second, she scratches at the post until the latch springs open and thus destroys the wood post. Third, she finds an easier and faster way of opening it each time and therefore requires less and less time for her escape.

When my parents came to visit my father provided what ended up as a temporary solution, putting chicken wire around the fence so that she couldn't squeeze through the openings. Well, my little boo boo solved that problem by eating through the chicken wire. Naturally. So, we wired it shut again. I thought the world was back to normal. Then the ultimate happened.

Athena realized that by climbing on top of her dog house, she could then jump over the fence and escape the confines of her pen. This was rather annoying, especially since she made her great escape when I was in the middle of a facial. Luck was in my corner, the women who found her were very nice and more than happy to hang onto her until I made my way home. Once I picked her up I went to investigate the backyard and made the decision to pull the dog house away from the fence. Problem solved, right.

Wrong. By the next day, she was jumping over the fence without the assistance of the dog house. She was kind enough to do this while mommy was visiting daddy in Northern California. My poor friend Kristin had to drive across town, put her back in the backyard, twice, because escaping wasn't good enough once. Finally, we asked Nik's grandmother to come and pick the dogs up and hold onto them until I came back into town. Does she try and escape Oma's backyard the rest of the weekend? Of course not. My child loves her grandmother more than me, just like most children do. Now, I have to find a way of keeping my animals in my backyard without the possibility of escape.

I do have one very large plus on my side. Thankfully, the neighborhood knows and loves Athena almost as much as I do. She races up to every new person she meets and immediately falls onto her back, exposing her belly. People LOVE her. They don't want to give her back. She's the kind of dog you find on the street and don't bother trying to locate the owner. In this case, me. I don't like the idea of her bothering the people who live in my neighborhood, but my greatest fear is that one day someone will just drive off with her and won't bother to call my cell phone number located around her neck. The thought literally horrifies me.

So now I find myself in a dilemma. What do I do? My little brat is obviously brilliant, so how do I make her dumb? Do I fatten her up? Do I put in electrical fencing? All three? My brain then poses a more frightening question.

What I do if I have children that are smarter than me?

Back in the Blogging Saddle

My life has been a wee bit overwhelming the last few months. With the much anticipated cruise taking place, Nik leaving again for training, my family coming to visit, grant season in full swing, and tax season upon us I have definitely been lacking in a couple areas. Now that I am by myself with my four favorite animals, calmed down from the emotional upheaval of the cruise, FINALLY provided our CPA with all of our tax documents, and gotten over the hump of my grant filled weekend I can share some of my adventures. Let's start with the cruise.

I had every intention of blogging about the cruise while actually on the cruise, but honestly... the combination of the outrageously high prices for internet use and the constant occurrence of glitches in our vacation did not motivate me to share the experience with my favorite people immediately. My honeymoon was a combination of incredible life altering experiences and traumatizing road blocks. I honestly can say that if not for my incredible husband I may not have come home a sane individual. As it was, I spent most of the flight home from Boston crying and trying to sleep away my misery. I only have myself to blame.

When I first found the cruise online at Orbitz back in June of 2009, I saw the list of ports and immediately began fantasizing about how perfect the trip would be. What's not to dream about? Greece, Italy, Egypt, Malta... these are some pretty incredible places to experience. Not just the beauty, though don't get me wrong I saw some of the most exquisite sights of my life, but the history was what really fascinated me and ultimately changed Nik's mind about purchasing the tickets. Originally, Nik was a little hesitant about the trip due to the length of time and a few other aspects. Because he loves me and desperately wanted to give me the honeymoon of my dreams, he let me convince him to go. From that point on I filled my head with romantic visions of all the events that were going to take place. Bad bad idea, Brittney.

I have daily logs on what took place each day and I will upload those entries along with pictures over the next few weeks, but here is a brief on some of the events that occurred...

Flights from LA to Barcelona on British Airways, best flight ever!
Barcelona- beautiful surprise, this country is gorgeous!
Rome- remarkable history, breath-taking sights, freezing cold, lots of rain
Athens- cancelled due to strikes, my heart literally broke
Sicily- replaced Athens, pretty, good wine, nice people
Izmir- missed shore excursions and didn't see to much of the city
Egypt- incredible and remarkable history, changed my view of poverty, stray kittens everywhere!
Malta- best hidden secret in the world, magical
Trip home- British Airways went on strike, our flights got cancelled, tried to reschedule, had to buy new tickets, luggage was lost, arrived home at 4 am.

Definitely different from my prior trips abroad, but then this is the first time I travelled to multiple locations during one vacation. It was an experience, a very memorable one. I learned a tremendous amount and have a new found respect for a variety of cultures. I appreciate my husband in new ways now. He never once let me down, his support was literally unshakable.

My parents trip to Fresno was wonderful. I am always so grateful when they arrange their schedules to accommodate Nik and I. We are saddened by how little time we have to spend with them and pray that one day soon we will be much closer in proximity. It was wonderful spending actual time with them. I realized that it has been almost two years since I spent more than 48 hours with my parents, that thought makes me heart sick. There is always something going on when we get together: a wedding to plan, a house to paint and decorate, two days to celebrate Christmas, etc. It was lovely to cook for them, walk the dogs with them, and just lounge around and discuss the many wonders of the world. This is time that I desperately need with my parents. I rely on it heavily.

Training is back in full swing for Nik, but not for much longer. By the end of May he will have met all his requirements and will be out doing what he does best. Establishing justice. I know neither one of us can wait for him to be home, it will a happy day when the goodbyes are less frequent.

To close up this post, my major time consumer as of late. Work. Work is kicking my butt right now. Grant season is an extremely hectic time of the year. This is my first season and my initiation was neither slow or easy. I was thrust into the responsibility and forced to learn quickly. The experience is incredibly valuable and is providing options to move into administration. I enjoy expanding my knowledge and look forward to the possibilities that open up.

That's about it, my life over the last two months in a post. I will continue to update on the cruise and post pictures of the exotic places I saw. It certainly provides entertainment.