Ultrasound Pics

Our anatomy scan went well.  We did not find out the gender.  The ultrasound tech said that everything looked like it was measuring normally.  Whew!  It was a lot of fun to watch the baby moving around in there.

Here are some pictures:



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Two cute little feet!



Time Flies!

Wow!  How is it already February 5?  I had so many posts I wanted to do, but have had no time to sit and type them.  So, this is kind of going to be a condensed version of them all!

I had to change doctor's because the OB that owns the practice I was going to decided she didn't want to have a midwife anymore.  I really want a midwife.  So, I looked around and I think I have ended up in a better practice at a hospital that is much more natural birth friendly.

We are going to the new place tomorrow for our anatomy scan tomorrow!  We still plan to not find out what we are having, but I can't wait to see our little baby again.  One of my friends at church is also pregnant and she had her anatomy scan a few weeks ago.  She has a lot of experience having babies, so this was not her first rodeo.  She said that it's cool  if the baby kicks you while they do the scan because you can see them kicking and feel them kicking.  I hope we get some fun stuff like that!

We are in our Bradley Childbirthing class.  We will finish kind of early, but the instructor said that if we want to re-take some of the classes in their next session, we can.  We had to take it so early because the next one won't end until a couple of weeks after our due date. This class really prepares you for a natural childbirth and teaches a lot of exercises to prepare for childbirth and gives you a lot of pushing positions to try out.  I am glad we are taking our class early so that I have lots of time to practice these things.  I would really like to have a completely natural childbirth with no needles, no nothing.  The hospital we are going to will allow that as long as there are no needs like Group B Strep or any other risks.  I figure doing everything I can to avoid tearing is a huge part of my "no needles" strategy since stitches require needles. (shiver).

My reading list is pretty extensive.  I feel like there is so much to read!  One of my close girlfriends recommended that I focus on having the baby and taking care of the baby for the first month.  I was kind of thinking that, but still felt like we should at least have researched a parenting style and have some sort of general plan.  I had read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.  This was an excellent book that I highly recommend.  I am so glad that it was recommended to me by more than one person.  My husband is reading Husband Coached Childbirth and I think it is helping him a lot.  I have borrowed a few books from a friend from church and will probably buy a couple of them, but I just perused them.  They are The Attachment Parenting Book and The Complete Book of Christian Parenting and Child Care.  Those are both by Dr. Sears.  I am not sure if we'll do 100% Attachment Parenting, but we will probably do some version of it.  I am in the middle of reading (all the way through) Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and intend to read all the way through Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.  I was also given The Baby Book, which I understand reads kind of like an encyclopedia and you can just read the section that is the age your baby is approaching, so I will read the first little bit of it before the baby comes.  So, it sounds like a lot, but I am really only going to have read all the way through 3 books by the time the baby's here.  I know that a lot of being a mother will come very naturally, but I don't think it hurts to do some studying ahead of time. 

We are rearranging our house to make room for this new little one.  I have probably mentioned that in a previous post.  We had a lot of furniture in our house, mainly because my grandmother was one to want us to take everything she owned.  So, we both took some, but as I had more room, I got more.  So, I gave one piece to my sister that I didn't really need and another piece to my cousin that I also didn't need.   The piece we gave my cousin was a nice sofa table that was in our foyer.  We replaced it with a bookcase that my husband and his dad made shortly before we got married.  We got rid of the mattress and boxsprings that was on our old full size bed and put the frame and headboard up in our bonus room.  In order to do that, we had to clean out our bonus room.  We took an entire pickup truck full of stuff to our local goodwill.  We could probably go through there one more time and get rid of more stuff, but for now, the bed fits.  On a gross aside, when my husband drug the mattress and box springs out to the curb for trash pickup (he had to call for a special truck), within less than 5 minutes the mattress was gone along with an old Christmas tree we couldn't give to goodwill.  That mattress was about 16 years old.  Plus, what if we had bed bugs?  Ick.  Oh well.  Not my problem.

We have our guest bedroom all cleaned out except for the boxes of stuff we had to take off of our big bookcase, and those will have to be moved out for us to paint.  I've emptied off the cubby-style bookcase in our office/craft room and put away all my other craft stuff including my sewing machine.  We are mostly done cleaning off the desk in there.  We have this weekend to get everything cleaned off, clean off the baseboards and anything else that needs to be cleaned, and repair any holes in the drywall.  Next weekend, we have friends coming over to paint.  The next weekend, we have my sister and brother-in-law coming over and my BIL is going to put up our wall decal that is a tree.  This is what it looks like, except our owl is sunflower yellow and the two little birds are blue.  So cute!  We are painting the walls in there a similar color.  We had to move out of the office because it is going to be the nursery and the guest room will be no more as we are moving the office/craft room to the front room which used to be the guest room.  We had a red accent wall in there, which I just don't want in our office, so we are painting that one a light green color.  We have our colors picked out, we just need to go buy all the supplies.

We have three groups of people planning showers for us!  I still can't believe I am pregnant and people are planning baby showers for us!  We are having a church shower, a shower for my family, and a shower for my husband's family.  We are so blessed to have so many people that want to do this for us.

We are still praying for our little one every day.  I so want to meet this little baby and get to snuggle with him or her.  I pray daily that God will keep our baby healthy and allow us the opportunity to raise this baby to seek Him and to put His glory above all other things.

If you are still with me, I am impressed.  Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time...

How We Broke Our News

I know I am a huge blog slacker.  But, what's new?!  I always thought I would be a super blogger if I ever got pregnant.  Does not seem to be happening.  There are a lot of things I wanted to kind of get off my chest in this space.  I think I will have to split this into several posts.  First, I never shared how we told people about our pregnancy.

Of course, we'd told our very closest friends from church the first weekend after we found out, before our second Beta.  We wanted them to be praying for us.  They knew about our struggles with infertility.  That was before we really knew what would happen with the immune issues and whatnot.  So, they told us excited they were but it was much more subdued than it would have been had we not had any worries.  They understood and respected our worries.  But, they have cheered us on the whole time.  We are blessed.

Here's how we told our families: 

We told my sister and her husband first.  We wanted them to know so that we could plan the cruise easier.  Plus, we had originally planned to just wait and tell them the day we left from the cruise then it turned out we would be seeing my dad and his wife and my hubby's sister and her family and his parents all in the same day before we were going on the cruise.  As I am closer to my sister than to the rest of those other family members, I wanted her to know first. We needed to get together anyway because she had lost weight and I had some old bathing suits that would probably fit her.  So, we got together for dinner one night and told them.  We were probably about 8 weeks at the time.  I could tell they were totally not expecting us to tell them that.  But they were excited.  I think my BIL made an "it's about time" comment, but my sister was just truly excited and surprised.  It took a minute for it to sink in, so her facial expressions were hilarious.  Apparently she discussed planning a shower with her husband all the way home and is already planning it now...for April!

Then, after our final RE appointment at 9 weeks, we had the tour of the Marietta/Dallas, GA area where we saw the rest of our families.  I bought a shirt that had a picture of a bun in an oven.  It was cute.  Well, I wore that.  We had brunch with my dad and his wife and I stood around in that shirt the whole time we were fixing brunch.  After we finished eating I finally said, "so, did y'all notice my shirt?"  They were like, yes, but we can't tell what it is.  I said, well, it's a bun in an oven.  They were like "oh" and they laughed.  Then, my dad said "so, are you trying to tell us something?"  And, of course I said yes.  I had the picture from the most recent ultrasound, so I showed them.  They were excited.  I was surprised that my dad didn't just make his nodding, semi smile face that he makes.  He actually got a big surprised smile.  I knew he'd enjoy having a grandchild around after they were here, but I didn't really think he'd show any interest until after that.

We then went over to my husband's sister's house to celebrate her daughter's 11th birthday.  We did gifts at the house then when we were about to leave for dinner, I opened my jacket up so they could see my shirt.  No one noticed.  They are a bunch of talkers anyway.  I thought my husband was going to announce it at the house, but he never did.  So, he told everyone at the restaurant.  Everyone was surprised.  His parents both reacted exactly like I was afraid they would.  They both said things like "it's about time" and "yeah, we only had to wait 9 years!"  I just completely ignored their jerky comments.  His sister asked some questions and then proceeded to spend the rest of the night talking about her pregnancies and advice she had.  She also offered us their crib and then said that she'd give her parents the travel swing that she had so they'd have it there and we didn't have to bring it when we came.  We really don't go to their house that often, and I'd have rather had it here, but I wasn't arguing.  They usually have different ideas than we do.  My husband told me on the way home that night that he intended to have a serious talk with his parents in a couple of weeks in person.  He didn't appreciate the comments they had made to us over the last few years and he especially didn't appreciate the comments they'd made that night.  He didn't want them talking to anyone else like that, like younger people at their church.

The next time my husband talked to his dad, he apologized for what he'd said.  His excuse was that he was so surprised and excited he just said something stupid.  Generally when you're surprised you say exactly what you mean to say.  But, whatever, I appreciated the gesture.  My husband went ahead and had his talk with them.  Luckily I didn't have to listen to this conversation because I was in the shower or something like that.

After that, I asked my hubby if we could tell our pastor and his wife the next day at church because I really needed a good reaction and I knew we'd get a good reaction from them.  They knew about our struggles also and my pastor's wife if uncontrollable when she hears about a pregnancy.  It was exactly the reaction I needed.

Well, those are the main people.  Everyone else had varying responses, but all were positive.  I found that telling people was more stressful than fun.  I was always afraid that people would make rude comments.  But, most people were nothing but excited.

Appointment Yesterday

Yesterday we met with the midwife again.  This was a long visit because I had a big blood draw, plus the pap smear, breast exam, and pelvic exam (not expecting it to be quite to intense, but maybe that's a new thing?). It was supposed to be about an hour and between the number of questions we had which probably added 20-30 minutes to the appointment plus the blood draw issues we had (it was freezing in that office and they had to stick me 4 times and get blood in two sessions), we were there for a little over 2 hours!  But, my blood pressure is normal, my uterus felt like an orange, which is apparently normal, and when she felt for my butt bone, she couldn't feel it, which is a good indicator that my pelvis will not cause me to have to have a c-section as long as the baby is behaving.  Because of the difficulty I had getting pregnant and the auto-immune issues they've discovered, they want to send me a an MFM.  They gave me two choices to choose from and I have to research and let them know.  Our next appointment is right after the New Year and we will do the second part of the Nuchal Translucency Screening.  I am trying not to worry about this and doing a pretty good job, I think.

I think that I am still having a very difficult time believing I will actually bring home a baby.  I am just so afraid something is going to happen and very aware that nothing is guaranteed.  I think that's why I haven't enjoyed telling people as much as I had always hoped I would.  The more people who know, the more people who will ask us how we're doing if something bad happens.  Most people I work closely with know and all of our close friends at church know as well.  It will be in the church bulletin tomorrow.  Our church is small enough that we can list all expecting couples in the bulletin, as well as birthdays and anniversaries. 

I have a very close girlfriend (we are friends with the couple, but she is one of my closest girlfriends on top of that) who had two miscarriages two cycles in a row before they conceived their son, who is now 8 1/2 months old.  She told me that she had doubts about bringing home a baby all throughout her pregnancy too and it really kept her from bonding with the baby and she regrets it a lot.  My problem is, how do you bond with the baby? 

In more exciting news, we went to the Motherhood store today and I got a pair of jeans and I have some clothes in an online cart for Old Navy maternity clothes. I am nervous about ordering so much, but I am ordering two different sizes of jeans since it's free return shipping right now.  I have been having to wear a knock-off bella band every day because I can't button or zip my pants now.  My shirts seems to be getting shorter too.  I wonder if I am showing too soon and gaining too much weight too fast. 

Well, I am rambling now.  Overall, I am thankful to God for all the blessings we have and I realize what a miracle we have.

First Midwife Appointment Today

Today was our first appointment with our midwife.  I really liked everyone in the practice including the midwife.  I had a ton of questions and she answered some of the really urgent ones and then asked if we could save the rest for our next appointment which is much longer.  The appointment is next Friday, so I was fine with that.  So, their measurements brought us to June 12 as the EDD b/c they said we were 11w6d, but they didn't say they were changing our previous EDD from the RE of June 15 during the visit.  I guess I'll ask just to make sure on the next visit.

I told my boss and the VP that I work with closely today.  Yesterday, I told one of the men I work with that I feel pretty close to.  He was really excited and shared some of what he and his wife did and how much he loved being a parent - his kids are grown and married and they are hoping to have grandchildren soon.  It was very encouraging. 

So, here are some ultrasound pics from today.  At first I was really nervous that the baby wasn't moving, but then the lady doing the ultrasound pointed out that we could see the heart moving.  Whew!  Then, she had me cough and suddenly the baby jolted awake and was super active.  We could see that while the baby was sleeping, his little hand was up over his face and then when he woke up, we saw both arms and legs flailing around.  It was very sweet.  Of course, I say "he" in the generic sense because I don't want to say "it" or "the baby" all the time.  We are still not planning to find out the gender of the baby before birth.

Great Appointment!

I was hoping to scan the pictures and post them, but I haven't yet and I don't want to keep waiting to post about our appointment on Wednesday.  Everything was great!  Our official due date is June 15.  The baby looked great.  The heartrate was 182.4 bpm.  We could see his or her little arm waving.  It is amazing how much this little baby has grown in 2 weeks!

When we first found out we were pregnant, we thought we were 5 or 6 weeks.  We googled what size the baby would be and it said it was the size of a grain of rice.  My husband referred to the baby as "Rice, Rice Baby" for several weeks.  Yeah, wow.  :)

We have picked a doctor, for now.  I tried to call today to make an appointment, but they close at noon on Fridays.  So, I'll call on Monday.  We don't know anyone who has been to this practice, but it is small - two OBs and a midwife and I read a lot of good reviews and kudzu and the medical review sites.  They work out of a smaller hospital, but I am okay with that.  I couldn't find many practices in our area that had midwives and could find even less that would deliver at hospitals I wanted to deliver at.  I did not want to deliver at the hospital closest to us - their c-section rate was crazy.  I also did not want to deliver at the baby factory, which is where both my husband and I were born.  I think they handle just too many babies and everything is a bit too routine for my tastes. 

I hope to get an appointment the week we get back from our cruise.  I'd really like to have one more appointment near the 12-week mark.  That way, we'll feel more comfortable telling people at work and at church. 

We are telling both the hubby's parents and sister and her family and my dad and his wife this weekend.  Tomorrow, actually.  I am super nervous.

I am extremely tired and I think I am finally getting a little bit of pregnancy sickness.  I feel fine when I'm sitting down, but as soon as I stand up, I feel slightly nauseated.  Ick.  But, I can't complain, it's not that bad.

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend. 

Time is Flying!

I can't believe it's already been a week and a half since our last visit to the doctor.  We are giong back to the RE on Wednesday.  I am not sure when he'll tell me I have to go to the OB.  I am still looking.  I have found some that look good and plan to take my list to the RE and get his two cents worth. 

I am extremely nervous about picking the person who will deliver my baby.  I would really like to have a natural childbirth.  I have read a lot about epidurals and I know that a lot of people have them.  But, I have read a lot of negative things about them as well.  Additionally, I have a serious fear of needles and the thought have having a huge needle stuck in my spine would give me nightmares before and after.

I personally would like to not even have an IV, but I don't know if I'll find any doctor or hospital that will agree with that.

So far, I don't have many symptoms.  I might have felt a little teeny bit queasy this morning before I ate breakfast.  But, eating took care of that.  I have been feeling a little weird in my head a lot.  I guess it's kind of like vertigo, but not really strong.  I don't have trouble walking or driving.  My boobs are sore and definitely bigger.  DH loves to point this out.  I can feel my jeans getting a bit tighter (yes, I can wear jeans everyday to work - it's one of the perks of working for a technology company).  A friend of mine is going to lend me her bella band in case I feel like I need it before I feel comfortable buying maternity clothes.  I did buy a pregnancy pillow after we had our first ultrasound.  It does keep me from rolling onto my back for the most part.  It's not quite as firm as I'd like, though.  It's amazing how much those things cost!

In other news, we are getting ready to go on a cruise with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece in 2 weeks!  Yes, we will be cruising the Atlantic Ocean on Thanksgiving Day!  I am pretty sure that DH and I made the perfect preparations today by working out in the yard and getting lovely farmers' tans!  HA!  We are going to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.  I was seriously looking forward to doing the water slide over and over and over...but alas, I will happily forego that experience because of the pregnancy.

We told my sister and brother-in-law last Friday.  My sister sort of took a minute to get what I said then I got worried because I thought she was having a stroke based on the expression on her face!  They are very excited for us.

Well, look for an update this week after we have our 9 week OB visit/ultrasound.  Can't wait to see that little baby again and hear the heartbeat!