Movement . . . I think

Here I am, comfortably in the 2nd trimester (I'm 13 weeks and 5 days today!!), and I'm still battling morning sickness. I've been thinking that I might be feeling movement for the past several weeks. Yes, I know it is pretty early, but I'm hyper-sensitive and notice things many other people would miss. I think since maybe 10 or 11 weeks, I've had these feelings, mostly at night or when lying down in a certain position, that almost feel like a flutter or bubbles in my lower abdomen. They would just last a second or two and then disappear, so I kept dismissing the feeling. It has been increasing gradually the past few weeks, and the past few days, I have noticed the feeling, a bit stronger, during the day, too.

Well, today I'm sitting here on the couch watching Wimbledon and waiting for my mom to bring the girls over so we can go to the pool, and I'm CERTAIN that the baby is moving. It has been on and off all morning - kind of between a flutter and a tap. I've felt it in a few different spots, but I'm now convinced I'm feeling the baby move! This is so exciting . . . I'm sure over the next weeks the feeling will get more intense! I can't wait until DH can feel it, too!

The return of morning sickness

Whoever said morning sickness disappears in the second trimester lied!! My morning sickness returned full force (and with a vengeance) around 12 weeks. I've been so sick, and back to puking. I couldn't keep anything down this weekend, which was particularly inconvenient since we were still holding services for my grandmother and had family and friends stopping by all weekend. On Sunday, I finally had to beg DH to go home and get my Phenergan. I have to say - it is a wonder drug! If only it lasted longer . . . it wears off, and then I try to put off taking another one . . . well, let's just say I ended up sick again at night last night.

We are driving to my niece's high school graduation tomorrow - you can bet I'll be popping pills all day long!!

Heartbeat

I think we finally figured out the technology . . . hopefully this will work for sharing the baby's heartbeat. Just click play to listen! Partway through, there is a loud "thwap" sound, and we were told it was the baby kicking!

A new chapter . . . maybe a boy?

Time marches on . . . this week has been pretty rough. We drove 9 hrs in a car to go to my grandmother's funeral, and my morning sickness was out of control! I puked 3 times on the way up, and was generally feeling miserable. We had a small graveside service, and a nice luncheon afterwards. We returned here late Thursday night, and everyone has been so kind to us. We've had family and friends stopping by to bring dinners and visit, and we have had additional memorial services at my parents' house last night and tonight.

The good news is that on Friday we had a midwife appointment! It was a fantastic appointment. She took the time to answer all of our questions, and discuss options for my fear of needles. I really like this practice, and I'm so thrilled I switched. I also picked up a prescription to help control my morning sickness, so hopefully that will help! We were able to hear (and record) the heartbeat, which I will try to figure out how to post here later! There is a "thwap" sound about halfway through, which we were told is a kick!

Then, just for fun, we decided to take the IntelliGender test today . . . I figure it must be at least 50% accurate!! According to IntelliGender, we are having . . . .


I suppose we will see in August if this is correct!

Sad news

I can't believe I have to post this right on the heels of our wonderful news, but my Grandma died this afternoon. My father and I were planning to visit her today to check on her. About 5 minutes before my father arrived, the nurses went in to check on her blood pressure. They stepped out while the machine was reading, and when they returned, she had died.

The cat is out of the bag!

Late last night, DH and I finally shared our news with everyone! We told some family friends in person, my mom called all of her friends and shared the news, and then we sent out a mass email to all the rest of our friends and family! We uploaded some pictures to photobucket and sent the invitation to view our photos to everyone. We've gotten so many wonderful emails and calls in response to our note, and we are just so excited to finally be able to share this!

Rocky day . . . Happy Father's Day

So, today was Father's Day . . . and my parents' anniversary, and my brother's birthday. Big day in our family! We had a wonderful family day planned . . . my brother, SIL and nieces were coming down so we could spend the afternoon at the park together. After our outing, we were supposed to go back to my parents' house to bbq and have a late lunch/early dinner together. I arrived at my parents' house right on time . . . just as my father received a phone call from the assisted living facility where my grandmother lives. Apparently, she wasn't feeling well, and they wanted to call an ambulance to send her to the hospital. We decided to split up - my mom and dad went to the hospital, and DH & I went to meet my brother at the park. We took the girls on the carousel and the swings, and waited for a phone call from my parents.

They called about 1 hour later, and the news wasn't good. Grandma's EKG was irregular, and the doctor did not think grandma would be leaving the hospital. He said she either had a heart attack (which would be the good news in the scenario) or that she was suffering from an aortic dissection (which would mean her valve had finally failed, and it would be fatal). We all joined my parents at the hospital so we could be with Grandma. After a few more tests and a lot of waiting - the news came back that she had a heart attack! Ultimately, the doctor determined that there was nothing we could do for her barring invasive measures that would likely kill her, so he released her for palliative care to return to her current care facility. We do not yet know the extent of the damage of this latest heart attack, so at this point it is a waiting game - we are waiting to see if she will recover from this attack, and we are waiting to see if this is a precursor to subsequent heart attacks. Regardless . . . today she is holding steady. She is one tough lady!

In the end - it turned out to be a Happy Father's Day. My dad returned home with us after my grandmother was released, and we had our dinner and exchanged gifts. I hope Grandma hangs strong for a while longer - we've been told she has been living on borrowed time for 4 years.

Big Day

Well today was a big day - it was our first "big" ultrasound - the Nuchal Translucency scan. Yes, DH overcame his superstitious nature, and agreed to have this scan done on Friday the 13th! This is a two-part test to screen for problems such as Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18. The first part is an ultrasound to measure the fluid behind the neck (in the spine) to see if it is within the normal range or too thick, and to confirm the presence of a nasal bone. Our little one has a perfectly normal nuchal fold measurement, smack dab in the center of the charts, and an adorable little nose! The second part of the test is a blood test where they screen for a protein that may be an indicator of a problem. We should have those results sometime next week. The test does not give you a definitive answer, but it assesses your risk for having a child with either Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. Apparently, 70% of children with Down Syndrome/Trisomy 18 or other genetic problems will present with a thick nuchal fold, so it is a fairly reliable indicator of the health of the baby.

We really enjoyed this scan . . . the facility we went to was wonderful, the ultrasound tech talked us through everything, and we were able to watch the entire process on a huge LCD screen on the wall. We were amazed by how much the baby has grown! We could really see arms, legs, fingers, a nose, the chin . . . it was just spectacular. Our little one's heartbeat was 173, and for the first time, we actually HEARD the heartbeat! The baby was moving around like crazy and kicking, which gave us a good look at the knee and leg and an elbow (which the baby apparently likes to shove into the wall of my uterus)! The baby also kept touching his/her face with his/her hands! The tech even did a quick show of the 3D/4D u/s for us. It was difficult to see much detail on the 3D yet, but it was fascinating. The tech took dozens of shots, but we were only given 3 to bring home, so I'm posting all of them!! Here they are:




Absolutely amazing, isn't it? I still can't believe there is a little life growing inside of me, and I'm looking forward to feeling this little one grow, and meeting him/her in December!

Spotting again . . .

Something about appointments apparently makes me spot. I spotted right before our beta, and our 8 week u/s appointment, and now again right before the 12 week u/s . . . and every time it scares the hell out of me!! Last night before bed, I discovered I was spotting. Pretty heavily, actually. I'm trying not to panic . . . . but that is like trying not to watch a train wreck in progress. I woke up this morning . . . and I'm still spotting, but I think it is starting to dissipate.

Please let this baby be okay . . . we are in the home stretch of the 1st trimester - hang in there little one!!

Olive Garden Fantasy

Over the course of this pregnancy, I seem to have developed an obsession for Olive Garden. Yes, I know it is strange, but something about the soup and salad calls to me. I'm vegetarian, so it is actually quite difficult to find a restaurant that serves a vegetable soup that is VEGETARIAN (no chicken stock). Even more than that, I think I am in love with the Olive Garden salad dressing. It has such a strong vinegar taste . . . I guess it just excites my crazy pregnancy hormones!

There is just one little problem about my Olive Garden obsession . . . we don't actually live NEAR any Olive Garden restaurants. There is one about 40 minutes away, and there is another one about 30 minutes away (but in another state). It is easy to eat at the Olive Garden when I am visiting my brother, or if I happen to journey over into the next state, but I've been finding it hard to convince DH to go on an Olive Garden run for me at 8 pm any night.

Well, tonight, DH had not yet gotten home from work. I had been eating and eating and eating, and I was craving something, but couldn't figure out what I wanted. I knew I wanted vegetables, and I was thinking about making pasta with veggies . . . . but our refrigerator was completely devoid of vegetables. I then decided that a broccoli, mushroom and spinach pizza might do the trick, but then I was confronted with another huge decision . . . which pizza place to call. Thank goodness for my indecisiveness! While I was digging through the takeout menus frantically trying to choose which place to call, in walks DH . . . . . with 6 bowls of Minestrone soup from Olive Garden, an enormous catering-sized salad, a big bottle of Olive Garden salad dressing, and a big bin of garlic breadsticks! I thought I died and went to heaven . . . and they served Olive Garden food! Apparently, DH had to be in the next state over for work today, so he detoured by Olive Garden to surprise me. Sometimes, he really does the PERFECT thing!

More crazy days . . .

Sunday we went running around and visiting my grandmother. My mom brought my nieces over, and we spent the afternoon at the pool! They were just so cute - we had these little floaters for them to sit in, and they just smiled and splashed.

Monday I was caught up all day with meetings and work, and Tuesday I had more meetings, then went to spend the afternoon with the girls. Another exhausting day, and I came home around 10 and crashed almost immediately.

Today has been pretty quiet - just trying to get my work done. Friday is our 12 week u/s, and I'm so excited for that! If everything is good on Friday, we are finally going to make this pregnancy public!

Breast Cancer Walk

This morning, we woke up early to do a 5k for breast cancer. My friend's sister died of breast cancer 4 years ago, so each year we do this walk in her honor. I believe we raised $5000 for the team - I raised about $250 in donations, and baked and decorated cookies to put out at his wife's office that brought in another $200-$300. We actually decorated the cookies the night I found out I was pregnant (April 25).

I was worried about doing the walk - the weather was hot, I've been getting easily tired and hungry, and I haven't been able to do much walking/exercising since I tore a ligament in my ankle back in November. Luckily, my friend is also pregnant, so we did the 5k nice and slow. I made it! I think my ankle is finally doing a little better.

After the walk, I went and picked up one of my nieces to head out for a play date. We had a fantastic time. My niece discovered she loves to eat watermelon - and make a huge mess. It is so cute to finally watch her interacting and playing with others.

DH & I were supposed to meet our friends for an outdoor movie tonight. We were so tired, we didn't know if we would make it there. Luckily, the weather intervened, and it POURED rain, so the movie was canceled! They just came over to watch a rental movie instead, and we never had to leave the couch! Perfect end to a wonderful day.

So much for feeling better

Well, after worrying about how I've been feeling so well for the past week, my body decided it missed puking tonight! Strangely reassuring, though.

Today was actually a fun day! I went to see Sex and the City with a friend, and then we spent the evening at my mom's house. My nieces are here for a week, so we helped with the babysitting. It has been fun spending so much time with them.

Hmmm . . . feeling better?

For as much as I have been hating the daily puking episodes the past 2 weeks, I have to say that NOT puking is equally worrisome. I know morning sickness is supposed to ease up after 10 weeks, but it does make me nervous to be feeling so . . . . normal! I'm so ready to be able to share this with rest of the world! I've been having a difficult time hiding the pregnancy (my body is just ready to pop), but this week I'm planning to tell a few more friends.

Another baby picture!

So, today we had another ultrasound! We couldn't believe how much the baby has grown over the past few weeks. DH was watching the screen, and his jaw dropped and he said "It looks like a baby and it is moving!!" I can't believe I'm actually 10 weeks pregnant already!