Looking back

I never got around to writing my 38 week post, and I hadn't taken a 39 week picture yet by the time C arrived, so I thought I would at least share the last belly photo I took with you all.  :-)

38 weeks, 0 days; covered and uncovered.

That t-shirt was definitely begging for mercy.

And for comparison, here is one of my first belly pics from 5 weeks, 0 days.

Crazy!!!!!!!

Postpartum Advice

Baby C is two weeks old today, I absolutely cannot believe it! They grow up so fast. lol

In honor of this milestone, I thought I'd share a few of the things I've learned as I recover from her birth and as DH and I adjust to being new parents. I swear this isn't a smug-new-mom post, just things other new moms had told me (that I'm so glad I listened to), or things I had to learn myself the hard way.  I know at least a few of you readers are about to have babies yourself, so maybe this advice will be helpful to you too. :-) 

1) Stock up on pads, witch hazel pads (Tucks), and Dermoplast before going into labor. It was so nice having these available when we got home from the hospital and not having to worry about immediately running out to buy them!

2) Use the Dermoplast and witch hazel pads every time you go to the bathroom. The nurse at the hospital showed me how to use the Dermoplast, then line my sanitary pad with the witch hazel pads, and it was SO nice. Just a suggestion. ;-)

3) Take as many pairs of the mesh granny panties from the hospital as you can. I even asked the nurse to bring me another pack because I loved them so much. And its nice that when they get bloody you can just throw them away, instead of ruining your own undies. ;-) I also recommend stealing as many of the crotch ice packs as you can, they were wonderful as well!

4) Fill the prescription they give you for stool softeners and TAKE THEM! Even if you don't take the narcotic pain killers, you will need the stool softeners.  Trust me.

5) Breastfeeding is hard and it HURTS, but it gets better. I was lucky that C figured it out right away, but it was still excruciatingly painful in the beginning, even when doing everything correctly. I also found it very mentally difficult at times, due to the anticipation of how much it would hurt when C latches on but knowing that I have to just suck it up and do it. Thankfully at two weeks it is finally starting to hurt less and is really only painful in the initial 5-10 seconds after she latches. I've been told it gets easier so I am hoping that is the case!  Also, I would ask to see a lactation consultant before leaving the hospital, just to make sure you are both doing it right (or to get any problems ironed out if you aren't).

6) Buy lanolin and use it liberally (if breastfeeding).  This goes along with #5, but I cannot imagine attempting to breastfeed without using lanolin.  A friend suggested requesting it at the hospital and using it from the beginning, and I am so so thankful that I did.  My hospital actually gave me the Medela kind which I used while there, but I had purchased Lansinoh which I began using at home and found that I preferred it over the Medela.  The Lansinoh is a thicker texture than the Medela, which I have heard some women think makes it difficult to apply, but its not that bad and I found it to be more protective of my sore, sore nipples.

7)  Take LOTS of pictures of your sweet new baby!  They grow and change so much, so quickly, and you don't want to miss a thing!  :-)

I think that's it for my list of advice... if any other moms want to weigh in or add things that worked for you too, feel free!

Baby C has arrived!

You may have guessed from my absence that Baby C is finally here!  And we are obviously no longer Team Green... ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Baby C arrived at 3:37 am on 11/15/11 (39 weeks, 3 days) after only 4.5 hours of labor -- Yes you read that correctly!  She weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces and 21 inches long.  She is absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way.  :-)  DH and I are so beyond in love with her! 

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And for those of you who are interested, the (med-free) birth story:

I had fallen asleep on the couch watching tv on the evening of the 14th. I woke up around 11:00 pm thinking maybe I was having contractions, but they weren't too painful.  DH and I started cleaning up the house a bit "just in case", although he wasn't convinced this wasn't a false alarm.  Soon I noticed the contractions were coming every 5-8 mins, and that I had started bleeding. The blood was more than I expected for (what I thought was) early labor, so around 12:30 am I called L&D to see if I should come in. The nurse assured me some bleeding was normal and to come in when my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart.

About 30 minutes after hanging up the phone, my contractions were consistently coming every 2-4 minutes and lasting a minute or more each. DH and I decided it was time to go. I had at least 3-4 contractions during the 10 minute drive to the hospital. By the time we arrived at the hospital, I was 7 cm with a bulging bag of waters. I don't think anyone (me and DH included) expected me to be that far along! The fact that I had already progressed that far without too much pain gave me a huge confidence boost that I could actually succeed with the med-free delivery I had hoped for.

The next bit of the story is kind of a blur. I met the on-call doctor (who was amazing by the way) and told him I wanted to do this naturally and asked if he was open to me trying different positions while pushing, instead of flat on my back. Thankfully he was super laid back and said I could do whatever I wanted. I remember having a LOT of pressure during this time and thinking the baby was about to fall out, but the rest is pretty much a blur. I remember joking with the doctors and nurses in between contractions and swearing under my breath (and then apologizing to everyone) during contractions. I also remember when my water broke because it was such a weird feeling. I was kind of squatting at the edge of the bed, trying not to push, and it just exploded like I'd been hit by a water balloon in the crotch. lol I know I finally told the nurse that the baby was coming and my body was pushing it out without me. She called for the doctor but I guess he was taking too long, because she decided to check me. She couldn't even find the other side of my cervix and called me complete around 2:45 am.

She must have successfully paged someone, because before I knew it the on-call doctor, a resident, and two other nurses appeared and started breaking down the bed. I used the squat bar for a little while and really liked it, but I was exhausted and my legs got too tired so I stopped. Then I got on all fours and that's where I stayed until Baby C was born. Pushing really wasn't that painful -- it was such a relief to be able to push against the pressure -- but it was really hard work. And it was very surreal, I could feel Baby C move down every time I pushed. After about 45 minutes of pushing she was finally out! DH is in medical school and the doctor let him "catch" and cut the cord, and he was the one to announce we had a baby girl. That was really really special for both of us that he got to do those things.  :-)

The only bit of drama is that Baby C apparently took a big gulp of fluid on her way out and was sounding a little gurgly when she was first born, so they took her to get checked out while I delivered the placenta and got cleaned up. I had a 2nd degree tear inside my vagina, but it was small and only took a few stitches to fix. By the time I was fixed up Baby C had checked out just fine (7/8 Apgars) and I finally got to meet my baby girl!

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DH and I still can't believe she is here and are totally in love. I also still can't believe how lucky I was having such a fast and easy delivery. My recovery has been great and Baby C is breastfeeding like a champ.  I truly could not have asked for a better delivery or a more perfect baby.  :-)

I will do my best to keep posting on this blog, but it might be sporadic as Baby C eats (what feels like) constantly and I'm trying to get a little rest in between. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The waiting is the hardest part...

Apologies to Tom Petty for stealing his line, but I don't believe truer words have ever been spoken.  I am SO anxious and SO ready to meet Baby C!  I'm not even that physically uncomfortable now that s/he has dropped, I'm just mentally exhausted from playing the waiting game, and super excited to meet him or her!

I haven't blogged about this yet, but we've had quite a bit of excitement this past week.  DH and I made our first "baby could be here any time" trip to L&D on Friday morning.  I had woken up several times throughout the night Thursday night/Friday morning and was leaking quite a bit of fluid each time, so I called my doctor's office to see what I should do.  They wanted me to go get checked at L&D, so off we went.  Before hanging up the phone, the nurse said, "make sure you bring your hospital bag, we might be having a baby today!"

Cue holy-crap-reality-moment!

Of course, I understand that the logical outcome of pregnancy is usually a baby, but this entire time an actual baby seemed to be just an abstract idea for some time in the future.  DH and I hadn't even packed a hospital bag yet!  So I showered, we threw some stuff together, and off we went to the hospital.  After getting checked by the resident and being monitored for about an hour, we learned my water had not yet broken and we were sent home.  I also learned I was now 2 cms dilated, 80% effaced, and Baby C was at -2 station.  The resident said it could be any time, so of course DH and I have been even more excited and anxious -- especially since we just had an official dress rehearsal for the big day!  lol

_____________

Cut from Friday to this morning about 3:30 am.  I was jolted awake from a dead sleep with some quite painful contractions.  I literally couldn't even get up right away, I had to lay there for a minute to catch my breath.  Once I was finally able to get up, I used the restroom and walked around for 10-15 minutes... and then they stopped.  I was so bummed, of course I was hoping THIS time was the real deal!

Luckily, I had my 38 week appointment today so I didn't have to wait long to see if I was making any more progress.  Unfortunately, I hadn't really progressed much from last week.  :-(  I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.  My doctor again told me he thought I was 1-2 cms, but now 90% effaced and with Baby C's head lower than it was last week.  I know that any progress is good news, but I was hoping for more.  *sigh*

So, that's where I am at now.  Stuck waiting for Baby C to make his/her appearance any day (or possibly weeks) from now.  DH and I went to the mall after my appointment and walked until I couldn't take it any more, and we plan to go do it again tomorrow.  I haven't gotten desperate enough to try any of the other old wives' tales yet, but I might cave soon if this baby doesn't come on his/her own! 

Here's hoping Baby C decides to make his/her appearance soon!

Progress!

Yesterday was my 37 week appointment. I mentioned in my 36 week post that as of last week, I hadn't made any progress yet. Well, I got checked again yesterday, and immediately my doctor said, "wow, definitely a change from last week!" Haha. I went from 0 cms and no effacement to 1-2 cms and 80% effaced in 5 days! I was super surprised and excited. I also was having contractions on and off all day yesterday, before and after my appointment. And (TMI alert!) according to Dr. Google and the ladies of PgAL, it sounds like I have also been losing pieces of my mucous plug. Eek!

I know that all of these things could mean that Baby C might arrive any day now, or that I could walk around dialated and dropping pieces of my mucous plug for weeks before s/he arrives. But I am encouraged that we are at least moving in the right direction! :-)

I am trying to focus on wrapping everything up at work, but my mind is torn between thoughts of finally meeting Baby C, and all of the stuff I still need to get done before s/he arrives (finish washing baby clothes, prep the cloth diapers, put away baby gifts, write thank you notes from our most recent shower...). AHHH! I feel like we have so much left to do! Things are definitely starting to feel VERY real!

Full Term!

Holy crap, as of yesterday, Baby C is full-term.  Creepy-floating-baby-ticker says 20 days until my due date... HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!

I'm spending today doing some baby laundry and putting away the rest of the gifts Baby C received at our last baby shower.  I'm kind of running out of time, lol. 

I can't believe he or she could theoretically be here any day now!

36 weeks

How far along?  36 weeks, 5 days.

Weight gain/loss:   25-30 pounds... again, depending on what mood my scale is in that day.  lol

Maternity clothes?  Yes.  I am actually running out of maternity clothes that fit!

Stretch marks?  Totally jinxed myself here.  Since my last post, I have sprouted a few stretch marks on the underside of my belly.  So far it looks like four on the right side, and one on the left. 

Sleep?  I was sleeping horribly for several weeks... waking up 3-5+ times per night just to roll over because my hips were hurting so bad.  However, the past few nights I have been doing much better and have only woken up 1-2 times! 

Best moment this week?  Realizing that Baby C will be here in one month (or less)!

Food cravings:  Nothing really.

Gender:   Team Green!

Belly button in or out?  Still about 90% flattie, but there is a tiny part that sticks out just a bit depending on where Baby C is laying.   

Movement?  Constantly!  I can't believe how strong Baby C is getting!

What I miss?  Being able to lean forwards without a human being in the way.  ;-)

What I'm looking forward to:  My next doctor's appointment -- hoping to have made some progress! 

Milestones:  I had my first weekly doctor's appointment yesterday... so surreal!  At the appointment I had my first cervical check (no big deal, and no progress yet), and my group B strep swab (OUCH!!!).  Also, the nursery is finally finished!  Now we just need a baby to put in it.  :-)

Postpartum Must-Haves

I saw this on Lil Sugar today and thought it looked like a pretty good list of items to have on hand post-delivery.  Might be worth checking out!  :-)

http://www.lilsugar.com/Items-Have-Hand-After-Giving-Birth-19312613

If any of you ladies who are already mommas to outside babies have anything to add, or if any of these things were a waste of money, I'd love to hear it!

Coming out of slacking... 33 weeks

Wow, I am such a bad, bad blogger.  I swear I don't know where the last 8 weeks went!

Nothing too exciting going on with me and Baby C...  We are down to every-other-week doctor's appointments now, and at my appointment last week, my doctor told me if he can't determine Baby C's position at our next visit he will send us for another ultrasound (yay!).  I know 100% that Baby C is head down, because s/he has been at every ultrasound -- including since I've been able to feel movement -- and his/her feet have always been and continue to be right in my ribs (more on that in a minute).  There is NO WAY that what I'm feeling up there is anything but butt and feet, lol.  But, of course I hope my doctor can't tell so we can have another peek at the little guy or gal!  ;-)  DH and I also had our first baby shower a few weeks ago and it was a blast.  We were totally spoiled by family and friends and got a lot of useful stuff.  We have another baby shower coming up next weekend, and I'm pretty sure my office is planning a surprise shower the week after that, so we have all kinds of fun to look forward to.  Baby C is definitely one loved little baby already!

Now, on to my (not so) weekly post...

How far along?  33 weeks, 3 days.  (And for the record, I can't believe how huge my belly looks in photos these days!  I swear it doesn't look like that to me in my daily life... maybe my brain is just trying to protect me.  lol)

Weight gain/loss:   I think I'm about 20-22 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight...  honestly it is getting really difficult to keep track because I am retaining so much water (and rarely going to the bathroom), so my weight has been fluctuating quite a bit even day-to-day.

Maternity clothes?  Um, yes.  In fact, quite a few of my maternity clothes are even getting too tight/too short/too small.

Stretch marks?  So far, about 100 on my boobs and two on each inner thigh, but not one on my stomach... **furiously knocking on the biggest piece of wood ever**

Sleep?  I couldn't tell you the last time I slept through the night, lol.  (Probably some time before my last blog update!)  I have been waking up multiple times per night to pee, to change positions because of hip pain, or both.  But I figure its just good practice for when Baby C arrives.

Best moment this week?  Hearing Baby C's heartbeat again at my doctor's appointment, every time he or she moves, and every time DH talks to Baby C in my belly.  :-)

Food cravings:  One night last week I really, REALLY wanted a Sonic hot dog.  I don't even like hot dogs, but those "premium hot dog" commercials are killing me!  DH and I went to go get a "Kickin' Coney Dog" (chili, cheese, bbq sauce, and fried onion pieces) and it was SO AMAZING!

Gender:   Team Green!

Belly button in or out?  About 90% flattie, 10% innie.  But the amount of innie is getting smaller by the day.  I can't even fit the tip of my pinkie in there anymore, lol.  And sometimes, depending on how Baby C is laying, I can lean back and pooch my belly button so it sticks out just a bit, then I move forward and it sucks back in.  DH thinks this is endlessly amusing!

Movement?  Always.  I love how every week I can feel Baby C getting bigger and stronger.  He or she also started getting the hiccups a few weeks ago, and now gets them at least once or twice per day.  (I also always feel them down super low in my pelvis, which further leads me to believe that Baby C is still head down.)  I think the hiccups are completely adorable; DH thinks they are just hilarious!  He loves to feel them and laughs every time.  :-)  Baby C also seems to have chosen the left side of my ute as his/her home base.  His/her favorite position is with his/her butt wedged up against my ribs on the left side, and his/her little (getting bigger...) feet lodged inside my rib cage on the right side.  It doesn't really hurt, but sometimes Baby C's kicks take my breath away -- literally -- when s/he kicks my lungs! 

What I miss?  Sleeping through the night, laying on my back, and being able to lay on the couch with DH (I've been too fat for that for several months now, lol).

What I'm looking forward to:  Meeting Baby C!  I can't believe I will be full term in less than a month.  Insanity!

Milestones:  We finally have the nursery (almost) finished... I'm still waiting on a decal my aunt is making for the toy box, and I need to wash all of our baby clothes and diapers and put them away, but that is about it!

I'm still alive, I promise!

I'm so sorry I've been such a slacker on this blog!  I have just been swamped with work and social engagements these past two weeks.  And when I finally sit down in the evenings, I only have the energy to check Facebook and read a few blog posts before passing out.  I promise I will play catch up with the photos and blog posts soon!  :-)

I hope everyone is having a great week! 

Belly self-portraits

I was having a lazy Saturday today and thought I'd take some belly photos.  I figure now is a pretty good time, since my belly is big enough that its obvious there's a baby in there, but I'm not so huge/swollen/stretchmarked yet that I would feel self-conscious.  ;-)

So, without further ado, here are a few of my favorites!

 

25 weeks

How far along?  25 weeks, 6 days. 

Weight gain/loss:   Up 1.2 pounds from last week; 12.2 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. 

Maternity clothes?  Oh yes.  In fact, some of my smaller maternity shirts are now becoming too short/too tight!

Stretch marks?  So far, still only on the boobs.  *knock on wood*

Sleep?  Still waking up at least once per night most nights.  Also, I've noticed I've started feeling more tired again lately... I was really hoping I could keep some of this energy for awhile longer!

Best moment this week?  Getting to spend most of the day on Wednesday at home with DH and Baby C... and seeing our first gifts purchased off of the baby registry!

Food cravings:  None really.  I am the most boring pregnant lady ever!  lol

Gender:   Team Green!

Belly button in or out?  Still about 2/3 innie, 1/3 flat.

Movement?  Constantly!  And this is hilarious, but Baby C really seems to hate any time I rest anything on my stomach.  Whenever I rest one or both of my arms across my belly, s/he kicks my arm(s) repeatedly until I move them away!  And last night, I was reading a book, with just the bottom of the spine resting on my stomach, and Baby C kicked it several times before I moved it.  Too funny!  It seems we have quite the feisty baby on our hands!  ;-)

What I miss?  Being able to take a full, deep breath.  It is getting more and more difficult to breathe.

What I'm looking forward to:  Working on Baby C's nursery a bit this weekend, and my first baby shower coming up here in a few weeks!

Milestones:  We are officially in the double-digits in counting down the days until Baby C's arrival!  Only 99 days from today is my due date... EEK!!!!  I can't wait to meet him or her!

24 weeks!

Whoo hoo, Baby C is officially viable!  I also think s/he has really moved "up and out" this past week or so.  Sometimes it feels like s/he is right in my lungs!  (I'm sure this will only become more frequent in the weeks to come, haha.)

How far along?  24 weeks, 6 days. 

Weight gain/loss:   Up 2.6 pounds since last week.  Although, I was happy to see this since I had lost weight at my last weigh-in.  Now officially 11.0 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. 

Maternity clothes?  Always.  And pretty much sweat pants and DH's t-shirts any time I'm at home.  (See photo above, lol)  I can barely fit into any of my regular t-shirts anymore!

Stretch marks?  So far, still only on the boobs. 

Sleep?  No real problems sleeping, but I have still been waking up at least once per night every night.  My newest thing are Charlie horses (also known as leg cramps in my calves... DH thinks I made that word up, but that's all I knew to call them growing up!).  I wake up with a Charlie horse every few nights and they are EXCRUCIATING!  Usually they jolt me awake and I just sob until they stop.  :-(  I know I'm getting enough vitamins and drinking enough liquids, so I'm not sure what else I can do to prevent them.  If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them!

Best moment this week?  Baby C kicking DH in the face last night while we were laying on the couch.  Hilarious, and proof that he or she is getting really strong!

Food cravings:  Nothing new really.  I've been feeling a little nauseated again this past week, so I've been back on the fruit and ramean noodles with peas... actually, I'm eating some right now!

Gender:  DH still says girl...  I have no clue.  Hooray Team Green!  ;-)

Belly button in or out?  Still about 2/3 innie, 1/3 flat.

Movement?  Yes, Baby C is moving ALL the time now! I love it!

What I miss?  Nothing really.

What I'm looking forward to:  Hitting some sales tomorrow to look for baby stuff.  I finally feel safe buying lots of baby things, and goodness knows we will be needing them soon!

Milestones:  Baby C is officially viable!

23 weeks

How far along?  23 weeks, 6 days. 

Weight gain/loss:   Down 0.2 pounds from last week.  Not really sure how or why this happened, but I've been trying to make up for it by eating even more ice cream this week.  ;-)  8.4 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  Always.

Stretch marks?  Yup, definitely have some on my boobs.

Sleep?  Sleep is still pretty good, although I have been waking up multiple times per night to use the bathroom, due to having crazy dreams, etc.

Best moment this week?  Seeing Baby C kick from the outside!

Food cravings:  Nothing really.

Gender:  DH still says girl...  I don't know anymore.  lol 

Belly button in or out?  Actually, about 1/3 out now.  The top of my belly button is almost completely flat, while the lower part is still in.

Movement?  Yes, Baby C is moving ALL the time now! I love it!

What I miss?  Nothing really.

What I'm looking forward to:  Hitting the 24-week mark tomorrow... Hooray for viability!

Milestones:  Baby C will be considered viable outside of the womb as of tomorrow.  I'd say that's a pretty great milestone!

22 weeks - vacation bump and 3D baby edition!

 

This week is a super special blog post -- not only do you get to see my baby bump on vacation, but also an unexpected photo of Baby C in 3D!

(Disclaimer, I was too tired/busy/lazy this week to take and edit my own belly pic, so I am recycling one from our vacation.  lol)

Today was my next-scheduled ultrasound to try and get the heart measurements Baby C wouldn't cooperate with last month.  (Holy cow, can't believe it has been an entire month since then!)  The great news is that Baby C looks completely healthy and is doing fantastic!  His/her heart rate was 158 bpm, and s/he is still measuring ahead and in the 62nd percentile.  Other than this obviously wonderful news, the next-best part of our appointment was when the tech asked if she could turn on the 3D.  Apparently, she just loves using the 3D, so we got a ton of unexpected 3D views of our baby!  Here is the best one of Baby C's little face... I may be biased, but I think s/he is quite the little cutie!  ;-)

 

I can't believe we will be meeting Baby C in 17 short weeks (or less!!!!)
And now, the weekly post...

How far along?  22 weeks, 6 days. 

Weight gain/loss:   Up 2.2 pounds since my last post two weeks ago, which puts me at 8.6 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  Of course.

Stretch marks?  Sadly, I think I have found my first ones... on my boobs.

Sleep?  Still feeling pretty good and not too tired.  No real difficulty sleeping yet.

Best moment this week?  Seeing Baby C's little face for the first time today!

Food cravings:  Nothing significant that I can think of this week.

Gender:  DH still says girl, but I might be starting to waver on the "its a boy" thing based on a few quick glimpses I saw on today's ultrasound.  (But we are still Team Green!)

Belly button in or out?  In, but definitely more shallow.

Movement?  All the time.  :-)

What I miss?  Nothing really!

What I'm looking forward to:  Baby C being viable (on the outside) in 8 days.  I will breathe a huge sigh of relief once we pass that milestone!

Milestones:  Seeing Baby C in 3D!

20 weeks!

How far along?  20 weeks, 5 days. 

Weight gain/loss:   Actually down 0.6 pounds from my last post two weeks ago.  However, upon further reflection, I think that week's weight gain (3.2 pounds!) was artificially high, due to DH and I going out with friends for dinner the night before and me eating waaaay too much.  I weighed in a full 1.6 pounds less than that at 19 weeks, and then gained one pound exactly from 19 weeks to 20 weeks.  (Confused by all of the numbers yet?  lol)  Long story short -- I am now up 6.4 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. 

Maternity clothes?  Yes, still. 

Stretch marks?  Not yet.

Sleep?  Finally feeling not so tired.  Thank goodness!

Best moment this week?  Last night, Baby C was going crazy in my ute, so I pushed my fingers into my belly where s/he was kicking... and Baby C kicked my hand!  It was so cool!

Food cravings:  Nothing significant that I can think of this week.

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In, but I think it is starting to get more shallow.  DH was actually the first to notice!

Movement?  I am feeling Baby C every day now (hooray!).  Usually s/he has a really active spell between 7:00-9:00 each morning, occasionally once in the afternoon, and pretty much every night after dinner.  I love it!

What I miss?  Nothing this week.

What I'm looking forward to:  Vacation!  DH and I are leaving tomorrow for 9 days, so I will probably miss next week's post.  Sorry, readers!  ;-)

Milestones:  Being half-baked!

Half-baked (and oops)!

Well as of today, I am officially half-baked!  I can't believe I am halfway through this pregnancy already... what a relief!  Now, if only November could hurry up and get here...

Also, I realized I forgot to do my weekly post this week.  Oops!  DH and I had company and I was busy spending time with them and it completely slipped my mind until today, which was obviously too late.  I will have to do a better job next week!  haha

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend!  Happy 4th of July!  :-)

A/S results

Great news!  The anatomy scan went well and DH and I are finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Everything the tech could see looks great.  Baby C was being pretty stubborn though and moving ALL over the place, so the tech couldn't get all of the heart measurements she needed.  We will be going back in a month to try the heart measurements again, but the tech said from what she saw she does not think there are any problems.  Everything else was measuring normally.  We are SO relieved!

Baby C weighs about 10 ounces, is head down (I told it to stay that way!), and his/her little feet are exactly where I've been feeling all of its little kicks!  It was nice to get validation that I wasn't hallucinating about feeling the movements.  Also, he or she is measuring FIVE days ahead from all of our other scans... so we may have a little porker on our hands!  haha  

Because s/he was moving so much, it was hard for the tech to get good photos.  But here is one of the better ones.  :-) 

 

 Thank you all for the good thoughts today!

18 weeks

How far along?  18 weeks, 5 days. 

Weight gain/loss:   Up 3.2 pounds from last week.  (I would be freaking out about that much in one week, but I know Baby C is still playing catch up from me being so sick.)  That puts me at 5.2 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  Maternity everything... don't see that changing any time soon.  haha

Stretch marks?  Not yet.

Sleep?  Still pretty tired most of the time.

Best moment this week?  Every time I feel Baby C's little kicks and rolls.  :-)

Food cravings:  Still cheese and anything barbeque (not mixed together! haha).  I have had at least 5-6 barbeque sandwiches in the past week or so.  I can't get enough!

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  I feel at least a little flutter every day now.  And at least once every other day, I have been feeling a few definite kicks/pokes all in a row.  I love it!

What I miss?  Beer.  I would love to have just a sip, but I'm way too paranoid!

What I'm looking forward to:  Our anatomy scan tomorrow. 

Milestones:  Not sure I have any "official" milestones this week.  But I'm definitely loving feeling so much movement!  :-)

Anatomy scan tomorrow

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I'm really really praying we get good news tomorrow. I feel like if we can just pass this hurdle, I will feel so much more secure about this pregnancy and might even *gasp* finally feel comfortable starting a registry. Please send good vibes our way for a healthy baby, with all of his/her crucial body parts, tomorrow!

And no, we still aren't finding out the sex. Despite several pretty good bribe offers from friends if we would cave. ;-) Haha!

17 weeks

How far along?  17 weeks, 6 days.  (Whew, barely made it!)

Weight gain/loss:   No change from last week.  I am still 2.0 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  Maternity everything!

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  Still tired all of the time.  But I did sleep 9 hours last night, and it was amazing!

Best moment this week?  Feeling Baby C moving pretty much every day now.  Also, DH feeling him/her moving for the first time today!

Food cravings:  Barbeque sauce.  I have been using it on fries since I couldn't eat meat, but I was able to eat a few shredded barbeque sandwiches this past week.  I also ate a tiny amount of chicken last night and again today at lunch, so I think I might finally be conquering my meat aversion!

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Oh yeah, Baby C is going crazy in there!  Last week I could only feel him/her sporadically, and not every day... usually only if I was laying on my stomach or leaning forward and squishing him/her a bit.  But these past few days I have felt Baby C moving for at least a few minutes every day, even sitting normally or standing.  And then today after work, I was sitting and noticed Baby C going completely bonkers so I put my hand down and swore I could feel him/her moving from the outside.  So I called DH over, and he was able to feel it too!  So cool!

What I miss?  Earlier this week I really, really wanted a Jimmy John's sandwich (my fav has cold-cut deli meat and sprouts, so its definitely a no-go).  But Baby C is totally worth it!  ;-)

What I'm looking forward to:  Our anatomy scan, one week from today!

Milestones:  DH feeling Baby C moving for the first time, and me finally being able to eat chicken again!

16 weeks

How far along?  16 weeks, 5 days.

Weight gain/loss:   Down another 0.4 pounds this week... still not sure where that weight went, as I have been eating pretty normally (except still no beef or chicken).  I am now back at 2.0 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  I finally busted out a maternity shirt this week (actually, the one in the above photo!  haha).  So I am officially in maternity everything, even though some of my looser "regular" shirts are still hanging on.

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  Still exhausted... Where is that second trimester burst of energy I hear so much about?!

Best moment this week?  Feeling Baby C move for the first time!!!!  (More on that below!)

Food cravings:  Still loving all things cheesy.  Still can't eat beef, chicken, or onions.

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  YES!!!!  On Monday, I felt several little jabs, way down low, and in the same place.  It felt just like being gently poked from the inside.  And I felt it again tonight, about an hour ago!  I know I mentioned previously I had felt what might be little flutters, but I wasn't sure at that time if it was the baby... but now I am sure that's what it was.  :-)

What I miss?  Nothing really.  If I had to choose something, I would say having energy and not feeling like a narcoleptic all day long.

What I'm looking forward to:  Being able to feel Baby C more consistently, and for DH to be able to feel him/her moving.  And, of course, I am still looking forward to our upcoming anatomy scan.

Milestones:  Feeling definite movement for the first time!  Also, I think I am starting to develop a linea negra.  I just noticed it today, and it is faint, but definitely there.  I didn't realize the linea negra would be visible so early in pregnancy, but according to Dr. Google, apparently it can appear even as early as the first trimester.  Who knew?

One year ago

One year ago today, DH and I found out we had lost Baby M. It was one of the worst days of my life. I cannot believe it has been been an entire year already. I still remember the feeling of my heart breaking like it was yesterday.

At the same time, DH and I are so blessed to now be expecting Baby C. Today is bittersweet, because while I still grieve over losing Baby M, I know we would not now have Baby C if it weren't for Baby M.

Thank you Baby M for being in our lives, even for a brief moment. You brought us so much excitement and joy. You will always be my first baby. I love you with all of my heart and think about you every day.

I still can't believe you are gone.

15 weeks

How far along?  15 weeks, 4 days.

Weight gain/loss:   Up another 0.4 pounds this week (2.4 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight).

Maternity clothes?  Still just pants, although a few of my smaller "regular" shirts are starting to get a little too short.  Might be time to upgrade soon.

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  Still exhausted and sleeping whenever I can.

Best moment this week?  FINALLY hearing Baby C's heartbeat on the doppler at my appointment today!  Since it has been over 5 weeks since we last saw the heartbeat, it was a huge relief to finally be able to hear it.  :-)

Food cravings:  Still loving all things cheesy.

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Still some potential flutters, but not feeling anything definite yet.

What I miss?  Nothing.  :-)

What I'm looking forward to:  Our anatomy scan on June 24th... although we won't be finding out the sex!  haha

Milestones:  Hearing the heartbeat on the doppler for the first time!

14 weeks

So yeah... I should just give up on trying to post updates over the weekend, because I just keep failing! haha 

How far along?  14 weeks, 5 days.

Weight gain/loss:   Up 3.0 pounds (!) from last week, which puts me at exactly 2.0 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight.  FINALLY making some progress!

Maternity clothes?  Still just pants. 

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  For some reason, I have just been exhausted again lately.  I can barely stay awake.  Also still waking up at least once per night to use the bathroom.

Best moment this week?  I am going to cheat and say "all meal times"... I FINALLY have my appetite back and can eat (almost) anything again without wanting to puke!  I also found out this week that I won't be losing my job (and health insurance!), which is a huge relief!

Food cravings:  Cheese!  Just these past few days, I have eaten cheese fries, macaroni and cheese, cheese taquitos, and toasted (cheese) raviolis.  Still can't eat chicken or beef though.

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  I thought maybe I felt a few flutters this past week, but I'm not sure if it was Baby C or just my dinner rumbling around.  I only really notice it when I am laying down and really paying attention, and only every once in awhile.  I can't wait to start feeling some definite movements though!

What I miss?  Nothing.  :-)

What I'm looking forward to:  My next appointment (June 1st).  I'm hoping we'll finally be able to hear the heartbeat on doppler, and that we can schedule our anatomy scan! 

Milestones:  Being able to eat food again, and actually gaining some weight instead of losing it!

13 weeks

Wow! Here I go seriously slacking again. My nausea and fatigue have been back in big way these past few days, so literally all I've been doing is waking up, going to work, coming home, and falling asleep. I feel so lame, but obviously Baby C needs more energy than I have to give! haha

How far along?  13 weeks, 4 days.

Weight gain/loss:   Down another 0.2 pounds.  Darn you morning (all-day) sickness!

Maternity clothes?  Still just pants. 

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  I've been getting tons lately.  Still waking up at least once in the middle of the night though.  And these past few nights, I haven't even needed to use the restroom... I just wake up for no reason. 

Best moment this week?  Wearing the above-pictured shirt to work, and NOT worrying about hiding my bump.  :-)

Food cravings:  I've been feeling pretty sick again these past few days, so more Ramen, peas, and fruit.  The only other things I have really wanted to eat are greasy/cheesy things.  I've eaten fried cheese curds (found in the grocery store freezer, YUM!) for dinner the past few nights, because I just couldn't stomach anything else.

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Still too early.  Although I'm REALLY hoping I will start feeling some flutters soon! 

What I miss?  Nothing.  :-)

What I'm looking forward to:  Feeling movement (I know it may still be a few more weeks), and hearing Baby C's heartbeat on the doppler at my next appointment.

Milestones:  Nothing new that I can think of this week... I still can't believe I'm in my second trimester!

12 weeks!

Wow, I am such a slacker!  I really meant to get this post up over the weekend, but we were super busy.  I was also feeling amazing puke-wise (finally!) and didn't want to waste it, so we did a lot of running around this weekend.  Which was great for me, but not so great for the blog!

And now, for your viewing pleasure... a bare belly shot!  I just decided it might be neat to have one from the end of my first, second, and third trimesters so I can see how much I've grown.

How far along?  12 weeks, 3 days.

Weight gain/loss:   According to my home scale, up 0.4 pounds from last week, which puts me at 0.8 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight.  However, according to my doctor's office scale yesterday, I have lost another entire pound!  (I'm sure this will change now that my appetite is finally coming back.)

Maternity clothes?  Still just pants. 

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  I've actually woken up 1-2 times per night this entire past week to pee.  It is kind of annoying, because each time I get up I am wide awake for at least an hour afterward!  Thankfully, I am also feeling less fatigued now, so this hasn't affected me too much.  And I suppose it is also good practice for down the road.  ;-)

Best moment this week?  Announcing this pregnancy to the rest of our friends, family, and the world!  It was so fun and exciting to see everyone's reactions.

Food cravings:  Ramen noodles and peas... sometimes mixed together, sometimes separately (but eaten in the same sitting).  Also, I have developed a major aversion to the texture of chicken.  Even now that I am no longer nauseous, trying to chew it makes me gag.

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Still way too early.

What I miss?  Nothing at all this week!

What I'm looking forward to:  Not having to try and hide my growing belly anymore.   I also look forward to the day when I actually start to look pregnant instead of just bloated and fat.  haha

Milestones:  Reaching the end of the first trimester!

Hilarious video

I was randomly looking at stuff on the internet, one thing led to another (you know how that goes!), and I landed on this video rant about baby names. HILARIOUS! I encourage you all to check it out. ;-)

11 weeks

Well, I totally jinxed myself last week by saying that I was feeling pretty good.  Because this week, the "morning" (a.k.a. "all day") sickness came back with a vengeance.  After six weeks of fighting back nausea, I vomited for the first time yesterday.  And at work, no less!  Good job, Baby C. ;-)  After several more puke sessions last night, I am feeling a tiny bit better today...  Still feeling nauseated, but so far, no barfing yet today.  Wahoo!

(Sorry for the blurry off-center photo... I was just trying to snap one quickly before I started feeling sick again!)

How far along?  11 weeks, 0 days.

Weight gain/loss:   Down another 1.2 pounds this week, which puts me 1.2 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  Still just pants. 

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  I've been getting a ton of it these past few days... sleeping is the only time I don't feel like puking my brains out!

Best moment this week?  Knowing that exactly one week from today, I will officially be in my second trimester!!!!

Food cravings:  Pineapple, pickles, and ice cream... NOT all at the same time!

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Way too early.

What I miss?  How good I felt last weekend.  (Of course, I am secretly happy for the reminder that Baby C is still growing!)

What I'm looking forward to:  Officially going public with our pregnancy news next week!

Milestones:  Puking for the first time this pregnancy, and getting the green light to stop taking my progesterone suppositories!

10 weeks

Today was my first real OB appointment (yay!) and my last RE appointment (*tear*).  Baby C is still measuring exactly on target and has a heart rate of 170 beats per minute.  Hooray! 

And now, an "outside" photo.  I think my bloat might finally be receding a bit... Not that you can tell from this photo.  haha  I'm also starting to feel pretty good the majority of the time.  I still get tired by the end of the day, but my nausea and food aversions are definitely going away.  :-)

How far along?  10 weeks, 2 days.

Weight gain/loss:   Down another 0.4 pounds from last week, which puts me exactly back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  Just pants. 

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  I've been having lots of dreams lately, and have been waking up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep... but I'm not sure that's pregnancy-related.

Best moment this week?  Seeing Baby C again... I can't believe how much he or she has grown!  We could see him/her moving all around, and could even make out his/her little profile!  So cute!  We won't be seeing Baby C again until the anatomy scan at 18-20 weeks.  (I don't know what I'll do without ultrasounds for the next 8-10 weeks!  haha)

Food cravings:  Anything greasy, fatty, and cheesy... I think Baby C might be overcompensating for the past few weeks when I barely ate anything!

Gender:  I still say boy.  DH still thinks girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Way too early.

What I miss?  This week?  Honestly, nothing!

What I'm looking forward to:  The end of my first trimester, and telling everyone else our news!

Milestones:  Graduating from my RE's office to the OB, graduating from the dildocam to the external ultrasound transducer (YAY!), and finally being able to eat food again (DOUBLE YAY!).

Conflicted

(NOTE:  I apologize in advance for this long and rambling post!)

These past few weeks, I have been really, really conflicted about going back to work after Baby C arrives.

Ever since DH and I started talking about having kids, I've thought about how wonderful it would be to be able to stay home with them, at least while they are young.  Now that we have been through so much, and waited so long, to finally have a baby, I seriously cannot imagine how I will be able to leave him or her and go back to work.  Especially to a job that I don't love.  I already fight back tears just thinking about it, and I'm only 9 weeks pregnant!  I cannot imagine how much more strongly I will feel about it 30ish weeks from now.

The problem with this scenario is, DH and I aren't sure how we could afford for me to stay home.  DH is in medical school, and while he receives loan money each semester, its not enough to pay all of our bills.  I am the only one bringing in any real income, but it is still barely enough for us to scrape by.  Also, my current (government) job is grant-funded, our state is cutting the budget, and jobs, like crazy... and I haven't yet heard whether my grant will be renewed for the next year.  So, I may be unemployed and four months pregnant come June.  Obviously not ideal.

Before Baby C came along, I had been looking for another job, but there are just zero employment opportunities for attorneys in our area right now.  On a whim, I did apply for a different job a few weeks ago, not expecting to actually hear anything.  I got a call on Wednesday and had an interview on Friday.  My thoughts on how the interview went aside, this whole experience has really thrown me into a mid-pregnancy life crisis.  I'm not sure I want this new job.  I'm not sure I want to leave my current job that I feel mediocre towards, but where I love the people I work with and where my boss is super awesome and understanding, where I can pretty much come and go as I please, and where I would be eligible for FMLA come November... for a new job that pays barely more than I make now, in a different city that would involve a longer commute every day, where I probably wouldn't have the same flexibility, and where they would not be required to give me one second off when I have Baby C.  I also feel ethically weird about accepting a new job now, knowing I will need time off to have a baby six months after I start.

That, and I'm pretty sure I don't want any job, other than just being "Mommy".

Of course, none of this may even become an issue.  They probably won't even offer me this job.  Maybe my grant won't get renewed.  But then I have no idea what we will do.  I'm toying with the idea of going back to school.  I could do an online degree program through the university in our city, which would make me eligible for financial aid and would put my law school loans back into deferment, which would be a huge relief financially.  With a few minor adjustments to our lifestyle, we could most likely swing me not working if I was "back in school".  This would probably be the only way we could afford for me to stay home... I just don't know. 

I just don't want to be depressed and miserable over whichever option I choose. 

9 weeks

I seriously cannot believe I am writing this post right now.  HOW did I make it 9 WEEKS already?!  It blows my mind.

I'm still having a ton of food aversions and feeling pretty nauseous most of the time.  I was feeling better yesterday, then me and DH went out for a big lunch with some family who came to town.  I seriously think I ate more at that lunch yesterday than I ate this entire past week combined!  Then I felt like I was going to vomit for the rest of the day.  (It was totally worth it though!  haha)

Also... I can't believe how big my belly is getting already!  I know it is still 99% bloat at this point, but this also boggles my mind.  I'm wondering how much of it will go away when I quit my progesterone supplements in the next week or two.

 

How far along?  9 weeks, 1 day.

Weight gain/loss:   Down 0.4 pounds from last week, even after the large amount of food I ate yesterday.  (No doubt because I still can't stand the thought of food most days.)  Up 0.4 pounds total from my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  All maternity pants now, thanks to my new purchase the other day!  Also, my belly is now big enough that I can wear my demi-panel Gap jeans (pictured above).  I LOVE them! 

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  Still no trouble sleeping.  I am slightly less fatigued than before, but it comes and goes.

Best moment this week?  Seeing Baby C again at our 8 week u/s, and knowing he or she is still doing super awesome. 

Food cravings:  None really this week.  I've been too repulsed by the thought of food to actually crave any!

Gender:  DH and I are still divided -- Me saying boy, him saying girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Way too early.

What I miss?  Enjoying eating food and not dreading meals.

What I'm looking forward to:  The end of my first trimester!

Milestones:  Buying pants that were long enough(!), being able to wear my other maternity jeans, and telling my boss I was pregnant.  What can I say, it was a big week.  ;-)

Pants party!

I know, I know, so much about pants lately! But I am so excited I just had to share... I BOUGHT A PAIR OF PANTS!!! AND THEY ARE LONG ENOUGH! Hooray!

At the suggestion of another Bumpie (and after an "I'm so frustrated I'm going to cry" post on PgAL), I went back to Motherhood Maternity to look for their "long" dress pants. They had one pair in the store, in my size, in long. And, despite being labeled as a 34 inch inseam, they FIT!!! I seriously still can't believe it, but I am so relieved! With my next paycheck I plan to buy some more. haha I'm so excited!

So, if any of you readers out there find yourself too tall for maternity pants, try the longs at Motherhood Maternity! And they also have "petites" for all you shorties, *cough* Christina *cough* ;-)

WHOO HOO!!!!

Told my boss and pants rant

I told my boss yesterday. She was so happy for me and DH that she started crying! She said she has been praying for us for months, and was really hoping to hear good news soon since I'd had so many doctor's appointments lately. So I am super glad I told her. I can't wait to get a little farther along and tell everyone else! :-)

And now, my rant. I officially have one pair of work pants that fit my ever-expanding bloat-bump. Unfortunately, I also wear a 36-37 inch inseam, and not one maternity clothing manufacturer makes pants that are long enough to fit me. I went to every store that sells maternity clothing this afternoon and completely struck out. I am apparently too tall to have the luxury of wearing pants while pregnant. :-( So frustrating! If anyone has any suggestions, I am ALL ears.

8 week ultrasound and appt

Look how big Baby C is!  Measuring exactly on target and now with a heart rate of 180.  The ultrasound tech kept commenting on how "great" and "wonderful" everything looks, which is so nice to hear.  And look, Baby C was looking right at us, and even waving at us the whole time!  (Ok, ok, I know his/her limbs are kind of stuck like that right now... but I prefer to think he or she is waving!  lol)

So now all I have left is my last RE appointment on the 25th (so sad), and then I will start seeing my old OB regularly.  I actually had my OB intake appointment with the nurse this afternoon right before my ultrasound appointment.  It went better than my last one (mentioned here), but was still annoying.  The nurse taking my medical history didn't even know what a chemical pregnancy was, so I had to explain it to her and then tell her over and over how many losses/pregnancies I've had.  I can't tell you how fun THAT was.  (At least she was nice and not a raging you-know-what like my last intake nurse.) Then I had to go for blood work.  More fun!

So that was pretty much it today.  My next two appointments will be the afternoon of the 25th.  DH and I decided that its probably time I should tell my boss, since things seem to be going well and I will need to continue missing work for doctor's appointments.  She also already knows most of our loss history, so news of my pregnancy will not be shocking to her.   She actually had a full-term stillbirth herself years ago, so she completely empathizes with me and has been awesomely understanding through this whole process.  I am sure she will be thrilled for us, so I'm not too nervous to tell her.  I think I'm going to do it tomorrow.

Eek!  This is really finally starting to feel real!

8 weeks

I apologize for the lack of blog posts lately, but staring at computer screens still makes me want to puke.  (This makes my days at work SUPER DUPER fun!)  Hopefully I will be back in blogger-mode soon!

How far along?  8 weeks, 1 day.

Weight gain/loss:   Up 0.8 pounds total from my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  Still just maternity jeans... but I'm starting to look for some new maternity work pants.  Mine no longer fit comfortably, even with the rubberband-through-the-button hole maneuver.

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  I am finally starting to feel less exhausted all the time.  It's awesome.

Best moment this week?  Officially being more pregnant than ever before -- I passed that milestone on Monday (7 weeks, 2 days).  What a relief.

Food cravings:  This week, it was corn dogs, baked beans, cheese fries, and sloppy joes.  I succeeded at getting all of them, except for the cheese fries.  haha

Gender:  I had a dream last night that I gave birth to our baby, and it was a boy.  Chinese gender chart also says we're having a boy.  I, of course, still think its a boy.  But DH is still thinking girl! 

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Way too early.

What I miss?  Not feeling self-conscious in every article of clothing I put on.

What I'm looking forward to:  Our 8 week appointment tomorrow!  Hoping to see Baby C moving around, and to get another photo.  :-)

Milestones:  Being more pregnant than ever.  There were days (weeks, even) where I wondered if I would ever get to be as pregnant as I am now.  It is such a surreal feeling.  I still can't believe I've made it 8 weeks!

7 weeks

Staring at a computer screen is now one of my triggers for nausea, so this will be quick.  I'm also not sure how frequently I will be posting until I feel better, but I will at least try to keep up with these weekly posts!

How far along?  7 weeks, 1 day.

Weight gain/loss:   No change from last week.  Still bloated (obviously!).

Maternity clothes?  Just maternity jeans so far.

Stretch marks?  None.

Sleep?  I wish I could sleep all day.

Best moment this week?  Seeing Baby C's heartbeat!!!  I have never been so relieved in my life.  It was amazing.

Food cravings:  My only real craving this week was a BK Whopper.  It was seriously the only thing I thought I could eat on Friday morning.  So I did.  haha (But I had to pick out the onions... more on that in a minute!)

Gender:  I still think it is a boy, but DH says girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Way too early.

What I miss?  Having energy to do anything other than lay on the couch.

What I'm looking forward to:  The end of the first trimester so we can feel safer telling the rest of our friends and family about Baby C.

Milestones:  I had my first real food aversion this week... raw onions.  I ate some in a salad one day and seriously wanted to vomit the entire rest of the day due to the horrible taste they left in my mouth.  I haven't been able to eat them since, and even the smell of them makes my stomach turn!

Heartbeat!!!

We had our first ultrasound this morning (if you hadn't noticed from the photo... lol).  Everything is looking perfect!  Baby C is measuring 6w 1d with a strong little heartbeat of 130 bpm!  Praise Jesus!  DH and I are SO excited and SO relieved!

After the ultrasound, DH and I had to wait around for a few minutes to meet with the nurse and schedule our 8 week scan.  During that time, several of the other nurses came and congratulated us.  It was so cute!  They were so sweet, and seemed genuinely happy for us.  I absolutely love the nurses at my RE's office, and I'm going to miss them (and how nice they are) when I transfer back to my regular OB.

Speaking of my regular OB... I also scheduled my first appointment with him today, per my RE's suggestion.  I have to go for my "intake appointment" (a.k.a. bloodwork and getting talked down to by a nurse who thinks she knows more than you about everything) on April 11th.  I tried to get out of this appointment because it was a seriously horrible experience the last time, but they told me it is required and that they won't let me see my doctor until I go through the intake.  This did not make me happy, but as I told DH some battles just aren't worth fighting.  The receptionist at least scheduled me to meet with a different nurse than the bitch nurse I had with Baby M, so I'm hoping it goes more smoothly this time around.

So I will have my OB intake appointment on April 11th, then my next RE appointment later that same day.  Then, my first real appointment with my OB will be April 25th, which will probably also be the same day as my last RE appointment.  So many appointments!  But of course I don't mind.  :-) 

HOORAY FOR HEARTBEATS!!!!

6 weeks

Sorry for the lack of posting, this past week was seriously insane.  I worked 40 hours in 3.5 days so that I could have a long weekend for a friend's out-of-town wedding.  Then, after the wedding, DH and I went to visit my family to tell them our news!  We decided to go ahead and tell them now, since (heaven-forbid) if the worst were to happen again, we would definitely want to have their support.  We didn't tell them about Baby M until after we had already lost him/her, so we thought we would share the good news this time while we could.  And I am SO glad that we did.  They are all so ecstatic for us, and they had the best reactions!  One of my little sisters jumped and screamed, and the other told me she had to hold back her excitement because otherwise she would have peed her pants.  Haha!  I love them.  :-)

And now... my weekly post!

How far along?  6 weeks, 1 day.

Weight gain/loss:  Up 0.2 pounds from last week, but still down 0.2 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.  And still super bloated!

Maternity clothes?  Yup, maternity jeans.  And I wear my elastic-waist (but surprisingly, not maternity) work pants every chance I get!  I haven't caved and bought bigger work pants yet; I've just been doing the rubber band-through-the-buttonhole trick to give myself a bit more room.

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  As much as I can get.

Best moment this week?  Me and DH telling my family we were pregnant again.  Their reactions were priceless!

Food cravings:  Everything, as long as I'm not feeling nauseated.

Gender:  I still think it is a boy, but DH says girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Way too early.

What I miss?  Caffeine... and not being exhausted ALL of the time.  (Again, of course I don't really mind.  haha)

What I'm looking forward to:  Our ultrasound tomorrow... feeling kind of nervous but mostly excited.

Milestones:  I now feel nauseated on and off all day, every day.  I take this as a good sign. :-)  Also, we have now told all of our parents about Baby C!

5 weeks

Whoo hoo, I'm still pregnant!  I am still feeling pretty good, but am starting to have some other symptoms.  I am still exhausted most of the time, and have noticed I go from zero to STARVING in about 2.5 seconds.  And of course I still have the crazy bloating.  I also started experiencing my first bouts of nausea these past few days... thankfully, no vomiting yet.  ;-)

Hooray for symptoms!  I am so happy to have them, and to know that Baby C is still growing!

How far along?  5 weeks, 0 days.

Weight gain/loss:  Down 0.4 pounds (not like you tell with all of the bloating!).

Maternity clothes?  I definitely busted out my half-elastic-waistband maternity jeans this week.  None of my regular pants will even button.

Stretch marks?  Nope.

Sleep?  Yes, please!

Best moment this week?  Honestly, starting to get a little bit of morning sickness.  It is reassuring to know that things are progressing normally.

Food cravings:  When I'm starving, anything!

Gender:  I still think it is a boy, but DH says girl.

Belly button in or out?  In.

Movement?  Still way too early.

What I miss?  Wearing whatever clothes I want without worrying whether people can see my bloat-bump.  (But really, I don't miss it at all.  I'm thrilled to have that problem!)

What I'm looking forward to:  Our ultrasound on the 28th!

Milestones:  Making it to 5 weeks, wahoooo!!!!

So far, so good...

I just wanted to update from my cramping post the other day.  I still have some minor cramping several times per day, but overall the cramps seem to be letting up.  They are at least not as intense as they were the other day when I posted.  And I haven't had any spotting, praise Jesus!

So, so far, it seems Baby C is doing just fine.  *knock on wood*  Thanks again for the reassurance you ladies gave me the other day.  I'm trying really hard to be confident that this is normal, and to not freak out at every little twinge I feel!

Cramping

I have been having some cramping (but no spotting) this afternoon and evening.  While I know this can be completely normal and ok in early pregnancy, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit freaked out (given my history).  I have spent a lot of time Googling and was also reassured by the ladies on PgAL that cramping is completely normal and nothing to worry about.  But I'm still nervous.  I would feel much better if it would just stop already!

I'm really, really hoping this is just Baby C digging in for the long haul.

P.S. Thank you all for the kind words on my last few posts!  I am so touched that you all are so excited for me and DH!  :-)

Holy bloat!

So, you remember that 4 week belly picture I posted, oh, two days ago?

Well, this is what I look like today...

Holy freaking bloat, Batman!  And that is not even me pushing it out, that's just what it looks like all the time!  (It is nearly impossible to suck it in and keep it in.)  I already can only barely button my work pants, and definitely had them unbuttoned by the end of the day today!

Not that I am complaining AT ALL!  I love every second of it.  I'm just afraid I won't be able to hide this pregnancy much longer at the rate we are going.  lol