Grrrr...

So today was my doctor's appointment. All i had to do was three things, two of which weren't the things i was looking forward to. Let's see if you can figure out the one thing i was looking forward to:

• Get weighed
• Pee in a cup (every time)
• Hear the baby's heart beat on the doppler

Well i did the first. I lost three pounds! I'm not proud or anything, but i had no idea what to expect. This, the doctor assured us, was normal for those of us who had morning (or what i like to call i-feel-like-crap ALL day) sickness.

Then i peed in the cup. This is just so they can test your sugar levels each time you go in. Unless he says something about it, then you're good. Since i didn't buy the candy corns until after the appointment, i passed for this week.

Here comes the exciting part...the doctor gels me up on the belly and puts the doppler on to start listening for the heart beat. Well he searched, and searched, and searched. Then he just shrugged his shoulders and said "Well the baby is still very small, and they move quite a bit." After that he gave us two options:

1. wait until next week and come back since you can definitely pick something up by then (I'll be almost 15 weeks a week from now)

2. Go down the hall right then and there and have a quick ultrasound, where it's easy to pick up since they can see the exact location of the heart.

DUH. Take me to the ultrasound! So off we went, the took me right away, and sure enough there he/she was and the woman pulled up the heart beat over the monitor speakers right away.

Phew.

I have to say, i felt frustrated and guilty once we left today. I felt frustrated because i was SO looking forward to being able to hear the heart beat through the doppler, because that (to me) would make it feel "real." Even after last week's ultrasound. I know, I'm insane.

I felt guilty because here i am all upset that we didn't hear anything BUT saw something and then did hear something through the ultrasound machine. I realize that it could have been a lot worse, and has been for many people who aren't as lucky as us to see a healthy, living baby on the screen. It just goes to show you what kind of surprises and emotions this experience can bring out i guess.

Anyway, my next appointment is October 22nd. All i want to do is hear that heart beat through the doppler now. These next three weeks are going to drag on I'm afraid.

In other news it's almost October! I LOVE Halloween...so i went and did some shopping to decorate the house. Since we moved in on Halloween last year i never bothered buying anything. The shopping trip is also when i purchased the candy corn which are staring at me as i type this.

That's it for now. Oh yeah - the heart rate today was 151.

13 weeks and shopping

Well today i took my 13 week picture. I'm technically 13 weeks, 2 days since i hit each new week on a Friday. For whatever reason, since the start, we've been taking my picture on the Sunday after...so in an effort to be consistent we're still taking them on Sundays.

The next few pictures are me through the end of my first trimester, and today.

10 weeks

11 Weeks

12 weeks

And the big 13 week

I have to say something about today's picture. First off, it does NOT look this big underneath by clothes. In fact, most people keep saying "well you're still not showing." I'm not sure where this came from!?!? Also, in case it means anything at all, i hate a delicious bagel sandwich today for breakfast AND had almost my entire delicious Chipotle veggie burrito. I then came home and and had this taken. Perhaps i should have waited...mmmm....

Don't fear - i won't be posting too many more bare belly pictures - especially if they look like this last one!

All i can say is it never looks this big in the morning, but once the eating begins...here comes the belly!

Today was also a fun day since i went shopping with my friend Jen. I need work pants since my regulars ones aren't comfortable anymore. They do fit (well the 4's don't anymore, but the 6's do) but they leave this horrible purple line around my gut which just hurts and itches all day. To me, that's not worth it, so why not just be comfortable?!

Mimi Maternity proved to be my most successful store. I bought three pairs of work pants, a cute fall sweater, and a cute little coat for the fall. Jen was so patient with me and kept looking around while i tried on about 100 pairs of pants. The strangest thing (and I'm not complaining here) is that the mediums were all HUGE on me. I could have fit two of me in them. So, i bought all smalls...yippee!

Anyway, I'm home now, watching football and prepping for my next meal.

My second pre-natal appointment is tomorrow morning, so more then.

One more thing...there's really a baby in there!

On Tuesday, September 23rd we had an ultrasound done as part of the NT Scan. I was so excited for this appointment because from what i had read, the baby was actually going to look like "something" instead of a grain of rice.

We drove to St. Peter's University and had a very nice lady do my ultrasound. She even let us listen to the hear beat through the machine (which i didn't even know was possible. The hear beat this visit was 157 bpm.

She got some great shots for us (including 3D which i haven't scanned yet). Here is one for now:


12 weeks, 5 days

I also had blood work done which goes along with the measurements they got from the ultrasound. I have to go back between weeks 16 and 18 for another round of blood work as well, as part of the same test. This is the down syndrome test that we chose to do, as i didn't want an amnio done.

After the ultrasound, Nathan and i split up the pictures (we got about 8 in total!) and headed off to work to finally share the wonderful and exciting news with our co-workers.

We've also decided we're going to try and leave the gender a surprise. As i told Katie B. and many other friends - it's one of the only surprises in life that we won't be disappointed with. I hope we can stick to our guns!

Finally...a baby blog!

As promised (due to popular demand), I've decided to start a baby blog. Since I'm already 13 weeks along as i type this, i have quite a bit of background and news to fill everyone in on. I'm not sure how good i will be at backtracking (pregnancy = no memory), but i will highlight a few things, to the best of my ability, that were both exciting and nerve wrecking.

So, without further adieu, here we go...

*Disclaimer: read at your own risk. Although this shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me, i don't plan on holding back on any detail or opinion of our experience (if you've never been pregnant you're in for a treat). Ok, you've now been warned.

Adding to our family: The day we got married (and every day after that) people asked when we were having babies. I hadn't even had a piece of wedding cake before people wanted to know our plans on reproducing. Although our plans did change (by choice) this leads me to answer the first ever-so-popular question:

• Were you guys trying?
• Yes. I stopped taking birth control in May, and got pregnant in July. I think i can spare everyone on the details.

When we found out: Since we had been "trying" since May i had been really careful all of May and June on how much i drank, what i ate, etc. Well after finding out both months that nothing had happened yet i was almost upset with myself for changing my lifestyle for no real reason yet. So when July rolled around i was done with that. Oh yeah - one thing about trying to get pregnant - everything that you feel, taste or see - you swear on your life it's a symptom and that you're knocked up! I'm not kidding. It's almost an illness. So not only was i back to drinking when i wanted and eating what i wanted, but i didn't really pay attention to my body at all during our third cycle. I refused to let it consume my every thought (easier said then done).

Anyway - for about a week or so before we found out i was pregnant i was so exhausted. I was sleeping like i had never seen, and Nathan would always say "are you ok?" In the back of his mind i think he knew i was pregnant, but not wanting to disappointment me, he never said anything. I also never got my normal PMS symptoms or feelings. Again, i just thought this month was different because my body was still adjusting to not being on birth control anymore.

The weekend of July 19th we had been watching my mom's dog (i should say my step-father's dog since my mother hates animals...but i digress). I had just gotten done running an event for work so i took off that following Monday (the 21st). On Sunday, July 20th, we went to let the dog in and then decided to go next door to the Ortiz's to say hello. Well about 6 beers later, we went home. The funny thing is, my cycles were only every 25 days or so, and ALWAYS started with spotting at around day 23. Well day 23 had passed, but that Sunday night i still refused to believe i was pregnant. I failed to mention i had taken a pregnancy test the day before and it was negative...so Bud Light here i come!

The next morning, July 21st, i woke up and still nothing. No sign of a period or anything. I wasn't even bloated (which I'm proud to say since i had a lot of beer the night before). So i thought "what the hell" and took another test. So i pee in the cup and dip in the test and proceed to brush my teeth (not before washing my hands of course), assuming that like Saturday, i won't see any lines. As I'm about to rinse, here comes the lightest line on the test!!! I took a double take and then kinda giggled. I had read that "a line is a line" since you need enough HCG (hormone) in your urine for anything to come up. Of course taking other tests was necessary in my mind. So i ran upstairs and announced to Nathan that i was going to CVS (the drugstore). When he asked why, i said "i think I'm pregnant and need to get good tests." Nathan just smirked at me and off i went.

Well i came home and took the others...two (yes two) tests with a plus/minus...and up came the plus! And then a digital since there is no mistaking a message that reads "pregnant"... and that it did! With that, i ran upstairs and put the test in Nathan's face and he asked "what is that?!?"

After that i called my doctor's office and since i had off that day figured it was a perfect time to go in and have it confirmed via a blood test. Well...had i known how that was going to go, i would have waited until i was further along by a week or so. Since my cycles were only 25 days each, to me that meant a full cycle, but technically, i wasn't really 4 weeks yet. So...as a result...here's how that visit went:

• July 21st: went in for blood test. Also got a shot of Rhogam since I'm A negative (a whole other story, but this is totally normal for any expectant mother with a negative blood type).
• Nurse: "ok, we'll call you tomorrow with the results."
• Me: "Tomorrow seems like forever! Ok...call me on my cell.
  
• July 22nd: Back at work, but my manager, Kathy, is gone on vacation, so my phone rings and i run into her office and shut the door:
• Me: "Hello?"
• Nurse: "Is this Kim?"
• Me: "Yes..."
• Nurse: "Hi Kim, it's Susan from Brunswick Hills." Your blood work came back and your HCG levels are awfully low."
• Me: "Ok, what does that mean?"
• Nurse (a.k.a. Witch): "Well they should be at a higher level for 4 weeks along, and yours aren't.." It could mean you're still really early on, or it probably means that you're miscarrying."
• Me: "Well it hasn't been a full 4 weeks yet, so how high could they be at barely 4 weeks? Technically, I'm NOT 4 weeks..."
• Nurse: "Like i said, your levels aren't high enough for a 4 week pregnancy. It may not be a viable pregnancy."
• Me: "OK?!?!?"
• Nurse: "We need you to come back tomorrow for another test. In a viable pregnancy your HCG levels will double every 48 hours or so."
• Me: "Ok, I'll be in first thing in the morning."

Nice, right? I mean just what every first time, scared shitless, mother wants to hear. So, not only was i trying to figure out a way to get this witch, Susan, fired, but i was so convinced that there was something wrong. I went back the next day...and turns out everything was right where it should have been. They had me go back a week later to just be sure and again...everything was fine.

I still don't like that Susan chick.

The other scare i had was at 6 weeks 3 days when i woke up with a bit of spotting. It was brown (which signifies old blood which is the kind you want if you have to have any). After a panicked call to the on call doctor at 6 a.m., they got me in three days early for my first ultrasound. This ultrasound was an internal one (fun!) and after measuring all the other things that live in there...they found the baby. It was the size of a grain of rice with a fast little hear beat going at 138 bpm. What a relief that was! They say after you see the heartbeat your chances of miscarrying drop down to 5% (it's 20% in your first trimester until you see the heartbeat), but being a worrywart i still worried throughout my first trimester. As the weeks went on i got better, but i can imagine how this worrying is only a small glimpse into what we're in for as parents once the baby actually arrives!

Now for the belly pictures. We've been taking them since week 4. As you'll notice, bloat takes on a whole new meaning. Some weeks have been better than others, and now at 13 weeks I'm finally starting to get a "real" baby belly with the bloat setting in after a larger meal, and at night.

4 Weeks

5 Weeks

7 weeks (bloat!)

And that's all i have right now...the others are still on my camera!

So from now on the rest of my blogs should be somewhat up to date...!

Oh yeah - My Due Date: April 3, 2009!


More to come since my next doctor's appointment is Monday morning...