11 Weeks!

Whew. I am officially the MOST pregnant I have ever been. What a weight off my shoulders to have made it to this point (even if it is only a few hours more).
Sorry I never posted a 10 week picture...I was too darn sick to take one. This blasted Prometrium is a ginormous pain in the a$$. I couldn't keep any food down between Saturday and Tuesday! Hopefully I will get around to taking an 11 weeker tonight or tomorrow. But honestly there is no change (besides the bloating that goes up and down).
And even more, I hope and pray that my Dr. says I can quit taking this Prometrium when I see her on Thursday. If she makes me stay on another week or so I might strangle her. I can blame that on the hormones, right?

Yesterday I had a renal ultrasound to check for kidney problems. I don't have the results yet, but from what my untrained eye could see there didn't seem to be any glaring problems. God willing I've escaped this possibility of another birth defect. It was kind of cool to watch. I like to test my smarts and ask the techs stuff like "Is that a rib?". I identified several body parts correctly which made me proud. Mom on the other hand asked several times "Is that the baby?" despite the transducer being pushed up into under ribs and the tech saying "We won't see the baby". Once she even got a dry, "No, that's the liver". That made me chuckle. And the tech said I was skinny. That made my day.

I finally got Justin to start discussing names with me. But he won't take it seriously. He keeps suggesting off the wall and idiotic names that he KNOWS I would never even consider. And then he shoots down every single one of my suggestions. He even tried to say that he didn't like the boy name the HE picked out months ago! Luckliy I was able to shut that one down and we still have a boy name we agree on. ::SCOFF:: Finally I just said "If you can't agree on any of the 80+ girl names I've thrown out there then you are just SOL. I'll be the one filling out the birth certificate anyway, since no one can read your handwriting."

Otherwise, nothing new. I am happy to be feeling better today and I hope it stays that way. I am also looking forward to having the whole weekend off. We're planning on taking the jet ski out tomorrow (NO, I am not going to do anything other than veg out on the island) and Sunday I am looking forward to church. I haven't been in over a month and I hate that. So stay calm tummy.

OH! I almost forgot, I THINK I might have felt movement. I KNOW, I KNOW, it is way early for that. BUT I have never felt anything like this before and it seemed too far forward toward my skin to be gas bubbles. It felt like when you vibrate your tongue on the roof of your mouth, but softer. It was totally strange. I have felt it twice, days apart, but in the same place. Justin thinks I'm just crazy. Whatever though, baby or not it made me happy.

Lets have a good appointment on Thursday ok pixie? An end to Prometrium, a nice strong heartbeat and good looking growth.
Love you!
Mommy

10 weeks!

Wow. Only 30 weeks left (if that). Only 10 more weeks until we find out the gender. Only 3 more weeks of the first trimester. Only 2 more weeks until I get to see my little peanut again. Only 1 more week until I am officially the most pregnant I have ever been (a milestone I have been quite anxious to get behind me).

I'm going to start listing ups and downs for the week (a la pregTASTIC). So here they are:

Downs:
-I have yet another yeast infection. The 2nd in 3 weeks. Which leads me to...
-I have to start taking the Prometrium by mouth again if I want to avoid more YI's (which I do). But taking it orally REALLY upsets my stomach, in the same way that antibiotics do. I really should ask if I can get it in injections. I think I'd much prefer a nightly needle stick to YI's and a perpetually upset stomach.
-I ate way to much sugary stuff today and now I feel like crap.

Ups:
-I am feeling better, for the most part. The Prevacid is really helping and I think the morning sickess is begining to subside (knock on wood). This is really expanding the limits on what I can eat.
-I ate loads of Pizza yesterday and it didn't make me feel bad!
-I should only have 2 or 3 more weeks of this Prometruim crap (or 'hell in a gel-cap' as I like to call it)
-Sleeping is less of a problem than it has been in the last few weeks (probably because baby is hitting a growth spurt).

I'll get around to taking a picture in a day or so. I'm to lazy right now.

Keep growing baby!

1 inch baby

Wow! Look at how much he/she grew!! My nestie pal Sue predicts it's a girl. (Of course it's going to be a girl. We have a boy name all picked out but can't agree on a girl name.) The heartbeat is up to 183 and we're measuring 9w5d...A day ahead!
It was just AMAZING to see "her" wiggling around in there. The sonographer (Sandy) showed me "her" brain, and we could see arms, legs, and even fingers. At one point Sandy poked at my stomach to get "her" to move more and "she" waved! Sandy said that I will be even more amazed in a 2 weeks at the growth.
My uterus is definitely begining to correct it's position. It's no longer tilted all the way back and to rotated to the left. As such we can now see that the baby is in the right horn of my uterus as opposed to the left like they previously thought. There is some bleeding in the left horn and it appears to be the cause of the spotting and sharp cramping that I am feeling on and
off on that side. My OB said it's not a problem though. But she did reiterate that the shape of my uterus puts me at a higher risk for preterm labor (which I am SO scared about), and makes the likelihood that I will have to deliver by c-section go up. Apparently the baby can get stuck in a breech position. BUT...for now she thinks the kiddo has plenty of room to grow. I can only pray that it stays that way. Actually I think I am less afraid of a c-section than I am of pushing a little person out of my hoo ha. Plus, a c-section mean more time off work to spend with my baby!

The Prevacid has been a wonderful thing! I am still having gagging fits and dry heaving about twice a day, but at least I can eat again. Too bad almost nothing sounds appetizing because I am HUNGRY and I need to start gaining a few lbs.

I guess that's all that's new and not-so-new for now. I feel pretty lucky to get to see all that I have seen so far. It's not often that women get to see an ultrasound tech for a detailed scan before 20 weeks. So to have seen my baby grown in 2 week increments has been an awesome experience.

Keep growing strong baby "girl".
Love,
Mommy

9 week belly pic

Not a lot of change since week 8. Still pretty bloated, but it goes up and down.
Have a Dr.'s appointment and ultrasound tomorrow morning. My morning sickness is easing up and my face is clearing up, so of course I am petrified that something will be wrong. But I know I can't control it. Sigh. Time to pray. If all is well tomorrow I am going to rent a doppler from babybeat.com so I can hear that precious heartbeat whenever I want to and be reassured.

9 weeks!

Well my reprieve was short lived. Yesterday was a terrible day just like I knew it would be. I tried to eat to ward off the nausea, then I brushed my teeth and it all came right back up. I was sick the rest of the day. I also had tons of cramping and some very sharp pain.

Well today I woke up to SPOTTING. My heart took a nose dive. I called the Dr. and they worked me in. I was just fighting tears and could barely tell the nurse what was going on, Dr. Prafke examined me and said my cervix was nice and closed. Then she did an ultrasound. I KNOW my uterus has grown and is not nearly as retroverted as it was b/c she didn't have to position that wand in such a way that it tortured me and made me squirm. She found the baby and the heartbeat right away. I couldn't see the heartbeat from where I was (and with all the shaking from my tears of relief), but I was relieved enough to take their word for it. They gave me a picture and the baby is definitely bigger. I think I can even see an arm. She said that I would probably have more stretching pain and possibly more bleeding because of the septum in my uterus (oh joy).

Justin would not look at the screen. He hasn't wanted to see any of the pictures or be involved at all so far. Just like me, he's afraid to let himself get excited and possibly be disappointed. But unlike him I need to see that baby. I wish I could see it every day. The nurse was pretty worried about him.

I am just so thankful to still be pregnant. And to be having another ultrasound on Tuesday. I'm constantly terrified that tomorrow I won't be. And I am incredibly emotional. All the time. I am probably going to rent a doppler so I can check on baby's heartbeat at home until (and if) I can feel movement.

Picture's later. Right now I'm sick again.

Reprieve!

Today has been a pretty good day. I wasn't feeling too well this morning, but since then I have actually been HUNGRY! Really hungry. I can't wait to get home and make a grilled cheese with tomato and mustard...I LOVE mustard right now. Not a whole lot of food sounds appetizing still, but at least I want to eat again. I can't wait for the day that I want something other than carnation instant breakfast, mashed potatos, and stuff smothered in sharp cheddar cheese.

I was able to sleep a good 7 hours last night AND take a nap before work. I think that must have helped with the nausea. I've been yawning all day so hopefully I can sleep well again tonight...after my grilled cheese ::drool::

2 months!

8 Weeks. Did I really make it this far? Is there really a heart beat inside that bloated belly? I still can't quite believe it. I feel remarkably blessed by every day i still FEEL pregnant. Nevermind that I have to spend the majority of my time in bed being boring, letting my house become even more of a disaster than it usually is.
I've missed a lot of work lately, which I hate to do. But some days I feel like I'm being stabbed in the chest (thank you heartburn). I go to puke and nothing but stomach acid comes back up...mostly in a gaseous state. It always makes me feel better, so about 6 seconds and then the pressure is back. Morning sickness hits me between 3-5pm most days...If it doesn't last ALL day. And I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping, despite how exhausted I really am.

And I feel like I should be walking with a cane. My hips must be loosening and it hurts. I've been hobbling around like an old lady.

This week, for the first time ever, I have noticed that my belly feels quite heavy and full. I know most of it is just bloating, but right near my pelvis and in between my hips I can definitely feel my uterus popping out a bit. I'm not really sure how something so low can make you belly pop out so roundly. I am going to assume it's because it pushes everything else in the abdominal cavity up and out. Hopefully in a few weeks I will actually see a baby belly start to pop out.

I broke down and bought some maternity clothes at Old Navy this weekend. They were having a great big sale and it's pretty tough to find cute maternity clothes at a decent price. I think (and hope) I got some peices that will last a good while, some even post pregnancy. I am really looking forward to comfortable clothing. Especially at work. I think with this bloat my regular jeans are a thing of the past. I haven't actually gained any weight though...yet.

I have more to say, but I have GOT to get my butt to bed. Hopefull I have exhausted myself enough to sleep into the late morning. And then I think I am going to have to get my hair cut off and thinned out. It has become so coarse and unmanageable in the last couple of weeks. I really hope that doesn't last.

Good night sweet baby of mine. Grow strong and healthy and stay put for at least 29 more weeks.

XOXO

PS: Ignore the cell phone. Justin wouldn't let me go long enough to take a picture

SUSHI!

A big fat no-no when youre expecting. So, OF COURSE, it's all I've wanted for weeks. I have been afraid to order vegetarian sushi from a restaurant because it might touch raw fish. So I thought to myself, why not make my own? And lo and behold, Wal-Mart has an idiot proof sushi kit in the "Asian Foods" section. It comes with ready to microwave sticky rice, seaweed wraps, and soy sauce. (And I bought a tube of wasabi too.)

I filled my rolls with blanched asparagus, scallions, avacado, and cream cheese. And OH MY LORD! It was the best thing EVER! I could not be more satisfied right now. I got full and so the rest is in the fridge for tomorrow.

As far as morning sickness goes, mine usually hits about 4pm. It must have something to do with the position of the sun or moon. Because no matter how early or late I wake up it always rears it's head in the late afternoon/early evening. But I'm not complaning. It's a nice reminder that YES, I am indeed still pregnant.

As always, thank you God for this little miracle. Keep it safe and growing strong!

1/2 inch long baby!

Thank you LORD!!!!

To update you on my weekend: I went back to the ER on Sunday night when my throat started to close up. They told me to take more benedryl whenever I started to feel symptoms. I've only taken it once since Sunday night. They also said it was not an allergic reaction, but a dystonic reaction and definitely to the compazine. But for all intents and purposes I should always list it as a medication I am allergic to. I spent the rest of the weekend at mom's being waited on hand and foot. I'm REALLY glad it wasn't the guacamole...because I don't know if I could stop myself from eating it again...IT WAS SO GOOD!

I saw my OB this morning for another ultrasound. Baby looks great! The heartbeat is up to 153 bpm and I am now measuring 7w3d! I have a nice picture that I will post later tonight when I get home. And MAJOR BONUS: I got to HEAR the heartbeat! It was absolutely the sweetest sound in the world.

They scheduled me for another u/s on 9/16. I assume they will be monitoring me fairly closely due to the septum in my uterus.

I am just unspeakably thankful to god for my little miracle. Keep growing strong baby!