31.5 week Appointment

We went in for our latest appointment on the day after Christmas and it was definitely busy. My doctor was in an emergency C-section so instead of rescheduling we just saw her nurse practitioner. I am definitely still gaining weight, probably more than they would like but I am not too focused on that at the moment as long as I am eating healthy and the baby is doing well I am happy - if I gain a few extra pounds along the way I will lose them after this little guy is born. His heart rate was a good 142 bpm, my blood pressure was great at 114/66 and it appears he is currently head down (he still has time to switch positions but I am hoping he will just stay put). My next appt is in 2 weeks. It is starting to become more real as the length between appts is becoming shorter and shorter (and my belly is getting bigger and bigger).

Christmas was great this year as we received a lot of stuff for the baby and I had fun putting everything away in his room. I know we will eventually run out of room in the house and will have to reorganize everything in the garage once again to make room, but for now everything has its place. I have my list of tasks that I want to get done before he arrives and I am hoping that my nesting instincts will kick in here and help me out. Right now I feel tired and not motivated to organize everything, but slowly I am starting to get things done. Sleeping at night has definitely become more challenging, but something I expected and will get through. I try to go to bed as early as possible and take as many naps as I can sneak in. So far I am coping. There isn't much more going on at the moment, but I will try and post pictures soon.

Glucose is Great, Iron not so much

I received the results back from my Glucose test today. A few days late, but at least I passed the test. I took the test on Thursday and usually the results will be in by the next morning. Unfortunately for me the office was closed that Friday so they said I would get a call if something was wrong from the on-call person, but otherwise I would hear Monday morning. I didn't hear anything on Friday so I assumed I was in the clear but I definitely wanted to know for sure. Especially with this office as my blood results have not always returned accurate and every time I have had blood taken it has had to be re-done. But since I had not heard anything by Monday at noon I decided to call the office and find out on my own. I reached the nurse and she said she would call me back with the results as soon as she grabbed my chart. Well I didn't hear back from her until this morning. She said that I passed my Glucose test with flying colors, but that my hematacrite (Sp?) was low. I now get to take slow release Iron pills twice a day in addition to my pre-natal and folic acid pills. But I can't take them together as it will be very hard on my stomach and I have to take them all with food. Hopefully nothing else will be added to the list of pills as I am running out of meal times and don't really want to be eating all day long.

The low Iron makes sense to me and hopefully explains why I have been so tired all the time and the couple of episodes of dizziness and lightheadedness that have occurred in the last month. I might be able to regain some of my energy now that I am on the iron pills - at least let’s hope so!

28 Week Appointment

So I just returned from my 28 week appointment and everything looks great so far. This was also the appointment that I had to do the glucose test. It was not as bad as I thought it would be, but still not great. About an hour before my appointment I had to drink a bottle of super sugary fruit punch flavored stuff and then they took my blood an hour later to see how I reacted. I won't receive the results until tomorrow or Monday, but I am not too worried. I felt a little jittery and nauseous after drinking the glucola, but otherwise not too bad.

The baby's heart rate was at 140 again, nice and strong. My blood pressure was steady (don't remember the exact number but the nurse said it was good) and my weight was fine (gained more that I probably should have, 5lbs, but nothing huge). I also had to get the Rhogram shot today which was not bad at all. It was given in the butt, but didn't really hurt. My next appointment is in 3 weeks and then I start going in every 2 weeks for 2 appointments and then every week. That is what made me realize that this baby is almost here! I will post as soon as I get the glucose results.

Prenatal Massages are great!

On Saturday I decided that I could not live another day without a massage. My lower back has started to ache and my left leg is permanently numb while my right leg goes in and out of numbness. Overall I was just uncomfortable. I also had a gift certification to Inspa that Andrew had given me randomly a little while ago and this was the best excuse to use it. Andrew has been working so hard around the house trying to get all of the last minute house and yard projects done before the baby comes that he has been as exhausted as I have been lately, so I feel bad asking him to rub my back or my legs. But Saturday I called Inspa and was hoping that they would have an appointment open for either that day or the next. I was in luck and scheduled the next appt just a couple of hours away.

I have had a few professional massages but I never know what to expect when I get there. On Saturday I arrived a few minutes early checked in and filled out the questionnaire that is required for new guests. Sarah the Masseuse came out and introduced herself and showed me the way back to the massage room. She left me to undress and get under the blankets on the table. At Inspa they do not have the belly cut outs on the table like I have heard they have other places but she just asked that I lay on my side to start. When she came back into the room she placed a foam pad and pillow under my top leg and I was completely comfortable. The massage was great and during that hour I didn't feel my back hurt or my leg numbness tingling and I was able to completely relax. It was so nice that I have already scheduled my next appt for 3 weeks away and hopefully will be able to keep up that schedule until this little guy arrives in February (potentially March if he is really stubborn).

My next OB appt is on Thursday and I get to take the glucose test as well as get my first shot of Rhogram. Lots of fun to update in the next posting.

How to Get Baby to Move

So far this baby has been incredibly active in utero. Even to the point where people across the room have seen him jumping around in my belly. Not really the attention you want during business meetings, but there is not much you can do to settle a baby when he wants to be active. The other problem with an active baby is that when he decides not to be active it definitely starts one worrying. That is what happened over the last couple of days. From a logical point of view I am pretty sure he has shifted positions and is now kicking toward my back which I can not feel as much as when he was kicking directly into my stomach. From a worrying mother's perspective movement slow down means that something is wrong. I still feel him moving but just not as strong and definitely in a different position than he was before. I am sure in the next day or so he will shift again to some new and interesting position with new challenges and discomforts.

This is why I decided to find ways to reassure myself that my baby was doing well. I definitely don't want to interrupt his sleep cycle or to disturb him while he grows big and strong in my tummy, but once in a while when the worrying gets to me there are ways to make sure that he is still doing well. My favorite discovery (just found out tonight) is the use of a flash light placed on my stomach. He definitely starts moving after the flashlight. That is one that I reserve if everything else doesn't work. The other baby moving techniques that I have found are eating dried apricots, drinking a large glass of water, or simply relaxing (he tends to sleep more the more active I am and will move more if I am lying on the couch or in bed). He also seems to know when I have a full bladder and its exact location and will start kicking there just to keep me on my toes. But for tonight I am reassured that my baby is happy and healthy and definitely growing as my belly button is progressing towards an outie more and more. That is all I can hope for as I have 3 more months of pregnancy before I get to meet my little man.

26 Week Belly Pictures

From a day to day basis I can't tell that my stomach is growing, some days I don't feel that big and some days I feel huge. Taking pictures and comparing them to the pictures taken 3 weeks ago definitely shows me that something is happening and this baby is getting bigger. I can't imagine how big I will be in 3 months. 26 weeks marks the beginning of the 3rd trimester - I have heard that this trimester is not very much fun. All the fun times I have to look forward to in the coming months! And I can't wait because it means I am getting closer to meeting this little guy of mine.

Games with Baby

Everyday I can feel more and more movement in my tummy and am starting to feel the difference between general kicking and full body shifts in movement. Some days I swear he gets himself stuck in one position or another where a body part will be so squished in the uterus that he makes my belly lop-sided. When this happens I can feel him shifting and then one corner of my belly or even the middle will be sticking out at an odd angle. I can feel him right under the surface on those lopsided areas and it is definitely an interesting experience.

Anther new development that has occurred is I think he is interacting with his environment now. It could be a lot of coincidences, but when he is active and awake if I poke my belly he will poke back. He actually did this for Andrew the other night and I know he really enjoyed seeing his baby rather than just hearing about it from me. We were sitting on the couch and the little man started moving around so I told Andrew to watch and he saw my belly starting to pop whenever the baby would kick (this was also the first time Andrew saw my belly move rather than just feeling the kicks). He started poking back where he saw the movements and the baby would follow suit. This has happened a few times for me as well, where I would feel him moving, but not necessarily kicking and I would poke where I felt him and he would kick back.

The recent movement and shifting of positions make it seem more real every day. In 3 months I will have a baby in my now completed nursery. It still seems so far in the future, but it just keeps getting closer and closer. I am nervous about all the changes that will occur in my life as well about the actual birth, but I can't wait and am so excited to meet this little guy that keeps reminding me that he is coming.

I need to take more belly pics and get them posted - maybe tonight? maybe later this week.

Nursery Completed!!!

Andrew went to pick up the furniture on Friday from the Lynnwood Babies R Us. He planned on borrowing a friend's SUV to pick up the crib and dresser as we definitely don't have a car that would fit either item. After several set backs (waiting for the keys, fixing the broken seat that wouldn't recline and Friday night traffic) he finally made it home. We were both so excited to see the furniture in the room so even though it was late and Andrew had to leave later that night we brought everything in and started putting the crib together. We had everything put together in about 40 minutes and it looked amazing!

Even then we just kept putting everything that we had so far for the little man in the room and before we knew it, everything was basically complete. The only thing missing was the rocker which we had to Scoth Guard. Tonight we put the last touches on the room (added the rocker and put in a Windows Valance). I am so amazed with how everything came together. We still have many more items that we need before we are ready for an actual baby, but I know I have to wait on those until Christmas and the baby showers that are planned. The room looks better than I could have imagined and Andrew is so happy with how it turned out as well. Our son is already spoiled and has the best room in the house! It looks much better in person (as I am not a photographer and do not know how to capture the room in photos) but here are a few pictures of the Nursery!

Nursery Stage 1

We (as in Andrew) are just putting the finishing touches on the first stage of our nursery. We have painted the room a taupe color and added white paneling with a chair rail on the bottom half of the walls. It looks amazing and I can't wait to get the furniture in and start decorating (stages 2 and 3). I know it was a frustrating process for Andrew, as he had to deal with all of the construction, but it turned out amazing and I am so lucky to have a husband that is handy around the house - if I didn't we would be lost as power tools and I do not get along!

I just got a call this morning that our long awaited crib and dresser have arrived at Babies R Us and we can pick it up any time. I think Andrew will be able to pick it up while I am at work on Thursday so I should have stage 2 pictures up soon. I already have the bedding and some decorations for the room so stage 3 will be a work in process but not far behind. I can't wait!

24 week appt

So today I had my 24 week appointment with the OB and all is well. The baby's heart beat was a strong 142 beats a minute, my blood pressure was good at 110/60 and everything else seemed to be on track. For the first time today the nurse measured my belly, I didn't get the measurement nor do I know what it should be but I am guessing it was good. I also found out that at my next appt I get to do the glucose test and they sent me home with the choice of either orange or fruit punch juice of some kind. I thought the fruit punch would be the lesser of two evils. An hour before my next appt I get to drink the whole bottle and then have my blood tested. Hopefully all goes well as I don't think I would survive well on a Diabetic diet - I love sugar way too much. I would have to make the sacrifice for the baby, but it would be extremely hard on me. But I don't have to worry too much for another month. My next appt is on December 4th.

So my weight gain so far has been on the high side according to the doctor. I have gained 18lbs thus far in the pregnancy and I still have 3 more months to go. I want to gain a healthy amount for the baby and I have been trying to eat healthy and get all the nutrients both the baby and I need, but I don't want to gain so much weight that it will be difficult to get off after the baby is here. I just need to stay active and stay away from the sweets. The active part I am definitely working on as I have water aerobics every week and try to walk around and take the stairs whenever possible. Staying away from sweets is another issue, especially with all of the Halloween candy at the office, but I am trying. Either way if I gain too much weight or just the right amount the baby is healthy and definitely active.

What is in a Name?

Before we knew that our little guy was actually a guy and not a gal, Andrew and I threw around a bunch of names and decided on a girl's name and a couple of boy names that we liked but were not completely sold on. Of course we end up with a little boy (and we are very excited!) but we still had to figure out a name. Girl names seemed so much easier, there were several that we loved and one that we knew was perfect for our little one. Boy names were a lot harder for us and we seemed to like slightly different names. Most evenings we would go through the baby name book and throw out names to each other but for a number of weeks there didn't seem to be one that we agreed on, or one that really fit the baby that was growing bigger and stronger ever day inside my belly.

However there was one name that we kept coming back to, at first it didn't seem right but the more we thought about it the more it seemed to fit. As we went over every other name that was on our 'maybe' list they just seemed wrong and made the one name seem more right. I am probably confusing everyone at this point, but we have decided on a name. We have also decided not to share the name with anyone until he is born. We have several reasons for this decision. First we want to make sure that this is the right name for this baby and that it fits who he is. Second there are always those stories people tell you when you mention a name you are planning on calling your baby. Those "I knew a Sam once, he was a jerk" or "I went to school with a Tom and he was an idiot" stories and I would rather stay away from those stories and not be influenced by others opinions. Finally third, everyone knows that we are having a boy and it is kind of fun to keep one thing a surprise for when he is born. We will be able to properly introduce him to our family and friends for the first time when he is born, rather than having his name be common knowledge for 9 months before he even takes his first breath.

I know some people find this to be extremely frustrating, and want to know his name even more when I tell them that we are not sharing the information until he is born. It is kind of like teasing your little brother when growing up that you know something that he doesn't. I know I would want to know if I was in their shoes, but I really like our reasons for keeping his name a secret and I think it will be even more rewarding when we finally do get to share his name with everyone.

Just Like Aliens

So last night I was sitting on the couch watching television, and the baby started moving so I lifted my shirt to watch my "belly dance" as I call it. All of a sudden I see a something raise my skin about half an inch and move across my stomach. Logically my little man was probably stretching and it was a foot or a hand that was moving, but watching something actually lift your skin and move independently of your own actions is quite weird. I remember watching the Alien series when I was much younger and this was slightly representative of that - minus the screaming and pain that was in the movie. I am not sure if I will ever get used to seeing my stomach move on its own, but I am so glad that I get to experience how quickly my baby is growing and how strong he is getting. My plan is to catch him moving on video, but so far I am the only one that has seen this show, maybe next time!

Belly Pics Finally

So I finally was able to remember to take Belly Pics!

23 weeks

Finally up-to-date

I am finally caught up on everything so far in my pregnancy. Today I am officially 23 weeks and have gained a total of 11 pounds, but if you count the weight I lost and re-gained I am up 15 pounds. The exciting event of this week was that I finally saw my belly move from the little man kicking. It happened on Sat 10/25 while I was watching TV. I felt him kicking pretty hard and as I looked down I could see my belly move with each kick - it looks like he is dancing in there with the movement. I was so startled and excited the first time I actually laughed out loud and had to go wake Andrew and tell him. He was not quite as thrilled as I was, but mostly because it was 7:30 in the morning and he had gone to bed at 4am.

The little guy is kicking a lot stronger now-a-days and actually woke me up in the middle of the night last night with his kicking. I can't imagine how hard he will be kicking as I get into my 8th and 9th month; I imagine I will have bruises from him. Even though it still feels weird to have something moving inside you and kicking you at odd times of the day and night, I am so thankful that he is an active baby. It reminds me of how alive he is and I can't imagine something wrong with him as he is beating me up from the inside. Even though we have reassurances from the doctor that everything should be fine with him and that he most likely is a very healthy baby I still have thoughts that creep into the back of my mind about something being wrong. But every time he kicks those thoughts disappear - so I hope he keeps kicking and I am black and blue by the time he is born!

I really need to take another set of Belly pics and post them, but I keep forgetting to take them when I am at home. I have some days where I feel huge and pregnant and other days where I don't think I look pregnant at all. I am definitely larger than the last set of pictures at 15 weeks. So my goal tonight is to take belly pics and post them.

In the last week I have had a few odd symptoms. On Friday I had an unexpected relapse of Morning sickness and had to run out of a meeting to the rest room. I felt off for the rest of the morning but was fine after lunch. I'm hoping that it was a one time incident. I have also been pretty tired lately and not had the same amount of energy I have been used to in the last couple of weeks. And finally Monday morning I had a very scary dizziness spell that lasted about 5 minutes. I am not sure if all of the symptoms are related or if they are just random events. If anything else happens before my next doctor's appt I will have to call the nurse at the office and get a recommendation if I should move up my next appt. I hope nothing is wrong, but want to be careful just in case. So far today has been fine and I hope the rest of the week continues in the same direction.

Next Ultrasound

One thing I forgot to mention in the last post is that I felt the baby move starting right around 16weeks and 0 days. It was only a light flutter and I only felt it once in a while but now that he is moving a bunch more I am positive that is what I felt.

After finding out that we were having a boy I was able to finally go out and by little baby clothes. I knew I probably would be getting clothes at baby showers and from family friends but sometimes it is hard to stop yourself! My mom and I were also able to start looking at all the other necessities that we would need strollers, high chairs, car seats, toys, and a whole bunch more. We didn't buy anything immediately but it was a lot of fun to see what was out there as well check the safety standards and make sure that when we decided to buy something it would be the best that we could get.

On Sept. 29th when I was 18weeks6days we had our diagnostic ultrasound at the doctor's office. Even though we just had the last ultrasound about 2 weeks earlier I was excited to see our baby again. Again my Mom, Andrew and I arrived at the doctors office a few minutes before my 3:30 ultrasound. Unfortunately the ultrasound tech had a couple of emergency scans that day so she was running late. Finally around 4:20 we were brought back to the ultrasound room. Unlike the last place this room was a lot smaller and barely fit the 4 of us. This time when the ultrasound tech got started the baby was fast asleep and was not moving much for us. We were able to get a good shot of his heart beat and then the tech started doing her measurements. I think she had to measure the leg bone, the arm bone, the head and a few other measurements. When she arrived at the head she paused for a moment and mentioned that she saw a Choroid Plexus Cyst, and although she saw them in quite a few cases she always had to recommend a level 2 ultrasound when she saw them. She was very calm about the finding and at that moment I had no idea what that was so I didn't panic too much, I was worried though. As she finished up the ultrasound she went to get the nurse that would give us the referral to Maternal Fetal Medicine where they do the level 2 ultrasound. I also made sure to do my Quad Screen blood work that day.


(Ultrasound pic at 18weeks 6days, good spine shot)

We went home that day with a referral to call MFM and hoping that we would get the results of the quad screen back soon. As soon as I got home I went straight to Google and looked up what a Choroid Plexus Cyst was and what it could mean. As soon as I started looking at exactly what it was and meant I was scared. I wanted to get into do the level 2 ultrasound as soon as possible at that point. Most of the results on Google when you search for Choroid Plexus Cyst or CPC is that it is a soft marker for trisomy 18 or Edward's Syndrome, a fatal or limited life span chromosomal issue where most babies die in the first month of life. The more I read the more I learned about what this CPC could mean. My baby only has a small unilateral cyst where a lot of times babies will have bilateral cysts and they can measure from small to very large. So this was good news. I also found out that about 1-3% of the population had these cysts when they were in utero and all of them disappear by 28 weeks. Of the 1-3% that have the cysts a percentage have Edwards syndrome, but for most there is nothing wrong and the baby will be completely normal. Of the percentage that have Edwards syndrome most will have other markers that show up on the level 2 ultrasound and most will have abnormal quad screens. It is very rare that a baby will have an isolated bilateral CPC and have Edward’s syndrome. Some of the other markers that will show up in a level 2 ultrasound for Edwards syndrome are clenched hands (the baby is physically unable to extend the fingers), club feet, heart problems, smaller than normal size, misshaped head and other physical abnormalities can also be linked as soft markers for Edward’s syndrome.


For the first 2 days after the diagnostic ultrasound I felt like I was in a fog. I was worried sick that something would be wrong with my baby and the decisions I would be faced with. I didn't think I would be strong enough to wait around for him to die (if he had Edwards syndrome) but I also didn't think I could make the decision to terminate especially since he was moving so much and felt so alive. I would start crying randomly throughout the first 2 days whenever I thought about the news that may be coming. I know Andrew was worried as well but he was being strong for me reassuring me that everything would be alright and that our baby was healthy.


On Thursday Oct. 2nd while at work the nurse from my doctor's office called with the results of the quad screen. They all came back normal! I felt such a relief that at least we had that going for us and that he must be fine. It was such a weight off of my shoulders. I still was waiting for the level 2 ultrasound that was coming up on Monday 10/06 but I was not thinking the worse case scenario at every turn. I even went to start my registry the Saturday before the appt. with my mom.


My mom and I went up to the Lynnwood Babies R Us to register, Andrew definitely did not want to come with us as I think he can only handle about 15 minutes of a baby store. It was a chance to get excited again about the baby, and to plan for when he arrived. We registered for all sorts of things, from bath items, toys books and the smaller necessities. It was a lot of fun and overwhelming at the same time - there is so much stuff that babies need. As my mom and I were finishing up registering she received a call from my Aunt. My cousin (who was due within a couple of days of me) just found out that her baby had a fatal chromosomal issue. It was the worst news we could get. I felt so bad for my cousin as she was living what I was fearing would happen to me. She was faced with so many unimaginable decisions and I had a tiny glimpse of what she was probably feeling. At that point my mom and I headed home as we were no longer in the mood for registering.


Finally Monday afternoon came and we (my Mom, Andrew and I) were waiting in the MFM waiting room. They called us back pretty quickly and brought us to an ultrasound room. For the level 2 ultrasound a tech will measure every part of the baby including internal organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys and give the pictures and report to a doctor. The doctor will also come in towards the end of the ultrasound and take a look at the baby himself and let you know what their findings are and as well as their recommendations. The tech got started and we could see that the baby was definitely active again; he was moving around and changing positions as she was taking her measurements. I became more and more comfortable as the scan went on and the soft markers that I was looking for came back normal. The feet were perfect and his fingers were all stretched out on his hands. His size was also perfect for his age. His heart was the last thing that I was looking for and it came back perfect! Finally I could relax a little. When the doctor came in he took control of the ultrasound machine and started looking around. Finally he looked at us and said that everything looked perfect and that although we were at a slightly higher risk than the general population for Edward’s syndrome with my age and the lack of soft markers in the ultrasound we only had a 1/400 chance that anything could be wrong. He said that we were welcome to do an amnio but he wasn't recommending it. With the chances of miscarriage due to an amnio being from 1/100 to 1/200 it was not worth the risk. I was completely satisfied that everything was fine with the baby. And I was so thankful!!!

(Babies hand with extended fingers!)

(Healthy baby moving around in womb)

Boy or Girl????

As soon as we arrived back from Jamaica all I could think about was the upcoming ultrasound where we would find out if we were having a boy or a girl. I had different reasons for wanting a boy or a girl and when I put them all together I couldn't decide what I wanted more - I just wanted to know what we were having! I wanted a boy because growing up I always wanted to have an older brother, and I thought that if we had a boy first he would be such a good role model to any younger brother or sister he had. I also loved the idea of having an airplane themed room and I had already found the bedding that I loved. Having a little boy would also be great for Andrew, a son that he could teach all that he knows. Also I think Andrew would be more comfortable having a little boy first - having grown up with 3 brothers he can relate to boys where a girl would be foreign territory. I wanted a girl because I love the idea of having a little girl that I can help dress and do her hair. There are a lot more cute clothing options for girls and I am partially scared that I will never have a girl and have all boys. But I am excited to have this baby and I couldn't wait to find out what type of room to plan and to start shopping for him or her.

On Saturday the 13th, when I was exactly 16 weeks and 4 days along Andrew, my Mom and I arrived at Pregnancy Journey right at 11:oo for our appt. As soon as I finished filling out paperwork we were escorted back into the ultrasound room. It was a larger room with a couch for guests and a padded bed for me. There was a huge screen on the wall where the ultrasound picture would be projected. As soon as I laid down on the bed and lifted my shirt the ultrasound tech got started. As soon as she put the wand on my belly I could immediately tell how much bigger our baby had grown. He/she no longer was a swimming gerbil but a well proportioned little baby. The very next thing I noticed was that our baby was a boy!!! The ultrasound tech was able to show us so many different views of the baby and he definitely was moving around for us as well. He was wide awake and kicking. We were able to get both 2d and 3d pictures and video of the baby. It was an amazing experience and one that I definitely will do for any future pregnancies. I also want to go back when this baby is a little farther along and get the 3d pictures so that we can tell what he may look like.

(cute 3d pic)

(if you look closely you can tell that he is a boy)

(the picture is sorta dark but you can tell that he has boy parts)

The following week was also the week that I would need to tell work that I was expecting. It was getting harder and harder to keep my little bump a secret but I wanted to wait until one of my supervisors was back in town. I was very nervous to share this news as there are not a lot of people in my office with young children and I wanted to make sure that my position in the company was still secure (especially with the economy looking like it would take a slide down hill - and it definitely did). I waited until Tuesday morning and went in to tell the recruiting director my news. He took it very well and congratulated me, I also made sure to tell him that I planned on working up to the end and coming back strong after my maternity leave (I planned on taking the full 3 months). As soon as I finished telling him I told my supervisor who just got back in town - she also took it better than I expected. As soon as I told my 2 superiors I let the news slip out to the rest of the company. I later found out that more than a few of them already had suspicions that I was pregnant - I guess I didn't hide my bump as well as I thought I did. I know I was nervous for nothing but telling your boss that you are pregnant in my industry where everyone is very career oriented is a bit daunting. It definitely was a big weight off of my shoulders to let everyone know.

The rest of the first Trimester and Beyond

After our first ultrasound everything calmed down for while. My next Doctor's appt was not scheduled until August 20th and all we had to do was prepare for the Honeymoon - we were leaving on August 22nd. My pregnancy symptoms seemed to calm down a bit as well. I was not feeling as much morning sickness as I only would get nauseous if I was too hungry. I didn't seem to be expanding too much in the waist, although a lot of my pants were a little tight to zip and button all the way so I was starting to wear the belly bands that would save me from wearing maternity clothes too early. I was still pretty tired all the time and definitely took advantage of napping as often as possible, but I was more used to the feeling and was better able to accommodate going to bed early and taking it easy. It was at this point that we started sharing the news more with the rest of our friend group.

Before our next appt we decided that we wanted to schedule a 3d ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby as soon as possible. The Doctor's office will tell you between 18 and 20 weeks when they do the diagnostic ultrasound, but I am an impatient person. The 3d ultrasound place will tell you as early as 16 weeks and it is another chance to get a peak at our baby. So I made sure to schedule this appt before we left on Vacation as I would be almost 16 weeks when we returned. The appt was scheduled for Sept. 13th and I couldn't wait.

Our next OB appt was on August 20th, 2 days before we left on our honeymoon. The appt was pretty standard just to make sure that everything was on track. I gained 4 lbs since the last appt, which I guess was supposed to happen, but in the back of your mind you still wonder if that was too much weight to gain in the first trimester - I know its not, but I think a lot of us are preprogrammed to consider weight gain a bad thing. They also checked the heart rate - which was right on track at 150bpm. The other main things they check are my urine and blood pressure and answer any questions that may have come up since I last saw the doctor (I had none at that time other than if I should be careful in Jamaica). The last thing I needed to get was a signed note from the doctor that I could have a 3d ultrasound and a copy of my prenatal records for my vacation just in case anything should happen while we were there. And then we were on our way.

(15 week belly pics)

We left for Jamaica on the evening of August 22nd and returned on Sept. 5th. The vacation was wonderful and relaxing and exactly what Andrew and I both needed after the stresses of planning a wedding and getting the surprise that I was pregnant. It was a little disappointing that I couldn't experience the local fruity cocktails but they seemed to make everything in a "virgin" format for me so that worked out well. There were a couple of activities that we both would have loved to participate in (tubing down the river, horseback riding and the treetop excursion) but couldn't because i was pregnant, but it will give us an excuse to go back in a couple of years and experience everything that we weren't able to this time. The flights were long and the drive once you are in Jamaica is an additional 90 minutes, but it is beautiful. Andrew and I both want to go back someday!

First OB Appt.

So we finally had an OB and an appt. scheduled for July 25th. I was not sure what to expect from this appt, but I knew I was excited. I wanted to see what my baby looked like via ultrasound, I wanted to hear his heartbeat, and most of all I just wanted reassurance that the baby was where it should be, had a heart beat and was healthy. I told work I had a Dentist Appt (definitely not ready to let them know I was expecting yet) and headed over to Evergreen Hospital where Andrew would meet me.

I arrived early, but I am early to everything and it ends up they were running late. So Andrew and I definitely had time to get acquainted with the waiting room and the reading material they had to offer (a lot of pregnancy and parenting magazines, not many guys’ magazines for Andrew). When they called us back I had to give them a urine sample (always fun), they took my blood pressure (not a problem) and they had me stand on a scale (easier than it would be in later months). After all of that they started taking a detailed medical history of all of the things that afflicts both my family and Andrew's. I found out that overall my family seems pretty healthy, Andrew's had a few items come up but nothing to worry about (especially after I found out that spina bifida is not genetic, and since it was on Andrew's side should not have an effect on this baby). The doctor finally came in and introduced herself and started doing her thing. Her thing included feeling my stomach for the outlines of my uterus, a oh-so-fun internal exam where she also palpated the uterus and did the initial pap smear and other cultures (i am guessing). Then the fun part came - she found the heartbeat on the doplar - a perfect 155 beats per minute. That was exactly what I wanted to hear to reassure me that everything was going to be alright! The last step of the appt was to give a blood sample to test for all sorts of things. One of my main concerns was that I have O- blood and Andrew has A+ blood which means that I most likely will have RH incompatibility and have to make sure that if I ever have any spotting or bleeding I have to get a shot of Rhogram to prevent my body from destroying future children (such a positive thought). We also got to schedule the ultrasound for the next Tuesday (July 29th) and I couldn't wait to get there!

We went home and had a wonderful weekend. On Monday I got a glimpse of how much one can worry while pregnant (and probably for the next 20 years). Around 10am while I was at work I received a message on my cell phone from the nurse at the OB's office asking me to call ASAP. As soon as I received the message I called her back to find out what was going on. Apparently my blood test came back and my HCG (the hormone that is tested to find out if you are pregnant) was ZERO, she said that they wanted to retest my blood to make sure, but that I may not be pregnant. I panicked; I asked her how we could have heard a heartbeat on Friday if I was not pregnant. She then said that most likely it was a lab error, and if I could come in as soon as possible. She was very nice and apologetic, but wanted to make sure we got the correct results as soon as we could so that there would be nothing to worry about. I went in at lunch that day and they re-took my blood, saying that they would put a rush on the results and we would know by the end of the day. I knew it had to be a lab error, but I am a worrier at heart and worried for the rest of the afternoon about what if it wasn’t a lab error. I even googled "heartbeat found and 0 HCG" but there was no incidence of that happening on Google. Finally around 4pm I received a call from the nurse and she let me know it definitely was a lab error as my HCG was perfect (somewhere above 100,000). One hurdle down - millions more to worry about!

After that scare it was even more reassuring that we had the ultrasound the next day. I was exactly 10 weeks for the first ultrasound and our little baby looked like a swimming gerbil with a large head. He was definitely awake for the scan as he was moving his little arms and legs. It was slightly unnerving to see something moving inside me and not be able to feel it, but it was very exciting. I think the ultrasound and being able to see our baby made everything a little more real for Andrew as well. His only experiences thus far in the pregnancy had been me letting him know how tired I was and the changes that I was feeling thus far (extreme tiredness, morning sickness, feeling very "thick" around the waist, breast tenderness). Being able to see the baby moving around and seeing and hearing his heartbeat was amazing for both of us!

The adventures of finding an OB

After we had confirmation that I was actually pregnant, a different set of worries set in. Is this a viable pregnancy, what will I do if I miscarry, that pain in my side must mean it is an ectopic pregnancy and I am going to die - those types of worries. But if you know me at all you also know that I am a worrier, and I tend to try and account for every possible situation. I also wanted to get in to see an OB as soon as I could as I know that they normally like to see you for the first time between 8 and 10 weeks and I was already over 6 weeks pregnant. The first OB I called was the one used by one of my good friends who was currently 8 months pregnant. But they were already full and not taking anymore patients. The second OB I called was recommended by another good friend of mine who had just had her second daughter. This time we were in and able to get an appt for Friday July 25th, a week after our wedding.

We decided that we would need to tell my parents first and then the friends that were in our bridal party, partly because they were our closest friends and partly because they would be the ones that noticed I was not drinking at the upcoming events and the wedding. Everyone else could wait until after the wedding. We wanted the focus of our wedding to be on Andrew and I getting married and not the pregnancy. We told my parents on July 2nd, right after the first doctor's appt. They took the news very well. They asked us if we were ready for this and if we were scared. They also shared some of their feelings when they found out they were pregnant with me (their first born). I know my mom was very excited and my dad was not sure what to think. His one comment was that he was "too young to be a grandpa". I think it will take him awhile to realize that it is happening.

The next step was to tell our bridal party. We would be seeing most of them on the fourth of July and figured it would be easier to tell them in person. We also figured it would be easier for me to tell the girls and Andrew to tell the boys (minus my brother who we would tell the next time we saw him). I think the news came as a surprise to all of our friends, but everyone was very happy for us.

The next few weeks flew by as we had last minute plans to coordinate for the wedding and events to attend to. Finally the wedding came and it was as perfect as it could be. My dress fit perfectly, the weather was gorgeous, and I was marrying the man of my dreams. I knew that after the wedding was over we would be able to focus more on the pregnancy and get together a plan of action.

Thats it for now, more later!

The Beginning

I have been reading blogs for a long time and this is my first attempt to start one of my own. The main purpose for this blog will be to chronicle my first pregnancy and continue onto my experiences as a first time parent. I am currently 18 weeks pregnant so I should probably go back a few months and start at the beginning and tell a little about my life in general.

I am 27 years old and just married my wonderful Husband Andrew. This pregnancy however starts a little before the actual wedding date. I really should go back and mention that Andrew and I have been dating for over 2 years and were engaged about 9 months before the pregnancy happened, just to clear up any confusion or speculation that this was a shotgun wedding. So lets start when and how I found out I was pregnant.

June 2008 was a very busy month as we were preparing for our wedding coming up on July 18th. It was filled finalizing wedding plans, wedding showers and friend's baby showers (I had 3 friend's who were currently pregnant, 2 who were due that summer). Towards the middle of June I noticed that I was just exhausted, but I figured the schedule was just getting to me as every night of the week there was something planned and no time to relax. Other than that nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. On June 20th Andrew left for the weekend to Lake Chelan for his Bachelor Party and I finally had a weekend off from planning and events that I could just relax. My plan was to go to the movie store and rent a bunch of chick flicks to watch the whole weekend. And that is what I did. The weird thing was, I was a lot more emotional than normal. I don't cry at movies, and I was tearing up at almost every film I watched (even when the movie was not even sad). I also hardly ever drink soda, but all I wanted was anything carbonated (I drank a lot of coke and sprite). I just started thinking that I was overly exhausted and that I needed more rest. Sunday evening Andrew returned home and I thought nothing more about it. It was back to work on Monday morning. All during work I kept thinking about how weird it was to be so emotional and what could be causing it. It also dawned on me that my period should have shown up by then, but it was only a couple of days late so I thought it must be on the way. The more I thought about it the more i wondered. On my way home I picked up a pregnancy test just in case, just to give me peace of mind that I wasn't pregnant. On Monday evenings Andrew starts work at 6 and doesn't get home until after 3am so I usually don't see him. I had the pregnancy test, but I didn't end up taking it until later in the evening, I was that sure that I wasn't pregnant! When I did end up taking the test a second pink line appeared, it wasn't as dark as the base line, but it was definitely there.

This is when I freaked out, the thoughts going through my head were denial (I can't be pregnant) denial (I can't be pregnant) denial (I can't be pregnant). After awhile it was slowly soaking in and I was both excited and scared. I was excited because I always wanted to have kids and I knew we were in a place where we could handle it (House, stable jobs, huge support system with my parents just down the road). I was scared because I am a planner, and I didn’t have a plan for this, I didn’t know what to do, Andrew and I had discussed trying in a year or so, but not this soon, and i was not married yet - how was my wedding dress going to fit? I also had to figure out how to tell Andrew. I couldn't tell him at work over the phone, that would not be fair, but could I tell him at 3am when he got home?

I ended up sending Andrew a text message to wake me up when he got home, just in case I didn't wake up. When he got home I was definitely awake. I sat straight up in bed and told him we needed to talk. Looking back on it now, I know I scared him half to death. I told him that I thought I was pregnant and showed him the pregnancy test with the 2 pink lines. He asked me if that was all? He thought I was having second thoughts on the marriage or that something horrible had happened. I think he was so relieved that I was just pregnant. He could also see how worried I was and wanted to make sure that I was ok. He reacted exactly how I needed him to, supportive and letting me know it was alright and it was exciting.

From there I think we took 5 more pregnancy tests just to make sure that we had the right result (the lines just kept getting darker - so it was almost guaranteed that we were pregnant). I also scheduled an appt with my regular doctor to see what I needed to do next. Our appt with the doctor was on July 2nd and both Andrew and I went. She basically said if I had taken 6 pregnancy tests and they were all positive, there was no doubt that I was pregnant. She asked if we would like her to do a test just to make sure and we both said yes. Of course that test was also positive. The doctor asked if we needed a recommendation to an OB/GYN and we decided that we wanted to have the baby at Evergreen where most of our friends either had their children or were planning on having their children.

I think I will stop with this post for now, before it gets too long. But I will be back with the rest of the story and current updates. If I can figure it out I will also post pictures!