It's official, everyone knows now!

Ok, so yesterday I told sorors at the chapter bbq about the good news and today we told everyone at church. So, I decided to go ahead and post on facebook so that everyone knows. I'm so glad I don't have to hide it anymore and people can know that I'm not just getting fatter. Some of my clothes no longer fit and maternity clothes are the most comfortable right now even though I don't have much. Yesterday I wore a maternity dress I got from Target and today I wore a regular dress I got from there. I think dresses are going to be the way to go this summer for me. They're comfortable and flowy and breathable.

We took a trip to Rochester, VT a couple of weeks ago and boy was it a nice trip. We started off bumpy (literally) when we took the wrong road up the mountain at 9pm with the high beams on. There were rocks and tree limbs and ditches abound and I had no idea if my car was going to make it. We did finally get to the house, which sits up the mountain but I didn't sleep well through the night wondering how I was going to make it back down the mountain in to town for groceries. Well the owner of the house we stayed in had a good laugh with us when she told us that road has been closed down for decades and was an old farm road. Boy were we scared, so much so that when I looked over at Kim, she was taking a big gulp of water and turned on the a/c. We started singing, "We've come this far by faith" until we got to the house.

Otherwise, it was a lovely trip. We were able to really spend time together, relax, look at the beautiful scenery out the back door of the green mountains and just enjoy God's beauty. We went up on Wednesday and were supposed to leave Sunday but Friday night I had a breakdown of how dark it is at night and how quiet it is. I'm not used to being in that type of environment and my mind kept thinking that someone was going to come up there and do something violent to us and no one would ever hear. So, we decided to pack up and leave the next day which really worked out because Kim had homework to do anyway and needed all day Sunday to do it.

We ate at Liberty Hill Farm down the (correct) road and enjoyed our time with Beth & Bob (the owners). It's a dairy farm and the milk from their cows goes to Cabot to make cheese. We milked a cow, fed a calf, talked to the goats and met new people. On our final day, we went to Waterbury where we visited Ben & Jerrys and did a tour. We also went to the Cabot Cheese Annex where we tasted and bought cheese. Lastly we went to Cold Hollow Cider Mill. The kitchen in the home we stayed in was georgeous and I just loved cooking in it and on the viking range/oven. WOW. I need one of those!

We will definitely return there. That time was a milestone of sorts because it happened just when we entered our second trimester.

Our view from the back porch

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Jillian Michaels

So, I'm sitting her watching Jillian Michaels on "Losing It" and wow is she tough on the first day. A lot of folks really need that boot camp experience to get themselves together. I like her a lot.

So, I'm 12 weeks tomorrow and excited to get closer to that second trimester so I can wear some of my maternity clothes and let other people know what's going on. I'm definitely showing but I'm hiding it right now as much as I can.

Sunday, I was the beautiful wedding of my bestie Monique. She looked so georgeous and we had a ball at the reception. I am so very happy for her and her husband. They're leaving for Jamaica tonight and I'm sure they'll have a relaxing time. I'm a little concerned about the current druglord violence but because she's on a resort I'm sure they'll be fine.

At the wedding, I ate chilean sea bass stuffed with crab. It was good but I regret eating it now. There are so many conflicting accounts about sea bass. I see my Dr on Thursday and am really looking forward to having a conversation about that food choice. I'm feeling like I don't want to eat fish for at least another 2 weeks to counteract the possible effect of what I ate. I stressed so much about it on Monday that I made myself sick.

On a brighter note, I was able to have pancakes from Cracker Barrel yesterday and they were oh so good! I also got to get a couple of outfits from Target to hold me over until I can do a bigger shop later this month.

I almost forgot, I found out a very good friend is 16 wks pregnant right now. I am so excited for her and it made me get excited again. Not as exciting but Celine Dion is pregnant with twins and due around the same time.

Anywho, let me get back to this show. I'll try to check back in after the appointment later this week.

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Feeling Good Today!

So, yesterday was a crappy day in terms of how I felt. I woke up with a headache. I think it was from the way I wrapped my hair the night before. I was also quite nauseous even though I couldn't wait to wake up and have some Cinnamon Toast Crunch. So, I got up, got dressed took my pre-natals, did my daily injection and went downstairs to eat come cereal. I could only eat about 3 spoonfuls before the nausea came with a vengeance. So, Kim finished my bowl and we headed to the doctor's office with a trash bag in case I couldn't make it out the window during the 5 minute drive.

Once we got to Dr. Bailey's office I started to feel a bit better. We saw the baby on the sonogram and heard the heartbeat which was wonderful! Every time I see the baby it makes me feel reassured that he/she is going to be just fine. Thank God for my faith too.

Other things I found out at the Dr is that I've lost weight, about 6lbs since I was weighed at the hematologist's office last month. I can have some caffeine and splenda is ok, though I'll probably still stay away from both. Maybe an occasional tea, I'm not into coffee anyway. Shellfish is cool (I knew that) and I can have a turkey hoagie!!!! I've really been wanting one too. Kim told the Dr that I've been moody and he told her he already had to deal w/that at home so she needed to figure it out. LOL.

I also made sure I was cool to take the 8hr car ride to Vermont in a couple of weeks and he said it was indeed okay. He also recommended a great route so we are looking forward to going.

Two things Dr. Bailey did that I was really impressed about. When we were first taken to the exam room, he peeked in and said hello and said he was glad to see us back. The other thing was that he asked how often we wanted to come in because he understood that we may want to see him more often after the 2nd trimester loss last year. So, we're going back next week and the week after for a scan and then will go to every two weeks. I also talked to him about getting a dopplar and he recommended waiting until 14 wks to do so but understood. He also recommended I get a blood pressure cuff because my blood pressure was a bit high. He said I need to keep the bottom number under 90.

So, I'm watching my salt intake (as I have been anyway) and I have to make time to walk around the neighborhood for some exercise.

This weekend, I'm going to a bachelorette party and I'm looking forward to having a great time!

Tootles!

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Graduation Day!

Well, today I graduated from my fertility doc! I thought I would be there another 1 - 2 weeks but he said everything was looking good and I needed to see my ob within 2 weeks. My progesterone level is at 14.5, so I'm still concerned about that but I'm also still taking 200mg of Prometrium twice a day to make sure it stays elevated enough to hold the baby. In another 3 weeks, I'll be off of it and the placenta will take over.

So we saw the baby this morning, wiggling a little bit as the nurse tried to get the heart rate. 154 bpm. Nice. We are so amazed how this one is growing from week to week. Today he is 22 mm in size, 9 over the last time last week this time. Kim is thinking that it's a boy this time around. I'm not sure what it is but I'm getting more anxious to actually find out. We talked about whether or not we're going to find out or not and we're not sure. I'm leaning more towards yes right now though. Maybe we'll find out and not tell anyone. I don't know, we'll see.

This morning when I put my pants on, they were a bit snug. Yesterday, my MIL said I was carrying high. I was like, I'm not showing yet that's from dinner. But this morning I did look like I could be, but maybe that's just pregnancy bloat. They say you show sooner if you were pregnant before. I'm not sure I was pregnant long enough last time for that to happen or not but the maternity pants are much more comfortable than the others I have in my closet and I've started to wear them.

So, I'm at the office. We need to get some more sales to do some repair work to the house and save for the baby. I have to make 12 calls today to get at least one appointment. Right now, I'm tired and putting off work for a bit. It's also cold.

Okay, I need to start to get in the work mindset so ta ta for now.

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It's time to say it

Sooooooo, I'm pregnant!!!!!

Since hardly anyone I know reads this and those who I knew that did haven't in eeons, I'm thinking I'm safe to say it. As you can see from my ticker below, I'm newly pregnant. Today we went to the doc and saw the baby's heart beating at 130bpm. I'm going through a range of emotions including happiness, fear, excitement, worry, etc. I also have some heartburn and am very tired. I don't feel like doing anything on most days and I'm pushing past that right now. We aren't letting the floodgates open to people until we're at least 13 weeks. I originally thought I'd wait until about 20 weeks after the scan, but I don't think I can hold it that long and will likely be showing by then. June 9th, we'll be 13 weeks but we'll also be in Vermont so maybe when we come back we'll spill the beans.

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Been Such a Long Time...

Well, the last time I posted to this blog, I was really excited about my pregnancy. I haven't posted here in a while because things went downhill since the last post.

On November 18th I saw my doctor and we heard and saw the heartbeat. The baby didn't move much but the Dr said he/she may have been sleep. That night, I got sick. I woke up out of my sleep choking and trying to catch my breath. I calmed down and eventuall went back to sleep.

On November 20th, I went for my 20 wk scan. We were so excited and the nurse came and started to take a look and there was silence. She kept looking and then said the worst words possible, "I don't see a heartbeat". I immediately started to cry, loudly and hard. I couldn't believe it. We just saw the heartbeat two days ago. The nurse called a Dr in who confirmed it. She said the baby was measuring small so it may have just stopped growing.

On November 25th, I had a D & E while unconscious. I was in pain that night and the next day, which happened to be Thanksgiving. The range of emotions I felt were vast. The support I received from family and friends felt monumental. The stories that women shared about their experiences with 2nd & 3rd trimester miscarriages soothed me some.

Well, I trusted in God and new that He is ALWAYS in control and we got through it. When I went for my follow-up I learned that we had a baby girl. I also learned that there were no chromosomal issues as my doctor thought. This left me feeling a bit empty not knowing exactly what happened. So, my doctor ordered blood tests on me to see if there was anything else that could be found.

Last Thursday, I found out that I have Prothrombin Factor 2 and I may have APS. This would explain it! This condition makes me more apt to clot. The doctor said it is likely that there were clots in my placenta that cut off nutrition to the baby causing it to stop growing. It may be odd to think this but Ifelt SOOOOOOOOO relieved. Now, I can pinpoint the problem instead of wondering what it could be. I have to see a hematologist to confirm bu my doctor said the next time I'm pregnant I will have to inject Lovenox daily to prevent any clotting. I've also read that I will likely take baby aspirin daily.

I'm in a really good place now and looking forward to seeing the hematologist and starting my way to my next pregnancy.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support through this difficult time!

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Labor & Delivery Tour

So yesterday we went on the Labor & Delivery Tour at Lankenau Hospital and I was somewhat impressed. The unit is new and all the rooms are private. I don't particularly like the fact that after birthing I will have to move to another room (at Paoli you could stay in the same room). They have two birthing suites that have jacuzzi's which of course are on a first come first served basis. You can order your food from a big variety and I've heard that it's good.

I don't like that the baby has to go to the nursery after an hour but I understand why. While they are transferring you to the new room and getting you cleaned up, the baby goes there to make it easier. I'm just going to make sure Kim is with the baby the whole time.

The one thing I didn't like was about the tour, not the hospital. Clearly, the tour guide saw that we were a couple and yet she kept using the word husband and Dad. I even asked a question using the word partner and she continued with husband and Dad. I should've said something to her afterwards to ask her to use friendlier non-biased language but I didn't. I'm hoping it won't be a problem when we get there. The other hospitals we toured used neutral language.

Anyway, I'm doing well. I've started to feel the baby kick more and we get an ultrasound next week. I still don't want to know the sex but Kim does so we'll see what happens because we're at the point where we could find out.

Oooohhh, the heartburn is back. Let me go and take some TUMS and call it a night.

Toodles!

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