Poppin'

Week 17 brought a big ol' belly pop. It's 100% apparent that I'm pregnant now, which I love because I don't feel like I look so fat! I did finally invest in some new clothes: a couple pairs of jeans and some non-maternity shirts that are cute but and should see me through most of my pregnancy. It's amazing what a little wardrobe update did for my feeling of cuteness. I went from feeling totally frumpy to kinda cute. 

Physically, I am feeling pretty great almost all of the time with very few food aversions left over from the first trimester! I even have started adding some decaf lattes into my morning mix, which if you know me means that I am getting back to normal ;)

The only big news is the upcoming ultrasound...a couple more weeks until we find out the gender. I am SO MUCH MORE IMPATIENT this time around for some reason. I feel pretty different than I did last time, so I'm putting my money on a boy! I just want to know. Now.

Not many symptoms except for hiccups!

How amazing is a non-maternity shirt with strategically-place buttons for belly growth!?

Weekly Updates Start...Now!

16 weeks, guys. 

It's big for me. I don't quite know why. 4 monthsish. Crazy talk.

It is FLYING by for the most part, even though the embryo transfer feels like it was a long time ago. I am feeling much more pregnant than I did at this point last time. I am bigger (like, a lot bigger), some back pain, hungry all.the.time. and just overall feeling pregnant.

The hardest part of the whole thing for me is how yucky I feel. Physically I am pretty much better, but the first 14-15 weeks were really, really bad. Sick and tired, heartburn, grossness. I feel almost 100% better now, but I think those weeks took a toll on me. 

Last time I felt cute and like I looked pretty good through the end. This time I feel like a run-down whale. Part of this is because I'm legitimately huge and part of this is because I'm not energetic enough to care a whole lot about how I'm dressed and made up. I'm going to try to change this.

I think I'm giving myself more "free passes" related to pregnancy this go around. If I want another cookie, I've been eating another cookie. But I stepped on the scale at my last OB appointment and almost lost my mind. Also, I tried to put on some jeans that I wore through my third trimester last time and I literally could not get them over my ass. So...healthy snacking is in order. And new clothes.

I have not taken many pictures of myself either (which I know I will regret later), so I'm going to make a very big effort to take weekly photos and post a weekly update so I have something to look back on! 

Week sixteen was a pretty good one (aside from the pants incident!)

I am definitely feeling some little baby movements now and they are much more than just flutters! It is so fun! I can't wait to be able to feel them on the outside!!!

I feel like my energy has picked up a little too, so that's been a welcome treat.

This week also brought a lot more baby talk at work because the news is slowly reaching everyone. I didn't do a formal announcement or social media announcement, so it has really been word of mouth and lots of suspicious belly glances :)

Without further ado...the bump.

Happy weekend, friends!

Double Digits

So, ten weeks. 

I'm fairly convinced that time is actually slowing down and that the last two weeks actually were as long as they seemed. This may be because I am so freaking nauseous all the time. Or it might be because both my toddler and I got the stomach flu and were laid up for what felt like an eternity. 

I'm trying to be mindful of my complaining because (duh) I've wished for every symptom known to man to hit me if only I'd be pregnant, and here I am blissfully living it out. But in the moment the constant nausea is actually giving me quite the run for my money. I also have a lovely mix of heartburn most of the time...and WHY SO EARLY?!?!?

The ninth week felt pretty monumental. I feel like something changed and I was hit with all the stuff. Aside from the nausea that I will refrain from going on and on about, I just feel different. I am pretty rundown looking and feeling most of the time. I attribute this to eating all the bad food and to my sweet little lady who has decided to wake up between 4 and 5 every morning crying. Please say there is an end to this...two year molars? As I hear her loud wails echo through our house, I think about a sleeping newborn not sleeping through any of it and the chaos that two crying children could cause. Am I getting a bit ahead of myself?

The heartburn is a weird thing that lingers much of the day. I do remember having heartburn early last time, but not this early. I have started drinking a swig of diluted apple cider vinegar in water and it has worked like a charm so far! I hope that continues to be the miracle cure!

The baby bump is there already as well. I have not taken any pictures yet, but plan to start soon. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep this mum because damn. Large and in charge. I supposed that speaks to the state of my abs at the moment...or lack thereof. Or muscle memory! 

We went to our first OB appointment yesterday and got to see the little one again on ultrasound! I had forgotten how much better the RE machine in comparison. No measurements were done, no heart rate calculated, just a quick little peek. We did get a glimpse of the arms and legs- not as blobby looking! 

Because I had a kinda preemie last time around, I will take progesterone once a week starting at 18 weeks. The relief I felt when I found out it was weekly was profound! My numb and lumpy booty cheeks might have actually smiled. Other than the progesterone, there is not much of anything that they'll be doing differently except for more cervical checks (I forgot to ask how often).  

Next step is the nuchal translucency scan at 13ish weeks (right after Christmas). Luckily, I think this will be a pretty painless wait since I am so busy and have so much to do between now and then!

P-p-p-paranoia!

I little snippet into my life right now: nausea. 

Oh god, the nausea. 

Heartburn, yuck. 

Oh yeah, I'm pregnant! I almost forgot in the chaos that is the life of a Mom of a 22-month-old. Maybe I should check what the miscarriage rates for today are since I'm probably not pregnant anymore. 

Am I feeling cramping? 

Shit, are my underwear wet? 

I'm bleeding. I must be bleeding. Hmm...no blood. Fab. 

Oh no, I might throw up. Must eat immediately. 

So bloated. So fat.

I thought that maybe I might be less nervous this time around, but it seems that the first trimester is just as much of a bitch the second time around. Maybe worse, honestly.

The symptoms are there much of the time, like whoa, but other times I feel nothing. Why, oh why has no one invented a portable ultrasounds machine for post-infertility preggos?!?!

I have ultrasound #2 with my RE tomorrow, which I hope will put my mind slightly at ease for 2.5 minutes. Then first the first OB appointment in scheduled for next Friday. Since my last pregnancy ended in a slightly preterm birth, this time I'm considered high risk so am going to start seeing a maternal fetal medicine specialist instead of the run-of-the-mill OB I saw last time. I have no idea what this means or if anything will be different, but I guess I'll find out next week! I have an inkling that I will continue progesterone injections throughout the pregnancy (hoping for only once a week, but the RE wasn't sure). My ass cheeks are starting to get pretty lumpy and sore, but I could definitely handle it if it was only every 7 days instead of every. single. day. 

We shared the news with our immediate families over the Thanksgiving holiday and shocked everyone! Pretty drastically different than the last time when they were all waiting for it impatiently! I was really surprised that my Mom didn't guess before since I was SUPER tired and nauseous for the few days leading up to the announcement. 

So, that's life now! I am going to start posting weekly updates because I feel like I need to document this time in some way or it will pass in a flash and I won't remember anything. It's just so different than last time where I obsessed over everyday and moment!

Beating

The ultrasounds was today! I was really pretty nervous, but in went the dildo cam without any fanfare and it was there.

There is a baby with a heart rate of 136.

It was measuring 7 weeks, a little ahead of schedule (I'm 6 weeks, 4 daysish). 

I can't shake this guarded feeling I have, but I am definitely getting more excited as this feels a tiny bit real. We're starting to think about how/when we're going to share the news and I'm starting to feel all day queasiness and freakish hunger...so seems that we're chugging along!

Holy shit.

6 weeks "ish"

Today is six weeks. Six weeks of a tiny, tiny baby supposedly growing in my usually empty ute. 

Wednesday is the ultrasound and I obviously can't wait. I pretty much feel nothing. The only maybe symptom is that my boobs seem to be a tad tingly at times. And sometimes when I make a quick movement I get a scary pain that shoots through my lower abdomen making me think that the baby is surely detaching from my uterus.  I remember that from last time, but don't remember when it kicked in. I might also be a little more tired than normal, but that could just be life talking. And I'm fat. Lupron definitely doesn't agree with my waistline, so I started about 5 pound up from my baseline and now I just feel poochy and flabby.

I threw a baby shower for my best friend this weekend. You might remember her from my scathing posts way back when, you know, in the dark days. I am happy to report that I am 99% happy for her this time around. I was super excited to throw the shower (which I absolutely couldn't stomach last time) and am truly happy that they will be welcoming another babe into the family. The 1% not happy isn't exactly NOT happy, but more avoidance. I still have a teeny bit of resentment that she got pregnant so quickly and has such easy pregnancies and can say things that only an uber-fertile can say like "the timing of this pregnancy is horrible". I keep all jealousy at bay, but I don't tend to ask a lot of pregnancy questions. 

So, that's it, folks. 

Wednesday! AAAH!!!

Aaaaannnnd, it's baaaacccckkkkk!

I was wondering how long this feeling would last. Wondering when I would return to the beginning and have the feelings. You know, those feelings. 

I've been in a perpetual state of bliss for going on two years now. Pregnancy and Piper's babyhood has really felt like heaven on earth and for a while I have felt like a normal human being. One that procreates, gets pregnant, has a baby, and gets to be happy for others. I have been genuinely thrilled to hear that one of my friends is pregnant and I haven't care that it was easy for them. I stopped looking at pregnant passerbys with envy, but instead looked at the belly with a sense of camaraderie. I greeted other newborns and Mamas with joy and sisterhood. Because I was there too, even if I didn't get there in traditional methods.

The creepy creeper called jealousy and that feeling of injustice is back. It's not yet making my life miserable, but it's here nonetheless.

At Thanksgiving two of my married friends with no kids and I were chatting about baby-making. One of them was very forthcoming and said that she and her husband were "trying", but it wasn't working. The other said that they would begin soon, but not quite yet. But she was VERY versed in baby-making lingo and alluded to talking with her OBGYN about conceiving, so I suspected otherwise.

This conversation was my first little preview of what was to come. I remember thinking, "These bitches will be pregnant by New Years. Damn it." Two of my very best friends. I logically do NOT want either of them to have infertility, I really, really don't. I want them to have babies the normal way. But I'm still jealous that I don't get to.

Yes, they're both pregnant now, and I'm actually quite happy about it! I have been able to be genuinely excited, and buy them gifts, and be involved with planning baby showers, and overall be very involved in a way that I never could have been pre-Piper. But I know that is fleeting. I catch myself with pangs of envy at a belly shot and feelings of annoyance when they talk about they're pregnancies incessantly. I LOVED being pregnant, and 6 months ago I would have happily chatted all day about the amazing process. So...why the change? 

I'm thinking a lot about what happens next for us. In an ideal world, I would love 2-3 kids. I would have planned for my children to be 2.5ish years apart. Piper is 13 months now, so I feel like we need to start thinking about next steps soon. Our original plan was no birth control when she was 6 months old. That didn't happen. I was extremely torn, but we decided we were not ready for a miracle spontaneous pregnancy when she was 6 months old. I sometimes wonder if we were stupid to not go for it right away, but my body and mind just didn't feel ready. 

I got my period when she was 11 months old and immediately started tracking my cycle, which has been pretty regular since, and we stopped using condoms. We are not officially trying, but I do consult my calendar often. Truth be told, between business travel for The Hubs and exhaustion, even if we were UBER fertile, I probably wouldn't be pregnant right now! Must fit in more sex...

So, sorry for the ramble. That's where I am. Slightly envious, maybe wanting to be pregnant again soon, not quite trying, not sure where to start. 

We're going to make an appointment with our RE for next month and come up with a plan, but I think we're going to tentatively plan for an FET this Summer and start actively trying to get pregnant next month. I'm scared to move forward because I know what this journey entails.  I am keenly aware that as soon as we start really trying, I will be obsessed. I am not looking forward to living in 2 weeks stints again. I know that once I go to the RE, I will be focused on that FET month and my lab results. I am so scared that things will not work out this time like they did last time. What if we don't get pregnant on the first FET? What if I do get pregnant but it's a chemical pregnancy or I miscarry? There are so many unknowns and so many hurdles. But this time I have a baby who I need to be present for, who I want to be present for.

Oh geez, too much future-thinking for one day. I'm stressing myself out!

34 Weeks and One Final Photo...

Since I am back-blogging, I will leave you with a recap of week 34 from my jotted down notes throughout the week. 

Boobs and nipples are bigger. Rib pain! Hubby traveling. Nursery prep. Pee leakage.

Boobs and nipples bigger...yes, clearly preparing themselves for breastfeeding. They are turning into targets I think.

Rib pain. Wow. I have a baby butt lodged in the right side of my rib cage that I often have to press down on to relive some of the pressure. It is particularly noticeable when I am sitting for extended periods of time or driving to and from work. I am excited about this rib pain only because I can totally tell it is a butt, which means that her head is pointing down! No breech baby here!

Hubby traveling.  This one makes me simultaneously cringe and giggle at the same time looking back at it. He's in Brazil from 34-35 weeks and 2 days for a last-minute work trip. Not stoked on this one, but making the most of it and laying low!

Nursery prep is in full force! Unfortunately much of it is on hold while the Mr. is out of town since it requires some assembly and heavy lifting.

Pee leakage...it's happening. Enough said. And sweat. I am awfully hot all the time and often end up with sweaty undies. It's not a glamorous life, people.

No cute photo this week, just a selfie in PJs. Cause I'm tired.

She's coming when?!

Something happened in between the 32 and 33 week marks. At 32 weeks I felt like we had a lot of time. At 33 weeks, suddenly I felt an incredible panic that Baby's arrival is JUST AROUND THE CORNER! And we have so much to do! And we haven't gone on date nights or had a lot of loud sex, or slept in super late, or... yikes.
A lot of life events happened right around this time too that just might be contributing to my sense of the time slipping away. One being a bathroom remodel. Why at 8 months pregnant did I think this was a good idea? I have no clue except that it sounded like a better idea to do it now than with a newborn. This remodel necessitates us moving out of our cozy bedroom with the king-sized bed into the crap-filled guest room/office with a full-sized mattress. It also means that we have construction workers in our house A LOT. Boo. And that we are hemorrhaging money on bathroom tile and vanities while also trying to save money for my maternity leave all the while buying a bunch of baby crap.

Aside from the life stress, I'm feeling pretty darn good. Sometimes I almost feel like my symptoms are disappearing. One week I have heartburn, the next I don't. Week 32 was a good one for this.
I have a good belly shot, but having technical difficulties uploading, so I'll save it for another date.

 At 33 weeks, aside from being 7 weeks away from D-Day, I started feeling a lot more "pregnant". I feel like the belly just keeps growing and growing and lugging my tired body around is getting a lot more challenging. And bending over? Forget about it! The absolute highlights of the week were attending our first childbirth class and our Baby Shower!
The childbirth classes are taught by a hippy dippy woman who refers to herself as the "cervix whisperer" and reminds me of one of the women in the SNL skit "Schweddy Balls". Hilarious and informative at the same time :) I don't feel like I gained a lot from the classes, but Mr Hubs certainly did. I think he's feeling much more confident that he can support me during the birth than he did before. The take home video scared the living sh*t out of me...even though I've witnessed hundred of births. Somehow it's way scarier when it's only 7 WEEKS AWAY and going to happen to you instead of someone else! Go figure.

Anyway...the shower. Oh so much fun!!! Our friends and family did an amazing job throwing a circus-themed shower complete with cotton candy, caramel apples, corn dogs, baby pictures of both of us, and no cheesy games. Opening the gifts and bringing home oodles of baby goodies made it very real very fast. You guys, this baby is going to come home with us. Whoa.
Without further ado, some shots from the shower and a belly shot!

I think they should make this the glucose challenge test...WAY tastier than orange syrup!

30-31 Weeks

I'm feeling a bit like a failure in the picture and life department. The holidays really did a number on me, being in and out of town, traveling for Christmas to see family then back for a day before heading to Seattle for a wedding and New Year celebration with friends. All awesome, all exhausting, and all resulted in no "fruit/veg" pictures. Boo. I was super excited to have a weekly photo of myself to document, but somewhere around rutabaga (uhhh, apparently we don't have many of them around here!) I started having trouble finding the corresponding weekly fruit or veggie and it all went to hell. Luckily with Christmas and wedding festivities, I have plenty of belly shots sans fruit that will have to do.
Week 30 was chock full of traveling and was the official end of the horrible rash. Thank. God. And just in time to wear the cute wedding dress I found without having to cover all bare skin! Yay!
I also had an OB appointment that was fairly uneventful. Heartbeat, check. Measuring 30 cm, check. Rhogam and TDap shot, check. And OB's guess is that she's head down! Stay baby, stay! This week was also when I started feeling work "senioritis". You that feeling of being almost graduated, but still not and how mentally checked out you were? Yeah, that's how I feel about work. I couldn't care less about it and have officially started counting down the weeks until I'll be done! The baby lady is moving around a lot, and by moving I mean full body torsion. It no longer feels like kicks, it feels like an elephant doing somersaults. Crazy amazing.

Baby is the size of a cucumber! I'm guessing more like the length of a cucumber, but with more "meat" I hope :)

31 weeks and feeling HOT, HOT, HOT! Like SO HOT I can hardly stand it or stand myself. It is the dead of winter and I am wearing sleeveless dresses to work. Granted, it has been unseasonably warm, but I have still been getting weird looks from people because of my wardrobe choices. To get by I have been eating ice all day long, which kind of helps keep the heat at bay.
The other eventful part of the week was lots of braxton hicks contractions. They totally freaked me out. The advice nurse was not so freaked out and reassured me that they are normal unless they become painful or regular. I'm still having a hard time adjusting to the sensation and not worrying that I'm going into labor. I am really looking forward to seeing my OB again so I can talk with her about my worries.

Does this jersey make me look fat? According to the Hubs, playoffs are not the time to switch up the wardrobe, so I rocked it. It didn't help...

 Baby is the size of a squash...again. They really need to vary those veggies a little more!

Merry and Bright

29 weeks pregnant and soaking up another wonderful Christmas! Almost nothing can ruin Christmas magic for me, so even while "in the trenches" Christmas made everything better.
This year was no exception and we had a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends. The little one got a few fun gifts from the Grandparents, which was very fun and makes all of this a little more real.
I don't know if this "is this really happening?!" feeling happens to all pregnant chicks or mostly pregnant chicks with a history of infertility, but it definitely has not hit me yet that I am going to be a Mom in 11 weeks or less. Been there before? When did it sink in for you?

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Wishing for lots of babies in the new year!!!

Again, photos coming...

I'm a New Woman

All better! Okay, maybe not all better, but so, so much improved. And I'm back in the game!
Turns out I probably do not have PUPPP. Thank. God. Most likely I am having an allergic reaction to Amoxicillin that I was on for a weird face rash. Since I stopped taking it the rash is much improved, not quite as itchy, and my swelling has gone down almost completely. Phew. I have continued taking all my homeopathic remedies just in case it is PUPPP and it's just being controlled by everything I'm doing, but if it goes away completely I will start phasing out all the supplements.

I have noticed that I am having a hard time bending over all of the sudden due to the growing belly. It always takes me by surprise and almost takes my breath away when I bend down and realize I've gone too far.

The other kind of funny event this week happened at the hardware store. I have been hearing about overly protective Daddy instincts, but haven't really noticed it in my Hubby until this week.
While my sweet hubby was waiting in a giant line, I said I was going to check out the paint selection (trying to pick out nursery colors!) But then I had to pee...per the usual. I saw him still in Big Fat Line, so I sneaked off to go. When I came back, no Husband in sight. But then he was in sight and he was freaking out. I don't know if I've ever seen him so frantic. He was speeding around the store looking for me with pure panic in his eyes. When I found him he was not pleased. Not pleased in the way your parents are not pleased when you crash your first car and almost kill yourself but don't, so they yell instead of cry. This may have happened to me once. He was clearly relived that I was okay, but kind of pissed because I scared him, and also kind of tearing up.
You guys, I was kind of baffled and wanted to say, "what do you think could have happened to me in a span of 10 minutes?! Clearly no one's going to make away with your knocked up, rashy wife!" But I felt so guilty because he was so worried! Man, that Daddy instinct has kicked in in a big way! Sweet and strange.
 
I did take pictures this week, but am so behind on uploading that I thought I would get these posts out and update with pics later! The holiday season always does a number on me, but I feel like this year is particularly busy...anyone else? 

Welcome to the Third Trimester. F you.

This week I failed. There is no fruit or veggie photo, just a Christmas photo taken just before my life became a living hell. I remember people saying that the first and third trimesters were hard, but I kind of felt like I paid my dues in the first trimester with the all day nausea, so I would skate through the third. I don't know why I thought this. It's kind of like that time when I thought I would get pregnant as soon as we "pulled the goalie". Ha. Ha. Ha. Joke is on me my friends.

I am insanely excited to be in these shoes of mine, and until this week I was a blissful person. Like sickeningly blissfully pregnant. Then I got out of the shower and noticed that my belly was red and kind of itchy. Then the next day my whole body was itchy. Then the next day my whole body was covered in a bright red, horrific rash from chest to ankles that makes me want to literally scratch my skin off. Then my legs swelled up like an elephant and I ended up in OB for a few hours (all was fine, my doctor was just equally horrified and shocked by my rash and insta-swelling and wanted a little baby monitoring and blood pressure check). 

So to say it was a bad week is an understatement. I am incredibly down in the dumps at the prospect of this being the rest of my pregnancy. I am upset to be feeling itchy and puffed up like a balloon, yes, of course I am. But mostly I'm upset because I feel like I'm not going to enjoy the rest of this baby-growing journey to the fullest. And I feel like a bloated, gross red, bumpy blob of yuckiness. Sorry for the whining and self-pity. I think this is part of my "I love being pregnant!" grieving process.

While in OB I got a maybe diagnosis of PUPPP (otherwise known as the worst thing ever that won't go away until baby has exited my vagina). The "maybe" part comes because most women don't get the rash until much later in pregnancy. I am relieved that there is no harm to me or to the little one, but not relieved because there is no good way to get rid of it. I have researched and researched and contacted my old acupuncturist for some recommendations and along with the OB and Dermatology recommendations I am armed with a plan to make this tolerable:

1. Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap: I ordered a couple bars from Amazon and the should be here within a day or so. Not sure how this stuff works, but a lot of people swear by it.

2. Benadryl nightly: The verdict is out on whether or not this helps the actual rash or if it just helps you sleep so you aren't scratching your body off.  Either way, I'm giving it a go.

3. Dandelion Root: 2 capsules 3 times a day. PUPPP is sometimes attributed to a sluggish liver. Dandelion root is supposed to help and is also a natural diuretic. I am going to increase my water intake to counteract the diuretic properties, but hoping this might help the swelling too? Started this already and of everything that is rumored to help, the most people tout this one as a miracle. Bring it.

4. Prescribed Topical Steroids: Obviously the most Western of the treatments, the consulting dermatologist told my OB this should help and is not to be worried about in pregnancy. Hallelujah.

5. Omega 3s: This was a recommendation from the acupuncturist. So flax oil it is. 

Hopefully next week I will have some good news to report! I do NOT know how I will sustain this for more 13 weeks if not!

Prior to all of this sad news, we took photos for our holiday cards. Here's to hoping this isn't the last picture of my unblemished skin!

Going, Going, Going

Brace yourselves for some TMI. 

I have heard pregnancy horror stories of constipation and hemorrhoids and blockages and many poop-related dilemmas. 

I made it 26 weeks without talking about poop, but the time has arrived.

I am pooping. Like all the time. 

Better than constipation, yes. But very strange and slightly inconvenient none the less because when I have to go, I have to go NOW. And several time a day bathroom stops is fine, but...weird.

Anyhoo...

I have failed in the picture realm and did not capture a photo of the bump this week :( I must have been spending too much time in the bathroom.
Baby Girl is the size of a head of lettuce if that helps the visualization?
I totally stole this photo from my friend's facebook page. Slacker.

 

Viability

I am 24 weeks and now to the point where the little one is considered "viable". As a NICU nurse, the idea of delivering anytime in the near future makes me sick to my stomach. The next few weeks are going to be a bit rough for me, mostly because while 24 weeks is in most cases viable, it is not always pretty. It has given me an interesting perspective on these Mommies that deliver RIGHT NOW. I cannot even fathom how it would feel to go into labor right now, so, so early with nothing prepared and be faced with so many hard decisions. Ugh. So, yeah, it's a scary time. 

This week everything started getting a bit real. We ordered our stroller and are so excited to have our first real baby item! I am also in full throws of nursery planning. I'm hoping to keep it pretty neutral, but also get some fun girly stuff mixed in. 

The belly definitely "popped" again this week!

Thankful

Wow am I behind on posts. It is officially the holidays and hence there is no time for anything but eating. We had a pretty darn wonderful Thanksgiving which has been historically a hard holiday for me for obvious reasons. This year I was bursting with thankfulness for everything that has transpired in the last 25 weeks and for the feisty little life that is growing inside of me. 

And feisty one is the size of a bunch of cauliflower!

This week I started feeling full much faster than before, so I had a built-in Thanksgiving over-eating preventive! 

Another Shot, Too Late

So I got the flu.
I had been waiting on the best time to get my flu shot when I didn't have a cold (last week) and when I didn't have anything super fun to attend. You know, just in case it made me sick. I am well aware of the fact that the flu shot cannot make you sick...but sometimes the side effects are pretty rotten too.

Then I got the flu from hell and had my first throw up of the pregnancy. Thankfully it was a quick 24 hour bug that left as suddenly as it came on.
Flu shot officially in me now, so hopefully no more vomit this year :)

Nothing much else has been going on in these parts, just enjoying every moment of this journey!

And we're back to squash...

23 weeks and the size of a butternut.

Feeling the Burn

Week 22 brought heartburn! 

Apparently I have never had heartburn before, because I wasn't even sure what it was when it arrived. I'm still not quite sure that it isn't acid reflux...if that's different from heartburn. Anyway, it's here and I'm eating lots of tums. 

I have to say, despite the heartburn, I am feeling better physically than I have since this little embryo implanted in The Uterus Formerly Known as Empty. I have lots of energy, I am now clearly pregnant and not fat, so I don't feel so gross, and all in all everything is hunky dory around these parts. Another bonus that any infertile who has been pregnant even for a moment might be able to relate to: now that I can feel her moving around, I know almost hourly that she is still there. If only the movement was palpable in the first trimester, it would save so much cray cray.

I totally thought that my pre-prego wardrobe would stretch further into the weeks than it has. Even my long shirts are getting short, and no one wants to see a flesh-colored belly band popping out the bottom of my shirt! So shopping it is.

And! The baby is the size of something other than squash this week :)

 

Yes, I'm totally in pajama pants. Husband was was definitely instructed to leave those out of the picture. Clearly, photography is not his day job...

 

Belated Updates

The post was written. The photos were taken. The photos were not uploaded due to laziness and daylight savings sleepiness, so over a week late...

I'm starting to feel like I have an alien inside me. It was all good and well until I started over analyzing the little being. I have started feeling more than just little pokes in my lower belly. Sometimes I feel rolls, sometimes I feel flip flops, sometimes I feel a limb (one of the four, not sure which!) move from one area to another. It's pretty cool, but also incredibly weird. And if I think about it a lot, it kind of creeps me out! I mean, there is a human in there. In my uterus. Doing whatever little humans do when in a uterus. And it's breathing fluid. It's unbelievable.
As Baby and I rang in 21 weeks of togetherness, Daddy got to feel a big, huge movement on the outside for the first time ever. I don't know that I've ever seen his eyes light up like that; he was in complete and utter awe and so excited. It was just as amazing to watch as it is to feel.

It's also starting to feel a bit crowded in there. After I eat, it feels like I can't take a deep breath and that my ab muscles are streeettttccching. And I have hiccups ALL.THE.TIME. They are not the subtle kind either. Usually a big, loud, awkward hiccup in the middle of a quiet meeting or in the grocery store. So funny for everyone involved!

Baby Girl is the size of sugar pie pumpkin!

Scans and Squash

First off, thanks for sharing in our girl excitement! It is an interesting situation to be SO excited to be having a girl and know at the same time that if we found out we were having a boy we would have been equally excited! It's so fun to know and stop calling the Little One "It"!

The 20 week scan was pretty amazing. The details of the little body were so much easier to see now that she is the size of a weird bumpy Fall squash :)

"I'm actually the size of a banana, but Mom squashed it, so squash it is!" No pun intended.

 The placenta is far away from my cervix, so no placenta previa and all the parts checked out exactly right! The most difficult part to see was in between her legs. Apparently we have a modest one! Hopefully that will serve her well in her teenage years ;)

The ultrasound tech got all the way through the scan and said the best she could give us was her best guess. WHAT!?!? I almost lost it because I thought we wouldn't be able to find out. The Doctor came in to do his part of the scan and also revealed that from the images the tech had gotten he was also not sure. Fab. But FINALLY he got a good glimpse and was able to say with 99% certainty that we have a Little Miss growing in there. I'll take those odds. 

I must have been giving off strong girl vibes because 99% of people asked thought I was having a girl, but didn't know why. On the day that we saw the heartbeat for the first time, one of the receptionists was the first to predict that we were having a girl. At 6 weeks 4 days. Even strangers who predicted thought girl, so I think I would have been shocked if it was a boy.

Now on with the decorating of the nursery! And of course, some shopping! Shopping for maternity clothes is just not as fun as regular clothes, so I'm going to displace my retail indulgences onto my fetus. Woot woot!