All is well and it's a....

SURPRISE!

First, we had our level 2 ultrasound yesterday, and as I suspected, baby #2 is looking normal so our risks of downs syndrome have gone back down to that which is normal for someone my age. The doctor went on to say that the ultra sound, like ours with Kaua, was "boring" meaning all looked normal, which is what we love to hear.

Second, the exciting news about this ultrasound is that we stuck by our decision to keep the gender of the baby a surprise for birth. I'm uber proud of myself and my resolve to keep the gender a surprise because I sooooo want to find out now and it would make naming the baby so much easier. And my DH wanted to find out the gender but was willing to defer to my choice to keep the gender a surprise. Because this may be our last child (I'm really thinking two children will be enough for us, b/c they are a handful and they are expensive!!) so I want to experience the excitement and surprise of finding out a baby's gender at birth.

During the ultrasound we told the technician that we wanted to keep the gender a surprise for birth, so she had us look away when she viewed "the goods." But she did confirm that the gender was readily apparent to her. In my head, I've construed that to mean that the baby is a boy, but my husband pointed out that it could just mean that she's experienced in these matters and can easily tell at this point (19 weeks 3 days) the difference between a girl and a boy on ultrasound. Of course, I'm hoping that DH is correct, because I am sooooo hoping for a girl.

But of course, any gender will be a blessing as long as the child is healthy. Which based upon the ultra sound is looking to be the case.

The other interesting piece of news that we learned from this ultra sound is that i have an anterior placenta. I asked about this because I haven't really been feeling the baby consistently like I did with Kaua at this point in the pregnancy. The technician confirmed that I indeed had anterior placenta which explains why the baby's movements haven't been as pronounced. I have only just very recently felt the baby and been sure that it was the baby.

So now that we've passed another hurdle of angst, the next dilemma - naming the baby and deciding where to give birth- here without the guarantee of receiving an epidural, or in the city (which will include with it tremendous expense and inconvenience, but will mean receiving an epidural for sure).

Thank you God for the great news!

Mother's Day approaches

I'm so excited, my first legitimate mother's day! I feel as if I'll be celebrating a rite of passage of sorts, on this day. And I believe it too....being a mom is hard work (especially since kaua has a really bad cold and we've been having 7 nights of coughing and sleeplessness!)

Last year for mother's day, I was in early pregnancy with Kaua (9 weeks) and we were in the midst of our east coast trip. So while it was awesome to celebrate mother's day last year with a baby in my belly, this year I get to celebrate mother's day with my son in my arms! It's amazing to think back on my journey towards this point. While short lived in the scheme of things, 6months of heartbreak, it seemed so long. And at the time, I had no idea if I would ever get to celebrate mother's day as a mom. When I read the stories of other bloggers out there who are also getting to celebrate mothers day for the first time either with a new baby in their belly or a new baby in their arms after their own personal struggle to get to where they are now, I feel a sense of awe, wonder, accomplishment and greatfulness. It's such an awesome thing to be a mom; to be a little beings entire world; the total reason for their happiness. The bond between mom and kid is so strong. Next to being a wife, it is the best feeling in the world. I know DH also feels similarly as a father, so when you combine those feelings of motherhood and fatherhood in a loving marriage....the love is boundless. God surely knew what he was doing when he created a family. =)

Too bad DH has to work on mother's day. =( But good news is, my family and I have fun plans to go to the beach. We'll have a BBQ or picnic and the kids can play on the grass or in the sand at the beach. My mom, her BF, my Dad, my grandparents my brother's 3 kids, Kaua and I will all be there. I'm looking forward to it. I just hope the weather cooperates.

What are your mother's day plans?

37 weeks

37 weeks today! Here's the belly photo.



I'm still 40.25".

I had my first weekly PNA this past week, and I saw Nurse Wonderful. She's still wonderful. =) But I lost 2 lbs since my prior appt and she was a little concerned. She said I've only gained 9lbs since 27 weeks. I think overall my weight gain is still good - 29lbs and my belly measurements are still right on track. But she said now is the time I should be gaining some weight b/c baby needs all the fat he can get. I chalk up the weight loss to the work hours I've been putting in. I've been working like crazy and therefore have not had time to blog or catch up on blogs at all. On top of that, I've been dealing with our house being in escrow (yay!) and of course, having a baby! Whew! But I'm handling it all in stride, and I'm doing ok. I've been trying to make sure I eat three square meals each day, and now I'm trying to make sure I have a snack in between each meal. That should do it. Who knows though, I may just be one of those people that gain all their weight in the beginning of the pregnancy.

I asked her to see if she could estimate how big the baby was at that appointment and she said he's about 6lbs. She said if I go all the way to 40 weeks, she'd guess he'd be born at 7.5 to 8 lbs. Sounds good to me! =) I'm soooo ready for him to come now, but I think he'll probably wait till it gets closer to the DD. He's still head down and will likely stay that way for birth. Good boy!

I've got one more baby shower next weekend, and I'm excited for it. It'll be with all of my friends. =) Despite having one more baby shower, I couldn't help but get some of the things I still needed this weekend when I returned that expensive BRU bed set (I did keep the receipts though, just incase I need to return stuff). I picked up the baby monitor we wanted (the Sony 900), a changing table cover, a mattress pad, some baby detergent (so I can start washing baby's clothes and sheets), some Avent bottles, a bottle warmer (so daddy can feed Kaua breast milk too) and some baby beenies (how much do you think I'll need of those? I didn't know I already had 3, and I bought 3 more to make 6...too much??? We'll be moving to a colder area soon, so I want to be sure baby is warm). I still want to get a couple crib sheets and one or two sheet savers, but that'll be for the next go round. After getting that, and the breast pump and sling/carrier I'm hoping to get from the baby shower (I know, I sound presumptuous dont I?), I think we'll be as ready as we can be for Kaua to come. woohoo, I'm excited!!! 3 more weeks to go, and hopefully less than that. If my DD comes and goes without Kaua's appearance, I'm going to go crazy!

I'm planning to talk to the boss that's been giving me all this work on Monday to let her know that I'd like to scale back my work the week of November 30 since that's the week of my DD, and I think she'll be understanding. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that when I told another boss about my not so concrete situation with moving and escrow (if escrow goes well, we move out 12/22, if not, then no moveout date as of yet) and the possibility that my last day of work may be the day I give birth, he was very supportive. He said not to worry, just let them know when I know for sure, and not to worry about medical insurance because they'll be prepaying for that month anyways. =) I was worried that they would want a more definite date (I cant give them one until all of the escrow dates where the buyer can pull out have passed - so far we passed the C-52 inspection, but the biggie is whether the appraisal will come in at the price the buyers' are paying which will enable them to get their financing with their lender!), but he was very understanding. I'm really really glad I work for this firm and I'm sad to be leaving (somewhat sad at least). I know I'm not cutout to do this line of work because I'm too much of a nice guy and my feelings get hurt when I deal with a-holes that come in this line of work. I do know that if I was to continue working in this profession, my plan would always be to work for this firm. I look at my leaving the firm as a way to explore a new career, something that I'll enjoy doing every day.

Anyways, last but not least, my DH and I are celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary this weekend (the date was actually on the 10th but DH was out of town. And you know what I just realized, that means that this is the 1 year anniversary of this blog as well, b/c I remember my first entry on this blog was on our wedding anniverary, so happy blogoversary to me too! My how things have changed from that day to this!). DH and I exchanged gifts last night - cotton - he bought me a very cute sweater/top from the town where he is stationed at (in a size for when I'm back to my regular prepregnancy shape, which I hope will be soon, I miss my cute clothes!) , and I bought him boxer shorts with embroidery on it that says "Property of B MoM" as well as an Itouch armband for him to use when he's working out. (Obviously since money is tight, our budget for gifts is minimal). Tonight we're going to a nice dinner which will be our first since we've been pregnant!, and we're realizing that this will also be the last time as just the two of us. Next weekend he'll be working out of town, and the weekend after that is Thanksgiving and my mom will be here, and the weekend after that, we expect to be a trio!! Craziness to think of it that way!

Oh and p.s. - here's the picture of the walmart bedding that we got for about 1/3 of the price as the BRU bedding:




I think we did pretty good for 1/3 the price!!! And that's the first toy/stuffed animal I ever bought for Kaua - a firefighter wish-bear, just like his daddy. =)

Focusing on baby

I went back and reread my prior posts: when I first found out I was pregnant, that first OB visit where we saw the heartbeat, that second appointment where we looked for baby's heartbeat, to that 16 week and 20 week appointment where we held our breath to see if Kaua was alright and healthy, to those first movement milestones. What an amazing journey to re-read. It made me realize that my most recent posts - fretting over DH's job, and money and the home, well.....they're all so trivial. Right now, the best thing going on for me is this little guy kicking inside me. I realized, I haven't posted about him lately, and that to me, is the focus of my blog. (Well technically, this blog was supposed to be about my journey to motherhood, so I guess all the other things count as well, but still, I prefer to keep blogging about Kaua and have him be my main focus). So this post will be an update on the pregnancy:

Kaua is still a little mover - as I'm sure all babies are at this point. Over the past few days, I've noticed that he likes to hang out on my right side. Literally pressing up and out on that side. I feel kicks and taps else where, but some huge body part is constantly pressing up against my right. It's really cool looking because sometimes, you can just see something sticking out, like a round bump. It's also sometimes uncomfortable and I find myself sort of massaging and somewhat pushing him back in --- like go more in the middle son, you're making me uncomfortable. (Dont worry, I dont press hard, I'm very gentle and I'm pretty sure I'm not hurting him). I also notice when he's likely to be head up (breech) because the movements/kicks are more low. I dont like those days as much b/c although I feel his movements, there not as noticeable so to me, not as fun. Generally, movements are up high though, so I think he's for the most part, head down.

I'm noticing that I'm more short of breath lately. Nothing that impedes my exercising, but enough so that I notice that, yup, my uterus is pressing against my lungs, making breathing a little more labored. My sleeping is still pretty good, but I find myself getting uncomfortable in bed more easily. I'll toss and turn just to be sure that I've got the right position, with a pillow supporting my belly and a pillow supporting my back and a pillow in between my legs. And man, is it HOT!!! I've got a fan blowing right at me, and I'm still sweating at all parts where my body has to touch another part of my body or is touching a pillow. I'm normally a lover of hot, I like to be warm (b/c I always feel cold), so it's obvious that Kaua is making my body temperature higher. I also find that sitting on my couch is not as comfortable unless I'm in the reclined position with the leg rest up and a pillow behind my head or back (thankfully we bought those couches with the built in lazyboy recliners in all the cushions). I also noticed last night in the shower that I cannot see my vajayjay any more (no more grooming unless I have a hand held mirror). I used to be able to sort of look around the belly to see down there, but nope, no more. Contemplating getting DH involved in the grooming process....we'll see what he thinks. lol.

Lets see, what else. Oh my mom and I are talking daily now about upcoming plans for her to be here when he's due. We're also getting excited in planning my baby shower. We've ordered invitations and made a banner for the wall. We're discussing table decorations, gifts, etc. We're going with a "warrior" theme and a "firefighter" them since Wyatt = little warrior and DH is a firefighter. It's kinda fun because it's also football season and our local college team are the warriors and DH and I are football fans. Super duper fun. =) Although Kaua will be the 4th grandchild for my mom, I think this experience is exciting because I'm her only daughter and so she gets to play a major role and in this pregnancy and birth. This is the whole reason why I want to have a girl one day. I am enjoying all of this QT with my mom, just as I did when I was getting married. It's soooooooooo fun to have a best friend who is all about you. =)

Well, that's all on the pregnancy update front. 29 week belly pic and post coming up this weekend. =)

T-3 and glucola test

Well, we made it to the third trimester! Yesterday, Kaua made it to 27 weeks gestation and here's my burgeoning belly picture:



I'm currently spending my last night visiting DH in his new home (my old hometown) and on the plane ride over several nights ago, my plane seat mate asked how far along I was and complimented me on how great I looked! She said, she hopes she looks like me (my size) when she's pregnant. I was pleasantly surprised...b/c I've always been getting comments on how big I am and my mom even said I may not eventually fit into the maternity clothes she bought for me for my birthday. (Thanks mom!).

Anyways, 27 weeks and the 3rd Trimester! Woohooo! The end is in sight! There's a light at the end of the tunnel. Dont get me wrong, I love being pregnant, but with my growing belly, it's starting to get uncomfortable. Baby moves a lot and sometimes when I'm trying to get comfortable, his kicks throw me off. It's almost like (well it actually is) my belly doesn't belong to me anymore, it belongs to him. I'm also just feeling really big and cumbersome. I'm 39 inches and I'm still growing! I know a lot of this growing is b/c I've got this unbelievable sweet tooth. I know I'm so going to kick myself after I give birth when I've got 20-30 lbs to lose. But you know how you know something is not good for you, but you do it anyway? Yup, that's me.

So I've got some good news. I passed my glucola screening test!!! Yippeeeeee!!! I took the test on friday and I got a call from my doctor's office on Saturday. They said I passed my glucola test, but my blood results showed that I was slightly anemic (meaning low red blood cell count, meaning I need to up my iron intake). She said that it's a very common symptom of pregnancy because the baby takes up a lot of the nutrients that I would normally get from food and all I really need to do is take an iron supplement. She also recommended I take the gluconate based supplement rather than the other one, (I forget the name) because that one supposedly causes less constipation. She also said that because an iron supplement can cause constipation, I should make sure my diet has lotsa fiber. She also instructed me to take the iron supplement at a different time than when I take my prenatal vitamin and not to take it with any dairy food/products because that can inhibit my body's absorbtion of the iron nutrient.

I'm very happy that I passed the glucose test. Especially b/c my coworker was surprised that I wasn't instructed to take the test first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. From what I hear, sometimes what you eat can affect your results because it affects your blood sugar. I took the test late in the afternoon after a very starchy breakfast and lunch. I specifically asked my doctor and even called the advice nurse before the test and both said I dont need to alter my diet at all (but my doctor did recommend that I dont take the test right before eating a candy bar and drinking a soda). And I followed their instructions, ate typcially for me and voila, I passed. =) woohoo! Back to work tomorrow, but the good news is, DH comes home friday night for the weekend! =)

I see him moving!

Just now, and while I type this blog entry baby boy is kicking my upper left tummy and I can SEE him doing it! It's soooooooooooooo cool! My tummy sort of pops out a little for each kick (well not all of them, there are some lighter ones that dont make my tummy pop out, then there are harder ones that do). It makes me giggle, it makes me laugh, it makes me happy. OMG, I love being a mommy already!

Also, this morning, he kicked me hard enough in the middle of my tummy while I was driving to work that it made me jump. I love that!

Ok, I'm going back to watch my tummy now......

Movement milestone

On Saturday, July 25, 2009, at about 10:30am (20weeks 6 days pregnant), DH felt the firecracker move for the very first time. It was awesome! I was sitting on the couch in the living room reading (the baby bargains book) and DH was on the computer in the adjoining dining room. As I was reading, I was leaning back, which allowed my forearms to rest on my belly, sort of as a prop (yes, I'm getting that much bigger...21 week photo coming up in next post). Then I felt baby boy kick in what appears to be a favorite spot of his, on the right side of my belly, up high. He did it again, and I felt him on the outside (on my forearm). So I called DH over, didn't say anything and and just placed his hand on that spot. (I had been trying to get DH to feel him move for the past few days with no luck). And the little boy did us proud, he kicked twice in about 20 seconds and each time I said, there, did you feel it, and DH, said, yeah, he did! We were stoked! It almost brought tears to my eyes to be able to share that moment with him. It's something I've always been looking forward to in pregnancy, and the moment finally arrived. It was awesome! We were both so thrilled. Anterior placenta's got nothing on me. =)

I consider this to be such a significant milestone, something much more so than when I first began to feel the baby move because recognizing baby's movements was something that eventually crept up on me. What began as feeling potential gas bubbles eventually developed into a realization that that was baby moving. But the first time that DH gets to feel baby, now that's a real milestone; it went from nothing to DH getting to feel his first child (and son) move. That's such a beautiful thing to share with the man you love, your best friend. I'm sooooo thankful and grateful to have been blessed with that gift and I know that I'm lucky to have had that experience.

I feel like this is just a preview of what more joy is in store for us...all those awesome moments where we'll look at our newborn son sleeping and gaze in awe at the beauty we've created together and wonder in excitement as to what's yet to come. This little life will be depending on both of us for the next two decades at least! OMG! lol. (Ok, I'm not going to get carried away with this, I'll get back down to earth now).

Baby boy's movements are still not fully pronounced, but I'm feeling them more often. There has just been two times, both when I'm lying on my right side, when he's kicked hard enough to make me jump (both times he also kicked my ticklish spot on my side, so I think that has something to do with causing me to involuntarily squirm). Other than that, his kicks are still pretty light, like someone tapping inside of me, and it's been difficult for me tofeel his movements from the outside. I admit that I am slightly grateful that his kicks are still light because I know there will soon be many a time when his movements will be waking me up or causing me some other discomfort. For now, they're just light rumblings and taps in my stomach. He's kicking now as I type this blog!

20 week ultrasound

Yesterday's ultrasound went fantastic! Baby boy's heart is perfect. His anatomy is still perfect. Everything is going just smoothly. Based on such a good review, our risks for a baby with Ds decreased further by 50-70%. I'm not so good with numbers, but my quad screen risk assessment was 1 in 77 which is about 1.2% risk. If that decreases by another 50-70%, that means what, my risk is down to 0.03-0.05% risk? Those odds sound pretty darn good to me. =)

Yesterday I also learned that the length of my cervix is perfect, or as the doctor described it "beautiful" so no risk of preterm labor there. Interestingly, I also have anterior placenta, which just means that your placenta is growing towards the front of my uterus (rather than positioned closer to my back side), meaning that there's an extra cushion (the placenta) between baby and my belly muscles. The position of the placenta doesn't really affect your baby at all, but it could muffle my baby's movements and cause me to feel baby's movements later than others. Doc said this isn't always the case with someone with anterior placenta, and I'm not sure if its a factor in my baby movement feelings. Right now, I do feel baby boy, and have been since about 15 weeks, but perhaps those feelings could be a lot stronger than what they are. If that's the case, I'm kinda grateful, b/c that means maybe he'll be waking me up a lot less at night and have less kicks that are somewhat painful because I've got some extra padding to soften his blows. Eh, who knows. Not a big deal to me.

I also found out baby boy already weighs 1 lb! That's cool, because according to most websites and the WTE book, babies generally measure about 10 oz, so that means he's a smidge bigger than the average. Doc said that baby boy's measurements are right on schedule for how far along I am and so far my due date is still the same.

Baby boy is currently positioned head down (towards my cervix) and facing sunny side up (towards my tummy).

Let's see, what else did I learn. Oh yeah, this will be my last ultrasound with the perinatologist (unless there are other complications), so that's a good thing and bad thing. Good b/c who wants complications, not me! But bad b/c that may be the last I see of the firecracker till birth.

Ok, now for the cool stuff. the pictures! Baby boy was moving around a lot, as usual, so the profile pictures aren't the greatest, but nevertheless, I'm still a proud mommy.

Here's a couple profile pics. (with his legs cut off, hope that means he's long/tall).
In the first photo, you can see his umbilical cord just above his body:




Here's a profile picture with him waving and saying "Hi Mommy & Daddy!"


Here's a couple photos of his "man parts" and yup, he's quite clearly a boy!!!


The Doc zoomed in for this one, and I made the following comment (which caused him to chuckle and put it on the picture:)


And last but not least, here's a couple profile pictures with baby boy moving his body a bit. Notice in the second one, the doc pointed out that we can see his little peepee (look for the arrow):






That's all for today. Overall, it was an excellent 20 week and 1 day photo session for the firecracker! DH and I are overjoyed to have a healthy little boy. Thank you God for our miracle. =)

So "he" is actually a...

Can you guess?




Ok if you're having a hard time (believe me, me and DH were a little stumped at first....I mean, we dont know what we're looking at...so we tentatively asked, "A boy?" Dr. O chuckled and zoomed in and gave us this picture, which left no doubt.)



IT'S A BOY!

Needless to say, the ultra sound with the perinatologist, Dr. O, went well! We actually saw the doctor for a total of 10 minutes, but had to sit in the waiting room for about two hours!! (They had had a prior emergency). Doc was funny and tried to explain the quad results and whether we were going to decide to do the amnio as a comparison to playing black jack in Las Vegas. The explanation was actually a little confusing to me, but I'm glad he tried to put it in laymens terms. (Part of me wanted to just say, look doc, tell it to me straight, in technical terms. I've done so much research, that I'll probably understand that best. But of course I didn't).

Thanks be to God, our baby is completely healthy and normal! Doc even went on to say that our ultrasound was "boring!" That's awesome. We LOVE boring. So of course, we're not going to do an amnio. Dr. O is having us come back in a month to take a better look at the heart though, only becaust at 16 weeks, the baby is too young to really get a good look at it (but we did see the four chambers of the heart, which I read is normal). (I've also read previously that the heart is more fully developed, and easier to view, around 22 weeks, so no alarm there.) Hey, I get one more closer look at MY SON!! Holy moly, I cannot believe I just typed that. That was the first time I've ever referred to this baby as MY SON!

We are just so over the moon!

God is so glorious! Prayer and faith really works!!!!

Looks like we're not doing a gender reveal party. We're just too excited, we are bursting with the news.

Here's a parting photo of OUR SON!!! (Isn't he cute and handsome already? lol, such a proud mommy).

24 hours!

In 24 hours we'll be meeting with a perinatologist. We'll be finding out what we're having! Boy or girl! Super excited for that!

Praying that all is well and healthy with baby too! "Strong in faith, fully persuaded that what God has promised, He has performed!" =)

But more excited that we'll be finding out whether our little "he" is a little "she"! =)

3rd/4th PNA update

Work has been hectic recently and it has prevented me from posting about yesterday's appointment, till now. (However, I have been praying to God to help me find a resolution to this hectic work issue and, what do ya know, the Lord has answered! I received some reprieve today, and I'm praying the issue will be resolved by the end of the week! God is really good!)

As for the appointment, it went great! It's so amazing and wonderful to have such positive appointments. Such a beautiful change from those awful appointments I had been having all through the end of last year. DH and I went in and met with my OBGYN, Dr. M, and we were able to discuss a ton of questions that I had written down (since I obviously seem to forget them on the spur of the moment). I got generally good responses to my questions, and Dr. M even commended me on my questions and dedication to exercise. He said he does not often have a pregnant patient who exercises (he approximated that 1 in 10 of his patients exercise), so that was nice to hear.

He also measured my uterus, by taking out a tape measure and measuring from my pubic bone to where he felt the top of my uterus was externally, and said it measured 15.5 CM which he said is just right for how far along I am in pregnancy (15.5 weeks). He also noted that my weight gain was appropriate too - 8lbs total so far (though, I'm always a little concerned about that one).

Then we got down to business. He pulled out the doppler and we looked for baby's heartbeat. He found it much quicker than it took NP Wonderful at the last, last appointment, so that was reassuring. He estimated that baby's average heartbeat was 140BPM. He said anything above 120 is healthy! (Hmmm, according to that old wives tale, anything above 140 would tend to indicate girl and anything under 140 would tend to indicate a boy...guess this baby is not giving away any hints as to what he or she is for now.) He also pointed out how strong and consistent the heartbeat was, which he said was good and indicated a healthy heart. He said if the baby had complications, the heartbeat would not have been as loud or consistent.

It was also cool to hear how the baby would move about while we listened to the heartbeat. The doctor would comment on it and note that he had to switch the doppler's position a bit to "chase" him. Of course, at 15 and half weeks, I still didn't feel any of these movements. Doc said not to worry, that usually, women in their first pregnancy dont feel or recognize baby's movements until 19-22 weeks. He also said baby wont be consistently kicking (which would mean I would need to do daily kick counts) till week 27 or 28.

Over all, Dr. M said we were doing well and applauded me for the great work. I said, it's not me, it's the baby doing well! (And God, of course!). I go back to see him in one month, on July 14. And of course, we have our BIG u/s on July 7 with the peri (or is it neo?) -natologist!!! Sooooo very exciting and a little scary (we'll be checking for birth defects too)!

Quick note on the symptom front - this morning was the first time in a long time I had nausea. I hadn't eaten breakfast before heading into work (b/c food was sounding nasty at the moment, but dont worry i wasn't planning to starve, I packed a breakfast to eat at the office) and during the drive in, I felt the urge to gag and felt very queasy. I quickly got out some dried fruit I had packed as a snack but that was not helping. I got into work and my pregnant co-worker and secretary (mother of 2) noted my pale queasy state and suggested I eat crackers. Luckily I had a stash at work, so I munched on that, and ALL better! =)

Next up, planning my gender reveal party!

everything is perfect

everything is perfect, just like i thought..yeah, mmhhmm, not a doubt in my mind.....ever. lol. (*laughs sheepishly*)

Baby is still there and his heart is beating away. We got an ultrasound picture too. Again, I'll have to repost tomorrow with the picture so I can take a picture of the picture and upload that. Unless anyone knows how to upload a pdf. document onto this post.....

But yup....we got our reassurance, and even alittle scare (in a good way). The doc I saw thought I was measuring big and asked if I didn't have two in there!!?? (are you crazy?!!) We checked, and yup, there's just one, but she thinks I'm further along than we think....we'll find out when I see my regular doctor, Dr. M in two weeks.

Whatever. I'm just glad we have a heartbeat. And he was so cute! When we first saw our little one he had his left hand up to his head, like he was thinking. Doc said it'd be going to Harvard and I said, yup, just like mommy. (Yeah, I'm referring to it as a boy.....but it could be a girl....but for now, it'll have a "he" gender reference.) We tried to get a picture of our little thinker, but no such luck, he put his hand back down before we were able to get the picture.

Stay tuned for more....in the adventures of a nervous mom...... lol. (btw: glad to know I'm in similar company with all of my preggo or previously preggo bloggy friends).

Second Prenatal Appt went GREAT!!!

Get settled in..this is long:

My 2nd PNA (prenatal appt...the words are too long..I'm starting my own abbreviation) was AWESOME! A large part of that fact was due to the WONDERFUL Nurse Practitioner I saw. I knew she was great as I had seen her before, but she is just spectacular. I'm sending her an email after I post this blog post, just to thank her. So here's the lowdown:

DH was able to meet me at the doctor's office. His captain let him off. =)

We go in and my blood pressure is taken, my weight is taken (ugh, gained about 5 lbs...bleh, a lot of it due to vacation overeating, I'm sure. I resolve to get on the ball with eating healthy and exercising to maintain a healthy weight). I also have to pee in a cup.

Then I go into the exam room, change and DH is allowed in. Then very quickly (usually I have to wait for the darn doctor for quite a while in the exam room before I'm seen) NP WONDERFUL comes in. She asks how I'm doing and if I have had any problems. I say something along the lines of, "I'm good and not having any problems - that I know of." She knows about my prior history and says she understands, so she pulls out the little hand doppler monitor thingy and says, "Let's just get this out of the way. We'll look for the baby's heartbeat so you can relax and enjoy the rest of the visit." I'm eternally greatful for this!! She warns that because the baby is still small, it may be difficult to find the heartbeat and if we dont find it, we can do other things to hear it. I say that I was warned early that day with a co-worker who said at her 12 week visit her doctor couldn't find the heartbeat, but later found it on the vaginal u/s.

So NP Wonderful gels up that little black device and applies it to my pelvis. We start looking and listening....I swear, 15-20 seconds go by and we dont hear anything. A million thoughts race through my mind. At one point, I think she'll find something on the left side of my pelvis, b/c that's where I've been feeling a little crampy and feel as if my tummy is poking out more on that side and assume the baby is..but nope, not there. Another thought, ...oh no, not again... Another thought, Be patient, she'll find it.... But then, (with the wand on the right side of my pelvis -not the left, like I thought) she smiles and says, "there, do you hear it?" I respond with relief, "Good, you can hear it? I cant really hear anything." So she turns up the volume and there it is....the whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of the little baby's HEARTBEAT!!! I'm so ecstatic. I thank God out loud. I turn to my DH and I smile and I giggle and say, "There's a heartbeat! There's a little baby inside of me!" I ask to hear it again, but because I'm giggling and talking she smiles and says, "Mom has to keep still." So I sit as still as I can, and we hear that wonderful sound again!!! (this must be the best part of being an OB or NP, seeing a relieved expectant parent's smile at the wonder of their growing child). She continues to listen for a minute or so, and reports that baby's heart beat is about 163BMP, which is perfect she explains. =) She continues on to say nice things like "this baby is a keeper", which makes me happy.

We go on with the exam and she reports that everything is as it should be and that my pelvis/uterus is perfect. =) My questions are reduced in number (b/c truly, all I really wanted to know was if we had a heartbeat and if all is normal down there). DH asks if it's ok that I've been eating spicy food (which I LOVE). NP Wonderful says its fine, as long as I dont have heartburn, which I dont. She answers our questions, and explains what appts will be coming up next.

In 4-5 weeks I'll be seeing my doctor where I'll be getting another u/s and I'll have the quad screening (which she explains is a blood test to check for downs). In 7 weeks, I'll be going to the hospital (I've been going to the local KP clinic) to have the major ultrasound where they'll check for the gender of the baby and for any birth defects. I ask whether I'll have the NT scan which I've heard about, and she said that because I'm still young, they dont normally do that test. I think that's fine by me, b/c I dont want to give myself any additional reason for worry.

She also explains that I'll have some lab blood work after the appt. and I note that I get queasy when they take lots of blood. She asks when was the last time I ate and I explain that I've had a big lunch about two-three hours ago. So she goes out and gets me apple juice and instructs me to drink it all before going to the lab. She also gives me pamphlets on prenatal classes and points out a particular one that we may be interested based on one small comment I made about my dad having potential skin allergies (shows she was listening well.)

Overall, NP Wonderful just made the experience so enjoyable. Of course, hearing the heart beat was the ultimate best thing in the world, but NP Wonderful just helped make this visit the very best it could be.

After this appointment, I can FINALLY allow myself to start contemplating the actual thought that there will be a baby in December. We'll actually have to start planning for baby, and thinking of baby stuff we'd like to get. We'll finally be able to start telling people about the pregnancy. =) We are starting to realize that we'll be parents soon! This is definitely one of the most enjoyable days of my life. Just think of what more is in store for us in the future!

Thank you Lord. I know that I am blessed and it is all because of Him.

Without further adieu...

Introducing our little miracle and blessing from the Lord:






I've also put these two pics into my flickr on the side bar.

Thank you all so much for your well wishes and support. It means a very very lot to me. Now, on to focusing and praying that my next appointment - which is on May 19, just over 1 month away, goes just as smoothly. Grow little one grow! Beat little heart beat! The Lord has truly blessed us.

Praise God, we have a heartbeat!

I cried when the technician said that everything looks good. =) And she found baby ASAP with the vaginal ultrasound. I'll post pictures tonight.

Can you believe it? We have a living baby in mah belleh! Whew, talk about a sigh of relief, a shout of joy and endless praise to the Lord. You should have seen me, the whole drive to the appointment, I was praying over and over saying aloud various pieces of scriptures I had read and could remember by heart. I kept praying softly even in the doctor's office. I kept praying even just before the ultra sound. And of course, I praised God after the appointment was over.

So baby is measuring 6 weeks 2 days. I'm due December 6 and the heart beat was nice and strong for his or her age at 122BPM. DH and I got to see the flicker on the screen, and we got to listen to it, and boy was it music to my ears. It's AMAZING to imagine that there is a tiny little living thing inside me. Thank you thank you Lord, for you are truly good!

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.
I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2.

So, today, I believe I saw two signs from God that everything was ok. One was a rainbow as I drove into work. It appeared over the hill just as I was feeling a little anxiety come over me regarding the appointment. The second sign was today's daily devotional from KCM. It was about Genesis Chapter one and God's ability TO CREATE by stating His Word. Not sure if you remember, but for the new year I wrote a letter to God (as a part of a tradition where my friends write a letter to the universe every NYE and burn it as we watch the first sunrise of the new year) and my word for the year was "Creation" because I was planning to Create our litttle baby this year, in 2009. If you wanna refresh your memmory about what I said in that letter (you know, because you so aptly want to keep up with the daily nuances of my life), read this post here.

Ok, here's the kicker, I'm measuring 6weeks 2days, but according to FF, I should have been 6 weeks 6 days. Ugh....doesn't this motherhood stuff ever get easier? I mean c'mon, I completed one hurdle - I SAW MY BABY'S HEARTBEAT FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY and now I have to worry if I'm measuring behind? The doc didn't seem to concerned, but unfortunately, he didn't spend much time with me. I didn't even get to whip out my pregnancy book with my questions. All I got to ask about was my upcoming trip. I'm thinking, maybe I should switch back to my old OB, you know the one who had great bedside manners, but couldn't handle all of my prior MC complications and surgeries? Now that I'm relegating myself (by faith) into normal pregnancy status, maybe I can go back to her? Ah, I guess its something to consider in another post. Anyways, guess I'm going to be updating my EDD and tickers to December 6.

And here's the other "kicker." Remember that long awaited trip DH and I had planned to fly to NYC, DC and Virginia in 2 weeks? Well doc recommends not to go. However, the only reason why he said he wouldn't recommend me going is because based on my history, he wouldn't want me to feel guilty if something happened. He did not say that he was worried about the traveling and its affect on my pregnancy. He just didn't want me to feel worried. Thank you very much doc, but I wasn't worried, but now that you're saying that, you're giving me reason to be worried. Am I going to call of the trip? Probably not. I know myself and my body and I know that this baby is going to do what it wants with or without the trip. Not to worry, I'm going to pray about it and make sure that what ever I decide is in my and this baby's best interest.

1 more day!

Oh man, tomorrow is THE DAY! (You'd think I was giving birth tomorrow or something based on all this hype I'm making.) Surprisingly, I'm getting more and more confident as we get closer (I think). For some reason, I'm just confident that all is going well down there. I think it's because this time, while my symptoms still are very mild, are more present than my last two pregnancies. I never really noticed constipation last time. The nausea wasn't as present last tiime either. Dont get me wrong, my nausea is wonderful (literally, I really dont feel it much), but it's there. It's kinda funny, like just a funky, yucky feeling that ebbs and flows throughout the day and evening. I guess it really started the last couple of days (I'm currenlty 6 weeks 5 days). I wonder if it'll get worse? Part of me welcomes it. The other cool symptom I have is the boobies. Unfortunately, my guys are still smallish-(34 B's - always have been, looks like always will be), but they're feeling fuller and the nipps are still tender. The nips are a bit more protruded and those montgomery glands are definitly there and funky looking. And lastly, I'm looking a little bloated down there. My weight has stayed the same, and I think I've even lost a couple pounds due to my healthy eating habits, but I sure look bloated. With my clothes off, I can see my belly is a little more rounded. I know it's just bloat at this point, but I cant wait to start really showing (and feeling that baby move!) Anyways, I digress...the main point of this post is to say that tomorrow, we'll get to see our little one!!!

I BELIEVE I RECEIVE!

In other news, I CANT WAIT to start telling people. Yesterday at our Easter luncheon with DH's extended family, we got the question AGAIN of when DH and I are going to start having children. Of course, I ignored the question (made like I didn't hear it) and DH just responded, "I dont know, we'd like one soon." Oh how'd I'd love to say in response, well, we're having children soon, in fact we're due this December !

The ignorant commenter (though meaning well) then said, "c'mon, you dont want to be 60 when your kids are graduating highschool." We're not that old, thank you very much!!! and even if we were, nothing's wrong with that. In fact, I have two very close friends who have "older" parents and they grew up with a lot more opportunities than I ever did. Their parents were more established and well off when they were growing up, as will DH and I be when our children are growing up. We'll definitely be able to offer our children much more than both of our families could afford. (That's my consolation anyways, because truthfully, I always wanted to be a young mom.) Actually, now that I think about it, I'm glad we're having children now at this time in our lives. DH and I have a very strong marriage. We're financially ok, not great, but ok. We've been able to travel (and will be traveling again in 2 and 1/2 weeks!!) and have lived great lives. This is the perfect time to start a family. C'mon little one, we cant wait to meet you tomorrow!