Hi, Mom and Dad!

Yesterday we had our Nuchal Translucency scan which is used to check on baby's progress and look for early markers of genetic issues. While we are low risk for these things, we wanted the scan anyway since it's totally non-invasive (an ultrasound and a blood test for me), informative, AND gave us an extra look at baby as we head into second trimester this FRIDAY!

Baby is right on track, if not ahead a few days. And s/he is NOT cooperative. First baby was napping upside down, which wouldn't let the tech get the measurements she needed. So I had to use the bathroom, walk around, and cough a bunch to wake that kid up. Then when s/he DID wake up, they were less than pleased at being disturbed! S/he wiggled around and looked pretty agitated, and still was a little bugger avoiding the right measurement positions. It was so funny to watch, and it was hard not to laugh. Our kid is already stubborn. Uh oh! It did give us about a half hour to watch and enjoy the ultrasound, though, so I can't complain.

Finally, baby cooperated and they saw what they needed to see. All measurements were perfect and show no genetic issues. Baby has two arms, two legs, a nasal bone, a stomach, a bladder, a BRAIN and a million other things the tech pointed out to us during our appointment. We still have to wait until Friday or Monday for the bloodwork results, but I am pretty confident that those should come back with no issue. Of course you never know, but I'm not as nervous about the bloodwork as I was about seeing the baby had grown and had a good heartbeat (177). As long as our bloodwork comes back okay, we'll be going fully public about the pregnancy since I'll be in second trimester with an awesome report! I am so excited to not hide this from people anymore.

And without further ado . . .

12w4d - Look at that actual BABY profile!

12 Weeks!

Do you know why today is awesome? It's my LAST WEEKLY CHECK IN for the first trimester!!!

How far along: 12 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: Yup. Not exclusively, but I love them. Why be uncomfortable.
Stretch marks: Yes. I can't tell if they are new ones, or just old ones darkening. Still sucks.
Sleep: Sleepy all the time, but waking up in the night more often. Boo.
Best moment of the Week: Our Orlando vacation! We got to go to see A's aunts and tell them the big news in person, and then we got to celebrate the wedding of some close friends! Even though preggy couldn't go on the big rides at Magic Kingdom, A and I had a ton of fun together doing the safe stuff.
Miss Anything? A well fitting bra. Mine aren't bad enough to upgrade yet, because they FIT but they are NOT comfortable. But I don't think it's worth getting new yet since I have no idea how much they'll be growing.
Movement: Nothing I can feel, but the baby is able to flip and move and even wiggle its toes now!
Food Cravings: Not so much. I've just been hungry in general.
Queasy or Sick? Not much. I did feel HORRIBLE the morning we left Orlando, but I suspect that was a dehydration thing. Even though I was constantly drinking water, in that heat and sun I think it's hard to keep up.
Have you started to show? Maybe? Hard to say. I think a little bit, actually! 
Gender: Nope. See below post!
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Still emotional. While I'm happy most of the time, I cry so easily. I mean, I cried easily BEFORE pregnancy, but now it's worse. We saw Guardians of the Galaxy and I cried at least five times. Yup. Oh, and I teared up hearing the NFL music on the radio yesterday for the Ravens pre-season game.

Let's Talk About Sex

I am so excited because I now have LESS THAN ONE MONTH TO GO before we find out if Baby C is a boy or a girl!

I just got off the phone scheduling an elective ultrasound for 16 weeks. It's only $80, and it is SO WORTH IT to me to know. September 6th can't get here fast enough. Plus it will be a nice little belated birthday gift for A :)

Guesses? What do you think? I am hoping for a boy (slightly) but I don't have a strong feeling on what it actually IS.

I thought it would be fun to gather some SUPER SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (aka old wives tales and things) to see what they say. Looks like they favor boy, but not by much. After all, they have a 50-50 chance of being right. I'm not showing enough for the carrying high/low thing yet, so that one isn't included.

Chinese gender chart says: BOY
I have some gnarly pregnancy acne which says: GIRL
I have horribly dry feet which says: BOY
Craving sweets which says: GIRL
"Swing of the Ring" is a circular motion which says: BOY
Baby's heartrate was over 140 bpm (9w2d) which says: GIRL
Mayan gender prediction says: BOY
Minimal morning sickness says: BOY
A gaining no sympathy weight says: BOY

11 Weeks!

How far along: 11 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: Pretty much just yes at this point. My pre-pregnancy pants all fit, but by the end of the day are so uncomfortable. Another mom told me to go for comfort over pride, so I have. These maternity shorts have room to grow, and are CRAZY comfy now.
Stretch marks: Yes. Ugh. Already. I think it's from the horrible bloat. I swear I gain a full size by the end of the day, then wake up normal again. I knew I'd get them because I already had some and was thus predisposed, but ugh. Sucks.
Sleep: Still really tired, but napping less.
Best moment of the Week: Visiting A's grandfather to tell him the good news! He was excited and it was great to see him. We also told my grandmother over the phone and she was thrilled (she almost cried)!
Miss Anything? Not burping like a college linebacker?
Movement: Nothing I can feel
Food Cravings: No, not really. I have had issues eating chicken the past few days, though. So unappetizing. 
Queasy or Sick? On and off, usually if I waited too long between feedings. FEED THE BABY ALL THE TIME, apparently.
Have you started to show? I don't think so. Maybe a teeeeeeeeeeeeeeny bit. I still think bloat, but then I am almost in second tri, so who knows.
Gender: Nope. Chinese gender chart says: Boy. I guess it has a 50/50 shot of accuracy.
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Happy but emotional. I actually cried watching the Adam Sandler movie The Longest Yard last night. Who am I?

10 Weeks!

How far along: 10 Weeks, 0 Days (DOUBLE DIGITS!)
Maternity Clothes: Enjoying my dresses. They are so comfy, and they don't look like maternity since they just have some room to grow. I'm also living in yoga pants.
Stretch marks: Nothing new, but some old ones by my boobs are darker.
Sleep: All the sleep, all the time. 
Best moment of the Week: HANDS DOWN seeing our little parasite moving around and hearing the strong heartbeat on the ultrasound Monday. BEST EARLY BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER. Seriously, the relief that has washed over me since that ultrasound is amazing. At this point, I know it would be a really rare/odd thing to lead to a miscarriage. I'm so happy baby is okay.
Miss Anything? Wine and sushi. So I had a california roll (cooked) and bought some alcohol free wine. It will probably be gross, but I'll try it.
Movement: Though I can't feel it, we got to see Baby C roll over - s/he did a complete flip while we watched. It's incredible.
Food Cravings: No intense cravings this week. I have been really enjoying s'mores pop tarts, though!
Queasy or Sick? Carsick. Long car rides aren't my friends right now.
Have you started to show? Bloat is killing me. Last night before bed I caught myself in the mirror and thought I looked 6 months pregnant. Woke up this morning and was much smaller. Bloat is a bitch.
Gender: Nope! But I'm so excited that it's getting closer and closer. 18 weeks, I think, is when my doc said she likes to schedule the anatomy scan, which is when we get to find out.
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? So happy. This baby is healthy and wonderful :)

Baby C's First Pictures!

We just got back from my ultrasound, and it was AMAZING!

First of all, Baby C is right on track, maybe even measuring a day EARLY size wise. S/He has a heartbeat of 181 beats per minute, on the strong side of normal (155-195 are considered good), and is MOVING like crazy!

We watched our little parasite wiggle around and even roll over. The kid is doing flips!

My favorite part of the whole experience, besides the relief of hearing "everything looks great," was hearing the heartbeat. It sounded like a train chugging along. We MADE that. It is so crazy. The tech knew I was really nervous and on the verge of tears (hormones, what can ya do?) so the very first thing she did was play us the heartbeat. I felt tears well up even more, and I laughed and clapped my hands.

I am so grateful things are okay.

Here S/He is . . . Baby C!

Baby! 9 Weeks 2 Days

Now in 3D! S/He looks like a gummy bear!

9 Weeks!

How far along: 9 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: Got my Old Navy shipment in and the stuff is really cute! In fact, I'm already wearing two of the dresses. They don't look maternity at all, but they have room to grow. Plus the fabric is awesome :) 
Stretch marks: Nothing new
Sleep: I'm pretty much a zombie and tired at all times.
Best moment of the Week: We went to our annual very fancy birthday dinner with A's cousins and it was great. My favorite part was that, since we told them I was expecting, they gave me a special virgin drink pairing while the rest of the group had wine. It was so nice to have fancy drinks that were baby safe.
Miss Anything? I definitely did MISS the wine, though, watching my dinner mates drinking the good stuff.
Movement: Nada
Food Cravings: I NEEDED a baked potato for dinner. NEEDED it. I had it, and it was the best decision ever.
Queasy or Sick? More queasy the last week than before, I think. I actually threw up after getting bloodwork on Thursday morning. I also noticed my palate has changed quite a bit, as things are tasting different. 
Have you started to show? Blumpity blump blump.
Gender: Nope!
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Anxious for Monday . . . we FINALLY get our first ultrasound Monday at 1:45. The wait sucks. My 28th birthday is this Friday, so it's either going to be the best gift ever, and we get to share the great news with extended family, OR the worst most depressing birthday ever. I just want this ultrasound over with.

First Appointment!

Well, our first appointment has come and gone. It was actually pretty anti-climactic.

The ultrasound machine was down, so we have to go back in Monday afternoon to see our little parasite and make sure it's doing okay. I'm still nervous for this, but I DO feel better after my exam. My doctor said my uterus is the right size and in the right location for where I should be, and everything is "textbook" according to her. I could have gone for an u/s tomorrow morning, but then A couldn't go. Neither of us want him to miss this, so we decided waiting a few days would be worth it.

Tomorrow I go to a lab for bloodwork, so really there isn't much to update on.

Monday can't get here soon enough, now! Hopefully I'll be posting baby's first pictures!

8 Weeks!

How far along: 8 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: Old Navy had a huge Fourth of July sale - 50% off the entire website - so I ordered a bunch of maternity stuff! I am excited for it to get delivered and look through it.
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: I'm waking up a lot in the middle of the night. Naps, though, I am amazing at. I am a great napper.
Best moment of the Week: A said, "See ya later, incubator!" I laughed like crazy, and he told me he has been trying to think of cute phrases like that when I asked him if he'd just come up with it. Apparently "gestator" was also a contender.
Miss Anything? A long, HOT bath. I have had back pain this week, and I just want a long bubble bath to read in.
Movement: Nope. Just gas, ha!
Food Cravings: Still carbs. Mac and cheese is something I could eat every day.
Queasy or Sick? I've had issues in the car during the late afternoons. I've been queasy or carsick on the drive. I think it's because I need to eat after lunch at some point, because as soon as I snack I feel instantly better.
Have you started to show? Blumpity blump blump.
Gender: Nope!
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Happy, but anxious. As my first appointment QUICKLY APPROACHES, I am excited, but terrified. What if this baby stopped growing weeks ago? What if we can't find a heartbeat? I will just be so much happier when I know things are going alright in there. The good news is that having hit 8 weeks, assuming the baby has BEEN growing appropriately, my risk of miscarriage has dropped to like 2%. Woo!

First Appointment Countdown . . . ONE WEEK!

When I first got my positive pregnancy test, I immediately called my doctor. They didn't want to see me until 8 weeks, which I know is normal, but still seemed soooooo far away. Now it is NEXT WEEK!!!!

I am so, so hoping for an ultrasound. I don't know if I will get one or not, but some reassurance that Baby C is growing as needed would be amazing. I hear so many horror stories about "missed miscarriages" and "blighted ovums" . . . I just want to know my little parasite is okay. This is especially true because other than being tired and my small handful of vomiting episodes, I would hardly know I was pregnant at all. I should be grateful for that, but I kind of wish I felt like crap. I'd be more assured everything was working properly :)

Anyway, since we're a week away, I am trying to craft a list of questions for my OB!

Here is what I have so far....

1. Billing - Will I be billed after delivery all at once? Will I be billed periodically? Do you do billling ahead of time to be "paid in full" prior to delivery?

2. Will I be eligible for an NT scan? A dating U/S? What other screenings am I eligible for, and what are the timings? When should I expect to have u/s, bloodwork, and dopplers throughout the pregnancy?

3. Frequency of appointments? Locations - at your hospital office or local location?

4. Dos/Dont's and general pregnancy advice

5. How does the practice work - will I always see you for appointments? Who delivers - you specifically or ANYONE from the practice?


Are there any major DUH questions I am missing, here?

7 Weeks!

How far along: 7 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: I have discovered the joys of Maternity leggings. I don't need the belly room(just folding down the top for now) but they are so nice! The fabric is thicker and super comfy.
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: I'm wiped out all the time, but I'm waking up multiple times a night.
Best moment of the Week: Not baby related, but having my whole family over for dinner! Great to see everyone including my out-of-town sis and family.
Miss Anything? Cold lunch meat. Going to camp during the week, I need portable and non-microwaved meals. It would be so much easier to just pack a deli sandwich.
Movement: Nope.
Food Cravings: Carbs. Mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, stuffing. Basically I want Thanksgiving.
Queasy or Sick? So, I am definitely throwing up, as evidenced by yesterday's post. I also threw up after dinner last night. What is weird, though, is that I'm not really that nauseous. It's like, I go from just kind of feeling blah to puking, and then I'm fine again.
Have you started to show? Blump. Though my family seems to think I am some. Boobs are definitely bigger already.
Gender: Nope!
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Moody, honestly. I'm thrilled to be pregnant, but I have yet to see a doctor (11 more days) so sometimes its easy to forget I'm pregnant at all. I've been pretty easily irritated this week, at least more so than usual.

Rites of Passage

Today, my normal hour commute home from camp turned into nearly two hours due to a horrific monsoon storm and the traffic it produced. The drive was scary, stressful, and stop-start.

I only threw up THREE TIMES during this ordeal! Go me? At lease I had a bag....

Reasons I Know I am Pregnant

It's hard waiting for my first appointment, especially because I know I don't get an ultrasound right away AND I think it will be too early to hear a heartbeat on the doppler. So here are some ways I have realized I am still totally pregnant this week . . .

• Debated eating an entire box of instant mashed potatoes for dinner.
• Opened the fridge, decided it smelled, and walked out the door with no breakfast or lunch because the thought of making either was too gross. 
• Went to bed at 9:30 and was actually kind of mad I didn't go to bed earlier than I did.
• Got winded walking up a flight of stairs. I swear I am not actually this out of shape.
• Got huffy with A about where some bookcases from the room that will become the nursery will go. IT IS THE BABY'S ROOM IT CANNOT HAVE OUR BOOKS IT HAS TO BE PERFECT. His very level headed explanation that we only need a few things for the baby at first since it will be in our room for a while kind of fell on deaf ears. The man has been a saint.
• Have eaten ice cream like every night. I haven't had ice cream since like . . . the last time I was at an amusement park or something? But I needed to have it. So I do.

 AND the clincher....

• Cried - literally CRIED - during the final group performances of Pitch Perfect. Yeah, Pitch Perfect. This performance right HERE. WHO AM I?

6 Weeks

How far along: 6 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: Just the belly band! It has made uncomfortable bloat more bearable. I DID buy a cute maternity maxi dress for later because it was on sale, though!
Stretch marks: Just my old ones so far.
Sleep: I am horribly tired, but not napping or sleeping well. UNFAIR.
Best moment of the Week: The amazing care package from my sister!
Miss Anything? Tonight, I want wine.
Movement: Nope.
Food Cravings: Not really.
Queasy or Sick? Started getting nausea Wednesday. Threw up my lunch yesterday. It comes and goes, but it's started.
Have you started to show? Blump.
Gender: Nope!
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Tired, but still excited and happy.

Progress

It is SO HARD waiting for my first doctor's appointment. July 15th seems ages away. While I am really grateful that I don't need to be sooner because nothing has been wrong, it is still difficult to wait. So I've occupied my time by periodically taking the remainder of my pregnancy tests. I had bought a ton thinking this would take longer than two months, so I figured WHY NOT? It's fun to see the progress!

Check out the digital "week estimator" tests. It was really cool to see the numbers change from 1-2 weeks pregnant, to 2-3 weeks pregnant, to 3+ weeks pregnant . . . and all right on track with where I am!

And then, of course, are the good old line tests. Let me remind you what my first positive looked like....

And here is the test I took just the other day. Weird how one line - the control line - is super light, right? I thought so too, so I looked it up. I am SO pregnant that my test line basically "stole" all the dye in the test leaving the control line with hardly any left over. Isn't that strange and cool?

All this to say, I am not only STILL pregnant, I am even MORE pregnant on the daily. I know they aren't as good as a doctor's seal of approval, but ya know what? Any progress I can see with my own eyes is progress I enjoy.

Baby's (and Mama's) First Gifts!

Yesterday I got the sweetest care package from my sister! She had told me to watch the mail, so it wasn't a total surprise, but it was so awesome to get and open up! She always has a knack for finding the most creative things!

Along with an adorable card, she sent...

• Belly butter to fight those stretch marks
• Gin-Gin's ginger candy to help with nausea (hopefully I don't need these TOO much)
• A few of her pregnancy and parenting books 
• Some precious gender neutral onesies with stripes and elephants
• And my absolute favorite, a C scrabble tile! How perfect that the C is worth three points, and with the addition of Baby C, we will be a family of three :)

It was so thoughtful and just made me smile. Looking at those tiny newborn onesies, it's hard to believe something I am currently making baking growing incubating nurturing  will be filling them in 8 months!

I also thought today that this time next year, I'll be enjoying the start of summer with my four month old. CRAZY.

I am loving this whole thing :)

5 Weeks!

How far along: 5 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: Not exactly. However, I am SO bloated that my pants are tight and uncomfortable, so I went ahead and got a belly band so I can unbutton them without giving the world a show!
Stretch marks: This is weird - I have had stretchmarks in the past, but they have faded. I feel like my old ones look darker now. Wonder if it's a hormonal thing? It certainly isn't from this baby making NEW ones (yet).
Sleep: All the time.
Best moment of the Week: Telling our parents and siblings over Father's Day weekend! Everyone was so excited and happy!
Miss Anything? I have wanted sushi this week, bad.
Movement: Nope.
Food Cravings: Not particularly. I mean, I've wanted sushi (I keep walking past it at Wegmans) but I am not sure that its a CRAVING per se.
Queasy or Sick? Just bloat and gas. I am gorgeous.
Have you started to show? Mega-bloat continues. It is a "blump" - bloat bump.
Gender: Nope! Though I am already impatient.
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Happy happy happy!

Zzzzzzzzzzz

This has been me this week:

I've slept well at night (usually 8+ hours) and I've napped almost every afternoon.

When they said "fatigue" was a symptom, they weren't lying!

The other major symptoms I am dealing with are heartburn and bloat. I can eat a celery stick and have nasty acidic grossness after it. Oh, and I'm not even 5 weeks and already started using a belly band because the bloat is so awful. I've lost weight (eating super healthy + no wine . . .  who knew?) and yet my pants are tight and uncomfortable.

You know what though? I don't care at all :) I am officially over a week late, the pregnancy tests I keep taking (yeah, I know, I know) get darker and darker, and I am really excited. This is real. This is REAL.

These are exciting times!

First Father's Day!

We had an amazing weekend with our families for Father's Day. Everyone is SO EXCITED to learn about Baby C!

We told A's parents and grandmother on Saturday. At first, his mom was confused about the "Grandma" in her card, but when she finally got it she squealed and was so happy! A's sister was also super excited when we got to tell her over FaceTime - she has an amazingly adorable almost 6 month old baby boy, and I am so glad now we can talk about this crazy pregnancy business since she seriously JUST went through it.

On Sunday when we woke up, I gave A his card for a father-to-be, a bottle of really good scotch (oh, I wish I could sample it!) and some cute sports bibs. My family got here for a cookout around 1. When my dad and grandfather realized what the cards said, my mom was still in the dark. When she figured it out, she jumped to her feet and started to cry! She is so excited to have a grandbaby 10 minutes from home!My own sister was pretty shocked, also over FaceTime! My due date is actually my nieces birthday, so when we called, under the guise of a nice Father's Day chat, I said, "L, when is your birthday?"  In her adorable little girl voice, she said, "February 20th!" So I replied, "Well, I know what I am getting you for your birthday this year . . . a baby cousin!" And then my sister realized what I meant and was super excited for us!

All in all, it was a really nice weekend. I am relieved to know I can talk to our parents and siblings about this now. While it is still early and you never know what may happen, I know that no matter what they will all be amazing supports.

It is crazy to me how loved this baby already is. We've been calling it my "little parasite" because it has been making me SO tired. I actually think it's pretty cute, and it makes me smile. I'm also JUST under one month away from our first doctor's visit. I am so grateful for A - he is already an involved Dad and is planning to come to every appointment since he has saved up some sick time to use. He will be with me on July 15th as we hopefully get good news about our little parasite! I can hardly believe that it has been ONE WHOLE WEEK since I saw that faint little line on the pregnancy test and realized our lives had changed.

4 Weeks!

How far along: 4 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: No, but I have thought about it. I am not showing yet by any means, but I am SO bloated that my pants feel tight.
Stretch marks: Nope
Sleep: I've been wiped out for the past few days. I've napped every day and then gone to bed early/
Best moment of the Week: Laying in bed with A flipping through a baby name book. It was so adorable and fun. Dreaming about Baby C's name and gender . . . I loved it. AND thankfully we have similar taste.
Miss Anything? Hot baths. I've been having cramps and back pain, and I want a long hot soak so badly and yet, I also don't want to boil my child.
Movement: Nope.
Food Cravings: Oddly enough, ONIONS. I used to hate onions, but over the past few years I have started liking cooked ones. Last night I really, really wanted them.
Queasy or Sick? Stomach just doesn't feel right. Thankfully no full blown nausea yet.
Have you started to show? Just mega-bloat
Gender: Nope! I can't believe I won't be able to know until 16 weeks. Boo!
Labor signs: No, thankfully.
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Still really happy, but also really emotional. I am crying so easily, and that is kind of annoying.