Week 16

Last week was week 16 (now I am on 17.5!!).  The bump has definitely grown!   I am happy because I think it is finally apparent that I am actually pregnant.  Just a couple of weeks ago I felt like it looked more like I had a large beer belly instead of a pregnant belly.  Also, I haven't gained any weight yet but I have lost inches all over my body especially on my butt!!  Of course, this is awesome news for me!!  Also, I have a lot more energy and a lot less headaches - I have been feeling really good and very, very happy!

Embarrassing Emotional Outburst

At the beginning of December, Big Brothers Big Sisters held our annual staff holiday party.  We went to Buca di Beppo in Scottsdale, which was delicious.  We had an ugly sweater competition and I won third place with a horrible red and white poncho.

The real fun came when we started the gift exchange!  This was the typical exchange - each person brought a gift and then we each drew a number.  In took turns in numerical order, each person could either open a new present or steal one of the presents that someone else had opened.  The caveat was that each present could only be moved three times.  My turn came and went and I stole a present that I loved.  It was a snowman serving platter that had a carrot for a nose that could be pulled out and used as a spreader....amazing!  Well, that got taken from me so I picked my second favorite present - a piggy bank dressed as an elf.  The very last person was up (it happened to be a close friend of mine who was sitting next to me), I knew which items she was interested in so I thought I was safe....She took my pig!!!  Instead of acting like a normal person I literally burst into tears in front of all of my coworkers.  Luckily, everyone was really nice about it.  I felt embarrassed anyway though, especially because my friend ended up giving me back the pig.  Needless to say, people are still teasing me about it :)

Crying over a pig....so embarrassing.

Sweet Little Sonogram

Before Thanksgiving, Peter and I went to see my doctor for a sonogram and a check-up.  We had had one sonogram before but aside from the flicker of a heartbeat we couldn't really see much....this was much different!!!  My stomach muscles must have twitched because of the ultrasound gel, immediately the baby started moving around like crazy.  Waving it's tiny hands and feet around and arching it's back.  It was absolutely amazing!!  The technician let us look at the baby for quite awhile and pointed out things like a hand, a foot, the umbilical cord, etc.  Then she measured the baby's heart rate - 170 beats per minute.

The Baby's head is all the way to the right.

While we waited for the doctor, we both stared at the picture.  It was the first time that I could see an actual baby - our baby.

Later on Thanksgiving day, Peter hid a copy of our sonogram picture inside each of our family members' napkins.  When we sat down to eat we were hoping that each person would find the picture in their napkin but instead the pictures pretty much just fell out onto the floor :(  My mom went around and handed each person their picture.  Even though it didn't work out as planned, everyone was still really excited and jumped up to hug me.  My Aunt Cyndy and cousin Sara even surprised me with a gift bag full of baby books, toys and maternity items that they've been collecting.  They have carried the gift bag around to every family gathering for almost two years (just waiting for the announcement)!  So fun!

Now I have one copy of the sonogram in a frame and I carry one in my wallet.  I still look at the picture all the time!

Week 10

Week 10 has come and gone.  The baby is currently the size of a lime.  Only two more weeks to go until the first trimester is over!  I have been feeling pretty great except for the pretty intense headache that I get every day right around 1:00 PM....it stays with me until I fall asleep at night.  The doctor recommended acupuncture twice a week but I'm not sure that I can fit that into my schedule.  For now I am going to tough it out and hope the headaches go away when the first trimester ends. 

As you can see from my picture, my baby bump has already begun.  I thought that this a little early but the doctor told me it's normal for shorter women to show earlier than others.  I also think a portion of it is just water retention.  Regardless, I will be making the jump into maternity clothes any day now.

FREE Stuff!!!

Over the last several weeks I have spent a lot of time scouring the Internet looking at different baby things.  There are a ton of offers for free stuff out there!  Now, I must admit, at first I learned about these deals by reading other pregnant women's blogs.  But soon thereafter (once I knew what to look for) I started finding these offers all over the place.  

One of most recent Internet obsessions is Freebies 4 Mom.  I like to check this website a couple of times a day because some of the best freebies are available in a limited supply.  This website also led me to the Pampers "Gifts to Grow" program.  This a rewards program - you put in codes that you get off of Freebies 4 Mom and other websites and also off of actual Pampers packaging.  When you get enough points you get free stuff including diapers!  You can enter codes 2BEGINEARNING50 and JOINNOW4REWARDS to get 50 points each right out of the gate.  It is actually pretty addicting and I find codes all over baby sites that are partnered with Pampers.  NOTE:  I am still working out the disposable vs. cloth options....not sure yet if I will be buying Pampers (or other disposables) but thought I should get started on racking up points just in case.

Next some instant gratification....Seven Everyday Slings!  I picked out the one I wanted (purple of course) and when I went to checkout I entered the promo code "Halloween" for my very own free baby sling.  I only had to pay for shipping.  So Cute and SOOO Free!  Next is Udder Covers (clever name for a very fashionable nursing apron).  Promo code is "Family 2010", same deal, I just had to pay shipping!  To give credit where credit is due, I found both of these offers through my most favorite mommy-to-be blog The Herron Nest.

I will certainly share more as I come across them over the next 6 months and beyond :)

Baby Grape Leaf?

My friend Trisha called me this morning to tell me about an interesting dream she had last night.  Peter and I had announced our baby name: Grape Leaf!!  She was obviously concerned about this name and I kept saying, "Grape Leaf, like the Grape..."  I did ask her if she could tell if the baby was a boy or a girl but she said it was unclear.  Either way, I am almost 100% sure that we will not be naming the baby Grape Leaf. 

Georgia's Horseback Ride!

Back in September I helped my good friend Georgia check one item off of her 'Bucket List'.  She has always wanted to ride a horse so I bought us each a Groupon to Bein Performance Horses.  We each got assigned to a horse - mine was Jackie O!  First we had to groom our horses - we brushed them with a few different brushes and gave them some love while feeling for swollen joints.  Next, we picked stuff out of their hooves with a little tool that looked kind of like a giant knitting needle (this was not my favorite part!).

After they were all cleaned up we learned how to put the proper equipment on the horses so that we could ride them.  And then we were off!  We each had our own instructor and a private arena - they worked with us separately for about 30 minutes.  Pretty basic stuff like balancing, turning, commands, etc.  It was really fun!  Afterwards we took all of their equipment off and put it away and then went through the entire grooming process again (even picking the hooves).  It helps to calm the horses down after a ride and ensures that any dirt or mud that got on them during the ride comes off and doesn't irritate their skin.

Georgia and I had a really good time together!  Georgia was happy to report "We are now officially Riders of Horses!"

Renewed Conviction

When I first started this blog I made a goal to post at least four times a month for a minimum of a year.  I slipped up in September (only 3 posts) and October (only 2 posts).  Now I know what you are thinking, "No one is counting" or "Who cares?"  The point is that I set a goal and it is important to me to complete it.  This blog is a way for me to reflect on my thoughts and feeling throughout this very exciting year.  

I obviously can't go back in time but I will be posting at least 7 times in November - 4 for the month and 3 for the posts I missed in September and October.  Get ready for information overload!!  Then, moving forward, it is back to at least 4 times per month!

The Typical Symptoms Abound....

I can't say that the symptoms of pregnancy are fun but of course, they are definitely worth it!!  Also, I have read several times that the sicker you feel the better your pregnancy is going.  I'm not sure that I completely believe this but if it is the case, we are doing very well!  

For this entry I have listed the top 5 symptoms that I've experienced so far.  I also rated them 1-5 with 1 being the symptom that has affected me the least and 5 being the symptom that has affected me the most.  All of them have affected me quite a bit but I am trying to get a handle on what has had the biggest impact on me.

1.  Exhaustion - I have definitely been sleeping a lot more than usual.  I also feel like my brain is fried after only being at work for 7 hours or so.  Typically (when I'm not prego), I can go for 12 hours or more before feeling that way.  By the time I get home from work each night I absolutely have to lie down.  

2.  Dizziness - This is something that comes and goes.  It might actually be tied in to exhaustion as it gets worse when I feel tired.  It often hits me right when I get out of bed in the morning but today it lasted the entire day.  Sometimes it makes the nausea even more intense (see item #4).  It would seem like this would be an easy one to overcome but there is really nothing you can do for it....It is very distracting and makes even simple tasks feel like a really big deal.
 

3.  Emotional Outbursts - This symptom comes in the form of tears.  I have always been a bit of a cry-baby (which I usually attribute to overactive tear ducts), however this is a little out of hand.  I am ultra-sensitive and cry when my feelings get hurt, when I feel tired or sick, I even cried when I saw some kids perform on the cruise ship!! 
 

4.  Nausea / Queasiness - Blah, this is not fun at all.  I have never eaten so many crackers in all of my life.  They call it morning sickness but that is a lie - it is constant, all the time, every day.  Luckily I have only actually thrown up a couple of times.  Then there are certain things that will send a wave of nausea through me....like eggs.  Seeing them, smelling them, thinking about them, even writing the word just now makes me feel extremely ill.  This too shall pass.....I've been told that I will only feel like this for 4 more weeks.  Please keep your fingers crossed!
 

5.  Headaches -This has been the most debilitating symptom of all.  At first I thought it was merely caffeine withdrawal but now, several weeks after quitting the coffee / soda / Excedrin / etc., the headaches are still coming on strong.  Some days I wake up without a headache but other days no such luck.  I go to bed with a headache almost every night.  My doctor allows me to take Tylenol but I certainly try to put off taking it as much as I can....there are certainly some days when I can't do without it.  I hope that this is a symptom that will go away with the "morning sickness".

There are certainly other things that I have experienced that didn't make the top 5.  One that I feel I should mention is Pregnancy Tinnitus.  This is a weird thing that allows me to hear my own heartbeat in my right ear.  Fun!!  It is even loud enough for Peter to hear it sometimes.  Although it is pretty annoying, I can only hear it when everything around me is absolutely quiet....not too often.

As I re-read my post I realized that it might sound a little Debby-Downerish but the fact is that I am really happy and very excited.  Although I am not 100% most of the time, my body is reminding me about the little life forming in my belly.  Maybe God intended it this way - maybe the hormone surges that take place in the beginning of the pregnancy help women to stay focused on the baby....internal reminders since you can't see anything on the outside yet....makes sense to me :)

Peter's Birthday Surprise

Last Wednesday, (9/29) was Peter's Birthday.  He got up earlier than normal....he tries to leave the house each morning by 6:30 but on Wednesday he got up at 5:00.  I got up and stumbled to my bathroom to take the first pregnancy test of the month.  I thought it was a long shot because I wasn't actually supposed to start testing for a couple more days.  Fast forward just 3 minutes....I ran to Peter's bathroom and yelled, "Baby!  I have the best Birthday present EVER!!  A positive test!!!"  He threw open the shower curtain and, with his face half covered in shaving cream, grabbed the test from me.  Next he took the directions from me just to double-check that I was reading it right. :)  I was - We are pregnant!!  He was soooo happy!  He told me it was by far the best birthday present he's ever received.

The rest of the week was a bit of a whirlwind.  We were super excited and also a little sick - Peter had a stomach bug and I got the first rounds of morning sickness along with some crazy caffeine withdrawals.  

We told our families and we told our close friends.  Peter got to tell everyone that was already calling him because of his Birthday!  It was really fun! 

I have gotten more and more nauseous each day.  Although this is not necessarily fun, I have been assured by my doctor (and many books) that this is actually a really good sign.  It means that my pregnancy is progressing normally and the baby is doing well.  Today I am exactly 6 weeks along.  Tomorrow when I stop by the doctor's office for a quick blood test I will schedule our very first sonogram!!  September WAS my month!

Le Petit Sophia

OK - I did ovulation kits this month and proved last month's theory to be correct.  Ovulation came around day 22-23.  Women on the typical 28-30 day cycle ovulate at day 14.  

I was not a fan of using ovulation test kits (I tried out First Response).  First, I feel like it is not good for the environment.  I had to use 7 tests before I got a positive and I am just one person.  There are thousands of women using these tests every month.  That is a lot of plastic wasted!!  Second, it was pretty hard to read.

Peter is a big fan of all things electronic so he bought me the Petit Sophia Fertility Monitor in case we are working on this for awhile.  This measures very slight changes in temperature leading up to ovulation instead of the LH Hormone surge that ovulation kits test for.  Check it out - it is actually a really cool little gadget.

So, back to this month - we did our thing and now we have to wait....2 weeks to be exact.  We'll see!

Anxiety 101

One thing I haven't really addressed on my blog yet is my anxiety.  Sometimes my anxiety manifests itself in panic attacks, sometimes I have bouts of depression, I have a many symptoms of OCD but generally I am just a complete stress ball.  I have tried a number of different medications to help me with the disorder.  I also go to therapy every other week.  The latest combination of 40 mg of Prozac and therapy definitely did the trick in terms of reducing my anxiety levels.....and then we decided to start a family :)

Peter and I along with the help of my therapist and my psychologist worked out a plan to get me emotionally ready for the drastic reduction in medications necessary to safely create and carry a baby.  This is another reason that I went to so many preconception appointments too - we wanted an OBGYN opinion in the mix.  Very long story short, starting back in April I gradually scaled down my meds.  Currently, I take only 10 mg of Prozac!!  As soon as we know for sure that I am pregnant (which FYI: I still feel that September is the month!) then I will stop the Prozac completely.  This is completely safe as most medications do not pass through the barrier until 8 weeks after conception.  Plenty of time to get a positive pregnancy test!

Now generally, I am feeling good.  A couple of times I have been near a panic attack but caught it in time and was able to talk myself out of it using tricks learned in therapy.  This is great progress for me!  I have some other anxiety symptoms including irritability, repetitive negative thoughts, a little bit of crying, etc.  These are very light though compared to what I have experienced in the past.  I feel like I am ready to move forward in my life!!

A funny side note: My therapist thought it might be helpful to make something for the future baby.  She thought a project might help me to stay focused on the goal and think of something other than work once I get home.  She suggested that I paint the baby's room or knit the baby a blanket (I disagree, I think this is bad luck).  Because I still have some small emotional episodes, I was thinking to myself, "Wouldn't it look pretty crazy if Peter came home from work and I was sitting on the couch crying and knitting a a baby blanket??".  Yeah, I don't think I am going to take that nugget of advice.

Considering "The Big O"

My last post was hopeful....unfortunately, my good old "Aunt Flo" returned again.  Can we just pause here for a second...don't you just hate that phrase??  They reference this as AF in our new babymaking book, What to Expect Before You're Expecting. 

Anyway, based on the last two months, we have concluded that my cycle is actually 40 days long instead of the average 28 to 30.  There is nothing alarming about this at all it just means we have been aiming for the wrong day.  Ovulation (otherwise known as The Big O) is midway through your cycle, around day 20 for me.  We will be using an ovulation test this month to make sure our theory is correct.  I feel good about September!!

The Moody Blues

Holy mood swings!!  I have to say that today, for the first time, Peter and I both agree that I may be pregnant.  My mood has shifted up and down, left and right, from euphoric to angry......all within seconds of each other.  I was having a normal conversation with Peter on the way home from work, everything was going fine until he asked me "Where are you?", I literally yelled "ON THE FREEWAY".  I was quiet for a few seconds and then we both burst out laughing.  It was crazy!  Luckily I have the best, most amazing husband ever....he laughed instead of getting upset.

Additionally, I have four zits on my normally very clear face :)  These two symptoms may be the sign we are waiting for.  I'll let you know asap.....

Vegas Baby!!

Last weekend I went to Vegas to visit Molly.  Friday night we stayed at the JW Marriott to celebrate her friend Kiran's 30th birthday.  We did a full day at the pool and then went out to dinner at Grimaldi's and drinks at Kona.  I met the cutest couple - two men in heir early 50's.  They were friends first, all the way back when they were little kids.  They had some great advice on marriage and raising a family....it was a great conversation and I feel blessed to have met them.  

Saturday Molly and I just hung out - she took me to see the house she just closed on and we watched  the ultimate girlfriends move - Beaches.  Side note: I didn't remember this but Barbara Hershey's character is named Hillary Whitney.  Fun, right?  Sunday we went to the most amazing outlet mall that I've ever been to.....the Banana Republic store and the Coach store were my favorites.  Overall it was an amazing trip - so much fun to hang out with my Mols again!

Introducing: My New Favorite Show!!

It's no secret that I LOVE the Bachelor and the Bachelorette....but, have you seen the Bachelor Pad??  It is amazing!  Lots of hook-ups, lots of crying and tons of cat fights.  This is my kind of TV!!  Check it out: http://abc.go.com/shows/bachelor-pad.  You will not regret it (Actually maybe you will....I guarantee you will get sucked in!).

Babymaking Online

OK....so there are a TON of websites about conception, pregnancy and baby stuff.  I have spent a lot of time scouring these sites.  My two favorites are listed below:

The Bump.com - This was my original go-to site.  Very modern, bright and fun.  I was already used to the format as I used the Knot.com for our wedding and then the Nest.com for newlywed tips and home buying tools.  It has articles on most subjects (that I've needed anyway) but the information is pretty basic.  There are also a lot of tools that are very helpful: an ovulation calculator, fertility charts, etc.  Lots of checklists too....which you know I love!  I like the fun side of this site - there is a baby name finder and a tool that tells you how big your baby is based on comparable fruits (i.e. your baby is about the size of a date, about the size of a plum). 

What to Expect When You're Expecting - This site definitely takes a more professional / medical stance. It has all of the same tools but without all of the fluff.  The best part of this site are the in-depth articles.  One feature that I especially love: "A-Z Health Guides".  This has a list of every possible pregnancy symptom, what causes the symptom and what tricks can be used to help.  After each article there are a list of several corresponding articles.....you can have all the necessary information in minutes, from resources you can trust.

Both of these sites are very helpful.  I am excited to register with each site once I am pregnant to start receiving updates about the growth and development of the baby....I'll be sure to let you know which fruit the baby is at all times!

TMI

Since my last blog, a couple of interesting things have happened!  Please note: some of the items below area bit of an overshare....

I went to the doctor for a real pregnancy test.  They decided that they did not need to administer a test - We then reviewed my medical history again and had a lengthy discussion about the "Sleepy Uterus"....YIKES (that is a phrase that I think the world could do without!!)!  Apparently, after years of birth control, it can take a couple of cycles for the uterus to become active and ready.  Enough said....

Several days later, my period came.  Back to the drawing board :)

Feeling Confused....

Hmmmmm....so I took my fourth pregnancy test today.  Negative.  This seems strange to me because my period is two weeks late.  June was my first full month with no birth control and my cycle was completely normal.  July is the second month of no birth control and so far no pregnancy but also no period.  Is this my body adjusting to life without factory-made hormones?  Is this some kind of mental trick?  Is it possible that I could be pregnant and the test aren't picking it up?

I have had some potential symptoms....however, I am also a bit of a hypochondriac so it's possible that I'm reading too much into these signs.   I had a bout of feeling nauseous every afternoon for three or four days last week.  I also had a number of headaches (maybe related to work stress??).  Lastly, I have been a little more sensitive / emotional / irritable.  All of these could also be symptoms of an impending period.  As I said, mostly I am feeling confused.

A Short Break from the Baby Business

My cousin Lisa loves buying new books but she hates keeping them around after she's read them.  Earlier this month she gave me two full bags of books (probably thirty books in all) - each only read one time!  There are lots of girlie titles, some mystery novels - all great summer reads.  I have already read "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova and "The Year of Fog" by Michelle Richmond.  I would recommend both!

http://www.stillalice.com/ and http://michellerichmond.com/the-year-of-fog/