Sue me, I'm a slacker

Once again, I have no excuse for not blogging lately. I usually have down time at work but just never bother with my blog. I haven't even been writing anything in my pregnancy book since 15 weeks. I have been taking belly pictures to put in there but they are all just sitting on my computer, waiting to be printed. I have been keeping myself busy with a daunting to-do list that seems impossible to complete before the baby comes. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I will have a baby sometime in the next 5 weeks.

We started birthing classes at the end of February. We are taking a "new and improved" version of the Bradley Method. It's called Brio Birth. It's a 10 week class versus the normal 12 week class that you would do with the Bradley Method. We have our last class next week and then the instructor comes to our house to walk us through laboring at home and how we can use what we have at home to help with that.

Our house is a work in progress right now. We used most of our tax refund to get a few pieces of furniture. We got a new vanity for the bathroom. This one is bigger (to hold more stuff) plus the sink is big enough to bathe the baby in now. We also got a new medicine cabinet thingy to put above it. Again, it's bigger and able to hold more stuff. Now if we could just get a new tub and get rid of the ugly tile in there.... We bought a rolling island for the kitchen and I can't begin to say how much I love it. We have about 2.5 feet of usable counter space for cooking/food prep and to have this island is absolute heaven! Plus it has storage in it so that came in handy. We got a new buffet type cabinet thingy to put near the front door. It has cabinet space in it to store stuff and a shelf to hold mail and paperwork. Finally we bought an armoire for the nursery. Storage is limited in that room so that is holding all the sheets, blankets, pads, bibs, hats, burp cloths and some toys. Plus the record player and records are able to go on top since it's not very high. All of the furniture was stuff we had to put together and it's not high-end by any means but it looks nice for now and we will get our money's worth out of it. I'll have to get some pictures.

My husband had two projects to tackle before the baby comes and he's finished one. We live in a small, two bedroom house and the closets are a decent size but the doors limit the access to them. I'd guess the closets would be about 6 feet long but with a regular door right in the middle. You can't see any of the clothes hanging on either side of the doorway. He's finished widening the doorway (he put in bi-fold doors) in the nursery and has begun the one in our bedroom. Our bedroom is also getting a bigger closet. Our room is adjacent to the kitchen and the kitchen has a nook for the fridge which happens to butt up next to the closet. So, we took the fridge and put it on the opposite wall and will be closing off the nook and expanding the closet into that space. Then I can take all my clothes, which have been in the nursery closet, and put them in there. I'm so anxious for him to finish this. Right now we have an empty closet in our bedroom with the door and framed removed and a big, ugly opening in the kitchen where the fridge used to be. I'm taking a breastfeeding class at the hospital tonight and Courtney said he would be working on the closet tonight. He better.

I've been working my butt off to tackle the to-do list and while I haven't been able to cross off too many things, I have been working on a few things. Slowly but surely wins the race, right? I primed the crib this weekend and have managed to get a few coats on a few pieces. If I can do at least one coat of paint on one piece (it's taking about 3 coats) per night then I think I can get it done in a reasonable time. I just don't seem to have enough free time. Monday nights we have our birthing class. I have a breastfeeding class tonight. This Saturday I have an all day conference for work and a baby shower to go to on Sunday. There is simply not enough time in the day. I also wanted to have some down time to relax before the baby comes but I honestly don't see that happening. We'll see.

People keep asking me if I'm ready to be done being pregnant and I can honestly say that I'm not. And not just because I have too much to do before I'm ready but I'm really enjoying being pregnant. Overall it has been a smooth and easy pregnancy. I had no morning sickness, unless I waited too long to eat, then I would get a little queasy. Or if I ate too much too fast then I would get queasy again. I threw up 4 times total and felt fine afterwards. I was tired during the first trimester and have had heartburn but really nothing to complain about. I'm almost 35 weeks and still fairly comfortable. I can sleep through the night and get up once, maybe twice to pee but there have been nights where I've slept all night long. The baby moves a lot but I haven't had any painful kicks to the ribs or head butts to the bladder. I honestly have no reason to complain. I am ready for another 5 weeks. I need another 5 weeks!

No excuses

I really have no excuse for not blogging lately. Just laziness. I have been taking belly pictures for the past month or so, so I'll have to post them once I actually upload them to my computer from my camera....for which I need to charge the battery. Also on that camera are pictures of the nursery in progress. Over the Christmas break I started working on the furniture. I have a crib, dresser and a bookshelf but they are mismatched. I've gotten them sanded (yes, I wore a mask) and the dresser and bookshelf have been primed and painted but the bookshelf needs another coat or two. The crib I am hoping to tackle this weekend. It's a three day weekend for me so we'll see how much motivation and energy I have. I'll post pictures soon.

I started a pre-natal yoga class this past weekend with a friend from work. She is having twins and is due at the end of July. It was a nice class and I think I can do some of the poses/stretches at home as well.

I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move Sunday night. I was laying on the couch, using the computer and felt a little flutter. I kind of felt like a bubble was popping or that a goldfish was swimming around in there. I felt it again yesterday at work. I was watching Lost on my computer at work (thank you Netflix!) and felt it. The baby has good taste.

I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday morning and will be getting an ultrasound as well. I can't believe I've made it to 20 weeks. It still hasn't quite hit me that we are having a baby. This time next year I will have a 7 or 8 month old. Wow. Really?

Perfect.

This was how the perinatologist described the baby this morning. Perfect. He was happy to hear that my blood sugar has been under good control. I had an endocrinologist appointment last week and my A1c was 5.5. I have never had such tight control and as much as the continuous glucose monitor drives me nuts with it's contstant alerts I have to attribute the control to that.

I didn't take any video this time because I was by myself and they really just looked at and measured the body parts and organs. I was asked if I was finding out the sex but I was strong and said no. It was very tempting but I think it will be more exciting to find out on the big day.

There was only one problem that I saw with the ultrasound. I'm not big on reality tv and I absolutely hate Jersey Shore. I think that those people are an embarrassment to America. The problem is this:

16 weeks 1 day

I've got a fist pumper on my hands. Apparently it's big in Jersey.

Ugh. Just looking at that picture makes my skin crawl. Not sure how to fist pump? Well, here's an instructional chart so you can practice at home:


Consider yourself informed.

Better late than never

So, I meant to do a post about my perinatologist's appointment a few weeks ago. Whoops. Everything was fine. They did an ultrasound (including a 4D one as well...creepy, but cool!) to measure the nuchal fold on the back of the baby's neck. They tried an abdominal ultrasound at first, but the baby was head down and she couldn't get a view of the back of the neck. So, a vaginal ultrasound was done instead. I think the vaginal ultrasound is clearer anyways so I was happy to oblige. She had no trouble getting several measurements that way. She said that a measurement over 2.0 (mm, I'm assuming) would be an indicator of Down's Syndrome and all three measurements she took were under. They also took some blood to run more tests for Down's Syndrome. They called me last week to tell me that my chances of having a baby born with Down's Syndrome when I walked into my appointment were about 1 in 400 but after the ultrasound and the bloodwork my chances were now 1 in 6,000 or so. Insert sigh of relief here.

Courtney was able to come with me for the appointment so he took a couple of videos of the ultrasound. This first video is of the abdominal ultrasound. You can kind of see it squirming around in there. I think it looks like a shrimp in this video. :)


12 weeks 2 days (but I measured 12 weeks 4 days)

This video shows some of the 4D ultrasound. You can hear the tech saying that a part of the placenta was right over the baby's head so either it blocks it or when she moves it she loses part of the head. So, the baby does indeed have a fully intact head. This was the vaginal ultrasound and I think there is a huge difference from the other one.

We got a bunch of pictures from this appointment but the best one was this one:

It's a picture of a picture, so it's a little blurry...sorry!

A couple people said it looks like the baby is giving a peace sign or a thumbs up but I have different opinion. Do you remember the show "The Kids in the Hall?"

Loved that show. Anyway, there was a sketch on that show about a guy who crushed people's heads with his thumb and forefinger.

My baby is going to be a head crusher.

Stevie Wonder

I love the movie The 40 Year Old Virgin. I've seen it a million times and it always makes me laugh. I love Steve Carrell and am a huge Office fan. And he is so perfectly awkward in this movie. Anyway, there is a scene where they are playing poker and sharing sex stories and he tries to make one up, without much success. They want more details so they ask him to describe the woman's boobs and then go on to describe different types of nipples. As seen here. Just a little warning....there is graphic language in the clip. One of the types they describe are the "bumpy-braille nipples" and you can hear Seth Rogen call them "Stevie Wonders."


I now own a pair of those.


I swear, I have a short story, written in braille, on my nipples.


I know it's normal in pregnancy but it still surprised me nonetheless. There hasn't been much else to report other than that. My fatigue has started to improve and my tummy is getting a little bigger. I can't fit into most of my clothes anymore, unless they were a little big to begin with or if they are stretchy. I'm starting to get a little heartburn after eating certain foods but antacids solve that problem.

Everyone at work now knows I'm pregnant. I announced it at the staff meeting this past Monday. It feels good to have it out in the open now. I was so nervous about announcing it though! My heart was beating a mile a minute, like I was about to give a speech or something. I just really hate talking in front of large groups. But everyone was happy for me.

Quite a few "stars," and I'm being quite liberal with that word, have announced they are pregnant recently, which is kind of neat.







Anna Duggar (she married the oldest of the 19 Duggar kids...love that show!) is due after me, in mid-June. I was impressed that she was so open and honest about her recent miscarriage. Kudos to her.











Pink just announced she is pregnant. I couldn't find anything about when she is due but they seem to believe it's a girl so I'm going to guess April or May?

Mariah Carey shared the news (which wasn't much of surprise if you've seen recent pictures of her...hello boobies!) that she was pregnant. She didn't say when she was due but I'd guess March or April?

And last, but not least, Skeletor....errr, I mean Rachel Zoe. I've never watched her show, nor do I really know anything about her but seriously? This woman? I can see her sternum for crying out loud! How is she even able to menstruate? I seriously hope she decides to eat for the baby's sake.

And finally, I have an appointment with the perinatologist (high risk OB) tomorrow morning. I've heard really good things about this doctor from some of the ladies I babysit for, including the fact that he is super handsome. ;) We are having some first trimester screenings done, including the nuchal translucency test. I believe that will include a detailed ultrasound. I really cannot wait to see what our baby looks like now. I will be sure to post the details tomorrow.

The most beautiful sound...

...has to be this:



I may be a bit biased, but can you blame me?

Also, she gave me a due date of June 1, 2011 and that I am actually 9w6d along rather than the 9w4d that I thought I was. She based it on the day of the IUI rather than the first day of my last menstrual cycle. Either way, she wants me to deliver between 38 and 40 weeks so it may be in May. It doesn't really matter to me but I would prefer to not be induced. Ideally I would have a natural birth. I do reserve the right to change my mind at any given point but this is something I plan on sticking to.

I have my monthly appointments with them scheduled through March and have a referral to my perinatologist to do the nuchal translucency test in a few weeks. I'm feeling good, just tired. All day long tired. It's exhausting being so tired all the time. I think I could nap most of the day and still be tired enough to sleep all night. I don't have any nausea, I just get a little "iffy" around mealtimes still, where nothing sounds appetizing. Once I eat I usually feel better. I know I could have it much, much worse and I am definitely not complaining. I'll take my tiredness and be thankful.

I'm thankful regardless. :)

Graduation Day

Today I have officially graduated from the fertility doctor and have been released to my regular OB/Gyn! We had our final appointment with Shady Grove Fertility today for an ultrasound. It was amazing. It actually looks like a baby now. Last time it looked like a fried egg but now you can clearly see little arms and legs as well as a head. The flickering heart was still visible and the little one was squirming around in there.

Check out the video:




My doctor forgot to mention what the heart rate was but you can see it on the video. It was 180.



And of course, a picture!

8 weeks 6 days

Before leaving they gave us a nice little photo holder card that had another copy of the ultrasound picture in it. I let Courtney bring it to work with him. I gave him the ok to share the news with whoever he wants. Which isn't too many people. I think the only people he hasn't told are a few friends of his back in California.

After the appointment my mom (who came with us) and I went out to breakfast. She started telling me that my dad was starting to stress out about how much money she was going to spend when she finds out what were having. I told her he shouldn't worry too much because we aren't going to find out. She asked if just she could find out but again, the answer was no. We have waited 4 years to have a healthy pregnancy. We can wait another 7 months to find out what's growing in there. I'm not saying I won't be tempted. It would make certain things a lot easier but I'm really looking forward to that moment in the delivery room when we finally find out. 7 months isn't that long.....right?

Milestones

I couldn't tell you when I took my first step or what my first word was. I have no idea what my first food was or how old I was when I first slept through the night.

Today I reached one milestone I won't soon forget. I have reached the 8 week mark.

With my first pregnancy I started spotting in the 6th week and ended up miscarrying at exactly 8 weeks. With this pregnancy I haven't seen a single "spot" and as far as I know my little one is growing strong. I am thankful for every second.

My next ultrasound is on Thursday 10/28 at 9:30 AM so I will be able to know for sure that everything is going well. I am still exhausted pretty much all day. It's the worst around 4:00 and continues through the evening. No real nausea, just kind of feel icky around mealtimes where nothing sounds appetizing. Once I eat I feel better but finding something that sounds good to eat can be a challenge.

Another milestone for today: I am wearing maternity pants. Not because I need to but because they are so damn comfortable! Why aren't all pants made like this? I can still fit into most of my clothes (except for ones that were a little tight before just flat out don't fit now) but I just didn't feel like wearing my normal jeans and having the button jab into my belly button all day. I am in denim heaven with these pants. Granted, they are obviously meant for someone with a big belly and I keep having to hike them back up when I walk around but I don't care.

What better way to mark one milestone then with another?

Video!

Everything went well! It was not a thorough u/s or appointment. I think it was just to check that it was a viable pregnancy (which we are!!!). Everything looked good and there was only one and he made sure to check twice. You can hear him in the video saying that he asked Hope (the u/s tech) twice. The heartrate was 138, which he said was normal and would be beating much faster at our next u/s, which is scheduled for Thursday, October 28th at 9:30 again.





Without further ado, a picture:

6 weeks 5 days!

And a video:

So, lots of appointments coming up in the next few weeks. On Tuesday, October 19th I meet with my endocrinologist (I've had to adjust the settings on my pump quite a few times because my body needs a lot more insulin than normal now). On Thursday, October 28th I go back to my fertility doctor for a second and final ultrasound with them. On Tuesday, November 2nd I go to my regular OB/GYN for a routine OB exam (and hopefully another u/s!). I called the high risk OB and left a message with their nurse (the one who got me the new pump) so I'm sure I'll be going to see them soon as well. That's an appointment a week for the next three weeks. I'm wondering if this is a trend for the next 8 months? We shall see.

The reason I ~YAWN~ haven't been posting

I am exhausted! By about 3:00 PM each day I am so ready for a nap. I have to work to keep my eyes open. This past weekend I had no plans (other than to go to a consignment sale, which I'll post about soon) so I took full advantage of the free time to nap, nap, nap! Best naps I've had in a long time. And did I feel the least bit guilty? Hell no! I enjoyed every snore! Last weekend was spent babysitting. All.weekend.long. I kid you not. But, that money went straight into my savings. Plus, it's easy work. It just sucks not being able to be at home.

Wednesday is the big day! I have good feelings about it. My husband will be there and my mom is coming as well. My appointment is at 9:30am EST and if they allow me to take video of it I will try and post it while I'm at work. I will be 6 weeks and 5 days along so I am crossing everything that can possibly be crossed that we will be able to hear a heartbeat.

Final bloodwork numbers are in...

1321!!!

So far so good! My first ultrasound is scheduled for Wednesday, October 13th at 9:30 am. Courtney will be able to go and I am crossing everything that a beautiful heartbeat will be at least visible if not audible. I am bringing my camera (which has video, too) with me and am really hoping they will let me use it.

In the meantime I am getting bloodwork done next week for my endocrinologist regarding my thyroid and then I have an appointment with her on October 19th which was already scheduled but happened to work out perfectly because she told me she wants to know the second I find out I was pregnant, which I did...well maybe not the second I found out but soon after. She wanted to ensure my blood sugar was doing ok. I mentioned that I've been having some big spikes after eating and she had me change some settings on my pump, which has helped. At that point I had already cut out heavy carbs from my diet and tried to eat more meat (chicken and turkey...I don't eat red meat or pork) and veggies so that helped, too.

I also have two more pregnancy tests at home to help keep my sanity over the next two weeks.

Repeat bloodwork

I got my results back from today's repeat bloodwork and my number was 383. So far so good! I go back on Monday for another round of bloodwork (last one I think) and then she said we would do a sonogram when I was 6.5 weeks along which would be the second week of October. I don't know if we'll be able to hear a heartbeat at that point but we should hopefully be able to see it flickering. Something we didn't get to see last time.

Oh, and I'm 4 weeks today!

And the news is.....

Good!

I was told that they look for hcg levels to be around 100 and mine was 178. I am beyond happy right now. I go back for more bloodwork on Friday and am to continue on the progesterone supplements. I am having a hard time putting sentences together right now so I'll leave it here. :)